USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Volume I > Part 11
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Dr. Edmond Ernest Campbell, son of John Francis and Martha Catherine (Gatewood) Campbell, was born January 21, 1859, at Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, and received his preparatory education in
excellent private schools, later entering Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia, and graduating in 1879 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, his father receiving the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the same institution on the same day.
Dr. Campbell at once began teaching in the graded and classical schools of Strasburg, Virginia, and in 1882 was elected to the chair of Latin and Mental Science in the Hagerstown Female Semi- nary, Hagerstown, Maryland. He next taught for two years the same studies at the Staunton (Virginia) Female Semi- nary, and for the following two years was principal of the educational depart- ment of the Tressler Orphans' Home, Loysville, Pennsylvania. July 1, 1891, he became president of Irving Female College. This institution was founded by the late Solomon P. Gorgas, who through life was liberal in his support of it. It was named in honor of Wash- ington Irving, the father of American literature, who showed his appreciation of the honor by presenting to the college a complete set of his works and by serv- ing as a trustee until his death. In 1856, Irving Hall was built, and in 1893, since Dr. Campbell became president, Colum- bian Hall was erected, the beautiful art studio and annex being completed in 1900. This does not include all the im- provements which have taken place under the wise, careful and economical management of Dr. Campbell, additions having been made to the music and din- ing halls, and everything done which could increase the attractiveness of an institution situated among rarely beauti- ful surroundings. Since Dr. Campbell took charge the annual enrollment has steadily and continually increased.
' In politics, Dr. Campbell has always adhered to the Democratic party. His fraternal affiliations are with the Knights of Malta, Royal Arcanum, Modern Woodmen and Maccabees. He is a
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trustee of the Orphans' Home, Loysville, Pennsylvania ; an elder in Zion Lutheran Church, Harrisburg, and teacher of a large Bible class.
Dr. Campbell married (first), in 1887, Sarah Agnes, daughter of W. H. Zufall, of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, and they became the parents of four children : Anna Catherine, a post-graduate of Bryn Mawr, and June, 1912, received her M. A. degree at Radcliffe; Emma N., a graduate of Irving College; Clara Evelyn, attending college; and William E., a student at Roanoke College, Vir- ginia. Mrs. Campbell died February 23, 1896, and Dr. Campbell married (second) December 21, 1897, Grace, daughter of Rev. D. T. Koser, of Arendtsville, Penn- sylvania, becoming by this union the father of the following children: Paul; Grace Josephine; John Francis and Jane Elizabeth.
Dr. Campbell is a popular and highly esteemed citizen, and an educator whose fame extends far beyond the limits of his native State.
GILBERT, Lyman D., Lawyer.
Lyman D. Gilbert, of Harrisburg, former Deputy Attorney-General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and for more than a quarter of a century a leader of the bar of his native State, is a son of Henry and Harriet Gilbert, and was born August 17, 1845, in the city which is now his home. He attended a . resumed his professional business, con- primary school conducted in a building ducting it under his own name until the latter part of 1882, when he formed a partnership under the firm name of Weiss & Gilbert, which continued until his partner, Hon. John II. Weiss, became a Law Judge of the courts of Dauphin county. Since that time Mr. Gilbert has conducted his legal business in his own name. which stood in part upon the site now occupied by his residence, and finished his preparatory education at the Harrisburg Academy, under the direction of the late Professor Jacob F. Seiler, who graduated at Yale. Mr. Gilbert became a member of the class of 1865 of that university, in the early part of its sophomore term.
After graduation Mr. Gilbert com-
menced the study of law in his native city, in the office of Hon. John C. Kunkel, and on August 26, 1868, was admitted to the bar of Dauphin county. Soon after his entrance upon legal practice he formed a partnership with Hon. John B. McPherson, now United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Penn- sylvania, under the firm name of Gilbert & McPherson. Subsequently IIon. Wayne MacVeagh became a member of the firm, remaining such until his re- moval to Philadelphia.
On March 21, 1873, Hon. Samuel E. Dimmick, then Attorney-General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, offered to Mr. Gilbert the position of Deputy Attorney-General, which the latter ac- cepted, filling the office for nine years, and serving the Commonwealth in that position during the two terms of Gov- ernor John F. Hartranft and part of the term of Governor Henry M. Hoyt. Being desirous of devoting himself ex- clusively to personal professional busi- ness, Mr. Gilbert twice tendered his resig- nation, which, in both instances, was de- clined. In 1882 Governor Hoyt tendered him the appointment of Law Judge of the courts of Dauphin county. This he re- fused, and when the offer of that position was accepted by his partner, Judge Mc- Pherson, Mr. Gilbert, for the third time, tendered his resignation. As the then Attorney-General, Hon. Henry W. Palmer, was unwilling to act upon it, Mr. Gilbert personally accepted it, and
During his term as Deputy Attorney-
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General Mr. Gilbert was engaged in the trial of all the important civil cases of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, both in its own courts and in various courts of the United States, including the United States Supreme Court. In 1875 Hon. Samuel E. Dimmick, then Attorney- General, died, and for more than two months, Mr. Gilbert, at the age of thirty years, alone conducted the business of the Attorney-General of Pennsylvania. His official service brought him into as- sociation with and in opposition to many of the leaders of the bar of Pennsylvania, whose names and services are part of the history of the United States.
Mr. Gilbert has for many years been a solicitor of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and of its affiliated corpora- tions, and of the Cumberland Valley Railroad Company and the Valley Trac- tion Company. He has also been at- torney for very many corporations, created by other states as well as by Pennsylvania. The Standard Oil Com- pany has been one of his clients. He has been the adviser of very many of the officers of the Commonwealth, and has been concerned in very many of the notable State litigations of the last thirty years. When the Military Court of In- quiry made its examination of the con- duct of Major M. A. Reno, in what is known as "the Custer Fight," Mr. Gil- bert was the counsel of Major Reno, and succeeded in acquitting his client of the charges made against his personal cour- age and military conduct.
The practice of Mr. Gilbert has been diverse, important and profitable. He has repeatedly refused offers of legal partnership in Pittsburgh and in Phila- delphia, and declined a very important place in the office of the Attorney- General of the United States during the term of service of Hon. Wayne Mac- Veagh. He refused the office of Solicitor of the United States Treasury tendered
him during the administration of Presi- dent Harrison, and he has three times received and declined offers of appoint- ments to judgeships in Pennsylvania. When Hon. P. C. Knox was Attorney- General of the United States he paid Mr. Gilbert the compliment of offering him a high legal position, which was also de- clined. Various political appointments and preferments have been offered Mr. Gilbert, but, with two exceptions, have been invariably declined. He was a delegate-at-large to the Republican Na- tional Convention of 1892, and to the Conference on Combinations and Trusts held in Chicago in 1899.
Mr. Gilbert has been president of the Pennsylvania State Bar Association, the Dauphin County Law Association, and the Yale Alumni Association of Central Pennsylvania. At present lie is chairman of the board of managers of the Penn- sylvania Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon, accepting and retaining that position because of his interest in the work of attempting to reform crim- inal offenders committed to the care of that institution. Ile belongs to a num- ber of clubs, both in his own city and elsewhere, but the one in whose member- ship he most delights is the Tourilli Fish and Game Club, of Canada, which he has been in the habit of annually visiting for about twenty years, in company with his friend, D. T. Watson, Esq., of the bar of Pittsburgh.
Mr. Gilbert married, in 1888, Gabriella, daughter of George Cameron, of Peters- burg, Virginia. During six months of each year, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert live in their Harrisburg home, on the banks of the Susquehanna river, spending the other half of the year at their country home, Fairfield House, on the southern side of the Cumberland Valley, in the midst of some of the most beautiful scenery to be found in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Gilbert has faithfully served the
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Commonwealth, and for nearly half a century has ably upheld the traditional fame and honor of the bar of Pennsyl- vania.
DRAVO, John F., Financier, Coal Operator.
Hon. John F. Dravo, who died at his home in Beaver, Pennsylvania, Septem- ber 30, 1905, ranked high as a prominent business man and public official in that place. His life story is one which is in- separably connected with the history of Beaver county, and interwoven with the important events of its development. As a young man he was strong, vigor- ous and self-reliant. He trusted in his own ability and did things single-handed and alone. His intellect was keen, his personality strong and forceful, he stood by his friends with all his might and to the last extremity. He was an infallible judge of human nature and the deserv- ing always received help from him.
At West Newton, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, November 29, 1819, occurred the birth of John F. Dravo, grandson of Anthony Dravo, who came to America from France in the lat- ter part of the eighteenth century, set- tling in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- vania, where he became the pioneer flor- ist of the city. Anthony Dravo, whose surname was originally spelled Drea- veau, was a close friend of the Mar- quis De Lussière, for whom he was en- gaged in the capacity of florist on the latter's beautiful estates just outside of the city of Paris, France. In 1789, the year the Bastile fell, the Marquis, ac- companied by young Dravo, fled to America in order to escape the perils of the French Revolution. They settled in the Monongahela Valley, just opposite the mouth of Turtle creek and in full view of the place where Washington won fame as a soldier. There the French
Marquis erected a beautiful home, which was named Hamilton Hall, and which is still standing. A few years later, in 1794, Anthony Dravo went to Pittsburgh, where he engaged in business as a flor- ist. His garden, just outside of Fort Pitt, occupied half of a square of what is now the central part of the city. In those early days he was authority on all things pertaining to flower and fruit cul- ture, and he won marked success in his particular line of business. During the period of his residence in Pittsburgh he was visited by a number of French friends, one of his callers being the Mar- quis De Lafayette.
Michael Dravo, son of Anthony Dravo and father of him whose name forms the caption for this article, was born at Pittsburgh, where he was reared to adult age and educated. During a portion of his career he was interested in the coal business in his home city, and some years later removed with his family to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, whence he returned to Pittsburgh, where he and his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Fleming, passed away.
John F. Dravo received a good com- mon-school education in West Newton and in Pittsburgh. He likewise at- tended Allegheny College for two years, and as a young man familiarized him- self with the details of the coal business in his father's office. In 1845 he embarked in the coal business on his own account, and with the passage of time became a large operator, retaining his interest in that line of enterprise up to the time of his demise. In 1854 he founded the town of Dravosburg, Pennsylvania, which is now a thriving mining center. In 1868 he organized the Pittsburgh & Connellsville Gas, Coal and Coke Company, of which concern he became general manager and treasurer. In 1860 he was honored by election to the office of president of the Pittsburgh Coal Exchange, which impor-
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tant office he held continuously for the financially interested in a number of im- ensuing ten years. He was an active portant business concerns of local note, and at one time was a director in the Tradesman's National Bank and in the People's Insurance Company at Beaver. factor in securing the organization of the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, of which he was a charter member and for several years president. In addition to his numerous other interests he devoted a great deal of time to the improvement of navigation on the Ohio and Mononga- hela rivers, the latter of which was opened for transportation purposes in 1897 largely as the result of his influence and efforts. He was actively connected with the building of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie railroad, and served for a number of years on its board of di- rectors. When death called him he was secretary of the Pittsburgh Coal Ex- change.
In his political convictions Mr. Dravo was aligned as a stalwart in the ranks of the Republican party, which he helped to organize in Pennsylvania and which he represented as a delegate in the Na- tional Convention that nominated Abra- ham Lincoln for the office of president of the United States. On two different occasions he was incumbent of the of- fice of Collector of Customs and he like- wise served as Surveyor of the Port of Pittsburgh.
In 1887 he was honored by his fellow citizens with election to the office of rep- resentative from Beaver county in the state legislature, and he was re-elected to that office in 1889. In religious matters he was a lifelong member of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, and for a number of years was a local preacher in the church. When death called him he was a member of the board of trustees of the church at Beaver. Deeply and sincerely interested in educational work, he was for a number of years president of the board of trustees of Beaver Female Col- lege, and was a member of the board of trustees at the time of his death. He was
November 23, 1843, Mr. Dravo was united in marriage to Miss Eliza J. Clarke, a daughter of Samuel and Mar- garet (Moore) Clarke. To this union were born ten children, concerning whom the following brief data are here incorporated: Cassius is deceased; Mar- garet is the widow of Robert Wilson; Josephine is the wife of J. H. McCreary, of Beaver; Mary E. is deceased, as are also Anna and Elizabeth; John S. is en- gaged in business at Beaver; Lida is un- married, and maintains her home at Bea- ver; Etta is deceased. Mr. Dravo died September 30, 1905, at the age of eighty- six years, and his widow, who survived him less than a year, passed away June 27, 1906. Both are buried in the Beaver cemetery. The Dravo family resided in a beautiful home on the banks of the Ohio river, at Beaver. The same was surrounded by extensive grounds and well kept gardens.
There was a modesty and lack of all ostentation in Mr. Dravo's work as a benefactor. It is known that his ear was open to the cry of the poor. There is perhaps not a religious or philanthrop- ic organization in the county of Beaver that has not been aided by his liberality. In his giving, as in all affairs of his life, he had firm convictions of his own and acted in accord with them. It was his special delight to help the needy help themselves. Without breaking the seal of silence that was usually about his benefactions; it may be said of him, as has been said of another: "He added to the sum of human joy ; and, were every- one to whom he did some loving service to bring a blossom to his grave, he would sleep beneath a wilderness of flowers."
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WILSON, Samuel B.,
Educator, Lawyer.
As the years relentlessly mark the milestones on the pathway of time, the older generation slowly gives way to the new, and gradually there pass from our midst the men who made our country what it is and who were prominent factors in building up this Common- wealth for the men of now. In every generation and in every community some few men leave an indelible imprint upon the history of that community, and upon the memories of those who have known them, by their ability to fight and win even against great odds, and by that kind of character which wins lasting friends because of the innate quality which people know as loyalty. Samuel B. Wilson, who was summoned to the life eternal January 17, 1889, was one of those.
Samuel B. Wilson, formerly of Beaver, Pennsylvania, was born near Newcastle, this State, February 20, 1824, a son of Patrick and Rebecca (Morehead) Wil- son, the former of whom was an agricul- turist during the major portion of his active career. Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Wilson were the parents of eight chil- dren, of whom the subject of this review was the seventh in order of birth.
After completing the curriculum of the district schools near Newcastle, Law- rence county, Pennsylvania, Samuel B. Wilson pursued an academic course in Poland College, and subsequently was matriculated as a student in Jefferson College, Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, in which excellent institution he was gradu- ated as a member of the class of 1848. Soon thereafter he was chosen principal of Darlington Academy, and continued incumbent of that position until the fall of 1849, when he went to Somerset, Pennsylvania, where he entered upon the study of law under the able preceptor-
ship of Hon. Jeremiah S. Black, who al- ways remained his intimate friend. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania State bar in 1850, and immediately entered upon the active practice of his profession at Beaver, where he maintained his home during the residue of his lifetime. He succeeded in rapidly building up a large and influential clientage in Beaver county, and was soon admitted to prac- tice in the Federal courts. His broad and comprehensive knowledge of the sci- ence of jurisprudence, and his unusual force and eloquence as a pleader and ex- pounder of the law, soon gained him dis- tinctive prestige as an attorney of decided ability. An orator of power, a keen lawyer, an acute logician, and withal a student of men, possessing a rare insight into their natures, Hon. Samuel B. Wilson was, indeed, a man of fine legal discrimination. His record at the bar and the honors which were be- stowed upon him stand proof of his worth.
April 12, 1854, Mr. Wilson was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Robinson, daughter of George and Mary (Onstott) Robinson, a pioneer family of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. This union was blessed by four children: Sarah, de- ceased; Anna, wife of Dr. Alexander W. Whitehill, of Morgantown, Virginia; Mary, wife of George Davidson, of Bea- ver; and George, an attorney at Beaver.
While a student in college, Mr. Wil- son was one of the founders of the Greek letter college fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta, and he was also one of the foun- ders of St. James Lodge, No. 457, Free and Accepted Masons, at Beaver and its first Worshipful Master. While he was never an office seeker and never asked the people for their votes, his law prac- tice being far too important to admit of such under ordinary circumstances, yet he was deeply interested in political mat- ters, and was a staunch advocate of the
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principles upheld by the Democratic party. In his religious faith he and his family were Presbyterians, and he was a liberal contributor to all charitable or- ganizations. He was broad-minded, kind-hearted, and ever ready to lend a helping hand to those less fortunately situated in life than himself. Ilis death occurred January 17, 1889, at the age of sixty-five years, and his remains are in- terred in the cemetery at Beaver. His widow, who is a woman of most charm- ing personality, survives him and resides in Beaver.
SIMPSON, William W.,
Physician, Lawyer, Manufacturing Druggist.
Dr. Simpson, in his professional serv- ice, has been prompted by a landable am- bition for advancement as well as by deep sympathy and humanitarian princi- ples that urge him to put forth his best efforts in the alleviation of pain and suf- fering. He has gained recognition from the profession as one of its able repre- sentatives, and the trust reposed in him by the public is indicated by the liberal patronage awarded lıim. He is a resi- dent of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, where, in addition to his professional work, he is interested in a number of important financial enterprises. Ile is descended from a race of physicians, his father, grandfather, great-grandfather and many of his ancestors having all been medical practitioners.
A native son of New Brighton, Penn- sylvania, Dr. William Winfield Simpson was born July 27, 1874, son of Dr. Wil- liam C. and Mary (Braun) Simpson, both of whom were born and reared in Beaver county, this State. The father, who is now living in retirement at New Brighton, was engaged in the practice of medicine in this place for a period of thirty-seven years, and during that time
gained and retained the unalloyed con- fidence and esteem of all with whom he came in contact. He is a Democrat in politics, and while he lias never aspired for public office of any kind, he gives freely of his aid and influence in support of all measures projected for progress and improvement. He organized the New Brighton Board of Health and acted as its first president. He also or- ganized the first Building and Loan As- sociation in the city, and has long been interested in banking affairs here. He was a pioneer in promoting the brick manufacturing industry in Beaver Val- ley, and in every sense he is a represen- tative citizen whose loyalty and public spirit have ever been of the most insis- tent order. William Washington Simp- son, grandfather of the subject of this review, was the first member of the Simpson family to locate in Beaver county, whither he came from Washing- ton county. He was likewise a physician and surgeon, as was his father before him. The family is of staunch Scotch ancestry, and many representatives of the name in Scotland were famous doc- tors.
The first in order of birth in a family of five children, Dr. William Winfield Simpson was reared to maturity in New Brighton, where he attended the public schools to the age of sixteen years, when lie became a student in Phillips Acad- emy, at Exeter, New Hampshire. In 1893 he entered the Western University of Pennsylvania, at Pittsburgh, in the medical department of which institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1896, duly receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Immediately after graduating he initiated the active practice of his profession at New Brighton, where he has since maintained his home and where he controls a large and lucrative patronage. During his leisure time he has made a special study
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of the X-ray, and has met with unusual success in his treatments. In connection with his medical and surgical work he is a valued and appreciated member of the Beaver County Medical Society, the Pennsylvania State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.
In 1912 Dr. Simpson organized the American Ointment Company, a concern that manufactures a pharmaceutical line of remedies. The plant is located at New Brighton, and the Doctor is presi- dent of the company. In politics he is an independent Democrat, and while he is deeply and sincerely interested in comununity affairs he does not partici- pate actively in local politics. He is a member and one of the promoters of the Beaver Valley Country Club, of which he was formerly first vice-president. His chief recreation is golf, and he spends a great deal of time on the local links. He was reared in the faith of the Presby- terian church, and while he is not for- mally connected with that denomination, he is a regular attendant in church, and is a liberal contributor to various chari- table organizations.
October 22, 1907, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Simpson to Miss Marian Pryde Woods, a daughter of C. G. and Julia (McKelvey) Woods, of Sewickley, Pennsylvania. Dr. and Mrs. Simpson are the parents of one son, William Win- field, Jr., whose birth occurred Febru- ary 28, 1909. The Simpson home is one of the attractive residences at New Brighton, and it is widely renowned as a center of refinement and most generous hospitality.
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