A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume II, Part 7

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

USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume II > Part 7

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WILLIAM BINGHAM

HISTORY OF CLEVELAND

and other improvements in manufacture, until today nearly all of the goods handled in a hardware store are of American make. When he began merchandis- ing in Cleveland it was necessary to go to the east in the summer in order to pur- chase the stock for the ensuing winter and spring. No iron or iron goods were manufactured in Cleveland and the wholesale merchant found his patrons in the towns of northern Ohio. Today Cleveland is situated in almost the very center of the iron trade of the country and its ramifying interests in this line of manu- facture and sale reach out to all parts of the world. Mr. Bingham made his hard- ware business his first consideration and his well directed energy, indefatigable efforts and keen business discernment constitute the basis upon which the splendid success of the house was built.

Aside from his connection with the hardware trade Mr. Bingham figured prominently in financial circles. Throughout the existence of the Merchants National Bank he was one of its directors and also continued on the directorate of its successor, the Mercantile National Bank. He was also one of the directors of the Society for Savings and of the City Savings & Loan Association, from its organization. He was likewise a director and vice president of the Cincinnati, Wabash & Michigan Railroad Company and was a trustee of the Case Library Association. Not alone as a successful merchant and financier, however, was Mr. Bingham widely known. His fellow townsmen on various occasions demanded his service in positions of public trust and responsibility and though he never desired political preferment and in fact avoided it whenever possible yet he was frequently called to public office and in every such position proved his loyalty to the general good by practical and progressive services. In 1850 he was elected to represent the second ward in the city council at a time when municipal finances were in a deplorable state. It was necessary that only men in whom the public had implicit confidence should fill the offices, and public franchise called to the council a number of the most distinguished, representative and reliable citizens of Cleveland, Mr. Bingham's associates in office being L. M. Hubby, Samuel Williamson, Abner C. Brownell and Levi Johnson, with William Case as mayor. It was that council which promoted the project of a waterworks system, Mr. Bingham introducing the resolution looking to an examination of the question and. giving to it his earnest support, he was chosen one of the waterworks trustees and so served for seven years, his labors being an essential factor in promoting the interests of the city in this connection. It was during this period that the tunnel was completed and the distributing pipe service greatly extended. His labors largely promoted the work of the waterworks system and when he felt he could no longer give it time and attention he resigned. Further political honors came to him in his election to the state senate. This was preeminently the case of the office seeking the man for without his knowledge or his consent he was nominated when out of town and only learned of the action of the convention when on his homeward way from the east. His first impulse was to decline but he was so strongly solicited to accept the candidacy that he at last consented and was elected by a large majority. He proved an able working member of the upper house and his work as a member of the municipal, corporations and temperance committees was most effective and far-reaching. He would have been again nominated by his party at the close of his term had he not positively declined to serve. In 1876 he declined to become a presidential elector on the republican ticket, owing to the fact that early in that year he had been appointed by President Grant a member of the board of Indian commissioners. In that position he remained for more than a year and then resigned on the 21st of July, 1877, because of the pressure of private business interests.

Throughout his entire life Mr. Bingham was actuated by a spirit of loyal de- votion to the public good and at the time of the Civil war he was one of the most stalwart champions of the Union cause and was made a member of the military committee in which connection he labored zealously and patriotically for the cause, putting forth earnest effort to uphold the power of the Federal government. He

HISTORY OF CLEVELAND

was also one of the first members of the city sinking fund commission and oc- cupied that position for many years.

Pleasantly situated in his home life Mr. Bingham was married in January, 1843, to Elizabeth Beardsley, a daughter of David H. Beardsley, who figured prominently in the public life of Cleveland for a long period and for twenty-one years held the responsible position of collector of the Ohio canal, being the first incumbent in that office. Mrs. Bingham was born October 3, 1822, and died August 27, 1898. The three surviving children of that marriage are Charles W., Mrs. Charles A. Brayton and Cassandra H., all of whom are residents of Cleveland.

Mr. Bingham had notable appreciation for the social amenities of life and held friendship inviolable. He was the first president of the Union Club and long one of its most honored members. For years he was a trustee of the First Presby- terian church and was also a member of the Loyal Legion. At his death, which occurred in Cleveland, April 17, 1904, the Ohio Commandery published as a part of the "In Memoriam," the following :

"At the breaking out of the war he had passed the age of eligibility for mili- tary service, but his great loyalty prompted him to devote his time to strength- ening and sustaining the government.

"Early in the year 1861 he was appointed by Governor Dennison one of the military committee for the nineteenth congressional district, and his arduous labor and zeal on that committee, largely resulted in the organization of such an efficient and splendid body of soldiers, embracing nearly twenty-five per cent of the entire population of Cuyahoga county, which helped to form the bone and sinew of the army of the Union. There was probably no district at that time in the whole country more famed for the loyalty of its citizens, and it was un- doubtedly due in a great measure to the unceasing exertions of Mr. Bingham and his associates that not only the men from Cuyahoga county but from all parts of the Western Reserve were encouraged to rendezvous at Cleveland and offer their services, and lives if need be, to preserve the Union.

"In 1862, when it became necessary to raise funds in large amounts to provide for the needs of disabled soldiers and their families and which entailed a tax levy as well as private donations, Mr. Bingham was made chairman of the military committee of Cuyahoga county. This committee was successful in raising a large fund and distributing it through sub-committees to young men who were anxious to enlist but needed some assistance so that those who were dependent upon them would not suffer during their absence. He was a large giver from his private funds, and recruiting officers and their recruits knew how liberal he was when called upon and how earnestly he entreated them to come again when they needed assistance. All through the dark days of the Rebellion, from early in 1861 to the close of the war, there were many loyal and zealous citizens of Cleveland who were bending every energy in rendering services to the government, but they looked to Mr. Bingham to lead. He was ever present at the committee meetings and at public gatherings when the exigencies of the situation at the front de- manded speedy action in providing supplies for the hospitals and sanitary com- mission.

"The officers of the Soldiers' Aid Society always found the chairman ready to cooperate with them, and when money was needed to send luxuries to the sick soldiers or provisions were required for the train-loads of soldiers who were almost daily at the stations, it was always forthcoming.

"It was without doubt fortunate to our army and our cause that there were such men as William Bingham who were compelled by their years to remain at home and with their profound wisdom and patriotism render such indispensable service as could only be accomplished by honored and trusted civilians. The Loyal Legion and William Bingham were equally honored when he was elected to the order as a member of the third class. He was strong and vigorous mentally and physically and we are thankful that his rugged constitution enabled him to remain

HISTORY OF CLEVELAND

with us until he had fully rounded out eighty-eight years of useful life, and until he was only survived by one member of his class in the order. The same ster- ling qualities that marked his patriotic and social life were equally prominent in his business career and until within a few weeks of his death he was able to be as regular in his office as any of his assistants."

His life was at all times actuated by high and honorable principles, charac- terized by unfaltering diligence and by steadfast purpose. He neglected no op- portunity for the advancement of his individual business affairs nor for the pro- inotion of the city's welfare and in commercial and in political life his record · alike remained unsullied. The upbuilding and progress of the city for many years was attributable in substantial measure to his efforts and his life record inseparably interwoven with its history.

EDWARD A. ROBERTS.

Edward A. Roberts, a man of action rather than of theory, capable in the execution of well devised plans resulting in the successful accomplishment of a specific purpose, is now secretary of the Builders' Exchange and in various other organizations has served as an executive official, his labors constituting a re- sultant force therein. He was born in Petroleum Center, Pennsylvania, January 18, 1869. His father, Albert Roberts, who followed merchandising in days of peace, became a volunteer soldier in the Civil war. He afterward held official position in the town of Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, where he spent the later years of his life, passing away there in February, 1907, at the age of sixty-three years. His widow, Mrs. Laura (Landis) Roberts, is still living in Sharpsville. The family is of Welsh lineage and was founded in America by Edward Rob- erts, who emigrated from Denby county in the north of Wales in 1845, settling on a farm in Mercer county, Pennsylvania.

During the early boyhood of Edward A. Roberts his parents removed to a farm near Mercer, Pennsylvania, and he acquired his early education in the common schools of that place and of Sharpsville, following the removal of the family to the latter town, where the father engaged in mercantile pursuits. Af- terward the son pursued a classical course in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1892. While there he edited the college paper and developed a fondness for newspaper work. In the fall of 1892 he came to Cleveland and accepted a humble position on the reportorial staff of the Plain Dealer. But though his start in business life was obscure, he gradually advanced until he has come to be rec- ognized as a potent force in those fields of labor to which he has directed his energies. He continued as a member of the local staff on the Plain Dealer in 1892 and 1893, and in the latter year became reporter on the Leader, thus serv- ing until 1895, when he was offered the Washington correspondency of that paper but declined the position. Instead he became private secretary to Mayor Robert E. McKisson, with whom he was thus connected until 1898, and during the same period was secretary of the board of control. Since that time his public duties have been of an onerous and important character, and in many ways he has left the impress of his individuality upon projects of large public importance. He was secretary of the Cleveland Centennial Commission and historian of that event, which celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of the city. In 1898 he was called to his present position as secretary of the Builders' Exchange, which is today the largest in the United States, the membership hav- ing increased during his incumbency from one hundred and twenty to three hundred and seventy-five. He has been secretary of the Ohio State Association of Builders since its organization in 1900. The object of this society is the expression of the sentiment of the builders of the state in legislation. This work

HISTORY OF CLEVELAND

has been of a most useful character, accomplishing substantial and valuable re- sults. It was the second organization of the kind in America, but since its in- stitution a dozen or more have been organized in other states .. Mr. Roberts has likewise been secretary of the board of city hall commissioners since its organ- ization in 1898 and has been clerk of the board of supervision of public build- ings and grounds in Cleveland since its creation in 1903. The purpose of this board is the purchase of lands and the erection of city buildings; and on the board he is associated with D. H. Burnham, of Chicago, who was architect of the World's Columbian Exposition, John M. Carrere, New York architect for the Pan-American Exposition, and Arnold W. Brunner, the New York archi- tect for the new Cleveland postoffice. This board studied the needs and possi- bilities of the city and devised the present plan of grouping the public buildings. Mr. Roberts is also active secretary of the Building Trades Employers Associa- tion, which was established to handle industrial problems among employers, act- ing in that capacity since its organization in 1893. He was secretary of the Mckinley memorial committee for Cleveland, which committee raised the funds for the erection of the Mckinley monument, which was dedicated at Canton in September, 1907. Upon him devolved the duties of secretaryship in connection with the Hanna monument commission in charge of the erection of the monu- ment to the late senator, M. A. Hanna, in University Circle, which monument was dedicated in June, 1907, with appropriate ceremonies in which William H. Taft participated. The notable executive ability and initiative spirit of Mr. Roberts have well qualified him for the duties which he has undertaken as sec- retary of these various organizations. He is also interested in financial enter- prises, has served on various committees of the local banks and is a director of the Western Reserve Audit Company.

In his political views Mr. Roberts has always been a stalwart republican and in former years was very active in local and state politics, during which time he had charge of the literary bureau of many candidates. He holds mem- bership in the Phi Gamma Delta, and while at college he was secretary of the fraternity. His religious connection is with the Euclid avenue Methodist Epis- copal church.

On the 12th of October, 1893, Mr. Roberts was married at Mechanicsburg to Miss Harriet Sceva, a daughter of John C. Sceva, a prominent banker of that place. They now have four children, a son and three daughters : Alice, fourteen years of age; Ralph S., aged twelve; Laura Stewart, ten; and Helen Edith, five years of age. The family residence is at No. 2094 East Ninety-third street, with a country home at Gates Mill, where Mr. Roberts indulges his love of agricul- ture during his leisure hours. He is an occasional contributor to magazines on civic and other subjects and is preeminently a man of affairs, who has wielded a wide influence over public thought and action, and while modestly disclaiming any special credit for what he has done, the worth of his service is widely ac- knowledged.

HORACE A. BISHOP.

Horace A. Bishop, one of the honored retired residents of Cleveland, has lived here since 1867 and has borne his part in the subsequent upbuilding of its interests. He was born in Andover, Connecticut, July 2, 1849, and was well educated, taking a classical and English course at East Greenwich Academy, of East Greenwich, Rhode Island. After coming to Cleveland in 1867, he secured employment as civil engineer in what was then the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad, but is now a part of the Erie Railroad, continuing in that position for two years. He then became a member of the wholesale grocery firm of Bab- cock, Hurd & Company, continuing with them until 1895. At the same time Mr.

II. A. BISHOP

HISTORY OF CLEVELAND

Bishop was president of the Wholesale Grocers Association and later president of their state association. In 1894 he was elected president of the old Park National Bank, which in time consolidated with the American Exchange Bank and the Euclid Avenue National Bank, with Mr. Bishop as president until this was merged with the First National Bank, and John Sherwin, who had been first vice president of the Euclid Park National Bank, was elected president. Mr. Bishop has continued on the board of directors. In 1894 he was elected president of the Elwood Tin Plate Company, of Elwood, Penn- sylvania, one of the largest factories of the kind in the country, and he contin- ued at its head until it was taken over by the trust in 1899. In that year he de- cided to retire from business to a great extent on account of ill health, and since then he and his wife have traveled extensively, visiting most of the important places throughout the world.

In 1874 Mr. Bishop married Mary E. Marsh, of Hartford, Connecticut, a charming lady, who is the comfort and solace of her husband. He is a member of the Union Club and, being a thirty-second degree Mason, is connected with Halcyon Lodge and Holyrood Commandery, K. T., having served two terms as commander. Ever since the inception of the Chamber of Commerce he has been one of its members. Mrs. Bishop is a member of Euclid Avenue Presbyterian church.

In the twilight of the retrospect Mr. Bishop has nothing to regret and the elevating principles which have animated his life remain with him. He has been a man who has attained to more than ordinary success and yet only through the most honorable of methods. However, the stress of heavy responsibilities and the details of the various positions of trust he held told upon him, so that the business world lost prematurely one of its prime factors when he retired from active life, although his friends still have the pleasure of his presence and profit by the kindly advice he is so able to give.

FRANK DUTTON.

Frank Dutton, who was called from this life in the midst of his usefulness, was an honored and respected citizen of Cleveland at the time of his death, which occurred on the 14th of November, 1868. A native of Ohio, he was born in Hanover township, Columbiana county, December 14, 1838, and was a son of Jacob and Susan P. (Mendenhall) Dutton, who had become residents of that township the year previous to his birth. In 1855 the family removed to Cleve- land, where the parents spent their remaining days. Frank was the youngest of their six children, four sons and two daughters, and during his childhood was in delicate health on account of abnormal action of his heart. When about four years old the family physician said that the action of his heart was that of a man of sixty years. But, as time passed, he grew stronger and was able to do as much work on the farm as any boy of the same age. In 1852, when he was in his fourteenth year, the family removed to what is now known as Kensington, on the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad, the father becoming agent for the new road. He also built a dwelling and a small store, in which he put a stock of goods, and while not occupied with his studies as a pupil in the country school when in session Frank was employed as a clerk in his father's store. In 1853 his eldest brother and family removed to Kensington and joined the father in business, erecting at that time a large store building, where our subject contin- ued as salesman until the spring of 1856.

It was in August, 1855, that his father sold his interest in the business and removed to Cleveland, taking a part of his family, and there he turned his at- tention to the coal trade. The following spring they were joined by Frank, and in that city he continued to attend school, taking a commercial course. He

HISTORY OF CLEVELAND

accepted a position as clerk for the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad by whom he was employed until the breaking out of the Civil war. When the president issued his first call for troops Mr. Dutton decided to enter the service, telling his parents and friends that he thought from a family of four boys at least one ought to enter the service of his country and, as his brothers were all married and had families to care for, he believed it was his duty to enlist. When his regiment was ready for service it was ordered to West Virginia, and in an en- gagement at Cross Lanes in that state he was wounded, a musket ball passing through one thigh and lodging in the other, but fortunately it did not strike an artery or bone. On the 26th of August, 1861, he was taken prisoner with others but after about nine days was recaptured and removed to Cincinnati, where he remained until able to return to his home in Cleveland. After his re- covery he rejoined his regiment but was not assigned to the ranks, the colonel choosing him as his clerk, in which capacity he served until he contracted typhoid fever, which confined him to a hospital in Washington, D. C., for some time. When he had sufficiently recovered to be able to stand a removal he returned to Cleveland and on account of ill health was honorably discharged from the ser- vice on the 14th of October, 1862. Desiring again to enter the service Mr. Dut- ton assisted in organizing a regiment of home guards and was elected first lieu- tenant of Company H, One Hundred and Fiftieth Ohio National Guards, to which company his brother William also belonged. In 1864 this regiment was ordered to report at Washington for guard duty at the capital to relieve the regular army stationed there and at this time was on active duty for about one hundred days.

On the expiration of this time Mr. Dutton returned to his home in Cleveland, and in this city he was married on the 16th of November, 1865, to Miss F. Ella Stillman, a daughter of William H. and Sophia (Doty) Stillman, who came to the Western Reserve from Connecticut in 1833 and made their home in Park- man, Geauga county, until 1842. It was in that year that they removed to Cleveland, where Mr. Stillman conducted one of the first hotels under the name of the City Hotel, located on the present site of the Forman-Bassett-Hatch Com- pany. He was one of the pioneer hotel men of the city and was widely and favorably known. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Dutton was born a son, William S., now a prominent architect of Cleveland. Broken down in health by his army ex- perience Mr. Dutton never fully recovered and after a lingering illness passed away on the 14th of November, 1868, one month previous to the thirtieth anni- versary of his birth. Wherever known he was held in the highest esteem, and he left many friends as well as his immediate family to mourn his loss.

FRANCIS H. HASEROT.

Francis H. Haserot is the president of the Haserot Company, proprietors of a leading wholesale grocery house in Cleveland and is also connected with various corporate interests. With ability to formulate and execute well defined plans he has continued his efforts in the business world until he has come into important relations with the trade interests of the city, his labors being also of a character that contribute to public prosperity as well as to individual success. One of Cleveland's native sons, he was born December 19, 1860, and was edu- cated in the German Lutheran and public schools of this city. Entering busi- ness life on the completion of his education, he was for two years, from 1881 until 1883. a merchandise broker, and in the latter year he became connected with the wholesale grocery trade as junior member of the firm of W. J. Hayes & Company. He has since continued in this field of activity, covering a period of more than a quarter of a century, until his name is now synonymous with the wholesale grocery trade of Cleveland. The first business partnership in this line

HISTORY OF CLEVELAND

continued for three years, on the expiration of which period he became a partner in the firm of S. F. & F. H. Haserot & Company, so continuing from 1886 until 1894. In the latter year the business was reorganized under the name of Hase- rot Company, with Francis H. Haserot as vice president, and in that connection he continued until 1903, when he was elected to the presidency and has since been the chief executive officer, bending his energies to administrative control. He has formulated many valuable plans in connection with the development of the business, which is today one of the important commercial enterprises of the city. He has the ability to bring seemingly diverse interests into a unified whole and is unmindful of no indication pointing to legitimate success. Aside from his efforts in the wholesale grocery field he has been active in the management of various other concerns which are elements in the commercial stability of Cleveland. He is now the president of the Mercantile Warehouse Company, president of the Hough Bank & Trust Company, and a director of the First National Bank.

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A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume II, Part 7

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