USA > Oklahoma > Tulsa County > Tulsa > The history of Tulsa, Oklahoma > Part 14
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the Tulsa Bar Association and to the American Bar Association, and the Uni- versity Club of Tulsa.
He is an active democrat in politics, and has served as assistant county attor- ney. He has made continuons progress since starting upon his professional career in a calling where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit and ability, and today has a large clientage that connects him with many important litigated interests.
ELMER FORREST HAYDEN, M. D.
Dr. Elmer Forrest Hayden, a prominent surgeon of Tulsa, was born in Carrollton, Kentucky, September 23, 1876. His father, James Madison Hayden, was also a native of Carroll county, Kentucky, and in early manhood devoted his attention to the occupation of farming and stock raising. At the time of the Civil war he enlisted in the Fourth Kentucky Cavalry under General Morgan and on three occasions was wounded. He afterward resumed agricultural pursuits in his native state, giving his attention largely to the cultivation of tobacco and barley. In 1900 he went to Nashville, Tennessee, where he had land interests and his remaining days were devoted to the supervision of his property interests there. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, loyal to its teachings and very active in its work, and he passed away in Nashville in that faith in 1916. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Ellen Lawrence, was born in Henry county, Kentucky.
Dr. Hayden obtained a high school education in Carrollton, Kentucky, and afterward matriculated in the Kentucky Wesleyan College, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1898. He then entered the Louisville Medical College, where he studied in preparation for a professional career and later became a student in the University of Nashville and in the University of the South, winning his M. D. degree in 1901. In 1902 he took the degree of Ph. G. He put his theoretical training to the practical test by at once entering upon the active work of the profession and later became a student in the Polyclinic Hospital at New York, where he specialized in surgery until 1904. He then located in Greenville, Mississippi, and here remained until 1907. In that year he opened an office in Nashville, Tennessee, where he specialized in the treatment of nervous diseases and of surgical cases, with the idea of developing a surgical institute, establishing a sanitarium in that city. For four years he there resided and in 1911 came to Tulsa, and since 1915 he has confined his attention exclusively to surgery. He is recognized as a most thorough student of his profession and belongs to the Tulsa County Medical Society, the Oklahoma State Medical Association, the American Medi- cal Association, the Southern Medical Association, the Tri-State Medical Asso- ciation, the Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee State Medical Associations, and the Nashville Academy of Medicine. Aside from his practice he has become in- terested in mining and oil in the southwest and has made judicious invest- ments along those lines.
Dr. Hayden was married to Miss Adda Elizabeth Amaker and they have one daughter, Mary Addaline. Dr. Hayden became one of the organizers and charter members of the Tulsa Chapter of the Sons of the Confederacy and for several years he was surgeon-in-chief of the United States organization of the Sons of the Confederacy. He is well known in Masonic circles, having become
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a member of the lodge at Winchester, Kentucky, and of the Consistory at Mc- Alester, Oklahoma, and he also belongs to Akdar Temple of the Mystic Shrine and to Saba Grotto. His name is on the membership rolls of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He gives his political endorsement to the democratic party and his religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. He belongs also to the Country Club, the Automobile Club of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the University Club, and during the World war was a member of the Medical Advisory Board. The sterling traits of his character are many and all who know him speak of him in terms of high regard.
FRANK A. GILLESPIE.
Frank A. Gillespie, oil producer of Tulsa who has enjoyed notable success. has through the development of the natural resources of the state contributed in large measure to the progress and prosperity of this section of the country. He comes from a region where oil was one of the early and profitable productive industries, for his birth occurred in Oil City, Pennsylvania, April 22, 1869, his parents being J. B. and Mary Gillespie. The father was connected with the early development of the oil fields of Pennsylvania. At the time of the Civil war, however, he put aside all business and personal considerations and joined the army, participating with the Union forces in a number of important engage- ments. On one occasion he was captured and for a time was incarcerated at Andersonville and in Libby prison. He belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church and commanded the respect, confidence and goodwill of all who knew him. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Randolph, was born in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, and by her marriage became the mother of two children.
Frank A. Gillespie pursued a public school education and his youthful days gave little indication of what the future held in store for him, but he early dis- played the substantial qualities of thoroughness, earnestness and energy and upon these as a basis he has builded his success. For sixteen years he has made his home in Oklahoma and throughout his entire life he has been connected with the oil industry, with which he became identified when in Pennsylvania. He entered the oil fields of Oklahoma as a pioneer and has operated most extensively and successfully through the intervening years until today, largely as the result of his operations in oil, his income is very large. He has not confined his atten- tion, however, entirely to this line. He says that his hobby is the breeding of fine Hereford and blooded cattle and he is the owner of some of the most valuable cattle to be found in the southwest. Moreover, he is interested in the Gila Water Company, which is engaged in the building of the Gillespie dam, whereby one hundred thousand acres of land will be reclaimed for cultivation under the irrigation system. The work was begun in January. 1918. The dam is located at Gila Bend, fifty miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona, on the South- ern Pacific Railroad, and will be completed on the Ist of June, 1921. It is to be eighteen hundred and seventy-five feet in length and the water in the lake will be twenty feet in depth. It is not a storage dam but a diversion dam and one of the largest of its kind in the world. This will make a great section of the Gila River valley an agricultural and horticultural district. It has already been demonstrated that some of the finest cotton in the world can be grown Vol. III-9
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here, dates have been successfully raised, citrus fruit are profitably cultivated and many other highly productive crops are seen in this region. The canal is forty miles in length and thus a great area is irrigated in a district where there are three hundred and sixty-five growing days in every year.
In 1890 Mr. Gillespie was united in marriage to Miss Maude McCoy, of Pennsylvania, and they have become the parents of three children: Bernard A .; Lester A., who attended the Kansas University and is now married and lives in Tulsa ; and Palmie Betty Elizabeth. The elder son, Bernard A., married Kath- erine Kerr, of Muskogee, and they have a daughter, Eugene Kerr Gillespie.
Fraternally Mr. Gillespie is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In politics he maintains an independent course, voting for men and measures rather than party. He was on the first city commission, serving for four months, but has never been an office holder, preferring that his public duties shall be done as a private citizen. He cooperates with every interest that he believes will be of benefit to the community, commonwealth or country and his labors have been a most potent force in the development of the southwest, particularly in the utilization of the natural resources. Bringing to bear the experience which he had obtained in the oil fields of Pennsylvania and of Ohio, he came to the southwest with its limtiless opportunities and here has so directed his efforts that he has become one of the capitalists of Tulsa, prominently known as an oil producer and also through his connection with the breeding of fine stock and the development of the southwest through the promotion of the Gila Water Company and the building of the Gillespie dam. His judgment is at all times sound and he displays notable capability in discriminating between the essential and the non-essential in all business affairs.
CLAUDE H. TERWILLEGER.
A substantial citizen and reliable business man is Claude H. Terwilleger, who is conductiing a real estate business in Tulsa. He entered upon this field of activity in 1914 and through the intervening period of seven years has gained a large clientage and done much to develop and improve the city through handling high class property. He was born on a farm in Linn county, Mis- souri, January 12, 1879, and is a son of Calvin H. and Anna (Brown) Ter- willeger. The father was born in Amsterdam, New York, where he devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits, winning a substantial measure of success. At the time of the Civil war he enlisted in the Union army, serving for three years and then reenlisting for the remainder of the war. He thus rendered valuable aid to the country in maintaining the Union intact. He belonged to the Presbyterian church, and fraternally was connected with the Benevolent Pro- tective Order of Elks and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His death occurred in Brookfield, Missouri. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Anna Brown, was also a native of the Empire state and her death occurred in Linn county, Missouri, December 20, 1920. She was the mother of five children, all of whom are living.
Claude H. Terwilleger spent his youthful days in his native county, his boyhood experiences being those that usually fall to the lot of the farm bred lad. After starting out in the business world he became a merchant at Coving- ton, Oklahoma, where he conducted a general store, becoming a resident of this state in 1906. He has made his home in Tulsa since 1914 and here he established
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a real estate business, recognizing the splendid opportunities afforded in that field of labor by reason of the rapid growth and development of the city, which within a period of two decades has increased its population almost seventyfold. Mr. Terwilleger handles high class property and has a large clientage. He has negotiated the sale of much of the best property in Tulsa and is widely known for his reliability and for his enterprise.
Mr. Terwilleger was instrumental in getting correct names for streets and the placing of signs at street corners, serving on a committee appointed for this purpose. The plan used was so good that it is being copied in an eastern city. He has been very active in the promotion of home building plans for Tulsa.
On the 19th of September, 1906, Mr. Terwilleger was married to Miss Mary Jenkins of Carrollton, Missouri. He is well known in social connections, belong- ing to the City Club, the Kiwanis Club, the Real Estate Exchange and the Chamber of Commerce. He also has membership with the Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen. In politics he maintains an independent course, and his religious faith is that of the Christian Science church. High principles have governed him in every relation of life and he is continually seeking to reach an advanced standard, whether in business or in personal relations. Those who know him-and his acquaintance is wide-speak of him in terms of the highest regard.
HON. MAURICE ANTHONY BRECKINRIDGE.
Hon. Maurice Anthony Breckinridge, who has the distinction of having served as the first county attorney of Tulsa county, and who was elected the first judge of the superior court of the county, remained upon the bench until 1918, since which time he has given his attention to the private practice of law, and is regarded as one of the eminent representatives of the bar of this state. He was born in Fincastle, Virginia, February 26, 1880, a son of George W. and Anne (Hamner) Breckinridge. The father was born in Virginia, where the family has been represented since 1700. George W. Breckinridge was also a member of the bar and served in his community as judge. He received military training at the Virginia Military Institute, raised a company for service in the Civil war and for two years was a captain in the Confederate army, being the youngest man to hold that rank. He won distinction as a lawyer and judge, as well as through his early military prowess, and he was, moreover, highly esteemed because of his sterling personal worth. He passed away in 1911. His wife, who was also born in Virginia, has likewise departed this life. They were the parents of eight children, six of whom are living.
Maurice A. Breckinridge obtained his early education in public and prepara- tory schools of Virginia, pursuing his studies in Botetourt county, while later he entered the Washington & Lee University in preparation for the practice of law and gained his LL. B. degree in 1902. During his college days he became a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a fraternity of the university. He was admitted to the bar in 1903 and then went to New York where he practiced for two years. There he was first associated with the firm of Bowers & Sands and afterwards with the firm of Wing, Putnam & Birmingham, prominent admiralty lawyers. Later he returned to Virginia and opened a law office in Roanoke, there continued for two years, and then came to Oklahoma, settling in Tulsa
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in 1905. He became the first county attorney of Tulsa county and was elected the first judge of the superior court of Tulsa county, occupying the position from the date of the organization of that court until January, 1918, when he retired from the bench and entered upon the private practice of his profession. A most liberal clientage is accorded him and he is recognized as a lawyer of high standing. As a judge he rendered decisions which were strictly fair and im- partial, being based upon a comprehensive knowledge of the law and the equity in the case. His handling of a cause before the courts is always comprehensive, based upon thorough preparation and ability to recognize readily the salient features. He belongs to both the Oklahoma State and the American Bar Asso- ciations.
In 1905 Judge Breckinridge was united in marriage to Miss Julia Rob- ertson of Roanoke and they became the parents of two children: William R. and Anne Anthony. In October, 1920, Judge Breckinridge was again married, his first wife having departed this life in 1916. His second union was with Mrs. A. F. Burton. In politics the judge is an active democrat, laboring untir- ingly to promote the interests of his party. Fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, but it is as a lawyer and judge that he is most widely known. His recorded opinions are monuments to his profound legal learning and superior ability and show a thorough mastery of the questions involved, a rare simplicity of style and an admirable terseness and clearness in the statement of the principles upon which the opinions rest.
A. WINFREY PIGFORD, M. D.
Coming to Tulsa in June, 1917, Dr. A. Winfrey Pigford has since engaged in practice here, confining his attention largely to gynecological and surgical cases. He has developed his ability through wide reading and study as well as through experience and his standing as a representative of the profession is most credit- able. He was born in Meridian, Lauderdale county, Mississippi, October 24, 1883, his parents being C. A. and Annie (Westbrook) Pigford, who are also natives of Mississippi. The father has long been a railway official and is now general superintendent of the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad, making his home at Laurel, Mississippi. For years he was associated with the Mobile & Ohio Railroad. Both he and his wife are consistent followers of the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church. They have had a family of thirteen children, nine of whom are living.
. A. Winfrey Pigford, pursuing his education in the public schools, passed through consecutive grades to the high school and afterward attended the Uni- versity of Mississippi and won his professional degree upon graduation with the class of 1907. He then entered the University of Alabama, taking post- graduate work, and later became a student of Tulane University, taking post- graduate work also there. During his college days he became a member of the Kappa Psi fraternity. Having prepared for active practice by interneship at Vicksburg Charity Hospital, he opened an office in Meridian, Mississippi, where he remained for ten years and gained prominence as a physician and sur- geon. He was honored with the presidency of the Lauderdale County Medical Society and with the vice presidency of the Mississippi State Medical Associa- tion. Attracted by the opportunities offered in the growing city of Tulsa Dr. Pigford removed to this state in June, 1917, and that he was not long in winning
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DR. A. WINFREY PIGFORD
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professional recognition here is indicated in the fact that in December, 1920, he was elected president of the Tulsa County Medical Society. He is also a member of the American Medical Association, the Oklahoma State Medical Association and the Southern Medical Association. During the World war he was with the army for four months at Camp McArthur with the rank of lieutenant. He is now concentrating his efforts and energies upon his profes- sional duties and has won prominence in the field of gynecology and surgery. He is a most ethical follower of the profession and stands very high in medical circles, although a resident of Tulsa for but a comparatively brief period.
In 1910 Dr. Pigford was united in marriage to Miss Mary Baxter of Meri- dian, Mississippi, a daughter of Samuel A. and Sarah Baxter. They have be- come parents of one child, Mary Evelyn, nine years of age.
Dr. Pigford is a York Rite Mason and also a member of the Mystic Shrine. He became identified with the Shrine in Mississippi and has demitted to Akdar Temple in Tulsa. He is much interested in athletics as a means of physical development and diversion and he belongs to the Lions Club, the City Club, the Automobile Club and the University Club. He also takes an active and helpful interest in church work, having membership in the Boston Avenue Methodist Episcopal church, South, of which he is serving as a steward. While his pro- fessional ability has brought him prominence, his social qualities have gained him popularity and Tulsa assigns him to a place in the front ranks of the medical profession in this section of the state.
JOHN BARNARD FOSTER.
John Barnard Foster, president and treasurer of the Foster Oil Company of Tulsa, has for a number of years operated most extensively and successfully in the oil fields of Oklahoma, and the soundness of his judgment, his business enterprise and his keen discrimination have been manifested in all that he has undertaken. Mr. Foster is a native of Asheville, North Carolina. He was born July 21, 1889, and is a son of F. M. and Martha Elizabeth (Jerrett) Foster, the former a native of Alabama, while the latter was born in North Carolina. The father is now living retired from active business, making his home in Tulsa. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and also of the Baptist church. To him and his wife were born four children, three of whom have passed away.
John Barnard Foster, the only surviving member of the family, pursued his early education in the public schools of Asheville, North Carolina, where he completed a high school course and then entered the Bingham Military Acad- emy. He became a resident of Oklahoma in 1902, and accepted a position in the American National Bank of McAlester, which he held until 1907. In that year he became cashier of the McAlester Trust Company and occupied the posi- tion until 1911, when failing health forced him to resign. It was a year and a half later that Mr. Foster became a resident of Ardmore, there remaining from 1912 until 1914. In the latter year he came to Tulsa and has since made this city his home, being identified with the oil industry. In 1913 he organized the Wrightsman & Foster Oil Company and in 1914 organized the Foster Oil Com- pany, of which he is the president and treasurer. In the same year he organized the Wrightsman & Foster Petroleum Company, and in 1916, the Sunflower Oil Company. He was a prominent figure in the opening of the Healton pool in Carter county, Oklahoma, this being a large producer of that district at one
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time. He likewise became extensively interested in the operation of oil fields in Butler county and shortly after the opening of the Bull Bayou pool in Louisiana he purchased an interest in valuable holdings and soon secured a large output of oil in that region. He is prominently known in oil circles and his judgment has led to judicious investment, returning splendid success. He is likewise known in financial circles as a director of the First National Bank of Tulsa.
On the 30th of January, 1918, Mr. Foster was married to Miss Leona Cam- den Kline, a daughter of William M. Kline of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Their wedding was celebrated in Chicago, Illinois, and they have become the parents of two daughters: Frances Eliza and Dorothy Jane. The religious faith of Mr. and Mrs. Foster is that of the Baptist church. Fraternally Mr. Foster is connected with Masonry, belonging to McAlester Lodge, A. F. & A. M. He has likewise attained the Knights Templar degree in the York Rite, has taken the Scottish Rite degrees and is a Noble of Akdar Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He belongs to the City Club and to the Chamber of Commerce and is interested in all that pertains to the progress and welfare of Tulsa and the state. He and his wife are prominent in social circles and Mr. Foster is counted one of its representative business men.
VICTOR HARMON HUGHES.
Victor H. Hughes, whom many regard as the foremost geologist in the state of Oklahoma, while none dispute his right to rank with the foremost in the line of his profession, was born in Fort Scott, Kansas, August 16, 1885. His father, George S. Hughes, is a native of Linesville, Pennsylvania, while the grandfather in the paternal line was also born in Pennsylvania. George S. Hughes, who became a merchant, carried on business for a number of years in Pennsylvania and also for a considerable period in Kansas having removed to the latter state in the 'zos. He is now living retired, enjoying in well earned rest the fruits of his former toil. His religious faith is that of the Universalist church and fraternally he is connected with the Masons. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sylvania Wiser, was also born in Linesville, Pennsylvania, and by her marriage has become the mother of four children.
Mr. Hughes was largely reared in Sabetha, Kansas, where he pursued his public and high school education. He afterwards attended the Missouri School of Mines at Rolla, Missouri, and was graduated with the degree of Mining Engi- neer as a member of the class of 1907. He then became interested in mining in the Southwest, largely in Colorado, and from 1908 to 1914 he filled the position of assistant state geologist, with offices at Rolla, Missouri. On the ex- piration of that period he came to Tulsa, arriving in the spring of 1914, and through the intervening period has practiced as a consulting geologist. Leading corporations for which he has done much geological work speak of him in terms of the highest commendation and many rank him as the foremost in his chosen profession. His knowledge of the business is comprehensive and exact and he is continually broadening his geologic wisdom through further study and experi- ence. Moreover, the integrity of his business methods is never called into ques- tion. He belongs to the American Institute of Mining Engineers and to the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. He is also a member of the Beta Chi chapter of the Kappa Sigma, and is a member of Tau Beta Pi, an honorary engineering society.
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On the 22d of February, 1919, Mr. Hughes was married to Miss Anna Laura Campbell, a native of Tennessee and a daughter of Judge A. M. Camp- bell, the marriage being celebrated in Springfield, Missouri. Mr. Hughes is a Mason, identified also with the Knights Templar Commandery at Rolla, Mis- souri, and with Akdar Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Tulsa. He is fond of hunting, to which he turns for recreation and diversion. He also spends much of his leisure time in reading and is a well informed man, his broad knowledge covering a wide range of subjects. His professional activity, however, claims the major part of his time and attention and in his chosen field he has been very successful, while many prominent oil developments of Oklahoma have been made through his efforts. Philanthropy also features in his life and he has been most generous in his support of various benevolent objects and of various projects which tend to uplift mankind and benefit the community at large.
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