USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Volume I > Part 5
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 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53
Following the adoption of his plan, he at once proceeded to examine all the schools and pupils in the town, giving each child as well as each school a grade, with a certificate. This was the first formal examination ever made to determine the proper grade of the schools of pupils. The pupils were at once sent to their proper places in classes and schoolrooms, and the system was soon in active opera- tion. Professor Cottingham continually
studied to benefit the schools, to broaden the system, and to make the work of edu- cation in Easton of more practical and far-reaching benefit. While he systema- tized the school, however, the transac- tions of the school board were conducted with utter disregard of any method. The papers were stored away in old boxes in the room, or in a cellar, and Mr. Cotting- ham directed his labor toward securing improvement in that direction. He gath- ered all of the records, bills, petitions and receipts, filed them with care, and put them in places of safety. He suggested the use of books for the recording of all transactions of the board, and for its ac- counts and regular business. He offered to keep the accounts and records of the board complete and, as the result of his diligent presentation of the subject, the present system of books in use by this school board was adopted. In addition to the regular work of superintending the schools, Professor Cottingham also for a number of years performed the clerical work now done by the secretary and li- brarian, and the manifold duties which devolved upon him in this connection often caused him to write busily in his of- fice until twelve or one o'clock at night, after following the arduous duties of the day. He continued to do this until his eyes were weakened to such an extent that he was obliged to place himself in the hands of a surgeon for treatment. He performed the extra service gratuitously until 1873, when he was relieved by the appointment of a secretary. Many origi- nal features have been introduced into the schools of Easton, and the work of the educational department of the city is now of a most practical character. Professor Cottingham largely maintained the paren- tal attitude to a child in his relation to the pupils that came under his care, tak- ing recognition of their dispositional ten- dencies in as far as is possible and practi- cal. He labored to promote physical,
29
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
mental and moral development, and thus produce a well-rounded character. His interest in the individual did not cease as the pupil passed from his care in the school-room, and many now successful and prominent business men owe to him their start upon a business career because of the influence which he exerted in se- curing positions for them. Through his suggestion and influence, four scholar- ships to Lafayette College were obtained and offered as prizes in the high school, so that each year one of these is given to the boy who wins the highest scholarship in the public school course of Easton. He also secured the adoption by the school board of the plan of issuing diplomas, and designed the certificate of graduation which is now given to each high school pupil who completes the regular course.
An analyzation of his life work shows that Professor Cottingham was a man of scholarly attainments and strong in- tellectuality, and yet not to this alone was due his success as one of the most able public school educators of the coun- try. One of the elements of power in his work was his earnest desire and ef- forts for advancement in methods, and another equally potent factor was his in- terest in the individual, and his coopera- tion for the advancement of the inherent talent of each pupil. Few men of the country so win the love of those who come under their instruction as did Pro- fessor Cottingham, and his career as an educator has been an honor to the city which has honored him. A notable event in the life of Professor Cottinghgam, and also in the local history of Easton, was the celebration which was held in that city, April 28, 1887, in honor of the com- pletion of one-third of a century of his superintendency, and another on October 28, 1903, in honor of the fiftieth anniver- sary of his service. On that occasion many notable educators and prominent men of Pennsylvania were present, sev-
eral of whom delivered addresses, and in the evening a banquet was held. It was an occasion long to be remembered by Professor Cottingham and his many friends, and well did he merit this public token of the esteein and confidence of his fellow citizens and co-workers in edu- cational lines throughout the State.
Professor Cottingham was a Mason from September, 1867, and was secretary of Dallas Lodge, No. 396; he also be- longed to Royal Arch Chapter, No. 172; Hugh de Payens Commandery, No. 19, Knights Templar; and affiliated with the order of American Mechanics. In re- ligious belief he was a Presbyterian, be- longing to the First Church of Easton. In the various local and state teachers' conventions he was an important factor, serving as president of the State Conven- tion held in Harrisburg, and in many other ways promoting the success of the work in which he was so deeply inter- ested. He was instrumental in having the public library (now the Carnegie Library) opened for the use of the people of Easton.
Professor Cottingham was married, March 20, 1856, to Louisa C. Abel, a daughter of John and Maria E. (Reich- ard) Abel. Her paternal ancestry is traced back to Johan Jacob and Maria Sophia (Raub) Abel, the former arriving in America from Hanover, Germany, on the 25th of October, 1652. John Abel was born September 12, 1744, and died September 12, 1822. He married Cather- ine Bleckley, and among their children was John Abel, father of Mrs. Cotting- ham. Her mother, Maria (Reichard) Abel, was a daughter of Jacob and Eliza- beth (Hay) Reichard. The former was a son of Daniel Reichard, who was born in Switzerland, in 1752, and died in Easton in March, 1819. His wife, Cath- erine Dorothy Reichard, was born in Switzerland, in 1753, and died in Easton, November 19, 1845. Mrs. Elizabeth
30
John 8. Fox
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
(Hay) Reichard, the grandmother of Mrs. Cottingham, was born in Easton in March, 1780, and was a daughter of Peter and Margaret (Simmons) Hay. Peter Ilay was a son of Melchior Hay, and a grandson of Malcom Hay, the emigrant.
Four children comprised the family of Professor and Mrs. Cottingham, namely : Mrs. Laura S Morrison, deceased Deceni- ber 31, 1912, of St. Albans, Vermont ; Mrs. Annie W. Talmage, of New Bed- fort, Massachusetts; Mrs. Jennie B. Vories, of New Orleans, Louisiana; and W W. Cuttingham Jr., of Easton, Penn- sylvania Two children are deceased : Line A. and Emily L. Cottingham.
FOX, John E., Lawyer, Legislator, Financier.
The history of Pennsylvania is largely a history of her Bench and Bar. Wisely and ably have her judges and advocates interpreted hier laws and defended her liberties, and worthily has the record of the past been supplemented by those who now stand at the head of the legal pro- fession in the Keystone State. Foremost among the present leaders of the Penn- sylvania bar is State Senator John E. Fox, of Harrisburg, head of the well known firm of Fox & Geyer, and for the ' last quarter of a century an influential factor in the legal and political circles of his city and state. Senator Fox is a representative of an old Pennsylvania family, the members of which in the suc- cessive generations have been closely identified with the industrial, financial and political development of the com- monwealth.
John Fox, great-grandfather of John E. Fox, of Harrisburg, was born in 1751, in Devonshire, England, and in early man- hood, accompanied by his brother Joseph, emigrated to this country, settling first at Germantown, in the Province of Pennsyl- vania. In 1799 he settled in what was
then Londonderry township, Lancaster county, near Hummelstown, and there passed the remainder of his life. He married Anna Margaret Rupert, born De- cember 14, 1756, in Holland, and their children were: John, Margaret, Thomas ; George, mentioned below; James, and Richard. John Fox, the eldest of this family, served from 1831 to 1833 as a member of the House of Representatives of l'ennsylvania, filled the office of sheriff two terms, and faithfully discharged the duties of various positions in the town- ship. John Fox, the father of the family, died April 25, 1816, and his widow passed away October 21, 1838.
George, son of John and Anna Mar- garet (Rupert) Fox, was born December 17, 1788, in what was then Londonderry township, Dauphin county. He was reared on a farm, and became proprietor of the Golden House, Hummelstown. Politically he was a Whig, and for thirty- five years held the office of postmaster of Hummelstown, fulfilling its requirements with the utmost fidelity and efficiency. He was active in all measures for reform and progress, and in all respects a model citizen. He and his wife were members of the Lutheran church. Mr. Fox mar- ried Elizabeth, born December 3, 1794, daughter of Caspar and Mary Eshenauer, and the following children were born to them: Richard, John E., George, James, Abner, and Thomas George, mentioned below. Mr. Fox died August 25, 1855, and the death of his widow occurred April 8, 1862.
Thomas George, son of George and Elizabeth (Eshenauer) Fox, was born July 19, 1827, in Hummelstown, where he attended the subscription schools until the age of fourteen, going then to Harris- burg in order to learn printing. After spending four years in the office of the "Telegraph," he went to Philadelphia, and for two years was employed as clerk in the Exchange Bank. At the end of
31
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
that time, having a strong predilection for the medical profession, he entered Jefferson Medical College, from which institution he was graduated with honors in 1852. He at once opened an office in Hummelstown, where for many years he was the leading medical practitioner. In 1873 he retired from the active practice of his profession. In 1861-63 Dr. Fox was a member of the State Legislature, in 1873 was elected prothonotary of Dauphin county, and at the expiration of his first term was re-elected. He was a member and at one time president of the Board of Prison Inspectors of the county, and for many years served as school di- rector. Dr. Fox is the owner of six hundred acres of land, and his profes- sional ability and public spirit have long caused him to be regarded as the leading citizen of his community. He married, in Hummelstown, May 11, 1852, Diana, born July 12, 1832, in Derry township, daughter of Henry and Mary (Landis) Hershey, and they became the parents of the following children: L. Webster, a leading oculist in Philadelphia, and pro- fessor of ophthalmology in the Medico- Chirurgical College; Elizabeth; Robert T., died in early life ; James G .; John E., mentioned below; Adelaide, wife of John H. Gay, of Philadelphia; Mary; Carrie, wife of J. P. Nissley, of Hummelstown ; and George H., a prominent physician of Philadelphia, died April 14, 1912. James G. Fox, third son in this family, has re- sided at different times in Dauphin and Chester counties, and in both has taken an active part in public affairs. In 1893 he was elected a member of the Republi- can county committee, in 1898 was a can- didate for the State Legislature, but was defeated, in 1900 was elected to the same office and in 1902 was re-elected, and served as chairman of the committee on public roads, and as a member of the rail- road, forestry, military, new counties and county seats committees.
John E., son of Thomas George and Diana (Hershey) Fox, was born Novem- ber 27, 1861, at Hummelstown, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, and received his primary education in the schools of his native place, afterward entering Lafay- ette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, grad- nating in 1885 with the degree of Bach- elor of Arts. Two years later his alma mater conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts, and he is now a trustee of the college. During the two years fol- lowing his graduation, Mr. Fox taught the Hummelstown grammar school, and at the end of that time took up the study of law with the firm of Weiss & Gil- bert, of Harrisburg. After completing his education by spending some time in foreign travel, he returned in 1888 to Harrisburg, and was admitted to the Dauphin county bar. He has since prac- tised his profession in that city, and in 1910 received into partnership John R. Geyer, the firm being known as Fox & Geyer. It ranks as one of the leading law firms of Harrisburg, and is now counsel for the Bell Telephone Com- pany, the American Telephone & Tele- graph Company, the Pennsylvania Steel Company, and many other large corpora- tions. Mr. Fox is noted for his quick ap- preciation of the points counsel are en- deavoring to establish, and for his in- variable success in getting at the root of the matter by questions during argu- ment. He has a broad, comprehensive grasp of all problems submitted to him, and this, together with his legal learning and analytical mind, places him among the most capable jurists who have ever graced the bar of Harrisburg. Always earnest and logical, and with a full com- mand of language, he never fails to im- press his audience with the justice of the canse he pleads.
In early manhood Mr. Fox came into prominence as an influence in the coun- cils of the Republican party. In 1892 he
32
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
served as delegate from his congressional district to the Republican National Con- vention held at Minneapolis, Minnesota, and in 1900 he was elected State Senator. He has the remarkable record of twelve years' continuous tenure of this office, his last term expiring in December, 1912. Senator Fox's services as a legislator have been such as entitle him to the highest respect and the warmest grati- tude of his constituents. In 1901 he was mainly instrumental in the passage of the appropriation bill for the building of the State Capitol, a structure which is with- out a peer among its class, both for beauty and adaptability to the purpose for which it was erected, and which re- flects glory not only on the city of Har- risburg, but on the State of Pennslvania. Senator Fox was also instrumental in passing the Park Extension Bill, which adds twenty-eight acres to the Capitol Park. The bill had been a subject of con- troversy during four sessions of the legis- lature, and was finally passed chiefly through the splendid fighting qualities of Senator Fox, who seldom fails to come off victorious in any discussion, his tell- ing questions laying bare the very heart and centre of the subject. But Senator Fox's greatest and crowning service was his prosecution of those who sought to enrich themselves out of the public treas- ury, who endeavored to fraudulently amass wealth from the building of the State Capitol. As counsel for the com- monwealth he scored a signal victory, and won for himself a place of enduring honor in the annals of the Keystone State. In 1907 lie declined the Republi- can nomination for Additional Law Judge of Dauphin county.
In 1910 Senator Fox became one of the owners of the Mechanics' Bank of Ilar- risburg, a private bank, and also became actively interested in banking. He was formerly a director of the Harrisburg Trust Company, the Bell Telephone
Company and the Pennsylvania Tele- phone Company, retaining his connection with the last-named organization until it was merged in the Bell system. He is now a member of the Harrisburg Board of Trade. He takes an earnest interest in philanthropic work, and is a member of the Associated Charities, and a director of the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion. Senator Fox is a member of the State Bar Association and the Dauphin County Bar Association. He belongs to the Harrisburg and Anglenet Fishing Clubs, of Harrisburg, and the Country Club, holding membership also in the Union League Club of New York, the University Club of Philadelphia, and the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He is a member of the Market Square Presby- terian Church.
The personal appearance of Senator Fox never fails to convey the impression of rare force of character. Although not exceeding the medium height, he has more of that indefinable quality called "presence" than many men of greater stature, while his virile, clear-cut fea- tures, combined with the penetrating glance of his keen, piercing eyes, impress the beholder with a sense of power, and also with the wisdom of the Attorney- General in selecting such a man to bear a leading part in the conduct of the suits recommended by the Capitol Investiga- tion Commission. That the bill for the appropriation of $4,000,000 for the new Capitol building should be triumphantly passed, was little wonder when we con- sider that its author was John E. Fox.
Senator Fox married, December 4, 1907, Rachel B., daughter of Charles Kunkel, a prominent banker of Harris- burg, and three children have been born to them: Charles Kunkel, Rachel Vir- ginia, and Mary Elizabeth. By his mar- riage, Senator Fox gained the life com- panionship of a fascinating and congenial woman-one of those rare women who
33
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
combine with perfect womanliness and domesticity an unerring judgment, a union of traits very valuable to her hus- band, to whom she is not alone a charm- ing companion, but also a confidante and adviser. Mrs. Fox is one of the most gracious and tactful of Harrisburg hos- tesses, and Senator Fox, essentially cour- teous, but always dignified, in his rela- tions to the bar, is in private life most genial and companionable. Senator and Mrs. Fox are extremely popular not only in the society of their own city, but also in the social circles of the other chief cities of the East. Their children already give great promise of inheriting the dis- tinctive traits of both parents-the clev- erness of the father and the charm of the mother.
Senator Fox has rendered to his State a three-fold service-as lawyer, legis- lator, and, by the force of his influence, executive. He has interpreted her laws with insight and wisdom, he has helped with statesmanlike sagacity to frame them, and, with all the marvellous vigor of his dynamic personality, he has la- bored for their enforcement.
FARQUHAR, Arthur B.,
Manufacturer, Authority on Economics.
The old city of York has to-day for her leading citizen a man between whom and herself there is at least one strong point of resemblance, inasmuch as both have been first in more ways than can be readily enumerated. Arthur B. Far- quhar, president of the A. B. Farquhar Company, and for more than half a century a resident of York, is not only a most sagacious and progressive business man, but also a writer of distinctive abil- ity whose works are recognized authori- ties on questions of public economy. During his long career he has touched life at so many points that the story of his long years of activity is inseparably
interwoven with the history of the Key- stone State. He is a representative of an American branch of one of the most fam- ous of those ancient clans renowned for centuries in the annals of Scotland.
The clan Farquhar traces its descent from Robert Farquhar, Laird of Gilmilns- croft ; and its earliest achievements, faith- fully handed down by its bards, after the manner of great Highland families, show it to have been a valiant and warlike race, steadfast in loyalty to its king, and ever ready to fight in defense of its native land. The clan has for many generations enjoyed its present possessions in Kyle Stewart, Scotland, and numbers of its members have won distinction in various professions and callings. The name of Farquhar is written high on the roll of honor in both the Old World and the New. The arms of this illustrious clan -borne for centuries by gallant knights and warriors, defenders of the liberties of Scotland-are as follows: Arms: Argent, a lion rampant, sable, armed and langued or, between three sinister hands, two and one, coupled paleways, gules. Crest : A dexter hand, couped as in the arms. Supporters: Two grey- hounds, proper. Motto: Stocado, fide et armis.
William F. Farquhar, great-great- great-grandfather of Arthur B. Farquhar, emigrated from Scotland about 1700, ac- companied by a number of religious ref- ugees, in quest, like himself, of freedom of thought and larger opportunities. This little company settled in Frederick coun- ty, Maryland, and there the descendants of William F. Farquhar remained for more than a century.
Amos Farquhar, grandfather of Arthur B. Farquhar, removed in 1812 to York county, Pennsylvania, where he erected, in connection with Jonathan Jessop, a cotton factory which he conducted with a fair measure of success until after the close of the war with England. Its pros-
34
-
2053358
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
perity then abruptly declined, and Mr. Farquhar thenceforth engaged in agri- cultural pursuits, becoming also an in- structor in the schools. ing school, acted for one year as manager of the farm. His inclination, however, was for mechanics, and in this he was wisely encouraged by his father, who William Henry, son of Amos Farquhar, was born June 14, 1813, at York, Penn- sylvania, and was from childhood a stu- dent, being a well advanced Latin and Greek scholar at the age of thirteen years. While a man of fine literary at- tainments, he was at the same time a mathematician of high repute. At an early age lie accompanied his father to Montgomery county, Maryland, where they established a seminary for young women, the institution acquiring a high degree of prestige throughout the State. Mr. Farquhar married Margaret Briggs, daughter of Isaac Briggs (a friend of Jefferson and Madison, surveyed the Louisiana purchase and assisted in the survey of Washington, D. C., and a had the insight to discern his rare talents in this direction. Mr. Farquhar accord- ingly afforded his son every possible fa- cility for a mechanical education, and in 1856 the youth went to York, Pennsyl- vania, to learn the machinist's trade. The rapidity of his progress and the degree of proficiency to which he attained may be inferred from the fact that at the end of two years he obtained a partnership in- terest in the establishment in which he had labored with so great energy and en- thusiasm. His continued exercise of these qualities contributed in no small measure to the prosperity of the concern during the next few years, but it was not long before the great cloud of the Civil War cast its shadow over the land, de- descendant of Robert Brook, of the pressing all commercial activity, and this house of Warwick, who was born in 1602, and married Mary Baker, daughter of Roger Mainwaring, Dean of Worces- ter) and Hannah Brook. In 1650 Robert Brook emigrated to the province of Maryland, settling in Charles county. He was accompanied by his wife and their ten children and a retinue of twenty-eight servants, and became a man of prominence and influence in the col- ony, being made commandant of Mary- land, and later president of the Council of Maryland. His children and grand- children settled in what is now Mont- gomery county, whence their descend- ants became scattered throughout the va- rious states of the Union.
Arthur B., son of William Henry and Margaret (Briggs) Farquhar, was born September 28, 1838, in Montgomery county, Maryland, and received his early education at Benjamin Hallowell's select school for boys, at Alexandria, Virginia. His father had become engaged in agri- cultural pursuits, and the son, after leav-
firm, suffering as it did with others, was completely annihilated by a disastrous fire. The assets were barely sufficient to render possible the payment of twenty- five cents on the dollar in liquidating the indebtedness, and this fact, to a man of Mr. Farquhar's principles, was a greater grief than was his own personal loss. He prevailed upon his creditors to effect a radically different settlement which en- abled him to resume his business opera- tions, and by careful management and well directed effort he succeeded, at the expiration of three years, in liquidating the obligations in full. From this period the record of the business as it gradually expanded into the present magnificent in- dustry of the A. B. Farquhar Company, is one of uninterrupted progress. The successful management of an enterprise of such magnitude is incontrovertible evidence of Mr. Farquhar's rare adminis- trative abilities and unswerving honor. The business had its inception in a small frame shop in which employment was af-
35
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
forded to a few workmen, and in 1889 the A. B. Farquhar Company, Limited, was organized and duly incorporated, with a capital stock of $500,000, all of which is owned by the Farquhar family. Of this company, whose constantly in- creasing business has now reached large proportions, Arthur B. Farquhar is pres- ident, and to him is due its marvellous and triumphant success. The works are an immense collection of fine buildings furnished in every department with the most complete and modern equipment, and the products of the establishment are shipped not only to every part of the Union, but also to all parts of the civi- lized world. Mr. Farquhar, in his con- duct of the business, has proved the value of actual familiarity with every de- tail of manufacturing, and has displayed special wisdom in his careful discrimina- tion in the selection of foremen for the various departments of the establishment, always choosing men who are masters of the different mechanical operations con- ducted under their superintendency. His singularly strong personality has always exerted a wonderful influence on his sub- ordinates and, in fact, on all brought into contact with him. To those in his ser- vice he has ever been most kind and con- siderate, and they, in grateful return, have sided and cooperated with his ef- forts to a degree unusual in the manu- facturing world. In his fifty -- six years business he has never been sued by a workman; when workmen are injured, their wages are continued, and they are reinstated as soon as able to work. Mr. Farquhar is one of those men who seem to find the happiness of life in the suc- cess of their work, and he has indeed reared to himself a magnificent testimon- ial of his business enterprise and un- faltering determination.
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.