USA > New York > The men of New York: a collection of biographies and portraits of citizens of the Empire state prominent in business, professional, social, and political life during the last decade of the nineteenth century, Vol. I > Part 19
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Mr. Mandeville has not confined himself, however, to insurance interests. His active spirit has caused him to identify himself with the business of the country in those special enterprises that characterize
our age. He was one of the incorporators of the Lima Natural Gas Co. of Lima, O., and of the Ohio Oil Co .: and for twenty years he has been actively engaged in the production of petroleum.
We are sometimes tempted to think that one of the faults of our bustling, go-ahead, nineteenth-century life is that each man thinks only of himself, and not always even of what is best for himself in the broad- est and truest sense. In this respect Mr. Mandeville certainly has not failed, for his interest in all public enterprises for the good of the community is well known. Everyone nowadays realizes the importance of education and the general diffusion of knowledge, and the two most potent factors to this end are the public school and the public library. The man who helps forward either of these two institutions is doing
W. H. MANDEVILLE
a great work for posterity, and Mr. Mandeville, in his connection with the library at Olean, has shown a most intelligent appreciation of this fact. He was one of the original members of the Olean Library,
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. and for many years its president. Since its reorgani- zation as the Forman Library he has been one of its managers, and his well-directed efforts have had much to do with the success of the institution.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY - William Howard Mandeville was born at Millport, Chemung
SES
GEORGE W. PATTERSON
county, N. Y., August 15, 1841; was educated in the public schools of New York city and of Belmont, N. Y., and at Rushford Academy ; entered the insur- ance business in 1863, in partnership with his father, at Belmont, N. Y .; married Helen L. Eastman of Nashua, N. H., August 22, 1872 ; has been engaged in the insurance business in Olean, N. Y., since 1865.
George TU. Patterson will be held in hon- orable remembrance by the people of Westfield long after he has passed away. His greatest service to the village is the founding of the Patterson Library, a work in which he is still engaged. His sister, Hannah W. Patterson, left for this purpose a legacy of $100,000, the application of which was entrusted
to his care. Had the library never been undertaken, however, Mr. Patterson would still be long remem- bered for his services in the perfecting of land titles. The Chautauqua land office of the Holland Land Company was located at Westfield, and Mr. Patter- son's father was its agent. Since 1879 Mr. Patter- son has himself been the owner, legatee, and grantee of the remaining property of the Holland and Chautauqua land com panies for Chautauqua county. The books, records, maps, and papers of the office have been in his possession, and have been kept with scrupulous care. In consequence, he has often been called on· for evidence of the discharge of mort- gages, and for quitclaim deeds to perfect titles, when land-office deeds have not been recorded in the county clerks' offices. Many Chautauqua-county land owners have been saved great trouble and expense by the care and system with which Mr. Patterson has preserved the important papers that have come under his charge.
Mr. Patterson was born on a farm in Livingston county, N. Y. His father determined to give him a liberal educa- tion, and he was fitted for college at the Temple Hill Academy, Geneseo, the Westfield Academy, and the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima. At the age of eighteen he entered Dartmouth Col- lege, where he graduated in 1848 with the degree of A. B., and from which he received his A. M. three years later. For the purpose of completing his educa- tion, and not with any view to practic- ing, he entered a law office in Buffalo, and studied about two years. His father had moved to Westfield with his family in 1841. and here, ten years later, our subject entered busi- ness life by becoming a member of the firm of Waters & Patterson, manufacturers of edge tools, shovels, forks, and hoes. He retired from this business in 1854, and moved to Corning, where he became cashier of the Geo. Washington Bank. After four years he became president of this institution. The bank failed in the great financial panic of 1873-74 : but Mr. Patterson was fully discharged of all claim- by creditors of the bank. He then, in 1876, returned to Westfield, where his later years have been devoted to the benevolent works described above, to his per- sonal interests, and to the executorship of four estates .averaging over $300,000 each.
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Mr. Patterson's connection with public affairs has been limited to the towns in which he has lived. He was a member and president of the board of educa- tion of Corning from 1867 to 1876, and a village trustee one term. His election to the latter office was significant of the respect in which he was held. Though a Republican, he received a large Demo -. cratic vote, and was chosen acting president of the village by his colleagues, all of whom were Demo- crats. He was also treasurer of the Hope Cemetery Association of Corning from 1859 to 1876. He drew the preliminary plans for the first waterworks of Corning and for the building of the Corning Free Academy. He also made the plans for the Westfield waterworks, and is a member of the board of water commissioners, having served as president thereof since 1888.
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Mr. Patterson was a member of the Amphictyon Association of the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, and of the Zeta chapter of the Psi Upsilon and the Phi Chi Delta fraternities of Dartmouth College. He was a vestryman in the Episcopal church at Corning, and fills the same office at Westfield. He has frequently contributed articles to news- papers on topics of interest, and has collected with a view to publication genealogical data of more than fifteen thousand persons, descendants of his own and his wife's ancestors. Mr. Patterson's father was lieutenant gov- ernor of the state in 1848-50, and his son is a professor in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Four gen- erations have borne the name George Washington Patterson.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY -- George Washington Patterson was born at Leicester, N. Y., February 25, 1826 ; was educated at various preparatory schools ( Temple Hill Academy, Westfield Acad- emy, and Genesee Wesleyan Seminary) and at Dartmouth College, graduating therefrom in 1848; studied law in Buf- falo, 1849-50 ; engaged in the manufacture of edge tools at Westfield, N. Y., 1851- 54; was cashier of the Geo. Washington Bank at Corning, N. Y., 1854-58, and president, 1858-75 ; married Frances De Etta Todd of Toddville, N. Y., September 17, 1861 ; has lived in Westfield since 1876 ; has been owner, legatee, and grantee of the Holland and Chautauqua land companies since 1879.
Jesse Deterson has long been a conspicuous figure in the business and political life of western New York. He removed from his native town of Belfast, N. Y., to Lockport in 1858, and that city has ever since been his home and the scene of his business enterprises. After a somewhat limited early education, which extensive travel in his own country and in Europe and Africa has amply sup- plemented, Mr. Peterson at the age of eighteen embarked upon the sterner activities of life. He engaged first in the business of a contractor, and for five years devoted himself to this work. During this time, notwithstanding his youth, he carried out several important works, such as the tunnel for the Hydraulic Company of Lockport, and the main portion of the waterworks of the city of Toledo, Ohio.
JESSE PETERSON
Mr. Peterson next turned his attention to manu- facturing, and in this field, which has ever since claimed his attention, his greatest success has been attained. His first venture in this new sphere of
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activity was made as half owner of the Penfield Block Co. of Lockport, N. Y. While connected with this concern he built up and extended the business until it became the largest of its kind in the world. This early achievement is characteristic of Mr. Peterson's whole career, since he has always been able to out- strip competitors in any industry to which he has turned his attention.
While occupied with the affairs of the Penfield Block Co., Mr. Peterson's attention was drawn to a field just beginning to attract the notice of capital- ists - the manufacture of wood pulp. In this he perceived a fine opening for his business enterprise, and he established a plant accordingly in Lockport. Jerome Preston is one of the men to whose energy, determination, and business acumen James- town, N. Y., owes its growth and prosperity. He is the kind of man that is of great value to any community, alive to all its interests, and prepared at all times to shoulder his full responsibility as a citizen. The moral welfare of the city as well as its material advancement has found an ever ener- Since 1883 he has been proprietor of the Cascade Wood Pulp Mills. A further development of this industry is found in the manufacture of wares from the hardened, or indurated fiber of the wood. In 1885 Mr. Peterson became president of the Lockport Indurated Fiber Co., which has since been consoli- dated into the Indurated Fiber Co. of New Jersey, with a capital stock of 8750,000. It is the largest . getic supporter in Mr. Preston. In whatever direc- establishment of its kind in the world.
Mr. Peterson has never been ambitious for public office, but he stands high in the esteem of his party, and was honored by a place on the Democratic electoral ticket in 1888, when President Cleveland was a candidate for re-election.
Mr. Peterson has not failed, in the midst of a busy career, to broaden his knowledge and liberalize his mind by extensive travel in many parts of the world : indeed, this has been his chief recreation and one great interest outside of business. He has visited nearly every city of any importance in Europe, and has extended his travels into the less frequented regions of northern Africa, exploring the coast as far east as Tunis and spending considerable time in the Great Desert. But he has not committed the fault of which many an American is guilty - that of neglecting the places of interest in his own land and devoting his attention solely to exploring the old world. His extensive travels in the United States have familiarized him with the wonderful natural beauties of the country, as well as with the great cities, whose phenomenal growth and enterpris- ing spirit are full of interest to a man of Mr. Peter- son's progressive character. Gifted by nature with a fine voice and a love of music, Mr. Peterson has given considerable recreative attention to musical societies.
Mr. Peterson is a fine specimen of physical man- hood, being six feet and two inches tall and of pro- portionate build and weight. He has reached his present position of prosperity and influence through
a happy combination of sound judgment and sagacity with that venturesome spirit which, in this age of sharp competition, has become essential to great success.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY - Jesse Peter- son was born at Belfast, Allegany county, N. Y., October 1, 1850 ; was educated in Lockport (N. Y., Union School ; married Arabella A. Brown of Lock- port January 29, 1874 ; was half owner of the Penfield Block Co. of Lockport, 1875-85 ; has been engaged in the manufacture of wood pulp and indurated fiber in Lockport since 1883.
tion his duties lay, he brought the full force of his strong nature to bear in their discharge. Conscious of his own rectitude, he has proceeded on a straight line, turning neither to the right nor to the left, intent only on fulfilling his obligations as a man and a citizen.
Mr. Preston is a Pennsylvanian by birth, but moved to Chautauqua county, New York, early in life. When twenty years old he formed a partner- ship with V. C. Clark under the firm name of Clark & Preston, and opened a general country store in the Chautauqua-county village of Busti. This con- nection continued for four years, until 1859, when. desiring a larger field for his operations, he moved to Jamestown. There he has since resided, an active force in the business, political, social, and religious circles of that city. His first venture there was of a rather ambitious nature, for, with DeForest Weld as a partner, he opened one of the largest dry-goods stores in the town. Constantly alive to all opportunities for widening his sphere of activity. and having unlimited faith in the future of the vil- lage, Mr. Preston was soon engaged in various branches of trade. Among his copartnerships were those of Preston, Harrington & Co. and Kent. Preston & Co., firms that will readily be recalled bs all the older residents of Chautauqua county.
Jamestown was near enough to the oil fields to feel the influence of the early excitement there, and in 1862 Mr. Preston, in connection with Lewis Andrews, built the first oil refinery of which the city boasted. For several years thereafter this firm
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continued to refine oil, Mr. Preston at the same time retaining a large interest in the dry-goods and clothing business. For many years Jamestown has been noted for its woolen mills, and for the past twenty-eight years Mr. Preston has been identified with that important industry. Throughout this long period he has been one of the man- agers of the Jamestown Woolen Mills, which have been conducted during most of this time under the firm name of Allen, Preston & Co.
Mr. Preston early began to take a lively interest in things political, and when only twenty-one years old he was elected town clerk of the town of Busti. Later he served as a trustee of the village of Jamestown, and was also a member of the board of education. For two years he represented the town of Ellicott, in which Jamestown is located, on the board of supervisors of Chautauqua county. In all these positions he was faithful to the trust reposed in him, and guarded carefully the affairs of the people he represented. In 1871 he was called to higher honors and responsibilities, being elected a member of the assembly from the 2d Chautauqua district. This was a reform legislature, and among its members who afterward became famous the country over were Samuel J. Tilden and David B. Hill. In many respects this legislature failed to command the respect of the people, but Mr. Preston's course was such as to win the praise of his con- stituents. One of the local papers said of him after the legislature adjourned ;
" Mr. Preston has taken a straightforward, con- scientious course at Albany, honorable both to himself and to the district. He has gained the respect of his fellow-members, and accomplished much to retrieve the dilapi- dated reputation of the district and county on account of former venality and corruption. Mr. Preston would go to Albany again with a wide acquaintance and with something of a state reputation, not only for honesty but for ability and strict atten- tion to his legislative duties."
A tribute equally warm and deserved appeared in the New York Times, contributed by a Queens- county member of the same assembly. Mr. Preston thus retired from office with a record that has often been held up since as an example for other ambitious men.
For almost the whole period of his active life Mr. Preston has been a communicant of the First Baptist Church of Jamestown. In behalf of this society
in particular and the cause of Christianity in general, he has been an active worker. . He believes that church membership means something more than church attendance and a yearly contribution, and he has always acted up to that belief. For over thirty years he was clerk and treasurer of the society men-
JEROME PRESTON
tioned, retiring from those offices in December, 1895. As a mark of appreciation, he was unani- mously re-elected to the offices from which he re- signed, pending the election of his successor. He has also been a force in Sunday-school work, and for a third of a century has been superintendent of the school connected with the First Baptist Church. He was the first president of the first Young Men's Christian Association formed in Jamestown, and has been a director of the present association since its organization.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY-Jerome Preston was born at Farmington, Penn., January 28, 1834 ; attended common and select schools and the Jamestown (N. Y. ) Academy ; married Hannah Broadhead of
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Busti, N. Y., June 4, 1856 ; conducted a general store in Busti, 1854-59; was elected member of assembly from the 2d Chautauqua district in 1871; has been engaged in mercantile and manufacturing pursuits (dry goods, oil refining, Jamestown Woolen Mills, etc. ) in Jamestown, N. Y., since 1859.
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EDGAR PIERPONT PUTNAM
Edgar Pierpont Putnam is one of the men to whom the nation owes a lasting debt of gratitude. With a patriot's impulse he sprang to his country's defense in the hour of its peril, and followed the flag from the outbreak of rebellion until the last gun of the enemy was spiked ; he faced rebel bullets in repeated battles, and was twice wounded ; and when armed resistance was quelled, he returned to peaceful industry as unpretentiously as many another unsung hero of the Civil War.
. Though only seventeen years old, young Putnam was among the foremost to respond to Lincoln's first call for troops, enlisting as a private in the 9th New York cavalry. While other boys of his age were at
school or taking their first lessons in business, he was in the army in Sheridan's cavalry, learning the hard lessons of war, in camp, on the march, and in the field. For four long years he served his country under the stern discipline of arms, mustered out among the last. as he had enlisted among the first. Mr. Putnam's career as a soldier was distinguished and meritorious. Enrolled as a private, he won, by his excellent bearing and ser. vices, successive promotions to the ran ?: of corporal, sergeant, 1st lieutenant, cap- tain, and brevet major : and all this before he was twenty-one years of age. He was noticed by federal authorities for his gallantry, and congress voted him a medal of honor for "distinguished con- duct in action." This flattering mark of approval was bestowed upon compara- tively few, and only in recognition of ex- ceptional merit. Major Putnam saw hard fighting, and carries the scars of two wounds received upon the battlefield.
In the year following the close of the war Major Putnam was appointed United States deputy surveyor, and went to Min- nesota, where he remained in this branch of federal service nine years. He then returned to his native county to enter private business as a book and drug dealer. He soon received the appoint- ment of postmaster of Jamestown, N. Y.
In 1888 he was elected clerk of Chau- tauqua county, and served in that capacity three years. Major Putnam has not sought the preferment which a grateful government has been glad to bestow upon those who made heroic sacrifices to save it, and which would have been his for the asking. He has been content to accept offices that came to him as a free tender on the part of his fellow-citizens. He has been active in promoting the interests of the party under whose leadership the principles for which he fought were established. He has been repeatedi: . and is now, chairman of the Republican committee of his county, and is valued as a wise and patrioti counselor.
For the past few years Major Putnam has given hi- attention to private enterprises, such as a directorate in the Chautauqua County National Bank. He is an esteemed member of various military organization -. from the most general to those numbering only the pick and flower of brave veterans, including the Grand Army of the Republic, the Union Veteran
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Legion, the Loyal Legion, and the Medal of Honor Legion. He is also a Mason and a Knight Templar.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY - Edgar Pier- font Putnam was born at Stockton, Chautauqua county, N. Y., May 4, 1844 ; was educated in common schools ; enlisted as a private in the 9th New York cavalry in September, 1861, and served until the close of the war ; was United States deputy surveyor in Minnesota, 1866-75 ; married Eppie Mace of Jamestown, N. Y., February 27, 1878 ; was clerk of Chautauqua county, 1889-91 ; has lived in Jamestown since 1875.
William Richmond has made a record as a successful business man and trustworthy public official. A great part of his best thought and effort has been expended in the performance of duties of a municipal character. The city of Lockport, where he resided for over twenty years, repeat- edly honored him with executive and administrative offices. He served that community as alderman four years, water commissioner three years, trustee of the board of education six years, and mayor of the city one year. In all these posi- tions of trust and responsibility Mr. Richmond displayed thorough knowl- edge, business methods, and fidelity - attributes much too rare in the annals of city government. A sound practical judg- ment has guided him through difficulties that would have proved a stumbling-block to most men, while his tried integrity has stamped him as a man upon whom the people can rely in all emergencies.
Though possessing the true traits of an American citizen, Mr. Richmond is not a native of the United States, having been born in England, where his childhood was passed, and where all his schooling was obtained. He attended a private school in Worcestershire till he was fif- teen years of age, when he was brought to this country by his father. His uncle was already established in business in Lockport, N. Y., and at his request Mr. Richmond took up his residence with him in 1867. Mr. Richmond soon dis- played business capacity of a high order, together with an affable disposition, both combining to gain for him warm friends and numerous admirers. Such a man finds it hard to keep out of politics for any length of time. Popularity eventually brings to its possessor nomina- tions for political office. Mr. Richmond proved no
exception, and for fourteen years he served the city in the different offices mentioned.
Having filled so acceptably many local trusts, he soon became one of the party leaders in west- ern New York, and his time and counsel have been freely bestowed in every important campaign of recent years. In recognition of his prominent standing as a business man, a public official, and a Democrat, he was appointed by President Cleveland collector of customs for the district of Niagara, and assumed the duties of his first federal office March 4, 1895. In this position he has given the same care and thought to the public business that characterized the performance of his duties in local offices.
Meantime Mr. Richmond has been engaged in the business to which he succeeded on the death of his uncle in 1873. As a business man he has
WILLIAM RICHMOND
shown himself prudent and conservative, and by wise management has earned for himself distinct financial success and an excellent reputation in com- mercial circles.
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In social and fraternal walks of life Mr. Rich- mond is likewise prominent. He is a member of Niagara Lodge, No. 375, F. & A. M., Lockport, and of Lockport Council, Royal Arcanum. He is a communicant of the Protestant Episcopal church. In all his relations to society, to the state, and to
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WALTER L. SESSIONS
the church, he has proved himself a man of genial nature, public spirit, and philanthropic impulses.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY-William Rich- mond was born at Mitton, Worcestershire, Englan:1, October 6, 1847 ; was educated at a private school in England; came to the United States in 1863 ; mar- ried Mary McGill of Lockport, N. Y., October 12, 1870; was alderman in Lockport, 1881-83 and 1889-01, mayor of Lockport, 1883-84, water com- missioner, 1884-S7, and trustee of the board of educa- tion, 18SS-89 and 1890-95 ; has been collector of customs at Niagara Falls since March 4, 1895.
Walter I. Sessions is a leading repre- sentative of one of the most famous families in
southwestern New York. For more than forty yo .... he has been among the foremost in the politics of Che tauqua county. Always a strong Republican, he ! served his party, his state, and his country repeated, holding positions which are a guarantee of his gr. force of character and of the high esteem in wh. he is held by his fellow-men. Ana back in the '50's he was elected a mer ber of the assembly, and held the on for two years. During his second y ... he was chairman of the committee on w .. and means, which is the most import ... . committee of the house. This posit .. made him the leader of the majority, a' put him in direct line for the speakersh ... had he gone back for another term.
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