USA > Pennsylvania > A biographical album of prominent Pennsylvanians, v. 3 > Part 12
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WILLIAM H. ANDREWS.
energy and business methods were such as to attract the favorable attention and command the respect of his fellow-citizens, and this fact, coupled with his suavity of manner and progressive spirit, made him one of the most popular and promi- nent residents of the place, and soon brought him into close association with the local managers of the political party with which he affiliated. In this way he developed a predilection and fitness for political work, and became one of the most earnest and zealous of the Republican leaders of the county. During the year 1880 he was elected Chairman of the Republican Committee of Crawford county-a position he held for three successive terms, and in which his efficiency and aptitude for politics were demonstrated. He was again unanimously elected in 1886. Early in his political career he developed those characteristics which have since served to elevate him to the Chairmanship of his party in Pennsyl- vania. Bold and aggressive when occasion required, supplemented by the dispo- sition never to underrate his antagonist, he is looked upon as an ideal political strategist. He served with credit to himself and advantage to his party as First Assistant Secretary to the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania during the years 1887-88, and so ably did he discharge the duties to which he was assigned that his work obtained such hearty recognition at the hands of the older party leaders, who were so favorably impressed by his qualities for work and organization and his practical common-sense, that he was made Chairman of the State Committee in 1888, and was unanimously re-elected in 1889.
In 1888 he was also elected a Representative to the Legislature from Crawford county, and in that position soon displayed abilities which at once placed him in the front rank as a parliamentarian and leader of more than ordinary capacity. Little given to oratory, he was distinguished for the ripeness of his judgment, sagacity and his watchfulness of the interests of the people. Always ready to meet an emergency or repel an attack, his services on the floor of the House as well as in committee or council were invaluable to his party, and of the most substantial benefit to his constituents and the State.
Always a stalwart Republican, and ever loyal to his associates under all con- ditions and every circumstance, Mr. Andrews is regarded with admiration by his friends, and by those whom he opposes as an honorable and able antagonist. In politics, as in business, he is scrupulously exact in discharging his obligations and fulfilling his promises, and his word is as good as a bond in any transaction.
Mr. Andrews has been twice married. His first wife was Rose A., daughter · of James H. Eddy, of Warren, Pa., to whom he was united October 18, 1862. She died March 14, 1879. On June 30, 1881, he married May Adelaide Fry, a granddaughter of Hon. Thomas Atkinson, a member of the first Legislature of the State and editor of the first newspaper published west of the Allegheny mountains. Three children were born to the first marriage-W. H., Jr., Frank E., and Belle R., only the latter of whom is living. She is the wife of J. W. Witherop, of Titusville, Pa. Two children have been born to the second union -a son and a daughter. The son, William Stanley, is living, but the daughter, Marguerite L., died in 1886. G. D. H.
F GUTE KUNST
PHILA.
JOEL J. BAILY.
JOEL J. BAILY.
N To man stands higher in the estimation of the community in which he lives, or occupies a higher place in mercantile circles, than JOEL J. BAILY, of Philadelphia, one of the best known and most public-spirited citizens of that municipality. He was born at London Grove, Chester county, Pa., October 29, 1826. His father, Joel I. Baily, a prominent agriculturist, was one of the leading men of that section, and an active participant in all matters relating to the public welfare. He was a persistent and fearless advocate of the necessity for integrity in official life, of progress and reform in political measures and in the adminis- tration of local government-traits which the son has inherited to a large degree. He acted for many years as Magistrate of the Peace for the township in which he resided, and was a highly respected and influential citizen of the county.
Joel J. Baily received a fair English education in the public and select schools of his native county. He was apt at learning, but his inclinations turned rather to mercantile affairs and accounts, to ledgers, day-books, journals, etc., than to higher mathematics and the learned professions. Accordingly, when he had reached his seventeenth year he determined upon his course of action, and, on April 1, 1843, turning to the busy marts of Philadelphia, he succeeded in obtaining a situation in the wholesale and retail house of M. Morris Marple, then a prominent dealer in notions, at 12 North Second street, at that time, almost half a century ago, the business centre of the city.
The notion business was peculiarly a Philadelphia institution, and in that line of trade was and is the leading market of the country. Mr. Baily soon decided that his chosen field of labor was entirely suited to his taste, and he proceeded by patient and earnest application to become master of its numberless details. That his development as a successful business man was rapid was evidenced in his acquirement of the ownership of the business by purchase within four years after his entry into the house. He was then but twenty years of age.
This successful business career, commenced so early in life, has been marked by unusual sagacity, conservatism and prudence. From the small beginning on North Second street in the year 1848, when the annual sales were less than $10,000, to the present extensive establishment at Nos. 719 and 721 Market street, with a business of nearly $3,000,000 annually, the career of Mr. Baily presents a history of unusual progress, and is an example of the success which may be attained as a reward of integrity and unfailing industry in the pursuit of fortune.
A rapidly increasing business caused Mr. Baily, in 1850, to move to a more commodious store at No. 11 North Second street, which it was thought would accommodate the growing trade for years to come. That this was a pleasing error in judgment soon became quite evident, because two years later, in 1852,
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JOEL J. BAILY.
Mr. Baily was again required to secure larger quarters at No. 69 Market street, old number.
This change of location marked a new era in the history of the house of Joel J. Baily & Co. (Joel J. Baily alone, then). He closed out the retail department of the business, and devoted the energies and attention of the force from that time forth to wholesaling exclusively. Again the old story repeated itself. The requirements of the business soon outgrew the capabilities of the building, and there was no remedy but to again seek a larger store; so, in 1857, Mr. Baily once more removed to secure the necessary room for his incessantly growing trade, which demanded a largely increased stock of goods. This removal was to 219 Market street. Up to this time the style of the house had been simply Joel J. Baily, but upon locating at the last-named premises Mr. Baily admitted into partnership with himself two of his clerks, Mr. Henry J. Davis and Mr. Elton B. Gifford. The present style of the firm was then adopted-Joel J. Baily & Co. The upward and onward progress of the house still continued. Sales increased, and with the increase came the necessity for additional room. Each removal was a step forward, and five years later found the firm ready to take another step in the way of advancement. This took them to 28 North Third street, which was considered, even as late as 1862, when they first occupied it, to be of magnificent proportions, but which was soon demonstrated to be too small for their needs. At this period the third partner was taken into the firm, Mr. Samuel W. Van Culin, and the business kept on growing in the same ratio, going forward with the same swinging stride as it had done from the first, neces- sitating another change of location which took them to their present spacious, well-arranged and handsomely appointed quarters. The period which included the latter years of the civil war, and those immediately following it, marked an era of marvellous business expansion, but the conservative policy of the firm enabled them to emerge unscathed from the great financial crash and wreckage that occurred during the panic of 1873. While big houses were reeling from the injudicious credit that overtrading begets, and smaller ones were tumbling because the supports upon which they rested rocked and trembled in the fateful blasts of bankruptcy that swept across the commercial seas of the country, Joel J. Baily & Co. pursued the even tenor of their way.
In January, 1873, the building of the great double storehouse which the firm occupies on Market street was begun by Mr. Baily from plans of his own, sug- gested by years of experience, and designed to provide for all reasonable require- ments of the future in order to obviate the necessity of further removals. This change of location was made in August of that year.
Mr. Baily has always been a consistent Republican in politics, and was an ardent and enthusiastic supporter of the government during the war of the rebel- lion. The various committees and charitable associations organized during the war, designed to relieve the distress of the soldiers afield, or while passing through the city to and from the seat of war, as well as to care for their
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JOEL J. BAILY.
helpless families at home, always found in Mr. Baily a substantial supporter and friend.
Mr. Baily became a member of the Union League in July, 1863, and was thereafter elected a Director of the organization-a position which he has continuously held since that time. Although a Republican from principle, and a generous contributor to the success of the National campaigns, Mr. Baily has never hesitated to oppose corruption in local and even State politics, irre- spective of party affiliations.
When the famous Committee of One Hundred was formed in November, 1880, Mr. Baily was elected Treasurer of that historic body. This organization under- took the work of dislodging the infamous horde of venal and corrupt politicians which had the city and its institutions and finances under their control. It was a most heroic effort. It was a battle waged by the business men of Philadelphia against a corrupt ring composed of men who had made politics a business. The city was burdened by an ever-increasing debt. The taxes were flagrantly and corruptly misapplied. The protests of the people were of no avail, because the ballot was not permitted to " execute a freeman's will," and in many sections of the city during election periods it was unsafe to give utterance to a condemnation of the reigning political power. So far-reaching was this prostitution of public affairs that even the public poorhouse became a favorite field of operations for the professional political thief, and by reason of the stealing of funds appropri- ated from the public treasury for the relief of the sick, infirm and insane poor, and the frauds perpetrated in the character and quantity of the supplies con- tracted for, many unfortunate victims of this cruel régime of vice and crime died from neglect and brutal treatment.
In order to confront and overcome this condition of public affairs the Com- mittee of One Hundred was organized, and Joel J. Baily was selected from its members to head the Committee appointed to collect funds to battle against the combination in possession of political power and the control of the public treasury of the city. How well this Committee. and Mr. Baily performed the service is now a matter of history. Men may differ as to the wisdom of some of the means pursued by the organization in the performance of their self-imposed duties; but all good men must admit that the mighty force which swept the Augean stables of political corruption in the years 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884 and 1885 presented the city of Philadelphia in a fairer and a better light to her sister cities and to the country at large. The robbers of the poor were pursued, con- victed, sentenced and served terms of imprisonment. The ballot-box stuffers and the repeaters were vigorously prosecuted and punished, office-holders repre- senting corrupt political leaders and bosses were replaced with good and com- petent men, and the confidence of the people in free institutions was in a great and gratifying measure restored.
In the counsels of the Committee of One Hundred Mr. Baily was a conspicu- ous and ever aggressive figure. With an energy and persistency which aston-
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ished his most intimate friends and associates he collected the immense sums of money required to carry on the campaigns of the Committee, and when the organization finally dissolved, in January, 1886, his account showed every draft honored and every bill paid. This is one of the grandest achievements of Mr. Baily's stirring business and public life, and at once accords to him the position of a courageous and patriotic citizen, and one who arose to the requirements of a great public occasion.
Mr. Baily was elected a member of the Board of Finance of the Centennial Exposition of 1876, but, owing to ill-health, he resigned prior to the opening of the exhibition. He is now a member of the body composed of those who were on that Board, who still keep up an organization and meet once a year for social purposes.
He was Chairman in 1882 of the Finance Committee of the Bi-Centennial celebration of the founding of the city, and personally raised most of the money needed upon that occasion. So carefully and systematically was the work of the committee performed that he was able to return to the subscribers fifty per cent. of the amount contributed by them after all the bills had been paid.
On April 20, 1886, after the disbandment of the Committee of One Hundred, some of the leading citizens and most public-spirited residents of Philadelphia, to the number of three or four hundred, organized what is known as the Citizens' Municipal Association, and elected Mr. Baily Chairman, which position he still holds. The object of the body is to see that contractors and city officials prop- erly perform their work, and to protect the interests of the public generally. The extent of the good accomplished by the organization can hardly be estimated.
Mr. Baily is a Director of the Pennsylvania Society for the Protection of Children from Cruelty, Vice-President of the Fairmount Park Art Association and of the Pennsylvania Humane Society. He is also a member of the Board of Trade, and a Director in the Delaware Mutual Fire and Marine Insurance Company, the Mortgage Trust Company, and of the Bell Telephone Company from its organization.
He is a member and Trustee of the German Reformed Church of the Holy Communion at Broad and Arch streets, Philadelphia, of which Rev. Joseph A. Seiss, D. D., is pastor, and also a vestryman of St. James' Church, Darby, of which Rev. Charles A. Mason is rector.
Mr. Baily was married on April 12, 1849, to Miss Susan Lloyd Jones, and now resides at No. 1826 Arch street, Philadelphia. He has a handsome country seat in the borough of Darby, Delaware county, Pa.
T. W. B.
F. GUTEKUNST.
PHILA.
WILLIAM W. BETTS.
WILLIAM WILSON BETTS.
T HIS country supplies so many admirable types among her sons that in what- ever field of endeavor the mind is directed there are individuals whose virtues challenge consideration. The learned professions are radiant with exam- ples of greatness, and the record of achievement in those lines is most gratifying. But it is in the arena of business avocations that the best results have been accomplished, and the wealth, prosperity and happiness of the people are attrib- utable more to the intelligence, the sagacity and the probity of the business men of America than to any other element. Among the best of this class in Pennsylvania may be mentioned the name of WILLIAM W. BETTS, of Clearfield, merchant, lumberman and public-spirited man of affairs, who is now serving with characteristic ability and fidelity as State Senator for the Thirty-fourth Senatorial District, composed of Clearfield, Clinton and Centre counties. He is the son of the late Rev. Frederick Betts, who was in his day and generation a distinguished divine, and a patient and earnest worker in the cause of religion until his death. Rev. Mr. Betts was born in Philadelphia, Pa., August 14, 1812, of New England parentage. In the year 1840 he was licensed as a minister of the Presbyterian Church by the Huntingdon Presbytery, and, accepting a call from the congrega- tion of that denomination at Clearfield, was ordained and installed as its pastor in November of that year. Moving with his family from Boalsburg, Centre county, Pa., to Clearfield, he continued in charge of the congregations at that place-Curwensville and Fruit Hill-until his death, which occurred in January, 1845. His widow, Cornelia (Finley) Betts, died in 1853, eight years later.
Of their six children the third, William Wilson Betts, was born at Newark, N. J., on May 1, 1838. Therefore, at the time his parents moved into Clearfield county, he was less than three years of age, and has literally grown up with that part of the State. At the age of about thirteen years he went to Meadville, Pa., where he entered the office of the Crawford Journal, intending to learn the trade of a printer ; but, after remaining there nearly a year, he was obliged to abandon the idea on account of defective eyesight. Returning to Clearfield in 1853 he was offered a situation in the store of Reed, Weaver & Powell, in whose employ he remained until, having attained the age of twenty-one, he was admitted to partnership, and the firm-name became Reed, Weaver & Co. Nine years later, in 1869, G. L. Reed and William Powell retired, and the style of the firm became Weaver & Betts. It has so continued to the present time, and has been among the heaviest and most extensive lumber dealers on the west branch of the Sus- quehanna. In the year 1880 the firm ceased merchandising, and have since then given sole attention to their extensive lumber operations and the develop- ment of their coal properties situated in different sections of the county.
In every enterprise looking to the general welfare of the people of the county and the development of its resources, Mr. Betts has always occupied a prominent
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WILLIAM W. BETTS.
position, contributing liberally of his means to the advancement of the interests of both borough and county. He actively aided the organization of such public improvements as the Water, Gas and Cemetery Companies of Clearfield, as well as most of the manufacturing industries of that place, and every enterprise has profited by his conservative counsel and wise business methods.
Although Mr. Betts is not a politician in the ordinary acceptation of that term, as he cares nothing for political power or place, yet he has ever been an active and straightforward Democrat. Naturally, in view of this fact, his reputation in the community would direct public attention to him as an available candidate for public office, and he was frequently urged to come forward for political positions. But he invariably resisted such overtures and refused to encourage political aspirations, although, in 1876, he accepted the instructions of his own county for the office of State Senator, but made no effort to secure the nomi- nation in the district. He has served as Burgess of the Borough and member of the Town Council with great acceptability to the people; but those were not regarded as political offices at the time, and the burdens and responsibilities of them were assumed in order that he might contribute to the development of his home town rather than to gratify any ambition to fill official station.
In 1886 the Senatorial conference of the Democratic party for the Thirty- fourth District fell into a most unfortunate tangle. Repeated and protracted sessions failed to effect a nomination from among the aspirants; a complete dis- ruption of the party organization was threatened, and the loss of the district seemed imminent. To avoid such a disaster to the party Mr. Betts was unani- mously tendered the nomination. The differences which had distracted those concerned had failed to reach the higher altitude which he occupied, and the suggestion of his name brought back harmony and peace. Feeling that he could not refuse a nomination so generously and unanimously offered, coming as it did without solicitation, he accepted and was elected for the term of four years without opposition, the Republicans having declined to nominate a candidate against him.
Senator Betts' service in the Senate has been characterized by constancy and fidelity to his duties, and intelligence and integrity in the performance of them. Not given to declamation he has not occupied much time in discussions ; but he has a happy faculty of expression and a clear and forceful manner of speech, so that, when occasion demanded it, he was ready with voice and reason to defend any measure in which his constituents were interested, or oppose such as were undeserving of a place in the statute books. His opinions, whether expressed on the floor of the Senate chamber, in the committee rooms or in social or private conversation, always received marked consideration and respect. Indeed, there was no gentleman on the floor of the chamber who enjoyed the confidence of his associates or of the public to a greater degree than Senator Betts, or better deserved such consideration.
Mr. Betts was married on October 28, 1862, to Margaret J. Irvin, daughter of William Irvin, of Curwensville. Of this marriage six children have been born, four of whom are still living. G. D. H.
.. . TLKUNST.
FRANCIS M. BROOKE.
FRANCIS MARK BROOKE.
F "RANCIS M. BROOKE, who, after attaining success in professional life, forsook the law and now occupies a leading position in the mercantile circles of Philadelphia, was born in Radnor township, Delaware county, of this State, July 4, 1836. He was the fourth of nine children (the second son) born to Hugh Jones Brooke and Jemima Elizabeth Longmire, his wife.
His father was of an old county family, whose ancestry were of the early English and Welsh settlers in that locality. He was a leading citizen, whose influence was widely and strongly felt. (See First Series of this work, p. 149.) His mother was the daughter of Nathaniel Longmire, a manufacturer of Not- tingham, England, and Elizabeth Green, his wife, who, attracted by our country and its opportunities, had emigrated to Philadelphia and engaged in business there.
His early boyhood was passed in Radnor with the surroundings usual to the country-boy, with parents in comfortable circumstances. He attended the local schools until his sixteenth year, when, in 1852, he entered Haverford College, where, by a too close application to his studies, he so impaired his health that he was compelled to leave, in 1854.
His parents meanwhile had moved to Media, Pa., where he went to recuperate, and remained assisting his father in his multifarious interests until 1857, when he resumed study as a student-at-law in the office of Edward Hopper, Esq., an eminent member of the Philadelphia Bar, simultaneously attending the lectures of the Law Department of the University of Pennsylvania.
After a creditable examination he was admitted to the Philadelphia Bar in 1859, and soon afterwards opened an office for the practice of his profession at Media, where his father's prominence and his own earnest attention to his pro- fession rapidly resulted in securing him a fair and constantly increasing income.
On July 21, 1862, he married Adelaide Hunter Vogdes, of Philadelphia, daugh- ter of William Hayman Vogdes and Hannah Pennel Davis, his wife, who, like his father, were also of the old county families.
In 1863 he was elected District Attorney of Delaware county, and assumed the duties of that office at the November term of that year. The increasing pressure of his professional duties again so impaired his health that in 1864 he was reluctantly compelled to give up his legal practice and enter mercantile life, as it afforded opportunity for greater physical activity. For this purpose he, with his youngest brother, Hunter, formed the copartnership of F. M. & H. Brooke, grain merchants, and started business in Philadelphia, which continuously grew until the firm became, as it now is, one of the leading houses in that branch of the city's trade. During the ensuing year he removed with his family to Philadelphia, where they have since resided.
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FRANCIS M. BROOKE.
As a member of the Commercial Exchange (then the Corn Exchange) his ability and usefulness were promptly recognized, and he has almost continuously served his fellow-members in its administration or on its committees, especially those involving the legislation of the City Councils, the State Legislature and the National Congress affecting the trade and commerce of Philadelphia. After serving as Vice-President of the Exchange, he was made its President in 1878. In the celebration of the National Centennial, in 1876, the Bi-Centennial of the founding of the city, in 1881, and the National Constitutional Centennial, in 1887, he acted in a representative capacity for the Exchange, and contributed largely to the success of those affairs. In financial and other business corporations he takes an active and liberal interest, and has shared, and is now sharing, in the administration of several.
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