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. II > Part 33
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George Ul. Ray, for many years a leader of the bar in central New York, and prominent in pub- lic life from his long and able service in the national
ISAAC G. PERRY
house of representatives, is descended from an okl Connectient family. His father. Asher M. Ray, a farmer and merchant in Stonington, Conn., and afterward in Otselie, N. V .. held a high position in
MEN OF NEW YORK- CHEMUNG SECTION
the community, and served for thirty-six years as justice of the peace.
Mr. Ray was born in Otselic somewhat more than fifty years ago. At the age of sixteen he entered Norwich (N. Y. ) Academy, but his course there was destined to suffer a long interruption. From the
GEORGE W. RAY
beginning of the Civil War he was deeply interested in the course of events, and in the summer of 1862 he made up his mind to have an active part in the struggle. He enlisted, accordingly, in company I, 114th New York volunteers, but was prevented by long sickness from going to the front. Later he enlisted in company B, 90th New York volunteers, and served until the close of the war. Returning North in June, 1865, he took up again his studies at the academy, and graduated thence in 1866. For a year or more thereafter he read law in the office of E. H. Prindle of Norwich, and in Novem- ber, 1867, was admitted to the bar.
Opening an office at once in Norwich, Mr. Ray has practiced there ever since, although latterly his
public duties have occupied a large part of his time. For two years beginning in 1871 he was associated with E. H. Prindle, then representative in congress, and D. H. Knapp, in the firm of Prindle, Knapp & Ray ; but otherwise he has practiced alone. Early in his professional career Mr. Ray became noted for his success as a criminal lawyer, and for many years he occupied a leading posi - tion in this special line. He took part on one side or the other in most of the important trials in his part of the state, including several capital cases ; but, though many of them were severely con- tested, he was almost uniformly success- fal. In October, 1897, he defended William E. Lull, indicted for murder in the first degree for shooting G. Frank Cox at Plymouth, N. Y. : and secured an acquittal.
Mr. Ray's political life began in 1881, when he served as a member of the Re- publican state committee. He at once took an important part in the counsels of the party, and has ever since been an influential factor in public affairs in the state and nation. In 1882 he was elected to the 48th congress. Even in this, his first session, he became known as a speaking member, his plea in behalf of General Fitz John Porter being especially noteworthy. After an interval of a few years Mr. Ray was again elected a con- gressman in the fall of 1890, and since then he has served continuously in that honorable capacity, having been elected for his fifth term in 1896. He has served on a number of important com- mittees, especially the committee on the judiciary ; also the one appointed to investigate the strike at Homestead in the summer of 1892, and the one to report on the federal elec- tion laws. In the 55th congress he was chairman of the committee on invalid pensions, and occupied the second place in the judiciary committee. His repeated elections to the national legislature attest his popularity with his constituents, and his public record is one of which he may well be proud. He is a ready and powerful speaker, a hard worker, and a man of broad and comprehensive views-in short, a most valuable public servant.
In spite of his professional and public duties, Mr. Ray finds time to take a helpful interest in all that concerns the prosperity of the town of Norwich. For many years he was actively identified with the
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Norwich fire department as chief engineer of that organization. He took a prominent part in the movement that resulted in the erection of the Nor- wich High School, one of the finest buildings of the kind in the state; and has been a member of its board of education since 1886. He belongs to Norwich Commandery, No. 46, K. T., and to E. B. Smith Post, G. A. R .; and attends the Congrega- tional church.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY- George II. Ray was born at Otselic, N. Y., February 3, 1844 ; was educated at Norwich ( N. Y. ) Academy ; served in the Union army, 1863-65 ; was admitted to the bar in 1867 ; married Mary Johnson of North Pitcher, N. Y., June 28, 1871; was member of congress, 1883-85, and has served in that body continuously since 1801 : has practiced law in Norwich since 1867.
operations or attend difficult cases in all parts of the Southern Tier and in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania ; but his chief field of work has been Elmira, where he occupies one of the finest and best equipped suites of offices in that section of the state. These are necessitated by his large and varied practice, and desire to keep abreast of the times.
Dr. Ross is the medical examiner for a great number of insurance and beneficiary organizations. lle conducted a general practice at first, but in recent years has paid particular attention to diseases of women and the use of electricity in surgery and gynecology. In the course of his practice Dr. Ross has performed a number of very difficult major operations. In conjunction with Dr. Thomas .1. Dundas of Elmira he performed the first and ouly
ffrank Ward Ross, widely known in Chemung county as a learned and successful physician, belongs to an old and distinguished family. On the paternal side he is descended from Lord Joshua Ross of Scotland, from whom the line is easily traced to colonial and revo- lutionary times in this country. Dr. Ross's great-great-grandfather was a captain in the Continental army, and received for his services in the patriots' cause a land grant of 500 acres about where the city of Elmira now stands. Hle was killed by the indians on the way to his possessions in what was then regarded as the Far West. Dr. Ross's maternal grandfather was the inventor, John Henderson, who was a descendant of the first Dutch settlers of Manhattan island. Dr. Ross's father was the late Charles Dun Ross, a well-known busi- ness man of Elmira.
Dr. Ross has always lived in Chemung county, having been born at Horseheads two years before the beginning of the Civil War. His early training was ob- tained in the public schools of Elmira and in the Elmira Free Academy. After a thorough preliminary education he began the study of medicine, graduating with high honors in 1883 from the medical department of the University of the City of New York. Once fairly embarked on his professional career, he made rapid progress as regards both extent of practice and general stand- ing. He has frequently been summoned to conduct
: A' 200
FRANK WARD ROSS
successful Caesarean operation ever performed in that part of the state.
Dr. Ross has been a member of the staff of attend- ing physicians and surgeons of the Arnot-Ogden
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MMEN OF NEW YORK- CHEMUNG SECTION
Memorial Hospital since 1888. He takes an active part in many medical and scientific bodies, includ- ing the International Medical Congress, the Ameri- can Medical Association, the Academy of Sciences, and the American Microscopical Society. In 1897 he was made a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences for special work in science. He is an original Fellow of the New York State Medical Association, a Fellow of the American Electro-Therapeutical Society, vice president of the Medical Society of the County of Chemung, and president of the Elmira Academy of Medicine. He is chairman of the board of examin- ers of Niagara University, and formerly lectured on electro-therapeutics in that institution. The degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon him by Loyola College, Baltimore, in 1896 ; and the National Col- lege of Electro-Therapeutics at Indianapolis, Ind., in the same year gave him the degree of Master of Electro-Therapeutics for special proficiency in that branch of medical science. He was elected to a professorship in that institution, having the depart- ment of " X-ray " and medico-legal electricity. In 1897 the degree of Doctor of Philosophy was con- ferred upon him.
Outside of his professional practice Dr. Ross has spent much of his time in scientific research and literary work. He is especially interested in elec- trical subjects, as might be inferred from the trend of his practice ; and he was the first person in Chemung county to obtain the " X-ray " apparatus and to produce the wonderful Roentgen pictures. He has written many scholarly papers on medical and scientific subjects for publication in the journals and Transactions of the various societies to which he belongs, and in various periodicals and newspapers. He has also invented several electrical and surgical appliances that are of great service to surgeons and gynecologists.
In social life Dr. Ross is highly esteemed through- out the Southern Tier. He has membership in various fraternal societies, including the order of Elks, United Friends, aud Red Men. Ile has not cared to go into political life, though opportunities to do so have not been lacking.
PERSONAL, CHRONOLOGY- Frank Ward Ross was born at Horseheads, N. Y., July 10, 1859 ; was educated in public schools and Elmira Free Academy ; received the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the University of the City of New York in 1883 ; married Hattie A. Hart of Dorchester, Ga., a lineal descendant of Miles Standish ; has practiced medicine and surgery in Elmira since 1883, devoting special attention to the use of electricity in surgery and gynecology.
Stepben Ryan, one of the most enterprising citizens of the village of South Otselic, is a son of Thomas Ryan of Tompkins county, New York. He was born in Homer, Cortland county, less than forty years ago, and was educated in the public schools of his native town, attending first the district schools, and afterward graduating from Homer Academy.
Mr. Ryan moved to South Otselic in 1881, and after obtaining valuable business experience in vari- ous subordinate capacities, established, in 1884, a clothing and furnishing-goods store, which he con- ducted successfully until 1895. He had not been long in the village before he became interested in extending the telephone lines in that part of the state. The increase of such methods of rapid com- munication throughout the country constitutes one of the greatest conveniences of modern times. Mr. Ryan was quick to appreciate this fact, and for the past eight years he has been actively engaged in various enterprises of this kind. In 1887 he became manager for the Central New York Telephone and Telegraph Co. at South Otselic, and he has held that position ever since. During that time he has raised the money and constructed the telephone line from Norwich, the county seat of Chenango county, to Syracuse, a distance of fifty miles or more ; as well as a shorter line from South Otselic to Pitcher.
South Otselic is a thriving little town, and Mr. Ryan has been closely identified with its business interests for the past ten years. He has interested himself particularly in the matter of good roads, and has done much to improve the streets of the village and the roads in that part of the country. In 1896 he organized the Business Men's Association, which has promoted in various ways the prosperity of the community. In connection with the Binghamton Board of Trade this association undertook in 1897 the organization of a company to construct an elec- tric railroad between Binghamton and South Otselic. a distance of about fifty miles ; and Mr. Ryan was chosen chairman of the committee of the Business Men's Association having the matter in charge. He was largely instrumental in securing for the Erie & Central New York railroad the free right of way ·through the town of Otselic, and thus increasing its transportation facilities. Realizing the importance of education in all true progress, he has served for several years on the board of education of the South Otselic Union School, and has pursued there the same vigorous policy that has characterized his busi- ness carcer.
An ardent Democrat in political belief, Mr. Ryan has taken an active part in politics for many years. He has been a member of the Democratic county
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MEN OF NEW YORK-CHEMUNG SECTION
committee for the past ten years, and occupies an important place in the local councils of his party. In 1888 he was the Democratic candidate for the office of county clerk. In March, 1894, President Cleveland appointed him postmaster of South Otselic, and he has filled the office ever since. position he has greatly improved the mail facilities of the village. During 1897 he secured changes in stage sched- ules and mail connections that shortened by twenty-four hours the time required for sending a letter to New York city and receiving an answer. In the rush and hurry and close competition of modern commercial life such a gain is of decided importance to the business of a small town ; and Mr. Ryan is justly proud of his achievements in this direc- tion.
PERSONAL, CHRONOLOGY - Stephen Ryan was born at Homer, N. Y., November 10, 1859; was educated at Homer Academy : married Ettie M. Cook of South Otselic, N. Y., June 6, 1883 : conducted a clothing and furnishing-goods store at South Otsetic, 1884-95 ; has been a member of the Chenango-county Democratic committee since 1886, and post- master of South Otselic since 1894.
3. Monroe Shoemaker occupies · a leading position in the business world of Elmira, and throughout the Southern Tier. He is a son of Smith and Katherine Shoemaker of Dundee, Yates county, New York, and a large part of his life was spent in that town. There . he received his education, begun in the little district school, and finished - so far as schools were concerned -in the village academy ; and there he lived until 1874. with the exception of three years which he spent in the army.
In April, 1862, Mr. Shoemaker began business for himself as a carriage maker, forming a partnership for that purpose with his brother, John HI. Shoema- ker. This association was destined to continue but a short time; for in July of the same year Mr. Shoemaker gave up his business, and enlisted in company B, 148th New York volunteers. After serving for a short time as first sergeant of his com- pany, he was transferred to the regimental band. and continued in this capacity throughout the war, being mustered out June 30, 1865.
In this
Returning then to Dundee, Mr. Shoemaker en- gaged once more in his former trade of carriage making, forming a partnership with L. G. Terry that lasted for eight years or more. At the end of that time he determined to make a radical change in both location and occupation, and to seek a larger field of
12.
STEPHEN RYAN
enterprise. Moving to Elmira, accordingly, in Feb- ruary, 1874, he engaged in the business of oil refin- ing with D. E. Bedell and John H. Bruen, under the firm name of Bedell, Shoemaker & Co. The firm prospered from the start, and four years after its organization the business was sold to the Standard Oil Company, Mr. Shoemaker becoming the general manager of the company for the territory of southern New York. This was almost twenty years ago, and the fact that he has retained the office ever since is sufficient evidence of his ability in the conduct of extensive business enterprises. The corporation with which he is connected is universally known as one of the wealthiest and most powerful in the coun- try : and Mr. Shoemaker, by virtue of his position
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MEN OF NEW YORK-CHEMUNG SECTION
therein, is an important factor in the commercial world.
Mr. Shoemaker is far too busy a man to take an active part in political affairs. He served as alder- man of the 3d ward in Elmira for two years begin- ning in 1893; but though he has been urged to
J. MONROE SHOEMAKER
accept the candidacy for prominent positions in city and county, he has always refused to allow his name to be used in connection with such offices, fecling that the faithful discharge of their duties would make a greater demand upon his time than he would be able to meet. He is a trustee of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home at Bath, N. Y., and is the chairman of its house and grounds committee.
Although not a politician, Mr. Shoemaker is a public-spirited citizen, and has been closely identi- fied for the past fifteen years with every movement in behalf of the growth and prosperity of Elmira. He was president of the Board of Trade for four years, and in that capacity was instrumental in attract- ing many new industries to the city. and thereby
furthering its material welfare in a marked degree. He is a charter trustee of the Arnot-Ogden Memo- rial Hospital, and has been one of the managers of the City Club of Elmira since its organization. He is a member of St. Omer Commandery, Knights Templar, and of Baldwin Post, No. 6, Grand Army of the Republic, of Elmira.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY- - J. Monroe Shoemaker was born at Dun- dec, N. Y., July 31, 1842 ; was educated at Dundee Academy : married Delia M. Benedict of Dundee September 11, 1862; served in the Union army, 1862-65 ; en- gaged in the manufacture of carriages at Dundee, 1865-74 : went to Elmira, N.Y. in 18Th, and engaged in oil refining ; was alderman of Elmira, 1893-95 ; has been general manager of the Standard Oil Com- pany in southern New York since 1878.
3. Stewart Tells, one of Bing- hamton's most respected and public- spirited citizens, was born near that city seventy-five years ago. His father, Chester Wells, was one of the earliest settlers of Broome county, having emi- grated thither from Norwich, Connecti- cut, in 1812 when only eighteen years old. There he married Polly Slyter, and there he made his home for a num- ber of years. Shortly after the birth of our subject, however, the family moved to Steuben county, where Chester Wells carried on a mill and a country store until his death in 1828.
Stewart Wells was but six years old at this time, and for the next eleven years he made his home with an uncle at Mara- thon, Cortland county. After attending the district schools there he went to Binghamton in 1840, and completed his education at a select school. The next few years he spent in New York city ; but in 1848 he returned to Binghamton, and has been actively engaged in business there ever since. Be- ginning operations as a builder and contractor, he conducted the business for upwards of twenty years, and met with much success.
In 1870 Mr. Wells gave up this occupation, and bought a half interest in the Binghamton Iron Works, manufacturing engines and boilers, which he con- ducted with M. W. Shapley until that gentleman's death in 1881. Since then he has been associated with Mr. Shapley's sons, J. E. and W. M., in the management of the enterprise.
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In 1856 Mr. Wells began the manufacture of brick in addition to his other business. For this purpose he formed with Elijah W. Bingham the firm of Wells & Bingham, and the association has continued ever since. In the forty-two years since its organization the business has entirely outgrown its modest begin- nings, and is to-day one of the large manufacturing industries of Binghamton.
The marked success that has attended Mr. Wells's different enterprises is ample evidence of his strict and faithful atten- tion to the many demands of business life, and of his ability in the manage- ment of commercial affairs. His fellow- citizens have been sharers in this pros- perity, for he is always liberal in his support of worthy public movements, and has given largely to various public institutions. He has been a member of the board of managers of the Susque- hanna Valley Home ever since it was organized, and is a director of the Ping- hamton Trust Co.
Mr. Wells has always been more or less interested in political affairs, and has several times consented to hold pub- lic office. So far back as 1856 he was a member of the Broome-county board of supervisors, being the first supervisor from the town of Binghamton, which included the village of the same name, after the division of the old town of Chenango. In 1858 he served as presi- cent of the village of Binghamton. In 1865 he was one of the commissioners that had charge of the erection of the Court-street bridge ; and in 1868 he was appointed a member of the first com- mission to build the waterworks now owned by the city of Binghamton, and valued at 82,000,000. In 1883 he was elected mayor of Binghamton, and served acceptably for one term in that honorable position.
For more than half a century Mr. Wells has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
and he has attended Christ Episcopal Church, Bing- hamton, for many years.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY - J. Stewart Wells wes born near Binghamton, N. Y., June 30, 1822 ; was educated in common and select schools : married Hannah Barnes of Staten Island, N. Y.,
J. STEWART WELLS
October 12, 1848; was a builder and contractor in Binghamton, 1848-10 ; was elected mayor of Binghamton in 1883 ; has carried on the manufac- ture of brick at Binghamton since 1856, and has been half owner of the Binghamton Iron Works since 1870.
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GENESEE SECTION
In the Genesee Section are pub- lished the biographies of subjects from the counties of Cayuga, Genesee, Liv- ingston, Monroe, Orleans, Wayne, and Wyoming.
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MEN OF THE GENESEE SECTION
Reuben Z. Hdams, who in the medical pro- fession of Rochester ably represents the noted New England family from which he sprung, was born at Marion, N. Y., April 3, 1841. There he passed his boyhood, and received his education, at first in the public schools, and later at Marion Collegiate Insti- tute.
In August, 1862, Dr. Adams enlisted in company D, 160th regiment, New York volunteers, and went to New Orleans with General Banks's expedition, serving under him throughout the Louisiana cam- paign, including the siege of Port Hudson. Later he fought under General Sheridan in his famous engagements in the Shenandoah valley, participating actively in fourteen battles in all. He was wounded at Fort Bisland, La., and Cedar Creek, Va .; and when innstered out of service at the close of the war, he received the exceptional honor of a letter of special commendation personally signed by every surviving officer of his regiment. The doctor has received rare and valuable presents, and ". Thanks " from the imperial household of Japan for services to a Prince and distinguished officers of the Japanese navy and army ; but this letter and its endorsements he prizes above all similar things he possesses, and of it he is justly proud.
Returning from the war, Dr. Adams took up his medical studies at the Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia March 4, 1868. In July of that year he established himself at Church- ville, N. Y., where he practiced his profession sue- cessfully until May, 1873. Weary of the hardships of a country practice, and ambitious.for a field pre- senting greater possibilities, he then moved to Roch- ester, where he rapidly acquired a large business, and took rank with the most prominent and esteemed
physicians. In 1874 he served as city physician, being one of the first homeopathic physicians to occupy that position. April 1, 1883, he formed a partnership with Dr. V. A. Hoard that terminated December 31, 1886; and July 1, 1889, Dr. Myron H. Adams became a partner, this connection being dissolved January 1, 1893.
Dr. R. A. Adams has been president of the Mon- roe County Homeopathic Medical Society, vice president of the Rochester Hahnemann Society, and vice president of the New York State Homeopathic Medical Society. He is a member of the Central New York Homeopathic Medical Society and of the American Institute of Homeopathy, and has been consulting physician on the staff of the Rochester Homeopathic Hospital since its incorporation in 1887. He is a member of George H. Thomas Post, No. 4, G. A. R., and is proud to have taken part with that post in the original presentation of a fine United States flag to each of the thirty-five public schools of Rochester, thus starting a patriotic custom that has extended pretty generally over the United States, and greatly stimulated patriotism and loyalty in the school children of our country. Dr. Adams is also a member of Monroe Commandery, No. 12, Knights Templar, and Rochester Consistory, in which he has taken the 32d degree in Masonry. He belongs to the Rochester Club, and various other social, professional, and business organizations.
During the last thirty years Dr. Adams has been an aggressive, though always a consistent and con- scientious worker for the advancement of homeop- athy : and in his work and words he has long been an effective advocate and uncompromising defender of his medical faith. He is recognized as one of the leading representatives of that school of practice in this section of the country. For twenty-four years
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