USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Vol. III > Part 3
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So vast a field of usefulness connotes a man whose largest impulses were industry and altruism-the former a natural trait and continually manifested, and the latter largely unfolded through a heart of deep sympathies and through the practical work- ing out of his religious convictions. In an age when the relationship of men and reli-
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gion is like to be somewhat per functory, Dr. Johnson's religious zeal was manifested with an ever increasing consistency. Beau- tiful impulses working from within, were shown in his undertaking a heavy burden of duty, and yet he was a man upon whom these burdens sat lightly. For duty became to him not negation but affirmation, not a shunned and dreaded call but a keen delight. Immediately after the organization of the Wilkes-Barre Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation he became an active worker. With one other he initiated and brought to suc- cess the boys' department, which has since grown to a separate plant and organization allied with the older branch. He assisted in the formation of suburban Young Men's Christian Associations. His work as Young Men's Christian Association director was for many years a vital influence. His church affiliation bears the same stamp of sincerity and constant usefulness. He was baptized at nineteen, and a few days there- after was confirmed by the Right Reverend Bishop of Central Pennsylvania, Alonzo D'W Howe, D. D. His church activity was unbroken through forty years, until his death. A short service as vestryman in St. Stephen's was interrupted by his medical study in Philadelphia. He was in later years reelected. and served continuously for ten years before his death. He was one of the pioneer workers in Calvary Chapel, a mis- sion of St. Stephen's, was for many years superintendent of its Sunday school, and he lived to see a commodious church, parish house and rectory become the property of the congregation.
Religion meant to him a vital daily force in life's experiences. It meant generosity, sympathy, helpfulness, charity in gifts and in judgments. It meant a high-minded am- bition in the newspaper career. He of all men was the last to recognize in himself any merit. His faithfulness to church and to his public and domestic relations was both natural and inevitable. His spirit was clothed in humility. In business connected
with "The Record" newspaper he was a master of detail. He was perhaps the best all-round chronicler of events the city of Wilkes-Barre has ever had. He was a para- gon of correct statement and generous marshaling of fact. And beyond this, he preserved in himself and cultivated and en- couraged in others the duty of presenting news correctly, thoroughly and without offense to the better taste of the community. He wrought so well that the tradition of his personal work and example is still a potent force. When his paper persuaded, modi- fied, or moulded public opinion it did so with the trend always toward the honorable, the moral and the right. Naturally, under such a regime as this, "The Record" became a potent force, and its influence extended beyond the immediate locality. During his active work its circulation was increased five-fold. And it is safe to say that in this achievement his was the most considerable force.
In fine, it may be said that the talents en- trusted to his keeping were manifolded. He was the faithful steward. He left an im- press on the community. His name is gratefully remembered, and his influence will remain long after the name is merged with the other notable personal forces of the past.
ALLISON, Henry Willard, Financier, Public Official.
The subject of this sketch, born July 8, 1846, died October 12, 1913, was the son of James Willetts Allison and Mary McClel- land Boal; grandson of Isaac Allison and Margaret Millard; and great-grandson of James Allison and Margaret Willetts, all of whom were Pennsylvanians by birth, and passed many years if not their entire lives as residents of the State. His earlier an- cestors were among the Scotch-Irish Pres- byterians who came to this country early in the eighteenth century, settling for the greater part in York, Chester and North-
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ampton counties. They were men of strong religious convictions, energetic disposition and sterling character, and his life record showed that he had inherited to a marked degree the qualities of the race.
His parents-James W. Allison, born in Mauch Chunk, in 1806, and Mary M. Boal, born in Muncie, in 1812, crossed the Alle- ghanies into Ohio in 1836, settling in Law- rence county, where his father engaged in the mercantile business, and later in the de- velopment of the coal and iron industries of that locality. As years passed, these in- terests carried him into Kentucky, where, at Catlettsburg, at the mouth of the Big Sandy river, the son was born in 1846. Two years later, the financial panic of 1848, which shook the commercial world to its centre, and brought disaster to thousands of the most enterprising men of the country, found the father with more interest than he could protect at once, and brought crash- ing about his ears the promising but incom- plete business edifice reared through years of effort.
Undismayed he returned to Ohio and set about building anew, to meet similar dis- aster in the succeeding panic of 1857. And, as misfortunes rarely come singly, an attack of inflammatory rheumatism, induced by overwork and exposure, rendered him a helpless and temporarily almost hopeless in- valid. Pathetically and tragically enough, the condition of affairs brought to the mind of the ten year old boy the responsibility devolving upon him as the eldest son of the poverty stricken family. Without a word of his intention he went to a druggist whom he knew and asked for work-he was big enough to sweep out the store and run er- rands and must earn some money. And he could learn to put up prescriptions. Prob- ably struck with the boy's earnestness and enterprise rather than the value of his serv- ice, the good man at once made an offer which was readily accepted, and the child took up the burden of work and responsi- bility which was to be laid down only with
his life. From this time the boy no longer thought and spoke and acted as a child, but as a man. His daily life lay between the school house and the drug store where his eager mind searched into the mysteries sur- rounding him, and he experimented in vari- ous directions until after some month's work he was taken home, his face and head swathed in bandages, having "blown him- self up," with a mixture which proved to be a dangerous explosive. The prohibition following this disaster he insisted to the day of his death, was all that prevented his being recognized as the discoverer of nitro-gly- cerin in this country.
Until sixteen years of age he attended the public schools, always looking for and always finding work in some capacity dur- ing the summer vacation, and in some cases through the year outside of school hours. A boy in years he became familiar with the mining and marketing of bituminous coal and the manufacture of wrought and cast iron in every shape among the coal mines, blast furnaces, rolling and nail mills, found- ries, and machine shops of Lawrence county, Ohio, where his parents then resided.
At sixteen he left school for business life and thereafter his education was what he could glean through the school of ex- perience and his love of reading. Thence- forward he was under no necessity of look- ing or asking for employment. His repu- tation for industry, honesty, integrity and ability, was already so well known among business men that he found himself at liberty to simply accept or decline among the numerous applications for his services. Naturally gifted with a high order of in- telligence, of good figure, handsome of fea- ture and of polished manners he was as popular socially as in a business way and a welcome guest at the best homes of any locality where he was known. At sixteen years of age he entered the employ of the iron firm of Sinton & Means, of Southern Ohio, and two years later of the Norton Iron Works, of Ashland, Kentucky. In
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1868 he accepted a position with Pardee Brothers & Co., of Hazleton and Latimer, Pennsylvania, where for the next seven years he made close and careful study of the anthracite interests which he mastered in every detail. In 1875 he was transferred to the Allentown Rolling Mills of which he became secretary, treasurer and general manager, retaining his position until his death.
Perhaps the two ruling principles of Mr. Allison's life were conscientiousness and thoroughness. Had he been as scrupulous of his own interests as he was of those of his employers he should and probably would have died a rich man. But his unswerving loyalty to those who trusted him and his devotion to duty amounted to self abnega- tion, and he frequently stood in his own light and the way of his own welfare.
Such a man is sure to die respected. He is not apt to die rich, and Mr. Allison was no exception to the rule. What he did, he did with all his might, and did not rest until he knew to the bottom and in every detail, whatever he came in contact with.
A western iron master who entertained him on a visit to the Pacific Coast told the writer that he had learned more about iron in one evening from his guest than in twenty years of actual experience in its manu- facture and sale. As an authority on iron and steel, and bituminous and anthracite coals he was probably without a superior in the country.
In 1879 Mr. Allison was married to Miss Clara Unger, of Allentown, who survives him, with three daughters-Mary, Jean and Marjorie, a daughter and an only son dying in infancy.
While Mr. Allison was never an active politician, his affiliations were with the Republican party, with which he always voted, so that when in 1888 he accepted the nomination of mayor of a city re- garded as a Democratic stronghold, the situation was regarded by many of his friends in the light of a practical joke. He
was elected, and in 1893 re-elected, giving to Allentown two terms of office that will long be remembered by the people of that city as the "most precise, progressive and businesslike" that the city has ever known. He accepted the call simply as a call of duty and carried into the administration of the office the same conscientious methods of rigid honesty, integrity, impartiality, unself- ishness and business ability that he gave to his private affairs. In or out of office his broad minded, generous and always capable public spirit was recognized and his time and abilities were sought and freely and cheerfully rendered in many directions. He was a powerful factor in the organization of the Young Mens' Temperance Society and of the Livingston Club of which he was the first president. He served also for years as president of the City Board of Trade, as director of the Rapid Transit Railway, of the Lehigh County Agricultural Society, and as director of the Second National Bank, the Fairview Cemetery Association, the Allentown Hospital, and St. Luke's Hospital, Bethlehem. Through the services of his father as an officer of the Union army, during four years of the Civil War, he was an honored member of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the Loyal Legion and of the Sons of Veterans, and was also a member of Barger Lodge, F. and A. M .; Allen Chapter, R. A. M .; Allen Commandery, Knights Templar, and the Knights of the Golden Eagle. In his ap- preciation of the dignity of the highest man- hood, his hatred of all that is mean, sordid and vulgar, his fine scorn of that disposition that would "crack the pregnant hinges of the knee, that thrift may follow fawning" he was a born aristocrat. In his love for his fellow man, his easy accessibility at all times to high and low alike, his ever readi- ness to aid the "under dog in the fight" and to lend a helping hand to the unfortunate, he was the ideal Democrat and man of the people. Caring little for the pleasures and vanities of the world and nothing for the
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dissipations of "high society," and loving the quiet of his own fireside, the company of his family, his books and chosen friends above all else, no night was too dark or cold or stormy to draw him from these at the cry of distress. A lover of nature in all her moods-of mountain and forest and river, of fine horses and cattle, of the trout in the streams and wild animals of the forest and plain, he was never happier than when he could, for brief intervals of a busy life, throw off the cares and responsibilities of his work among the whiz and clamor of flying wheels and roaring machinery and "flee as a bird to the mountain" and be a boy again. And when at last came to him the summons which, sooner or later, comes alike to rich and poor, the proud and the humble, high and low, he met it frankly and fearlessly as he had met every other change in his life, fully realizing that for him this was only a change and in no wise a conclusion. Half whimsically he depre- cated his increasing weakness and difficulty of breathing, with no word of complaint or despondency, and from his dying bed, but a few days before the end, came to the writer a humorous message of his surrender to the tyranny of nurse and doctor who had put a ban on his determined efforts to help himself and "fight it out."
So, bravely living, he bravely died, leaving behind him the highest form of wealth that man can boast-a stainless life, a business career without a blemish, and the love, re- spect and veneration of all who knew him.
GARRETT, Albin,
Financier, Manufacturer, Model Citizen.
Albin Garrett, man of large affairs, and a splendid type of citizenship, one who held to the loftiest ideals in public as well as in personal life, had for ancestors those who were among the earliest settlers of Pennsyl- vania, and were among the pioneers of a new civilization.
In 1764, William Garrett emigrated from
Harby, Leicestershire, England, and settled in Darby, Pennsylvania, bringing with him his wife and seven children. He became identified with the Monthly Meeting of Friends in Philadelphia, presenting a letter from the Meeting at Harby, England, and he was warmly welcomed by those to whom he came thus accredited. He was already a landowner in Pennsylvania, for before leaving England he and Samuel Levis had jointly purchased 1,000 acres of land, as attested by deeds of lease and release of date August 9-10, 1684. This land was located in Willistown township, and before his death was divided, 556 acres being as- sessed to himself. It is worthy of note that a portion of this original tract was in the ownership of Albin Garrett at the time of his death.
From the time William Garrett settled in Pennsylvania, members of the family have been known as active, enterprising, law- abiding citizens. Some served the State as legislators, and in minor offices, and all took a lively interest in the general welfare. They were soon so widely scattered, that their blood flows in countless families of other names as well as their own.
Of this relationship and so descended, was Robert Garrett, who married, Novem- ber 18, 1812, Albina, daughter of Jesse and Rachel Hoopes, and to them was born a son, Albin Garrett, the father of Albin Garrett, the subject of this narrative. His birth oc- curred April 22, 1844, at the Willistown homestead, on Ridley creek, near the power house of the Philadelphia & West Chester railway, the land having been derived from the Garrett farm, upon which was located "the Indian orchard" which had been occu- pied by the Okehocking tribe, and who had been removed westward under the direction of William Penn. In and about this his- toric spot, surrounded by wooded hills en- circling the stream which moved the mills of his father and grandfather, Albin Gar- rett passed his youth, in industrious pur- suits, youthful sports, and with ambitious
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aspirations. His wish was for a liberal edu- cation, and he became a student at the West- town School and Haverford College, from both of which he graduated-from the lat- ter at the age of twenty years. His college contemporaries spoke of him as a grave and rather reserved youth, intent upon his studies, full and accurate in his recitations ; with powers of generalization, analysis and logical acumen that made him of mark as a reasoner.
His first three years after leaving college were given to clerical work, in which he laid the foundations for his subsequent active and useful career. In 1867, in con- junction with Hon. Wayne MacVeagh and others, he formed the banking house of Kirk, MacVeagh & Co. This property was subsequently sold to the Brandywine Bank, and after various transmutations now ex- ists in the present Farmers and Mechanics Trust Company of West Chester. After leaving the bank, Mr. Garrett was for some years engaged in mercantile business in Philadelphia and New York. During a por- tion of this time he resided at Englewood Cliff, on the Palisades of the Hudson ; here his life was idyllic, and in after years he took delight in recalling its memories. Here he met a number of prominent New York- ers, who were not long in recognizing and appreciating his sterling worth. It was while he was thus pleasantly situated, that a num- ber of gentlemen, none of them known to Mr. Garrett, organized the India Refining Com- pany and proffered the presidency to him, and he agreed upon acceptance, on condi- tion that the plant should be removed from Chicago to Philadelphia. So great was their confidence in Mr. Garrett and so de- sirable were his services esteemed, that they gave their consent, the removal was made, and the business was established at Mckean and Swanson streets. To Mr. Garrett was given entire charge, and he gave to it his undivided attention, occupying the position of president until his death. To use the
words of a friend who was his biographer : "At the time he assumed control of the company, he had the esteem of the board of directors; at the time he died, he had won their love-nor theirs, alone, but that of the company's humblest employee, who believed that the president of the India Re- fining Company was his friend, and he was right. Mr. Garrett was always willing to listen to complaints; always ready to remedy abuses, if any existed ; in short, was anxious to assist his employees in any way compatible with the duties of his office."
The India Refining Company was a pio- neer in the manufacture of edible vegetable butters from cocoanuts and similar fruits. Through Mr. Garrett's able management and far-sighted business policy, the com- pany came to be the largest of its class in America, if not in the world. Its products are not only used throughout the United States and Canada, but are exported in large quantities to probably every market open to American commerce.
Aside from his large business obligations, Mr. Garrett gave active and intelligent at- tention to public affairs, and entirely withi- out self-seeking, for he was absolutely with- out political aspirations. As a rule, he was a firm believer in Republican principles and policies, but when these were not adhered to, he acted independently, and for many years was known as an Independent Repub- lican. In 1905, when the domination of bosses in State and county was so notorious that it was characterized by Elihu Root as " a corrupt and criminal combination mas- querading as Republicans," he revolted, and consented to act as committeeman for the Republican party from his township of Thornbury. There was then a question as to the right of using the name "Republican," because of certain irregularities, and this he determined to sift to the bottom. When the county convention assembled in West Chester, in the fall of 1905, he was made temporary chairman and then permanent
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chairman, in which capacity, with the aid of Board, and he aided largely in bringing about the election of Mr. Rudolph Blanken- burgh as mayor, on a ticket opposed to the "Contractor Rule.". others, he instituted proceedings which were finally carried to the Supreme Court. The decision in that body was adverse, where- upon Mr. Garrett and his colleagues formed Mr. Garrett was an ardent admirer and warm supporter of Colonel Roosevelt, and as a member of the executive board of the Washington party rendered efficient service in the last presidential campaign, and he was deeply chagrined at the defeat of his friend. In the same campaign, at the Key- stone Convention, held in Philadelphia, the nomination for Congressman-at-large was absolutely forced upon him. He had no taste for public life, and finally accepted, only out of his lofty convictions of duty. His ticket was defeated, but so great was the estimation in which he was held, that he polled 30,000 more votes than any of his fellow candidates-a striking evidence of his recognition as a man of worth and ster- ling integrity. This practically was the end of his active public career. "the Lincoln Party." Following the con- vention, a meeting was held in West Ches- ter, to endorse the course taken by Mr. Gar- rett and his colleagues, where approving speeches were made by Charles Emory Smith, editor of the "Philadelphia Press"; Mr. Henry C. Niles, of York, Pennsylvania, and Hon. Wayne MacVeagh. A pungent address was also delivered by Mr. Garrett. In closing he said: "It is fitting, eminently fitting, that on this fiftieth anniversary day of the Republican party in this State, that we celebrate the emancipation of the 'White' Republicans of Chester County." His bit- ing irony and bitter arraignment of political bosses was enthusiastically applauded, and from that time until his death, he was the leader of the reform movement in Chester county, and it was largely through his un- For many years prior to his death, his reputation as a man of affairs and an ideal citizen, was State-wide. His honesty of purpose and wisdom of judgment were such that his opinion upon both business and public affairs was eagerly sought after, and was appreciated and depended upon. In person, he was a striking personality, and passersby frequently turned to admire him. A large man, fully six feet in height, and of portly build, he was fastidious in his dress, and seemed moulded into it. As a speaker, he was fluent and forceful; his commanding appearance and easy manner held an audience to closest attention. In his intercourse with his fellows, he was the personification of consideration and kindly sympathy. No deserving person ever ap- pealed to him in vain. He acted steadfastly upon his chief motto: "Do something for somebody." His encouraging words and wholesome advice gave strength and com- fort to many a heart. If assistance was tiring effort that the Republican organiza- tion was forced to hold primaries according to law, and otherwise to curb tendencies to treat public office as a personal perquisite, in the award of which the people were to have no voice. Mr. Garrett was a warm personal friend of Hon. William H. Berry (afterward Collector of the Port of Phila- delphia), and in the bitter fight which re- sulted in the election of that gentleman as State Treasurer, Mr. Garrett took an active part, and it was largely due to his effort that Chester county gave Mr. Berry a largely increased majority. In the guber- natorial contest of 1906, Mr. Garrett aided in forming a coalition of the Democratic and Lincoln parties, and carried Chester county. The Lincoln party (generally called Independents), was practically dor- mant until 1910, when it became the nucleus of the "Keystone party," and made its weight felt. Mr. Garrett was about this time a member of the State Executive needed, it was afforded cheerfully and gen-
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erously, and few knew the extent of his bene factions except those who were the re- cipients.
Mr. Garrett was married, November 24, 1885, in West Chester, to Mary Hickman Ebbs (widow), daughter of Wellington and Jane E. (Osborne) Hickman. Upon his return from Englewood Cliff to Chester county, he purchased the Hickman home- stead in Thornbury township. It was a place dear to Mrs. Garrett as the home of her girlhood; it had been in the family for more than a century and Mr. Garrett loved it for its associations. Known as "Fair Acres," standing on a gentle eminence crowned with ancient trees, the house cov- ered with ivy, it seems to transport the be- holder back to colonial days. Visitors well remember the spacious hall, wide as a twen- tieth century drawing room, with the old "grandfather's clock" in the corner, old enough to have struck the hours when the battle of Brandywine was fought ; the broad stairway ; the pleasant dwelling rooms, with their treasures of rare antique furniture and curios, gathered during many visits to foreign lands. This home was Mr. Gar- rett's constant delight. As some one has remarked, "A man is to be judged by his home life," and in the light of this utter- ance, how much might be said of Mr. Gar- rett. No mother ever had a more affec- tionate son; no wife a more devoted hus- band. Every movement political or social, was interestingly discussed with her. Only on the most urgent and important occasions would he leave her even for a single night. and then he would return at the earliest possible moment. Frequently, after ad- dressing an audience in a far distant town, in inclement weather which involved dis- comfort and danger to health, he would re- turn home in spite of the protests of his friends. In return, Mrs. Garrett bestowed upon him a love that knew no relaxation. During his last illness she scarcely left his side; the importunity of friends availed
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