USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. II, Pt. 1 > Part 28
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In 1872 Mr. Blackmore was married to Mary J. Jones, who still survives, with the following four children: Dawson J., one of Cincinnati's foremost business men, president of the Krell Piano Company, who married a daughter of Gen. Andrew Hickenlooper, and resides at No. 3351 Reading road; George G .; Charles C. and Josephine, who is the wife of Harry C. Sherick, Jr., the manager of the large book and bindery plant of Henry C. Sherick.
Mr. Blackmore possessed the patience and protracted effort required by a successful man of business, and was active even after disease made inroads upon his constitution. He was known, both in the Chamber of Commerce and in general trade, as a man of the strictest integrity, and he enjoyed the confidence of all who knew him.
COMMODORE LEE R. KECK.
By the death of. Commodore Lee R. Keck, on July 13, 1901, the city of Cincinnati lost a useful and prominent citizen. Although for the past two years he had been obliged to lead a quiet and retired life, on account of failing health, he was not forgotten in the busy marts where for so long he had been conspicuous. He was one of the oldest rivermen in this part of the country.
Lee R. Keck was born in Milford, Ohio, in 1843. His parents were farming people in Pennsylvania, but had located near Milford a few years prior to his birth. He was an apt student and was 18 years of age and in his second year at the Woodward High School, when the Civil War broke out. He immediately offered his loyal services, enlisting in the 5th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., which was shortly after incorporated into the "Fighting 10th," with which organization he served with gallantry throughout the whole war. Surviving the dangers of the struggle, he returned to his home, and not long after became a resident of Cincinnati.
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He served for a time as bookkeeper for the firm of M. & L. Glenn, and in 1881 he was elected secretary and treasurer of the Big Sandy Packet Company. Later he was offered and accepted the same positions with the United States Mail Line, plying the Ohio River between this city and Louis- ville, Kentucky; was elected president of the Cincinnati & Memphis Steam- boat Line; secretary and treasurer of the Consolidated Boat Store and the Licking Coal & Towboat Company ; and a director in the Gibson House Com- pany and the Eureka and Amazon insurance companies. These vast interests were ably managed by Commodore Keck and for many years he was one of the most striking personalities of the business interests of the Ohio River.
In 1864 Commodore Keck was united in marriage with Eva Glenn, a daughter of Lewis Glenn, a prominent and wealthy citizen of Cincinnati. A sister of Mrs. Keck married the late Alfred G. Corre of the Grand Hotel. Commodore Keck is survived by his widow and one son and one daughter. The daughter, Coralie, married Harry C. Hoefinghoff, a son of the pioneer foundryman, and president and general manager of The Bickford Drill & Tool Company ; and the son, Lewis G., who is secretary and treasurer of The Bickford Drill & Tool Company, married Miss Hoefinghoff.
The impressive funeral services of Commodore Keck were according to the Scottish Rite ritual, at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. The pall-bearers were all attached friends, well known business men of this city, namely : George L. Quiggin, Charles E. Baines, Capt. J. D. Parker, Jacob Gross- man, Samuel Reinhardt and Henry Garlick. Commodore Keck will long be recalled as a man of the highest integrity. In the various capacities in which he served, his executive ability, his untiring energy and his clear business foresight were not more notable than was his ability to command and to successfully meet the peculiar conditions incident to his life as a river- man.
WILLIAM A. GARRETT.
WILLIAM A. GARRETT, of Cincinnati, general manager of the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railway Company, and one of the most ex- perienced and popular railroad men of the country, was born at Canton, Mis- sissippi, in 1861. His schooling was completed by the time he was 15 years
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old, and at that age he entered upon railroad work as a messenger boy in the ticket office of the old Ohio & Mississippi road. Later he went with the St. Louis Union Depot Company, and successively filled the offices of messenger, clerk in the car department, timekeeper, purchasing agent, assistant pay- master, secretary, assistant superintendent and superintendent. From 1893 to 1896, Mr. Garrett was superintendent of the St. Louis Terminal Railway Association, and also terminal superintendent of the Wabash Railroad at St. Louis, and from. 1894 to 1896 was also superintendent of the Merchants' Bridge & Railway Company. From 1896 to 1899 he was superintendent of different divisions of the Wabash Railroad. When he severed his connec- tion with the Wabash road, it was to go with the Philadelphia & Reading as superintendent of the Philadelphia Division. Later he was made superin- tendent of the New York Division and still later was made general superin- tendent of the system. He enjoys the reputation of being one of the best oper- ating men in the country.
In Mr. Garrett the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railway has secured an indefatigable worker and one who is considered a strict dis- ciplinarian. At the same time his knowledge of men is such that he secures his ends without friction and is one of the most popular men with the great army of employees of any official in the railroad service. His commanding personal appearance, combined with a pleasing geniality immediately wins attention, while his honorable business methods command respect. This great system is to be congratulated upon securing the experienced services of so valuable a man.
EDGAR T. BEHYMER, M. D.
EDGAR T. BEHYMER, M. D., one of the leading general practitioners of medicine and surgery of Cincinnati, with well appointed offices at No. 427 West Seventh street, was born May 25, 1855, at Locust Corner, Ohio, and is a son of Michael and Mary A. Behymer.
Dr. Behymer obtained his education at Parker's Academy, at Clermont- ville, Ohio, which was then a noted educational institution, and later be- came a student in the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, Ohio; from there lie entered the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, having de- termined upon a medical career. After his graduation in 1881, hie located for
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HON. H. L. GORDON.
( From a Photograph, Copyright, 1903, by J. E. Purdy, Boston.)
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practice at Batavia, Ohio, and was soon after appointed physician to the Clermont County Infirmary. As secretary of the U. S. pension examining board, he served efficiently for four years, resigning that position when he removed to Cincinnati.
After settling in this city in 1894, he was appointed lecturer on minor surgery in the Eclectic Medical Institute, upon the resignation of Dr. E. R. Freeman, and in 1896 he was made assistant in the surgical clinic, a posi- tion he held until his resignation from the faculty in 1897. Since then he has been fully occupied in taking care of a large and lucrative practice. He is well known to the public and to the profession as a successful general prac- titioner and he numbers among his patients many of the leading families of the city.
Dr. Behymer was united in marriage, September 18, 1883, to Lida E. Blythe, of Owensville, Ohio.
HON. H. L. GORDON.
One of the most interesting figures in public life. in the city of Cincin- nati, is Hon. H. L. Gordon, vice-mayor, ex-Lieutenant Governor of the State, and a leading member of the Hamilton County bar. Mr. Gordon was born August 27, 1860, at Metamora, Indiana, the fifth child in the family of his parents, M. B. and Sophia (Tracy) Gordon. His father was a prom- inent agriculturist in Indiana, where he died, in 1892, aged 76 years.
From the public schools of his native locality, Mr. Gordon entered De Pauw University, at Greencastle, Indiana, and was there graduated in 1882, with the degree of Ph. B., three years later acquiring that of A. M. His choice of profession was the law and he pursued his reading with the law firm of Butler, McDonald & Mason, at Indianapolis, with whom he remained until 1887, when he removed to Wichita, Kansas. There he established a law office and continued in the active and successful practice of his profession for 10 years. In that period he served as assistant prosecuting attorney of Sedgwick County and later as city attorney of Wichita, and in 1895 he was elected a member of the Kansas State Senate.
In June, 1897, Mr. Gordon returned to the East, locating in Cincin- nati and entering into partnership here with Otto G. Renner, with offices in the Blymyer Building. At the time Mr. Gordon retired from the firm, in
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1891, the style was Renner, Gordon & Renner. For a limited time he prac- ticed alone, with offices in the Union Trust Building, but shortly became the senior partner in the prominent law firm of Gordon, Granger & DeWitt. This is probably one of the strongest legal combinations in the city, much of the attention of the firm being given to corporation law, although a general practice is carried on also. In 1899 Mr. Gordon was appointed a member of the Board of Supervisors and filled the office with credit for four years. On January 26, 1902, he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Com- monwealth; his term expired in January, 1904. The city election of 1903 resulted in his being elected vice-mayor of Cincinnati, the great interests of the city being in his hands during all the absences of Mayor Fleischmann.
In politics Mr. Gordon is a Republican, but his steadfast adherence to principle and his fearless championship of law and order under all conditions distinguish him from the average party man. He enjoys the confidence of the great party leaders, for this very attitude, and his judgment is consulted in all important movements. Mr. Gordon has shown himself a friend of education, morality and good citizenship and holds a high place in his pro- fession and in public esteem. Fraternally he is a Mason and an Elk, and belongs also to the Itan-Nic-Nic Club. A portrait of Mr. Gordon accom- panies this sketch.
ROBERT W. CARROLL. -
ROBERT W. CARROLL, who for many years was at the head of the great publishing house of R. W. Carroll & Company, of Cincinnati, died at his home in Avondale, December 17, 1897. He was born July 28, 1826, in St. Clairsville, Ohio, and was a son of Dr. Thomas and Anne Lynch ( Williams) Carroll. His father was one of the leaders in the medical profession in Cincinnati from 1841, his date of settlement here, until his death, March 13. 1871. His mother was a native of Lynchburg, Pennsylvania.
Robert W. Carroll, who was the second of his parents' sons, after completing his literary education at Woodward College, entered the office of Judge William Johnston for the study of the law. He made rapid prog- ress and was admitted to the bar in 1848 and practiced for one year at Springfield, Ohio, removing then to Cincinnati, where he entered into part- nership with his preceptor, Judge Johnston. He soon gained a reputation
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for legal acumen second to none, and enjoyed a lucrative practice. His ability in his profession was marked and through his whole life, althoughi giving his attention to other interests for a time, he displayed those qualities which distinguished him so long before the bar. In 1862 a combination of circum- stances induced Mr. Carroll to embark in a mercantile business which he continued with remarkable success for four years, during which time he founded the publishing house of R. W. Carroll & Company. In the dis- astrous fire of 1866, his business was swept away, but he soon resumed and continued in the publishing line until 1880, one of the issues of the house being the Christian Standard, of which Elder Isaac Errett. was editor. The firm was distinguished for perfect integrity and uprightness. In 1880, the publishing business having been disposed of, Mr. Carroll resumed the prac- tice of the law and with as much success as formerly.
In 1854 Mr. Carroll was married to Lydia B. Conway, of Delaware, who died January 19, 1857. The death of the mother was followed by that of their only child, little Nora, on January 10, 1860. On May 1, 1860, Mr. Car- roll was married to Mary Arabella Piatt, daughter of Jacob Wycoff Piatt, the Piatt family being one of the oldest and most honored in the Queen City. Jacob Wycoff Piatt was a most remarkable man and took a conspicuous part in the early political history of Hamilton County. He possessed great vigor and independence of character, which were brought into public notice by his position on the Bible, school and fire department questions. He was a most zealous friend of fire department reform, and the introduction of the paid fire department into our city was due in no small degree to his champion- ship of it in the City Council, against violent clamor and opposition from the members of the old volunteer department. Mrs. Carroll and all the children, five in number, survive. Two sons live in Cincinnati : Louis, who is secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Sinking Fund; and R. deV., who ; is a prominent member of the bar, with offices in the Union Trust Building. The other members of the family are Eugene, the oldest son, who is man- ager of a water company in Butte, Montana; Laura (single), who lives in New York; and Belle (Durphy), who is also a resident of New York.
Mr. Carroll was a leader in all public movements tending to the pros- perity and advancement of educational and reformatory enterprises. He was a man of the most perfect integrity and, although not formally united with any religious body, contributed to the support of all. He was of a
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refined nature and possessed a cultivated mind and was a welcome addition to social circles. He left a large number of sincere friends who respected him for his exemplary character and loved him for his personal attributes. He passed away in serenity of spirit and those about him recall his own words, uttered to comfort those who grieved: "Death is neither to be dreaded nor deplored."
HON. WILLIAM LEDYARD AVERY. -
HON. WILLIAM LEDYARD AVERY, whose death took place at his beautiful country home, at Hawthorne, Kentucky, May 12, 1898, closing a long and brilliant judicial career, was born in Cincinnati, November 21, 1833, and was a son of John Coleman and Lydia ( Robinson) Avery.
Judge Avery had the advantage of prominent ancestry and was reared in a home which was a center of hospitality and cultured life. Entering Yale College at an unusually early age, he was graduated there with dis- tinction in the class of 1855, immediately entering upon the study of the law. In June, 1857, he was admitted to the bar in Cincinnati, where he continued to reside and engage in the active practice of the profession until the outbreak of the Civil War.
In October, 1862, he was mustered into the United States military service, and in November of the same year was commissioned by the Gov- ernor of Ohio, a captain of Ohio volunteer infantry. His subsequent rise in rank was continuous, being commissioned by the President of the United States, captain and aid-de-camp, in 1863 ; promoted to be major and aid-de- ยท camp, in 1864; and brevet lieutenant-colonel, March 25, 1865. He served in Kentucky, Tennessee, Northern Georgia, Southern Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Texas, and participated in the dangers and glories of the cam- paigns which included the battles of Chickamauga and Mission Ridge, in front of Chattanooga; Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan, at the mouth of Mo- bile Bay ; and Spanish Fort and Blakely, before the city of Mobile. After this gallant service, he was mustered out August 29, 1865, with the rank of major and aid-de-camp, United States Volunteers, and brevet-lieutenant- colonel.
Returning to his native city crowned with military laurels, Judge Avery resumed the practice of the law, where his well disciplined intellect, his
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legal knowledge and most thorough comprehension of all branches of the profession brought him the prominence which caused his appointment as judge of the Common Pleas Court on February 9, 1871, an honorable office he filled for three successive terms and which he resigned in October, 1884.
In his judicial service, Judge Avery summoned all the higher qualities of his nature. To his unswerving integrity, to his rare intellectual gifts and power of analysis in the solution of intricate problems of the law, he added a persistent, painstaking industry in the discharge of his public duties, so that it may be truly said of him that he faithfully kept the spirit as well as the letter of his official obligation "to administer justice without respect to per- sons, according to the best of his ability and understanding." He did much to elevate the character of the bench, to maintain for it the high esteem of the bar as well as the confidence of the public. He retained his position on the bench until premonitions of his fatal illness warned him that he was mortal and that his span of life might not be long extended. He was vouch- safed, thus, years of farther usefulness less oppressed by urgent responsi- bilities, and at the close passed peacefully away, leaving behind him a record of stainless integrity as a judge, of true valor as a soldier and a character above reproach in every walk of life.
On February 5, 1878, Judge Avery was married to Mrs. Johanna (Um- methun) Buddemeyer, widow of L. H. Buddemeyer. A son and daughter were born to this marriage: Coleman Avery and Ethel Avery. The family home is at No. 2115 Alpine place, Walnut Hills.
HON. WILLIAM WALKER SMITH, JR.
HON. WILLIAM WALKER SMITH, JR., a member of the Ohio State Legislature, and one of the prominent young attorneys of Cincinnati, was born at Covington, Kentucky, November 21, 1870, and is a son of William Walker Smith, who is at present engaged in the real estate business in Cin- cinnati. Our subject's father was formerly junior member of the wholesale grocery firm of Hill & Smith, that for many years was engaged in business at No. 45 Vine street, Cincinnati.
Our subject was three years old when his parents moved from Coving- ton to Walnut Hills, and his early education was secured in Cincinnati and
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he was one of the graduates in the class of 1887 at the Franklin school. At Cornwall-on-the-Hudson, he subsequently pursued the higher branches and was there graduated in 1891. Immediately after he took an extended tour in Europe, during which time he paid particular attention to the study of mu- nicipal affairs in London, Dublin, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Upon his return he studied law and upon being admitted to practice became associated with the law firm of Pogue & Pogue.
In 1898 Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Blanche Pogue, who is the eldest daughter of the late Henry Pogue, whose sketch and portrait ap- pear elsewhere in this work.
For a long period Mr. Smith has been prominent in Masonry and no less so in the Ohio Society of Sons of the Revolution. He is also a factor in politics and has an enthusiastic following who see in him, as a man of edu- cation, travel, enlarged views and proper public spirit, a leader of influence and ability. He is now serving his second term in the Ohio State Legislature, having been first elected in 1901 and reelected in 1903.
JAMES LANDY.
JAMES LANDY, whose death occurred in Cincinnati, November 18, 1897, was one of the leading photographic artists of the United States, one whose name had added interest to every public exposition for many years and whose fine artistic work has won appreciation from connoisseurs all over the world. Mr. Landy was born in 1838 in the city of New York, and as early as the age of 12 years displayed ability in photography.
In 1861 after continued study in his selected line, Mr. Landy estab- lished a studio in Cincinnati, on West Fourth street, opposite the Pike Opera House. There he soon became favorably known to the public on account of his superior work and artistic posing, and he commanded a large clientele. In 1870 he was presented by the commissioners of the Cincinnati Industrial Exposition with a beautiful silver medal, in recognition of his fine work in that connection. Visitors to the various expositions and fairs during the past 30 years have found his art photographs occupying leading positions and exciting universal admiration, and they invariably won the awards. Mr. Landy, it will be recalled, won the $500 prize-the Blair Cup-and in 1887
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the diamond prize, the pictures on both occasions being the incomparable "Man Know Thy Destiny" and "Hiawatha." In 1876 he received the high- est award at the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia, and was presented with a bronze medal, and he also received awards at the Vienna Industrial Exposition, and the Paris Exposition, Emperor William of Germany, who is known as a very competent judge of art, was delighted with the pictures of Mr. Landy shown him at Vienna, and declared they were superior to any he had ever seen. In 1888 he was given the highest award at the Centennial Exposition in Cincinnati, and was given a bronze medal at the World's Fair, at Chicago. His original photographs of the "Seven Ages" are on exhibition at Shakespeare Memorial Hall at Stratford-on-Avon, England, and, just one week prior to the death of this distinguished artist, the librarian of the above mentioned hall notified Mr. Landy of a visit of the Prince of Wales to the exhibition and of the latter's request that his personal compliments should be transmitted to Mr. Landy. Honors were thus showered on him on every hand, and he was elected an honorary member of photographic as- sociations at home and abroad, but, while this appreciation pleased and en- couraged him, it did not serve to change him from the studious seeker after the highest expression of the beautiful, which had ever been his aim.
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Mr. Landy is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Blandina Wayland, and a son, Dr. Edwin Landy, one of the prominent physicians of this city. He was a Mason of the 32nd degree and his funeral obsequies were conducted by the order and were held at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, a touching incident at this time being the presentation of the Scottish Rite ring of the deceased to his son. In private life Mr. Landy was esteemed for the many agreeable attributes which he possessed, and all over the city, wherever art was cher- ished or appreciated, were those who mourned the master.
LOUIS B. SAWYER.
LOUIS B. SAWYER, one of the most prominent of the younger generation of lawyers of the city of Cincinnati, is efficiently filling the office of assistant prosecuting attorney of Hamilton County, Ohio, under Harry M. Hoffheimer. He was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, August 8, 1872, and is a son of Nathan L. R. and Ella M. Sawyer.
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After completing his preliminary education, Louis B. Sawyer began his preparation for the legal profession by reading law in the office and under the direction of Judge Littleford, and by entering the Cincinnati Law School. He was graduated from that institution in 1895, and was immediately after- ward admitted to the bar. He became associated, as a partner, with his former preceptor, Judge Littleford, with whom he continued successfully until January, 1900. In 1896 he was elected village solicitor of Hartwell, Hamilton County, and served creditably in that capacity until January 7, 1901, when he resigned to accept appointment as assistant prosecuting at- torney of Hamilton County under Mr. Hoffheimer. He is a careful, pains- taking lawyer, and has displayed ability in the trial of cases. He is thoroughly familiar with the rules governing the admissibility of evidence, and appears to advantage in addressing a jury, being a strong and forcible speaker.
Fraternally, Mr. Sawyer is a Scottish Rite Mason, a Mystic Shriner, an Elk, and a Knight of Pythias. He is a member of the Blaine Club, and a number of other political and social organizations. He is an enthusiastic Republican and since he attained his majority has always been active in the politics of Hamilton County.
FRANK M. COUDEN.
Among the prominent business citizens and influential politicians of Cin- cinnati is Frank M. Couden, who for the past five years has so capably held the responsible office of cashier in the customs office in this city and has taken an active part in political matters. Mr. Couden was born at Morrow, War- ren County, Ohio, in 1869, and is a son of A. N. and Prudence Couden, natives of Ohio.
Mr. Couden has held a number of responsible positions at Morrow, for a considerable period being connected with the Morrow Rolling Mills. Since entering the customs office where he is deputy surveyor and cashier, he has . made an enviable record which has won him the approbation of the heads of the department. It is a matter of record that on a number of occasions he has been assigned to duties which entailed great responsibilities and that under all circumstances he has acquitted himself with credit.
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