USA > Pennsylvania > Prominent and progressive Pennsylvanians of the nineteenth century. Volume II > Part 4
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Doctor Beates is a member and First Vice-President of the Philadelphia Medical Club, in the affairs of which progressive association he takes a very active interest. Socially, as well as professionally, he has an energetic temperament, and his participa-
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HENRY BEATES, JR.
tion in the management of several notable clubs mark him as a man of thoroughly modern ideas and tendencies. He is a member of the Union League and of the Academy of Natural Sciences, two widely different, but highly representative organizations. In medicine, however, Doctor Beates is chiefly prominent. He is a Fellow of the College of Physicians, and is also a member of the Philadelphia County Medical Society, one of the most progressive and representative of its kind. The modern advancement of the latter society has been very marked, and as Doctor Beates is Chairman of its Board of Directors, his part in the establishment of this condition has been an active one. The State Medical Society of Pennsylvania, which unites the several bodies of the various county societies and embraces a larger scope, possesses his services as one of the Board of Directors, and he is also a member of the Judiciary Council of the Society. Dr. Beates is a member of the Northern Medical Society; of the Paediatric Society and the Pathological Society.
On September 3, 1896, Doctor Beates was married to Agnes Trevette Barrington. Dr. Beates is at the present time identified with social life to a large extent, but the problem of higher medi- cal education interests him chiefly. In connection with this he is active in establishing practical instruction which he considers should be the principal feature of medical teaching and the didactic limited to that sufficient only to elaborate and inculcate underlying principles.
WILLIAM H. BIGLER.
D URING the past quarter of a century the divine art of healing has taken its most progressive strides towards the ideal state of perfection, for which, years ago, the disciples of Æsculapius yearned, and in this development the particular branch of homœopathy has thoroughly kept pace. One of the most distin- guished members of the profession of medicine is Dr. William H. Bigler, and not alone because of his extensive knowledge of homœopathy is he noted, but as a promoter of college interests, and one of Hahnemann Hospital's most valued physicians. Pro- fessor Bigler now occupies the important post of Professor of Physiology and Pediatrics in Hahnemann Medical College, of Philadelphia, and he is equally known for his writings and teach- ings on the special branch of Ophthalmology.
WILLIAM H. BIGLER was born in Philadelphia on the roth of June, 1840. Professor Bigler comes of a distinguished family which gave to the Moravian Church some of its most ardent dis- ciples and doctrinal preachers. His father was the Right Rever- end David Bigler, who held a high position in the Moravian denomination. A considerable portion of the son's early education was, naturally enough, therefore, gleaned in Moravian institutions. The first seventeen years of his life were spent in New York City, where his father was occupying the pulpit in a noted church. He was sent to the Moravian College, from which he graduated with high honors. He then entered the Theological Seminary at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and, at the conclusion of his course, went to Europe to complete his education and acquire a more thorough knowledge of the classics. He remained in Europe for
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WILLIAM H. BIGLER.
two years and studied at the Universities of Berlin and Erlangen. When he returned to America he was appointed Professor in his Alma Mater, remaining in the Moravian College in an honorable position for eight years. During that time Professor Bigler pol- ished his education, and at the end of the eight years had attained general recognition as one of the most scholarly men of his time. About that time Professor Bigler married the daughter of Dr. Augustus W. Koch, a prominent Philadelphia physician, and, under the circumstances, became greatly interested in medicine. He began the study of the materia medica and was graduated from Hahnemann College in 1871. Ever since that time he has been connected with the institution in some capacity or other. During the quarter of a century which has elapsed since then, Professor Bigler has been one of the most prominent figures in the devel- opment of the doctrine of homeopathy, and the same thoroughness which marked his course as a student and teacher served to further his progress as a physician. After graduating he was appointed to the Dispensary staff of the Hahnemann Hospital, and for a number of years had charge of the Ear and Eye Department. He also lectured on Ophthalmology in the college during both the summer course and the regular winter sessions. In this service he spent several years, and, for three months after the death of Dr. W. B. Trites, lectured on the Practice of Medi- cine during the absence of the regular professor of that branch.
In 1890 Professor Bigler was appointed Assistant Professor of Physiology, and, in 1891, he became full Professor in that course, and, in 1894, was appointed also to the chair of Pediatrics. Dr. Bigler, in addition to his services in behalf of the advance- ment of homeopathy and the education of medical students, has taken a great interest in the affairs of the Hahnemann College. He has been Treasurer of the Alumni Association ever since its organization, and the Homeopathic Medical Society of Pennsyl- vania has numbered him among its members since 1872. In appreciation of his activity in behalf of the Society, the members, in 1886, elected him First Vice-President. Owing to the death of Dr. Crowley, the President, he served in that office until the fol-
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WILLIAM H. BIGLER.
lowing annual election. Dr. Bigler was also President of the County Medical Society for two years, and has been a member of the American Institute of Homoeopathy since 1876, having served on several bureaus and committees in both organizations.
In connection with his abiding interest in college work and the progress of the development of the doctrine of homoeopathy, Dr. Bigler has, for a number of years, been interested in the journalism of medicine. He contributed largely to the literature of homeopathy and, in 1876, was co-Editor of the American Journal of Homeopathic Materia Medica, a notable publication which was issued in Philadelphia. Since 1893 he has been an Editor of the Hahnemannian Monthly, one of the most prominent homeopathic publications in America. Professor Bigler has read numerous papers before the societies of which he is a member, and has contributed articles to various journals, most of them on his specialty-Ophthalmology. Dr. Bigler's experience has been so varied as to make him an authority upon his special branches of medicine.
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ISAAC BLUM.
SAAC BLUM was born in Strasburg, in the prov- ince of Alsace, France, March 5, 1849. His father is Jacques Blum, now living at Ogontz at the age of eighty-four. His mother was Eve Blum, now deceased. Mr. Blum's father in his early days was prominently connected with the real estate business while living in Europe, and became very successful there as a business man. His grandfather on the paternal side served under Napoleon, and received honorable mention for gallant and valuable services, and he was likewise prominently identified with the municipal affairs of his place, serving as President of Council there. In fact, Mr. Blum's ancestors, on both sides of the house for several gen- erations, were men and women of sterling qualities and high order of attainments, and his progress since his entrance into the busi- ness field has practically been a reproduction of their successes. He received his regular school education, and an excellent private tuition, studying under a master, and in this way gaining a thorough and complete knowledge of three languages, as well as finance and economy. At the age of seventeen years Mr. Blum came to this country, just after the close of the Civil War, and settling in Wheeling, West Virginia, established himself with his brother in the dry-goods business, under the firm name of Isaac Blum & Brother. For a number of years he continued in this field, becoming one of the best known business men of that section. In 1876 he married Miss Rebecca L. Siedenbach, daughter of the late Martin Sieden- bach, one of Philadelphia's pioneer merchants, to which city he shortly after removed, and, two years later, after having obtained a wide acquaintance with the dry-goods trade, as a resident buyer
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for his western houses, he, in addition, began business for himself at Third and Market streets, there becoming a pioneer in the busi- ness of manufacturing ladies' cloaks and suits, which was started by Mr. Blum on a small scale, occupying one room at 301 Mar- ket Street, from which place, as the business increased rapidly, he removed to 531 Market Street. As the business progressed a further removal was necessary, and the firm moved into the large and extensive building situated at 1319 Market Street, occupying five floors, in which place Mr. Blum continued his immense business until January 1, 1892, when he retired, owing to the fact that at that time his health broke down, which neces- sitated his retirement from active business, two of his brothers who were associated with him continuing the business under the old name. Their place of business is at 1319 Market Street, and a branch house in New York City is carried on by two other brothers with success. It was shortly after his recovery from this illness that he first became interested in the Hestonville Railroad, which at that time was, comparatively speaking, a wreck. He made a proposition to some friends, and interested them in it, with the result that he formed a syndicate which purchased 7,000 shares of the stock owned by the Lafferty estate, in order to get a con- trolling interest of the road, and this syndicate, under the direc- tion of Mr. Blum, succeeded in completely restoring the road to a condition of prosperity.
A very clear exposition of the most striking points in Mr. Blum's character was given shortly after he undertook the re-or- ganization and regeneration of the Hestonville Railroad Company. The President, who was elected by Mr. Blum's syndicate, eventu- ally adopted a course antagonistic to that which Mr. Blum believed the proper one for the company to adopt, and there ensued a dis- agreement with the result that Mr. Blum came out victorious. Although offered the Presidency of the road, Mr. Blum declined, owing to statements made by the opposition element, intimating a reflection that he was seeking the office. He selected the late Johns Hopkins for the office, to which the latter was elected in 1892. Mr. Blum accepting the Vice-Presidency and General Man-
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ISAAC BLUM.
agership of the road. Since that time electricity has been adopted as a motive power, and when the change was made a great finan- cial problem presented itself-how to raise the money to build a new trolley road. Mr. Blum, who was one of the organizers of the Market Street National Bank, and a Director, proceeded to endeavor to raise $1,250,000 by an issue of bonds and preferred stock. He enlisted the good offices of his personal friends and those interested in the Hestonville Railroad, and, by a prospectus which he had prepared, convinced them that the road would prove a financial success after being trolleyed. Mr. Blum's friends, having great faith in him as a financier and manager, within forty-eight hours subscribed for $1,250,000 in five per cent. gold bonds, underwritten and preferred stock, the rush made for the stock being largely in excess of the amount required. This was one of the most admirable operations in many years, and the investment proved a magnificent one. On June 15, 1895, Mr. Blum was elected President of the Hestonville, Mantua and Fair- mount Passenger Railway Company. He was also elected President of the Fairmount Park and Haddington Railway Company, a branch enterprise. A striking evidence of the fealty of the employés may be seen in the offices of the company. It is a set of artistically engrossed and handsomely framed resolutions, in which they express their appreciation to the President and Board of Managers for acts of kindness, generosity and leniency. The presentation of these resolutions was an agreeable surprise, and made a notable feature at the annual meeting of stockholders on the 13th of January, 1896.
Mr. Blum was one of the organizers and is at present a Director of the Market Street National Bank. In the affairs of public life he takes great interest, especially in matters connected with chari- table work. He is Secretary of the Executive Committee, and a Director in the Foster Home and Orphan Asylum at Germantown, Philadelphia, and he is a Director in the Sanitarium Association of Red Bank, New Jersey. Mr. Blum has three children, two sons and one daughter, Milton C., and Arthur Blum, aged twenty and sixteen respectively, and Eva Blanche, aged twelve years.
COURTLANDT K. BOLLES.
S EVERAL score of the young men of Pennsylvania have won success at the Bar, and among the number are to be found some of the brightest citizens of the Commonwealth. It seems to nat- urally follow, in a great many cases, that those who have evinced an aptitude for the profession of law, with all its ramifications, have likewise an innate ability to shine in the legislative assemblies of their State, and Courtlandt K. Bolles is a notable example of this. Still in his thirties, he has won recog- nition upon several occasions both in the political field and at the Bar. He is now serving his third term in the House of Repre- sentatives from the Ninth District, and in this and the practice of his profession he is attaining a position of high prominence in the community.
COURTLANDT K. BOLLES was born in Portland, Maine, May 9, 1865. His genealogy is an interesting one, reaching back as it does to the earliest settlers in America, and to some of the lead- ing families of England prior to that period. On the paternal side he is a lineal descendant in the male line of Joseph Bolles, of Wells, Maine, who came from England prior to 1640. He was the lineal descendant of Allen Bolle, sometime Sheriff of Lincoln- shire, England. Joseph Bolles, the first colonist of the name, was made Deputy Governor of Maine by Sir Fernando Gorges, settled in New London, in 1668, and was Justice and member of the Governor's Council in 1709 and 1710. The father of the subject of this biography is the Rev. Edwin Courtlandt Bolles, D. D., of New York City, one of the leading ministers of the gospel in his State. On the maternal side, Mr. Bolles is a lineal descendant of
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COURTLANDT K. BOLLES.
Nathaniel Merrill, a Huguenot exile, who settled in Newbury, Massachusetts, in 1635. It is from Thomas Merrill, of Newbury, Massachusetts, an officer in the Revolutionary Army, that Mr. Bolles derives eligibility in the order of Sons of the Revolution.
Tufts College, Massachusetts, was the institution wherein Courtlandt K. Bolles received his education. He took a thorough course at this well known seat of learning, and then went to the University of Pennsylvania, where he entered the Law Depart- ment. He devoted his every energy to the study of the statutes, and was crowned with success when he received the degree of LL.B. from the latter institution. He also studied law with the firm of Biddle & Ward, of which the late George W. Biddle was the senior member. Upon being admitted to the Bar Mr. Bolles set out upon acquiring a practice, and he so well succeeded that he is to-day one of the best known attorneys in the city of Philadelphia. He is at present engaged in handling his large practice in the Philadelphia courts, although his legislative duties occupy a large portion of his time. His offices are in the Fidelity Mutual Life Building, 112 North Broad Street.
The beginning of Mr. Bolles' political history dates back sev- eral years. He has represented the Republican party in a num- ber of conventions, and in the work which has fallen upon the several committees of which he has been a member he has indi- cated both his earnestness and ability. He was elected Alternate Delegate to the Republican National Convention, at Minneapolis, from the Second Congressional District of Pennsylvania. He was first elected to represent the Ninth Legislative District of Phila- delphia County in November, 1892, and served as a member of the House of Representatives during the session of 1893 and 1894. His administration of the affairs of his constituents was marked during this term by a most careful and painstaking interest. He was the author and supporter of a number of meas- ures calculated to produce many beneficial results, and when, in the fall of 1894, he was re-nominated, it was simply the natural outcome of his splendid administration that he was elected by a large majority. He served during the session of 1895 and 1896
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COURTLANDT K. BOLLES.
in a manner equally as deserving of commendation, and, in Novem- ber, 1896, he was re-elected for his third term by the largest majority ever given a candidate in the Ninth District. Mr. Bolles served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives during the session of 1897 and 1898, and it is quite certain that in him his constituents found the same careful guardian of their interests as during his previous terms, with the additional advan- tages of experience and an increased knowledge of legislative affairs.
Courtlandt K. Bolles was married January 7, 1895, to Miss Gertrude, daughter of the late Dr. Lucius S. Bolles, of Philadel- phia. They have one child, a son, who was born April 9, 1896. Mr. Bolles is well known in Philadelphia society, and he is a member of several patriotic associations and a few of the leading clubs of the city. He is Lieutenant and Navigating Officer of the First Battalion, Naval Force, State of Pennsylvania. In the University Club of Philadelphia he is a valued member, and he is likewise enrolled in the Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America. Mr. Bolles was Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means of the Legislature. He was also a member of the Committee on Appropriations, and in both of these capacities he was in a position to give very thorough attention to the interests of his city and State. Still a young man, Mr. Bolles has won many laurels, both in the practice of his profession and in the legis- lative halls. He is numbered among those who have practically hewn their own way to success and recognition unaided; and there are many of his constituents who have faith in his abil- ity and steadfastness to advance himself still higher on the roll of Pennsylvania's prominent and progressive sons.
GEORGE BOOTH.
U PON the honorable roster of Pennsylvania's promi- nent sons appear the names of not a few who may not claim this country as a birthplace, but who have enjoyed, none the less, the honor and distinc- tion which follow in the footsteps of progress and ambition. For, upon becoming citizens of the great Common- wealth, they lost no time in identifying themselves with its interests and attaining to the fullest extent that spirit of enter- prise which characterizes the leading men of the times. The British Kingdom furnished Pennsylvania with some of its most desirable early stock, and from the initial settlements of the Irish, the Scotch-Irish and the English in the State, many of its leading men have sprung. Again, transplanted youth has grown exceed- ingly well on our kindly soil, and among the successful men of to-day are a number whose birthplace was across the seas. George Booth, the Director of the Department of Charities of the city of Pittsburg, is one of the most prominent men of that city, and a notable example of this.
GEORGE BOOTH was born at Compstall, near Manchester, England, November 19, 1841. His parents were Jonathan and Ellen Booth, and the family came to this country in 1858. His education was begun and continued in England until he was twelve years of age, when he was put to work in a blacksmith shop to learn the trade, which employment he continued until he came to America, on St. Patrick's Day, in 1858. He took up his residence with an uncle, in Frankford, and went to work there in a carriage factory, but, in June, 1859, he went to Pittsburg, where the rest of his family resided, and was there apprenticed to finish
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GEORGE BOOTH.
his trade as blacksmith. He applied himself to his trade until, when the War of the Rebellion broke out, in 1861, he enlisted as private in the Thirteenth Pennsylvania Infantry as a three months' volunteer on President Lincoln's first call for troops. After being honorably discharged, he returned to his trade with his previous employers, remaining until 1862, when he again enlisted in Com- pany D, One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers. This regiment, after the second battle of Bull Run, was sent to Antietam battlefield, where it supported a battery very valiantly. Shortly after, Mr. Booth was detailed to McClellan's headquarters, and placed on the signal corps of the Army of the Potomac, where he remained until the end of the war. Returning to his home in Pittsburg he finished his apprenticeship with his old firm. In the meantime, while following his trade, he attended a business college at night and in other ways managed to improve his education.
Mr. Booth was highly popular with the working classes, and his evident desire to improve his condition won him the admira- tion of many prominent men. In 1868 he was elected a member of Common Councils from the Eighth Ward of Pittsburg, and he served in that body until 1871. In 1869 he abandoned his trade and went into the business of general contracting until, in 1872, he was appointed Clerk to the City Engineer. The offices of City Clerk and Assistant City Clerk were created by an Act of Legis- lature in 1873, and Mr. Booth was elected to the latter office, entering upon his duties May 1, 1873. So efficient was his service in this post, that he was re-elected from term to term, until 1880, when he was elected to the office of City Clerk. Here again he was re-elected from term to term, serving three years each time, until 1893, when he received a still more substantial political recognition. Mr. Booth's acquaintance with all classes of people, his knowledge of business methods in the administration of city affairs, his own practical experience and his many sterling quali- ties, all united to adapt him for a much higher position than that which he occupied. Accordingly, in 1893, he was elected to the position of Director of the Department of Charities of the city of
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Pittsburg to fill the unexpired term of the late R. C. Elliot. In the methods of this office Mr. Booth speedily introduced many improvements, and so active was he in the work carried on by the Department in the common cause of humanity, that when the term expired, in 1895, he was re-elected to serve until Febru- ary 1, 1899. Mr. Booth is one of the best-liked men in Pitts- burg, and his high integrity and thorough ability have perma- nently established his reputation in the Iron City.
On July 23, 1867, Mr. Booth was married to Elizabeth J. Prince, of Pittsburg. Seven children have come to bless his household, four boys and three girls. They are: Frank P., aged 28; Henry J., aged 26; Martha C., aged 24, who is a teacher in the city grammar school; Sarah M., aged 21 ; Bradford A., aged 18; George W., aged 16, and Bessie, aged 13. Mr. Booth's house- hold is one of the happiest and most delightful in the city of Pittsburg, and he, personally, is one of the most prominent men there. He is entitled to a place in any list of progressive Penn- sylvanians as a soldier who has served his country in time of need, a citizen full of civic pride, a public-spirited man, and one whose success has been the result of his own efforts.
Rue Bagner
CYRUS BORGNER.
IN the business world which centres about Philadelphia, there is no name better known or more deservedly respected than that of Cyrus Borgner, whose manu- factures are used the world over. Identified with several of the large manufacturing corporations of the city, directing a huge business of his own, and taking an active part in the management of many important financial insti- tutions, Mr. Borgner thoroughly represents all that is expected of a progressive and enterprising citizen of the Keystone State.
CYRUS BORGNER was born July 10, 1849, in Lebanon, Pennsyl- vania, where his father, C. H. Borgner, was a merchant and an influential citizen. For more than a century the family, founded there by a sturdy German immigrant, had increased and spread its members over the Lebanon Valley, where they were recognized as important and useful members of the community. The boy was reared in Lebanon, receiving his education in the public schools. He had already the elements of a good business training, for he made his first steps in trade several years before he left school, spending his spare hours as clerk in stores of which his friends or relatives were proprietors. His schooling at an end he went to Philadel- phia, where he secured a position with the William Sellers Com- pany, then, as now, engaged in the making of machinery and engineering iron work. For a year and a half, or more, he was employed in the erection of large foundries and machine shops, as Assistant to the Superintendent, an office not so important as its name may indicate, for it was practically the lowest round of the ladder of the company service. The place gave him an opportunity to demonstrate his worth, however, and when the buildings were
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