A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume II, Part 104

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1150

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CHARLES A. OTIS

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English syndicate. He held the chairmanship of the board of directors for two or three years, after which he gradually retired from active business life. Dur- ing his last fifteen years he lived in New York but spent a great deal of his time in traveling through Europe and America, visiting many places of interest in this country as well as in foreign lands. While residing in the Empire state he became a member of the Ohio Society of New York.

During his residence in Cleveland Mr. Otis was not only prominent in the industrial development of the city but was also a factor in its municipal prog- ress and public life. In 1872 he was elected mayor of Cleveland on the demo- cratic ticket and filled a very successful term in that office. He was importuned to again accept the nomination of his party but found that his business, which was at its height at that time, was demanding too much of his attention, so he declined further political honors. It was said of him that his wish to serve the people of the city was strong and he could have risen much higher in public office had not his business required his attention. In 1894 he became the pres- ident of the Commercial National Bank and was at the head of this institution for ten years, resigning the office and retiring from active business in 1904, at which time the Commercial Bank was merged with the Mercantile National Bank, forming the present National Commercial Bank. Mr. Otis was also one of the founders of the American Wire Company, which later became the Amer- ican Steel & Wire Company, and was connected with the Standard Sewing Machine Company, the American Steel Screw Company, the Cleveland Electric Railway Company and the Society for Savings, being a director of the last named. At one time he was associated with Dr. Everett in the old East Cleve- land line. Among the business men of Cleveland Mr. Otis was held in very high regard. He always took a personal interest in his employes, whose esteem for him was marked and there never occurred a strike in the history of his firm.

Mr. Otis had no early education beyond the meager facilities of the country schools but by indomitable energy he became a man of broad knowledge and large capability. His manner was one of simplicity and this, combined with his irreproachable integrity, gained him the confidence and good will of all who knew him and in fact he enjoyed the respect of the entire city. His foresight and business ability, aided by his public spirit, contributed in no small way to the substantial growth and progress of Cleveland.

Mr. Otis was first married to Miss Mary Shepard, who died leaving two daughters : Mrs. Judge William B. Sanders; and Mrs. Dr. J. Kent Sanders, now deceased. For his second wife Mr. Otis chose Miss Ann Eliza Shepard, a sister of his first wife, and she died some twenty-three years previous to her husband. The children of the second marriage were three sons: William A., Charles A. and Harrison G.

A Cleveland paper referring to the death of Mr. Otis said editorially: "In the death of Charles A. Otis the city loses one of the builders of Cleveland. Charles A. Otis, Sr., was a pioneer in the creative industrial enterprises which made this city, as it is today, a possibility. He ran risks and reaped the rewards of the pathbreaker, whose ventures into new fields are followed by less daring and able men. In the making of iron and steel, in banking, in varied manufac- turing interests, Charles A. Otis was one of the most active forces in the growth of Cleveland. He promoted progress in all directions. The whole world of in- dustry, finance and trade felt the stimulating effects of his many-sided enter- prises. He was an inspiration and example for a goodly number of younger men who came within the scope of his personal influence Great popularity bore witness that in this strong man's career success did not blunt humanity. He was loved and trusted by his employes as well as by his business associates. His judgment was as sound as his impulses were kindly. Enterprises which he founded went forward to great success. He was a stranger to defeat. The loss of such a citizen is a blow to Cleveland, which would be more felt if Charles A. Otis had not retired from active business and put his affairs in order some

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time before his death. Age and leisure had withdrawn him from the broad field of the city's productive interests before his long and useful life came to its end. A maker of Cleveland is missed from the scene of his labors and triumphs."

Another paper said of him: "The death of Charles A. Otis removes one who was for many years a leading figure in the city's manufacturing and finan- cial life. Moreover, he served a term as mayor of Cleveland, having been nom- inated in his absence and without his knowledge, a fact which enabled him to display admirable and unusual independence while in office. He was one of the pioneers in the city's iron and steel industry and was identified with various other large interests. He was a leading citizen in every sense of that much abused term and will be widely missed in spite of retirement from active life which several years ago withdrew him largely from public notice."

CHARLES HICKOX.

Charles Hickox was born in Washington township, Litchfield county, Con- necticut, in 1810, and was the youngest of four brothers. His parents, who were natives of Connecticut, moved to the west in 1815 and settled in Canfield, Mahoning county, Ohio. Charles Hickox remained here until he was seventeen, when he moved to Rochester, joining two brothers who had already preceded him there.

In Canfield he attended the village schools during the winters, acquiring a fair education, his summers being spent on the farm. He remained in Roches- ter until 1837, when, realizing that there were greater opportunities for a young man in the west, he came to Cleveland. The city at that time had a population of about five thousand, and as it was the year of the great panic, the business outlook was not encouraging.

Mr. Hickox was fortunate in securing employment as clerk in a commission and forwarding house, where he remained for two years, at the end of that time engaging in the same business on his own account. He soon became identified with other business enterprises, the most important resulting in the founding of the large flour mills, with which he, or members of his family, were connected for nearly thirty years.

In 1872 Mr. Hickox turned his attention to other lines of investment, among them the iron ore mines of Lake Superior and coal lands in central Ohio. By the sale of these latter to the Hocking Valley Railroad, he became identified with that company, and later with the Ohio Central Railway, being active in the gen- eral management of both corporations.

Mr. Hickox was one of the founders of the Society for Savings, a member of the Board of Sinking Fund Commissioners, President of the Republic Iron Company, and was a director in a number of other corporations.

At various periods he had owned considerable real estate in Cleveland, and at the time of his death, was constructing the Hickox Building, at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East Ninth Street.

In politics Mr. Hickox was a republican, his early training having aroused in him a hatred of all oppression, and influenced him to cast his political fortunes with the abolitionists, freesoilers and republicans successively. He never filled any public office, but his influence was always felt, and he spared neither time nor money in promoting the good of the city, the state and the nation. He had traveled extensively here and abroad, and was an indefatigable newspaper reader, keeping himself fully abreast of the times.

Mr. Hickox married, in 1843, Miss Laura A. Freeman, daughter of Judge Francis Freeman, of Warren, Ohio. Four children were born to them, Frank F., Charles G., Ralph W., and Mrs. Harvey H. Brown, all living in Cleveland.

CHARLES HICKOX

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The fine residence of Mr. Hickox, with its ample grounds, on Euclid avenue, was his home for over thirty years, and here he found the true happiness of his life. In person he was over six feet in height, of spare form and strong, rugged cast of features. He had a marked head, with perceptive qualities largely devel- oped, a broad open forehead, blue eyes and a pleasing voice. He was much in sympathy with deserving young men, and many owe their success to his timely aid and cheerful advice. He met death peacefully on the 17th of April, 1890, surrounded by all the members of his family.

EDWIN ARTHUR KRAFT.

Edwin Arthur Kraft, organist of Trinity cathedral, has already gained notable distinction in musical circles and his youth and ability give ample promise of con- tinuous progress in the future. That education which comes through listening to the compositions and harmony of the greatest masters is being promoted through the recitals and instruction of Professor Kraft, who on the installation in the cathe- dral of one of the finest organs of the country was called to preside thereafter at the regular services of the church.

He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1883, and began his musical study at the age of nine years. In 1898, while yet a lad in the high school, he heard of a vacancy in Grace Methodist Episcopal church of New Haven and on making appli- cation was accepted for the position of organist. The following year he became or- ganist in the Church of the Ascension in the same city, where he organized a boys' choir. Later he won the scholarship for organ playing at Yale University and was graduated from the music department, where he studied under Dr. Horatio Parker and Harry Jepson, two of the most eminent American artists. In 1901 Mr. Kraft became organist of St. Thomas' church in Brooklyn, New York, where the Rev. James Townsend Russell, now archdeacon of Brooklyn, was then rector. Mr. Rus- sell became greatly interested in Mr. Kraft, recognizing that he was by tempera- ment and equipment a genius. At the suggestion of the rector Mr. Kraft went to Europe, where he remained for three years, dividing his time between Berlin and Paris. In the former city he studied the German organ classics under Franz Grun- icke, the famous organ instructor of the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory. He also studied composition under Edgar Stillman Kelley, a distinguished Ameri- can professor residing in Berlin. While in that city he appeared frequently in recitals, winning the favorable comment of both musicians and critics. After go- ing to Paris he continued his work under the instruction of the eminent Alexandre Guilmant and Charles M. Widor, two of the world's greatest organ authorities.

Returning to America Mr. Kraft located in Wheeling, where his success was immediate and brilliant, and his present activity in Cleveland promises even greater things for the talented young artist. While abroad Mr. Kraft not only absorbed and assimilated the best in music but also in art and literature, acquiring thereby a broad intellectual culture which is so absolutely necessary to an artist. In Wheel- ing he most capably and conscientiously fulfilled his duties as organist and choir master. St. Matthew's church of that city has a volunteer choir and though, under such conditions, it is difficult to train, Professor Kraft produced marvelous re- sults, succeeding in developing fine tone quality and artistic delivery. During the years spent in Wheeling he also gave numerous organ recitals in that city and in other West Virginia towns. He likewise organized the Oratorio Society, which under his direction successfully presented Haydn's masterpiece "The Creation," securing the services of the Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra on that occasion. On his leaving Wheeling one of the local papers said : "The acceptance of Professor Ed- win Arthur Kraft of the position in the magnificent new Trinity cathedral of Cleveland takes from Wheeling a most gifted musician, who has become a great factor in the advancement of musical culture here. His work and life have been

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an inspiration. He has not only endeared himself to the choir but to rector, con- gregation and many friends as well. His remarkable success is the direct result of genius, personality and intelligent application."

When Trinity cathedral was erected there was installed therein a magnificent organ of thoroughly modern equipment. This necessitated the engagement of an organist of virtuoso and ability to handle it, together with the large vested choir employed in the elaborate cathedral services. Out of some ninety applicants Mr. Kraft was selected as the one best qualified to meet the varied requirements of the position and for the past year has been an important factor in Cleveland's musical circles. He has given more than fifty public recitals upon the great organ and his audiences have been enthusiastic over his masterful playing. His programs have been of a broad catholicity, ranging from the polpyphony of Bach to the orches- tral tone paintings of the ultra-moderns. In all these varied compositions he has displayed an exceptional versatility both technically and interpretatively and his recitals have been among the most important musical events ever given in Cleve- land. After one of the series of recitals which he has given the Cleveland Press said: "The tones of Trinity's grand organ ebbed and flowed through the vast cathedral under Professor Kraft's deft manipulation like the recurrent waves of some mighty sea. The program comprised transcriptions of the Tannhauser Overture, Tristan and Isolde, Siegfried Idyl, Lohengrin and others, which were presented in a masterly fashion and with a keen appreciation of effective registra- tion." The Musical Courier of May 12, 1908, said : "It is as a concert organist that Kraft seems preeminently qualified, and the probabilities are that in the near future his reputation as such will become nationally extended. Such talent as his cannot long remain circumscribed by local limitations. To hear him once is to recognize his mastery of his chosen instrument. To endow a thing of mechanism with a pulsating and living voice is not given to everyone who can press keys, pull stops and perambulate pedals. Edwin Arthur Kraft is one of the few who can make the organ speak in tones to command admiration and enthusiasm."

In May, 1909, Mr. Kraft successfully passed the necessary examination which entitled him to the degree of F. A. G. O. (Fellow of the American Guild of Or- ganists), which is the highest degree or tribute an organist can receive. He was married in December, 1909, to Miss Nancy Irwin Lovis, of Cleveland, a daughter of Samuel C. Lovis.

LIBERTY E. HOLDEN.

In his tastes a man of letters, in his study a statesman without being a poli- tician, Liberty E. Holden has devoted his life to business interests, managing affairs of great breadth and yet throughout the years he has been keenly in- terested in education, literature, in scientific investigation and in the great ques- tions which the country faces. A combination of qualities such as Mr. Holden possesses is somewhat rare for it is seldom that the successful business man pos- sesses the literary tastes and studious habits which have always been numbered among his characteristics.

Mr. Holden was born in Raymond, Cumberland county, Maine, June 20, 1834, and is descended from Puritan ancestry. His maternal line is traced back di- rectly to John Alden and Priscilla and Isaac Stern, who was of the party that ac- companied Governor Winthrop to Boston in May, 1630. The Holden family, of English origin, was established in Massachusetts in 1634 by Richard and Justin- ian Holden. Physical and mental strength were inherent in his ancestors. His youthful days were passed in New England in a period when the Revolutionary soldiers were living and memories of the Revolution were recited at the fireside thus teaching patriotism.

From early boyhood, manifesting a studious nature and special aptitude in his studies, he eagerly availed himself of every opportunity for intellectual

L. E. HOLDEN

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progress. Although the duties of the home farm claimed much of his time and attention he eagerly read every book that he could buy or borrow and moreover had the faculty of assimilating the works which he perused. He had such ad- vancement in intellectual lines that when but sixteen years of age, he was quali- fied for and became a teacher in the public schools and at eighteen years taught select schools in the neighboring village. At twenty years of age he taught dis- trict schools in Massachusetts and at twenty-one was prepared for college. His labors enabled him to pay a year's tuition in college but he decided to spend that year in teaching and during the period he taught select schools at Denmark and at Lovell, and the high school at Bridgeton Center, Maine. He was, by this means, enabled to pay for a two years' college course at Waterville College, Maine. He ranked as one of the best students in his class and was elected class poet.

When he had completed his sophomore year he decided to continue his college work in the University of Michigan. Thus he allied himself with the west. He had determined to make his home in that part of the country, believing that its opportunities were superior to those of the older and more thickly settled east. Presenting a certificate of standing from the Waterville College in the fall of 1856, he was at once admitted to the University of Michigan. He completed the last two years of his college life and also taught one of the Union schools of Ann Arbor in 1857. After his graduation in 1858 and upon the recommendation of the University faculty, he was given the professorship of rhetoric and English literature in Kalamazoo College, Michigan. Three years were passed there most happily for he found literary work entirely congenial to his tastes.

In August, 1860, Mr. Holden married Miss Delia E. Bulkley, of Kalamazoo, and the following year he was elected superintendent of the public schools of Tiffin, Ohio, where he remained about two years. During his residence in Kala- mazoo and in Tiffin he studied law, and in order to complete his law studies, he came to Cleveland in 1862 and entered the office of Judge J. P. Bishop, who di- rected his reading until his admission to the bar in 1863. He thought at that time to devote his entire life to law practice but a well developed business sense led him to recognize the excellent opportunities for real-estate investments, as Cleveland was then entering upon an era of rapid and substantial growth. Ac- cordingly Mr. Holden made purchases of property and his judgment in this direction was soon confirmed. He was one of the first to see the advantages of East Cleveland and to realize its importance as a location for homes of the business men of Cleveland. Removing to that district he became closely asso- ciated with its interests and not only dealt largely in real estate and in that man- ner contributed to the growth and development of the city, but also was con- nected with many movements to meet the specific needs of a growing modern city. He was among the first to advocate the introduction of water and gas and the general improvement of the streets and was a stalwart champion of public edu- cation, acting for nine years as a member of the board of education, serving throughout that entire time, with the exception of one year, as president of the board.

Under his administration the schools were classified, the high school building was erected, competent teachers were employed and the schools of the village were placed upon a most substantial basis. He was also the prime mover in the annexation of East Cleveland to the city of Cleveland.

While thus active in public affairs, Mr. Holden was also managing important business concerns, extending his efforts into various fields of endeavor while substantial results attest his efforts. In 1873 Mr. Holden became interested in iron mines in the Lake Superior region and was manager of the Pittsburg and Lake Angeline in 1873-4. His executive force and capable control made this one of the productive mines in that locality. His investments also extended to mining property near Salt Lake City, Utah, which he purchased in 1874. Thoroughness has always been one of his marked characteristics and in enter-

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ing the field of mining investment and operation he determined to understand the subject and to this end gave close study to metallurgy, mining and geology. Added to his scientific knowledge was his keen business discernment resulting in the developing of a group of mines known as the Old Telegraph. He built large furnaces, concentrating and leaching works, and became one of the largest operators in that section of the country. It was through his mining operations in Utah that he attained the greater part of his wealth, although his mining in- terests in Lake Superior and his real-estate investments in Cleveland were also sources of substantial profit. His comprehensive knowledge of practical and scientific mining made him the logical delegate of the Utah Mine Protective As- sociation when it became necessary to send someone to Washington in 1882 to represent their interests before congress. His clear and cogent presentation of the situation, his comprehensive knowledge of the business, its conditions and its possibilities brought the matter so forcibly before the national legislators that the mining interests of the west were saved from ruin which would have inevi- tably followed the reduction of the tariff as then proposed. In 1885, serving as delegate to the National Bimetallic Association in Washington, he was made chair- man of its executive committee. His extensive business interests in Utah have necessitated him spending much time there since 1874. Always interested in the subject of education, he became president of the Salt Lake Academy, which was organized in his home and established by himself and friends, its work prov- ing a most potent element for reformation in that country.

Since 1862, however, Mr. Holden has regarded Cleveland as his home and aside from his real-estate interests here, he is connected with substantial business affairs of the city. He owns the Cleveland Plain Dealer by owning the stock of the Plain Dealer Publishing Company. In his position as president of the com- pany, he has done not a little to make it the leading democratic paper of the state and one of the best journals of America. Mr. Holden is also well known as the builder and owner of the Hollenden Hotel, one of the highest types of hotel con- struction and equipment in the United States. The name of this hostelry is the name of his father's family as it stood in the old Saxon times and in the record of estates made by William the Conqueror in Domesday book.

In other movements pertaining to the welfare of the city, Mr. Holden is deeply interested and his continued interest in his early profession and the work that has been accomplished thereby is manifested in his services as trustee of Adelbert College and the Western Reserve University. He is a member of the Unitarian church and is liberal in his support of charity, education and religion. He does not believe in that indiscriminate giving which fosters vagrancy and idleness, but helping self-reliance and self-support in the making of a progressive and valuable citizenship.

As evidence of Mr. Holden's civic life, we attach a list herewith of the offices he holds.

Liberty Emery Holden, owner and publisher of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, was born in Raymond, Maine, June 20, 1833, a son of Liberty Holden and Sally (Cox) Holden. He was graduated from the University of Michigan as A. B. in 1858 and A. M. in 1861. He was admitted to the bar in 1862, moved to East Cleveland in 1866; was manager of the Pittsburg and Lake Angeline mines, 1872; interested in silver mines in Utah from 1876 to 1893; is now proprietor of the Hollenden Hotel and president of the Hollenden Hotel Company, the Plain Dealer Publishing Company, Maple Leaf Land Company, Hub Transfer & Storage Com- pany ; and director of the First National Bank of Cleveland, Cleveland Transfer & Carriage Company, Western Reserve Insurance Company, Haskins Realty Company and Lennox Realty Company. Mr. Holden is vice president of the Western Reserve Historical Society, trustee of Western Reserve University, Adelbert College and Lake View Cemetery Association; chairman of the build- ing committee of the Cleveland Museum of Art; member of the National Munic- ipal League, Municipal Association of Cleveland, and American Institute of

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Mining Engineers ; he is a member of the Rowfant, University, Union and Coun- try Clubs of Cleveland, the Alta Club of Salt Lake City, and the University Club of New York. He is mayor of Bratenahl village, Ohio. Mr. Holden was mar- ried in Kalamazoo, Michigan, August 14, 1860, to Delia E. Bulkley. Residence: Loch Hame, Lake Shore Boulevard, Bratenahl, Ohio. Office Address, Room 2, Plain Dealer Building, Cleveland, Ohio.

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A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume II, Part 104

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1150

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1150