USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of contemporary biography of Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 28
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WILLIAM LILLY.
GENERAL WILLIAM LILLY, a prominent citi- zen of Mauch Chunk, and one of the leading coal and iron operators of Pennsylvania, was born at Penn Yan, New York, in 1821. Prior to the Revo- lution his ancestors were farmers, and in that strug- gle they ranged themselves on the side of the sturdy patriots whose courage and persistence finally achieved independence. His father, Colonel William Lilly, was a man of ability and position, and the friend and associate of many of the leading men of his day. In 1836 Col. Lilly became inter- ested in mining, and removed to Pennsylvania in 1838. Thither also he removed his family, taking with him his third son, the subject of this sketch, who soon found employment with the Beaver Meadow Railroad Company. The line owned and operated by this corporation ran from the coal mines in the upper end of Carbon (then Northampton) County to the canal at Parryville, and was the only steam railroad in the Lehigh Valley for many years. The mining of anthracite coal was then in its in- fancy and for a long time this little road sufficed to transport the entire output in this region over the mountains and down the winding Lehigh Valley to Parryville, where it was reshipped to Philadelphia and New York in canal boats. In a year or two
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young Lilly had risen to be a conductor on this road, and after a short serviee in this eapacity, hav- ing proved himself a faithful and competent subor- dinate, he was advanced to a position of trust in the administrative department of the road. In 1844 he accepted a position of responsibility with Ario Par- dee & Co., at Penn Haven, above Mauch Chunk. In 1859 he was associated with that gentleman and the late J. Gillingham Fell and George B. Markle, in establishing a coal business ou an extensive scale at Yeddo, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. This un- dertaking was regarded at the time as a somewhat hazardous one, but its originators were men of ex- perienee and good managers and they had energy, perseverance, sound judgment and all the other requisites in achieving snecess. Before their pro- jeet had been in operation two years, the Civil War broke out and an unprecedented demand for coal and iron sprang up. In a few years General Lilly and his associates were rieh men, the General him- self paying to the government on his income, during the time of the imposition of an income tax, from eight to ten thousand dollars a year. In his youth General Lilly took a great interest in military mat- ters and possessed so many elements of character fitting him for the leadership of men, that before he was twenty years of age he was elected Colonel of one of the militia regiments of the Lehigh Valley. He was quite an enthusiast in military matters, and in his new position worked untiringly to raise the efficieney of the militia and to inerease its numbers. His labors were very successful and as a reward for them, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier- General, being at the time the youngest person in the State of Pennsylvania wearing the star of a gen- eral officer. Developing a keen interest in politics through official contact with public men, he began active work in this field as early as 1850. His worth and ability were generally recognized, and in that very year he was chosen to the lower house of the State Legislature. In that body he distinguished himself by his faithful devotion to the welfare of his constituents, and by his broad and advaneed views on matters of publie poliey. Re-elected to the Leg- islature, he served a second term, and in the contest for the Speakership of the House he fell but a few votes short of the successful candidate, Hon. John S. Rhey, an able man from Armstrong County who had served three terms in the House. Pressure of business obligations and duties prevented Gen. Lilly's continuance longer in the Legislature, but did not interfere with his taking a leading part in the polities of the State; and in the councils of the Democratic party he exerted no common influence. Being a man of integrity and occupying a command-
ing position in the industrial world he was highly respected. During the exciting period which pre- ceded the secession of the Southern States, General Lilly remained in and aeted with the Democratic party, notwithstanding that his judgment did not fully endorse some of the views and principles thien
entertained by his political associates. Ile kept himself well informed of events by close observation and by frequent attendance at the State and National capitals during legislative sessions, and sincerely believed that the radical differences of opinion be- tween the North and South on the subject of slavery were susceptible of a peaceful solution. Even when war broke out he clung hopefully to his party. While on a visit to Washington, in the autumn of 1862, he met the leading Democrats of the country, and earefully studied their views. The war, then in progress for more than a year, did not seem to foreshadow suceess for the Union arms and, in consequence, doubt and depression reigned throughout the loyal North. Strong a Democrat as he was, General Lilly had never for a moment wavered in his loyalty to the Union cause, and he never doubted the final sueeess of the National government. But after a few conversations with leading Democrats at Washington he arrived at the conclusion that the sentiments they entertained were not in harmony with his own honest opinions, and realizing that with such deep-rooted and determined opposition it was a battle to the death, he deter- mined to abandon the ranks of those whose views or acts were inimical to the Union cause and unite him- self with those who openly and unreservedly sup- ported it. A scene of which he was an eye-witness hastened this resolution. One day when he visited the House of Representatives he found fifty-five Democratic Congressmen (all from the Northern States, of course), voting against a war measure of vital import to the National government. Upon making personal inquiry later he learned from more than thirty of these that they were strongly in sym- pathy with the South, and still later was astonished to find that among his Democratic acquaintances in the House the Union men were the exception and not the rule. When he had surveyed the political field to his satisfaction he said to a member from Pennsylvania : "I don't eare about breaking per- sonal friendships, but I have come to bid you a po- litical good-bye." "What's the matter?" asked the astonished Congressman. " Well," replied Gen. Lilly, "I have made up my mind never again to vote with a party which has failed to support the Govern- ment in its hour of trial and need." Returning home Gen. Lilly openly joined the Republican ranks and, becoming at onee a working member of the
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party, has remained one to this day. Respected for his many excellent personal qualities and admired for his honorable devotion to principle, he became as influential among his new associates as he had ever been among his old ones, a fact of which he has re- ceived many proofs. Fully engrossed by the de- mands of his extensive business interests, he lias never sought public office, although his friends have frequently mentioned his name in connection withi the Governorship. At the Republican State Conven- tion held at Philadelphia in 1868, it was formally presented and received the second highest vote on the last ballot for the nomination for that office. Gen. Lilly has been chosen a Delegate or Alternate to every Republican National Convention held since he has been a member of the party and he has also sat in every important Republican State Convention held since 1863. He has a wide acquaintance among leading Republican statesmen and politi- cians, both State and National, but being a broad party man he has preserved a dignified indepen- dence of all factions and cliques and has never con- descended to the role of henchman to any leader, however popular. His consistent and honorable at- titude in public life has earned him the esteem of the whole body of his Republican fellow-citizens in the Commonwealth and the respect as well of his old Democratic associates. Gen. Lilly has always been a believer in the doctrine of protection. Years ago, when a Democrat, he advocated and supported a high protective tariff, and of recent years he has been no less emphatic in declaring openly and strongly in favor of protection to American indus- tries to the extent of giving them the preference in their own market. His views and utterances on this subject were given wide publicity in 1883 in connection with the published reports of the Tariff Convention held in New York City in that year, of which he was Chairman. Gen. Lilly's study of the fundamental laws of the State convinced him some twenty or more years ago, that a revision of the Constitution was necessary, and in private he urged his views upon his friends. At the Republican State Convention held at Williamsport in 1869, "he presented and advocated a resolution committing the party to the project." Through his instrumentality -he being a member of the Committee on Resolu- tions-it was placed in the platform then adopted. After several years' agitation the Legislature passed a bill that presented the subject to the voters of the Commonwealth at the ensuing election. Public in- terest was thoroughly aroused by the press, and the proposed convention for revision was ordered by a large majority of the votes cast. Unanimously named by the State Convention as a Delegate-at-
large to the Constitutional Convention, Gen. Lilly was chosen by the people for that position. No member of the Convention could have entered upon his duties with a higher sense of his responsibilities. Removing to Philadelphia, where the delegates met in 1872, he made his residence in that city during the time-nearly a year-that was required to com- plete the task entrusted to them. It is on record that he never missed a roll-call during the whole time the Convention was in session. He served on several of the principal committees and was fre- quently on the floor before the body in support of measures which he regarded as being of vital im- portance. It can be said with truth that among those who constituted the Convention, he was one of the most tireless in the discharge of duty. None of his colleagues had a clearer idea than he of what was required of him or a more sincere willingness to meet the demands made upon him; and when the Convention closed, in 1873, its members, scattering to all parts of the State, bore with them many pleas- ant impressions of their late associate's ability, zeal, industry, patience and friendliness. Virtually lis efforts led to the calling of this Convention; and from this fact and from his conspicuous connection with its works, he may rightly be called the father of it-no mean honor, in view of the marked effect it has had upon the affairs of the State. About ten years ago Governor Hoyt appointed Gen. Lilly one of a Board of Commissioners, in accordance with an Act passed by the Legislature, to locate and build a State Hospital for injured persons, said hospital to be located in the anthracite coal regions. The hospital was located and built near Ashland, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Eight years ago the build- ing was turned over to a Board of Trustees, Gen. Lilly being named as one, he being the only mem- ber of the original commission so appointed. The Trustees met and organized by the election of the late Hon. Simon Cameron as President, General Lilly having declined the position. General Cameron serv- ed a year, when he withdrew, and the Presidency, being again declined by Gen. Lilly, was given to Robert Allison, who served two or three years and then resigned in consequence of some trouble. The Board then unanimously insisted upon Gen. Lilly accepting the Presidency, which he did and still continues therein. The institution has done and is doing an immense amount of good, and while the newspapers have commented upon the management, not one word has cver been uttered against Gen. Lilly or his actions, but on the contrary all have commended his course in the highest terms. In this position, as in all others held by him, he has been just and exact in the performance of a public duty
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to all. A life of well-directed and unremitting en- deavor has placed Gen. Lilly in possession of a for- tune, but his success has not developed any indis- position to labor nor has it dulled his desire to be useful. He is still largely interested in the iron trade and is a heavy stockholder in a number of the important corporations of the Lehigh Valley and in various leading American railroads. In all of these companies he takes an active interest, and in several of them he sits as a Director in the Board of Man- agement. Largely owing to his active habits, fond- ness for out-door exercise and careful mode of living, Gen. Lilly, although approximating to " three score and ten," looks to be at least twenty years younger than he really is. Through life he has been temperate in his habits. It is nearly half a century ago since he turned his back on intoxica- ting beverages and nearly thirty-six years ago since he gave up the use of tobacco. Whatever opinions may be hazarded in regard to either the evil or beneficial effects of alcohol and tobacco, the facts seem to bear out the inference that the General has been the gainer by his long abstinence from bothi. Robust, above the medium height, and wearing a long flowing beard slightly tinged with gray, Gen. Lilly presents an impressive personality. Possessed of a naturally kindly disposition, he derives great satisfaction from the performance of deeds of chari- ty, finding his pleasure not in blazoning his gener- ous acts to the world, but in the gratitude of those worthy persons to whom his assistance has proved a benefit. While the Civil War was in progress he was a generous friend of the Union soldiers. He also vol- untarily supported five families during the tempo- rary absence of their respective heads at the seat of war. At all times he has upon his roll of beneficia- ries a number of needy persons, to each of whom he pays regularly a small annuity. Gen. Lilly has been an active member of the Masonic Order nearly half a century, and has filled the various positions of Master of his Lodge, District Deputy, and Grand Master of Pennsylvania. Royal Arch Chapter No. 181 bears his name. He holds the rank of Eminent Commander in the Knights Templar and is a Life Member of two Commanderics in that degree and also of the Blue Lodge Chapter. He inclines natu- rally to the study of literature, science and art, and in his unusually large and well-stocked private library has pursued long courses of reading in these several departments of learning. His acquaintance with art is far more than superficial, as is shown by the quality of the paintings which line the walls of his picture gallery. He is a Life Member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and the American Association for the Advancement of
Science, and a member of the Society of American Mining Engineers. His private residenee is one of the finest and best appointed in Mauch Chunk and no expense is spared in keeping it so. In the work of local improvement Gen. Lilly is always active, and this fact and his generous interpretation of the duties of a wealthy citizen have added materially to his popularity. If he has made any enemies it has been owing to his undeviating adherence to princi- ple and to the possession of those manly qualities- including fidelity and determination in the discharge of duty-which the public at large appreciates and praises. Gen. Lilly married, in 1859, Mrs. M. E. Conover, a daughter of Samuel Davis, with whom he lived happily for nearly thirty years. To use his own words, this beloved helpmeet "was taken away in April, 1889, leaving his household lonely in his declining years." Gen. Lilly has no children.
JOHN DAVIS.
PROFESSOR JOHN DAVIS, minister, educator, author, inventor and manufacturer, and for several ycars Supervisor of Public Instruction in Allegheny City, was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, in the ycar 1821. He springs from a Welsh and Irish ancestry, whose sympathies and services were iden- tified with those of the patriots of the Revolution in securing American independence. William Davis, his paternal grandfather, entered the Colonial army soon after the outbreak of hostilities with Great Britain, and served until the close of the war. He was an earnest, conscientious man, a devout Pres- byterian in religious faith, and a sturdy specimen of manhood. Upon leaving the army he settled in Western Pennsylvania, where he spent the remain- der of his life in agricultural pursuits. He died at the age of eighty-five years. His wife, whose maiden name was Isabella Scott, died at the age of seventy-five years. The father of the subject of this sketch was Henry Davis, the eldest son of this worthy couple, who was born in Western Pennsyl- vania in 1787. He received a classical and mathe- matical education in his youth, and followed land surveying and eivil engineering as a profession later in life. With the same spirit of devotion to coun- try and loyalty to its flag which had characterized his father in the Revolution, he entered the Ameri- can army at the beginning of the War of 1812, and remained as an officer therein until it was disbanded. He inherited the devotional, as well as the patriotic spirit of his ancestry, and all through life was active and to some extent prominent in church
Davis
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work. He is described by those who knew him, as "a man of vigorous intellect, stern integrity and unfaltering fidelity in the discharge of both public and private duties." He was an acknowledged leader in the section in which he lived, and at vari- ous times held official position in both church and State. Just before the War of 1812 he married Miss Jane Johnston, a young lady of high charac- ter and excellent family, who was a native and resi- dent of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, where her father, James Johnston, also a Revolutionary soldier, had settled at the close of the War for Indepen- dence. James Johnston attained the great age of one hundred and five years. He married Miss Mary McClelland, who lived to the age of ciglity-five years. Both were sincere Christians, members of the Presbyterian faith, and active in good works. The youngest son of Henry Davis was John Davis, the subject of this sketch, who was endowed by na- ture with many of the qualities, both mental and physical, which distinguished his ancestors. It was evident in his boyhood that he possessed unusual intellectual powers, and desiring to give him every advantage, his parents placed him under private in- structors, by whom he was prepared for his aca- demic studies. After enjoying the advantages of several leading academical institutions, and having ample opportunity to judge for what vocation in life he was best fitted, he chose the ministry, and then entered upon a regular course of theological study at the Western Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1848. While pursuing post-gradu- ate studies the following year at Princeton Theo- logical Seminary, he received word that he had been unanimously elected to the pastorate of a large , and flourishing congregation in West Virginia. Owing to the fact that his health was quite im- paired by long study, he felt obliged to decline this flattering offer. By medical advice he now took a respite from study. In 1850 he received two offers of pulpits, and in the following year, having ac- cepted one of them, he was publicly ordained. Shortly after assuming the functions of this posi- tion, he found that the strain incident to preaching was greater than his constitution at that time could bear, and in justice to his parishioners, as well as to himself, he resigned the charge after an incum- bency of a few months, and entered upon a career as teacher, for which work he felt himself thor- oughly qualified, and in which he remained for nearly thirty years. In this noble field of effort he achieved marked success, especially "as an organ- izer, administrator and instructor in the higher de- partments of education, and in the management and supervision of public instruction in Allegheny
City." His influence as a teacher was profound, and had an cnnobling cffect upon the lives of many men who now adorn the learned professions and other honorable pursuits. But it is not only as an educator that Professor Davis has made a high reputation. As an author also, he has made a namc and earned a fame equally enduring. Natural science always presented an attractive field for his study and investigations, and he has given the stu- dent world a series of valuable text books on Math- ematical Geography and Astronomy, based on fun- damental principles, which have been widely ap- proved, and have been adopted and are in use in a number of well known educational institutions in the United States, and in several foreign institu- tions of note. With a view to assisting students in acquiring a knowledge of these sciences, more es- pecially to effect an cconomy of time and labor in their acquisition, he invented "a series of instru- ments now in practical use, whereby these sciences are illustrated with fidelity, and may be compre- hended by the youthful mind at a glance. The largest instrument of these serics represents more than eighty movements of the principal bodies be- longing to the solar system, and is the only one of its kind in existence." Professor Davis has like- wise won fame and fortune through his skillful ap- plication of science to industrial purposes. Several of these appliances are now being manufactured un- der letters patent and with highly satisfactory pecu- niary results to their distinguished inventor. In 1853 Professor Davis married Miss Emeline Hays, the accomplished daughter of James H. Hays, a leading citizen of Pittsburgh, and for many years prominently identified with the coal interests in that section of the State. This marriage was blessed by one child, a daughter, Eva Hays Davis, now the wife of William S. Haselton, M.D., a lead- ing physician and surgeon of Allegheny City.
JOHN EUDEY.
CAPTAIN JOHN EUDEY, of Freidensville, Pennsylvania, a distinguished mining engineer, and for nearly half a century actively and responsibly engaged in professional work in various parts of the United States, was born in the year 1819, in Cornwall, England, of which place his parents, Alexander and Mary A. Eudey, were both natives. His scientific tastes were inherited from his father, Captain Alexander Eudey, a noted mining engineer, and for fifty years in the service of Messrs. Tayler & Sons, of London, who did the largest mining in
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copper and tin in Cornwall. Capt. Alexander Eudey died in Cornwall in 1852. John Eudey, the subject of this sketch, was educated at Cam- borne-the center of all the large mines in Corn- wall-under the tutorship of John Thomas, an in- structor of broad scholarship and widely known in lis day for his learning and his success in training youth. In 1840, having arrived at man's estate, young Eudey, who had acquired considerable knowledge of mining and the title of Captain of Mines as assistant to his skillful father, sailed for America, where he already had relatives living, and where the prospects for advancement in his cliosen profession were asserted to be most brilliant. He' arrived in Philadelphia on July 4, in the year men- tioned, and with little delay proceeded to Culpepper, Virginia, where he immediately secured a position as Assistant Superintendent in the gold mines of that county, then in charge of his brother-in-law, Thomas Trewellen. After an experience of about two years in this capacity, he gave up the position to take charge of the gold mines at Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina, for Messrs. John A. Gilmer & Co., of that place. A short time after Captain Eudey took this position, Messrs. Osgood & Co., of New York, opened up the Mccullough and Guilford gold mines, and he was made Superinten- dent. These mines, after being worked to a certain depth, showed signs of copper, and on the strength of that discovery, the works at Constable Hook, New Jersey, were organized and carried on by Os- good & Co. Captain Eudey remained in charge of the mines at Greensboro until 1868. When the temporary control of these mines was assumed by the Confederate States Government during the Civil War, Captain Eudey made arrangements with the authorities by which he was enabled to supervise the mining, in order to protect the interests of his company. In 1871 Messrs. Osgood & Co. trans- ferred all their machinery, tools, etc., from Greens- boro to Port Jervis, New York, where they owned extensive mines of zinc and lead. Following this action Capt. Eudey was commissioned to proceed to Freidensville, Pennsylvania, to inspect the zinc works, and to report as to the value of the zinc at that point, the idea of Messrs. Osgood & Co. being to purchase or lease the Lehigli Zinc Company's inter- est in their works. As a result of this inspection and report, Osgood & Co. leased the Correll Mines in Freidensville, which were then placed under Capt. Eudey's supervision. To the surprise of all con- cerned, the Correll Mines, which had been aban- doned by the Lehigh Zinc Company, developed un- der Captain Eudey's management into most exten- sive and fabulously paying mines. When the mines
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