USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Vol. X > Part 25
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41
In politics Mr. Perrot is an Independ- ent. He is a member of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the Camden Board of Trade, and he belongs to the American Society of Testing Materials, the National Fire Protective Association, the National Housing Association and the City Parks Association, also the Illum- inating Engineering Society. He is a member of the Franklin Institute and the American Society of Civil Engineers, hold- ing in the latter full membership. He also belongs to the American Concrete Insti- tute and the Catholic Historical Society. His clubs are the Manufacturers', City, Engineers', Hazelton and the Auto Club of Philadelphia. Still another of the pro- fessional organizations to which he be- longs is the American City Planning Insti- tute. He is a member of Gesu Roman Catholic Church of Philadelphia, and of
172
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
the Knights of Columbus. He is a direc- tor of the Philadelphia Military Training Corps.
His record shows Mr. Perrot as he is, a man of quiet force, accomplishing large results with the least possible amount of friction and then leaving his work to speak for itself. His own reputation and that of his firm is steadily increasing and the prospects of achievement which the future opens before them are constantly widening. His capability for business successes is equalled by his faculty for making and holding friends. Of his per- sonal appearance it is unnecessary to speak, for his portrait, no less than his biography, should be grouped with that of his partner.
Mr. Perrot married, June 10, 1896, Ag- nes A., daughter of James and Margaret (Kelly) Robb, of Philadelphia, and they are the parents of the following children : Joseph E., born November 20, 1897 ; Mary M., Agnes G., Frances, Margaret D., Emile George, born July 7, 1907, and Paul John, born January 15, 1912. Mrs. Perrot is a tactful hostess and a charming home- maker, and her husband is never so happy as when surrounded by the members of his household and the inner circle of his friends.
The work of Emile George Perrot is not for a day nor even for a generation, nor does it exist only in his own city, or his own State, for it is found in other States as well as in his own, and everything indi- cates that the coming years will witness ever-multiplying developments of its many possibilities.
POWELL, John R., Financier, Manufacturer.
John R. Powell, president of the Ply- mouth National Bank of Plymouth, Penn- sylvania, pioneer squib manufacturer of
the United States, and for many years closely associated with the business and industrial interests of this region, whose death on July 24, 1918, was felt as a severe loss by the entire community, was a native of Wales, having been born at Pendarren, Glamorganshire, South Wales, May 6, 1847.
The first eighteen years of his life were spent in his native land, where he gained his education, but in 1865 he came to the United States and resided for a short time at Hubbard, Ohio. From there he removed to Illinois and then, returning East, resided for a time at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. In 1871 he came to Ply- mouth, and in 1878 he founded a squib factory and began the manufacture of the squibs used in mining throughout this country. His plant being one of the first to manufacture an article in such general use, succeeded from the outset and in time he had built up a very large and prosperous business. He secured his first patent in the year 1879, and since that time several others to cover various modi- fications and improvements in the origi- nal article. On two occasions his plant was destroyed by fire, but, without being discouraged, he rebuilt it on a still larger scale and has since supplied all the mar- kets of the country, the product of his plant being used in practically every coal mine throughout the United States and Canada. He rapidly secured a position in the community, in which he was recog- nized as one of the most substantial and successful of its manufacturers, and he extended his interests to several other types of enterprise here. Upon the organ- ization of the Plymouth National Bank, he was unanimously elected its president, and from that time until his death filled this highly responsible office. His skill and judgment, combined with a large grasp of the financial situation, enabled
173
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
him to place the Plymouth Bank in the position which it now holds, as one of the foremost in the State, and had an indirect influence in moulding the development of this entire region.
John R. Powell was one of the three sons of Roger and Esther (Evans) Pow- ell, of Pendarren, Wales, but he was the only member of his family to come to the United States. He married, August I, 1872, Anna Jenkins, a native of Merthyr- Tydvil, born 1855, a daughter of Thomas J. and Ruth (Jones) Jenkins, being de- scended on both sides of the house from Welsh ancestors. Mr. Jenkins was a prominent sculptor and resided in Ply- mouth for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Powell were the parents of three chil- dren, as follows: Thomas R., who died in the year 1896, at the age of twenty- two; John, who died in infancy; and Esther, born March 22, 1877, and married, June 27, 1901, John H. Williams, one of the most prominent young attorneys in this section of the State, whose death occurred March 20, 1910, at the age of thirty-three years.
John H. Williams was the son of James and Margaret (Thomas) Williams, of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, and was edu- cated at the local public school and at Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, Pennsyl- vania, where he was prepared for college. He then entered the law department of Dickinson College, at Carlisle, Pennsyl- vania, and was graduated with the class of 1898. He was an unusually brilliant young man, and after a few years of suc- cessful private practice was elected dis- trict attorney of Luzerne county on the Republican ticket in 1909, and it was while his term of office was still unex- pired that he died, one of the youngest men who ever held that post here. He was a prominent member of the Masonic order and of the Benevolent and Protec-
tive Order of Elks, and in spite of his youth was already recognized as one of the important factors in the legal and po- litical life of this section of the State.
BRYAN, James,
Consulting Engineer.
For many years the name of the late James Bryan, of Pittsburgh, was a famil- iar one in different parts of the United States as that of a consulting engineer of superior abilities whose work, wherever found, was of the greatest excellence. Mr. Bryan was prominent not only in the line of his profession, but was well known in the social life of the Metropolis and took an active part in the affairs of its club circles.
James Bryan was born in Preston, Eng- land, October 13, 1861, and was a son of Joseph and Isabella (Hargraves) Bryan. He was descended from a long line of mechanics and engineers and chose engi- neering as his profession, receiving a thorough education and training in this while a youth in England, and he came to this country fully equipped to grapple with and overcome any difficulties that might confront him.
Mr. Bryan came to the United States in 1888, becoming associated with the Corliss Engine Company of Providence, Rhode Island, where he remained four years. He was then associated with the Thompson- Houston Company of Lynn, Massachu- setts, from where he was transferred to the Edison General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York. Mr. Bryan came to Pittsburgh in 1896, and the "Iron City" was destined to be for the remain- der of his life his home and the center of his interests. In his profession of civil and mechanical engineering, Mr. Bryan was a specialist, giving the greater part of his attention to railroad construction.
174
ABryan
David Stins#
Jawas Historia. Fab .
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
He was the engineer of several local lines including the Pittsburgh, Harmony, But- ler & New Castle Railway, on which line he first installed his most noted achieve- ment, namely, his conception and achieve- ment of higher direct-current voltage, this being especially adapted to inter-urban conditions, but was found so practical and successful that it was later adopted for both inter-urban and trunk line electrifi- cation of railways. His services were in demand, and in 1898 he began private practice as consulting engineer, and he built for himself an undisputed reputation for fine work and honest methods. He was a member of the Chamber of Com- merce, the Union Club, the Country Club and the Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania.
From politics Mr. Bryan held persist- ently aloof, but he was always a good, public-spirited citizen, willing and ready to promote whatever promised improve- ment. Mr. Bryan was a man of strong principle and kindly disposition, invaria- bly courteous and never wanting in con- sideration for the rights and feelings of others. His manners were dignified and at the same time friendly, and he looked unmistakably the true gentleman that all knew him to be.
Mr. Bryan married Agnes, daughter of. Henry and Mary (Procter) Pearson, and they were the parents of the following children: I. Bertha, wife of Stanley L. Rauch; they have one son, Stanley James Rauch. 2. James. 3. Joseph, mar- ried Marie Ruth Shaffner, and they are the parents of three children: Joseph, Jr., and twins, Marie Ruth and Dorothy Agnes. 4. Agnes, wife of O. K. Sheri- dan; one child, John Kimball Sheridan, has been born to them. 5. May, wife of Victor A. Williams, a physician of Pitts- burgh. 6. Isabella, wife of A. R. Can- celliere, and they have one child, Agnes.
7. Florence, at home. Family affection was the dominant motive of Mr. Bryan's life and in his wife he ever found a true and congenial helpmate, the source of his home's happiness and peace.
For some time previous to his death Mr. Bryan was in failing health and sought recuperation in the climate of Florida. It was, however, without avail, and on February 20, 1918, he passed away at his Pittsburgh home. As a business man, friend and neighbor, no man was ever more sincerely mourned. To his family the bereavement was inexpressible.
James Bryan rendered valuable service to Pittsburgh, inasmuch as he helped to build the roads by means of which her products are conveyed to other markets and multitudes are enabled to flock to her factories and warehouses, the source and center of the world's material wealth. The work done by Mr. Bryan is work that will live.
STERRETT, David,
Lawyer, Civil War Veteran.
The late David Sterrett, of Washing- ton, Pennsylvania, whose name, as a member of the Pennsylvania bar, was for more than a third of a century a synonym for professional ability and weight of character, maintained throughout a long and useful life a reputation fairly earned and most richly merited.
David Sterrett was born August 30, 1836, at Pine Grove Mills, Center county, Pennsylvania, and was a son of Timothy Green and Margaret (McManigal) Ster- rett, the former a well-known farmer of that region. The boy received his earliest education in the common schools, passing thence to the Central Academy, Juniata county, Pennsylvania, where he was pre- pared to enter the Northwestern Univer- sity, Evanston, Illinois, as a member of
175
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
the junior class, graduating in 1862. Im- mediately, as was often the case in that heroic time, the student became a soldier, passing almost directly from the univer- sity to the battlefield. On August 12, 1862, David Sterrett enlisted as a corporal in Company D, One Hundred and Thirty- first Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He participated in the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chan- cellorsville, and on May 23, 1863, was mustered out with his company, having seen nine months of honorable service.
On his return to civil life the young soldier turned his attention to the legal profession, entering upon a course of study at Lewistown, Pennsylvania. In No- vember, 1864, he was admitted to the bar, and from that time to the close of his life was continuously engaged in practice. Es- tablishing himself first at Franklin, Penn- sylvania, he removed, after a time, to Oil City and then to Smethport, going thence to Washington, all these places being within the limits of his native State. His professional advancement was steady, innate ability, thorough equipment and integrity which, from the outset, was never questioned, winning for him pub- lic confidence and placing him in posses- sion of a large and profitable clientele.
The political affiliations of Mr. Ster- rett were first with the Republican party, later with the Prohibition party, and despite the fact that he was never an office-seeker his fellow-citizens gave proof of their trust in him by electing him to represent them in the State Legislature during the session of 1883. The manner in which he discharged the duties thus imposed upon him was at once honorable to himself and satisfactory to his constit- uents. Ever ready to respond to any de- serving call made upon him, he was a liberal but extremely unostentatious giver to charitable enterprises and philan-
thropic institutions. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Wash- ington.
The personality of Mr. Sterrett was essentially that of the true lawyer. His strong and cultivated mind was the legal mind, and he possessed to an unusual degree that judicial instinct without which success at the bar is an impossibility. His broad, comprehensive grasp of all questions submitted to him was combined with quickness of perception and depth of insight. His countenance was stamped with the impress of the qualities which made him what he was professionally, and it also expressed the geniality and kindness which surrounded him with friends. His bearing and manner were alike indicative of the lawyer and the gen- tleman.
Mr. Sterrett married, June 30, 1868, in Pittsburgh, Emma Clarke, daughter of Dr. Jeremiah and Martha Clarke (Bu- chanan) Brooks. Mr. and Mrs. Sterrett were the parents of the following chil- dren : Martha Buchanan ; Charles Clarke, born October 1, 1870; Rufus Arthur, born October 12, 1872; Walter Brooks, born April 25, 1876; Malcolm Buchanan, born February 26, 1878; Marion; and Louis Emile, born July 12, 1883. Happy in his domestic relations and possessing a strong love for home and family, Mr. Sterrett was always most content when at his own fireside where he delighted to gather his friends about him.
The death of Mr. Sterrett, which occurred October 13, 1907, deprived the legal profession of one of its most re- spected representatives and the commun- ity of one of its most valued citizens. The personal loss was keenly felt by many, for he was a loyal friend and a man of whom it could truthfully be said, "his word is as good as his bond."
The prestige of the bar is maintained
176
Ing by E & Williams di Bre MY
6.B. Leak
. . . . Hehe.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
not alone by the men of brilliant attain- head still continues the business under ments and oratorical powers, but also, to the same firm name, his brother, G. Her- bert Leaf, acting as president. a very great degree, by those of sound judgment, clear vision and thorough knowledge of the law, men whose talents are solid rather than showy and whose work is of real and enduring value. A man of this type was David Sterrett.
LEAF, Edward Bowman, Manufacturer.
Edward Bowman Leaf was born at Pottstown, Pennsylvania, March 3, 1866, son of the late Rev. Edmund and Harriet Potts (Clay) Leaf. His education was received in Hill School, Pottstown, and at Yale University. At its conclusion he entered business in Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania, as a member of the firm of Potts & Leaf, which continued until 1900. In 1900 Mr. Leaf withdrew from this con- cern and organized the firm of E. B. Leaf Company, of which he was president, brokers in iron and steel. By his aggres- siveness and ability he soon built up a large business, and was known through- out the State as one of the most success- ful men of his line. He was also presi- dent of the Spring City Bloom Works, and a director of the Longmead Iron Company, of Conshohocken, Pennsyl- vania. Strong mentality, combined with equally strong principle and much fore- sight, might be said to explain the secret of E. Bowman Leaf's remarkable success as a business man. Perhaps, however, his sunny disposition, which attracted to him men of "all sorts and conditions" had more to do with it than a superficial ob- server might suppose. He was a rapid- fire business man, and back of it and responsible for it laid vision, quick judg- ment and the capacity to execute orders promptly. The concern of which he was
Pa-10-12
It was with the Republicans that Mr. Leaf cast his vote, and no man had more at heart the welfare and true progress of his city, but office-holding was something for which he had neither time nor inclina- tion. He was a member and vestryman of St. Mary's Church, West Philadelphia, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the University Club and the Merion Cricket Club.
On October 19, 1894, Mr. Leaf married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard and Emily (Whitecar) Trenchard, of Bridgeton, New Jersey, and they became the parents of two daughters: Harriet Clay, wife of G. Upton Favorite, and the mother of two children: Elizabeth Upton. and G. Up- ton, Jr., born September 20, 1917; and Frances Trenchard Leaf. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Leaf was one of kindred sympathies and congenial dispositions, their home was to them truly the dearest spot on earth and one of their chief de- lights was the exercise of hospitality.
After reviewing the narrative of all that he accomplished, it is difficult to real- ize that when E. Bowman Leaf passed away he was but forty-four years of age. On November 23, 1910, he expired, hav- ing in a comparatively short space of time brought to pass results of more lasting and substantial benefit to himself and the community than many achieve in a long life-time. He caused his success to re- dound to the welfare of others and to increase the prosperity of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, and any work of rec- ord setting forth the achievements of those "Makers of Pennsylvania" would naturally have to contain account of the life and achievements of E. Bowman Leaf.
177
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
HUTCHINSON, S. Pemberton, Man of Large Affairs.
Among the well-known business men of Philadelphia is S. Pemberton Hutch- inson, president and director of The Westmoreland Coal Company, and offi- cially connected with various other en- terprises.
Pemberton Sydney Hutchinson, father of S. Pemberton Hutchinson, was born February 15, 1836, at Cintra, Portugal, while his father, Israel Pemberton Hutch- inson, was United States consul to Portu- gal; he entered the University of Penn- sylvania, 1854, but left at the close of his freshman year. He then engaged in mer- cantile business in Philadelphia, the firm being P. S. Hutchinson & Company, and later became president of The Philadel- phia Savings Fund Society. He was also a director of The Girard Trust Company ; director in the Farmers' and Mechanics' National Bank, Penn Mutual Life Insur- ance Company, and the Philadelphia Con- tributionship ; was a member of the First Pennsylvania Emergency Regiment, 1862, and a member of the Pennsylvania So- ciety, Sons of the American Revolution. His mother, Margaretta Hutchinson, who died March 25, 1849, was a daughter of Charles Willing and Anne (Emlen) Hare, and granddaughter of Robert and Mar- garet (Willing) Hare. Israel Pemberton Hutchinson died May 9, 1866. Pember- ton Sydney Hutchinson married, June 5, 1860, Agnes Wharton, second daughter of George Mifflin and Maria (Markoe) Wharton, born May 31, 1839, and they were the parents of the following chil- dren. I. Sydney Pemberton, see below. 2. George Wharton, deceased. 3. Syd- ney Emlen, born September 17, 1866, married (first) Olga Bates; married (sec- ond) Edith Lewis Stotesbury, and has issue. 4. Cintra, married William S. El-
lis, and has issue. 5. Agnes Wharton, married Samuel Lieberkuhn Shober, Jr., of Philadelphia, and has issue. 6. Mar- garetta Willing, married John C. Stevens, and has issue. The death of Pemberton Sydney Hutchinson occurred June 26, 1903.
S. Pemberton Hutchinson, son of the late Pemberton Sydney and Agnes (Wharton) Hutchinson, was born April 27, 1861, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His education was received at St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire, and at the University of Pennsylvania, class of 1882. He left the University before grad- uation to enter the service of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad. He remained with them from November 1, 1881, to May 15, 1901, as rodman, assistant supervisor, super- visor, assistant engineer, division super- intendent and assistant general agent in New York. From May 15, 1901, to March 1, 1902, Mr. Hutchinson was vice- president of the El Paso and Southwest- ern Railroad Company (the railroad sys- tem of Phelps-Dodge & Company). Was superintendent of the Pittsburgh Divi- sion of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from March 9, 1902, to December 1, 1902. Assistant general superintendent and general superintendent of Michigan Cen- tral Railroad from December 15, 1902, to November 15, 1905. Partner in the bank- ing firm of Cramp, Mitchell & Shober, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December I, 1906, to January 1, 19II. Was elected president of the Westmoreland Coal Company, June 14, 1910, which position he holds to the present time. Mr. Hutch- inson is also a trustee of the Penn Mu- tual Life Insurance Company ; director of the Pennsylvania Company for Insurance on Lives and Granting Annuities; direc- tor of the Philadelphia National Bank; director of the Philadelphia Contribu- tionship; manager Philadelphia Savings
178
N. Pemberton Antechniczny
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Fund Society ; director of the Stonega Coal and Coke Company ; member of the executive council, Philadelphia Board of Trade; and Inspector of County Prisons. Politically Mr. Hutchinson is a Republi- can, but has never held office. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Society, Sons of the Revolution; Philadelphia Club, Rittenhouse Club, Philadelphia Country Club, of Philadelphia ; Metropol- itan Club, of Washington, D. C .; Du- quesne Club, of Pittsburgh; and Yan- dolega, of Detroit. He is also a member of the Union Club of New York.
On April 13, 1887, Mr. Hutchinson married Amy, daughter of John Thomp- son and Maria Litchfield (Scott) Lewis, of Philadelphia, and they have children : I. Sophie Lewis, wife of Henry S. Drinker, Jr., and has issue. 2. Agnes Wharton, wife of Lieutenant George Whitney Martin, and has issue. 3. Aimee, wife of Sergeant J. Trevanion Thayer, and the mother of a daughter. 4. Sydney ยท Pemberton, Jr., born September 7, 1900.
BURNHAM, George,
Head of Important Interests.
Despite the fact that a number of years have elapsed since the late George Burn- ham, head of the widely known house of Burnham, Williams & Company, ceased to be an active force in the business world of Philadelphia, his name and the mem- ory of his work are still fresh in the minds of very many of our citizens. Not only in manufacturing circles was Mr. Burnham a power, but in the promotion of the char- itable and philanthropic interests of his adopted city he was long, earnestly and actively influential.
George Burnham was born March II, 1817, in Springfield, Massachusetts, a son of Charles and Persis (White) Burnham, and a descendant of Thomas Burnham
who, about 1635, settled in Hartford, Con- necticut. In Colonial days the descend- ants of Thomas Burnham, who was a lawyer and a man of much force of char- acter, became residents of Springfield. Persis (White) Burnham traced her de- scent from Elder John White, who was one of the pioneers, successively, of Cam- bridge, Massachusetts, Hartford, Con- necticut, and Hadley, Massachusetts. He was one of the first selectmen of Cam- bridge and twice served as deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts.
The education of George Burnham was received in the public schools, but his attendance there soon came to an end, for when about fourteen or fifteen years of age he came to Philadelphia and entered the service of Baldwin & Coltin, whole- sale grocers, at Second and Dock streets, the junior partner being a friend of the Burnham family. Realizing how very limited had been his early educational opportunities Mr. Burnham devoted every leisure moment to the study of history and biography, often reading far into the night. In view of the fact that his work- ing day was from six in the morning until ten at night it seems clear that he must frequently have "burned the midnight oil." The inventive genius which was one of his marked characteristics resulted, when he was but a youth, in the construc- tion of a diving machine which was prac- tically tested in Delaware.
In 1837 Mr. Burnham obtained a cleri- cal position in the locomotive works of M. W. Baldwin. Here he found himself in his true element and steadily rose, ad- vancing from one place to another of in- creased responsibility. Upon the death of Mr. Baldwin in 1866 Mr. Burnham be- came a member of the firm which was then reorganized under the name of M. Baird & Company. Eventually, in con- sequence of changes in the ownership of
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.