USA > Ohio > Representative men of Ohio, 1900-1903 > Part 14
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Mr. Scobey was educated in the public schools of Troy, and early took an active part in the Republican politics of Miami county, serving as chairman of the committee and contributing to the annual increase in the size of the Republican majority rolled up in that county. In 1897, he entered the race for the Republican nomination for sheriff, and won the prize from seven opponents. He was, of course, elected by a large majority. So satisfactory were his services to the people, that two years later he had no opposition for either the nomination and election, and retired from that office in January, 1902. At the organization of the Sen- ate he was the Republican majority candidate for the chief clerk- ship, an honor to which he was elected. During the session of the General Assembly he took a high rank as a popular and ef- ficient official, having the good will of everybody. His manage- ment of the place was beyond criticism and he set high the mark by which similar officials will hereafter be judged. Mr. Scobey in addition to being prominent in his party in Miami county, is well-known in state politics and is now a member of the Republi- can State Executive Committee.
FRANK E. SCOBEY.
WILLIAM KING.
.
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In 1889, Mr. Scobey was married to Miss Mary Barringer, of Miami county. They had one daughter, Ruth, born October, 1896, who died in August, 1897, leaving the home desolate. Mr. Scobey is an Elk, Knight Templar, Knight of Pythias, Odd Fel- low and a member of the Royal Arcanum.
William King.
William King, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate of the Sev- enty-fifth General Assembly, was born on a farm in Pleasant township, Madison county, Ohio, near Mt. Sterling, in 1856. His great-grandfather on his father's side was born in Ireland, and his grandfather in Vermont, served in the war of 1812, and moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1818. During his life time Mr. King has often been honored by the people and on every occasion filled the positions with credit to himself and those he represented. Always an unflinching Republican, the record shows that he has held the following places: Township Asses- sor Union Township, Madison county; Justice of the Peace Leesburg township, Union county, Assessor Leesburg township, Union county, Mayor of Magnetic Springs, Union county, in 1890, Clerk of School Board, Magnetic Springs since 1890, Post- master at Magnetic Springs from 1888 to 1892, at present Mayor of Magnetic Springs, appointed Postmaster by President Mc- Kinley in 1897, and still holds the office.
Mr. King married Luticia Watrous, September 15, 1878, at London, and two boys, John R. King and Roy M. King, have been the result of the union. He has belonged to Lodge No. 664, Pharisburg, Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 1889; Magnetic Springs Lodge No. 380, Knights of Pythias, since 1890; Past Chancellor in Knights of Pythias Lodge; Master of Ex- chequer since 1894, and representative to the Grand Lodge from 1894 to 1896.
He was born and raised on a farm and received all his edu- cation in the common schools of Madison county. He worked on the farm while at home, and for eight years after his marriage was engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1880 Mr. King lost
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his health, moving to Magnetic Springs six years later. He at once began to improve and now tips the beam at 200 pounds.
At the organization of the Senate in January, 1902, Mr. King was elected Sergeant-at-Arms and filled the onerous duties of that position to the satisfaction of everybody. On the ad- journment of the Legislature he was presented with an elegant ring and other tokens of regard on the part of the Senate em- ployes. Popular with all the Senators, Mr. King was highly regarded by those with whom he came in contact, and by general consent it was agreed that no more painstaking and obliging official had ever held the position.
John M. Beckett.
The subject of this sketch is an eastern Ohio man, born in Centerville, Belmont county, Ohio. He was brought up on a farm and educated in the common schools of his county. In 1883 he was elected Principal of Centerville High School and re-elected in 1884-1885. The following year he was nominated and elected Recorder of Belmont county on the Republican ticket, being designated as the "Young America" of the ticket in that campaign. He served the people of the county so satisfactorily that in 1889 he was re-elected for a second term. He studied law, but was never a practitioner at the bar. In 1893 he was Chairman of the Republican Executive Committee of Belmont county. In 1894 he located in Columbus and entered the real estate business.
In 1900 he was chosen First Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate of the Seventy-fourth General Assembly, and in 1902 was re-elected to that position without opposition. The esteem in which Mr. Beckett was held by the Senators is best expressed in the following resolution unanimously adopted May 12, 1902 :
SENATE RESOLUTION No. 60.
"Resolved, That the thanks of the Senate are due and hereby tendered to John M. Beckett, First Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms, for his prompt and efficient discharge of all his official duties. For the uniform kindness, courtesy and impartiality that has
JOHN M. BECKETT.
HON. W. S. MCKINNON.
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characterized his official intercourse with the members of the Cenate, we hereby convey to him our sincere thanks and express the earnest hope that his career be crowned with that degree of prosperity and success which he so much merits."
Mr. Beckett is an earnest party worker and prominent factor in the ranks of the Republicans of the Capital City. He is Vice President of the Buckeye Republican Club, the leading political organization in central Ohio, and Chairman of its Campaign Committee. In January, 1899, Mr. Beckett was married to Celia V., the accomplished daughter of Joseph H. and Rebecca Beard, of Bucyrus, Ohio.
Hon. W. S. Mckinnon.
The post of Speaker of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly was one that called for rare ability, executive and administrative talent. The questions decided relating to the new methods of taxation demanded these attributes in their highest form, and splendidly did the presiding officer, Hon. W. S. Mckinnon, of Ashtabula, measure up to the full standard. Fortified with an experience secured in two former General Assemblies, in one of which he served as Chairman of the Finance Committee, he brought to the important post that high ability and honesty with- out which no man could succeed.
Hon. William S. Mckinnon was born at Owen Sound, Ontario, December 9, 1852. His educational advantages were limited to the village schools which he attended until 12 years of age, celebrating his thirteenth birthday by beginning to learn the trade of a machinist. The family was early bereft of the support of a father who died in 1864, and young Mckinnon went to Cleveland five years later, thence to Ashtabula where he now resides in 1880, and embarked in business on his own account. The establishment was a small affair when first inaugurated but it grew and prospered, until to-day nearly one hundred skilled mechanics are employed.
The Speaker's father was born in New York state of Scotch parents. His mother was born in Scotland, and she still sur-
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vives at the ripe old age of 78 years. In 1878 Mr. Mckinnon married Miss Jane Porter, of Brampton, Ontario, and they have five children, living, four boys and a girl. He was a member of the Board of Education at Ashtabula two terms, member of City Council two terms and President of that body during the last term of two years. From Council he was made Mayor of the town and served two years. He was President of the Ohio Board of Commissioners to the Buffalo Exposition 1900-01. In 1897 he was elected to the House from Ashtabula County, and two years later chosen for a second term, serving as Chairman of the Finance Committee. In 1901 he broke all precedents by being elected for a third term from Ashtabula County, and at the organization of the House in January, 1902, was elected Speaker. Here his ability and courage combined served to make him an excellent presiding officer and he left the exalted position with the good will of all. As a member of the General Assembly his advice and counsel were always sought and his record was of the character of which he may be proud.
Hon. Andrew G. Comings.
The historic Western Reserve has furnished some strong men for the service of the State, men who have written their names high in the archives of the commonwealth, and have wrought for the public good. Hon. Andrew C. Comings, of Lorain, is one of this coterie and the record of his public acts will show that he has been a predominating factor in all legis- lation when a member of the House.
He is a native of the Green Mountain State that gave General Stark to the American Revolution, born in East Berk- shire, Franklin County, Vermont, September 26, 1856. The first nine years of his young life were spent on a farm, when his parents removed to Oberlin, O., where with the exception of ten years spent in teaching school, Mr. Comings has since resided. He was educated in the common schools of Oberlin and Oberlin College, from the literary department of which he was graduated in 1877. In 1878 he married and two children, a son and a
HON. A. G. COMINGS.
HON. WILLIAM H. CRAFTS.
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daughter, have been born of this union. The son served his country gallantly in the Phillippine war.
In 1879 he took up teaching as a vocation, acting as Super- intendent of the schools at Vermillion, Erie County, Conneaut and Brooklyn Village, and principal of a ward school in Youngs- town. In 1890 he moved back to Oberlin and engaged in the book and stationery business in which he is yet employed. In 1890 he was chosen a member of the Council of Oberlin; in 1892 elected Mayor, and two years later re-elected. In 1879 he was appointed a member of the Board of Trustees of Oberlin Water Works, and the same year elected a member of the Board of Education. At the time of his first election to the House in 1899 he was serving in both capacities. In the 74th and 75th General Assemblies he was Chairman of the House Committee on Muni- cipal Affairs, and at the organization of the latter House was elected Speaker pro tem. He was also a member and chairman of the House Committee of twenty-three appointed to draft a Mu- nicipal Code, and the author of the House bill on that subject that was afterward consolidated with the measure of Senator Longworth and made a law. He was one of the staunch and true men in both Houses and had the respect and good will of everybody. There cannot be too many men of his calibre and character in the lawmaking body of the State.
Hon. William H. Crafts.
On account of the financial problems that were up for con- sideration and settlement in the Seventy-fifth General Assembly, the post of Chairman of the Finance Committee in the Senate and House were most important and far-reaching in their re- sults. In the House the Western Reserve furnished the man to control the purse-strings of the State, in the person of Hon. William H. Crafts, of Portage County, and how well he dis- charged the onerous duties of this important post the official record well testifies. Mr. Crafts came to the last General As- sembly fortified with experience secured in the former body, when he stood next to Representative Mckinnon on the House Finance Committee.
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Hon. W. H. Crafts was born at Auburn, Geauga county, Ohio, December 9, 1849. In 1853 he removed to Portage county, where he has resided ever since and is one of the lead- ing members of the community of Mantua. His early life was spent on a farm, but he later attended school at home, followed by a special course of study at Hillsdale, Mich., and Hiram College, where the lamented Garfield was so well known. He afterward engaged in mercantile pursuits, and is to-day known as a conservative and safe banker, and one of the most extensive wool and hide buyers in his section. In 1885 he established the banking house of Crafts, Hine & Company, recognized as one of the foremost private banks in Ohio. Mr. Crafts comes in a direct line from Puritan stock, his father still surviving at the ripe old age of 83 years, and his mother at 79. He has always been a Republican and a leader of his party in Portage county and the Western Reserve, that Gibraltar of Republican- ism in Ohio. In 1869 he married Miss Augusta Merriman, of Burton, Ohio, and five children were born to them, three sons and two daughters. Mr. Crafts is a worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Mantua, where he resides, and the new and beautiful school building at that place owes its erec- tion largely to his individual exertions. His efforts have always been along the line of moral and educational advancement. An active worker in the church and Sunday school, he contributes liberally to the support and maintenance of both. He belongs to the Masonic and Odd Fellow fraternities, having served as W. M. two terms and is a Royal Arch Mason.
In the Seventy-fifth General Assembly his work as Chair- man of the House Finance Committee was of the most satis- factory character. Charged with the duty of preparing the ap- propriation bills he did so with an eye to the interests of the State, as well as justice to the many institutions involved, and it was a mark of the highest consideration for the correctness of his work when the bills as he reported finally became laws with but little change or amendment. A gentleman of the high- est private and public probity and character, Representative Crafts was of a class of law-makers who do honor to their State and constituencies. The people honor themselves in hon- oring such men.
HON. RALPH D. COLE.
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REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF OHIO.
Hon. Ralph D. Cole.
Hancock County furnished one of the youngest members of either branch of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly in the person of Hon. Ralph D. Cole, among the brightest members of the House, whose name was connected with much of the taxation legislation enacted by that body. Mr. Cole made his debut in State politics as a member of the previous House, where the record made was added to and emphasized by a second term of service. He is of Scotch-Irish parentage, his grand-father coming west from Delaware to Ashland County, Ohio, early in the last century. His father removed to Hancock County a few years before the civil war, and his mother came from Scotland. Mr. Cole is the thirteenth member of a family of sixteen children, all living. His grand-mother was a Webster, and boasted of being a cousin of Daniel Webster, the sage of Marshfield.
The subject of this sketch was born in Big Lick Township, Hancock County, Ohio, in 1874. He attended country school until he was seventeen years of age, graduated from Findlay College at the age of twenty-two, and attended Ada Law School in 1897. He holds diplomas in philosophy from both Findlay and Ada College. He organized and commanded for some time the Findlay Cadets, one of the best drilled organizations in that section of the State.
In 1897 he was appointed deputy clerk of the courts of Hancock County, and two years later was the Republican nom- inee for Representative to the 74th General Assembly. The county had for many years been a close one politically, but Mr. Cole carried it by a majority of 199 votes. In 1901 he was nomi- nated for a second term and re-elected by the largely increased majority of 681 votes. He stumped Hancock County for Mc- Kinley in 1896 and the Eighth Congressional District in 1900. At the recent dedication of Ohio monuments on the Shiloh battle- field, Mr. Cole represented the State as one of the orators, and made a deep impression on account of his patriotic, scholarly and eloquent address. Under the firm name of Cole, Cole & Cole he is now engaged with his brothers, J. J. and R C., in the prac- tice of law in Findlay.
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REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF OHIO.
In the Seventy-fifth General Assembly, when the taxation measures promised by the Republican party were introduced, Mr. Cole was placed in charge of one of the most important, and pushed it into early enactment. He took a leading part in the debate that ended in these bills becoming laws, and was one of the staunchest friends of the Nash administration on the floor of the House. He was Chairman of the Committee on Taxation and it was his duty to look after all of the taxation bills as well as to pass upon their utility, so far as the State was concerned. This he did, putting in a most laborious session, but the end is crowned with the work. To-day the promise made the people of Ohio at the State Convention of 1901, on the question of re- ducing the tax burdens, has been fulfilled, and Hon. Ralph D. Cole, of Hancock, is deserving of all praise for the part he took in the general scheme of taxation. Alert, experienced and of good judgment, his services were invaluable. He is unmarried. During the special session of 1902 he was a member of the House Committee of 23 on the Municipal Code, and was also a member of the Code Conference Committee.
Hon. L. F. Cain
Was born on a farm in Enoch township, Noble County, Ohio, July 2Ist, 1856. He remained at home working on the farm and attending country school until sixteen years of age, when he began teaching. Through his own efforts he acquired an edu- cation at the State University of Indiana, and later graduated in medicine at Louisville, Ky. In 1877 he married Miss Quintilla J. Wiley, of Sharon township, Noble County, Ohio. To them were born four boys and one girl. Two of the boys, Wiley and Wilbur, are dead. The oldest, Durward C., volunteered in the United States service June 19, 1898, in the 7th Ohio, and re- mained in that command until the close of the Spanish-American war. He re-enlisted in the 9th Infantry and was sent to the Philippine Islands. Just previous to the trouble in China he was transferred to the 17th Regiment and remained there until his regiment was ordered home. Desiring not to leave the ser-
HON. L. F. CAIN.
HON. THOMAS D. BINCKLEY.
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REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF OHIO.
vice, he was transferred to the 27th Infantry, where he served until the close of his term in July, 1902, with an experience of four years on all sides of the globe. Another son, Claude W., is at present in the Columbus Dental College and will soon grad- uate. Josephine Burgess, the only daughter, is 13 years of age. She is accomplished in music and well advanced in her studies in school. Dr. Cain and his wife celebrated their silver wedding August 12, 1902, and they were congratulated by a host of their friends and well-wishers. Mrs. Cain is noted for her fidelity to her church work and the interest she takes in young people.
Dr. Cain has been in politics more or less all his life and in the fall of 1901 was elected to represent Morgan and Noble counties in the 75th General Assembly. He at once became a prominent figure on the floor of the House and was among the Republican leaders of that body. He was Chairman of the Committee on Medical Colleges and Societies, and a member of the Committee of Taxation, besides taking a prominent part in all legislation. He made one of the speeches seconding the nom- ination of Senator Foraker for a second term in the United States Senate. He is deeply interested in all public matters and in both his public and private career has accomplished much in the interest of the people.
Hon. Tom D. Binckley.
The member from Perry, although serving his first term in an Ohio General Assembly, has already taken his place among the solid men of that body, and his record is such as to commend him to the people. Tom D. Binckley was born on a farm near Somerset, Perry county, Ohio, in 1869. He comes from a family distinguished for their martial record. His great-great-grand- father, Christian Binckley, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War; his great-grandfather, Adam Binckley, fought England in the War of 1812; his father, James K. Binckley, enlisted when quite young in Company K, 126th O. V. I., in September, 1862, and served three years in that organization, dying in 1870, when but a little more than 24 years of age. The Binckleys came originally from Maryland. His mother was a Whitter,
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whose father, Thomas, also came from Maryland, being the only one of his family to emigrate to this section of the country.
Hon. Tom D. Binckley was raised on a farm and secured his education in the rural district, a select summer school at New Lexington and Ohio Normal University at Ada. He afterward studied law and was admitted to the bar, for years having a large practice in Perry and surrounding counties. On the 15th of March, 1898, he was commissioned Captain of Company A, 17th O. N. G .; mustered into the United States Volunteer service with 7th O. V. I., on the 13th of May, 1898, and com- missioned Captain on same date; served as Captain in said or- ganization until September 1, 1898, when he was taken to the hospital at Fort Meyer with typhoid fever ; was given sick leave on 19th of October and mustered out of the Volunteer service with his regiment on the 6th of November, 1898. He was de- tailed by General Graham on recruiting service. June 8, 1898, and enlisted over one hundred men for the Second Battalion of the 7th O. V. I. in about two weeks.
Mr. Binckley has at all times been an uncompromising Re- publican and in 1897 was elected City Solicitor of New Lexing- ton; has been twice chosen to the same position since. In the fall of 1901, he was elected Representative from Perry county to the Seventy-fifth General Assembly, carrying a close county by a good round majority. In that body he was Chairman of the Committee on Enrollment, as well as a member of other im- portant committees. As a member of the House he was known as a careful, painstaking legislator, always on the lookout for the interests of the people, whom he served loyally and faithfully at all times.
Hon. W. E. Guerin, Jr.
Erie county was worthily represented in the House of the 75th General Assembly by one of the youngest members of that body. But youth was no bar to his ability or usefulness, and William E. Guerin, Jr., made a record of which his constituents and himself ought to be proud. Although serving his first term in any legislative body, he took to the work naturally and was
HON. W. E. GUERIN, JR.
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REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF OHIO.
constant in his attention to public duty. On the floor and in the committee rooms his influence was felt and always on the side of the people.
William Eugene Guerin, Jr., son of Hon. W. E. Guerin, for many years President of the Columbus, Sandusky and Hocking Railway Company, was born at Fort Scott, Kans., November 24, 1870, and received his education in the public schools of Colum- bus, Ohio State University and Cornell University. Soon after- his graduation he began the study of law, was admitted to the bar and is now a member of the firm of King & Guerin, one of the best known in Sandusky, where the subject of this sketch has resided for over six years.
Mr. Guerin served one full term of enlistment and part of another in Company A of the old Fourteenth Ohio National Guard, where he acquitted himself well. He has always been a Republican, having inherited his party predeliction from a father whom, until a few years ago, was one of the leading Re- publicans of central Ohio, but he has never held any office except that of Representative from Erie county. He is married, his. wife, nee Alice Town Greenleaf, and they have one daughter, 5 years of age, Mary Bancroft Guerin. He belongs to the Chi Psi Greek letter fraternity, is a member of all Masonic bodies to. and including the thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Masons, and a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.
Representative Guerin was among the best orators in the House and when Senator Foraker was chosen for a second term in the United States Senate, he delivered one of the nominating speeches in behalf of the Republican majority of the House. He was Chairman of the House Committee on Revision, and under his management that committee became one of the most important in the House. He was also a member of the Com- mittees on Enrollment, Fish Culture and Game and Judiciary and a member of the House Code Committee of 23, during the special session of 1902; was also a member of the Joint Con- ference Committee of the Code. His service was of value to the State and his colleagues considered him one of the coming young men in Ohio politics. He certainly has a bright future before him.
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REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF OHIO.
Hon. Oran F. Hypes.
The younger element was dominant in the business of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly, and among the leaders of that branch of the membership none excelled in acumen and a broad appreciation of his public duties Hon. Oran F. Hypes, of Clark County. He was born in Xenia, Greene County, Ohio, De- cember 18, 1862. His father, Samuel Henry Hypes, was also born in Xenia in 1826, where the family had removed from Vir- ginia. The paternal ancestors hailed from Bingen on the Rhine, emigrated to a farm near the Natural Bridge, Va., prior to the American Revolution, in which they took an active and honor- able part. His mother, Hannah (Van Brocklin) Hypes was of Holland descent, being a daughter of Garrett Van Brocklin, of Oneida, N. Y., and Regina (Cooper) Van Brocklin, the latter being a cousin of Peter and J. Fenimore Cooper.
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