USA > Pennsylvania > The Book of Prominent Pennsylvanians; a standard reference > Part 3
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Mr. Work then returned to Fayette county, locating in Uniontown, entering there the office of Alfred Howell, then a leader of the Fayette county bar. He familiarized himself with Pennsylvania law and procedure, and on December 6, 1886, was admitted to the Fayette coun- ty bar. He practiced law alone till 1889, when he formed a partnership with William A. Hogg, continuing for three years. The partnership was then dissolved, and Mr. Work resumed practice alone.
By virtue of an act passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1907, creating an Or- phans' Court for Fayette county, in May of that year the Governor appointed James Clark Work judge of that court, to serve until a successor was duly elected and qualified. He was sworn in June 5, 1907.
The party primaries having been previously held, the Republican County Commit- tee met and nominated Judge Work to succeed himself. The Democratic County Com- mittee endorsed the nominator, although the candidate was an uncompromising Repub- lican. The Prohibition party and the Citizens' party also endorsed his candidacy. He, therefore, proved the unanimous choice of the county, and thus became Judge of the Orphans' Court for a term of ten years. Prior to the appointment of a temporary judge by the Governor, and after the passing of the act creating the Fayette County Orphans' Court the Bar Association of Fayette County met and recommended the appointment of James Work for the position.
Judge Work is a staunch Republican. In 1893 he was chosen chairman of the Fay- ette County Republican Committee, serving until 1895. Under his leadership, in 1893, the first Republican county ticket successfully passed the ordeal of the ballot box. The victory was duplicated in 1894, and Fayette county passed from sure Democratic into the list of debatable counties. Judge Work is an attendant of the First Presbyterian Church of Uniontown, and a thirty-second degree Mason. He is a member of the American. State and Fayette County Bar Associations, and the Uniontown Country and Laurel Clubs. He is a trustee of Uniontown Hospital and a director of the Second National Bank. He was married April 16, 1903, to Mrs. Elwina (Null) Fuller, a native of Westmoreland county, the daughter of Harrison Null, of Greensburg.
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JOHN DUGGAN, JR.
A prominent lawyer among the younger members of the Fayette county bar is John Duggan, Jr., of Connells- ville. Mr. Duggan was born in Connells- ville, Pa., August 12, 1884. He is the son of John Duggan and Madeline Duggan. Mr. Duggan was the recipient of a liberal education before he began the practice of law. He was graduated from the Connellsville schools in 1901. He then attended Georgetown Universi- ty, located at Washington, D. C. He completed his course in the collegiate department and continued on in the law department. From the latter school he was graduated in 1907. He was admit- ted to the bar of Pennsylvania in 1909. Mr. Duggan is now a member of the board of law examiners of Fayette coun- ty. In the field of politics he holds an important position, as he is at present acting chairman of the Republican County Committee in Fayette county. He is also secretary of that committee. At the Fayette bar he stands very high and has been unusually successful.
W. R. CARR.
Walter Russell Carr, youngest son of John D. and Amanda M. (Cook) Carr, was born in South Union town- ship, Fayette county, May 3, 1885. He was graduated from Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, Pa., with the degree of B. A. in 1906. The degree of M. A. was conferred by the college on him in 1909. After graduation Mr. Carr studied law with his brother, Wooda N. Carr, and in 1908 was admit- ted to the Fayette county bar; the Su- preme Court of Pennsylvania in 1910; to the Superior Court of the State in 1911, and to the United States Courts in 1910. He is a member of the law firm of Carr & Carr; and is among the fore- most of the young men practicing at the Fayette bar, and is in demand as a cam- paign orator. He is a Democrat; was county chairman of his party in 1910 and 1911 ; belongs to the Masonic Order, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He is a member and vestryman of the Episcopal Church.
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WOODA N. CARR.
Wooda N. Carr, Congressman, oldest son of John D. and Amanda M. (Cook) Carr, was born in old Allegheny City, now part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 6, 1871.
Mr. Carr was educated in the pub- lic schools of Fayette City, Pa. He went to Uniontown with his parents in 1885, completing his public school studies there. He then entered Madi- son College, later Monongahela College, at Jefferson, Pa., from which he was graduated with the degree of A. B. in 1891, the college later conferring the degree of A. M.
Mr. Carr engaged in journalism in Uniontown after graduation, was editor of the News for two years, now con- solidated with the Standard as the News-Standard. He then became editor of the Democrat, continuing until 1893, when he began the study of law under D. M. Hertzog, of Uniontown.
Mr. Carr was admitted to the Fay- ette county bar in 1895; later to the Su- preme Court of Pennsylvania, and to the Federal and Supreme Courts of the United States. He has been actively engaged in practice since admission, and is well established as a skillful practitioner and learned lawyer. Mr. Carr practiced alone until 1908; then formed a partnership with his brother, Walter Russell Carr, which partnership is still in force.
Mr. Carr now represents the Twenty-third district in Congress. He is a member of the Committee on Appropriations, which is a distinction for a new member, this being a powerful committee. He has always been a factor in Democratic politics of his State and district, and possesses great influence with the party. Mr. Carr ran for Congress in 1900, but was defeated, greatly reducing the Republican majority. In 1902-1903 he was chairman of the Fayette County Central Committee, having been almost continuously a member of that committee since entering politics. He received the unanimous nomina- tion of his party for Congress in 1912, and was elected. He is a frequent delegate to county, district and State conventions of his party, where his opinions and judgments are always sought.
Mr. Carr is a Mason of distinction and prominent in the Order of Elks. He is an excellent platform orator, possessing the rare qualities of logical eloquence and personal attraction. He is a powerful advocate of any cause he approves. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and finds his recreation among his books, owning one of the larg- est and best selected libraries in the State. Mr. Carr is a member of the State and Fay- ette County Bar Associations, and is actively interested in the work of these societies. In 1903 he was married to Julia, daughter of John W. and Margaret Lenox Kissinger, of Brownsville.
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George Whyel is president of the Consolidated Connellsville Coke Company, the Monroe Coal Com-
GEORGE pany, the Utility Coal Company, and WHYEL. secretary and treasurer of the Whyel Coke Company, secretary and director of the Magee Coke Company, and director in the Clarksburg Gas Coal Company, Lafayette Coal Com- pany and the Littleton Coal Company. In 1884 he took charge of the Smook Mine. During his six years there he studied at night school, and took private lessons in civil and mining engineering, passing the examination for first grade mine foreman certificate. In 1890 he resigned his position to engage in mine engineering. He built the Calumet plant, now owned by the H. C. Frick Coke Company, and a number of other large coke plants. The Whyel brothers formed the Whyel Coke Company, of which they are sole owners, and the Con- solidated Connellsville Coke Company.
Harry Whyel and George Whyel, twin brothers, of Uniontown, Pa., are the presidents respectively of the HARRY Whyel Coke Company and the Consoli- WHYEL. dated Connellsville Coke Company. They were born in Pittsburgh, Febru- ary 24, 1863, being sons of Mathias and Christiana Louise Whyel. They both attended public schools, but very early in life went to work in the coal mines near Pittsburgh. Harry when 18 took instruction at night, and later graduated from Duff's Commercial College. He was superintendent of the Leith Coke Operation of the H. C. Frick Coke Company for 14 years. Then the brothers entered into coke manufacture. Harry Whyel is a director in the Southern Supply Company, Sewickley Supply Company, Consolidated Connellsville Coke Company, Lafayette Coal & Coke Company, Mon- roe Coal Company, Utility Coal Company, United Fire Brick Company, Pickands-Magee Company, Citizens Title & Trust Company, and is president and a director of the Clarksburg Gas Coal Company.
10244
I. H. Brownfield, of Uniontown, coal and coke operator, first followed the life of a gentleman farmer I. H. on his property one mile from Union- BROWNFIELD. town, which has been in his family from the time of the grant of William Penn, and where he still resides. He was born on that farm January 17, 1861, and is the son of Isaac Brown- field and Mrs. Elizabeth Brownfield (nee Beatty). He attended the South Union township public schools and later entered Mt. Union College. Twenty years ago he made his first coke venture at Atlas, Fayette county, where he erected a large plant and operated profitably. He disposed of his holdings and acquired other Fayette county property, erecting a plant that he sold to the Consolidated Connellsville Coke Com- pany. Mr. Brownfield now operates a coke plant in Westmoreland county and two coal mines in Fayette county. He is a thirty-second degree Mason.
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JAMES R. BARNES.
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James R. Barnes, coal operator of Uniontown and man of affairs, is one of the leading figures in the remarkable growth that has developed the unrivaled coal fields of Western Pennsylvania. Mr. Barnes stands out as a stalwart figure. He has been asso- ciated with J. V. Thompson in business dealings, and other prominent men of the times. He is a native of Pennsylvania, born July 9, 1860, the son of Staten and Martha Ann (Tibbs) Barnes. His education began at the Uniontown public schools, and he has sup- plemented this by self-study, travel and broad experience. His knowledge of the coal and coke business is practical. He began as a miner, working with his father in the mines at Hopwood. He versed himself in the details of the business, and so was fitted for his later position. Mr. Barnes married Miss Martha Belle Frazee, December 10, 1883. They have four daughters and one son. He is a member of the Duquesne Club of Pittsburgh.
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William Cook Mckean, a son of Thomas A. and Martha Ache Mckean, was born at McClellandtown,
Fayette county, Pennsylvania, March WILLIAM 10, 1860. He studied law under the pre- COOK M'KEAN. ceptorship of Charles E. Boyle and Stephen Leslie Mestrezat. He was ad- mitted to the Fayette county bar December 4, 1888, and began practice in Uniontown with John Boyle, son of his former preceptor. In 1897 Mr. Mckean formed a partnership with H. L. Robinson. Mr. Mckean has won a State-wide reputation as a lawyer, and has busi- ness interests of importance outside of his profession. He is an active Democrat, and is a thirty-second de- gree Mason. He married Eladore Stockdale, of Wash- ington county, April 25, 1889. She died May 3, 1890, and December 20, 1899, he married Miss Emma Yoder. Two daughters were born. Mr. McKean is a member of the Uniontown Country Club.
Charles Fremont Kefover was born in Nicholson township, Fayette county, Pa., January 12, 1864, a son of William and Sarah E. Jackson Kef-
CHARLES
FREMONT over. He attended public schools and had a private tutor. In 1888 he studied KEFOVER. law under Hon. Nathanial Ewing, and in 1889 was admitted to the bar at Uniontown. In 1903 he was chosen solicitor of Uniontown, serving until 1910. At present he is a director of the National Bank of Fayette county, a director and secretary of the Labor Brewing Company of Uniontown. He is a Republican, and has served on the Fayette County Executive Com- mittee for several years. During his career he has won an enviable reputation as an orator in political cam- paigns, as well as being an able lawyer. He is a mem- ber of the Uniontown Country Club, and of the Laurel Club of Uniontown. He is president of the Fayette County Bar Association.
W. J. Sturgis, of Uniontown, was born April 18, 1864, at Smithfield, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, the son of E. A. Sturgis and Elizabeth Pat- W. J. STURGIS. ton Sturgis. He was educated in the public schools of Fayette county and the Georges Creek Academy of Smithfield. Leaving the academy, young Sturgis entered the University of West Virginia, at Morgantown, where he completed his education preparatory to taking up his life's career. Mr. Sturgis first was admitted to the bar and practiced law in the State of Kansas, from the year 1885 to 1897. He then returned to Uniontown, opened an office and has practiced in that place since. Owing to an excel- lent knowledge of the law and close application to work, Mr. Sturgis has built an enviable practice. April 8, 1891, he was married to Maud W. Donnell, of Beloit, Kansas. The couple have three children. Mr. Sturgis is a member of the Uniontown Country Club.
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WILLIAM ARTHUR STONE.
William Arthur Stone is one of the leading coal and coke operators of Fay- ette county. He was born in Carl coun- ty, Missouri, July 17, 1870, but for thirty years he has been situated in Fayette county. He is the son of Zana and Solon Stone. Mr. Stone was edu- cated in the common schools and has supplemented that education by his close study of the affairs of the business world. His success has not been lim- ited alone to his ventures in the coal and coke business. Mr. Stone is vice-presi- dent of the Citizens Title & Trust Com- pany of Fayette county ; president of the Waltersburg Coke Company; president of the Prospect Coal and Coke Com- pany; president of the Hiorra Coke and Uniontown Grocery Company, and a di- rector of the A. E. Staley Manufactur- ing Company of Decatur, Illinois. Mr. Stone's reputation for business sagacity and expert knowledge of the coal and coke industry is by no means limited to Fayette county, but extends throughout the State.
P. A. JOHNS.
Peter A. Johns, business man and politician of Fayette county, was born October 13, 1861, in Uniontown, the son of Major Peter A. Johns and Mrs. Su- san (nee Mariette) Johns. He attend- ed the public schools and graduated from the Madison Academy, at Union- town. In 1886 he became deputy sher- iff of Fayette county and was later ap- pointed court crier. From 1889 to 1892 he was deputy revenue collector ; he then engaged in the hotel business. In 1899 he was elected register and recorder of deeds, as a Republican, in Fayette coun- ty. After the term of three years, Mr. Johns again went into the hotel busi- ness. He was elected sheriff of Fay- ette county in 1907. He was the first sheriff of Fayette county to appoint a woman deputy. Mr. Johns is a life member of the Benevolent and Protec- tive Order of Elks, and a trustee of the Uniontown lodge. He married Mary Knight Cunningham, of Uniontown, September 20, 1882. There are two children.
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Robert S. McCrum, business man and Burgess of Uniontown, was born March 17, 1857, in Pike county,
ROBERT S. Mo. His parents were James McCrum
M'CRUM. and Lydia (nee Wagner) McCrum. In 1871 he went with his sister to Fayette county, Pennsylvania, where he secured a normal school education. He passed the examination for pub- lic school teacher, and taught school in Fayette county for three years. Mr. McCrum was engaged in the mer- cantile business from 1887 until 1897, when he was elected commissioner of Fayette county. When the term expired he engaged in the fire insurance business, and was elected president of the board of fire under- writers for Fayette county in 1903, and still holds that office. In 1909 he was elected Burgess of Uniontown, for a term of three years. Mr. McCrum was married in 1876 to Miss Nannie Sproul, of Fayette county. There is one son, Lloyd G. McCrum, of Somerset, Pa.
Albert Gaddis, originator of the flour milling in- terests in Uniontown and coal magnate, was born in Franklin township, Fayette county, May
ALBERT
GADDIS. 30, 1849. Mr. Gaddis started in the grocery business in Monongahela City. With his brothers-in-law, B. V. and Samuel W. Jones, he built the Uniontown mill. In 1906 their partner- ship was dissolved. Mr. Gaddis is a director and vice- president of the Waltersburg Coke Company, Prospect Coke Company, president of the W. A. Stone Coal & Coke Company, director of the Fayette Real Estate Company, president of the Uniontown Building & Loan Company, president of the Gaddis Coal Company, director and vice-president of the Uniontown Grocery Company, organizer and president of the Citizens Title & Trust Company, and a director of the Belton Coal Company. Mr. Gaddis is a strong Prohibitionist. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Edward Carter Higbee was born October 28, 1869, in Jefferson township, Fayette county, Pa., the son of
EDWARD Israel J. Higbee and Eliza Higbee. He
CARTER studied law and was admitted to prac-
tice at the Fayette county bar June 11,
HIGBEE. 1897, and later at the bar of the Su- preme Court of Pennsylvania and in the United States Courts. He is a member of the law firm of Sterling, Higbee & Matthews, and a director of the First Na- tional Bank of Connellsville. He was a member of the school board of Connellsville from 1901 until 1906, and was largely responsible for the efficient reorganization of the Connellsville schools. Mr. Higbee was appointed by Geo. W. Guthrie a member of the Democratic Com- mittee to draft legislation in 1903. He is a thirty-sec- ond degree Mason. Mr. Higbee married Miss Emma Lint September 22, 1897. There are five children.
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W. E. CROW.
William Evans Crow was born on a farm in German township, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, on March 10, 1870. In 1890, he graduated from the Southwestern State Normal School. Later he went to Waynesburg College. For three years he was engaged in newspaper work. Then he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1895. In the following year he was appointed Assistant District Attorney. In 1898 he was elected District Attorney for three years. From the time he attained his majority he took an active interest in politics. Soon he was acknowledged to be a local Republican leader. He was a delegate to various State conventions. The Republicans of the Thirty-second district, Fayette county, in 1906, nomi- nated Crow for State Senator. He was elected by a plurality of 2,484. In the legislative session of 1907, William Evans Crow was chairman of the Com- mittee on Federal Relations. He has been continuously re-elected ever since.
BRUCE F. STERLING.
Bruce Foster Sterling was born September 28, 1870, at Masontown, Pa., a son of Christian C. and Rebecca T. Sterling. He graduated from the Uni- versity of West Virginia law department in 1895. In 1897 he was admitted to practice in Fayette county, Pa. In 1900 he formed a law partnership with E. C. Higbee, under the firm name of Sterling & Higbee, which continued for several years, and was later joined by Ross S. Matthews, the firm name then becom- ing Sterling, Higbee & Matthews. In 1906 Mr. Sterling was elected from the First legislative district of Fayette county to the Legislature. December 4, 1889, Mr. Sterling was married to Miss May Conner, of Masontown, Pa. They have three children. Mr. Sterling is a life member of the Uniontown Lodge of Elks; he is a member of Fayette Lodge of F. & A. M., Union Chapter No. 165, R. A. M .; Uniontown commandery No. 49, K. T .; Uniontown Lodge of Perfec- tion, A. A. S. R., and Pittsburgh Con- sistory.
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3I
CHARLES F. EGGERS.
Charles F. Eggers, president of the Charles F. Eggers Company, lumber dealers of Uniontown, was born in old Allegheny May 5, 1860. He attended the Allegheny public schools. When 14 years of age, he learned box making. In January, 1880, Mr. Eggers went to Bellevernon, working for the R. C. Schmertz Glass Company, and later, for 14 years, was manager of the box de- partment. In 1894 he formed a part- nership with S. N. Graham, as Eggers & Graham, and entered the contracting and building work. Three years later he established a lumber yard and build- ers' and contractors' supply store at Monessen, and in 1901 a branch was established in Uniontown. In 1907 Mr. Eggers bought out Mr. Graham's inter- est. In 1912 he established the Charles F. Eggers Company, with himself as president and Alson C. Eggers as secre- tary and treasurer. Since 1901 Mr. Eggers' building operations have been large and extensive. In later years his company has handled lumber ex- clusively.
J. C. FULTON.
John Charles Fulton, specialist in church architecture and church plans, was born in Buena Vista, Allegheny county, Pa., February 11, 1856. His parents were James Fulton and Mary (nee Markle) Fulton. He was educated in the public schools and by private tutors. During early life he resided in Sewickley, Pa., and in Irwin, Pa. He studied architecture, and as an architect became known in all parts of the coun- try. Among his important buildings is the court house at Somerset, Pa. He has designed and constructed buildings as far west as Seattle and Tacoma in the State of Washington. Mr. Fulton is also interested in the banking business and in the coke industry. He is director in the Citizens Title & Trust Company, the Connellsville Consolidated Coke Company and the Waltersburg Coke Company. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, and belongs to the Uniontown Country Club. In 1889 he married Miss Mary E. Ray. There are two children.
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H. G. STURGIS.
Harold Greene Sturgis, son of Orin Jones Sturgis, deceased, and Isa Dora Greene-Sturgis, was born at Uniontown, Pa., October 9, 1887. He had the ad- vantage of the usual common school education and afterwards received the necessary training in high school and preparatory courses to enable him to enter Brown University, at Providence, Rhode Island, in the fall of 1905. Fol- lowing a four years' course in bachelor of arts work, Mr. Sturgis spent a se- mester at Cornell University, during the winter of 1909-'10. The subject of this sketch is president of the News Publish- ing Company and is managing editor of the Daily News Standard, established in 1888, this being the first daily newspa- per in Fayette county. It was founded by Mr. Sturgis' father. Mr. Sturgis is assistant church clerk and secretary of the board of trustees of the Great Beth- el Baptist Church, of Uniontown; be- longing also to the Uniontown Tennis Club, the University Club of Uniontown and the Delta Phi college fraternity.
F. M. SEMANS.
Francis Marion Semans, Jr., is as- sistant cashier of the First National Bank of Uniontown. Mr. Semans was born in Hopwood, Fayette county, Pa., July 7, 1869, the son of Francis Marion Semans and Mrs. Mary Jane Semans (nee Sutton). After finishing his studies in the public schools, he took a special course at the State Normal School at California, and was graduated in 1887. He then spent two years as a teacher. In 1889 he entered the employ of the First National Bank, and after he had been there for 10 years he was promoted to the position of assistant cashier. Mr. Semans is a member of the First Pres- byterian Church of Uniontown, and a Democrat in politics. He is a Mason and he belongs to the Pittsburgh Con- sistory. He is a member of the Execu- tive Committee of the State Y. M. C. A., the Uniontown Laurel Club, the Union- town Country Club, the Duquesne Club of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Ath- letic Association.
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JAMES R. CRAY.
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James Robert Cray, youngest son of James and Margaret (Meehan) Cray, was born at Darlington, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, March 8, 1860. He studied law in Uniontown under Judge S. L. Mestrezat, and in 1892 was ad- mitted to the bar of Fayette county. He has also been admitted to the State and United States courts. He is counsel for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the Western Maryland Railroad and many industrial and public service corpora- tions. He is president of the Union Connellsville Coke Company, the Puri- tan Coke Company; treasurer of the Wallace Coal & Coke Company; vice- president of the Second National Bank of Uniontown, and director of the Uniontown Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Cray is a member of the Knights of Co- lumbus and the Pennsylvania Society, the Laurel and the Uniontown Country Clubs. He served three terms as chair- man of the Fayette County Democratic Committee. June 22, 1893, he married Catheren Lynch, of Uniontown. They have three daughters.
JOHN J. GIBSON.
John J. Gibson is among the best known general contractors in the State of Pennsylvania. He was born in Sutton, W. Va., November 27, 1872, being the son of Dr. N. G. and Mrs. Lorena C. Gibson. He was edu- cated in the public schools of Sutton. He first learned the trade of stone cutter and worked at that trade for a number of years. After a time he entered the busi- ness firm of Ingram & Gibson, contractors, in Union- town, when he first located there. That partnership dissolved in 1908, and then Mr. Gibson organized the South Penn Building Company, general contractors.
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