USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1 > Part 26
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weave into his descriptions of them and their works, impart to them a vividness and life rarely equalled. This is especially noticeable in his edition of the Noctes Ambro- siana. Had he contributed nothing more to American literature than the last mentioned work, he would have done sufficient to cause his name to be held in grateful re- membrance by all readers of the immortal collection. Nothing more complete of its class has ever been produced. Taking his edition, the reader is brought into familiar ac- quaintance with all the remarkable characters that figure in its pages, and to intelligent appreciation of every allusion made to or by them. With the editor's interesting and comprehensive notes, much that would otherwise be ob- seure is made perfectly distinct, and what, under, other circumstances, would at the best be but an intermittent pleasure, is rendered a continual enjoyment. As a general writer, Doctor Mackenzie is singularly easy and graceful, possessing a copious vocabulary and evineing much choice- ness in his mode of expression, while always equal in force and dignity to the occasion. As a critic, his reviews of new books are considered markedly impartial, always entertain- ing, and often uncommonly exhaustive and brilliant. In 1870, five weeks after the death of Charles Dickens, he produced a biography of that great writer, which has passed through several editions. In 1871, Sir Walter Scott : the Story of his Life, with personal recollections of " The Great Unknown," was his contribution to the Centennial Celebration of the Author of " Waverley."
RICE, WILLIAM, Merchant, was born in Ar- dara, county Donegal, Ireland, November, 1821, where he was reared and received his preliminary education, subsequently attending a private school in the neighboring town of Killybegs. On leav- ing the latter, he entered his father's store, where he acquired a thorough knowledge of business affairs; but desirous of change, turned his face westward and landed in Philadelphia, June 24th, 1842. He arrived at a most un- propitious time. The recent failure of the United States Bank (of Pennsylvania), together with the financial disasters that were precipitated upon the country, rendered it ex- tremely difficult for any one to find employment, as so many business houses were tottering. He, however, managed to obtain a position in a book store, but in less than a month it was sold out by the sheriff. He next found a situation in a retail grocery store; but this latter soon closed its doors, and for nearly a year thereafter he was unable to make any business engagement. In the summer of 1843, he was em- ployed by Doctor Henry Pleasants, of West Philadelphia, as gardener, with whom he remained eighteen months, giving every satisfaction. Through the influence of his patron and Doctor Pleasants' cousin, Doctor George Fox, he obtained the position of Superintendent of the Surgical
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Ward in the Pennsylvania Hospital. He remained here five years, and then resigned to fill a position with Mordecai Lewis, with whom he remained till the latter's death, in the autumn of 1850. He then opened a grocery store at the southeast corner of Fourth street and Marriott's lane, where he remained about a year. On January Ist, 1852, lie formed a co-partnership with John Kater, in the Produce and Pro- vision Commission business, their location being in " Cen- tral Block," in Broad street near Race. In 1855-56, this firm erected the packing house and market house on South street near Fifteenth. In 1857, the partnership was dis- solved, and in August of the same year the firm of William Brice & Co. was formed, to conduct the same business at No. 8 South Water street, Charles Magee, his shipmate and friend, being the silent partner, and so remaining until 1866. In 1859, William F. Hanna (now Secretary and Treasurer of the Hannisville Distillery Company), then in the employ of the firm, was admitted to an interest in the busi- ness, and in the fall of that year, they removed to No. 15, and in 1862 to No. 23 South Water street, their present location. In 1870, Mr. Hanna retired from the firm, and in January, 1871, Ephraim, son of William Brice, was ad- mitted to a partnership. In 1872, William' Brice was elected President of the Commercial Exchange Association, in which capacity he has served with entire satisfaction to the members of the same. He has been chosen as one of the Commissioners for the erection of the Public Buildings; he is also a Director of the Union Banking Company; of the Hannisville Distillery Company; and is a Trustee of the Building Fund of the new Masonic Temple. As a citizen, he is public spirited, and as a merchant, clear-headed, high- minded and honorable. Hle . is emphatically a self-made man.
though never yielding his determination to learn a trade. Undaunted by constant refusals, he finally, in July, 1843, secured a situation in a brass and iron foundry, to learn the moulder's trade, with compensation sufficient to pay his board and the privilege of working at nights to pay for his clothing. Ilis prospects, however, were clouded in Decem- ber, 1843, by the sudden death of his employer and the closing of the business; but in January, 1844, he became an apprentice with Charles W. Warnick & Co., Stove and Hollow Ware Founders, and devoted himself to the thor- ough mastery of the business. By careful attention to the peculiarities of material, he soon became familiar with the nature, strength and qualities required to produce the best results, and proved such a valuable accession to his em- ployers that, at the expiration of his apprenticeship, he was tendered a journeyman's position, with the assurance that while they had work he should have it. He remained in their employ till the dissolation of the firm by the death of Charles W. Warnick. Feeling the need of education, he devoterl most of his evenings for four years to study, and secured the benefits of various musical, beneficial and chari- table associations. Having read of Scotland's Building Associations, dating back to 1815, and examined the one organized in Frankford, in 1831, he united with others in the establishment of a Savings and Building Association. In 1849, he secured a lot on Sixth street below Girard avenue, built a house, and, marrying in 1850, has since re- sided there. Examination convinced him that general part- nerships were preferable- to corporations, and, in 1859, he associated with Jonathan"S. Biddle, James C. Horn, Wil- liam B. Walton and John Sheeler, as Isaac A. Sheppard & Co.,"securing a' business location at Seventh street and Girard avenue.' . They subsequently admitted Thomas Wal- brook and Daniel Weaver; and, having purchased machin- ery and patterns, engaged in business, but met the most determined -opposition from older establishments, which sold their good's below cost to drive the products of the new firm from the market. Fitted by earlier trials and experi- cnces to meet these unexpected difficulties, his purpose never wavered; though they competed against the combi- nations of large capital, they firmly cstablished themselves by the end of the third year. He was elected, by a large majority, to the Legislature in 1858, by the " People's Party," taking his seat in January, 1859; he proved a useful and influential member, and aided in the passage of many well known acts for the public good. He was twice reelected, and in Jannary, 1861, became Chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means, giving the weight of his position and influence to important measures for the support of the General Government. In March, 1861, he became Speaker pro tem., and for a lengthened period exercised the func- tions of that office with dignity and credit. In May, 1861, he was one of the committee that prepared and reported the bill entitled, "An Act to Create a Loan and Provide for Arm-
HEPPARD, ISAAC A., Manufacturer, was born in Cumberland county, New Jersey, July. 11th, 1826. Ilis early education was such as could be obtained at the common country schools of that period. At the age of eleven years, he began to earn his own living by working upon a farm, at- tending school during the three winter months. In the spring of 1840, his parents, hoping to advance the interests of their children, removed to Philadelphia, where his mother shortly after died, and the family was scattered, Isaac being thrown upon his own resources. In this emergency, the early teachings of his excellent mother proved a shield and support to him. Having determined, from observation, that mechanics enjoyed many advantages over other classes of the laboring community, he resolved to learn a trade, but the hard times incident to' the financial disasters of that period rendered it difficult to obtain such- employment. Despising idleness, he served as errand boy in a shoe store, worked in a bakery, shipped as cabin boy of a coasting vessel for one voyage, and labored in various capacities, ling the States," under which the Pennsylvania Reserves
-
Grace ali Sheppard"
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were organized. He was chairman of the Committe on the Attack upon Citizens of Pennsylvania in passing through Baltimore en route to Washington, and made an able re- port thereon. During the dark days of the war his ener -. getic management sustained his business, and his perceptive faculties enabled him to predetermine the result and pro- vide for the needs of the South after the termination of the struggle. The works in Philadelphia became too small for the supply of their rapidly-increasing trade, and, in January, 1866, it was determined to erect a foundry in Baltimore, which was opened the following August, and operated especially for the supply of the Southern trade, largely increased by the change in the social condition of the negro. Although this relieved the Philadelphia estab- lishment for a time, the business so increased that, in June, 1871, they purchased of the Frankford and Southwark Passenger Railway Company the entire square of over two and a half acres, included within Third and Fourth, Berks streets and Montgomery avenue, with the capacious buildings thereon. The works employ about four hundred men and turn out from 45,000 to 50,000 stoves, beside heaters, ranges, and a large quantity of other castings, per annum ; they stand as a noble example of the fruits of energy and perseverance. In the fall of 1870, he united with others in the organization of the National Security Bank, of which he is the Vice-President. He has been for many years an active member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a high official, and other.kin- dred societies. By election of Councils he has for many years served as Trustee of the Northern Liberties Gas Company.
EREDITH, HON. WILLIAM MORRIS, Law- yer and Statesman, was born in Philadelphia, June 6th, 1799. He was the son of William Meredith, a lawyer of no mean ability and standing, though more familiarly known as the President of the Schuylkill Bank; his maternal grandfather was the celebrated Governor Morris, of New York. His youth was marked by his precociousness in learning, since he was but thirteen years of age when he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania as Bachelor of Arts, receiving the second honor in his class, which en- titled him to the delivery of the valedictory oration at the commencement. Like his parent, he chose the bar for his profession, and, after having given the closest attention to his studies, was admitted to practice, December 16th, 1817; but for several years was not favored with a single case. During this period of seeming inaction he was a hard stu- dent, familiarizing himself with every matter which might be of use to him in the vocation which he had selected. At the age of twenty-five he was elected a member of the State Legislature, and, from 1824 to 1828, was successively chosen each year to represent, in part, the (old) city of
Philadelphia in the lower House. Here, notwithstanding the fact that he was almost the youngest member in point of years, he took a front rank, and practically became the leader of his party. Although elected as a Whig, still he found himself arrayed in opposition to the late Thaddeus Stevens of the same party, the latter being strongly imbued with Anti-Masonie principles : in a celebrated debate, which excited great interest at the time, his argumentation was so perfect as to triumph over the " Great Commoner," as Stevens was called. It was not, however, until he had been a member of the bar for fifteen years that his success was recognized. He had been associated with the late John Sergeant and the now venerable Horace Binney in the celebrated Girard Will case, and when these eminent men retired from the bar, which they had adorned for so many years, their mantles seemed to descend upon their youthful coadjutor. The first case of importance in which he was interested was the well-known suit of The Commonwealth vs. Alburger, involving the right to a burial place in Frank- lin Square, where the German Reformed Church had a cemetery secured to them by a patent granted by the descen- dants of William Penn, notwithstanding the fact that their great ancestor had dedicated this tract of land, when the city was laid out, " to be kept a green forever." The case had been in court for many years, and though able pleas were made by the most talented attorneys, yet the city was defeated in every instance. At last, the subject of this sketch was added to the list of the city's solicitors, and he immediately broached a novel idea, which was to prosecute the officers for maintaining a nuisance. The case came before a jury, and this young barrister presented his argu- ments with such irresistible force and brilliancy as to in- sure a triumphant verdict for the Commonwealth, which was affirmed by the Supreme Court, to which tribunal the ejected party had appealed. Thus the gordian knot, which so long puzzled even the most talented Philadelphia law- yers, was easily and surely cut ; and a precedent was estab- lished which has been observed since that time in this and other States, in all those questions which have arisen in re- gard to public grants. His case was so ably conducted and satisfactorily terminated, that public attention was drawn to the rising and ingenious advocate. Business flowed in upon him, and his success was assured; and it may be added, that in all the important cases argued in this State since 1840 he has been concerned. From 1834 to 1839, he was a member of the Select Council of the (old) city of Philadelphia an I its presiding officer .. In 1837, he was chosen as one of the members to represent the city in the Convention which assembled in 1837-38 to amend the State Constitution. Here he took a leading part in the various debates, and was the originator and author of many important reforms. In 1845, he was the choice of some of his partisans for the office of United States Senator, but his claims were overlooked by the majority of the Legisla- ture, who elected Hon. James Cooper to that high position.
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This circumstance was much regretted by his friends then and since, as his talents peculiarly fitted him to shine in that sphere. When General Taylor was inaugurated, in March, 1849, he was selected by the President as a mem- ber of his Cabinet, with the portfolio of Secretary of the Treasury. He held this office until the death of the Presi- dent, in July, 1850, when he resigned, and returned to his native city, to the successful practice of his profession. In 1861, he was appointed by Governor Curtin a member of the celebrated " Peace Congress," which proved such a stupendous failure, notwithstanding the fact that so many learned and able men were members of that body. In the · same year he was selected, by the same authority, Attorney- General of the Commonwealth, which position he filled with acceptability until 1867, when he resigned. His whole course of service in that important office was marked by the rarest ability and the most profound knowledge of the law, especially when it is remembered that the Rebellion occupied a greater part of those years. During his term of service he initiated some most important and successful reforms. In 1870, President Grant tendered him the posi- tion of Senior Counsel of the United States at the Geneva Tribunal for the Arbitration of the " Alabama Claims; " he accepted and assisted in preparing the case, but resigned afterwards, deeming the required winter residence in Europe unnecessary. In 1872, he was nominated and elected on the Republican ticket as one of the delegates " at large " to re- present the State in the Convention convened to amend the Constitution. On the assembling of that body at the Capitol, November 12th, 1872, his previous services in a similar Con- vention and his pre-eminent abilities were recognized by his unanimous election to the position of presiding officer, party lines being wholly obliterated. His great experience as a parliamentarian, with his thorough knowledge of the laws and usages which obtain in deliberative bodies, enabled him to discharge his responsible duties with the most per- fect impartiality and faithfulness. He was firm in the en- forcement of the rules, and strict in his adherence to the prescribed routine of business, thus saving valuable time ; besides, he compelled an observance of the courtesies and amenities of debate, that secured for him the respect of his associates. Though his health was gradually and surely deteriorating from day to day, accelerated by the confine- ment of the position he occupied, yet he was most punctual in his attendance on the Convention, and was at his post long before the hour of opening. Ilis decisions as Presi- dent were always sustained by the Convention, though some of the rules from which they were deduced had grown old and rusty. His position as President prevented his being heard in the debate, but on several occasions, in Committee of the Whole, he appeared on the floor as advo- cating some important reforms. Among these may be men- tioned the one demanding a proper representation of the city of Philadelphia in the two houses of the Legislature. ITis last speech before the Convention, and perhaps his last !
public address, was made April 29th, in opposition to the proposed " Intermediary Court." He temporarily resigned the chair, May 15th, but returned to it again on the 26th, of the same month, when he re-occupied it until June 9th, which was the last day he appeared in the Convention. From that time he was confined closely to his residence, gradually grew weaker and weaker, and after a few weeks of suffering, frequently very intense, he quietly breathed his last, on Sunday morning, August 17th, 1873. His death excited feelings so profound and general that it may well be said, he was regretted and mourned by his fellow citi- zens of the city, State, and Nation.
"AMPBELL, JOHN HI., Lawyer, was born in Philadelphia, March 31st, 1847. He is the son of John Campbell, bookseller and publisher, both parents being of Irish birth. Ile received his education in the publie schools, and graduated with honor in February, 1864. He immediately entered upon the study of the law, and upon attaining his majority was admitted to the practice of his profession, April 4th, 1868. He was very soon offered the editorial chair of the Legal Gazette, of Philadelphia, which position he accepted, and in it displayed so much energy that he has succeeded in making the journal one of the foremost and most influential serials of its class in the Union. Upon the passage of the bill ealling for a Convention to revise the Constitution of Pennsylvania, his rising reputation at once suggested him as a proper candidate to his party for the position of delegate at large, and he was chosen by the Democratic State Convention, in May, 1872, being the youngest man ever selected for such an important situation in the State of Pennsylvania. In the following month of October he was duly elected, and in November of the same year took his seat in the Convention, which primarily met in Ilarrisburg. From the outset he took an active part in that body, being placed on two committees of the highest importance-those on Suffrage and Elections, and Railroads and Canals. Ile is an earnest champion of the " Rights of Woman." He submitted in the Convention a minority re- port from the Committee on Suffrage and Election, signed by himself and Messrs. Rooke & Cassidy, dissenting from the majority report limiting the right of suffrage to the male sex. During the two evenings appropriated by the Con vention for listening to those women who desired to plead for their own rights, he took the entire management of affairs on himself; and by his courtesy and tact removed all those obstacles which are so apt to impede novices in public affairs. Ile strongly favors restrictions upon the enormous power exercised by the great railroad and other corporations of the State, his vote being always on the side of reform. He has ever been an earnest advocate of tem- perance, believing not so much in prohibitory laws as in
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the influence of moral suasion. He has taken an active interest in the Roman Catholic temperance movement, organizing many societies, and bringing into them hundreds of men, both young and old. Himself the President of the leading total abstinence society in Philadelphia, he has been conspicuous in the temperance conventions of his church ; and by his knowledge of parliamentary usages and practical organization, has aided materially in furthering the cause.
RICE, JOHN SERGEANT, Lawyer, was born in Philadelphia, June 11th, 1831. He is the son of Eli Kirk Price, an eminent jurist, whose sketch also appears in this volume. He received his theoretical education in private schools of his native city, after which he became a student at law with Joseph B. Townsend, and was admitted to the bar, April Sth, 1854. He graduated in the Law Depart- ment of the University of Pennsylvania, July 9th of the same year, and has since been actively engaged in the practice of his profession. He has been chiefly occupied in the adjustment of titles to real estate and the necessary processes appertaining to its security and transfer, also in the care and management of decedents' and trust estates. Although his large clientele claims the most of his time, he finds intervals to devote to the promotion of public bene- factions. He is Secretary of the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind, Treasurer of the Preston Retreat, a member of the American Philosophical Society, and is connected with various other corporations of local importance.
OWE, DAVID WATSON, Lawyer and Soldier, was born November 12th, 1836, in Greencastle, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish parentage. James Watson, his mother's grand- father, was a Colonel in the patriot forces in the Revolutionary war; and another of his ancestors, named Mckinney, is recorded to have been killed in a skirmish with the Indians near Chambersburg, in 1856. The schools of his native town gave him the requisite pre- paration to enter Marshall College, then situated at Mer- cersburg, Pennsylvania, since removed to Lancaster. At this institution he remained until advanced to the junior class, when he left it in order to commence the study of law, with William McClellan, of Chambersburg. The degree of Master of Arts was, however, conferred upon him by Marshall College, in 1869, in testimony of his earnest pursuit of humane studies after his departure from it. Passing the usual examination, he was admitted to the bar, August 15th, 1857, and commenced the successful practice | tion. This was from his pen.
of his profession in Chambersburg. He was thus peace- fully employed when the war of the Rebellion broke out. At the very first call for troops, on the 18th of April, 1861, he joined the army as a private soldier, in Company C, Se- cond Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. A week later he was made Sergeant-major of the regiment, and a few weeks afterwards First Lieutenant of company C, in which position he continued until the expiration of his term of service, in July, 1861. At that time many pre- dicted the early termination of the struggle, and for a year he remained undecided whether to take up arms a second time or to resume his professional duties. When, in July, 1862, another urgent call for volunteers was made by the central Government, he hesitated no longer, but at once be- gan to recruit a company at Greencastle. It was filled by the fifth of August ; on the evening of that day he was married, and the next morning on the road to Harrisburg in command of his company. It was attached as company K to the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, of which regiment he was commissioned by Governor Curtin Lieutenant-Colonel. During his term of service as a soldier he was never absent from his regiment a day, and was always by it in every battle it entered. Popular as an officer among his men, he also was the recipient of flattering testimonials to his gal- lantry from his superior officers. In the official reports of Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg he is mentioned in the highest terms by General Tyler. When the war was over he returned to his profession with renewed ardor and soon obtained an extensive practice. In 1868, he was appointed by the Governor, and subsequently elected by the people, Additional Law Judge of the Sixteenth Judicial District of Pennsylvania, embracing the counties of Franklin, Ful- ton, Bedford and Somerset, for the term of ten years. This office he is now holding. At first a Democrat in politics, he was a delegate, in 1865, to the State Convention at Reading, which nominated Foster for Governor; but in that same year, though voting for Foster as Governor, he cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln as President, and took his position with the anti-slavery men. Political pre- ferment has not been the object of his ambition, and the only two offices which he ever sought were those directly in the line of his profession-the District Attorneyship and the Judgeship. As an author he wrote, at the request of Mr. Bates, State Military Historian of Pennsylvania, a Ilistorical Sketch of the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, a little work of one hundred pages, one thousand copies of which were printed. At the assembling of the Constitutional Conven- tion, in Philadelphia, January, 1873, a draft of " A Consti- tution of Pennsylvania, Designed to Show chiefly how the Benefits of local Self-government may be Extended and the Evils of Special Legislation may be Curtailed," was furnished to each member and attracted general atten-
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