USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Volume I > Part 39
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Dr. E. S. H. McCanley, a practicing physician and surgeon of prominence at Beaver, Pennsylvania, was born in New Sewickley township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Leander and Margaret M. (Andrews) McCauley, the former of whom was born in Beaver county and the latter in Lawrence coun- ty, Pennsylvania. David McCauley, great-grandfather of Dr. McCauley, was born in Down county, Ireland, and there resided during his entire lifetime. His wife, whose maiden name was Jane Cor- ran, with her son Robert and her other children came to America in 1819, just after the death of her husband, and set- tled in the city of Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania. Robert McCauley, grandfather of the doctor, was twenty-one years of age when he came to America. He was well educated and was an instructor by
Mr. Matcham is survived by his wife occupation, teaching in Pittsburgh and
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Sewickley township, Allegheny and at Pittsburgh, and was graduated in Beaver counties. In 1825 he purchased a that institution in 1891, at which time he farm of two hundred and fifty acres in New Sewickley township, and resided thereon until his death in 1867. Ile mar- ried Mary Mitchell, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Patterson) Mitchell, and they became the parents of the following children: John M., David C., Leander, Robert P., James M., Elizabeth, Mary, Emiline and Martha. Mr. Robert Mc- Canley was an active Democrat in his time, and served as assessor of his town- ship. He and his wife were devout mem- bers of the Presbyterian church, in the various departments of whose work they were zealous factors. secured a position in the business office of the "Pittsburgh Times," with which concern he was connected for the ensuing three years. In September, 1894, he was matriculated as a student in the Cleve- land Homeopathic Medical College, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1897. Ile then entered the Homeopathie Hospital, at Rochester, New York, where he acted as interne for fourteen months, at the end of which time, September 15, 1898, he opened an office in Beaver, where he has since re- sided and where he enjoys the unique distinction of being the only homeopathie physician in the city. In connection with the work of his profession he is a valued member of the Beaver County Medical Society, the Pennsylvania State Medical Society and the American Institute of Homeopathy. He is visiting physician and surgeon at the Beaver Valley Gen- eral Hospital, which is located at New Brighton, and he controls a large and representative patronage both as surgeon and as physician. In a business way he is a director in the Fort MeIntosh Na- tional Bank, and fraternally he is affili- ated with the time-honored Masonic or- der and with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Leander MeCauley, father of Dr. Mc- Cauley, taught school as a young man in Beaver county and in Ohio. In 1857 he removed to Williams county, Ohio, where he purchased a sawmill, which he operated for a period of five years. He then turned his attention to carpentering and pattern-making, and later carried on farming on the old homestead. In 1891 he retired from active life and settled in the town of Rochester, Pennsylvania, where he owned a beautiful home and where he continued to reside until his death November 1. 1901. In early life he was an ardent Republican, but later gave his support to the Prohibition party. He and his family were Presby- terians in their religious faith. He mar- ried Martha M. Andrews, of Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, and they had four children, whose names are here en- tered in respective order of birth: Wil- fred J., John C., Mary M. and Dr. E. S. H.
October 2, 1900, Dr. McCauley was united in marriage to Miss Etta Grace Nichols, who was born and reared at Mexico, New York, and who is a daugli- ter of F. M. and Cora (Harvey) Nichols, prominent residents of Mexico, New York. Dr. and Mrs. McCauley are the fond parents of one daughter, Ruth Mc- Canley, whose birth occurred July 15, 1905. They are devout members of the Presbyterian church and are active in church and Sunday school work.
To the curriculum of the district schools of New Sewickley township, Dr. E. S. H. McCauley is indebted for his preliminary educational training, which was later supplemented by a course of In his political allegiance Dr. Me- Cauley is a stalwart supporter of the study in Geneva College. He likewise attended the Iron City Business College, principles and policies promulgated by
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the Republican party. He has never been an aspirant for public office of any deseription, but manifests a deep and sin- cere interest in community affairs and at one time served for two terms as a mem- ber of the borough council. He is a man of broad mind and liberal ideas, and he gives his hearty support to all measures and enterprises advanced for progress and improvement As a citizen and pro- fessional man he commands the unquali- fied confidence and esteem of his fellow- men.
MATTHEWS, Vitellius,
Manufacturer.
Pittsburgh, while she rightly glories in her unsurpassed citizenship, yet cher- ishes with peculiar pride the memory of certain of lier sons who have realized more fully than the average the ideal Pittsburgh business man. Of this num- ber was the late Vitellius Matthews, sec- retary of the Rust Boiler Company and the Midland Steel Company, and for many years intimately identified with the leading interests of his native city.
Vitellius Matthews was born June 27, 1842, in Ross street, Pittsburgh, and was a son of Levy and Sarah (Walker) Mat- thews. The boy was educated in the public schools of his native city and early entered business life, developing at the outset those distinctive qualifications which were to render his career a re- markable one. In the course of time he became associated with the firm of James Wood & Company, and when it was dis- solved connected himself with Spang, Chalfant & Company. Quick and decisive in his methods, keenly alive to any busi- ness proposition and its possibilities, and seeming to find in the solution of a diffi- cult commercial problem that pleasure without which there can be no real suc- eess, he was a splendid type of the alert, energetic, progressive business man with
whom obstacles serve rather as an im- petus to renewed effort than as a bar to advancement. He was most kind and considerate to his employees and was ever on the lookout for any machinery that would facilitate business and do the work in a superior manner. Subsequently Mr. Matthews became secretary of the Rust Boiler Company, and at the time of his death held the same office in the Mid- land Steel Company. In all the positions which he filled he exhibited remarkable executive ability, an astonishingly clear perception of the wants of the different enterprises and the power of handling large bodies of men, co-ordinating their energies with skill and efficiency. His thorough business qualifications caused his services to be always in good de- mand on boards of directors of various organizations, and his public spirit led him to accept many such trusts. To whatever he undertook he gave his whole soul, allowing none of the numerous in- terests committed to his care to suffer for want of close and able attention and industry. As a citizen with exalted ideas of good government and civic virtue, Mr. Matthews stood in the front rank, never withholding his aid and influence from any movement which, in his judgment, tended to promote the welfare of Pitts- burgh. Widely but unostentatiously charitable, the full number of his bene- factions will, in all probability, never be known to the world, for he delighted to give in such a manner that few were aware of it.
In politics Mr. Matthews was a Repub- lican, and, while he did much for the suc- cess of the party, would never consent to accept office, preferring to concen- trate his energies on the discharge of his business obligations. He belonged to several clubs, where his genial nature made his always a welcome presence, and he was a member of the Second Presbyterian Church.
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Personally, Mr. Matthews was a fine- looking, genial man whose countenance radiated an optimistic spirit, and the briefest talk with him revealed the ver- satility of his talents. He possessed a most kindly disposition, and appreciation of the good traits of others constituted a salient feature in his character. Com- bined with an energy that vitalized all his undertakings was an absolute sincer- ity. He was one who ever did the straightforward, manly thing, his soul recoiling from deceit.
Mr. Matthews married, September 27, 1866, Lillie A., daughter of Thomas B. and Elizabeth (Rutherford) Young. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Matthews was John Rutherford, who came from Edinborough, Scotland, to Pittsburgh, in March, 1811. Mrs. Matthews is a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, being directly descended from Thomas Rogers.
The death of Mr. Matthews, which oc- curred March 15, 1912, removed from Pittsburgh one of her most respected citizens and leading business men. His career was illustrative of the essential principles of a true life. His commercial transactions were conducted in accord- ance with the loftiest standards of reeti- tude, he fulfilled to the letter every trust committed to him and was generous in his feelings and conduct toward all.
With the passing of Vitellius Mat- thews, Pittsburgh lost one of her repre- sentative men. Would that she had many more of the same exceptional type!
WATSON, David T.,
Soldier, Lawyer.
Pittsburgh, supreme in the material world, is no less so in the realm of the intellect, inasmuch as she claims as one of her leading citizens David Thompson Watson, of the firm of Watson & Free- man, a lawyer whose name is known and
honored not only in his own State, nor even in his native land, but in every quarter of the globe where the English language is spoken.
James Watson, father of David Thompson Watson, was born in 1810, at Canonsburg, Washington county, Penn- sylvania, graduated from Canonsburg College, and studied law under the guidance and instruction of Thomas Mc- Kenna. In 1833 he was admitted to the bar, and soon after was received into partnership by his preceptor, who recog- nized his remarkable ability and whose election to Congress caused him to feel the need of a capable associate. For more than forty years thereafter Mr. Watson continued to practice his profes- sion, achieving marked distinction at the Washington county bar-a man of legal learning, analytical mind and extraordin- ary readiness in grasping the points in an argument. He married Maria Wood- bridge, born at Canonsburg, daughter of George Morgan, and granddaughter of Colonel George and Elizabeth A. (Thompson) Morgan, the latter a daugh- ter of David Thompson, of Delaware. George Morgan was a native of New Jersey, was educated at Princeton Uni- versity, and at the age of sixteen accom- panied his parents to Washington county, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Watson were the parents of ten children, among them David Thompson, men- tioned below. The death of Mr. Watson was mourned as that of a man of great natural endowments, a professional rec- ord without blemish, and a genial, kindly disposition, which had surrounded him with friends.
David Thompson Watson, son of James and Maria Woodbridge (Morgan) Watson, was born January 2, 1844, at Washington, Pennsylvania, and received his preliminary education in the common schools, whence he passed to Washing- ton College. His course of study was
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interrupted by the stirring events of the Missouri. This case involved the con- Civil War, and at the age of nineteen, struction of the Sherman anti-trust law, and the decision of the court was in ac- cordance with the construction placed upon that law by Mr. Watson. when all Pennsylvania was excited over "Morgan's Raid," he enlisted for ninety days in the Fifty-sixth Regiment Penn- sylvania Volunteers, with the rank of orderly sergeant. One year later he was mustered in as lieutenant in Knapp's Battalion, and served with credit till the close of the war.
After his return to civil life, Mr. Wat- son entered the Law School of Harvard University, graduating in 1866. In 1905 the University of Pittsburgh conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws. For a short time after graduation, Mr. Watson was associated in practice with his father, but then opened an office in Pittsburgh. He entered into partnership with Hopkins & Lazear, and then with James Veach, but in 1873 the latter con- nection was dissolved, and Mr. Watson for a time practiced alone. Later he formed his present partnership with Mr. Freeman.
The advancement of Mr. Watson in his chosen profession was rapid, and be- fore many years had elapsed he had ac- quired a large clientele and was one of the recognized leaders of the Allegheny county bar. This was due to sheer force of ability, the possession of that judicial instinet which makes its way quickly through the immaterial to the essential; a broad, comprehensive grasp of all ques- tions submitted for his consideration and the exceptional strengh of his reasoning powers. His practice was not limited to Pennsylvania ; he was frequently retained in cases tried in other States, and soon became a familiar figure in the Supreme Court of the United States. He was es- pecially famed for his success in conduct- ing cases of national and international importance, and was retained by the gov- ernment in the Northern Securities case, argued in March, 1903, before the Cir- cuit Court of Appeals, St. Louis,
The greatest triumph of Mr. Watson's brilliant career was achieved in Septem- ber, 1903, when he made his famous arg- ument on the Alaskan Boundary Dispute before the International Tribunal in Lon- don. The court chosen for this purpose consisted of three eminent Americans ap- pointed by the United States, and three of the most prominent jurists of Great Britain and Canada, the six constituting a joint commission. Mr. Watson, by his masterly argument on this occasion, con- vinced Lord Alverstone of the justice of his cause and won the case for the United States-a victory for the whole American bar, but a cause of special pride to the State of Pennsylvania and the city of Pittsburgh.
Almost immediately after his return to his native land, Mr. Watson added to the list of his American successes. He was retained by the city of Chicago as expert counsel to investigate and give an opinion in a controversy relating to trac- tion matters long in dispute, and his opinion delivered in January, 1904, gave evidence of the deep and exhaustive study he had bestowed upon the subject. The style of Mr. Watson's oratory has been so often described that little remains to be said, and that little is a summary of the subject in a single sentence: His manner of speaking "convinces."
From politics, Mr. Watson holds him- self in a measure aloof. He is above all else a lawyer, devoted heart and soul to his profession, and not to be allured from his allegiance by the prospect of any of- fice, however exalted. By his vote and influence he supports the principles advo- cated by the Democratie party. A scholar and a man of widest reading, he is not a recluse, but delights in congenial
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companionship, and possesses the faculty of inspiring the same loyal friendship which it is in his nature to bestow. He belongs to the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution, the Du- quesne, Pittsburgh, University and Alle- gheny clubs of Pittsburgh, and the Rit- tenhouse Club of Philadelphia; also the Tourville Fish and Game Club of Can- ada, hunting trips to the Dominion being among his favorite recreations. He at- tends the Third Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Watson married, June 10, 1889, Margaret Hepburn, daughter of the late William Walker, who at his death in 1883 was president of the Farmers' De- posit National Bank of Pittsburgh. Mrs. Watson is an associate member of the Allegheny Country Club, and both she and her husband are extremely popular in Pittsburgh society. Their beautiful home is a centre of gracious and refined hospitality, and is adorned with souvenirs of travel, gathered in this country and in foreign lands. Mr. Watson is the owner of large tracts of real estate in the vicinity of Pittsburgh.
Mr. Watson has proved himself to be one of the giants of his profession, and the pride with which his native State re- gards him is all the greater, inasmuch as she feels that she cannot wholly claim him. He belongs to the Nation. He has maintained the ancient prestige of the Bar of Pennsylvania, and by his national and international triumphs has added new lustre to the splendid record of the Bar of the United States of America.
HUMPHREYS, William Young,
A Leader In Coal Industry.
of William Young Humphreys, presi- dent of the Bessemer Coke Company, and one of the upholders of the great reputa- tion of the Iron City.
William Young Humphreys was born May 8, 1861, in St. Louis, Missouri, a son of George D. and Sarah Frances ( Young) Humphreys. He was educated in the public and private schools of his native city, entered early into business life, and has for many years been a recognized power in the coal industry of Pittsburgh. In all the positions which he has filled he has exhibited remarkable executive abil- ity, a judgment that was seldom at fault, boldness of operation in his projects and an unusual capacity for discerning the motives and merits of men. In addition to the presidency of the Bessemer Coke Company, he holds also that of the Pitts- burgh Coal-Washer Company. Mr. Humphreys is senior member of the well known firm of Humphreys, Griffin & Company, the business interests of which are of a most important nature, demand- ing the services of one whose ability is of a superior order, whose well balanced forees are prepared for any emergency and who has a ready and rapid under- standing of any problem which may be presented for solution. He is vice-presi- dent of the Powell Coal & Coke Com- pany, and a director of the Unity Mer- cantile Company.
As a public-spirited citizen, Mr. Humphreys is always ready to give prac- tical aid to any movement which in his judgment would advance the public wel- fare. Although he has been and is far too busy a man to take any active part in politics, no man is more keenly alive to the affairs of the city, concerning which his advice is often sought. His alle- giance is given to the Republican party, but he has steadily refused to participate in political controversies or to become a candidate for office. He is a man of large
Pittsburgh-the seat of an empire the grandeur of which is more substantial than that of Greece and Rome-is the battle-ground of business, and the war- riors who contend on that field are men of the younger generation, men of the type nature, deliberate in the formation of
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plans, thorough, upright, clear-headed, and generous in his benefactions to char- ity but extremely unostentatious and ever seeking to veil his good deeds from the eyes of the world. He is a member of the Presbyterian church. The personal qualities of Mr. Humphreys are such as to win for him the warm and enduring regard of a large circle of friends. He is one of the managers of the Pittsburgh Sanitarium, and is a member of the Du- quesne, Automobile, Country and Oak- mont clubs of Pittsburgh, and of the New York Yacht Club. He is a great lover of sports, especially water sports, and is an enthusiastic yachtsman, owning the beautiful yacht Halcyon.
Mr. Humphreys married, November 10, 1892, in Pittsburgh, Ellen M., daughter of John G. Stephenson, and they are the parents of the following children: Wil- liam Young, born 1893; John S., 1895; Elizabeth S .; Alan S., born 1900; Kather- ine S .; and David A., born 1906. Mrs. Humphreys is one of those rare women who combine with perfect womanliness and domesticity an unerring judgment, a union of qualities of great value to her husband to whom she is not alone a charming companion, but also a con- fidante and adviser.
Mr. Humphreys is one of the men to whom years mean accomplishment-who count the passing of time by deeds, not by days. He is now in the prime of life, and his past promises a brilliant future. Cities like Pittsburgh and men like Wil- liam Young Humphreys have the same motto-"Do!"
GLESSNER, James Graham, Lawyer, Public Official.
been upheld, and nobly are they sustained by its members of the present day-men of the type of James Graham Glessner, of York, former District Attorney, and one of the foremost leaders of the York County Bar.
Henry Glessner, father of James Gra- ham Glessner, was a native of York county, of Swiss descent. He lived at Lewisberry, where he followed the calling of a painter and cabinetmaker. He mar- ried Anna Graham, of Scotch-Irish an- cestry, and they became the parents of seven children, among them James Gra- ham, mentioned below. Mr. Glessner died February 21, 1884, aged fifty-four years. Both he and his wife were mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
James Graham, son of Henry and Anna (Graham) Glessner, was born November 9, 1865, at Lewisberry, York county, Pennsylvania, where he attended the common schools until the age of sixteen. He then ceased to be a pupil and became an instructor in the schools, afterward at- tending a school at Lock Haven, Pennsyl- vania, and subsequently entering the Cumberland Valley State Normal School, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. From this institution he graduated in the class of 1885. In the following year he com- menced the study of law with the firm of Kell & Kell, of York, and after teaching for one term in 1887 was admitted in the ensuing year to the bar of York county. Mr. Glessner at once established him- self in York, opening an office with Silas H. Forry. His success was immediate and emphatic, the result of innate ability re-enforced by untiring industry, intense application and undeviating adherence to the strictest principles of rectitude. One of his most marked characteristics as a lawyer was a singular facility in pene- trating through the immaterial intricacies of a case to the essential point upon which its determination must depend, and
No State in the Union has greater reason than has Pennsylvania to glory in the learning, eloquence and weight of character of the members of its Bar. For two centuries its high standards have he also showed himself extremely apt in
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seizing upon the points which his op- nor influence was more potent in bring- ponent was endeavoring to establish and quickly demolishing them with a few of his rapier-like sentences. These qualifi- cations, which have ripened with the lapse of years, have placed Mr. Glessner in the front rank of his profession in York county.
In public life also, Mr. Glessner has distinguished himself. He is an ardent and energetic Republican, and since early manhood has taken an active part in the movements and councils of his party. In 1890 he was elected secretary of the Republican County Committee, and held that exacting position through- out two stirring campaigns. In 1892, upon the death of the county chairman, Mr. Glessner at once announced him- self as a candidate for the vacant position, and after a spirited con- test was triumphantly elected. In this position he had to deal with new faces and factors in State and national politics, but these demands served only to call out his extraordinary ability for leader- ship, and his record during the succeed- ing four years was so convincing and satisfactory that at the expiration of his term he was unanimously re-elected. In 1896 he fully sustained the well-earned distinction of 1892, showing himself amply able to meet the exigencies of po- litical campaigning and adding to his al- ready high reputation as a successful Republican leader.
In 1890 Mr. Glessner was nominated by his party for the office of District At- torney, but despite his advanced vote he was unable to overcome the large adverse majority in the county. In 1904 Mr. Glessner was again the Republican candidate for this position, and in the memorable campaign of that year achieved a signal victory at the polls. It was the never to be forgotten contest of that year which wrested York county from Democratic control, and no voice
ing about that radical and most desirable change than were the voice and influence of James Graham Glessner. A man of fine intellectual endowments, he adds to these exceptional talents as an orator, and by the exercise of these talents has won laurels, professional and political- both as an advocate and a campaign speaker. Mr. Glessner is now a leader of the Bull Moose party in Pennsylvania, a fact which will go far toward insuring its ultimate triumph.
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