USA > Ohio > The biographical cyclopaedia and portrait gallery with an historical sketch of the state of Ohio. Volume I > Part 67
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PEASLEE, JOHN B., PH. D., superintendent of public schools, of Cincinnati, is the eldest son of the late Reuben Peaslee, Esq., of Plaistow, New Hampshire, who was described by the Hon. John S. Wells, United States Senator from New Hampshire, as the ablest man in that State; that he "knew of no man who could stand against him, and that he himself deferred to his judgment." His ancestors, who landed at the port of Newbury in 1640, were among the first inhabitants of Northeastern Massachusetts, and pioneers in the settlement of Southern and Central New Hampshire. Belonging to the Society of Friends, or Quakers, as they are generally called, they suffered in common with their sect the indignities and proscriptions born of the religious intolerance of old colonial times. Reuben Peaslee finished the prepara- tory course of the old Haverhill Academy, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1831, and was graduated at Dartmouth College in the class of 1835, being while there recognized as the ablest young man in it. After leaving college he entered into mercantile business in New York City, but subsequently removed to New Jersey, where he studied law, and com- menced to practice in that State. During the presidential
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campaign of 1840 he advocated throughout the State the claims of the Democratic candidate. His abilities, oratorical powers, and social qualities rendered him one of its most effective and popular speakers, and brought him prominently before the people as a candidate for the United States Senate. He was a member of the Legislature of New Hampshire for many years, and in an animated debate that arose in the House, on the Texas question, in which he brought forward a series of resolutions favoring annexation, it was conceded that Mr. Peaslee delivered the ablest speech (in answer to the Hon. John P. Hale) ever made in the New Hampshire State House. As a prominent member of the convention which convened in 1850 to revise the constitution of New Hamp- shire, he wrote many of the articles of the present State con- stitution. Having drunk deeply of the fountain of knowl- edge himself, he took a deep interest in the education of the young. In 1841 he married Miss Harriet A. Willetts, of New York City, a member of a family distinguished for ability and business habits. He died December 29th, 1875. His son, John B. Peaslee, the subject of this sketch, was born September 3d, 1842, and received all the benefits of the district school and the academy at Atkinson, New Hamp- shire, from which he passed to the Gilmonton Academy, an institution of considerable celebrity at that time, and was graduated therefrom in 1858, when he was sixteen years of age. The following year he was admitted to Dart- mouth College, whence he was graduated with honors in 1863. His oration at the commencement exercises, on the "Polish Revolution," received high encomiums from the Eastern press, for its ability and learning. Having com- pleted his collegiate education, he came to the West, and on the recommendation of Dr. Lord, president of Dartmouth College, he was appointed principal of the grammar school, of Columbus, Ohio. He performed his duties with such faith- fulness and success that his resignation was deeply and universally regretted. In the fall of 1864 Mr. Peaslee re- moved to Cincinnati, to assume the position of first assistant in the third district school of that city. During the three years in which he held this situation, he passed his pupils to the intermediate schools at the head of all in Cincinnati, which redounded greatly to his credit, as during a portion of the time he was attending lectures at the Cincinnati Law School, and studying for that profession. In 1865, he com- pleted his course at the law school, and was admitted to the bar of Hamilton County, but did not practice. In 1867 he was appointed principal of the fifth district school, a position which he filled with such great success that it led to his election to the first place in the second intermediate school, in 1869, where he remained until he was elected superinten- ent of the public schools of Cincinnati, in 1874, a position for which he is eminently qualified, and which he holds to the entire satisfaction of the citizens of Cincinnati. Its schools have never been so flourishing as under his superintendence, and there has been a higher tone given to the education in them since he was appointed to office. Mr. Peaslee was a member of the State Board of Examiners for nearly four years, when he resigned, at which time he was president of that body. Since he was appointed superintendent of the schools he has originated many reforms, some of which have spread over the entire country, from Maine to Oregon. His method of teaching addition and subtraction has attracted much attention among educators, and has been adopted in many other places. Believing that system, order, and neat-
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ness are the foundation of business habits, he introduced systematic forms for all work done by pupils, on slate or paper, thus securing a neatness and beauty of execution which a distinguished educator declared to be "the most astonishing results he had ever seen in school work." Mr. Peaslee was the first in the country to introduce into the schools a systematic and graded course of gem-selections from English literature. Of memorizing choice extracts, he says : "Storing the minds of our pupils with grand and en- nobling thoughts, clothed in beautiful language --- thoughts that inculcate, among other things, virtue, patriotism, love of God, of father, of mother, kindness to dumb animals, and that give correct rules of action, is in itself an important means of moral as well as literary training." In connection with this work he inaugurated the celebration of birthdays of authors, statesmen, and scientists, which has since become an important feature of the public school's of our whole country. Speaking of the new departure, Dr. W. T. Harris, former superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools, said that "it was the best thing that had been done for the public schools for fifty years;" and Dr. Bicknell, editor of National Journal of Education, that "he had done more to acquaint the youth of our country with good literature and its authors than any other man in America." Mr. Whittier, in a letter to Mr. Peaslee, stated :
"It was a happy thought of thine-the celebration of the birthdays of those eminent in literature, art, and patriotic service-which seems to be everywhere well received and acted upon. Apart from any personal interest in the matter, it is fitting and proper to keep the youth of our country familiar with its authors, who are conscientiously endeavoring to build up American literature, or at least to lay the founda- tion-stones of the fabric. Congratulating thee upon it, I am, "Very truly, thy friend, JOHN G. WHITTIER."
Mr. Peaslee has also been the recipient of letters from Longfellow, Holmes, Dr. J. G. Holland, and many other American authors, bearing testimony of their appreciation of his work in this direction. About three years ago Mr. Peas- lee prepared a book entitled "Graded Selections for Memor. izing." This work, adapted for use at home or in school, reflects great credit upon the literary taste of the compiler, who has received most flattering notices of it from the public press and from distinguished authors, among whom may be mentioned Thomas Hughes, author of "Tom Brown at Rugby," and Oliver Wendell Holmes. William A. Mowry, Ph. D., president of the American Institute of Instruction, says : "I have just finished reading through, from beginning to end, your book of selections. It is charming, delightful ; I do not see how you succeeded so well in selecting such an admirable list of pieces. But the chief feature is that they are so wonderfully well graded. Any body can make good selections for grown people, but it is a difficult task to make a good list for young children. Your success is perfect." In the same connection, at Mr. Peaslee's suggestion, and under his direction, the public schools planted a beautiful grove of about six acres in Eden Park, in honor of and to the memory of our great writers, statesmen, and scientists, on Arbor Day, April 27th, 1882, and named it "Authors' Grove." The Centennial exhibit of the work of pupils in the Cincinnati schools received the encomiums of all who examined it. Attention is called to the statement made before the Na- tional Educational Association, at Washington, in February, 1879, by Hon. John D. Philbrick, United States Commis- sioner of Education to the Paris Exposition, and former
superintendent of the public schools of Boston. In speak- ing of the different school exhibits at Paris, he said: "No other exhibit of scholars' work equals that of Cincinnati, nor was ever made in the known world." It will be re- membered that Mr. Philbrick was also United States Com- missioner of Education at Vienna, in 1872, and that he was connected with the educational exhibit at the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia. A gold medal diploma and a silver medal diploma were awarded the Cincinnati public schools, by the international jury, at the Universal Exposition, held at Paris, in 1878. Mr. Peaslee received from the Royal Industrial Museum, at Turin, a diploma of membership, as a token of their appreciation of the work of the Cincinnati schools exhibited at Paris. In 1879 the Ohio University con- ferred upon Mr. Peaslee the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. He has been for several years one of the trustees of the University of Cincinnati, and was appointed by Governor Bishop, in March, 1878, trustee of Miami University. He is a life member of the National Educational Association, and president of one of its departments. He is also a mem- ber of the National Council of Education. He has a wide reputation as a lecturer, especially on literature and authors. He is an eloquent and magnetic speaker, and never fails to captivate his audiences by his learned and interesting lec- tures. Mr. Peaslee was one of the projectors of the American Forestry Congress, also of the Citizens' Memorial Association, of Cincinnati, established in order to perpetuate the memory of citizens of the city who have been prominent in advancing its interests. He is a director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and takes great interest in promoting its humane efforts. Mr. Peaslee is very popular among his Masonic brethren, and has filled the honorable position of Past Eminent Commander of Hanselmann Commandery, No. 16, Knights Templar. He married April 25th, 1878, Miss Lou Wright, the only daughter of the Hon. Joseph F. Wright, of Cincinnati, and on the occasion was honored by being pre- sented by his brother Knights Templar with the most mag- nificent Masonic jewel ever manufactured in Cincinnati. His characteristics are a noble generosity, a warm enthusiasm, and a truly sympathetic nature, while he reveals an immense amount of energy and a high independence.
MAXWELL, SIDNEY DENISE, superintendent of the Chamber of Commerce, Cincinnati, was born December 23d, 1831, in Centreville, Montgomery County, Ohio. He is the son of Nathaniel Van Maxwell and Eleanor Maxwell, whose maiden name was Denise. He was educated at the public and private schools of his native town, and trained to practi- cal business in his father's store, but having decided to pursue the study of law, he entered the office of the Hon. Lewis B. Gunckel and Colonel Hiram Strong, at Dayton, Ohio, where he spent much of his time in preparing himself for the pro- fession he expected to enter. On the breaking out of the war, he was recommended by Mr. Gunckel to M. D. Potter, Esq., proprietor of the Cincinnati Commercial, who soon thereafter offered him the position of war correspondent of that paper in the army commanded by General Fremont, in Central Vir- ginia. In May, 1862, he joined Fremont's army, at Franklin, Virginia, and corresponded with the Commercial during the whole of Fremont's campaign. In the spring of 1863, he was sent by the same paper to Kentucky, and was assigned to the advance forces of General Burnside, under the com- mand of General S. P. Carter, remaining with that army
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until late in the summer. In the early autumn of the same year he joined the Army of the Cumberland. After the battle of Chickamauga he returned to Ohio, and in January, 1864, was elected to the second assistant clerkship of the Senate of that State. On his visits to his home in Centre- ville, when the Senate was not in session, he was largely in- strumental in the organization of the National Guards in Montgomery County. When President Lincoln's call came, in May, 1864, he was a private in the 12th Ohio, but that regiment being consolidated with the 131st, which was com- manded by Colonel John G. Lowe, he served under him. He served as sergeant-major at Fort Federal Hill, Baltimore, in 1864, and at a later period was detailed for responsible duty under General Wallace, then commanding that depart- ment. In August, 1864, he received the appointment of aide- de-camp (with the rank of colonel) to John Brough, Governor of Ohio, discharging the duties as his military secretary dur- ing the last eventful year of the Rebellion. He continued with the Governor till his death, which occurred on the 29th August, 1865. The Lieutenant-governor, Charles Anderson, filled the unexpired term of Governor Brough, and Colonel Maxwell continued in the same relations with him that he had held with the deceased Governor. The war having been brought to a close, he resumed his law studies, and con- templated engaging in the practice at Dayton, but being offered, in March, 1868, the assistant city editorship of the Cincinnati Gazette, he accepted the position. In February, 1870, he became the Cincinnati agent for the Western Asso- ciated Press, and discharged the duties of this position as well as those that devolved on him in his connection with the Gazette. He was subsequently elected to the responsible position as agent of the Western Associated Press, at New York City, which he twice declined, as he had decided on identifying his fortunes in the future with Cincinnati. On the 28th October, 1871, he was elected superintendent of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr. William Smith. Colonel Maxwell assumed the duties of his new appointment on the Ist No- vember, and retired from the Gazette, but continued to act as agent for the Associated Press until January, 1874, when he resigned his position, and thereafter devoted his entire energies to the performance of his duties as superintendent of the Chamber of Commerce. Under his administration the annual reports of the chamber, embracing the reports of the trade and commerce of the city, have been largely increased in their scope and volume, and with his reports on pork pack- ing in the West, have received distinguished recognition both at home and abroad. The former now consist of eleven vol- umes of carefully compiled and edited matter ; and compris- ing, as they do, the most important period of Cincinnati's development, have contributed largely to the prosperity and reputation of the city, and constitute an invaluable com- mercial and industrial history of the time. He was an earnest advocate of the radical change in the constitution of the Chamber of Commerce by which the firm and corporation mem- bership was converted into an individual one, the member- ship largely increased, and the association placed in a posi- tion to enter successfully upon the work of a new building. Since 1875 he has been the expert of the United States Treasury Department on the transportation, commercial, and manufacturing interests of Cincinnati and the district trib- utary to it, and has thus done much to aid the government in laying the foundations of the history of the internal com-
merce of the country, to which in late years its attention has been directed. In politics he was first a Whig, and after that party ceased to exist was identified with the Republican party. He joined the Presbyterian Church while he was studying law at Dayton, and has retained his member- ship in that denomination since that time. At the special request of the general committee of the Exposition of Textile Fabrics held in Cincinnati, in 1869, he edited the report of that important event to the industrial interests of the city, and in response to a similar request, wrote the history of the first Cincinnati Industrial Exposition, which appears in the official report of that enterprise in 1870. In 1870 he revised a series of articles on the suburbs of Cincinnati, which he had written for the Gazette in 1868. These were published in a hand- some volume, and furnish a large amount of interesting his- tory touching these localities, which are gradually being em- braced within the limits of the city. His lecture on the manufactures of Cincinnati, and their relation to the future progress of the city, delivered March IIth, 1878, under the auspices of the Women's Art Museum Association of Cincin- nati, the efforts of which have since ripened into the Cin- cinnati Art Museum, attracted very general attention, em- bodying, as it did, a vast array of details relating to the varied industries of the city, and indicating, for the future, results which, without the facts to sustain them, would have been regarded almost fabulous. Colonel Maxwell was mar- ried June 30th, 1875, to Isabella Neff, daughter of Colonel Peter Rudolph Neff, and granddaughter of Peter Neff, one of the prominent pioneers of Cincinnati, by whom he has one daughter and two sons, named respectively, Caroline Neff, Nathaniel Hamilton, and Rudolph Neff.
HODGE, ORLANDO J., was born November 25th, 1828, in Hamburg, Erie County, New York. He is the son of Alfred Hodge, an early settler of Buffalo, and a descendant of John Hodge, of Windsor, Connecticut, who on the 1st of August, 1666, married Susanna Denslow, daughter of Henry Denslow, the first settler of Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The family is possessed of a complete genealogy running from 1646 to the present time. July 11th, 1832, Alfred Hodge, the father of the subject of this sketch, died of cholera, at Buffalo. In June, 1842, Mr. Hodge left Buffalo on the steamer Great Western, and landed in Cleveland on Sunday, the twelfth day of that month. He went to work in a printing office, and continued at that occupation for a number of years. In April, 1847, then eighteen years of age, he enlisted for the Mexican war, embarking for the scene of conflict, at New York, the 8th of the following month. He was destined to pass through much hardship and peril before reaching the seat of war. On the first evening out, before the transport (brig Mobile) had fairly got to sea, she collided with a Spanish man-of-war, and had to put back to New York in a leaky and badly damaged condition. On the 15th of the same month he sailed again for Mexico. All went well until the morning of the 23d of April, when the vessel was wrecked sixty miles from the island of Abaco, the nearest point to land. Fortunately the volunteers and crew, of whom there were about one hundred and twenty, were saved by the bark Alabama, bound from Liverpool to Havana, and safely landed at the latter port on the first day of June. After spending a few days in Havana, the troops crossed the Gulf, and entered Mexico. Mr. Hodge remained in the enemy's country until the close of the war, doing service under Generals Zachary
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Taylor and John E. Wool. Hostilities having ceased, Mr. Hodge returned to New York, and on the 16th of August, 1849, was honorably discharged from the service. Shortly after, he entered Geauga Seminary, in Geauga County, Ohio, where he was a student with Garfield, and Miss Rudolph, who afterward became the general's wife. Upon leaving that institution, in 1851, he taught school for some time, and then again took up his residence in Cleveland. In the spring of 1853 there was a general election for municipal officers in that city. Mr. Hodge was a candidate for clerk of one of the courts, to which position he was elected by a large majority, receiving more votes than were cast for any other candidate for any office. At the expiration of a three years' term, Mr. Hodge declined a renomination. In 1857 hie removed to Chicago, where he opened a printing-office. 'He remained in that city until April, 1860, when, having disposed of his printing establishment, he went to Connecticut, and there engaged in mercantile business. A short time after his arrival he was made postmaster of the village in which he resided (Robertsville), filling the office for six years. He took an active interest in public affairs, and by his intelli- gence and upright conduct won the confidence of all who knew him. In 1862 Mr. Hodge was elected to the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of Connecticut. In 1864 he was elected to the State Senate. He served his con- stituents with such a degree of satisfaction that he was re- turned to the Senate for a second term, by an increased majority, though the district had not for thirty-five years previous elected a man two successive terms. He was made presiding officer of the Senate by the unanimous vote of his colleagues, and discharged the duties of the position in a manner which was highly commended. By this time he had become prominent in State politics, and was generally re- spected and trusted. During the war Governor Buckingham appointed him on a commission to visit the front in the interest of Connecticut's sick and wounded soldiers. Mr. Hodge was also personally authorized by the Governor to re- ceive the vote of the Connecticut soldiers in the field cast for President in 1864. In 1867 he disposed of his interests in Connecticut, and returned to Cleveland. In 1871 he was elected to the City Council, being successively re-elected in 1873 and 1875. In 1874 he was the choice of the Republi- cans for President of the Council, but was defeated by one vote, owing to a defection caused by his having voted to close the saloons of Cleveland on Sunday. In 1876 Mr. Hodge was again the nominee of his party for President of the Council, and was elected. At the end of his term he re- fused to be again a candidate for the Council. In 1873 Mr. Hodge was elected to the Ohio Legislature, and in 1875 re- nominated by acclamation and elected by one of the largest majorities ever given in the county. He became a candidate for Speaker of the House, and but for a candidate from the same county for another office would have been elected. He failed by a few votes, but was immediately unanimously chosen Speaker pro tempore. In 1874 he was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of the State. In 1878 Mr. Hodge purchased the Cleveland Post, and a few weeks later a one-half interest in the Cleveland Voice. The two papers were consolidated, and Mr. Hodge is now editor and pro- prietor of the paper. In 1881 Mr. Hodge was again unan- imously nominated for the Legislature, and elected by a large majority. He became a candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives, and after a most persistent fight
was nominated by the Republican caucus over General Jones, of Delaware, and elected on the assembling of the Legislature. His term of office expires January 1, 1884. He is recognized as one of the best parliamentarians in Ohio. Mr. Hodge was married October 15th, 1855, to Miss Lydia R. Doan, who died September 13th, 1879. A son, Clark R. Hodge, born July 16th, 1857, died suddenly November 29th, 1880. By the loss of his wife and his only child, who was a young man of much promise, Mr. Hodge received a heavy blow, and one which severely told upon him. April 25th, 1882, Mr. Hodge married Mrs. Virginia S. Clark. As a business man Mr. Hodge has been eminently successful.
MACKENZIE, JAMES, lawyer and judge, Lima, was born in Scotland, July 14th, 1814. His father, William Lyon Mackenzie, a distinguished patriot, and member of the Canadian Parliament, was the grandson of a Highland cap- tain, Donald Mackenzie, who espoused the cause of the young Pretender, and who fought so well for that unlucky prince. On his arrival in America, the father of James Mackenzie found so many of his former countrymen in Can- ada that he was induced to make his abode among them. There, in that Dominion, his son passed his early youth, ap- propriated the learning which the schools of the neighborhood afforded, compared modes of government, and gradually de- veloped into a radical reformer. For, in 1837, when the Canadian revolt against England broke out, James Macken- zie, with the enthusiasm which early manhood gives, and which the love of liberty inspires, declared for the insurgents. He fearlessly advocated the rebellion, and, among other re- sponsible duties, took part as an officer in the frontier move- ments, extending from Navy Island west to Detroit. This undertaking squelched, Mackenzie abjured all British alle- giance, became a citizen of the United States, and adopted Ohio as his future home. Under the preceptorship of Gov- ernor Reuben Wood, and more especially of Messrs. Bishop and Backus, of Cleveland, he entered upon the study of law. In due time he was admitted to the bar, and in 1843, as a lawyer, recommenced the battle of life. Assiduous, earnest, and effective before a jury, and withal just, he rapidly grew into a good practice, and secured the respect and esteem of his professional brethren. For a while Mr. Mackenzie was the editor and publisher of the Kalida Venture, and also of the Allen County Democrat. He served as township clerk in Henry County, was a member of the School Board in Putnam, and he has been a School Examiner of Lima City. As Prosecuting Attorney he has served three separate counties-first, Henry; next, Putnam; and then, Allen. In 1854 he was elected to the Legislature of Ohio, and repre- sented his constituency with marked ability. In 1865 he was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, to fill the un- expired term of Judge Metcalf, deceased; was re-elected for a full term in 1869; and again re-elected in 1875. During the fourteen years Judge Mackenzie has occupied the bench he has always presided with dignity, and his decisions have at all times shown a love of justice, and legal acumen. The Judge has been a hater of slavery, a warm friend of the Union, and he has been prominent in the councils of the Democratic party. In May, 1856, he married Lucina P. Leonard, and has had seven children-two sons and five daughters. One of the sons, Eugene Mackenzie, is Clerk of the Courts of Allen County ; and the other, William L. Mackenzie, is a practicing attorney, of the Lima bar. Frank
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