USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Vol. X > Part 4
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In politics Mr. Bowman is a Repub- lican, and while living in Bellevue, Penn- sylvania (a suburb of Pittsburgh) was for four years a member of its Council, and also was president of Council for a term, and was for years on its Board of Health. He is a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal church. Of social nature, Mr. Bowman is a member of a number of clubs, among them being the Duquesne, University, Westmoreland Country and Old Colony of Pittsburgh. He is also a member of the Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania, the American So- ciety of Mechanical Engineers, American Iron and Steel Institute, and the Ameri- can Chapter, Toronto University Alumni Association. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic order.
On August 14, 1895, Mr. Bowman mar- ried Ida C., daughter of R. A. Cameron, and granddaughter of Lewis O. Cameron, of Bellevue, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Bow- man is descended from the old Cameron family of Pennsylvania, her grandfather
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being a cousin of Don C. Cameron, who was for years United States Senator from Pennsylvania, and a son of Simon Cam- eron, member of the Cabinet of President Lincoln. Mr. and Mrs. Bowman have a handsome home in the East End, Pitts- burgh, and are fond of entertaining.
The foregoing is a very brief and ex- tremely imperfect outline of the career thus far of Franklin Meyer Bowman. A more detailed account would, however, be almost if not quite superfluous, for the reason that his record of a quarter of a century and upward is now incorporated in the business annals of his city. May it receive, in the years to come, the addi- tion of many more chapters.
SMITH, Stanley, Ophthalmologist.
The universal trend has been for many years in the direction of specialization, and in the medical profession the tend- ency has been particularly marked. The specialists of Pittsburgh are noted for the ability and thoroughness manifested in their work, and none of them, in his own department, stands higher than Dr. Stanley Smith, Assistant Professor on the Eye and Ear Staff of the University of Pittsburgh. Though Dr. Smith has practised as a specialist for only a dozen years, he is already regarded as one of the representative ophthalmologists of Western Pennsylvania.
Dr. Stanley Smith was born January 7, 1874, in Warren county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Enos F. and Rosamond (Gelso) Smith. He was educated in local public schools and at Kiskiminetas Acad- emy, and early chose for his life-work the profession of medicine. He was fitted for this at Jefferson Medical College, Phila- delphia, graduating from that institution in 1896, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. After serving for a year and
a half as interne in the Allegheny Gen- eral Hospital, Dr. Smith entered upon the general practice of his profession in Pitts- burgh and spent seven years in the acquisition of much valuable experience and in building up an enviable reputation for knowledge, skill and devotion to duty. At the end of this period, however, feel- ing a desire for still more thorough equip- ment than was already his, he took a course of post-graduate work in the Wills Eye Hospital and the Polyclinic and Ger- man Hospitals of Philadelphia. In 1903 he returned to Pittsburgh, where he has ever since practised as an ophthalmolog- ist, having an extensive clientele and occupying a leading position. He has been Assistant Professor on the Eye and Ear Staff of the University of Pittsburgh, and has occupied the same position on the staff of the Carnegie Technical In- stitute.
Chief among the well merited honors which the years have brought to Dr. Smith is that of fellowship in the Ameri- can College of Surgeons. He also belongs to the Pittsburgh Academy of Medicine, the Pittsburgh Ophthalmological Society, the American Ophthalmological and La- ryngological Society, the American Med- ical Association, the Pennsylvania State Medical Association and the Allegheny County Medical Society. The pen of Dr. Smith is active in the interests of his pro- fession, and the articles which he contri- butes from time to time to medical jour- nals are widely read and receive much favorable comment. The political prin- ciples of Dr. Smith are those advocated by the Democratic party. He is a thirty- second degree Mason and belongs to the University, Civic, Pittsburgh Press and Pittsburgh Field clubs. He attends the Shady Side Presbyterian Church.
Deeply read in his profession and rarely skillful in the application of his knowledge, Dr. Smith combines the
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John G. Fisher
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essential qualities of the student and the practitioner. His career, in its entirety, has thus far been associated with Pitts- burgh, and one of his salient character- istics is a loyal love for the city of his adoption. Identified with a number of her leading institutions, he has rendered in all of them able and disinterested serv- ice, one not already mentioned being the Pittsburgh Eye and Ear Hospital. The number of his friends it would be impos- sible to compute, for his nature is thor- oughly genial and both in and out of his profession he draws men to him. He is a man of fine appearance, tall, well built and athletic, with a face expressive of strength and refinement, and the clear, searching eye which indicates the close observer and the deep thinker. Every- thing about him marks him for what he is-the physician and the gentleman.
Dr. Smith married, April 23, 1902, So- phia, daughter of Charles A. and Eliza- beth (Rogers) Lovens, of Franklin, Penn- sylvania. Mrs. Smith, a woman of win- ning personality, is an ardent suffragist, and both she and her husband enjoy a high degree of social popularity, their charming home in the East End being a center of attraction for their many friends.
"Forward" has ever been the motto of Pittsburgh-the motto not only of her manufacturers and capitalists, but also of her professional men, her scientists and her brain-workers. Most emphatically has it been the motto of her medical fra- ternity, and while that body numbers among its members such men as Dr. Stanley Smith most assuredly it will con- tinue to be so.
FISHER, John C., Pioneer in Oil Industry.
The oil industry of Pennsylvania con- stitutes one of the bulwarks of her
strength and is among the chief reser- voirs of her power. The men who first developed its resources helped to lay the foundation of the present phenomenal prosperity of the Keystone State, and as we revert in thought to the days of those pioneers we find dominant among them the late John C. Fisher, for many years a commanding figure in the oil fields of Pennsylvania. In the latter part of his life Mr. Fisher became identified with the Scientific Materials Company, serving as president of this concern up to the time of his death. It is worthy of note that in assuming this office Mr. Fisher identi- fied himself with the business of his ancestors, the manufacture of scientific instruments, conducting it as a resident of Pittsburgh, his native city, which was always his home and the center of his interests. ,
Jacob Fischer (as the name was orig- inally spelled), grandfather of John C. Fisher, was a famous astronomer and manufacturer of astronomical instru- ments in Wurtemberg, Germany, genera- tions of his ancestors having been en- gaged in the same business.
Gottlieb Fischer, son of Jacob Fischer, was also of Wurtemberg, Germany, and adhered to the traditions of his family by carrying on the business of manufactur- ing astronomical instruments. Realizing the larger opportunities presented by the New World he came to the United States, making his home in Pittsburgh, where he married Christine Schall, a native of Stuttgart, Germany. Mr. Fischer was accompanied to the United States by his brother Jacob, who married a sister of Christine Schall. These two brothers were the only members of the family to leave their native land.
John C. Fisher, son of Gottlieb and Christine (Schall) Fischer, was born No- vember 17, 1841, in Allegheny (now
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North Side, Pittsburgh), and received his early education in local schools. When he was on the verge of manhood and the outbreak of the Civil War summoned all loyal, able-bodied citizens to the defense of the Union, John C. Fisher was among the first to respond. At the age of twenty-one he enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served in the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg and others, retiring with an honorable record.
On his return to civil life, Mr. Fisher associated himself with the oil industry, then in the stage of incipiency, proving by his success that he possessed excep- tional ability. He was among the first to bring oil in barges from Oil City and the vicinity and was active in the boating of oil on the Allegheny river, transport- ing it in bulk and thus revolutionizing the method of its conveyance. He was commodore of a fleet operating during the early period of the industry, and in those days took down the river, in the space of one year, more tonnage than the entire yearly tonnage of the Allegheny river to-day. For years Mr. Fisher was a mem- ber of the Fisher Oil Company, and served on the board of directors of the Birming- ham Traction Company. He was presi- dent of the old Chartiers Valley Water Company, which has always furnished water to the South Side, the corporation having been originally formed to supply that part of the city as well as Knoxville, South Hills and other neighborhoods. This company supplied the first filtered water in the Pittsburgh district. Mr. Fisher withdrew from active connection with the concern when they sold out to the South Pittsburgh Water Company which to-day furnishes water to the South Side, Knoxville, South Hills and other places, operating under the charter of the old Chartiers Valley Water Com-
pany. After boating oil down the Alle- gheny river, Mr. Fisher built a refinery, but operated it for a short time only, disposing of it to the Standard Oil Com- pany. He was at one time in business with the late Joseph Craig, but the con- nection was dissolved in consequence of the greater conservation of Mr. Fisher's ideas. The two were always the very best of friends, despite the fact that their business policies were different.
In 1902, Chester G. Fisher, Mr. Fish- er's son, founded the Scientific Materials Company, the older man being elected to the office of president. The concern became one of the leading organizations in its particular line and, while Mr. Fisher was not active in the business, he always gave to its affairs vigilant oversight and constant attention. There could have been no more striking proof of the fact than that he retained unimpaired the powerful intellect and indomitable energy which had given him his commanding station in the business world.
In public affairs, both local and na- tional, Mr. Fisher ever manifested the keenest interest; and no movement hav- ing for its object the improvement of conditions in his native city appealed to him in vain. He was one of the early members of the Chamber of Commerce, and at the time of his death was the last original member of the Pittsburgh Stock Exchange, having assisted in the forma- tion of that body when it took the place of the oil exchange. He had been a life member of the latter organization, and retained his seat in the Stock Exchange until 1910, when he sold it for ten thou- sand dollars, the second highest price ever paid for a seat in the Pittsburgh Stock Exchange.
A man of broad views and sympathetic nature, Mr. Fisher's influence and aid were not limited by race or creed. He was one of the staunchest supporters of
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Me He Niemanue
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colored schools in the South. In appear- NIEMANN, Herman H., ance he was decidedly handsome, his fea- tures being clear-cut and virile. He was a man of jovial disposition, nimble wit and a rare sense of humor. The frequent twinkle of his eye was ample evidence of the natural mirth which was ever bub- bling forth in his expressions. Always ready with a joke, he was an excellent, even an enthusiastic, listener. Accom- plishing much with little friction he sometimes overcame opposition by his sincerity and geniality. His kindness and unassuming friendliness attracted all who approached him and surrounded him with warmly-attached associates and neigh- bors.
Mr. Fisher married. January 28, 1869, Mary, daughter of Charles and Salome (Steffler) Weber, of Pittsburgh, and they became the parents of the following chil- dren: John F., of Tulsa, Oklahoma ; Chester G., vice-president of the Scienti- fic Materials Company ; Mary F., wife of George A. Harwood; Edwin H., treas- urer of the Scientific Materials Company ; and Amelia C. Mrs. Fisher, a woman of attractive personality, is a true home- maker, and her husband, whose affections and interests all centered in his house- hold, never found any allurements to rival those of his own fireside.
On September 15, 1916, Mr. Fisher passed away, in the seventy-fifth year of his age. Men of every class deeply mourned for him. He left to his children the priceless heritage of an upright life and an unsullied name.
In his youth a gallant defender of the Union; in his early life one of the pion- eers of a great industry ; in his maturer years the head and guiding hand in a con- cern representing the vocation followed by his ancestors for generations. Such is the record of John C. Fisher. Could there be one more worthy?
Financier, Merchant.
To her business men of the older gen- eration, the Pittsburgh of to-day owes an incalculable debt. They it was who laid deep and strong the foundations on which has arisen the city which is now the won- der of the industrial world. None among these noble Pittsburghers of the past labored more strenuously for the pros- perity of this city than did the late Her- man H. Niemann, head of the well-known firm of H. H. Niemann & Company. As financier, merchant and man of affairs, Mr. Niemann was for many years closely and prominently identified with the best interests of the Iron City.
Herman H. Niemann was born in Bramsche, Province of Hanover, Ger- many, February 24, 1832, son of Rudolph and Jane (Hempes) Niemann. When he was but eight years of age his father died, leaving a family of six. The wife and mother remained in Germany until her children received their education, and and then emigrated to America, locating in Pittsburgh. Here Herman H. Nie- mann was apprenticed to a tailor, and so well did he apply himself that at the age of twenty-one he started a merchant tail- oring establishment of his own, which was continued until within a few years before his death. He was considered one of the pioneers in his line of business in Pittsburgh, and showed himself to be possessed of that resolute, persevering industry, sound and accurate judgment which seldom fail to command success in any sphere of action.
Mr. Niemann was actively interested in a number of Pittsburgh concerns, among them being the Fifth Avenue Bank, of which he was president for nineteen years; was president of the German- American Insurance Company of Pitts-
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burgh; for eight years was president of the Canonsburg Iron & Steel Company, and later president of the Parkersburg Iron & Steel Company of West Virginia ; and a charter member of the Germania Savings Bank and member of its board of directors for many years. He was also a charter member of the German National Bank, and served on its board of direc- tors for more than thirty years, then resigned from its directorate.
Although Mr. Niemann was, all his life, too busy a man to take any active part in politics, he was ever keenly alive to the affairs of the city, and was recognized as a vigilant and attentive observer of men and measures. He affiliated with the Re- publicans. At all times he stood as an able exponent of the spirit of the age in his efforts to promote progress and im- provement, making wise use of his oppor- tunities and his wealth, and conforming his life to a high standard. He was a member of the German Lutheran church. Of fine personal appearance, he possessed a genial, social nature, untouched by mal- ice or uncharitableness, was most loyal to his friends, and had a kind word and a smile for everyone.
Mr. Niemann married, July II, 1861, Martha, daughter of George and Eliza- beth (Horning) Flowers, of Baldwin township, Allegheny county, Pennsyl- vania. By this marriage Mr. Niemann gained the companionship of a congenial woman and worthy helpmate in his aspira- tions and endeavors. The death of Mrs. Niemann occurred December 20, 1914. Mr. and Mrs. Niemann were the parents of two sons : Adolphus Edward and Charles Franklin. Mr. Niemann was a man of most domestic tastes, and was never happier than when surrounded by the members of his family. ,
Herman H. Niemann died May 15, 1904, leaving the memory of a life honor-
able in purpose, fearless in conduct and beneficent toward all. Faithful to every duty, his name a synonym for success, recognizing and fulfilling to the letter his obligations to his fellowmen, Pitts- burgh lost in him one of her most valued citizens. His death called forth many expressions of appreciation. A Pitts- burgh paper said, in part :
In the death of Herman H. Niemann the com- munity lost one of its most valued and public- spirited citizens, and the church a member whose place will be hard to fill. //
From a "In Memoriam," adopted by the Germania Savings Bank, we quote the following extract :
A quiet, unassuming man of devout Christian character, he was true to his highest standard of uprightness and integrity; benevolent and chari- table in disposition; open-handed in beneficence, ever ready to assist those in need, he was justly entitled to the respect and honor of all whose privilege it was to know him.//
There are some men the simple story of whose lives is at once a record and a eulogy. High on the list of this noble class in Pittsburgh stands the name of Herman H. Niemann.
(The Flowers Line).
George Flowers, great-grandfather of Mrs. Herman H. Niemann, was a mer- chant of Philadelphia, residing on the cor- ner of Race and Eighth streets. The name of his wife was Hannah.
Jacob Flowers, son of George and Han- nah Flowers, was born in Philadelphia, and when a young man moved to Harris- burgh, where he married Elizabeth Man- tell. Later Mr. Flowers moved to Alle- gheny county. He engaged in agricul- tural pursuits and was also the proprie- tor of a hotel.
George (2) Flowers, son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Mantell) Flowers, was born
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in Harrisburg, and was a boy when the family moved to Allegheny county. Later he became a farmer of that county. In politics he was a Republican, and in religious belief a Lutheran. Mr. Flowers married Elizabeth, daughter of Christopher and Elizabeth Horning, of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and their children were: Jacob; John Horn- ing; Lavinia, wife of Frederick Glenhau- sen, of Allegheny county; Priscilla, mar- ried John Aber, of Allegheny county ; Martha, see below; Sophia, wife of Charles Meyran, of Pittsburgh; and Mary, married Jacob Mott, of Allegheny county.
Martha Flowers, daughter of George (2) and Elizabeth (Horning) Flowers, was born February 14, 1832; married, July 11, 1861, Herman H. Niemann, as stated above. Her death occurred De- cember 20, 1914.
NIEMANN, Adolphus Edward, Financier.
Pittsburgh's supremacy is the result of various causes, chief among which is the unsurpassed quality of her business men of the younger generation. Among this class is A. Edward Niemann, vice-presi- dent, treasurer and director of the Ger- mania Savings Bank of Pittsburgh. Mr. Niemann is closely identified not only with the financial institutions of his city, but is also officially connected with a number of her large manufacturing enter- prises.
Adolphus Edward Niemann, son of the late Herman H. and Martha (Flowers) Niemann, was born in Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania, February 23, 1866. His school- ing was acquired in the public and pri- vate schools of his city, and he then entered business, becoming connected, in 1886, with the Manufacturers' Natural
Gas Company, now the Manufacturers' Light & Heat Company. He entered the banking business in July, 1891, first as secretary and a few years later as secre- tary, treasurer and director of the Ger- mania Savings Bank of Pittsburgh. Since 1912 he has been vice-president, treasurer and director of that institution, and he is also vice-president and director of the Parkersburg Iron & Steel Company of West Virginia; director of the German Fire Insurance Company, and director of the Colonial Trust Company. In politics Mr. Niemann is identified with the Re- publicans, but has never held office. He is a member of the Episcopal church, and holds membership in various clubs. A member of the Masonic fraternity, he has attained to the thirty-second degree, and is a member of the Shrine.
On November 22, 1893, Mr. Niemann married Irene M., daughter of the late Ernest H. and Sophia (Landwehr) Myers, of Pittsburgh. A biography and por- trait of Mr. Myers is to be found on other pages of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Nie- mann are the parents of the following children: Kenneth Edward, born July 24, 1902, a student at the Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, Connecticut ; and Ame- lia Irene.
Men of the type of A. Edward Niemann seem like incarnations of the spirit of the twentieth century, and especially of the city of Pittsburgh-high-minded and honorable, and ever in the van of pro- gress. It is these men who are laying the foundations of the city of the future.
NIEMANN, Charles Franklin, Manufacturer.
Among the well-known and aggressive manufacturers and business men of Pitts- burgh is C. F. Niemann, president and director of the Parkersburg Iron & Steel
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Company, and prominently identified with various other business and financial insti- tutions.
Ciarles Franklin Niemann was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1869, son of the late Herman H. and Mar- tha (Flowers) Niemann. His education was received in the public and private schools of his city, and at the early age of twenty-one years he started in business for himself, entering the jewelry business, which was followed by his engaging in various other enterprises of a commercial nature. In 1906 he became president and director of the Parkersburg Iron & Steel Company, and its commanding place among Pittsburgh manufacturing con- cerns is due largely to the tireless efforts of its president.
The thorough business qualifications of Mr. Niemann have always been in demand on boards of directors of different organ- izations, and his public spirit has led him to accept many such trusts. He is a direc- tor of the Fifth Avenue Bank; the man- ufacturers' Light & Heat Company : Ger- mania Savings Bank, and is interested in many other institutions.
Politically Mr. Niemann is affiliated with the Republican party, but has never accepted office. He is a member of var- ious clubs and trade associations. He holds membership in the Point Breeze Presbyterian Church. A man of action rather than words, he demonstrates his public spirit by actual achievements which advance the prosperity of the com- munity. Mr. Niemann is a thirty-second degree Mason and member of the Shrine.
On October 9, 1900, Mr. Niemann mar- ried Mildred, daughter of Harvey and Harriett (Holt) Bartley, of Pittsburgh, and they are the parents of the follow- ing children : Martha Virginia; Charles Franklin II., born August 15, 1905; and Florence Gwendolin. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Niemann are active socially, and their home is the seat of a gracious hospitality.
Happily gifted in manner, disposition and taste, enterprising and original in business ideas, personally liked most by those who know him best, and as frank in declaring his principles as he is sincere in maintaining them, Mr. Niemann's . career has been rounded with success and marked by the appreciation of men whose good opinion is best worth having.
McBRIDE, William,
Civil Engineer, Business Man.
"A self-made man" is, perhaps, the phrase which most aptly describes Wil- liam McBride, president and director of the Pittsburgh, Mars & Butler Railway Company and of several important indus- trial corporations. The business career of Mr. McBride has been almost entirely associated with the Steel City, and he is quietly but intimately identified with her club circles and her social life.
The McBride family is an ancient and honorable family and entitled to the escutcheon as shown in colors on the opposite page. The description of the McBride coat-of-arms is as follows :
Arms-Gules, a cinquefoil or, within eight crosses pattee in orle of the last.
Crest-Out of a ducal coronet or, an eagle's head argent.
John McBride, father of William Mc- Bride, was born April 16, 1846, and was a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (John- son) McBride, the former a native of County Cavan, Ireland. Thomas Mc- Bride died at the age of eighty-two. John McBride was a contractor and builder, and his death occurred September 4, 1890: He married Elizabeth, daughter of Hans and Katherine (Nixon) Blakeley. Hans Blakeley, wild was a native of Scot-
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