USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of contemporary biography of Pennsylvania, Vol. I > Part 14
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of Jonathan, and Jacob, son of Levi; Joshua Bal- linger being the only son of Jacob. His mother's . name was Sarah Ballinger, and the Ballingers- mainly of New Jersey-have long been noted and are still remarkable alike for their retiring modesty and their quiet industry. Both of his parents were members of the Society of Friends, as most of his ancestors had been for several generations. A care- ful study of this genealogical history reveals the fact that while of the four surviving sons of the original Richard, thrce were especially noted for their re- ligious tendencies, relationships, and usefulness, Restore, the ancestor of J. B. Lippincott in the seeond American generation, was particularly noted for his " firmness in every fortune," for an unusual business-like integrity, and as a "public-spirited citizen." They were all upright and diligent men, but there is marked here a distinction of character which found a singular re-assertion in the career of J. B. Lippincott, founder and organizer of the Philadelphia publishing house and company still bearing his name. Joshua Ballinger Lippincott was born in Juliustown, Burlington County, New Jer- sey, March 18, 1813. Little is known of his child- hood and early life. He was an only child, and it was never his habit to talk much about himself. The student of physiognomy may find in the por- traits of J. B. Lippincott, the young man of twenty - five years, some trace and secret of J. B. Lippincott, the clear-seeing, persistent, and prosperous pub- lisher. With such advantages of early schooling as he had been able to gather, he came to Philadel- phia at about the age of eleven years, and at the age of fourteen secured a position in the store of a bookseller named Clarke, and so began to try his own hands at the work of earning a living and mak - ing his way in the world. Infinitely to his credit, tradition affirms that during his engagement with bookseller Clarke, young Lippincott spent his even- ings in study,-not always without personal sacri- fices on his own part,-while other young men and boys in Mr. Clarke's employ wasted their spare change and their time at places of amusement. Like all boys of conscious and as yet unuttered and un- recognized powers, the lad is said to have been rather unsocial and reticent. But he minded his own business, and stories still survive which show that in this early period, as all through his life, there was as the basis of his character a clear sense of justice and fair play, an unyielding, but true self-respect, and a good share of generous human impulses. He would not, when a young man, allow the domineering big boy to take advantage of a smaller companion, and at any time then or in his maturity a well-written bit of human heroism, even
ABlippincott
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in a story, worked strongly upon his emotions. After he had been with Mr. Clarke about four years the latter failed, and his business was purchased by his creditors. So industriously had he applied him- self in those years, and so thoroughly mastered all the details of the bookmaker's and bookseller's call- ing, that at this juncture,-at the age of eighteen years,-and at the request of his former employer's assignees, Mr. Lippincott took sole charge of the concern. In the language of an article in the Phil- adelphia Public Ledger, published at the time of his death, " he remained in this responsible position to the entire satisfaction of all the parties in interest until 1836, when he was enabled to begin business on his own account at Clarke's old stand, at the southwest corner of Fourth and Race streets, under the title of J. B. Lippincott & Co." Those were busy and eventful years. He was not only making himself familiar with all the details of the book business, he was practising self-control, learning the value of money and its uses, putting by his reg- ular savings, measuring his own knowledge of his calling and his ability with other men, and slowly seeking to understand the responsibilities of the position he won in later years. The period of 1830 to 1836-40 was not especially noteworthy in Ameri- can literature and bookselling, and the facts that have come down to us indicate that at the age of twenty-three to twenty-five Mr. Lippincott had studied the period and its demands. At first the operations of his house were confined mainly to the publication of Bibles and Prayer-Books. But the Lippincott editions of these standard English pub- lications were sufficiently distinct in the taste dis- played in their manufacture to give them notoriety, and they soon became famous and much sought after by the public, and so readily found a place in the stock of every enterprising bookseller. This first specialty of Mr. Lippincott's work is very typi- cal of his later business career, for if any one thing is truer than another of him it is that it was not luck or happy venture, but good work and a clear foresight of the public demand for certain kinds of work, that brought him prosperity. The book busi- ness in his own name prospered as it had under his management of Mr. Clarke's concern. And while he was still under thirty years of age, he conceived the idea of placing himself at the head of the Phila- delphia book trade. In 1844 he made his first visit to Europe. On October 16, 1845, he married Jose- phine Craige, daughter of Seth Craige, who was a member of an old Philadelphia family and a leading manufacturer; and from this marriage have come Craige Lippincott, Walter Lippincott, Josephine Sarah Lippincott, wife of James J. Goodwin, Esq.,
of Hartford, Conn., and New York, and J. Bertram Lippincott. The original firm of J. B. Lippincott & Co. continued in business at the corner of Fourth and Race streets until 1850, by which time Mr. Lip- pincott had built up a handsome and prosperous trade and made a comfortable fortune for himself. In the execution of his cherished purpose he, in 1849, bought out the then well-known firm of Grigg, Elliott & Co., doing business at No. 14 Nortlı Fourth street, above Market, which at that time was not only the largest and most prosperous pub- lishing house in Philadelphia, but, in a pecuniary sense, was said to be the most successful in America. This firm was founded in 1816 by John Grigg, who succeeded to a business established in the latter part of the eighteenth century by Benja- min Johnson, and continued by Benjamin Warner. When Mr. Lippincott made this purchase it re- quired about all the capital he had so far accumu- lated, and many of his friends and associates thought the venture too daring; but succeeding events proved the clearness of his foresight and gave him the realization of lis coveted position. In 1850 he formed the partnership of Lippincott, Grambo & Co. The various departments of sta- tionery articles were added to the publishing and selling of books and periodicals, and greater facili- ties for manufacture and more room were needed. To meet this demand Mr. Lippincott purchased and enlarged the building at Fourth and Commerce streets (to which the new firm removed), and erected another for manufacturing purposes at Fifth and Cresson streets, prosperity in all lines attending his enterprise and skill. The firm of Lippincott, Grambo & Co. expired by limitation on the 30th day of June, 1855, when Mr. Grambo retired, and the concern was recognized under the old title of J. B. Lippincott & Co. From 1855 to 1860 the increase in all departments of the business was as remark- able to the people of Philadelphia as it was flatter- ing to Mr. Lippincott's energy and ability. The range of their publications was constantly widen- ing, especially in the lines of standard works; and in the distinctive character of printing and binding the firm became noted for the strength and elegance of their productions. In that period Philadelphia was by distance, convenience, time and sympathy by far the nearest large city to the prosperous South, then the leading section of the country, and Mr. Lippincott had gradually been building up a profit- able Southern trade. Along in the years 1858-59 he noticed that there was an unusual Southern de- mand for books on military and naval tactics, and he was quick to perceive that such a cry for mili- tary books meant war in the near future. So clear
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was this conviction that, in making the first pur- chase of the right to publish Prescott's Historical Works, Mr. Lippincott insisted that in case of a civil war the liberal terms of his contract should be modified. At first the representatives of Mr. Pres- cott strenuously opposed this feature of the con- tract, but in the end such an understanding was ar- rived at. Previous to this period the firm had been intrusted with the publication of some important Government books, notable among these being Schoolcraft's " History of the Indian Tribes," in six folio volumes, the cost of which was nearly one hundred thousand dollars. In 1855 appeared the first edition of "Lippincott's Pronouncing Gazet- tcer of the World." Scarcely was this work well before the public when Mr. Lippincott despatched its able cditor, armed with sufficient funds, for a two years' sojourn in Oriental countries, the object being the construction of a biographical dictionary that should be a fit companion to the "Gazetteer," the result in due time being "Lippincott's Pro- nouncing Dictionary of Biography and Mythology," a ponderous royal octavo volume of over two thou- sand three hundred pages. Not only in Philadel- phia, but throughout the country American book- making and bookselling received an impetus and an elevation by the appearance of thesc volumes. As early as 1860 Mr. Lippincott saw that the rapid increase of his business would make it necessary to provide still larger quarters for its accommodation, and with this in view he purchased the lot of grouud running from the north side of Market street to Filbert street, above Seventh, and in 1861-62, two of the darkest years in our country's history fiuancially and otherwise, he built the commodious store in which the business is still carried ou. In August, 1865, Mr. Lippincott made his second visit to Europe, this time taking his wife and all his chil- dren with him, making the grand tour of Europe, and being absent from home just one year. In 1868 the firm of J. B. Lippincott & Co. was changed, several of the members dropping out at the expira- tion of their term of partnership and others being added, but there was never any break in the steadily prosperous business of J. B. Lippincott & Co. In 1871 the large fire-proof manufacturing department, fronting on Filbert street and meeting the Market street storc midway between Market and Filbert, was erected. This has long been recognized as one of the completest book-making concerns in the United States. From first to last Mr. Lippincott not only had an accurate and full knowledge of his business, and energy combined with caution, quick- ness of perception, and determination in his busi- ness career, he also had a wonderful faculty of
choosing and organizing the several departments of his concern under competent heads with their com- petent assistants, so that in case of a break by dis- content or death, the organization should remain intact and the work go on. The history of the firm of J. B. Lippincott & Co. is one of constant in- crease in the list of valuable publications, and if some of them were not so valuable it is safe to say that the latter were published mainly at the solici- tation of confident authors, and seldom through any mistake of judgment on the part of the publisher. During the generation from 1855 to 1886 the literary ground covered by this firm included dictionaries and works of reference, medical and scientific works, educational and law publications, Bibles and Prayer-Books, history and biography, religious and juvenile works, and many lines of fiction and poetry. At the commencement of the war in 1861, Mr. Lippincott's trade with the South fell off enormously, entailing heavy losses on the house, but his courage and his private fortuue carried them through ; and from that period the firm gave special attention to the trade of the North and West, which soon grew to many times the proportions of the Southern trade in its best days. In 1867 Lippin- cott's Magazine was projected, and its publication commenced in 1868. In 1874 Mr. Lippincott made his third visit to Europe, going this time to Egypt and the Holy Land, and there contracting the Syrian fever, from which he never fully recovered, but against which-as has been made known through his guides, physician, and friends (not through his letters of the period, which made light of his sick- ness)-he fought with the same tenacity that had always characterized him in contending with any difficult opposition in his business career. During the later period of Mr. Lippincott's life, the stand- ard publications issued by his house in the various lines mentioned were too numerous to name or sum- marize in a personal sketch of the man, and to em- phasize some of them without naming them all might seem invidious to the persons whose works would be omitted. An exception, however, should be made in the case of the J. B. Lippincott & Com- pany's American edition of "Chambers's En- cyclopædia," which in itself was a large busi- ness undertaking, their management of the series of Worcester's Dictionaries, and the publica- tion of "Allibone's Dictionary of Authors " and of Wood's "United States Dispensatory,"-all of these being works of unusual magnitude and importance. Mr. Lippincott's acquaintance with authors was very extensive, and many interesting anecdotes of his interviews with them could be giveu, but they might seem out of place
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in this connection. At this day the strength and clearness of his literary perceptions become mani- fest when it is recalled that he held Thackeray as the greatest of English novelists. He was not a mere business man, but from the start, back in the family nature, and in his own tastes and habits, he had the literary as well as the commercial instinct, and he trained both to high perfection in the suc- cessful battle he waged with the inevitable competi- tions of the world. Early in his career Mr. Lippin- cott established such intimate relations with leading London publishing houses as have made his firm a favorite source of American supply for the best English publications. In 1878 he made his fourth visit to Europe, taking his son J. Bertram, going this time to Spain and Portugal, and thus complet- ing his travel in every country of the Old World. In 1868 Mr. Lippincott built his residence, 204 Sonth Nineteenth street, better known as Rittenhouse Square, and there he and his family resided till his death, the house still being the home of Mrs. J. B. Lippincott, and the homestead frequently visited by the children, now all married. At this house Mr. Lippincott entertained frequently and libcrally, his guests being alike representative of the wealth and culture of Philadelphia and the country. In 1876 Mr. Lippincott purchased the Rush family mansion, on Chestnut strect, west of Nineteenth, and from new designs rebuilt and extended the mansion, con- verting it into the Aldine Hotel. In 1884 he pur- chased the old First Unitarian Church property, at the northeast corner of Tenth and Locusts streets, and built there a block of stores and dwellings adapted to the changed character of this once fash- ionable neighborhood. He took great interest in building, and gave his personal inspection to the crection of all these structures. Mr. Lippincott did not confine his attention to matters connected exclu- sively with his own personal, social and business life. The very same expression has been used regarding him as was applied to his once quite fam- ous ancestor, Restore Lippincott, already referred to. In the language of the obituary article in the Philadelphia Ledger, previously quoted :
"He was a public-spirited citizen, and had closely at heart the best interests of Philadelphia, often taking an active part in movements for the develop- ment of its resources and prosperity. He was a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, a director of the Philadelphia aud Reading Railroad Company, a director of the Pennsylvania Company for Insnr- ance on Lives and Granting Annuities, of the Farm- ers' and Mechanics' Bank, and of the Philadelphia Saving Fund. His connection with these institu- tions was not merely uominal. He took an active interest in their affairs, his keen business insight and practical experience making him a valuable
member. Mr. Lippincott was also for many years actively interested in the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ; lie was one of the members of the old Union Club, ont of which grew the Union League ; and he was connected also with the Municipal Reform Association and other organizations."
One who studies the portraits of Mr. Lippincott, taken when he was between twenty-five and thirty, will find therein a face full of promise. The lines about the mouth are tender and refined ; though the close-shut lips show decision of character and a practical tendency. The expressive eyes, of a clear, strong blne, seem fixed on the future with a set grasp of its largest possibilities. The hair was a chestnut-brown, and the complexion rather florid ; the whole face indicating fulness of vitality, and clear and vigorous mental power. In later life the lips grew more compressed through years of busy thinking, and the eyes wore the calm, critical ex- pression of one who had tried his strength and found it had not failed him. Mr. Lippincott was of medium height, and of quiet, self-reliant but not self-asserting mauners. He was a good talker, hav- ing an exceptional memory and great powers of observation ; and his unnsnally wide experience of life and men furnished him with a store of interest- ing anecdotes. Like most men who are able and energetic, he expected much of others, and was im- patient of slowness or incapacity, but he was very tender-hearted to the weak and helpless, and easily roused to anger by auy act of tyranny or injustice. He took a strong interest in the Veterinary Hospital in West Philadelphia, and a tablet erected to his memory in the chapel of the University of Pennsyl- vania is a permanent record of his generous acts towards that institution. Few men had a keener enjoyment of the masterpieces of English fiction than Mr. Lippincott. He was very fond of good paintings and statnary, and an excellent judge of their merits. Hc studied carefully the various branches of the engraver's art, but was not partial to its general use in pictorial illustration. Mr. Lip- pincott was what is called shrewd and careful in making his bargains with authors or other men,- all successful publishers and business men are apt to be so,-but he was generous when an author manifested unusual ability, seeing clearly that it was out of such material that his own success had come and must come. He had genuine admiration for human talent in all the departments of literary, professional and commercial life. His sense of financial integrity was absolute and perfect, and from the first, though he might have secured unlim- ited credit, his usual purchases were for cash, and he commanded his credit to the last, as has been
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aptly said, by scldom using it, above all, by never abusing it. In real life, as in his readings, any sign of true heroism caught his quick eye and received liis immediate approbation. In a word, he was throughout a clear, strong expression of our con- mon human nature at its best, and in his fidelity to practical business, as in his success in life, was typi- cal of the spirit and accomplishment of the age in which he lived. From about 1878 Mr. Lippincott relaxed somewhat from his previous close applica- tion to business, no doubt with the feeling that his establishment was in excellent hands. During the years 1884 and 1885 the results of more than a gener- ation of taxing industry and a complication of phy- sical ailments began to indicate that the end was not far away, In all probability he read the signs clearer than his physicians or friends, and with the forethought characteristic of his whole life he, in the beginning of the year 1885, changed the firm of J. B. Lippincott & Co. into a stock company bear- ing his own name. At first the stock was held mainly by himself, as it is now held mainly by his children. On January 5, 1886, the Philadelphia newspapers announced the fact that Joshua B. Lip- pincott, the well-known publisher and bookseller, was dead, and the best papers throughout the coun- try gave appreciative notices of his life and career. After Mr. Lippincott's death the family were the recipients of many earnest letters of condolence sent by men and women of wealth, character and culture from all parts of the world. These are naturally cherished by his children, and are considered of too private and sacred a character for publication. There were many other tokens of respect of a more public character, and some of these it is proper to mention here. On January 7, 1886, a meeting of publishers, booksellers and others engaged in col- lateral brauches of the trade in Philadelphia was held at the office of E. H. Butler & Co., 17 and 19 South Sixth street, at which nearly all the repre- sentatives of the trade were present, and, when Mr. Henry Carey Lea had been called to the chair, Mr. Henry T. Coates offered the following resolution or minute, which was earnestly adopted and a copy of the same forwarded to the family. The resolution says :
" In the death of Joshua B. Lippincott Philadel- phia mourns the loss of one of her best known and most active citizens, and the book trade her fore- most and ablest member, one to whose energy, de- cision of character and foresight is due the building up of the great house which has aided in making Philadelphia known and respected, not only in this country, but also over the whole civilized world. As a business man he laid the foundations of the house which bears his name upon the broad princi- ples of commercial honor and personal integrity,
and did much to make the name of a Philadelphia merchant respected and trusted. As a citizen he . was enterprising and public-spirited, and as a wise and safe counseller he did much to promote many of the great enterprises in which our city is so deeply interested. Straightforward in all his dealings, frank and courteous in his manner to all, he ever held to the high principle that a merchant's word should be as good as his bond. His name will be one of the memories of the book trade of Philadel- phia, and the great house which he founded and which bears his name his lasting monument."
At the same meeting a resolution was passed that all the book stores of the city should be closed dur- ing the hour of the funeral, which took place Janu- ary 8, 1886, from his residence on West Rittenhouse Square, and was attended by a large number of prominent persons, representing not only the book trade, but the commercial and professional interests of the city. The interment was at Laurel Hill.
SAMUEL MORSE FELTON.
THE man whose name forms the caption of this brief sketch is one of the many powerful factors of progress whom the Bay State has given to the Key- stone State. For a period of more than fourteen years he was engaged in perfecting one of the great railroad lines which contribute to the prosperity of Philadelphia, and for more than twenty years his energies have been devoted to the advancement of manufacturing as President of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, the earliest establishment in the United States for the production of steel rails, as a business, and now one of the largest manufactories in the country. Mr. Felton, who is still living, was born in West Newbury, Essex County, Mass., July 17, 1809, and was the son of Cornelius Conway and Anna (Morse) Felton. When only fourteen years of age he became a clerk in a Boston grocery store, sustaining himself by his work, getting the rudiments of a practical business education, and devoting his scanty leisure to study, with an idea of entering college later. In 1827 he became his brother's pupil, at Geneseo, N. Y., and there com- pleted his preparation for advanced standing in Harvard College, the Freshman class of which he entered in 1830, graduating in 1834. Although hav- ing to labor hard to support himself while in college, such were his natural talents and his habits of application, that he distinguished himself as a scholar in a class containing a number of men who became eminent iu science and literature. After graduating, he took charge of a Select School for Boys, at Charlestown, and studied law at the same time, but,
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