USA > Pennsylvania > Prominent and progressive Pennsylvanians of the nineteenth century. Volume III > Part 2
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JOHN JOSEPH ALTER.
now has a capacity of over one hundred and fifty thousand barrels per year.
Mr. Alter was one of the founders of the Northwestern National Bank, and also incorporator of the Citizens' Trust Company, both of which organizations he served as a Director. He was also a Director of the German-American Safe Deposit and Trust Company, and is a Director of the German Society and Vice-President of the Philadel- phia Brewers' Association, having been Treasurer of this organization for several years. Mr. Alter and Louise Bergdoll, daughter of Louis Bergdoll, Sr., were married July 21, 1874.
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ANTHONY J. ANTELO.
HE early stages of Pennsylvania's progress are connected with the advancement of the century's latter days by the presence and active participation in the com- mercial and financial affairs of the Commonwealth of such men as the subject of this biography, Anthony J. Antelo. More than eighty years of age, he is at once an honored and representative citizen and a business man of the highest type. In his youth he entered a prominent Philadelphia firm as an employé in a modest capacity, and with that house he remained, passing through the various stages of progress until he reached the highest round of the ladder in his connection with the firm, as a partner. Mr. Antelo has been actively identified with railroad improvements for a number of years, and through these and many other connections he still occupies a prominent place in his community, although he has long since retired from active participation in business affairs.
ANTHONY J. ANTELO was born, June 22, 1815, in Philadelphia, and for more than eighty years has resided for the greater portion of the time in the city of his birth. His father was Anthony Antelo, a Spaniard, who was a supercargo, connected with the well-known firm of Peter Harmony & Company, of New York. His mother was Charlotte De- tune, daughter of J. M. Detune, a French planter of San Domingo. The son, Anthony, was educated at Victor Value's Military Academy at Mantua, now Baring Street, West Philadelphia. In March, 1831, hav- ing completed his education, the young man entered the business field as an employé of the counting-house of Joseph L. Moss, with which firm he was connected until 1837, when the firm was succeeded by Mercer & Brother, with which organization Mr. Antelo remained. In 1840, having evidenced a great interest in the affairs of the organiza-
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tion, and demonstrated his practical ability in the management of its business, he was made a partner, and the firm became Mercer, Brother & Company. As a partner in this business organization, which, at that time, was one of the best known of its kind in the city of Phila- delphia, Mr. Antelo distinguished himself by rare judgment and con- summate business tact. The house enjoyed, for a period of four years, uninterrupted prosperity, the members of the firm being fully agreed in every point of their trade transactions. In 1844, however, the organization was dissolved and the firm then became Mercer & Antelo, Mr. Antelo then having a larger share in the profits of the concern. From that time on until 1867 the name of Anthony J. Antelo was a widely known one in the commercial world, and it stood for integrity, uprightness and sound financial and industrial judgment. The firm grew and expanded until, in 1867, Mr. Antelo retired from business, when it was one of the most notable houses in Philadelphia. This completed a period of thirty-seven years, during which time he had given his uninterrupted attention to the administration of the affairs of the one house in various capacities, from that of a junior clerk in the counting-house to the important post of partner of the firm. For a number of years Mr. Antelo was connected with various other business enterprises as a Director and officer, for his active tempera- ment led him to extend the field of his operations in many directions. He was a Director in the Camden and Atlantic Railroad Company for twelve years, and he is still a Director in a number of leading organi- zations. The Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank receives a share of his attention as a Director, and he holds a similar office in the Pennsyl- vania Company for Insurance on Lives and Granting Annuities, and in the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company. Mr. Antelo was one of the original members of the Union Club, who, in 1862, organized the Union League, and he is still a member of both organi- zations, although of the first there survive but eight out of fifty-two members. Mr. Antelo's career has been an entirely active one and he has been one of the most progressive business men of his time, uniting, as he has, both ambition and ability, a combination of qualities which has insured his success.
Although Mr. Antelo's participation in active public and business
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life dates back a number of years, yet his name is still representative of the best and leading interests of Philadelphia. His identification with the progress of affairs, extending through a period of more than a third of a century, marked him as a man of unusual attainments. To-day he is recognized as one of the old-school Philadelphians and a man eminently worthy to occupy a leading position in the ranks of those whose prominence has been won through years of uninter- rupted attention to business, while from a social standpoint he is viewed in a similar geniai light.
On April 23, 1839, Mr. Antelo was married to Margaret Patton, daughter of William Patton, Jr., who died in 1864. They have had three daughters, two of whom are living. Since retiring from busi- ness Mr. Antelo has found employment and occupation for his energy in attending to the duties of those operations with which he is con- nected. He takes considerable interest in the affairs of his city and State, although not an active participant therein, for he feels that, hav- ing reached that point beyond which few more activities are allotted to man, his life work has practically been done. In spite of his years, however, Mr. Antelo is still a thoroughly representative type of the successful business man, and he is a notable example of what enter- prise and the spirit of progress may accomplish.
WILLIAM C. ARNOLD.
HE history of Pennsylvania bears upon its political pages indelible marks made by many eminent members of the legal profession. With a keen knowledge of men and affairs, and possessed of thorough-going Ameri- can principles of political economy, the subject of this sketch, William C. Arnold, is an able lawyer, whose record as a member of the National Congressional body stands forth with an unusual degree of prominence. To him has been accorded unstinted praise for his manly defense of pension appropriations. In a famous speech in the halls of Congress the sentiments expressed by him, that pensions are a nation's sacred debt, won for him the sincere thanks and hearty good will of all veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic, not only in his own State, but throughout the Union. On the revenue, coinage, Cuban and other notable questions he has also proved himself an active leader in thought on national issues.
WILLIAM CARLILE ARNOLD was born in Luthersburg, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, July 15, 1851, his parents being Samuel and Mary A. Arnold. On his paternal side he can trace his ancestry back through New England, England and Wales to the Tenth Century. He received his early education in the public schools at Curwensville, and finished at the historic Phillips Academy, at Andover, Massachusetts. While yet a very young man he entered the First National Bank of Curwensville, where he assisted his father, serving several years there as teller. In his odd moments he read law and, after two years of study in the office of a prominent Clearfield attorney, he was duly admitted to the Bar, and began practice in June, 1875. He was sub- sequently admitted to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and to the United States District and Circuit courts. Mr. Arnold quickly made
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WILLIAM CARLILE ARNOLD.
a place for himself at the Bar, and has long been recognized as one of the leading legal lights of Clearfield County. With the exception of a brief stay in South Dakota, he has spent his entire life in the Twenty-eighth District of Pennsylvania, consisting of five counties. As a lecturer he gained considerable renown, showing, in the handling of his subjects, great accuracy, literary excellence and wide and care- ful research. It has been said of his principal lecture, "The Trial and Execution of Christ," that he proved in a most impressive and convincing way the relation of modern jurisprudence to ancient Hebraic law.
Born and reared among the pines of Clearfield County, the lumber interests are as familiar to him as Blackstone ; present at the birth of the mining industry, he has a thorough acquaintance with it and its workings among the hills of the central coal-fields ; broad- minded and desirous of being familiar with industrial pursuits that furnish employment to the masses, he has also made himself conver- sant with all the interests of his district and State. Forcible and eloquent as a public speaker, he has always been an ardent Republican and an enthusiastic advocate of a protective tariff in political cam- paigns. Hence, it naturally followed, in 1894, that his friends and admirers in the Twenty-eighth District, recognizing his intelligence and ability, chose him as their representative to the Fifty-fourth Con- gress. So faithful was he to his trust that he was re-elected, in 1896, to the Fifty-fifth Congress, and this, too, in the face of the fact that the district, prior to 1894, had been over 4,000 Democratic. During his term in the House he was placed on the Pacific Railroad Committee and a Committee on the Election of President, Vice-President and Members of Congress. His maiden speech was made on the "Emergency Revenue Bill," when it was a difficult matter for any representative, except the great leaders on both sides, to get the floor in the short time allotted for the discussion. As a matter of record, not one of the many men who appeared in Congress for the first time that year got an opportunity to be heard, except Mr. Arnold, on that very important question. On the situation between Spain and Cuba, Mr. Arnold has written a number of very instructive and interesting articles, besides voicing on the floors of Congress the sentiments of
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his constituents, to the end that the battle-bound island might secure its freedom. His strong arguments for the maintenance of needy Union war veterans and their dependents, both in and out of Congress, are historical and have gained him legions of friends.
So great is his popularity in the Clearfield section that he has been seriously talked of as a Republican candidate for Governor next term, but those who know him best say that it is more likely that he will enter the race for Congressman-at-Large.
Mr. Arnold was married on September 22, 1874, to Jennie P. Irvin, who died suddenly, July 14, 1897. Four children were the result of that union : W. D. I. Arnold, Ellen I., Philip I. and John C., all of whom are living.
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GEORGE W. ARUNDEL.
T HE descendant of a family noted in English history, foremost in the American wars for independence and of 1812, and prominent for generations in the affairs of Philadelphia, George W. Arundel's career has been consonant with such an ancestry. He is, furthermore, an honor to the Bar, which numbers him among its most prominent and respected members.
GEORGE W. ARUNDEL was born in Philadelphia, February 22, 1831. He comes of a distinguished stock, the Arundel family having for generations exerted an important influence on English history. Rev. Henry Arundel, who lived and died in Exeter, England, was the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, and his grandfather was Capt. Robert Arundel, a naval hero of the War of 1812, who fell while commanding the American sloop-of-war "Pert" in Commo- dore Chauncey's flotilla during the attack of November 10, 1812, on the batteries defending the harbor of Kingston, Canada. Mr. Arun- del's mother was a granddaughter of Gen. George Brook, who was in command of the Pennsylvania line in the Continental Army during the Revolution. Robert J. Arundel, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a noted lawyer of the last generation, whose home was the meeting-place of a circle of legal friends. Therefore, to heredity and environment may be greatly ascribed the love of study and early pre- dilection for the law which so distinguished the son. Mr. Arundel received his primary education under private tutors, afterward attend- ing the Academic Department of the University of Pennsylvania. He then read law in the office of his father and was admitted to the Bar on April 9, 1851. He has since continuously devoted himself to the practice of his profession, having tried many important cases. As a result his
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clientele includes many well-known people, representing some of the most important interests in Philadelphia. Like many of the lawyers who have contributed to the proverbially high standing of the Philadelphia Bar, he has no specialty, his practice embracing every department of civil and criminal law. In the course of his career he has been engaged as counsel for the defense in many of the homicide trials which are noted in the history of the Philadelphia Bar. In these cases he has brought to bear all the knowledge and resources of the trained advocate, addressing judge and jury with telling effect and displaying a comprehensive knowledge of the principles and practice of criminal jurisprudence. In the conduct of his cases Mr. Arundel is noted for his lucid and impressive presentation of the points of evidence ; for though possessed of ripe scholarship, the result of life-long and extensive read- ing, he seldom indulges in quotations or classical references, but argues his cases with admirable conciseness and simplicity of diction. Despite his quickness of repartee, displayed in his daily forensic contest, he invariably preserves the affability for which he is noted in his pro- fession.
Politically, Mr. Arundel is a life-long Democrat, but has never desired any office disconnected with his profession. But twice in his career has he accepted nomination. In 1854 he was named for the Legislature from the Fourteenth Ward of his native city. In 1886 he was given the Democratic nomination for the office of City Solicitor of Philadelphia, receiving his entire party vote and being supported by many in the opposite party. He was defeated, as was to be expected in a contest against a large adverse majority which supported a candi- date who had already filled the office with exceptional ability.
Mr. Arundel has since declined all nomination for office, for although firm in his political belief, his tastes lead him to avoid the con- flicts of party and make the claims of his profession paramount. The one exception, when he allowed his name to be presented for a public post, was in connection with the office of United States District Attorney under the first administration of President Cleveland in 1884. In the number and character of his recommendations the name of Mr. Arundel led all of those mentioned for the office. These included the Supreme Justices of the State, and many of the Judges in the counties
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comprising the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, besides a large num- ber of letters and petitions from his fellow-members of the Bar. The consensus of opinion thus expressed was that Mr. Arundel was able and reputable, and in every way qualified to occupy the office with honor and distinction. Though assiduous in the practice of his pro- fession, Mr. Arundel does not neglect the social amenities of life. In the society of his friends or in the smaller circle presided over by his charming wife, his rare personal qualities are revealed. His ready wit, good spirits and interesting conversation, enriched with the results of extensive reading and observations, have endeared him to a wide circle of friends.
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GEORGE W. ATHERTON.
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EORGE W. ATHERTON was born in Boxford, Essex County, Massachusetts, June 20, 1837, of a well- known New England family, whose connection with the early history of Massachusetts was full of honor. The family was a branch of the old English stock, whose seat is still at Leigh, near Manchester, England. When he was twelve years of age, George W. Atherton was left, by the loss of his father, to earn his own living and to help to support his mother and two sisters, a circumstance which early developed that indomitable will and tenacity of purpose which have contributed greatly in bring- ing him success in later life. As a result of his work in a cotton-mill and on a farm, and later by teaching, he made his way through Phillips Exeter Academy, and in the fall of 1860 he entered the Sophomore Class of Yale College, from which he was graduated in 1863. But, in the meantime, the War of the Rebellion took him from his studies, as he was eager to bear arms in defense of the Union. He was appointed to a First Lieutenancy in the Tenth Connecticut Volun- teers, which formed a part of Burnside's expedition against North Carolina. He served a long time, being engaged in a number of important battles and being finally promoted to a Captaincy. Not only as a soldier, but in other capacities, his service was required. He was repeatedly detailed as Judge-Advocate of regimental and brigade court-martial. About that time he passed through a period of pro- tracted illness, and in December, 1863, was so run down in health that, after great reluctance, he resigned. After several months of recupera- tion, he was appointed to a professorship in the Albany Boys' Academy, in which he had taught prior to entering college, meanwhile continuing his own study. In June, 1864, he returned to New Haven,
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GEORGE W. ATHERTON.
and, passing the examination, received the degree of B.A., to date with his class of 1863. For three years he continued to teach in Albany and then went to St. John's College, at Annapolis, Maryland, where he served as Principal for nearly a year. He then went to the Illinois State University, as a member of the first faculty, with John M. Gregory as Regent. At the end of the first year he accepted a very flattering offer to establish a chair of History, Political Economy and Constitutional Law in Rutgers College, New Brunswick, New Jersey. He filled this chair nearly fourteen years. He labored untiringly to secure a recognized standing for the new department in this old and conservative institution, and this he successfully accomplished. Not only did he maintain the professional work of the class-room, but in all matters relating to the general methods of the institution and its interests he was ever alert and active.
In 1873 he was a member of the Board of Visitors to the United States Naval Academy, and in 1875 he was appointed by President Grant a member of the Commission to investigate charges of mis- management and fraud at the Red Cloud Indian Agency. In 1876, greatly against his wishes, but in obedience to what seemed to be a call of duty, he accepted the Republican nomination for Congress in a district having a very large opposing majority. As a matter of course, his defeat followed, but he ran ahead of the Presidential ticket at almost every polling place. The Governor of New Jersey, in 1878, appointed a commission of five to prepare for the Legislature a digest of the State system of taxes, and of this body Mr. Atherton was Chair- man. He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar and practiced for some time as a consulting attorney without relinquishing his college pro- fessorship. The well-known Act of 1887, providing for the establish- ment of Agricultural Experiment Stations in connection with the Land Grant Colleges in every State of the Union, and under which fifty principal and several subordinate stations are now in operation, is probably more largely due to him than to any other single individual outside of Congress. As a result of the passage of this Act the Amer- ican Association of Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations was organized, and Doctor Atherton chosen President of that body. In the summer of 1882 Doctor Atherton received and accepted a call III .- 2
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to the Presidency of The Pennsylvania State College, one of the Land Grant institutions. After having received the income of the Land Grant Act for fifteen years the institution had less than one hundred students, a meager equipment and an indifferent public sentiment to combat. The task of building it up, and making it worthy of so rich and powerful a Commonwealth as Pennsylvania, seemed almost a hopeless one, but Doctor Atherton took hold of the work with a courageous enthusiasm that inspired others, and at the end of ten years had wrought a wonderful change. In 1883 the degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him by Franklin and Marshall College. In 1887 Doctor Atherton was appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania as Chairman of a commission to make inquiry and report upon the prac- ticability of introducing manual training into the public school system.
The report was widely recognized in this country and in Europe as the most complete single presentation of the subject published up to that time. Doctor Atherton has been more closely identified with the educational progress of Pennsylvania than probably any other man, and his interests to-day are centered in the development of The Pennsylvania State College, a task to which he faithfully adheres.
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CHARLES BAUM.
D ESCENDED from a family of physicians, and inherit- ing not only a taste but an extraordinary aptitude for mastering the intricacies of the medical profession, it is little to be wondered at that Charles Baum, A.M., M.D., Ph.D., should have so rapidly forged to the front among Philadelphia's practicing physicians. Although he has scarcely reached the prime of life, few of the younger class of physicians in the Quaker City have won a wider recognition than has been accorded Doctor Baum, who, in the past twenty years, has gathered about him a practice that is a flattering tribute to his worth and ability.
CHARLES BAUM was born at Lafayette Hill, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, on the Ist day of January, 1855. He is the son of William M. Baum, D.D., and Maria L. (Croll) Baum. He came of a family which, for four consecutive generations, has had physicians among its members, and it is but natural that at an early age he deter- mined to follow out that path in life in which so many of his relatives and ancestors had won the respect, confidence and esteem of their neighbors and their communities in general. Indeed, his liking for the medical profession seems almost to have been inherited. The early education of the subject of this review was acquired at the York County Academy, one of the most highly regarded educational institutions of the State, which, located at York, Pennsylvania, has among its alumni many of the best known residents of the Commonwealth. From this institution he passed to Pennsylvania College, at Gettysburg, where he applied himself to the pursuit of knowledge so assiduously that at the age of nineteen, in 1874, he successfully passed his final exami- nations and was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
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This same institution, three years later, in 1877, further honored him by conferring the degree of Master of Arts. Immediately upon com- pletion of his course at the College at Gettysburg, he began the study of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, taking, in conjunction with the course laid down, many studies auxiliary thereto in the Sci- entific Department of the University. He graduated from this cele- brated institution, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, in due season, and began the active practice of his profession in Philadel- phia on the 17th day of March, 1877. The following year his Alma Mater, the University of Pennsylvania, recognized his more than ordinary ability by conferring upon him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. So rapidly did he win public recognition as a thor- oughly competent master of his profession, that as early as the Ist day of February he was appointed to the position of Surgical Assist- ant at the Pennsylvania Hospital. He remained connected with this institution until the 31st day of October, 1888, serving also in the responsible posts of Resident Physician and Clinical Clerk. On the Ist day of January, 1878, he was appointed Attending Physician at the Northern Home for Friendless Children, with which he remained connected for eight years. He was also Attending Physician and Chief of the Clinic for Diseases of the Nose, Throat and Ear at the Northern Dispensary for the two years following the Ist day of July, 1880. Besides these positions, for short periods, he was also con- nected in a professional capacity with the Episcopal Hospital, Lying-in Charity, and Fifth Street Dispensary.
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