USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Pittsburgh > Biographical review : v. 24, containing life sketches of leading citizens of Pittsburgh and the vicinity, Pennsylvania > Part 15
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charged the duties of that office with signal ability and dignity for two years. A notable event of his mayoralty was the reception of the Prince of Wales, on which occasion Mayor Wilson, in a felicitous address, presented His Royal Highness with the freedom of the city. The part he played in frustrating the treacher- ons designs of Secretary Floyd, just before the Southern rebellion, is historical. The at- tempt of the Secretary to remove to the South the big guns in the Allegheny County Ar- senal created great excitement from one end of the Union to the other. While it met with the most determined opposition of the citizens of Pittsburg, Mayor Wilson positively refused to let his police assist in the shipment of the guns. Another notable event, and one which Mr. Wilson regards the proudest occasion of his life, was the city's reception of Abraham Lincoln when on his way to Washington to assume the Presidency. Elected on the Re- publican ticket, Mr. Wilson represented Pitts- burg in the legislature of 1867, 1868, and 1869, taking an active part in promoting the "Consolidation Act," by which the territory now known as East End was annexed to the city, and serving ably throughout the last year in the capacity of chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
Mr. Wilson first married Mary Frances Howe, who died in 1854. By her he became the father of six children, three of whom died in infancy. The others are: Maria, now the widow of the late Charles McNulty; Bella Jane, the wife of Attorney John A. Wilson ; and Mary Frances, now deceased, who was the wife of Hillis McKowan, the secretary of the Pittsburg Insurance Company. The father entered a second marriage, contracted with Emily Wilson, whose children by him were : Harriet Rebecca, Carrie Blanche, and Effic. Harriet is now the wife of F. O. Van Gorder,
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and Carrie is the wife of Harry S. Hill. The mother died in 1879. After having been a member of the First Presbyterian Church for many years, Mr. Wilson helped to organize the Bellefield Presbyterian Church, in which he has been Sunday-school superintendent and is now an Elder. He has been the president of the Humane Society for the past two years. The object of this organization, which is one of the most influential of the kind in the country, has had Mr. Wilson's most earnest support for a long time. In politics he has been a Republican since he helped the first organization of the party at old Lafayette Hall in Pittsburg. Beginning by casting his first vote for William Henry Harrison, he has voted in every Presidential election since then. In the East End, where Mr. Wilson has been a resident for nearly thirty years, he is known by young and old, who love him for his never- failing goodness of heart.
HARLES PFEIFER, whose death was caused by an accident while out hunting, on December 28, 1896, was for many years proprietor of the dyeing, cleansing, and laundry establishment at 355 Beaver Avenue, and was one of the most benevolent and beloved of the citizens of Al- legheny, Pa. He was born in Dresden, Ger- many, December 20, 1850, son of John and Henrietta Pfeifer, both of whom were natives of Germany. His father before coming to America was a soldier in the German army. He immigrated with his family in 1854, set- tled in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and en- gaged in farming. His wife died a short time since on the farm near Rochester at the age of seventy-three, and he died at eighty-three. They had two children - Charles and George, but only the first named lived to maturity.
Charles Pfeifer was reared on his father's farm in Beaver County, and in his boyhood attended the district schools. A diligent stu- dent, spending long evenings poring over his books, he was usually at the head of his class. At the age of eighteen years he came to Allegheny and worked as solicitor for his foster-brother Henry, who carried on a dyeing establishment in Beaver Avenue. At the end of a year's time he was made partner in the business; and not many months after, Henry becoming sick and being obliged to travel for his health, Charles bought out the business for eighteen thousand dollars, paying seven hundred dollars in cash and the balance in instalments covering a period of several years. At the time he employed four persons, one of them being the young lady who after- ward became his wife. In the early days of the business Mr. Pfeifer pushed a two- wheeled cart through the streets, and himself solicited work. He toiled hard, and fre- quently, after being out all day, would work in the shop until three or four o'clock the next morning. He always insisted on doing the pressing himself, in order to be sure that it was properly done. Thoroughly honest and upright, and unfailingly courteous and good- natured, he won the confidence and good will of the public. No matter what fault might be found by critical customers, he never lost his patience; and no doubt this uniform kindliness was one of the causes of his constant increase of patronage.
As there were no laundries in Pittsburg except those operated by Chinamen, Mr. Pfeifer opened one in connection with his dye- ing establishment, and secured as a partner Charles Pine, from the East, who was an ex- perienced workman. A horse and wagon now took the place of the hand-cart. Mr. Pine ceased to be a partner after a few months, but
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remained as foreman in the business for twelve years. For many years Mr. Pfeifer enjoyed a monopoly of the laundry trade in Allegheny, and his business increased to enormous propor- tions. His establishment became so well known that work was sent from New York and from Chicago, and he finally opened a separate laundry in the last-named city. About nine years ago he formed a connection with David Weber, of Chicago, under the firm name of Weber & Pfeifer; and the establishment now covers an entire block in State Street. It is one of the finest laundries in the world, and is supplied with all the latest improved machin- ery. Here new goods for manufacturers are dyed, cleaned, and finished. Mr. Pfeifer also opened a laundry and dye-house in Washington, D.C., some five years ago; but it had been in operation only two years when it was burned, causing a loss of about twelve thousand dol- lars. This was not covered by insurance, and the establishment has never been reopened. At the time of Mr. Pfeifer's death the work- ing force of the laundry department alone in Allegheny consisted of one hundred and twenty five people during the dull season, and twenty-two wagons for the delivery of goods were in use.
Mr. Pfeifer's fortune aggregated about a million dollars, and all this had been accumu- lated by his own energy and thrift. He owned large amounts of real estate in Pitts- burg, Chicago, and in California. His resi- dence on North Avenue was bought for sixty-five thousand dollars cash in November, 1895. Having earned his fortune, he felt that he could spend it as he chose. He was an extremely benevolent man ; and his numerous charities won for him the love of many per- sons, especially as he never was ostentatious in giving and always tried to keep it secret. He was especially fond of children, and it has
been said that almost every youngster in Alle- gheny was his friend. Not very long before his death he picked up three ragged little fellows in the street and fitted them out with new suits of clothing ; and it was frequently his practice to send to his farm, near Roches- ter, during the warm weather, when his family were stopping there, a whole houseful of poor children, that they might enjoy the pure air and good country food.
On January 14, 1873, Mr. Pfeifer married Miss Sarah J, McDowell, daughter of a West- moreland farmer. Seven children were born to them; namely, Ora A., Anna E., Myrtle M., William Edward, Charles Francis, Harry Elwood, and Nellie Irene. Mrs. Pfeifer was her husband's constant adviser in the early days of his business career, and much of his success has been due to her co-operation. She will continue the business. Mr. Pfeifer was for twenty-four years a member of the Union Methodist Episcopal Church, of which his wife also is a member, both being heavy con- tributors to its numerous charitable and benev- olent organizations. Mr. Pfeifer was School Director for a number of terms, and was inter- ested in all the educational affairs of the city. He was a member of the Masonic body, and was buried with Masonic honors.
J16 DWARD B. HECKEL, A. B., A. M., M. D., of Pittsburg, though still a young man, is connected with several of the leading public institutions of this city. He was born in Allegheny City, January 30, 1865, son of John and Mary Elizabeth (Kock) Heckel. After attending the public schools of Allegheny City, he went to Allegheny Col- lege, Meadville, Pa., from which institution he has since received the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts. Subsequently
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he studied for some time with Dr. H. W. Hechelman, of Allegheny City, and then entered Bellevue Hospital Medical College of New York City, which in 1890, when he was third on the honor list out of a class of one hundred and forty-four, conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Medicine cum laude. Having completed his medical studies with a post-graduate course at the New York Poly- clinic, he returned to Pittsburg to practise his profession with Dr. Hechelman, his former preceptor. In 1893 he opened an office of his , own, at the same time limiting his practice to diseases of the eye and ear.
Dr. Heckel is now lecturer on diseases of the eye and ear at the West Penn Medical College (medical department of the Western University of Pennsylvania) ; assistant oculist to the West Penn Hospital; oculist to the St. John's General Hospital, the Home for the Friendless, the J. M. Gusky Orphanage, and the German Protestant Orphan Asylum; and he is special examining surgeon in diseases of the eye and ear for the United States Pen- sion Bureau. He is a member of the Alle- gheny County Medical Society, and he has been an officer of the Pittsburg Academy of Medicine for a number of years. He belongs to the college fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta, having been initiated into the Pi Chapter while a student at Allegheny College. He was a member of the Grand Chapter of that order in New York City for two years, and at present is the vice-president of the Pittsburg Graduate Chapter. He has also represented his chapter at the national conventions of the fraternity held at Springfield, Ohio, and Phil- adelphia and Pittsburg, Pa., and at the Pitts- burg convention in 1891, when he was presid- ing officer. Dr. Heckel is also connected with the Masonic order. He has contributed a number of valuable articles to the medical
journals of the day, and has devised some in- genious appliances for use in his special line of practice. He was married November 21, !894, to Matilda E. Lautner, daughter of Joseph Lautner, Esq., of Allegheny City.
AMES FRANCIS BURKE, a rising young lawyer of Pittsburg, who has gained a national reputation as the as- sistant secretary of the National Republican Committee, was born in Petroleum Centre, Venango County, October 21, 1867. His par- ents were Richard J. and Annie (Arnold) Burke, the former of whom was a native of County Limerick, Ireland, and the latter of Pennsylvania. He acquired his early educa- tion in the public schools, and was the only pupil ever admitted to the Pittsburg High School who had not taken the regular common- school course. He did not graduate, however, but completed his studies under the tuition of Dr. Charles Herron. Subsequently he studied stenography with John T. Porter; and, becom- ing an expert shorthand reporter, he opened an office on Fifth Avenue in 1887. Here he made a specialty of reporting the proceedings of political conventions. His first work of this kind was a report for the Union Labor Party's Convention at Springer Street Hall, Cincinnati. Afterward similar engagements were received by him from parties in various States, and he was the official reporter for two Republican National Conventions. He was appointed official stenographer of the United States Court in 1888, and held that position for two years. Having begun the study of law in the office of William Scott, of Pittsburg, he entered in 1890 the law department of the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated in 1892. After completing his studies with the Hon. Walter Lyon, he was
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admitted to the Allegheny County bar in 1893. Since entering the legal profession he has acquired a high reputation as a criminal lawyer. In June, 1896, he completed the trial of his eighth murder case in the capacity of defendant's counsel. He has been unusu- ally successful in capital cases. In the eight cases referred to, all his clients were saved from the death penalty, and four of them were acquitted.
In politics Mr. Burke, is a Republican. He has labored zealously in the interest of his party since becoming a voter. In the last few months of his college life he organized the American Republican College League, which now has branches in all the large uni- versities in the United States; and he was its first president. In 1891 he was appointed secretary of the Pennsylvania State Treasury Investigating Commission, and in 1892 he was selected by President Harrison to codify the navigation laws of the United States. Perhaps his most effective political work has been accomplished in connection with the Republican National Committee. He was appointed assistant secretary in 1892, and . re-elected at St. Louis in 1896. In this capacity the duties of the secretary devolved upon him for a time. His services upon the stump and in the committee-room have been of such a nature as to elicit the thanks of the various party leaders; and his able management of the preliminary committee work of the St. Louis Convention, which nominated Major Mckinley, was very service- able to the party's interest.
On April 15, 1895, Mr. Burke was united in marriage with Josephine Burch Scott. She is a daughter of Captain James B. Scott, one of the best known steamboat men in Detroit, Mich. Mr. Burke is a member of the New York Republican Club, of the Columbia Ath-
letic Club of Washington, and of the Ameri- cus Club of Pittsburg; and he has been the president of the Union League Club of this city. While he adheres to the Roman Catholic faith, which was the religion of his ancestors, he is disposed to take a liberal view of relig- ious subjects. Mrs. Burke is a Presbyterian. Having reported the speeches of many of the best speakers of this country, he has a cordial acquaintanceship with most of them. The following autograph letter from ex-President Harrison, regarding the Republican College League, will be read with interest by the readers of this work : -
674 NORTH DELAWARE STREET, INDIANAPOLIS, IND., May 22, 1893.
My dear Mr. Burke,- I have watched with great in- terest the growth of the Republican College League under your earnest leadership. The wonder is that the necessity and promise of this work was not sooner ap- preciated by all of us. It has a disseminating power that no other political work has.
You and your associates are entitled to the gratitude of all who love Republican principles for effecting the present organization.
Very sincerely yours, BENJAMIN HARRISON. AVLORD M. BEACH, a prominent railroad man of Pittsburg, Pa., was born July 10, 1831, on a farm in Richland County, Ohio, the son of Jonathan and Rebecca (Holmes) Beach. His ancestors on the paternal side came from England early in 1700, and settled in the State of Delaware. Francis Holmes, his maternal ancestor, came from the north coast of Ireland, previously having migrated from Scotland to that place, and settled in Washington County, Pennsyl- vania. On both the paternal and maternal sides Mr. Beach's ancestors took part in and were identified with the Revolutionary War of the colonies against England in their struggle for independence.
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His father with two brothers migrated from the State of Delaware to Washington County, Pennsylvania, where they became acquainted with the family of Francis Holmes, a farmer of that county, above named; and early in the present century Jonathan Beach was married to Rebecca Holmes. The Holmes family later on moved to Harrison County, and the Beach family to Knox and Richland Counties, Ohio, Jonathan Beach locating on a farm in Richland County, near Mansfield, Ohio, where his son Gaylord was born. The father was an Elder in the Presbyterian church for thirty years before his death.
The early part of Mr. Beach's life was spent upon his father's farm. He was educated at the Baldwin Institute and at Oberlin, Ohio, supporting himself by manual labor and by teaching. He entered railroad service in 1850, and afterward studied law with the firm of Stanton & Allison at Bellefontaine, Ohio; but, his circumstances not being favor- able to his taking up the practice of law, he continued in railroad employment. Begin- ning at the lowest round of the ladder, from laboring on the track of the Sandusky, Mans- field & Newark Railroad, he gradually worked his way up to his present responsible position. From 1852 to 1854 he was in charge of surfac- ing track of the Bellefontaine & Indiana Rail- road; from January, 1854, to November of the same year he laid the track of the road from Avon Springs to Rochester, N.Y .; the next three years were spent in the construction of the East Tennessee & Georgia, the Memphis & Charleston, and the East Tennessee & Vir- ginia roads. Between February, 1857, and June, 1869, he served as conductor on the freight and passenger trains, and assistant road master of the "Bee Line" between Galion and Indianapolis. The following year he superintended the construction of the In-
dianapolis & St. Louis Railroad; during the months of November and December of the year 1870 he- was road master on the Atlantic & Pacific and South Pacific roads from Arling- ton to Marshfield, Mo .; from 1871 to March, 1880, he was real estate agent and road master of the C. C. C. & Indianapolis Railway ; and in March of the year 1880 he took charge of the engineering department of the same road, where he remained for five consecutive years, the Indianapolis & St. Louis road being added in 1882. From September, 1885, to October, 1885, he was assistant general man- ager of these roads, on the latter date becom- ing manager of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indiana, and Indianapolis & St. Louis roads, and vice-president and general manager of the Dayton & Union road. From June 15, 1889, to April 1, 1890, he was gen- eral manager of the Chicago & Atlantic road; and since that time he has been general super- intendent of the P. & L. E. R.R., identifying himself with Pittsburg interests.
At the call for volunteers by President Lincoln in April, 1861, he enlisted in Com- pany A, Thirteenth Ohio Volunter Infantry : and he was mustered out at the close of the term of his enlistment.
He was made a member of the Masonic order in East Tennessee at New Market, where he was building a railroad, and, taking his first two degrees, was afterward demitted to Lodge No. 209, F. & A. M., Bellefontaine, Ohio. He subsequently took the chapter degrees in the Lafayette Chapter of that place, where he still holds his membership. He is a member of the American Railroad Association, also of the American Society of Railroad Superin- tendents.
Mr. Beach married Miss Gertrude Nichols, of Bellefontaine, Ohio, November 13, 1861. Mrs. Beach is the daughter of Warren
JOHN SEMPLE.
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Nichols, who came originally from Connecti- cut, where she was born. They have five children living, and have been bereft of three. A daughter, Julia E., is now the wife of J. H. Welch, of Pittsburg; Jessie A. is the wife of Burt Hubbell, of Pittsburg; Ernest W. is a student at law; Olive A. is at home, a teacher and one of the faculty of the Conserv- atory of Musical Art of Western Pennsyl- vania; and the other daughter, Gertrude L., is in the high school. Ancestors of Mrs. Nichols fought in the Revolutionary War. About the year 1856 her father migrated to Ohio, where he afterward resided until his death.
'OHN SEMPLE, M.D., one of the old- est established and most highly es- teemed physicians of Wilkinsburg, was born February 16, 1823, at Wildwood, this county, son of Robert A. and Mary (Simpson) Semple. On both the paternal and maternal sides he is of Scotch descent. His great- grandfather, also named John Semple, was one of the Scotch settlers of Pennsylvania. This John Semple was a soldier in the Revolution. He reared a large family of sons. His son, James Semple, a veteran of the War of 1812, was born and reared in the Cumberland valley. A very active and enterprising man, he was busily employed as a surveyor, farmer, and miller. After spending his last years in the town of Etna, this county, he died at the advanced age of fourscore and five years.
Robert A. Semple, the father of Dr. Semple, was a lifelong resident of this county, living within its limits from the time of his birth, in 1793, at East Liberty, until his demise, October 16, 1886, at the old home- stead in Wildwood. He was a successful agriculturist, and he served the community in various responsible offices. He married Miss
Mary Simpson, a daughter of John Simpson, who was born in Scotland, educated for the bar in Edinburgh, and there was engaged in the practice of his profession for a short time. In 1798 he emigrated to the United States, locating at Green Tree, this county, where he lived for many years. Later he removed to Mahoningtown, Lawrence County, where he died in the ninety-fifth year of his age. Of Mr. Semple's five sons and three daughters five are living, namely : James, who resides on the Perrysville road; John, who is the subject of this sketch; Robert, a resident of Cleveland, Ohio; Silas, of Wildwood; and Sarah, who is the wife of Robert Ferguson, and lives in Wilkinsburg. The mother died in 1884, in her eighty-ninth year. She was a member of the Presbyterian church, of which her husband was an Elder for fifty-five years.
John Semple lived on the old homestead in Wildwood until fourteen years old, obtaining the rudiments of knowledge in the district schools. He then studied for a time at the Bakerstown Academy, of which Dr. Guthrie was the principal, and at an academy in Wash- ington County presided over by the Rev. John Moore. In 1845 he was graduated from the literary department of Jefferson College at Canonsburg, and soon after began the study of medicine in Pittsburg with Drs. Speer and Brooks. Three years later he received a diploma from the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, where he had attended lectures. The Doctor then began the practice of his profession at Evansburg. From there he went to Allegheny, where he was actively engaged for a year and a half. In April, 1850, he settled in Wilkinsburg, where he occupies a foremost place among the most competent physicians of the city. Ten years after locat- ing here Dr. Semple built his present resi- dence, 753 Penn Avenue, where he has a most
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attractive home. He is well and favorably known among his professional brethren, and is an honored member of the Allegheny County Medical Society, of the State Medical Society, of the American Medical Association, and of the International Medical Association. In Masonry he has taken the degree of Master. Having served with credit in all the minor public offices of the place, he was for two terms Mayor of the borough now called Wil- kinsburg.
Dr. Semple has been twice married. In March, 1848, he married Miss Isabelle Smith, a sister of the celebrated artist of Philadelphia, and a daughter of William and Margaret Rus- sell Smith. She died in February, 1852, leaving one daughter - Mary, who is now the home-keeper for her father. On May 18, 1854, the Doctor married as his second wife Miss Nan Thompson, daughter of Edward and Lydia Moore Thompson. She died in Janu- ary, 1895. The only child of this union was Margaret, who died a few years after her mar- riage with Maurice Scott, leaving a son four years of age, John Scott, who now makes his home with his grandfather, the Doctor. Dr. Semple is a member of the Presbyterian church, to which both of his wives also belonged.
FOHN A. WILSON, an attorney-at-law of Pittsburg, whose office is in the Carnegie Building, was born November 2, 1843, at New Brighton, Beaver County. He is of Irish ancestry, his paternal grand- father, John Wilson, having been born and reared in County Tyrone, Ireland. . When a young man the grandfather bade good-by to his sorrowing friends, and leaving his native isle came to America in search of fortune. He located in Pennsylvania, on the northern pike, now included in the limits of this
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