USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume II > Part 109
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Mr. Goff graduated from the University of Michigan in 1881 and was ad- mitted to the bar of Ohio in June, 1883. In October, 1884, he became a partner of W. F. Carr under the firm name of Carr & Goff. This firm united with Estep & Dickey in June, 1890, under the name of Estep, Dickey, Carr & Goff. Later Mr. Goff became a member of the firm, Kline, Tolles & Goff. In June, 1908, he was elected president of The Cleveland Trust Company and shortly thereafter retired from active practice. At the time of his retirement, he was president of the Cleveland Bar Association. In 1903 he was elected mayor of Glenville, at the time a suburb of Cleveland. In the fall of 1907 at the request of the directors of The Cleveland Electric Railway Company Mr. Goff undertook to effect a settlement of the street railway controversy, the company agreeing to abide by any settlement he might make. He is a member of the Union, Country and Rowfant Clubs and vice president of the Cleveland Terminal & Valley Railroad Company, The Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling Railroad Company and the Akron & Chicago Junction Railroad Company.
On the 16th of October, 1894, Mr. Goff was united in marriage to Miss Frances Southworth, by whom he has three children, Fredericka S., William S. and Frances Mary.
FRANCIS ROCKWELL MARVIN.
Although one of the recent additions to the Cleveland bar Francis Rockwell Marvin has already demonstrated his right to be classed with the leading repre- sentatives of the younger circle of attorneys of this city and he is also well known in connection with corporate interests. He was born in Akron, Ohio, January 2, 1877, a son of Ulysses and Dorena (Rockwell) Marvin, the latter a daughter of the Hon. David L. Rockwell, of Kent, Ohio. Both the Marvin and Rockwell families number among their members many capable representatives of the legal fraternity. Ulysses L. Marvin, a native of Ohio, is now judge of the circuit court of the eighth judicial district. He has for many years been widely recog- nized as one of the prominent attorneys of the state and moreover made a credit- able military record as an officer of the Civil war. He resides at Akron, where he has reared his family of four sons, namely: David L., who was an attorney of Akron but is now deceased; George U., a prominent newspaper man who is
F. H. GOFF
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Columbus correspondent for the Cleveland Leader and other papers and secretary of the board of penitentiary managers ; Charles A., also a representative of journ- alism, being now the political editor of the Cleveland Press; and Francis R.
Pursuing his education in the schools of his native city Francis R. Marvin was in course of time graduated from the high- school with the class of 1894. He then pursued a preparatory course in Oberlin Academy and was graduated in 1896, subsequent to which time he entered Williams College, at Williamstown, Massachusetts, where he obtained his more specifically literary education. In prep- aration for a professional career he entered the law department of the State University at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and won the Bachelor of Law degree in 1901. Admitted to the bar in Columbus, the same year, he afterward began practice in Akron, being associated with the firm of Musser & Kohler and later with Edwin F. Voris. In March, 1904, he came to Cleveland and entered the office of Foran & McTighe. In September, 1905, he was admitted to a partnership under the firm style of Foran, McTighe, Pearson & Marvin. This association was main- tained until May, 1907, when he began practice alone at his present location. In January, 1909, he joined John H. Smart and C. R. Ford in the partnership under the style of Smart, Marvin & Ford, and they are enjoying an extensive and dis- tinctively representative clientage. Mr. Marvin has tried many cases before the different courts and has manifested marked ability in handling the points at issue, marshaling them with the precision of a military commander. He never fails to give a careful preparation and in the trial of a cause presents each point with its due relative prominence. He was special counsel for the attorney general for Cleveland in northern and eastern Ohio in 1905 and 1906 and he is well known as a valued member of the Cuyahoga Bar Association. Aside from his professional interests Mr. Marvin is known in business connections, being the vice president and one of the directors of the Windermere Realty Company, which deals in high class property in east Cleveland. He is also the secretary of the Pittsburg Fruit Auction Company and a director in several other business concerns.
At Akron, Ohio, on the 12th of April, 1905, Mr. Marvin wedded Miss Eliza- beth M. Dague, a daughter of W. C. Dague, senior member of the firm of Dague Brothers, at Akron, who there conducted one of the largest department stores of the state. The father is now deceased.
In his political views Mr. Marvin is a republican and has been active in the local ranks of the party. He holds membership in the Tippecanoe Club, the Her- mit Club and the Cleveland Athletic Club of this city and the Portage Country Club of Akron. Fraternally he is an Elk and while at college was a member of the Delta Upsilon, the Sophomore society, of the Theta Nu Epsilon and the Phi Delta Phi, a legal fraternity. He was also president of the musical clubs of the University of Michigan and was pope of the Friars Society. Always interested in music, he possesses a tenor voice of excellent quality and is a member of the Singers Club of Cleveland. His religious views are indicated in his membership in the Episcopal church. His interests are varied, showing a well rounded char- acter and at the same time he holds other affairs subservient to his professional duties in his obligations to an extensive clientage.
FREDERICK B. AYER.
One of the more recent acquisitions to the business circles of Cleveland is Frederick B. Ayer, who since 1908 has been vice president of the Fred P. Thomas Company, insurance men of this city. Born in Unity, New Hampshire, October 27, 1874, is a son of Benjamin Franklin and Susan V. (Bailey) Ayer. His father, who was a farmer and stock raiser by occupation, was one of a family of sixteen children. He died on the 5th of October, 1884, and the mother of our subject passed away March 1, 1883. His great-grandfather, William Ayer, was in the
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Revolutionary war for twenty-seven months, being a member of General Wash- ington's body guard. He was with the army encamped at Valley Forge during that memorable winter and participated in the battle of Princeton.
Tradition relates that the name Ayer, which is variously spelled Ayer, Eyre, Ayres and Ayers, originated at the time William the Conqueror landed in Eng- land. During the battle of Hastings William was knocked unconscious by a blow on the head. Seeing his condition one of his soldiers rushed to his aid and opened his helmet. Upon recovering the Conqueror rewarded the soldier by knighting him "The Knight of Air."
After the death of his parents, Frederick B. Ayer removed to Wellesley, Mas- sachusetts, where he lived with his sister, who afterward became Mrs. K. N. Hills and was for many years principal of Harcourt Place, Gambier, Ohio. He ob- tained his early education in the public schools of Wellesley and subsequently pursued a preparatory course in Kenyon Military Academy before entering Wil- liams College, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1896. Following his graduation he devoted seven years to teach- ing school, when, feeling that his labors were somewhat circumscribed in that pro- fession, he entered business circles in Cleveland in 1903, becoming connected with the insurance firm operating under the name of the Fred P. Thomas Com- pany. Here he soon demonstrated his business worth and capacity, was gradu- ally promoted, and in 1908 was elected vice president, which is his present con- nection with the firm.
Mr. Ayer resides at No. 40 Mt. Union street with his family, consisting of wife and three children. He wedded Agnes L. Goddard, a daughter of Edwin and Louise (Newell) Goddard, of Ashtabula, Ohio. Her father, who is a direc- tor of the Farmers National Bank of that place and president of the Raser Tan- ning Company, was one of President McKinley's bondsmen. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Ayer are Edwin Goddard, Ethel Louise and Margaret.
When leisure affords him opportunity Mr. Ayer indulges in tennis, baseball and outdoor athletics. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and his political views are evidenced in his support of the republican party at the polls. He belongs to the different Masonic bodies and to the Emmanuel Episcopal church and finds in various relations that high regard which is the expression of the gen- uine friendship that is awakened by the geniality and kindly spirit of the indi- vidual.
ALEXANDER PRINTZ.
Alexander Printz occupies a prominent position in industrial circles of Cleve- land as the president of the Printz Biederman Company, manufacturers of ladies' suits, cloaks and skirts-one of the most extensive concerns of this character in the United States. He was born in Kassa, Austria, on the 29th of November, 1869, a son of Moritz and Celia (Friedman) Printz. In 1872 the father crossed the Atlantic to the United States, taking up his abode in Cleveland, Ohio, where he entered the employ of D. Black & Company, then engaged in the wholesale notion business. He is now living retired and is widely recognized as one of the most prosperous and highly esteemed residents of the city.
Alexander Printz, who was but three years of age when brought by his parents to the new world, attended the public schools of Cleveland in pursuit of an edu- cation, intending afterward to take the examination preparatory to entering the Columbia School of Mines, where he expected to take a course in civil engineer- ing. During the periods of vacation he worked for D. Black & Company and when in his seventeenth year was persuaded by his employers to abandon his plans and remain in their service. He first acted in the capacity of stock boy and then went on the road as a traveling salesman, in which connection he ably repre- sented the company until December, 1893. At that time, in association with his
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father and Joseph Biederman, he organized the Printz Biederman Company for the purpose of manufacturing ladies' suits, cloaks and skirts. After the first year the entire management of the business practically devolved upon him and when it was incorporated in 1904 he was made president of the concern. This enter- prise, which has now reached such mammoth proportions, had a very humble be- ginning, the first quarters of the firm being in a loft on St. Clair street. The father did the designing and Alexander and his brother went upon the road, selling all the goods manufactured by the company. The business of the first year amounted to one hundred and twenty thousand dollars and covered only Ohio and adjoining states. At the present time they conduct a business amounting to more than a million and a half dollars annually, while their output is sold in every part of the United States as well as in Canada. They employ more than a thou- sand people in the main plant, where only about one-half of their goods are man- ufactured, the remainder being made in their numerous branch shops throughout the city. They also have offices in New York city, Chicago and St. Louis and rank among the most extensive enterprises of this character in the country. Each year the firm sends a man to Europe in order to get the most advanced fashions. The Printz Biederman Company is one of only three concerns of this kind whose goods are trademarked and advertised in the magazines to the consumer for the benefit of their trade. Mr. Printz has devoted his attention exclusively to the development and upbuilding of the business and his sound judgment and keen in- sight have proved important factors in its successful control.
On the 5th of October, 1897, at Erie, Pennsylvania, Mr. Printz was united in marriage to Miss Almira Steele, of Chattanooga, Tennessee. They reside in an attractive and commodious residence at No. 1782 East Ninetieth street and are prominent socially.
Mr. Printz is a republican in his political views and belongs to the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, the Excelsior Club and the Oakwood Club. He finds pleasure and recreation in golfing, being very fond of the sport. Kindness, amia- bility and courtesy not only characterize his social relations but are a marked feature in his business life, and the humblest employe never sees a trace of the over-bearing taskmaster in him. His prominence in business is not the outcome of propitious circumstances but the honest reward of labor, good management, ambition and energy, without which no man can win prosperity.
F. C. WERK.
F. C. Werk, a successful electrical contractor of this city, whose careful and excellent workmanship has given him a reputation which is second to none in this line of work, was born in Cleveland, March 15, 1866, and is known as one of the most proficient electrical engineers in the city. His father, Theodore Werk, a native of Germany, was born in 1830 and came to America about the year 1856. Being a veterinary surgeon he attained an enviable record here as a practitioner of his profession and followed this vocation until his death, which occurred in 1897. He obtained his education in his native land, having had every advantage by which to perfect himself in his department as his people had considerable means. He was a graduate of Berlin University, where he manifested scholarly abilities, and soon after matriculation evinced himself to be thoroughly equipped for the vocation he had selected as his life's calling. Upon arriving in the new world he came directly to this city and began his practice, following his profession until about ten years before he departed this life, when he lived in retirement. He was ackowledged throughout a wide range of territory as an expert in the treat- ment of animals and his practice grew to so great proportions that he was scarcely able to answer the calls which came to him. He was united in marriage in this city to Rose Trimpy, also of German nativity. She died in October, 1882.
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In this city F. C. Werk acquired his education and upon completing his studies, being then but fourteen years of age, he was apprenticed to a blacksmith. When he was eighteen years old he had completed his trade and then repaired to Chicago, where he became affiliated with the Edison Electrical Company, with which he remained for two years. At the expiration of that time he associated himself with the Brush Electrical Company, in the capacity of foreman of elec- trical work, and, being recognized as an expert mechanic, in his hands were placed the highest class work. With this firm he remained for about three years. Still clinging to the same business, he entered the employ of the Thomson-Houston Electrical Company, of Cincinnati, as superintendent of construction work and with this organization he remained for three years. Upon resigning his post in 1890 he returned to this city, where lie engaged with C. R. Caulkins, mechanical and electrical engineer, as superintendent of construction work and after the lapse of two years he left his employ and launched out in business for himself. Since entering the industrial world independently, he has been very successful and is employed on important work throughout this and many surrounding states. His financial prosperity is such as to enable him to become affiliated with a number of other undertakings. He is president of the Standard Chemical Stoneware Company, of Canton, Ohio; the Climax Clay Company, also of Canton; Cleve- land Heights Realty Company; the Euclid Avenue Garden Theater; and a num- ber of other enterprises. Worthy of mention among the important contracts com- pleted by Mr. Werk are : the Schofield and Rockefeller buildings, the Erie docks, the National Malleable Casting Company of Toledo, Cuyahoga county courthouse, and the Cleveland Hippodrome, in which he planned the entire lighting system which embraces a number of novel devices.
On November 14, 1900, Mr. Werk was united in marriage to Miss Ida Mary Grant, a native of this city, and the couple have since been residing here in the enjoyment of a magnificent home and domestic happiness. He is well known among fraternal organizations, being a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias, and also belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and Builders Exchange. Moreover, he is a member of the Cleveland Athletic, the Electric and Engineering Clubs, the Cleveland Electric Contracting Association, third vice president of the National Contractors Association of the United States and chairman on the Electrical Code for this city. Politically he is a republican, being a strong believer in the principles of his party and always en- thusiastic in advocating its policies as adequate to preserve the highest interests of the nation. Mr. Werk is an energetic man, whose industry and enterprise have not only contributed to his own prosperity but also to that of the city in which he carries on his business and he deserves mention among Cleveland's foremost financial factors.
JOHN QUINBY RIDDLE.
The laws of cause and effect hold in no field more closely than in business life, where progress and prosperity are the incontrovertible proofs of close applica- tion, determination and energy. It is true that fortunes have been made where the business policy pursued has not been an honorable one, but the stigma of public disapproval ultimately follows and in the great majority of cases such a course eventually occasions downfall. With a record that will bear close in- vestigation and scrutiny, John Quinby Riddle stands today in the ranks of Cleve- land's prominent merchants and financiers, his voice proving a valuable factor in the control of various successful enterprises. The family is of Norman origin, the name being originally Ryedale. The direct ancestor of our subject went to England at the time of the Norman invasion under William the Conqueror, and was granted lands in Roxburyshire, Scotland, a part of which are still owned by the family. The first American ancestor was John Riddle, the grandfather
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JOHN Q. RIDDLE
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of John Q. Riddle, who on crossing the Atlantic in 1797 established his home in Philadelphia, where he was one of the superintendents of the city's first sys- tem of waterworks. He married Miss Jane Steele, of English origin, and sub- sequently removed to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where James S. Riddle, the father of our subject, was born. James Riddle married Matilda Siddons, of Philadel- phia, and about 1830 his father and he became residents of Holmes county, Ohio, where the subject of this article was born. They afterward removed to Fulton county, being among the earliest settlers in the northwestern part of the state. James Riddle devoted his life to farming and stock raising in his business relations, while in other ways his activity constituted a valuable element in the public life and progress of the community. The family was prominently connected with the development of this section of Ohio, taking an active part in shaping not only the business and material development but also the political, social and moral interests of the community.
John Quinby Riddle, educated in the district schools of Fulton county, Ohio, and in Oak Grove Academy, afterward engaged in teaching school for two years and then entered the insurance field at Wauseon, Ohio. Subsequently he turned his attention to the hardware business and banking, and became one of the lead- ing citizens there, prominently identified with the progress and upbuilding of the town. Seeking a broader field of labor, he came to Cleveland in 1884 and joined the firm of Lockwood Taylor & Company in the conduct of an extensive wholesale hardware enterprise, which was later incorporated as The Lockwood Taylor Hardware Company. He was elected to the position of vice president in 1889 and has filled that position continuously since. This is one of the largest wholesale hardware houses of the city, widely known to the trade throughout this and other states, its development being attributable to the adoption of busi- ness methods which are alike fair to the seller and the purchaser and which con- form to the highest standard of commercial ethics. The labors of Mr. Riddle have accomplished important and far reaching results, contributing in no small degree to the expansion and material growth of the enterprise with which he has long been associated.
Mr. Riddle also served as assignee of the Baackes Wire Nail Company and was warmly congratulated by Judge Heury C. White, of the probate court, for the able manner in which he handled the affairs of the company, operating the plant for three years and finally closing out the business to the American Steel & Wire Company to the decided advantage of the interested parties, one half million dollars being realized. Judge White wrote as follows: "On reviewing the record of your service in the execution of your trust as assignee in this in- solvent etsate, I cannot refrain from addressing you this congratulatory letter. The affairs of the Baackes Wire Nail Company were in such complicated and bad condition as to require at least two conditions to conserve the interest of all concerned.
Ist, The vigilant and constant wise care of the trustee in charge, and
2d, The time and patience to be extended by the court and the creditors and others interested to enable the trustee to utilize the plant.
Your management in the conducting of the business of the manufacturing establishment was so careful and conservative that the results of operating the business proved to be very advantageous to the estate. It was only by constant. close and careful supervision that the favorable results were achieved. After closing up the business there remained contingent liabilities which justified the somewhat lengthy litigation in the final adjustment of matters in the estate.
The result of the execution of your trust is more favorable than in any in- solvent "estate that has ever been conducted in the probate court of this county.
You have satisfied the demands of creditors and have returned to the stock- holders a very large portion of the value of their stock.
Had the affairs of this corporation fallen into the hands of some attorney or other person unfamiliar with its constitution and purposes, and who would
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have hastily disposed of the estate and speedily liquidated the whole concern, a great loss and sacrifice would have been made, both to creditors and stockholders.
Your services have been invaluable to the interests of all concerned and the amount of compensation which you will receive will not be at all commensurate to the value of the services and the time, labor and responsibilty employed in the execution of your trust.
You are certainly to be most cordially congratulated for the efficient and suc- cessful manner in which this estate has been administered."
In addition to his other interests Mr. Riddle was one of the organizers and first directors of the Colonial National Bank, which was afterward merged with the Union National Bank, and he was also one of the directors of the East End Bank, which amalgamated with the Cleveland Trust Company. He is still a di- rector in the Union Savings & Loan Company and director of the Continental Sugar Company. He is also vice president of the Milwaukee Steamship Com- pany, one of its finest vessels and one of the largest of the Great Lakes being the J. Q. Riddle, named in his honor.
Mr. Riddle was married to Miss Mary Teeple, a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Sayers) Teeple, of Lenawee county, Michigan. Their children are two in number. The daughter, Ida R., was educated at Glendale College and studied languages and music abroad. She married Charles H. Pennington, a son of B. L. Pennington, and they have one son, Gordon Riddle Pennington, who was born in Cleveland in 1891 and is now attending the Case School of Ap- plied Science. Arthur V., who is the secretary and treasurer of the Hardie Manufacturing Company, of Hudson, Michigan, and Portland, Oregon, is a Harvard man and a member of the Harvard Club, of New York.
Mr. Riddle is a man of public spirit whose cooperation has proven a valuable factor in various projects for the general good. He belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and gives his political allegiance to the republican party where national questions are involved, but his local ballot is cast independent of party ties in the interests of a businesslike, honest and progressive administration of muni- cipal affairs. Both he and his wife hold membership in the Euclid Avenue Dis- ciples church and he is serving as president of its board of trustees. Fraternally Mr. Riddle is connected with the higher orders in Masonry, being a member of Oriental Commandery, K. T., and a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason. His membership relations in more strictly social lines are with the Colonial and the Cleveland Athletic Clubs and the Rowfant Club of which he was one of the earliest members and a Fellow. His leisure hours are pleasurable spent in bowl- ing and driving. Fond of literature, his library contains a fine collection of standard and rare volumes. His success in life may be attributed to his close ap- plication and his determination to do well anything that he attempts. Judicious investments has also played an important part in his success and as he has pros- pered he has made liberal contributions to charity, recognizing and fully meeting his obligations as a citizen, not from any sense of duty but by reason of his sin- cere and genuine interest in his fellowmen.
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