USA > Ohio > The biographical cyclopaedia and portrait gallery with an historical sketch of the state of Ohio. Volume II > Part 7
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THACKER, JOHN ADAMS, M. D., Professor of The- ory and Practice of Medicine in the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, and editor of the Cincinnati Medical News, was born in Goshen, Clermont County, Ohio, January Ist, 1833. His father, John Thacker, a physician, came to Ohio from the State of New York with his father's family at an early period. On the paternal side the family record in this country dates back to 1750, at about which time a mem- ber of it emigrated from England. In the mother country they seem to have been noted dissenters. In 1583 Elias Thacker, a Presbyterian minister, along with one Copping, of the same denomination, was tried at the assizes held at Bury, in June, Sir Christopher Wray, Lord Chief-justice of England, presiding, on the statute 23 Elizabeth, cap. II, entitled " An act against seditious words and rumors," and condemned to death for " denying the ecclesiastical suprem- acy of the queen." Thacker was executed on the 4th of June, and Copping on the 5th or 6th. On the maternal side the family history extends to a period preceding, for many years, the revolt of the colonies, to a Mr. Gardner, who came from England and purchased the island known as "Gardner's Island," situated a very few miles east of Long Island. His maternal grandmother, whose maiden name was Lucretia Wil- lis, the daughter of a well-known 'commander of an ocean merchantman of his day, was a cousin of the wife of the dis- tinguished revolutionary general, Nathaniel Greene. She, with her husband and family, emigrated in the early part of the century from Sag Harbor, on the eastern extremity of Long Island, to Cincinnati. There were then no railroads, and they crossed the mountains in wagons, and on arriving at Pittsburg, taking keel-boats, they descended the Ohio River to point of destination. The family of the father of the late Charles L'Hommedieu, formerly president of the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad, accompanied them from the East. In his earlier days he attended the schools of his native village, and having advanced in his education as far as their opportunities afforded, at sixteen years of age he began teaching himself, and taught several quarters, having sole charge of a district school. But, not satisfied with his attainments, and greatly desirous to have a classical educa- tion, so soon as he could obtain sufficient means, he entered Wittenberg College. We will mention here that his father died when he was but five years of age, from disease con- tracted through excessive labor and exposure in the practice of his profession. His mother, being left with limited means, succeeded, only by her superior intelligence and wise man- agement, in living comfortably and affording him and his sister (a little more than a year older than himself) the opportunities of education to be had in the common schools and academy of their native place. To enjoy the advan- tages of higher institutions, his sister and himself were under the necessity of earning the means by teaching. His fond- ness for the ancient languages caused him to devote much time to their study, which he has always kept up. Latin, especially, he reads with great ease, and has in his library all the works extant of the Latin classics, the most of which he imported himself from Germany, together with many of the works of the Latin fathers of the early Christian Church, and those of many of the writers of the middle ages and later, such as Calvin and others, who wrote in Latin. On the completion of his literary education he began the study of medicine under the preceptorship of a second cousin, Dr. Townsend Thacker, of Goshen, and March Ist, 1856, he
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graduated at the Miami Medical College. On the day suc- ceeding his graduation a competitive examination was held of such graduates as desired to compete for the position of interne, for one year, in St. John's Hotel for Invalids, there being two to be elected. The examination was very thorough, lasting nearly all day-one of the members of the faculty examining being the eminent, venerable professor, R. D. Mussey. He was one of the successful candidates. His stay in the hospital was, however, brief; for, receiving the appoint- ment of physician to Hamilton County Lunatic Asylum (now called Longview, having removed into new buildings), he went to that institution. After continuing there for nearly a year, he resigned his position and entered upon the practice of medicine in Cincinnati, where he still continues to pursue his profession. In the meantime his mother and sister had removed to Cincinnati, and kept house for him. His mother died in 1870, and his sister in 1878. While engaged in the asylum, though nominally the assistant physician, the super- intendence of the entire establishment devolved upon him, the nominal superintendent not residing on the premises, and visiting the institution but a few times a week, and then for only a half hour or hour. During the first years of his practice he was secretary of the Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati, and prepared its proceedings, embodying lengthy discussions, for publication in the medical journals. He is a ready writer, and has contributed extensively to both literary and medical journals. During the existence of the Quarterly Journal of Psychological Medicine, of New York, edited by Professor W. A. Hammond, there appeared in it from his pen a number of interesting and valuable articles on psychological subjects. Several of the contributions attracted much attention, and received highly eulogistic notices from the press-one of them being copied into an English quar- terly. He has also contributed to the pages of the London Lancet, and the Monthly Microscopical Journal, of London, has frequently copied lengthy articles on microscopical subjects, written by him, and first published in his own journal, the Medi- cal News. During the years 1861 and 1862 he edited the Cin- cinnati Medical and Surgical News, owned by Professor A. H. Baker. In 1868 he became editor of the Medical Reper- tory, which journal he continues to edit, its name having been changed to Medical News. He is also its sole pro- prietor. His vigorous editorial writings contributed largely to the breaking down of the almost entire monopoly of the Cincinnati Hospital by a single medical college, and brought about the enactment of a rule by the trustees disqualifying col- lege professors from holding a position upon the hospital staff, which rule was in force for a long period. This was the first time in the history of the hospital that all the regular medical colleges enjoyed its clinical advantages on an equal footing. During the years 1863-64 he held the chair of Anatomy in the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery. Although he taught anatomy acceptably, he resigned his professorship, in consequence of the chair not being in accordance with his tastes. In 1867 he was appointed to the chair of Psy- chology and Diseases of the Mind, in the same institution, a branch of medicine to which he has given much time and cultivation. In 1871, upon a reorganization of the faculty, he was transferred to the chair of Theory and Practice of Medicine, which chair he has held ever since, with the ex- ception of an interim of three years. He has devoted very considerable attention to microscopy. In fact, we know of no one who has done so much to create an interest in it
among the physicians of the West as he. Until he opened a microscopical department in his journal, and began to urge the importance of the microscope in medicine, but very few physicians had a microscope and knew any thing about its use. Not a few had never seen through one, and the knowl- edge of very many consisted only in knowing that there was such an instrument. Not a single medical college in Cincin- nati had ever employed it in instruction, and the ignorance of the profession in regard to it, compared with the present familiarity, was most astonishing. But by persistent efforts in bringing the instrument before medical men in his journal, he gradually awakened an interest in it, and at this time it is becoming quite common for a physician to have a microscope, and to be familiar with its use. He is beyond doubt the pioneer microscopist of the West. He has probably the largest number of fine lenses, made by eminent makers throughout the world, of any private individual in the United States. He possesses also a very large and rich cabinet of microscopic objects. In December, 1880, he received notice from the secretary that he had been elected a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society, of London, England, in recogni- tion of his abilities as a microscopist. He has been made an honorary member of a number of medical societies. Lafayette College, of Easton, Pennsylvania, conferred upon him the honorary degree of A. M. He is a member of the American Academy of Medicine, a medical society that meets once a year, and of which only those are eligible for membership whose literary acquirements have entitled them to receive the collegiate degree of A. B. or A. M. August 26th, 1879, he married Miss Rebecca C. Reno, of Cincinnati, formerly of Pennsylvania. As a matter of some historical interest, we will mention that the grandfather of the Doctor's wife, the Rev. Francis Reno, was a clergyman of the Protestant Epis- copal Church. He was ordained a priest by the Rev. Bishop White, of Philadelphia, and was for a long time the only clerical gentleman of his denomination in Western Pennsyl- vania. He came from Virginia, and settled near Pittsburg, when it was necessary to carry arms for defense against the savages. He was about eighty years of age at his decease, having always been held in the most affectionate esteem by every one. His ancestors were French Huguenots, who escaped from their country in consequence of religious persecutions. Dr. Thacker is a member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Cincinnati. His standing in the community is that of a Christian and professional gentle- man. His bearing is dignified, and his treatment of others every way courteous. He has a scholarly mind, as evidenced by his classical library, supplementing his medical works, which fill his shelves and load his tables. No gentleman of his age has pursued his profession with more research or more pleasure, and few with greater success, than Dr. John Adams Thacker.
ROBISON, JOHN PETER, M. D., of Cleveland and Mentor, Ohio, merchant and banker, was born January 23d, 1811, in Lyons, Ontario County, New York. On his father's side he comes from an old Scottish family, his paternal ances- tors having emigrated to this country among the early settlers. His grandfather, John Decker Robison, served as a soldier throughout the Revolutionary war, and was present in the campaign against Fort Du Quesne, now Pittsburg. On his maternal side he is of English descent. Until reaching his sixteenth year his life was spent on his father's farm, his
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birthplace. It being determined to give him a good education, he was then sent to Niffing's High School, at Vienna, New York, where he attained high rank as a student, becoming pro- ficient in Latin and mathematics, and also developing a taste for medicine and the medical profession. Such being the case, he was received as a private pupil of President Wood- ward, of the Vermont College of Medicine, with whom he made great progress, and was graduated from that institution in November, 1831. He immediately emigrated westward, and settled at Bedford, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in February, 1832. There he pursued the practice of his profession, with gratifying success, for over ten years. In 1842 he decided to engage in mercantile business, and in company with Mr. W. B. Hillman, he carried on for some time, in Bedford, an ex- tensive business as storekeeper, miller, provision dealer, and land speculator, engaging in almost any enterprise that prom- ised a liberal return for his outlays. In 1844 he commenced packing provisions in Bedford, on a small scale. His repu- tation and prosperity in that business soon increased with wonderful rapidity. From 1854 to 1857 he carried on an extensive business in the same line in Lafayette, Indiana. In 1858, in partnership with General O. M. Oviatt, he com- menced the packing business, in Cleveland, on an extended scale, and the firm soon gained a conspicuous place as pack- ers. Their celebrated "Buckeye" brand became widely known and was highly lauded in all the great provision marts of America and England. In 1862 the doctor took up his residence in Cleveland. Five years later the partnership between Dr. Robison and General Oviatt was dissolved, and Dr. Robison conducted the business in Cleveland, with Archi- bald Baxter & Co., of New York, as partners. He also ex- tended his operations into Illinois, by employing one of the largest packing-houses in Chicago, which was worked for him by Kent & Co. In the winter of 1872 the Chicago establish- ment was closed, and he went South for the benefit of his health, which had become impaired by too severe application to business. In 1875 his New York partners failed, and through them he became a heavy loser. He then formed a new partnership, with Dr .. W. S. Streator, S. R. Streator, and H. D. Robison, his son, under the firm name of J. P. Robi- son & Co. This firm speedily became one of the leading ones in the West, and continued five years, when it expired by limitation. It now consists of J. P. and H. D. Robison, who occupy their building in Cleveland, known as the National Packing House, which, from its perfection in every detail, was considered the model packing-house of the continent. The building itself cost about forty thousand dollars, and was form- ally opened by a banquet tendered the city officials and busi- ness men. The success and prosperity of this firm still continue and increase, and are an evidence of what honesty and integ- rity, combined with intelligence in commercial matters, can achieve. He is a director in the National Bank of Commerce, Cleveland, one of the largest banks in the State, and the successor of the Second National Bank, whose charter expired in May, 1882 (of which he was also a director); one of the directors of the People's Savings and Loan Association ; and of Lake View Cemetery, of which he was one of the earliest supporters and subscribers to its stock. With the Northern Ohio Fair Association he was identified from its formation, and has been for many years its president. For over twenty years he has been a trustee of Bethany College, in West Virginia, and for a long time filled a similar position in con- nection with Hiram College, in the Western Reserve. He
has always taken an active part in public affairs, and filled honorable positions in political and business life. Ever active and generous in the promotion of public enterprises, and in schemes for the public good, his heart and hand have always been freely enlisted. His services for the Union cause during the war were most valuable, his zeal and patriotism untiring. He was among the most active workers in procuring recruits for the Federal army, and in many ways displayed in sub- stantial and emphatic manner his devotion to his country, unwearied in his labors and unstinted in his sacrifices to the cause. His earliest political faith was that of a Clay Whig. Upon the dismemberment of the Whig party, he joined the ranks of the Democracy. In 1861 he was chosen to the State Senate by a coalition of the War Democrats and the Republicans, by the largest vote given to any Senator from Cuyahoga, and after that event he cast his lot with the Re- publican party, with which he has ever since remained as a stanch and ardent adherent. Since his retirement from the Senate he has steadfastly rejected all proffered political hon- ors as being less in keeping with his desires and tastes than the duties pertaining to his own large and important business interests. His services as a Senator redounded with honor to himself, and were valuable to his constituents and to the State. Dr. Robison's life has been full of activity ; neither have his worldly interests engrossed all of his time, for he has withal been mindful of that better and higher life. A devoted Christian himself, he has labored faithfully in the vineyard of his great Master. During his residence at Bed-
ford he was the intimate friend and fellow-worker of Alex- ander Campbell, the leader of that branch of the Christian Church known as the Disciples. As early as practicable, he founded there a congregation, to which he preached for sixteen years, without fee or pecuniary reward. Such was his energy, zeal, and devotion, that his little congregation of less than twelve souls at the commencement of his ministry, had swelled to a membership of four hundred and fifty when he left it to his successor. As a teacher of the Disciple doctrine he frequently journeyed with Alexander Campbell through the State, and with that eminent leader lifted up his voice before vast assemblages, while his purse yielded freely and often of its wealth to prosper the cause of the Church. As a physician he was rapidly rising to the front rank ; as a lay preacher, earnest, enthusiastic, and effective; as a patriotic politician he possessed unusual talent for extemporaneous address and discussion ; as a representative business man he is enterprising and progressive ; as a Christian, devoted and true ; as a husband, father, and friend, esteemed and beloved. He was the intimate friend, counselor, and foster-father of Garfield in his boyhood days; it was he who aided him and helped him onward, when a boy struggling to rise above the circumstances by which he was surrounded. And left, as he was, at an early age without a father's support, he found in Dr. Robison a second father, and to Dr. Robison and his own noble mother he owed much of his after success in life. This friendship, cemented so early in life, never ceased. As Garfield grew to manhood their homes were near together in that little town of Mentor, since become known the wide world over as the home of one of the greatest and purest of men. Garfield's love for the man who had been so great a friend to him in his youth never grew dim, but rather in- creased with manhood's years. At the time when the whole nation was mourning for the loss of their beloved President the writer heard the doctor deliver a eulogy and brief sketch
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of the life of his protege. His address, full of pathos, warmth, love, and admiration for the illustrious man, and sorrow for the bereaved family, brought tears to many eyes of the im- mense audience, numbering nearly four thousand persons. In November, 1832, Dr. Robison was married to a daughter of Hezekiah Dunham, Esq., the founder of the town of Bed- ford. Of the children born to them three survive. Such is the brief record of a life full of activity and usefulness. Now at an advanced age, still in the enjoyment of good health, he looks forward calmly to that better life beyond, with the joyous hope of immortality.
NEWMAN, JAMES WIRT, Secretary of State, and editor of the Portsmouth Times, is of Virginia descent. His parents, William Newman and Catharine Ott, were natives of the Old Dominion, and emigrated to Ohio in 1838, first making their abode in Portsmouth, where they remained about two years, and then removing to Highland County. William Newman was a practical brickmason, and also a contractor and builder. James Wirt was born March 12th, 1841. In the spring of that year, shortly after his birth, the family returned to Portsmouth, where his father engaged extensively in building operations, putting up a number of the largest and finest public buildings and private residences ever erected in that city, among which were most of the principal church edifices. He had fine business talents, was well informed in general literature, and served two years in the Ohio Senate, being elected in the fall of 1859, and repre- senting the Democracy of the Seventh State Senatorial Dis- trict. He also filled various local positions, among which may be mentioned that of member of the City Council, and of the Portsmouth Board of Education. He was a very useful and much respected citizen. His death occurred in 1874. James W. Newman attended the common schools of the town, and acted as clerk in the recorder's office, under Judge Crain, while still a mere boy. Afterward his father sent him to the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, where he graduated in the summer of 1861. In November of that year, there being no Democratic paper in the county, he revived the Portsmouth Times, the publication of which had been suspended for eighteen months. The paper had been founded in 1856 by Walter C. Hood, formerly State Librarian, now deceased. Under Mr. Newman's manage- ment the paper proved highly successful. It has been con- servative and yet liberal in its views, and has stated the views of its editor and the party with so much tact and skill that it has become one of the leading papers of its party in Southern Ohio, and has a large circulation throughout the whole of that section of country. In March, 1871, the estab- lishment was burned out, but in a few days a new office was in operation, and not even a single number of the paper was missed. In the fall of 1867 Mr. Newman was nominated to represent Scioto County in the lower House of the Ohio Legislature. The candidate on the other side was Colonel John R. Hurd, a very popular man. The canvass was thought to be hopeless, as the county was strongly Repub- lican, but the Democratic candidate was elected, and served two years. In 1869 he was again nominated, but was de- feated by only twenty-two votes. In 1871 he was chosen to represent his party in the State Senate, in the district com- posed of the counties of Adams, Jackson, Pike, and Scioto, running ahead of his ticket in every county except one. In 1873 he was re-elected to the same position. While in the
Legislature he was sedulous in his attention to the public needs, careful of the rights of the citizens, economical with the public purse, and not forgetful of the wishes of his con- stituents. He was the Chairman of the Committee on Be- nevolent Institutions and Finance. In June, 1880, he was a delegate at the Democratic Convention, in Cincinnati, which nominated General Winfield S. Hancock for the Presidency. For many years he has been an industrious worker in the Democratic ranks, and performed a large amount of hard work, in the line of planning, organizing, directing, and the like, and is one of the leaders of his party in Scioto County. He developed abilities of high order in the last two years in the Senate, being Chairman of the Finance Committee, and laboring earnestly for retrenchment and reform. At the Convention of the Democratic party of Ohio, held at Colum- bus, July 20th, 1882, Mr. Newman, after a spirited but friendly contest, was, during the progress of the third ballot, unani- mously nominated for Secretary of State. He received, on the first ballot, votes from seventy-four out of the eighty-eight counties. This was a marked tribute to his abilities and steadfastness to the principles of the party. The canvass which followed was an earnest one, in which Mr. Newman actively participated, and earned the reputation of being a "magnificent campaigner." It resulted in his triumphant election, on the second Tuesday of October, by a majority of 19, 115, the official vote being as follows: For Charles Towns- end, 297,759; for James W. Newman, 316,874. On the 8th of January, 1883, he took the oath of office, and entered upon the discharge of the duties thus devolved upon him. On the 24th of October, 1871, he married Miss Kate Moore, daughter of Colonel Oscar F. Moore, formerly Member of Congress from the Sixth District. Their residence is a hand- some house on East Second Street, Portsmouth, where a kindly hospitality is dispensed to his friends. One child has been given to them, Howard O. Newman. Mr. Newman is a gentleman of fine appearance and excellent social qualities, and is greatly respected wherever he is known, for natural abilities, sound judgment, and sterling qualities, as a man and a citizen.
GOODHART, DANIEL CORNELIUS, merchant, was born near Lovittsville, Va., and is the son of Henry Goodhart, also a native of that place. The family is of German ex- traction ; but no authentic information concerning it is ac- cessible prior to its settlement in America. Mr. Goodhart acquired a rudimentary education in the district schools of Loudon county, and at an early age was apprenticed to the tailoring trade. On the expiration of his term of service he located at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, and there contin- ued in the tailoring business for one year. At this period affairs were very unsettled in that section of the country. The great issue of slavery had begun to exercise its disturb- ing influence upon the people, engendering that bitter parti -. san spirit which culminated in precipitating the war of the Rebellion. This state of affairs afforded a strong incentive to migration ; and thus Mr. Goodhart, in common with many others desirous of a more peaceful habitation, removed to the North. He located at Batesville, Noble county, Ohio, in 1846. He has continuously resided at that place, and has become thoroughly identified with the material interests of Noble county. It may be remarked, in this connection, that from comparatively limited circumstances he has acquired a competency and a deservedly high reputation for enterprise
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