The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 2, Part 64

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 894

USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 2 > Part 64

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tinued in the employ of this honse until the close of 1856; [ the canvass which resulted in the first clection of Lincoln, and on January ist, 1857, engaged in the same business and was one of the originators of the Mercantile Tariff Club during the campaign. Ile has been nominated by the Centennial Commission, and elected by the Stock- holders, a Director of the Centennial Board of Finance, and has labored diligently for the success of this great popular movement from its very commencement. In every matter, whether public or personal, he is a diligent laborer, and combines with untiring patience a determin .- tion to succeed in whatever he undertakes. as a member of the firm of Chesnut, Steel & Co., their location being on Second street north of Market, and their joint capital at the commencement of the enterprise being less than $5000 cash. They removed to the opposite side of the street, July Ist, 1857; and again changed their store to the Northeast corner of Market and Second streets, January Ist, 1859. The partnership was continued thereafter for two and a half years, when he withdrew from the firm. On January Ist, 1862, he opened a cloth house, and did business under his own name, in the store previously occupied by the former firm, Nos. 4 and 6 North Second street, where he remained nine years, having added to the capacity of the premises by the purchase and addition of the store, No. 203 Market street, which adjoined his place of business on the rear, thus giving him a front on Market street, and more than doubling the area of sur- face. By the admission of his brother, Henry M. Steel, the firm. name was changed, January Ist, 1865, to Edward T. Steel & Co. Six years thereafter (January Ist, 1871) they removed to their present establishment, at the South- west corner of Market and Sixth streets, the building being 40 by 75 fect, and five stories high. Ilere, by un- tiring energy and perseverance, they have succeeded in establishing a business, among the first, in this line, in the United States. At his first outset, he made strenuous efforts to advance the interests of the firm with which he was then associated, and when he engaged solely on his own account, he labored incessantly, and never forgot those who favored him. Hle strictly adhered to a cash business, invariably pa, ing the ready money for all goods as bought, and thus secured discounts on all purchases. Ile believes that the science of business is embraced in the laws of interest, and is firmly convinced that success is certainly attained, and to a greater extent and more speedily, by limiting the amount of business to the ability to make settlements by cash ; that credit is a privilege only to be used in times of great financial embarrassment, and is, of necessity, available then, if not made use of as a rule. IIe never allowed any bill or pecuniary engagement to pass the hour of maturity, unsettled by cash; though the great financial embarrassments of 1857, 1861, and 1873, are embraced in his business experience. In July, 1868, Joshua G. James was admitted to the firm, and January Ist, 1871, his brother, William G. Steel, became a partner, the name and style continuing as before. Ile has ever been an Anti-Slavery man, and took an active part in the formation of the Republican party. Ile was, of course, an Abolitionist, and gloried in his belief, especially as it required nerve to avow and uphold his sentiments. Al- though so strongly favoring the formation of that party, which was destined to wage such an incessant warfare and gain such a victory over the slave power, he has ever es- chewed politics. He was, however, an active laborer in

ANDERSON, GEORGE, Editor and Journalist, was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, November 16th, 1So5. Ilis father, William Sanderson, was a well-known farmer and agri- - culturist of that county, and noted for the thorough knowledge which he possessed re- garding his business and its many requirements. On the paternal side, he is of Scotch-Irish extraction, and on the maternal, of German descent. . Ilis early education was acquired in the common schools of Carlisle, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania; and, when in his nineteenth year, he became a school teacher, continuing to act in that capacity for several years. While pursuing this vocation, he was the recipient of many encomiums for his scholarly ability and calm judgment, and ever deported himself in an upright and dignified manner. In 1836, he became editor of the American Volunteer, published in Carlisle, and continued to fulfil the responsible duties of that office until 1845. During this time, he was Prothonotary of Cumberland county for four years, serving with credit to himself and entire satisfaction to the people. In the same year, he received the appointment of Postmaster of Carlisle, and held that position for four years also. In 1849, he removed to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and purchased the Lancaster Intelligencer; this journal he published and edited for fifteen years, with marked ability and enterprise. In 1859, he was elected Mayor of Lancaster, and re-elected nine times, holding the office for elever consecutive years, a previously unparalleled length oftime. Prior to this, in 1838, while editing the Carlisle Volunteer, he participated actively in what was known as the " Buckshot War," between the two aspirants for gubernatorial honors, Porter and Ritner. On this occasion he was distinguished for his quick shrewd- ness and ability, both as a writer and a speaker. For more than thirty years, he took an active and energetic part in the movements and affairs of the Democratic party, and was a talented and valuable ally, For several years he was Notary Public; and, during twelve years, an efficient member of the School Board of Carlisle; this latter office he also held for several years in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. For two years, he was a member of the lancaster City Councils, in which term he served also

Ciclo- Put in Philadelphia

Charles. M. Puces

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during one year as President of the lower branch. While j of civilization, was the duty of the hour. It was at this the late war was progressing, he was Mayor of Lancaster city, and assisted to the utmost extent of his abilities in encouraging and assisting the Union soldiers, and in fear- lessly upholding the rights and honor of his country. He was married, in 1828, to a daughter of Henry Smith, of Shippensburg, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, a well- known and influential citizen of that place. Ile has one son attached to the editorial staff of the Reading Times ; and another to that of the Altoona Sun. One of his daughters is prominently connected with the Tract Societies and Foreign Missions, and is noted for her charitable and benevolent disposition.

EED, CHARLES M., Merchant, Shipowner, Canal and Railroad Projector and Congressman, only son of Rufus Seth and Agnes .Reed, was born at Erie, on the 23d day of April, 1803. Ilis father was the son of Colonel Seth Recd, who eight years before removed from Massachu- setts with his family and settled at the site of the town of Erie, at the harbor of Presque Isle, which had been acquired. by Pennsylvania in 1792. Born amid the, stirring scenes of the settlement of a frontier, his earliest intercourse with. the bold, brave men who had fought the battles of the Revolution and faced the rigors of border life, all_tended to the formation of that energy of character which prompted. the many acts that, linked together, form his remarkable life and career. In 1813, he was sent to school at Washington, Pennsylvania, where his studies were continued . until his graduation at Washington College in 1818. Studying law with Ilon. Horace Binney, in Philadelphia, he was admitted to the bar with the intention of practising; but it was not his destiny to spend his life in a law office, and happily for himself and for his country he yielded to the force of cir- cumstances. The widely extended business of his father furnished him scope for drill in the outset of a career which was to be indissolubly entwined with the settlement and development of the West ; the fruits of which would linger long after the form of the actor would disappear from the busy scenes of life in which he was destined to play so im- portant a part. To supervise the stores, the mill and the farms of his father was not employment enough for his energies. Cradled upon the shores of the great lakes, he saw that the interior of the continent was to be reached by this channel; that a country stretching to the Mississippi was to be peopled, and its commerce opened. To do this would furnish a field for his abilities, He grasped the opportunity, and right grandly did he perform the duties it involved. The West was open, hostilities had ceased, and the Indian title had been extinguished; the genius of Fulton had adapted steam to navigation, and Clinton had connected the Iludson with Lake Erie. To extend the line to the verge of the inland seas, and thus bear forward the standard leading part, providing iron and equipment, and was for

time that Charles M. Reed came on to the stage, and his life, with all its ardor, was devoted to the accomplishment of this great work. The sale of the " Peacock," a small steamer which, having been commenced by the Chautauqua Steamboat Company, on Lake Erie, it had been found necessary to sell, was the opportunity which prompted him to enter at once the commercial career which for a quarter of a century would employ his energies and for all time connect his name with the settlement, the development and the aggrandizement of the Northwest. The purchase of the " Peacock " was to be followed by the marking out of routes of trade, the establishment of wharves, wood stations and warehouses which would facilitate trade on the almost trackless surface of the lakes, here and there dotted with settlements, but thus far comparatively unaided by light- houses, buoys, charts or pilots. All required effort. To overcome these difficulties was a pleasure for him, because it brought into action all the versatile powers and resources of a master mind. From year to year, as settlements were made, harbors discovered, and local facilities developed, he was among the first in initiating improvements which might open the pathway of commerce. Having bought out the new and then unrivalled steamer " Jefferson," he made a trip to Chicago, and . there attended the Government land sales of 1834. . At that time, for want of a wharf, it was necessary to anchor the steamer in the harbor. Impressed -with 'the future necessities and greatness of the point, he purchased lots and contracted for the immediate " erection of a wharf and warehouse, which for many years were known by his name, upon the south side," up to that time unoccupied by business; commerce has demonstrated the correctness of his perception. Ile returned to Erie and at once commenced the construction of the largest steamer on the lakes, designed exclusively for the Chicago trade, which upon completion paid for itself during the first season. From year to year adding to his fleet of steamers, increasing them in size, speed and elegance with the advancing im- portance of the West, the name of " Reed's Line " in 1850- '51-'52 was borne upon twelve steamers, which in those years formed a daily line from Buffalo to Chicago, and were a synonym for elegance, reliability and speed. He had been elected to the Legislature in 1837, as a Whig, and was active and carnest in advocacy of the canal from the Ohio to Lake Erie. This work had been already commenced by the State, and left in an unfinished condition in IS41. As soon as private enterprise was authorized to take it in hand, he came forward, and with energetic efforts and large advances aided the work to completion; so that in 1843 through communication was had from the river to the lake. Ile was the chief owner of this improvement while in exist- ence, and at its abandonment, when superseded by railroads, was its creditor to the amount of $1,100,000, When the Lake Shore Railroad was commenced in 1849, he took a

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years its President and chief stockholder. Space forbids full details of his eventful, busy life; it is enough to state that in the promotion of all improvements, whether in stage lines, canals, steamers or railroads, his place was always first. In the Pittsburgh fire of 1845, and in the Chicago fire of 1871, alike in private and public charity, he was forward. It was public spirit that led him again and again to construct the " Reed House," which, built originally upon the model of the " Astor," seemed essential to Erie's pros- perity, and in which he invested hundreds of thousands of dollars with little hope of return. When the Water-Works, alike the pride and protection of Erie, were projected, he furnished the necessary means, as also for the Rolling Mill built shortly before his death. One of his last acts was the advance of money to develop a new route to the coal fields of Butler county. In his church relations he was an Episcopalian, and was connected with St. Paul's Church from its organization, in 1827, until his death. He was the main contributor to the present edifice of St. Paul's, to which he gave $13,000, the bell and tower being his exclu- sive gift. On August 9th, 1838, he was married to Harriet W., daughter of Luther Gilson, of Watertown, New York. Of their seven children, three died in early infancy. Again and again was their home shadowed by sorrow, and when two years before his own decease his daughter, Mrs. Rawle, wife of Ilon. Henry Rawle, Mayor of Erie, was suddenly stricken by disease and death, there was a community of mourners in sympathy with the stricken family. But two of the seven now survive-the eldest, Charles M., late Mayor of Erie, and Loyd G. He was elected to Congress in 1843. Going to the capital with his family, he entered with vigor into the efforts to secure appropriations for our harbor ; while his elegant and princely hospitality at the national capital is still among the traditions of Washington society, as the memory of the last of the Virginia administrations is recalled. Ilis untiring efforts in behalf of Erie harbor were rewarded by the prompt appropriation and immediate dis- bursement of $40,000 for this object. At Washington, he mingled with Webster, Adams, Wright, Benton and Douglas; and with his family was one of the party on the " Princeton " when Secretaries Upshur and Gilmer were killed by the explosion. During his long and active career the incessant strain of mind and body told upon his frame, which for about nine years had been so infirm that he could not move with freedom, and for the latter part of this period he was unable to walk without assistance. From day to day, though his mind was bright and clear, and his sympathy for friends and his active interest in passing events unabated, his strength failed, until December 16th, 1871, when

" His sufferings ended with the day."

resting-place of four generations, repose the remains of one whom Erie will long remember with affectionate regard. lle was of medium height, imposing presence and graceful deportment ; affable and gracious in his manners, and of remarkable conversational powers. His general intelligence was remarkable, and while he was well informed on matters of passing interest, his closeness of reasoning and exhaustive mastery of what might come before him were extraordinary. Ilis talents were of a high order, and though his business pursuits drew his whole attention, he would have shone in any calling. As was said by Bishop Spaulding in his funeral discourse : " It belongs to other places and other occasions to commemorate his sterling virtues as a citizen, man of business and member of society. Ile was a good man; he was in every sense a Christian gentleman. Ilis greatness all are ready to acknowledge. Had he given his life to such studies, he would have been among the greatest of statesmen. Ile had in him the elements by which he might have become one of the first political economists of his time. He would have administered with grand success the finances of an empire." Ile ranked with the leading spirits of the nation, the men of thought and action who have made this country great and prosperous. As remarked by a local cotemporary : " Probably no man ever contributed more essentially and directly to the development of the great West than General Reed did by the establishment of these magnificent facilities for transportation before the days of railways, and by adopting the policy of cheap rates of freight and fare, of which he was the pioneer and always the most determined supporter. With such advantages at the beginning, and with such energy and great, good judg- ment to improve them, it is not strange that General Reed became one of the exceptionally rich men of this country." Ilis wealth at his death was estimated at from seven to ten millions. As was said by one of his compcers : " General Reed was an honest man-eminently so. He wanted his own, but nothing more. Ile was a man of peace, often yielding his own to avoid the evils of litigation; few men had so little litigation in proportion to their immense busi- ness. Ilis integrity was unquestioned, and his sense of honor remarkable." For his whole life a resident of Erie, identified with all her interests and known to all her people, he ranked as her first citizen, while for three generations the Reed family has been the leading family of north- western Pennsylvania.

EED, CHIARLES M., Manufacturer and Merchant, son of General Charles M. and Harriet Reed, was born on August 10th, 1844. After receiving an education at a collegiate institute in Geneva, New York, he embarked in the manufacture of pig- iron, at Middlesex, Mercer county, and afterwards in the coal business, in Erie. Upon the death of his father,

The pulpit, bar and bench united in the funeral ceremo- nies, which were conducted from St. Paul's Church. The interment took place in the Erie Cemetery, where, under the shadow of the stately monument- which marks the he succeeded to the care of an extensive commercial

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business and the disposition of an estate worth $8,000,000. In 1872, he was elected Mayor of Erie unanimously, the opposing candidates withdrawing. He was abo elected for the succeeding term, being the youngest man who has ever held the office. July 12th, 1866, he married Ella Morrison, of Eric.

ATSON, LEWIS F., President of the Warren Savings Bank, was born in Titusville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, April 14th, 1319. llis parents, John and Rebecca Watson, both natives of the State of Delaware, moved to the above- mentioned county in the carly part of the present century. Ilis early education was acquired in the school located in his birth place, and, when in his thirteenth year, he entered a country store at Titusville in the capacity of clerk. At the expiration of a year and a half, passed in this situation, he moved to Franklin, and there was engaged also as a clerk for a period of eighteen months, He then visited Youngsville, Warren county, and tock charge of a store for Mr. Warren, holding that position for nearly two years. In 1837, he settled at Warren, in the county of that name, and entered the Warren Academy, then presided over by R. Brown, since appointed to the bench. Until 1838 he remained in this institution, when he became em- ployed in the P'rothonotary's and Recorder's office, fulfilling the duties of that position for about eight months. In the spring of 1839, he engaged in mercantile pursuits on his own account at Warren, continuing thus, meeting mean- while with much success, until 1860. Also since IS3S he has been extensively interested in real estate operations, and, particularly, has had frequent and important trans- actions in pine timber lands, Engaged at an early period in the lumbering business, in manufacturing and marketing, great and merited success has erowned his able efforts; and at the present time he is an important and widely-known operator in the same trade. In the fall of 1859, he was associated with Mr. Tarr, of Warren, in prospect- ing for petroleum on the farm of his brother, John Watson, at Titusville; in the spring of 1860, they met with striking success, discovering and developing what was afterward known as the Fountain Oil Well, which created great ex- citement as the first flowing well in the country. lle was one of the original stockholders of the First National Bank of Warren, founded in 1864, and for several years acted ably as its Vice-President. He was the originator and organizer of the Conewango Valley Railroad, an enterprise which has since been merged in the Dunkirk, Warren & Pittsburgh Railroad, and of which he was the first Presi- dent. Of the Warren Savings Bank he was one of the principal founders and organizers, in 1870, and subse- quently became its first President, an office which he still fills with recognized and admired capability. From an early date until 1856, he was an old-line Whig, when, on

the disbanding of that organization, he became identified with the Republican party, whose principles he still advo- cates and in whose ranks he is an influential and efficient member, Ile was nominated for Congress by the Repub- lican party of Warren county, Pennsylvania, in the present year, for the Twenty-seventh Congressional District, com- posed of Erie, Venango and Warren counties; after a struggle of several days without effecting a nomination, the convention adjourned for some weeks, re-assembled August 3Ist, and on the Ist of September he and William Mitchell, the Venango county nominee, withdrew their names, thus effecting the renomination of Colonel Curtis, of Erie, the present member, for a second term. Ile was married, in IS56, to a daughter of the late Judge Eldred, and has one child living, a daughter now in her fourteenth year.

UDWIG, EMANUEL ALBERT, Professor, and Editor of the German Weekly Paper of Erie, was born in Berne, Switzerland, ISth May, 1814. Ilis father, Emanuel Ludwig, was the first pastor of the Cathedral of Berne ; his mother, Margue- rite (Holler) Ludwig, was the niece of the cele- brated Holler, the philosopher of Berne. Ilis education was acquired in his native place, where he attended the Berne Gymnasium, Lyceum and University; becoming sub- sequently a pupil in the Universities of Zurich and Heidel- berg, he, in the latter institution, had conferred upon him the title of LL. D. Abandoning school life in IS38, he was engaged in making the tour of Europe until 1844, when, returning to Berne, he edited the Berne Intelligence Journal; this daily paper he conducted ably and success- fully until IS51, when he decided to leave his country and embark for the United States. Upon arriving in this country, he began the cultivation of a farm in the interior of New York State, occupying himself exclusively in agri- cultural and horticultural pursuits. Ultimately, caring little for farming, he accepted a position as Professor in the Academy at Binghamton, whence, later, he was called to assist in the Towanda Collegiate Institute. Afterward he became engaged in the Presbyterian Female Seminary of Staunton, Virginia ; also as Professor in the famous Wash- ington College, at Lexington, in the same State. From there he went to the Riverside Institute, in Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania ; then to the Normal School of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, becoming finally Principal of the Academy at Danville, Pennsylvania. During this time he had origi- nated and successfully established two German weekly papers, one at Ilonesdale and one at Scranton, Pennsyl- vania ; these journals, both Democratic organs, met at once with much success, and are still in existence and well known as ably edited and prosperous papers; since their establishment he has disposed of his interest in their man- agement. He removed recently to Erie, where his children

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now reside and where he proposes to pass the remainder of his life, being constantly occupied as Editor of the Ger- man weekly paper. He is a man of unusual attainments, is talented and scholarly, and one of the Lest linguists in the United States, understanding ten languages, six of which he speaks fluently and correctly. He has a large and varied acquaintance with both American and European literature; is a facile and forcible writer, and an acute and competent critic. In 1845, while occupied in editing his Journal at Berne, he was married to a lady of his native city. From this union sprang seven children; one of his sons, a non-commissioned officer in the 53d Pensyl- vania Volunteers, was killed at Hatcher's Run; another is Vice-President of the American Fusce Company, while a third is engaged in business in Erie, Pennsylvania.

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The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 2, Part 64

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n Publication date: 1874 Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 894

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 894