USA > Ohio > Ohio legislative history, 1913-1917 > Part 49
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Hon. Harry M. Mckay was born on a farm in Chester Township, Clinton County, Ohio, May 29th, 1869. His father, Nathan H. McKay, was born and reared in Clinton County. The son, Harry, received his education in the country district school, the public schools at Wilming- ton, and at Ohio Wesleyan University. He is a farmer by occupation and in 1908, was elected county commissioner and re-elected in 1910, serving two terms.
In the year 1890, Mr. Mckay was joined in marriage with Miss Lida Babb, of Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio. They have four children, namely: Elvin, Mrs. Leona Mckay Clevenger, Marion, and Ernest Mckay.
In the year 1916, Mr. Mckay was nominated and elected, as a Republican, to represent Clinton County in the Eighty-second General
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Assembly of Ohio, and at the regular session in 1917, he was author of H. B. No. 442 - relative to sanitary inspection of places where food products are manufactured, prepared, sold or stored, and the bill be- came a Law. Representative Mckay served as a member of the com- mittees: Conservation of Natural Resources, and Public Parks and Works.
HON. NELSON ALPHONSO McQUESTON.
(Richland County)
Several deaths have occurred in the mem- bership of the House of Representatives, Eighty-second General Assembly, and among them, the subject of this sketch. Dr. Mc- Queston was just entering upon his duties in the Legislature when he was suddenly called by death on Jan. 24th, 1917.
Nelson Alphonso McQueston was born near Manchester, N. H., on Nov. Ist, 1859. He was the youngest of the five children of James McQueston and Jane Moore Dickey. His early education was received in the public schools of Clermont, N. H., where his people had moved, but he returned to Manchester on the death of his father, when he was thirteen years old. As a young man, he studied the craft of granite cutting, and entered the monument works at Barrie, Vermont. He soon became a skilled workman, and advanced to the designing branch of the business.
Mr. McQueston spent several years in this line of work, during which time, he designed and erected several of the finest granite memorials in the country, among which is the memorial to Lieut. Cush- ing, of Albemarle fame. He located in Buffalo, N. Y., where he resided for a number of years. After traveling through the western States, he took up the study of dentistry, at the Kansas City Dental College, where, after his graduation, he served for three years as instructor in Crown and Bridge Work, which was then being introduced into the profession. He traveled throughout the country giving personal instruc- tion in this new art to practicing dentist, and in the spring of 1896, he located at Mansfield, Ohio, where he was engaged in the practice of dentistry up to the time of his death.
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OHIO LEGISLATIVE HISTORY.
On June 18th, 1895, he was united in marriage to Miss Laura L. Hobson, at Shadron, Neb. A son, Lambert, was born of this union.
Dr. McQueston had attained much recognition through a long and consistent fight which he had made against vaccination, and other com- pulsory medical legislation, and at the time of his death, was President of the Anti-Vaccination League of Ohio, and one of the Board of Direc- tors of the Anti-Vaccination League of America. He left a host of friends, not only in his county, but throughout Ohio and the nation.
At the popular primary held in 1916, Dr. McQueston was nominated on the Democratic ticket, and he was duly elected in November follow- ing, to serve as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in the Eighty-second General Assembly.
HON. GEORGE SYLVESTER MYERS.
(Cuyahoga County)
ยท In the list of thirteen Democrats who rep- resent Cuyahoga County in the Eighty-second General Assembly of Ohio, there are five members of the legal profession, one of whom is the subject of this sketch.
Hon. George S. Myers was born in San- dusky County, Ohio, April 21st, 1881. His ancestors came from Switzerland and were among the early pioneers of northwestern Ohio. He received his education at Wooster College and the law department of Western Reserve University. He is married and lives in Cleveland where he practices his
profession.
In 1916, Mr. Myers was nominated and elected a member of the Eighty-second General Assembly, and at the regular session of that body in 1917, he was active in labor legislation, and particularly interested in the "Fleming" bill, which asserts the rights of the state of Ohio, to all submerged and filled lands along the southern shore of Lake Erie, and gives the municpalities on the lake front exclusive control over har- bor developments. He was author of H. B. No. 182, which became a Law, and which provides for vocational training for schools for the
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blind; and H. B. No. 417, which removes the legal obstacles and makes possible the completion of a union passenger station for the city of Cleveland. He was also the author of a bill which raised the pay of jurors from $2.00 to $3.00 per day. This bill passed both Houses, but was vetoed by the Governor.
Representative Myers served as a member of the committees on Cities, Judiciary, and Taxation and Revenues.
HON. JESSE SPROAT MILLER.
(Stark County)
Stark County withstood the Democratic avalanche in the year 1916, and returned three Republicans as members of the 82nd Gen- eral Assembly.
Hon. Jesse Sproat Miller, one of the three chosen to a seat in the Ohio House of Rep- resentatives, was born at North Benton, Mahoning County, Ohio, Jan. 23, 1865. His father, Jacob Filson Miller, was born at Washington, Pennsylvania. The first an- cestor of the direct line known in America, was Wilhelm Mueller, who came from Ger- many to Philadelphia, Pa., in the year 1720. He was a university professor in Germany, and left his native land on account of religious persecution. He taught French and German in Philadelphia for some years, and during the Revolutionary War, a num- ber of his descendants were with Gen. Washington, at Valley Forge, during the winter of suffering. Robert W. Miller, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was colonel of a Pennsylvania regiment during the American Civil War, and his father was a lieutenant in the same regiment. The grandfather was a graduate of Washington and Jeffer- son College, and was noted for his physical strength, being reputed to have been the strongest man in Washington County, Pa.
The father and mother of Jesse S. Miller were married in 1863. At about this time the father commenced blacksmithing at North Benton, where for more than forty years, he was the "village blacksmith." He was widely known for his intelligence, and physical strength and courage.
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The mother, nee Isabella Tate Sproat, was a daughter of Richard Sproat, a Scotch immigrant, who came to Mahoning County, Ohio, early in the last century.
In the year 1895, Jesse S. Miller was united in marriage with Miss Olive Gertrude Ruff of Shreve, Wayne County, Ohio, the daughter of Rev. Amos C. Ruff. They have four children, Jessie Majel, Harold May- nard, Ruth Viola and Eugene Curtis.
Mr. Miller received his education solely by his own efforts and earnings, and he is a graduate of Mt. Union College and of Wooster University, receiving from the latter, the degrees of A. B. and Ph. M. He studied law at Youngstown, Ohio, in the office of Gen. Asa W. Jones, (afterwards Lt. Governor of Ohio,) and his law partner, W. S. Ander- son, (now Judge Anderson.) Mr. Miller was admitted to the bar in 1899, and since that time, has practiced his profession at Alliance, Ohio. Prior to his admission to the bar, Mr. Miller was principal of the public schools at Hanover, Seville, Shreve, and Middletown in Butler County. He was city solicitor of Alliance, Ohio, two terms, 1902-1906.
In the year 1916, Mr. Miller was nominated and elected, as a Repub- lican, to a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives, and at the regular session of the Eighty-second General Assembly in 1917, he was interested in legislation for the improvement of municipalities, court procedure, taxation and finances, social condition and labor. He was the author of the bill which established a Municipal Court in Alliance.
Representative Miller served as a member of the following House committees, namely : Enrollment, Insurance, and Public Buildings and Lands.
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OHIO LEGISLATIVE HISTORY.
HON. CHARLES A. MORELOCK.
(Union County)
The act creating Union County was passed by the Legislature Jan. 10th, 1820, and the territory composing the new county was taken from adjoining counties of Delaware, Madison, Logan, and Franklin. On Febru- ary 25th, of the same year, the Legislature appointed a Commission to locate the county seat. They chose Marysville as the most central point, the town site having been laid out in 1819 by Samuel Culbertson.
Hon. Charles A. Morelock, who represents Union County, in the Eighty-second General Assembly of Ohio, was born at Plain City, Madison County, Ohio, Feb. 13th, 1863. His father, J. J. Morelock, was born at Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland. The son, Charles, received his education in the public schools at Marysville, Ohio. He has worked at Farming and dairying most of his life, and he is engaged in the breeding of full-blooded Belgian and Percheron horses.
Mr. Morelock was united in marriage with Miss Eva Ferris. They have a son, Asa F. Morelock, who is a mechanical and general contractor at Columbus, Ohio. The paternal ancestry of Mr. Morelock was of German descent, and on the mother's side, they came from France during the Colonial days, and settled in Vermont.
Mr. Morelock has filled various local offices in his community, such as Township Trustee, member of School Board, member of City Council, and he was elected County Auditor in 1910, and re-elected in 1912, serving two terms in said office. In the year 1916, Mr. Morelock was nominated and elected, as a Democrat, to represent Union County in the Eighty-second General Assembly, and at the regular session of that body in 1917, he was interested in all legislation relating to the general welfare of the people. Representative Morelock served as a member of the following committees, namely: Civil Service, Labor, Military Affairs, and Mines and Mining.
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OHIO LEGISLATIVE HISTORY.
HON. THOMAS MULCAHY.
(Henry County)
Henry County was created by Legislative Act, April Ist, 1820, and its name was given in honor of Patrick Henry, the famous Vir- ginia orator who made the immortal declara- tion "Give me liberty, or give me death !" This county was part of the Great Black swamp of Ohio and its settlement was long delayed. Napoleon, the county seat, was platted in 1832, and its first building was a log cabin tavern, 12 X 14 feet. At that time, the entire county had less than 300 population. As late as 1837, there were only three frame houses in the county. It was not until the year 1845, that Henry County was fully organized for all purposes, and the first court house owned by the county was a frame building erected in that year.
Hon. Thomas Mulcahy, who represents Henry County in the Eighty-second General Assembly of Ohio, was born at Rosedale, Madison County, Ohio, March 2Ist, 1865. His father, John Mulcahy, was born at Rathkeale, County of Limerick, Ireland. The son, Thomas, received his education in the public schools, and worked upon the farm during his youth. He studied Law, was admitted to practice, and has followed his profession for the past 17 years, at Napoleon, Ohio. He was Prosecuting Attorney of Henry County from January Ist, 1909, to January Ist, 1913.
In the year 1916, Mr. Mulcahy was nominated and elected, as a Democrat, the representative of Henry County, to the Eighty-second General Assembly of Ohio, and at the regular session in 1917, he was author of H. B. No. 33 - to provide for rotation of names on the bal- lots used at primary elections; and H. B. No. 300, relating to a system of Highway laws for the State of Ohio. Both bills were passed, and became Laws.
Representative Mulcahy served as chairman of the House com- mittee on Public Highways, and as a member of the committees: In- surance, and Taxation and Revenues.
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OHIO LEGISLATIVE HISTORY.
HON. WILLIAM E. MURPHY.
(Preble County)
One of the finest farms in Preble County, which is situated eight miles southwest of Eaton, the county seat, and known as "Meadow-Lawn", belongs to the present member of the 82nd General Assembly from that county. Mr. Murphy has always been engaged in general farming, and he is espe- cially interested in the raising and marketing of hogs.
Hon. William E. Murphy was born near the city of Hamilton in Butler County, Ohio, Feb. 9th, 1857. His father, Peter Murphy, was born in the same locality, and he married Cyrena Van Gordon, also of Butler County. They were the parents of six children, four of whom are living. The father of William E. Murphy and the maternal grandfather, Van Gordon, both served in the Legislature of Ohio.
On Jan. 28th, 1880, William E. Murphy was married to Miss Nancy I. Vinnedge, of Butler County. She was the daughter of M. P. and Nancy H. Vinnedge. To this union, a son, Peter Vinnedge Murphy, was born, Nov. 3rd, 1884. The son graduated from Camden High School, and he also attended Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio. He married Ethel M. Flora, of Preble County.
The father, William E. Murphy, was educated in the common schools, and he attended the National Normal School, of Lebanon, Ohio. His youngest brother, Clarence Murphy, has been twice elected Common Pleas Judge of Butler County, and is serving in that office at the present time.
Hon. William E. Murphy was elected as a Democrat, to represent Preble County in the 80th General Assembly of Ohio, and he was de- feated by a close vote for re-election to the 8Ist General Assembly. In the year 1916, he was again nominated by the Democrats, and elected a member of the 82nd General Assembly. Fraternally, he is a K. of P., being a member of Camden Lodge, No. 259.
As a member of the 82nd General Assembly, Mr. Murphy was active in behalf of all measures affecting the agricultural interests of the
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State, and he is known as a careful and conservative legislator. His committee assignments were, Public Utilities, Cities, Conservation of Natural Resources, and he was chairman of the House Committee on Public Printing.
HON. JAMES WEIR NEISWONGER.
(Monroe County)
Before James Monroe became President of the United States, Monroe County, Ohio, honored him by taking his name. The county was formed by Act of the Legislature on Jan. 29th, 1813, the territory being taken from the adjoining counties of Washington and Guern- sey. Woodsfield, the county seat, was named for Archibald Woods, of Wheeling, W. Va., who was associated in the town site enter- prise. The town was platted in 1812, and there are no records to show that there was any other town in the county at the time.
Death has laid a heavy hand upon the mem- bership of the Eighty-second General Assembly, and up to December Ist, 1917, four members of the House of Representatives have died, Mr. Neiswonger being among the number.
Hon. James Weir Neiswonger, who was chosen to represent Monroe County in the Eighty-second General Assembly of Ohio, was born at Woodsfield, Oct. 25th, 1857. He was the son of Wilson B. and Helen Neiswonger. The son, James, spent most of his youth in Stafford, Ohio, where his parents had moved from Woodsfield. He received his educa- tion in the public schools of Morrow County, and later, studied Law at Marietta College, although he never actively engaged in the practice of law. His life-work was teaching in the public schools of Monroe County from early manhood until in the year 1916, he was nominated and elected, as a Democrat, to a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Mr. Neiswonger was always considered a most successful school teacher, and he was very popular with all who knew him, he being of a most charitable and kindly nature. He was a fine orator, and his friends refer to him with pride, as the "silver-tongued orator of Monroe County".
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OHIO LEGISLATIVE HISTORY.
In August, 1884, Mr. Neiswonger was joined in marriage to Miss Alice Hood, and of this union, five children were born, namely: Ray, Hazelle, Glenn, Berhl and Martha. Mrs. Neiswonger died July 12th, 1910.
On Jan. 2nd, 1911, Mr. Neiswonger was again married, this time, to Miss Laura Fletcher, of Beallsville, Ohio, and to this union was born a son, Wilson Neiswonger.
Representative Neiswonger served actively at the regular - session of the Eighty-second General Assembly in 1917, until about the middle of March, when he was taken ill, and removed to Grant Hospital, Co- lumbus, where he died on March 28th, 1917.
Mr. Neiswonger served as a member of the following committees, namely : Manufactures and Commerce, Public Printing, Public Water- ways, Supplies and Expenditures, and Villages.
HON. HENRY OTT.
(Hamilton County)
A prominent member of the Hamilton County delegation in the 8Ist and 82nd Gen- eral Assemblies of Ohio is the subject of this sketch.
Hon. Henry Ott was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, July 9th, 1867. His father, joseph Anthony Ott, was born in Bavaria. The son, Henry, received his education in the parochial schools at Cincinnati, and he learned the trade of a wood-worker. Mr. Ott has been a "Trades Unionist" for more than thirty years, and an International officer of the Amal- gamated Woodworkers' Union for ten years. In the year 1889, Mr. Ott was united in marriage with Miss Mary Weinkamp, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and they have been blessed with five children, as follows: Mary W., Phillip J., Charles H., John L., and Lillian Marie.
In the year 1914, Mr. Ott was nominated and elected as a Repub- lican, one of the ten members of his party chosen to represent Hamil- ton County in the 8Ist General Assembly, and he was again nominated
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OHIO LEGISLATIVE HISTORY.
and elected in 1916, to a seat in the 82nd General Assembly. Repre- sentative Ott has, throughout his service as a law-maker, shown par- ticular interest in all legislation affecting labor, and he has supported all measures that he deemed for the benefit of all the people. As a unit, Mr. Ott and the entire Hamilton County delegation were strongly op- posed to any "sumptuary" legislation.
At the regular session of the 82nd General Assembly in 1917, Mr. Ott served as a member of the committees on Labor, Military Af- fairs, and Public Parks and Works.
HON. FRANK COFFMAN PARRETT.
(Fayette County)
Fayette County was created by Act of the Legislature on Jan. 19th, 1810, taking all its lower portion from Highland County and its northern part from Ross County. The first court of the new county was held in the log cabin of John de Vault, a short distance from the present village of Bloomingburg, presided over by Judge John Thompson, who was given a "calling down" by Mrs. De Vault for sitting on one of her beds, for lack of a chair. In this sitting, the grand jury held some of its deliberations in the stable, and others in a hazel thicket near the house. Washington C. H., which was made the county seat at the organization of the county, was laid out in the winter of 1810-II. It is presumed that its name was given in honor of the Father of his country, and the C. H. added in order to distinguish it from the numerous other places of the same name throughout the United States. "The county was named for Mar- quis de Lafayette, the French nobleman who so nobly fought for Amer- ican liberty in the War of the Revolution". Washington C. H. was nearly destroyed by the great cyclone which visited it on Sept. 8th, 1885.
Hon. Frank C. Parrett, who represents Fayette County in the Eighty-second General Assembly of Ohio, was born on a farm in Fayette County, near Washington C. H., Ohio, Sept. 13, 1882. His father, John S. Parrett, was born in the same locality. The son, Frank, was educated in the country schools until he attained the age of 15,
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OHIO LEGISLATIVE HISTORY.
and then spent one year at the Washington C. H. High School. He was for two years a student at Ohio Normal University, at Ada, Ohio, and four years at Ohio State University, graduating therefrom in the year 1904, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Mr. Parrett engaged in newspaper work for a time, serving on the "Columbus Press Post", the "Columbus Citizen", and the "Toledo Blade". After leaving the newspaper field, he engaged in the farming business, and is at present, rated one of the leading and most progressive farmers in his community.
On Sept. 26th, 1907, Mr. Parrett was united in marriage with Miss Katherine Eastman, of Columbus, Ohio.
In the year 1914, Mr. Parrett was nominated and elected, as a Republican, to represent Fayette County in the 8Ist General Assembly of Ohio, and he was re-elected in 1916. Throughout his two terms of service in the Legislature, Representative Parrett was actively inter- ested in all taxation measures of legislation, as well as all bills pertain- ing to agriculture.
At the regular session of the Eighty-second General Assembly in 1917, Mr. Parrett served as a member of the following committees, namely : Appropriations and Finance, Civil Service, Public Printing, and the Non-partisan Joint Taxation committee.
HON. LORAIN A. PEARSON.
(Miami County)
When the first White settlers came to the Northwest Territory, the soil of Miami County was occupied by the Miami Indians. The county was formed by Legislative Act on Jan. 16th, 1807, and was given its name in recognition of the Indian inhabitants. A fort was built at Piqua some time previous to 1794, and used as a military depot by Gen. Wayne, who boated his supplies up the Miami River to Ft. Piqua, and then sent them by wagon overland to St. Mary's, Auglaize County, and then by a boat route to Ft. Defiance, on the Maumee. The county seat was established at Troy, a courthouse being erected there in 18II, and court began its sessions in that year.
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OHIO LEGISLATIVE HISTORY.
Hon. Lorain A. Pearson, who represents Miami County in the Eighty-second General Assembly of Ohio, was born at West Milton, Miami County, Ohio, Oct. 18th, 1859. His father, R. V. Pearson, was born at the same place, and is living in 1917.
The son, Lorain A., received his education in the public schools, and he is a graduate of high school, at Covington, O. His early life was spent on the farm, and he is now engaged in the electrical business.
In the year 1887, Mr. Pearson was joined in marriage with Miss Lulu Pickering, of West Milton, O. They have four children, namely : R. E. Pearson a graduate of Ohio State University, living at Colum- bus, Ohio; Marcellus P. Pearson, Akron, Ohio; Mrs. Marie Pearson Finefrock, and Miss Alberta Pearson, of West Milton. The family ancestry were early English settlers in this country, of Quaker persua- sion, from Colonial days.
Mr. Pearson never held any public office except as a member of the local school board and town councilman, until in 1916, he was nominated and elected, as a Republican, to represent Miami County in the Eighty-second General Assembly of Ohio. As a member of the State law-making body, and on account of the special interest in the subject by his immediate constituency, Representative Pearson believes that the people should be allowed to vote on the subject of "flood pro- tection", and for the conservation of the natural resources of the State.
Representative Pearson served as a member of the following com mittees, namely : Judiciary, Manufactures and Commerce, Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home.
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OHIO LEGISLATIVE HISTORY.
HON. GEORGE H. PLATT.
(Ashtabula County)
Ashtabula County is located in the extreme northwest corner of Ohio, and it was at Con- neaut Harbor, in that county, where Moses Cleaveland and his surveying party landed in July, 1796, to survey the Western Reserve lands then owned by the Connecticut Land Company. It was not until 1798 that there were any permanent white settlers in the county. They came from Delaware County, New York, and purchased a tract of land from the Connecticut Land Company. Until January 2nd, 1811, the territory of this county was a part of Trumbull County. On that date, it became a separate county. The county seat was established at Jefferson at the time the county was projected by the Legislature in 1807. Among the distinguished men who have lived in Ashtabula County were United States Senator Benjamin F. Wade, and Joshua R. Giddings, the famous abolitionist.
Hon. George H. Platt, the representative of Ashtabula County in the Eighty-second General Assembly of Ohio, was born at Wayne, Ashtabula County, Ohio, August 23rd, 1868. His father, A. H. Platt, was born at the same place. The son, George, received his education in the public schools, Andover High School, and he attended the Edin- boro Normal School, at Edinboro, Pa. Mr. Platt has been actively en- gaged in farming all his life. He is Vice-President of the Kinsman Bank, and has frequently been honored by his fellow-citizens with election to local positions of trust and responsibility. Mr. Platt's an- cestors were of English descent, and they were engaged in the Amer- ican Revolution, which gave independence to the colonies. The came to Ohio from the Mohawk Valley, in New York. Mr. Platt is unmarried
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