A standard history of Oklahoma; an authentic narrative of its development from the date of the first European exploration down to the present time, including accounts of the Indian tribes, both civilized and wild, of the cattle range, of the land openings and the achievements of the most recent period, Vol. III, Part 92

Author: Thoburn, Joseph B. (Joseph Bradfield), 1866-1941
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 660

USA > Oklahoma > A standard history of Oklahoma; an authentic narrative of its development from the date of the first European exploration down to the present time, including accounts of the Indian tribes, both civilized and wild, of the cattle range, of the land openings and the achievements of the most recent period, Vol. III > Part 92

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Jens Anthon Holmboe was born in Norway in the year 1866, and is a son of Jens Anthon and Karen (Björn) Holmboe, and the family of which he is a scion has been for many generations one of distinction in Norway, as even the following brief genealogical data fully indicate, the line of direct descent to the subject of this review being noted in the order of successive generations: Ole Jensson Holmboe, born in 1637, was a clergyman of the Lutheran Church and also a promi- nent educator in Norway; Jens Olson Holmboe, born in 1671, became a bishop of the Lutheran Church in Nor- way; Hans Holmboe, born in 1721, owned and operated large iron works in Norway; Jens Holmboe, born in 1752, was a lawyer by profession and served as district attorney in the Norwegian Town of Tromsö, on the island of the same name; Leonhard C. B. Holmboe, born in 1802, was a bishop of the Lutheran Church

in his native land; and Jens Anthon Holmboe, Sr., father of him whose name initiates this review, was born in 1828, served as captain in the Norwegian army and both he and his wife passed their entire lives in Norway.

The Holmboe family has been one specially notable for men of high intellectual and professional attain- ments, and the name, from the Danish word holme, meaning island, and the Danish boe, signitying dwell- ers, having been identified with Norwegian history tor fully three centuries. Christopher Andrea Holmboe, who lived in the early part of the nineteenth century, was a member of the Societe Asiatique of Paris, France; of the Royal Oldnorse Society of Copenhagen, Den- mark; of the Society of Sciences in Throndhjem, Nor- way; of the National Institution for the Promotion of Sciences, Washington, D. C .; of La Sociedad Arqueo- logica, of Madrid, Spain; of the Numismatic Society of London, England; of the Gessellshatt fur Geschichte und Alterthumskunde in Riga, Russia; of the German Oriental Society in Halle and Leipsig; of the Archeo- logical-Numismatic Society of St. Petersburg, now Petro- grad, Russia; and of the American Oriental Society in both Boston and New Haven. He received the order of knighthood, was a widely known authority in Orien- tal languages and wrote several books in Sanskrit, be- sides having otherwise been distinguished as a scientist, scholar and traveler of broad and varied experience and profound attainments.

After completing in his native land a course similar to that of the high school in the United States, Mr. Holmboe entered the Polytechnic Institute of Christi- ania, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1887 and from which he received the degree of civil engineer. In the same year, and within a brief period after his graduation, Mr. Holmboe severed the ties that bound him to home and fatherland and immi- grated to the United States, where he felt assured of broader opportunities for successful achievement in his profession. As previously stated, he found requisition for his services in Chicago, later he was employed along professional lines in the City of Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania, and in 1890 he established his residence at Louisville, Kentucky, where he continued to make rapid and substantial advancement in the work of his chosen vocation and where he continued his residence until his removal to Oklahoma, in 1909. In recent years he has made Oklahoma City his residence and business head- quarters, but previously he had lived for some time both in Vinita and Norman, this state. He is at the present time the sole owner of the large and important engi- neering and contracting business conducted under the title of the Holmboe Company, but he has as a valued assistant his only son, who is a graduate of the engi- neering department of the great University of Michigan. It may be noted incidentally that Mr. Holmboe has two brothers-Leonard, who is chief engineer for the Illinois Steel Company, with headquarters in Chicago, and Albert, who is a merchant and banker at Crookston, Minnesota.

While in Chicago Mr. Holmboe designed for the City of Chicago a number of large viaducts constructed in that great metropolis, besides which he assisted in the designing of a number of buildings for the World's Columbian Exposition, held in that city in 1893. One of the largest engineering achievements of Mr. Holm- boe was in the construction of the extensive phosphate plant at Mulberry, Florida, the entire building being of concrete. Since he has been a resident of Oklahoma he has, under the title of the Holmboe Company, done a large amount of important designing, engineering and

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construction work, notably the erection of the adminis- tration, law, and engineering buildings and also the cen- tral power plant at the University of Oklahoma, at Norman; the insane asylum at Vinita; the Coal County courthouse, at Coalgate; and the buildings of the Methodist University, in the City of Dallas, Texas. He has identified himself thoroughly and enthusiastically with the civic and business interests of Oklahoma, takes a loyal interest in all that tends to advance his honie city and state and is known as one of the substan- tial business men of the capital city. Both he and his wife are zealous members of St. Luke's Church, Meth- odist Episcopal, South, and he is serving as a steward of the same, besides being president of its Candler Club. He is a life member of Robinson Lodge, No. 266, An- cient Free & Accepted Masons, in the City of Louis- ville, Kentucky, where he is affiliated also with King Solomon Chapter, No. 5, Royal Arch Masons; in Okla- honia City he is a member of Oklahoma Commandery, No. 3, Knights Templars, and India Temple of the Mystic Shrine; and at Guthrie he is affiliated with the Masonic Consistory of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. He holds membership in the Country Club of Okla- homa City, and enjoys unequivocal popularity in both business and social circles in the capital city, where the family home is at 322 East Eleventh Street.

In Louisville, Kentucky, the year 1891 recorded the marriage of Mr. Holmbce to Miss Brightie Magrane, who is a woman of gracious presence and of marked musical talent. She is an accomplished violiniste, hav- ing studied music at Cincinnati, Ohio, under the cele- brated violinist Jacobson and also under the tutorship of Madame Dowell. Mr. and Mrs. Holmbce have one son, Lawrence Scofield, who was born in 1892 and wlio was graduated in the University of Michigan in 1913, with the degree of civil engineer. The son is now actively associated with his father in business, as pre- viously stated in this context.

BIRD S. MCGUIRE. A record of distinguished public service for Oklahoma, in both the territorial and state regime, has made the name of Bird S. McGuire so fa- miliar that it requires no introduction to the present generation. The pages of Oklahoma history will always reflect an appreciation of these services, and it is largely for the purpose of giving a permanent record for the future that the following account of his life is written. At the present time Mr. McGuire is an able and influen- tial lawyer at Tulsa, where he has practiced actively since retiring from his post in Congress, after represent- ing the First Oklahoma District from statehood until 1915. Mr. McGuire was one of the pioneer lawyers to locate in the Cherokee Strip at the time of its opening, and his career has been a vital part of the territory and state for more than thirty years.

Few men have worked harder and have more thoroughly deserved public esteem than Bird S. McGuire. He was born at Belleville, the county seat of St. Clair County, . Illinois, on October 15, 1866. His parents, Joel and Rachel (Harriman) McGuire, were both born in Wash- ington County, Illinois, where the grandparents had set- tled as pioneers. Joel McGuire and his wife spent their last years in Chautauqua County, Kansas, where the for- mer died in 1891 at the age of seventy-two, and the latter in 1896 aged seventy-one. Of their twelve children, two died in infancy, seven sons and three daughters reached maturity, and five of the sons and three of the daughters are still living. Educated in the pioneer schools of Washington County, Illinois, Joel McGuire became a farmer and stock raiser in St. Clair County, but shortly after the Civil war moved to Randolph County, Missouri. There he perfected his title to a tract of land that was

due to his wife through United States land warrants which had been granted to her father in recognition of his services as a soldier in the War of 1812 and in the Indian wars of the Middle West. In Missouri Joel McGuire joined the state militia, and as Missouri was a center of stiiie during the war and in many parts was the stage for active military operations between the armies of the North and South, he sent his wife and children back to Illinois for greater safety. Joel Mc- Guire finally became a member of a Missouri regiment in the Union army, and was in service until the end of the war. He then took his family back to Randolph County, engaged in farming and stock growing there until 1881, and then removed to Southeastern Kansas, locating on a tract of land near Jonesburg in Chautauqua County. This farm was north of the Osage River and on the line separating Kansas from Indian Territory. That was the stage of his activities as a farmer and stock raiser for several years, but he finally removed his home to Chautauqua, in which village he lived retired until his death. From the organization of the party he had been a stalwart republican, and though a farmer, he had great ability as a public speaker and for many years was much in demand as a campaign orator. He was one of the early citizens of Chautauqua County, and made his influ- ence and activities count for its development and up- building.

The life of Bird S. McGuire has been identified with three states, though his long residence in Oklahoma has made him one of its most loyal citizens and it is with this state that his career will always be most commonly associated. As a boy he attended public school in Ran- dolph County, Missouri, and his independent spirit was early manifested in a desire to make something of him- self beyond the ordinary horizon of a farm boy's exist- ence, and he chose to win his own way to the goal of his ambition. He paid his own expenses while a student in one of the state normal schools of Kansas and in the University of Kansas. At the age of seventeen he was a range rider, herding cattle in what is now the State of Oklahoma. While many of the old-time cowboys later gained wealth and distinction, it is doubtful if any of the friends and associates of this young cow puncher at that time predicted the brilliant future which he has since attained. One interesting fact concerning his work as a . cowboy should be noted. In the course of his work he visited and crossed the site of the present City of Tulsa, which at that time was represented only as a frontier village of two stores and a few houses. Mr. McGuire earned a little money and gained a vigorous constitution through his work as a cattle herder and by other service as a school teacher for six years, accumulated the capital which enabled him to complete his higher education and carry out his plans for the study of law.

In 1889 Mr. McGuire passed his examination and was duly admitted to the Kansas bar. In the spring of the same year he took up active practice at Sedan, county seat of Chautauqua County, and in the following Novem- ber was elected county attorney. From the time of cast- ing his first vote he was a republican, and it was as a nominee of the rerublicans that he gained his first advancement in public life. How popular he was and how well qualified for the position which he sought is amply proved in the fact that he was the only republican elected in the county that year, while the other suc- cessful candidates were either democrats or populists. Mr. McGuire by re-election served four consecutive years as county attorney.

This covers his career up to the time of the opening of the Cherokee Strip in 1893. He soon afterwards lo- cated and began the practice of his profession at Pawnee, the county seat of Pawnee County. Twenty years have

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passed since the young lawyer located there, with many hopes and ambitions, with a commendable record of service, but with his greater future practically all before him. Mr. McGuire laid the basis for his career largely through five years of effective and vigorous service as an assistant United States district attorney. He was ap- pointed to this office by President Mckinley in 1897, and continued his duties until November, 1902.

Oklahoma will always owe Mr. McGuire a debt of gratitude for his services in connection with the state- hood movement, he being the author of the bill which became the enabling act for that state. He first came prominently into touch with that movement in November, 1902, when he was elected as a republican to the office of Oklahoma delegate to Congress. At that time the matter of joint or double statehood was an important issue in the Oklahoma territorial election. Mr. McGuire, as a candidate, advocated making one state out of the two territories, but the republican platform on which he was nominated was not so clear in its reference to this issue, but he overcame a democratic plurality of 10,000 and was elected by 394 votes, while in successive elections he was returned to his post in Congress by over 1,400 votes iu 1904, by 1,500 in 1906. During the five years before statehood Mr. McGuire rendered countless services to the people of old Oklahoma Territory. He was the only offi- cial intermediary and representative of Oklahoma in the national halls of legislation. During that time he repre- sented a greater number of people in Congress than any other member either before or since. During all the dis- cussion which went on in Congress from 1902 until the final passage of the Oklahoma enabling act in June, 1906, he was a constant worker for statehood, and was almost constantly engaged in some phase of the move- ment. He was recognized by the members of Congress as a brilliant lawyer and a inan of almost encyclopedic information on Oklahoma's resources and social and political conditions. Mr. McGuire undoubtedly under- stood as well as any other man the significance and the strength of the various proposals which were made from time to time as alternative measures, some of which pro- vided statehood for both Indian Territory and Oklahoma, and some of which were purely obstructive in their de- sign. A short time before the enabling act was finally passed Mr. McGuire said in a speech in the House of Representatives, with particular reference to the so-called Sequoyah movement, with regard to the efforts of the various factions : "Other times they call a convention and inaugurate the Sequoyah movement, or some other movement, the real purpose of which is not to assist the Indian Territory to statehood, but to throw every pos- sible impediment and obstruction in the way of statehood of any kind or character." Mr. McGuire exerted his in- fluence both at home and in Congress to keep the single statehood movement a live and vital issue until the de- sired end was attained. The leading members of the · committee on territories, of which Edward L. Hamilton was chairman, again and again referred matters of detail and general policy to him for his advice, and in this way his influence perhaps more completely than that of any other individual was impressed upon the formal act known as the Oklahoma Enabling Bill.

After statehood came to Oklahoma, Mr. McGuire was one of its first congressmen to represent the state, where before he had been only a delegate without a vote. He was elected from the first congressional district and each succeeding two years was returned to Congress, until the expiration of his last term on March 4, 1915. He de- clined a re-nomination by his party for another term, in order that he might devote himself wholly to the practice of law. Thus Mr. McGuire has represented Oklahoma in Congress continuously for twelve years, first as territorial

delegate and later as congressman. When he retired it was with a record of admirable achievement for the benefit of the vigorous youug commonwealth in which his name will always enjoy honor and esteem. While in Congress he served on the committee on Indian affairs, was chairman of the committee on expenditure in the Indian department, and chairman of the committee on expenditure by the department of commerce and labor.

Mr. McGuire still gives stanch allegiance to the repub- lican party, with which all his political activities have been identified. He `is a past noble grand of Sedan Lodge, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Sedan, Kansas; is affiliated with Pawnee Lodge, A. F. & A. M .; Pawuee Chapter, R. A. M .; Pawnee Commandery of the Knights Templar; is a life member of Oklahoma Sovereign Consistory, thirty-second degree Scottish Rite, at Guthrie, and also belongs to Indian Temple of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Oklahoma City. He is a member of Guthrie Lodge, B. P. O. E., and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. During his terin in Congress Mr. Mc- Guire kept his home at Pawnee, but since 1915 has lived at Tulsa and has a splendid practice as a member of the bar. June 2, 1911, he married Miss Ruby Ridgeway of Kansas City, Missouri.

EMMETT NATHANIEL ELLIS. The right of Emmett Na- thaniel Ellis to the good will and esteem of his fellow citizens at Sallisaw rests upon a number of- years of worthy participation in affairs as a citizen and business man no less than upon his excellent, dignified and impar- tial service in the capacity of justice of the peace of the Ninth District of Sequoyah County, an office which he has held since 1912. He has been a resident of Sallisaw since 1889, practically all of his career having been spent here, and the people of this community have had a chance to watch his development and to pass judgment upon his general worth and ability. He has vindicated in full degree the confidence they have placed in him.

Mr. Ellis was born September 8, 1876, at Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas, and is a son of John Wesley and Elizabeth (Howell) Ellis. His father was also born at that place, a son of Nathaniel and Dr. Frances (Wil- burton) Ellis. Nathaniel Ellis was a native of York- shire, England, and emigrated to the United States in 1849, shortly thereafter joining a party of adventurous spirits in search of gold in the newly-discovered fields of California. Returning from that state, this "forty- niner" settled at Vau Bureu, Arkansas, where he fol- lowed the trade of wheelwright during the remainder of his active life, and there passed away. During the period of the war between the states, he was a soldier in the army of the Confederacy, being principally engaged in the making of gun-carriages. The grandmother of Judge Ellis, Frances Wilburton, was born . at Germantown, Pennsylvania, of German parentage, and in young wom- anhood enjoyed excellent educational advantages. She was a woman of rare talents, early took up the stuuy of medicine, and became the first licensed physician in Crawford County, Arkansas. For many years she prac- tic d her profession with success and was known as one of the leading physicians of the community of Van Buren, where she died in 1895, at the age of seventy-one years. She was the first and only woman to serve on the Arkansas State Board of Health and was well and favor- ably known throughout a wide area of that state.

John Wesley Ellis, father of i'mmett Nathaniel Ellis, was educated in the schools of Crawford County, and as a young man adopted the trade of wheelwright, a voca- tion which he learned under the preceptorship of his father. Later he erected several mills and became senior partner of the well-known flouring mill firm of Hamon & Ellis, who owned mills at Van Buren and other places

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HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA

1261

in Arkansas. He died in 1878, leaving three children, namely: William, who is now deceased; John W., who is a druggist of Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Emmett Nathan- iel. The mother of these children was born at West Plains, Howell County, Missouri, and was a member of a prominent family of that state. Her second husband was Zeb Garrison, who was a farmer and resident of Crawford County, Arkansas, at the time of their mar- riage. In 1889 Mr. and Mrs. Garrison came to Sallisaw, Oklahoma, which city Judge Ellis has claimed as his home.

Emmett Nathaniel Ellis received a fair common school education and at the age of twenty-two years began rail- roading for the Iron Mountain line. As a yard switch- man he remained in the employ of this company for seven years and then established himself in business as a painter and paperhanger at Sallisaw in 1907. Four years later, in the early part of 1912, he was elected justice of the peace of the Ninth District, and in 1914 was reelected, his service having been so satisfactory that he encountered no opposition. In politics Mr. Ellis is an unswerving democrat and one of the strong and influential men of his party in Sequoyah County. He is also well and prominently known in fraternal circles, being a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, of which last-named order he is a member of the board of directors for the state and of the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma. With his family, he belongs to the Presbyterian Church.

In 1898 Mr. Ellis was married to Miss Alice Palmer, at that time a resident of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, but a native of Van Buren, Arkansas. Two children have been born to this union: Oscar W. and Emmett N., Jr.

TOUSSAINT HARVEY DUBOIS, a lawyer by profession and a well known resident of Poteau, LeFlore County, was born and reared in Iowa. His natal day was October 13, 1870, and his parents were Toussaint and Carrie (Pace) DuBois. The family lived in Harrison County, Iowa, for years, and when the subject was yet a boy they moved from there to Mount Ayr, Iowa, and there he was reared and gained his education in the public schools. He was graduated from the high school in 1886, after which he took up the study of stenography and fitted himself to hold office positions in that line.

Mr. DuBois worked in Mount Ayr offices for some time, then became assistant Federal Court reporter at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and served in 1891-2. In 1893 Judge Stuart of the United States Court at McAlester, Indian Territory, appointed him court reporter at that place. This position he filled up to the time when the territory came into statehood in 1907, and in November of that year he came to Poteau from McAlester. Here he has since lived and has been actively engaged in the practice of law.

Mr. DuBois was admitted to the bar at McAlester in 1900, and in the years of his active practice he has forged his way well to the forefront in his profession. He is a republican and has been an active supporter of the party all his life. He is a Mason, of the Scottish Rite branch, and a Shriner. He is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His religious allegiance is to the Episcopal Church. Mr. DuBois was married in 1904 to Miss Minnie Freeman of Poteau.

ROBERT D. WADDILL. A lawyer of distinctive ability, Judge Waddill has been a member of the bar of Okla- homa since 1911 and was from that time forward successfully engaged in the practice of his profession at Bartlesville, his present home, until the autumn of 1914, when he was elected to the bench of the County Court

of Washington County, his effective administration giv- ing definite evidence of his eligibility for this important judicial office, to which he brings a well disciplined mind and a broad and accurate knowledge of the law.

Judge Robert Doak Waddill was born on the fine homestead farm of his parents, near Windsor, Henry County, Missouri, on the 22d day of July, 1871, and he is a scion of families whose names have been worthily linked with the history of America since the early colonial era. The Judge is a .son of Alexander N. and Frances (Carter) Waddill, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of Virginia. Alexander N. Wad- dill was a native of Washington County, Tennessee, and was a grandson of Hon. John Sevier, the first governor of Tennessee. On the maternal side he was a grand- son of Samuel Doak, who was the founder and executive head of the Tennessee college, at Jonesboro, that became the nucleus of the present University of Tennessee. The lineage of the Waddill family traces back to sterling Scotch-Irish origin and its first representatives in Amer- ica settled in Virginia in the early colonial days, the paternal grandfather of Alexander N. Waddill having been a patriot soldier of the Continental Line in the war of the Revolution, and by reason of this fact Judge Waddill is eligible for membership in the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, his sister being affiliated with the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The ancestry of the Doak family is of staunch English stock and members of the same settled in North Carolina in the colonial period of our national history. The mother of Judge Doak was born in Virginia, a member of a prominent and influential family that was of collateral kinship to the distinguished Lee family of Virginia.

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Author: Thoburn, Joseph B. (Joseph Bradfield), 1866-1941 Publication date: 1916 Publisher: Chicago, New York, The American Historical Society Number of Pages: 660

Author: Thoburn, Joseph B. (Joseph Bradfield), 1866-1941
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 660