USA > Pennsylvania > Prominent and progressive Pennsylvanians of the nineteenth century. Volume II > Part 31
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ROBERT RALSTON was born on the IIth day of March, 1863. His father was Francis W. Ralston, the son of Robert Ralston, who, in turn, was the son of another Robert Ralston. His mother was Elizabeth C. Meredith, the daughter of William M. Meredith.
After a preliminary schooling, Robert Ralston was placed in the Episcopal Academy. After the termination of his academic course he entered the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's office. This was in July, 1878, and he remained in the Railroad Com- pany's employ for one year, when he entered the Reading Iron Works. He worked in the office and store of this company for two years, at the end of which time he decided to adopt the pro- fession of law, and, in 1882, began the necessary preparatory study. For one year he read law, at the same time earning a salary as a stenographer. · In 1883 he went to the University of Pennsylvania Law School, from which he graduated in 1885. The same year, in June, he was admitted to the Philadelphia Bar, and has since been an active and successful practitioner. A large number of important cases in all branches of jurisprudence have been handled by Colonel Ralston, and his knowledge of the law is thorough and complete.
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In recognition of his able talents and as a result of his pro- fessional activity, Colonel Ralston was appointed Assistant United States Attorney in April, 1892. He was the incumbent of this office until July, 1896, and through his entire term of more than four years he was a most efficient and capable legal representative of the Government, receiving considerable praise for his able man- agement of the affairs of his office. In the meantime Colonel Ralston's progress was quite as great along other lines. In June, 1893, he was elected First Lieutenant of Company F, Third Regi- ment, National Guard of Pennsylvania. As Lieutenant he enjoyed a popularity exceeded by few members of the State Militia, and when, early in 1895, Colonel Edward Morrell resigned from the Third Regiment, Robert Ralston was elected Colonel as his suc- cessor. This was on March 9, 1895, and he has since held that honorable office. In fact, Colonel Ralston has succeeded in every one of his undertakings and has attained unusual prominence for a man of his years. The spirit of enterprise which has always animated him was instanced in a most convincing manner in 1884, when he took the faculty prize for the best written examination in all branches, which competition was open to all students of the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1885 he won the "Sharswood Prize " for the best essay by a member of the graduating class of the Law School. He has since given equal demonstration of his high mental attainments and enjoys a repu- tation of being one of the best equipped lawyers of the Philadel- phia Bar.
During Colonel Ralston's career as a lawyer he has been identified with some of the most notable cases in the country. He assisted United States District Attorney Ellery P. Ingham in the trial of many important suits, particularly the criminal ones aris- ing from the failure of the Spring Garden and Keystone banks. He has also assisted in conducting the litigation against the sugar trust, and many others. In the theory of the law, as well as in the practice of it, Colonel Ralston is an expert. He has written and edited a number of important legal publications. Among these may be mentioned an essay on "Sales of Individual Interest in
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Personal Property," and the "Discharge of Contract." He edited "Mitchell's Lectures on Real Estate," "Adams' Equity," and is now engaged on "Field's Federal Practice," a very important work. During the winter of 1886 and 1887, Colonel Ralston delivered Professor Mitchell's lectures in the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania, securing high praise for the thorough- ness of his style. Colonel Ralston is now engaged in the practice of law. As Colonel of the Third Regiment of the National Guard of Pennsylvania he is also interested in military affairs and enjoys the distinction of being one of the most efficient, and, at the same time, popular members of that organization. Colonel Ralston is active in public affairs as Secretary of the Gynecean Hospital, and is a man of thoroughly progressive ideas and active temperament, a reputation which he deservedly enjoys.
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ORMOND RAMBO.
IN no walk of life does "the survival of the fittest" hold to greater force than in the practice of the profession of law. The ever-watchful public lets not ability go unrecognized ; no true worker toils in vain, and the lawyer who guards his clients' interests as his own finds ample compensation in a growing patronage and public esteem. To succeed in this most exacting of professions is to have such abundant abilities that, with their possession, equal fame could be won in any field of commercial or professional life, and to achieve success as a corporation attorney, especially, denotes the possession not only of the keen analytical instinct of the true lawyer, but of those peculiar qualities of mind that are necessary to activity in commercial circles. The Phila- delphia Bar has many men whose success proves their ability, whose growing practices are the just rewards of earnest effort; but of those who have won the respectful recognition of Bench and brother barristers, few have been more deserving than Ormond Rambo, the subject of this review.
ORMOND RAMBO was born in Philadelphia on the Ist day of September, 1859. His father, Rev. Peter G. Rambo, was long prominent in ship-building and engineering circles, and, after an active business career therein, he devoted his latter years to the profession which, in his youth, his health had compelled him to abandon ; he was one of the city's best known and highly respected citizens. The Rambos can justly claim the distinction of being among the oldest families in Pennsylvania, or, indeed, in America. The American progenitor was Peter Rambo, who left his Swedish home and westward followed the Star of Empire, settling on the
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banks of the Delaware in the Seventeenth Century, a little over a hundred years after Columbus first saw the land of which he had dreamed. Ormond Rambo's mother was formerly Miss Sarah Luffberry, of a well known Philadelphia family, which traced its ancestry back to English origin. During the War of the Rebellion the family lived in Chester, Pennsylvania, where his father was Secretary and Treasurer of the Reaney Engineering and Ship-building Company, which built many of the war vessels for the United States Government. Here the son attended private schools until his ninth year, when, the family having removed to Philadelphia, he entered the educational institutions of the latter city, graduating from the High School in 1878, after having won the general esteem of instructors and fellow pupils by his studious habits and ready comprehension, and it was from this institution he received the degree of Master of Arts. The Bar seemed to have for him special attractions, and to offer ample scope for the energy and ability of which he had, by this time, proved himself the possessor. Immediately upon his graduation from the High School he entered the offices of J. O. Bowman, one of the leading members of the legal fraternity of the Quaker City, and began the study of law. Here he showed himself to be such an apt pupil that, on October 9, 1881, he was admitted to the Bar of Philadelphia, and, two years later, to practice in the Supreme and United States courts. During the first few years of Mr. Rambo's practice he won an enviable reputation as a criminal lawyer, and took part in some of the most intricate and interesting cases ever argued before the courts of Philadelphia.
His success as a pleader before judge and jury has won for Mr. Rambo one of the most flattering practices ever acquired by any man of his age in Philadelphia. In the field of corporation law, the intricacies of railway construction especially, he has proven his ability, and has acquired a large and lucrative clientele among the railroads of the country. His familiarity with the laws relating to water-powers and water-rights have caused him to be retained by some of the great enterprises of the country; his knowledge and experience in building matters have won him
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many clients among contractors and builders. Mr. Rambo has also had much experience in the settlement of estates, and at the present time he represents a number of large estates either as Trustee or as Counsel. He was prominent in military affairs for quite a number of years, and was a member of the National Guard of the State of Pennsylvania from 1882 until 1890, when the growing demands of his ever-increasing practice compelled him to resign his commission as Captain of Company B, Third Regiment, National Guard of Pennsylvania. Mr. Rambo has always taken an active interest in educational affairs, and is now (1897) serving his second term as a Director of the public schools of Philadelphia, having first been elected by the Board to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Dr. Mathern. He was afterwards, in February, 1897, elected by the people to succeed himself for a term of three years.
He was married on the 4th day of October, 1887, to Ida L. Kennedy, daughter of Amos D. Kennedy, a retired builder and real estate operator, of Philadelphia. They have two children, both living.
Mr. Rambo's career is one of which he may justly feel proud. Still a comparatively young man, he has forged his way to the front, and by the exercise of those qualities of mind for which he has become distinguished-ready comprehension and resolute action-has commanded the respectful recognition of the commu- nity. His thorough grasp and complete understanding of the laws relating to corporations, construction contracts, and building enterprises, have been important factors in building up his prac- tice, while his mastery of language and felicity of diction, aided by his powers as an orator, have played no little part in the advancement.
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ALFRED J. REACH.
N O feature of American life is becoming more strongly developed than the love of the people for manly sports. Cricket, football, rowing and a thousand other games of athletic amusement furnish public recreation, but, with baseball left out, the history of sports in America is almost a blank page. The game is an evolution of the old English town ball, but now has been reduced to such a scientific basis that it little resembles its original form. To-day it is to America what cricket is to England and golf to Scotland, and scarcely a city in the country but has its team of professional players, as well as scores of amateur clubs. Its way into popular favor was fraught with many difficulties, but it was rescued, however, and put in the first place of American sports by a mere handful of true and determined sportsmen, prominent among whom was Alfred J. Reach, the subject of this biography.
ALFRED J. REACH was born in London, England, in 1840. His father, Benjamin Reach, was engaged in mercantile pursuits and was a considerable factor in the commercial life of the English capital. His mother was formerly Miss Elizabeth Dyball. His parents having come to America and settled on Long Island, the son attended the public school in their adopted home. This institution was one of the many under the patronage of Peter Cooper, the famous philanthropist and the founder of the Cooper Institute of New York, and that eminent educator used frequently to lecture to its students. When but a boy, with the energy which has since characterized his entire career, he began work for himself, selling the various New York newspapers. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to an iron founder and spent five
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years at the arduous duties of the business. It was while serving at this trade that Mr. Reach resolved not to remain a journey- man upon the completion of his apprenticeship, but to engage in some business that would give greater scope for his energies. After working during the day Mr. Reach spent many of his evenings playing ball, then coming into general favor, and, inher- iting the robust health and sporting instincts of his English pater- nity, he soon became one of the most expert players in his section. In 1862 Mr. Reach first came to Philadelphia with the Eckford Baseball Club to play a series of match games with the Quaker City's teams, and while here was persuaded to return to Philadelphia to live. In 1863 he settled permanently in that city, and, in April, 1866, first opened a sporting goods store on Chestnut Street, above Fourth. He was the pioneer of this line of business in America. In 1869 he removed to Eighth Street, below Market, greatly enlarging his business to meet the demands of the trade, but, in 1880, being again pressed for lack of room, he removed across the street. At this time Mr. Reach associated Mr. B. F. Shibe with himself in the business, and the two combined the mercantile and manufac- turing departments, thereby making their factory far superior to any of the many concerns which had by this time come into existence. Their business grew so rapidly that, in 1887, he was again forced to remove to more commodious quarters, this time occupying a store on Market Street, below Eleventh. Two years later A. J. Reach & Company sold their retail business to A. G. Spalding & Brothers. Since his retirement from the retail trade Mr. Reach has devoted his time almost exclusively to the manu- facturing of baseballs, footballs and other sporting paraphernalia. Their firm has manufactured only the very best class of goods, and has to-day the largest factory building in the United States, and perhaps in the world, which is devoted entirely to the manu- facturing of sporting goods. They employ nearly one thousand hands and ship their products to all parts of the world. Mr. Reach is a director of the A. G. Spalding Company, which suc- ceeded to his retail business, and is, besides, largely interested in a Chicago real estate enterprise.
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Mr. Reach was the founder of the Philadelphia Baseball Club and has been connected with that organization as its President since the formation of the company. To-day the club has the finest grounds devoted to athletic sports in the United States. It occupies the block bounded by Huntingdon Street, Broad Street, Lehigh Avenue and Fifteenth Street, and has a seating capacity of twenty thousand.
Mr. Reach was married on Christmas Day, 1866, to Miss Louise Betts, of Brooklyn, New York. They have four children, three of whom are married.
Mr. Reach's personal life is very interesting. He is deeply interested in sports, and has been identified with the national game since its beginning, to-day being one of its chief supporters. It is largely through his efforts that the present popularity of the sport has been attained and the game freed from the objectionable presence of the gambling element. During his earlier days he was one of the most proficient ball players in the United States, and it is interesting to know that in his career as a ball player he has participated in games in which he had as his fellow players or opponents Senator Arthur P. Gorman, Governor Buckley, of Con- necticut, Judge Massey, of Brooklyn, as well as many other men whose names are to-day prominent in the political and financial worlds.
JERE B. REX.
HERE is something in the study and practice of law that seems to inspire a thoughtful man to the broad field of political life and activity and to particularly qualify him for the task of party leadership. The close attention to minute details that is so essential in legal practice, too, begets a spirit of care- fulness that stands him in good stead when once he is entrusted with carrying out the deeply and carefully laid plans of a political campaign. Accuracy in minor points is almost essential to a man placed in such a position, but integrity and character are even more important, for the whole success of the party is in his hands. The plans for each strategetic move are confided to him, and he is, more frequently than otherwise, charged with the responsibility of seeing that they are carried into successful exe- cution. Hence, it is only a man of keen perception and resolute strength that is entrusted with the duties of such a place, and when he is found, positions of honorable distinction in the public service are always open to him. It is of such a one that this sketch is written. Jere B. Rex has earned a high place at the Bar, has achieved a wide reputation as a political manager, and as an officer of the legislative body of the State has worked his way from a minor position in the ranks to the honorable post of Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Penn- sylvania, in which position he is displaying the same energy and ability for which he has always been distinguished.
JERE B. REX, of Huntingdon, was born in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, September 30, 1859. His father was William H. Rex, well known in the pulpit of the Lutheran Church, of which 424
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he was a minister. His wife, Wilhelmina E. Bauman, was the daughter of Joseph K. Bauman, of Lancaster, one of the first homeopathic physicians in Pennsylvania and a man whose keen intellect had marked him as among the most eminent exponents of the healing art ever enrolled as a disciple of Hahnemann. His paternal grandfather was William Rex, one of those sturdy farmers who have done so much in furthering the development of the resources of the State. Mr. Rex is thus, on both sides, descended from families well known in the annals of Pennsylvania and views his ancestry with pardonable pride.
His early instruction was had in the public schools of Maple- ton, Huntingdon County, in which he devoted himself to his books with much assiduity. Completing the course in the public schools of his home, he was enrolled at Williamsport-Dickinson Seminary, where he attacked his studies with redoubled vigor. After a thor- ough preparation in this excellent institution, he matriculated at Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, where he soon proved to his instructors and fellow students that absolute thoroughness was his motto and successful accomplishment the object of his efforts. During 1884 and 1885 he read law with Stenger & McKnight, two well known and widely respected attorneys of Chambersburg. While in their offices he made commendable progress and was, in due season, admitted to the practice of his profession in the courts of Huntingdon County.
Early in his career Mr. Rex developed an aptitude and a liking for political affairs, and before entering college he served Huntingdon County for two years in the post of Deputy Prothon- otary, and it was while in this office that he received the impres- sions which have largely determined his career. While still a student of law he began to manifest an interest in practical politics and soon took an active and prominent part in the cam- paigns and organization of the Republican party, with which he early allied himself. At first his efforts were almost exclusively confined to the local field, but his astuteness as a party manager soon gained for him a wider recognition. During the winters of 1891 and 1893 he was given the post of First Reading Clerk of
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the State House of Representatives. In this place, as elsewhere, his earnestness and determination were appreciated by all with whom he came in contact and gained for him many friends. The succeeding session his faithful services as Reading Clerk were recognized by his promotion to the post of Resident Clerk of the House, from which he rose, at the session of 1897, to the Chief Clerkship. His familiarity with routine work and his copious knowledge of political affairs, coupled with his wide and intimate acquaintance with his party's leaders throughout the State, led to his selection as Secretary of the Republican State Committee, in which position his services have met with the almost unanimous approval of his associates.
Among the prominent leaders of his party in the State, Mr. Rex has earned an enviable place. His astuteness and sagacity as a political manager are widely recognized, and he has been, for so young a man, highly rewarded for his devotion to his party. The future, however, doubtless has many higher honors for him.
Mr. Rex was married to Miss Minnie C. McCahan on July 6, 1894. They have one daughter, born January 26, 1896.
J.J. Richards
JOHN STEVENS RICHARDS.
IN the development of the ship building and commer- cial interests of the thriving lake port of Erie few names are better known or will be more gratefully remembered than that of Captain John Stevens Richards, whose long and useful life is a part of the history of the northwestern part of the State. His career was an eventful and busy one, with success and achieve- ment written on every page of the story of his life. Enterprising and energetic, by his executive ability he was an important factor in the development of the natural advantages of situation and surroundings which were enjoyed by his native city, to which he left, as a legacy, many industries and benevolent institutions that owe their existence and success to those estimable qualities of mind and heart for which he was distinguished.
JOHN STEVENS RICHARDS was born on the 5th day of June, 1821, at the Richards homestead, in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was the son of John and Ann Hinton Richards, natives of Cardijan- shire, North Wales, but who were married in Erie in 1814. John Richards, the elder, went to sea from his home in Wales at a very early age, and had circumnavigated the globe three times when he entered New York City and apprenticed himself to Brown & Bell, ship builders. When the War of 1812 broke out this firm was engaged by the Government to construct war vessels, and during the building of the ships of Perry's fleet, forwarded a consider- able number of men from New York to Erie, the elder Richards being among the number. Subsequently, and throughout his life, he made his home in that city, finally engaging in ship building. The subject of this sketch received his early schooling in what
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was known as the "Yellow Meeting House," afterwards attending the Erie Academy, in which institutions he acquired the most thorough education there possible. He then entered the shipyards of his father, in whose employment he remained for several years. Preferring, however, the exciting calling of ship sailing to the monotonous occupation of ship building, he left the employment of his father and engaged himself in a subordinate position on vessels plying the lakes. Displaying remarkable aptitude, however, for seamanship, he soon rose to the command of the steamer "Ohio," afterwards having charge of the "Queen City," the "Keystone State," the "Western World," and lastly of the steamship "Mil- waukee," plying between Milwaukee and Grand Haven, Michigan. He retired from the command of the last named steamer in 1863 to become a member of the firm of Rawle & Company, shippers by water of bituminous coal. This firm was succeeded by Richards, Pelton, Reed & Company, which latter firm was dissolved upon the abandonment of the Erie extension canal. From 1871 Mr. Richards was a member of the firm of William L. Scott & Com- pany, and after the death of Mr. Scott was elected to the Presi- dency of the W. L. Scott Coal Company, which corporation succeeded the firm. Mr. Richards was also a Director in the Second National Bank, the Youghiogheny River Coal Company, the Union Coal Company, and the Spring Valley Coal Company.
He was married, in 1853, to Adelaide McAllaster, daughter of David McAllaster, of Erie. His children, Harry Richards, Mary, the wife of George R. Metcalf, and Adelaide, wife of W. W. Michener, all survived him, as did his wife. He died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Michener, in Chicago, on the 23d day of April, 1897, lamented not only by business and social friends, but by the whole community, to whom his high-minded chivalry and generous and philanthropic instincts had endeared him. A sincere and earnest Christian always, he took an intense interest in the affairs of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, in which he was a vestryman, and in charitable and educational work in every sphere of action. For many years he was identified with the Hamot Hospital Asso- ciation, and was at the time of his death the President of its
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Board of Managers, besides being identified in a greater or less degree with almost every movement looking to the betterment of the condition of the sick and needy. Distinguished as his life was by business activity, and illustrated with good deeds and kind acts, he has left a record which will long endure, and a memory which will be cherished with care. His career, with the versatility he manifested and the energy he possessed, was an inspiration to his associates and an object lesson for coming generations. As success attended his business, his generosity was dispensed to those about him. His enterprise, his steadfastness, and his executive ability had greatly aided in the development of the city of his birth and to the drawing of those lines of trade which in their turn added so largely to its population and wealth. In the portion of his life which was spent upon the water he filled the highest positions attainable, and was in succession the commander of five of the finest steamers upon the northern lakes, a record seldom equaled and probably not surpassed by any other captain, yet he was a comparatively young man when he left the lakes and entered upon his business career.
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