USA > Pennsylvania > The Book of Prominent Pennsylvanians; a standard reference > Part 6
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Mr. Brennen is said to have given considerable financial as well as personal support to the needs of his party from time to time and to have bolstered up the weak places wherever they developed.
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GEORGE W. FLOWERS.
George W. Flowers, lawyer, pub- lisher, banker, corporation director, was born near Whitehall, Allegheny county, May 15, 1860. His parents were John Horning Flowers and Sara A. Lenhart- Flowers. At the end of one year's course at Washington & Jefferson Col- lege, he entered the junior class at Yale, from which he was graduated in 1884. He registered for the Allegheny county bar in the office of the Hon. George W. Guthrie, in Pittsburgh, but completed his studies under Judge Alex. D. Mc- Connell, of Greensburg. In 1889 he was admitted to practice in the Allegheny and Westmoreland County Courts, and two years later to the United States Courts. Mr. Flowers was solicitor of the Borough of Irwin and a member of the Board of Education. He established, and for several years edited, the Irwin Republican, purchased the Irwin Stand- ard and merged the two into the Repub- lican-Standard. He is a member of the Union Club of Pittsburgh, and is presi- dent of the Irwin Chamber of Com- merce.
E. L. KEARNS.
Edward Lee Kearns, attorney at law, and officer of the Eighteenth Regi- ment, was born in Harrisburg March 31, 1873, the son of Edward P. and Mar- tina B. Kearns. Mr. Kearns, who is lieutenant-colonel, Eighteenth Regiment, Duquesne Grays, National Guard of Pennsylvania, was educated at Harris- burg Academy and at Duquesne Uni- versity. He has been practicing law since 1895, when he was admitted to the bar after studying with D. T. Watson, the noted lawyer. Mr. Kearns is now located in the Frick building of Pitts- burgh. Mr. Kearns is prominent in all civic affairs of the city, and is known throughout the country for the disciplin- ary measures and innovations intro- duced into his soldier corps.
He is a member of the Harkaway Hunt Club, of the Pittsburgh Athletic Association and the Americus Repub- lican Club. Mr. Kearns is a member of the Army and Navy Club of New York City.
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JAMES H. REED.
One of the leading members of the Allegheny county bar and one of the busiest busi- ness men in the country is former Judge James H. Reed, whose capacity for doing things has so often been commented upon by his many friends. He not only looks after the manage- ment of a number of large corporations, but is the head of one of the leading law firms in the State, while his practice is growing with every year. Judge Reed once said that the only way to accomplish great things was to select good men for various important positions, give them free rein and look to them for the results. In addition, however, it is necessary that brains, shrewdness, business ability and a cool head at a critical moment must be blended in one to make such success as Judge Reed has won in the active world of his profession and business.
Judge Reed is a director of the United States Steel Corporation, in which position he is the ranking official of that great institution in Pittsburgh. He is also president and attor- ney for the Philadelphia Company, president of the Reliance Life Insurance Company, presi- dent and counsel of the Pittsburgh, Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad, director of the Farmers National Deposit Bank, director of the Fidelity Title & Trust Company and deeply interested in other business enterprises, including cop- per in the Northwest.
Ordinarily these things of business require the most careful attention of the man in- terested, and so far as Judge Reed is concerned he slights nothing. But his work is carried out on the principle laid down, and he has it so carefully systematized that he finds time to remain at the head of one of the largest and most lucrative law practices in Pittsburgh, and he has been as successful in this line of endeavor as he has in corporation manage- ment. Judge Reed has won the reputation of peacemaker rather than as a combatant, al- though he has been successful in many a hard-fought battle in the courts. Among the most important achievements of Judge Reed was his labor as the final arbiter in the con- flict between Mr. Frick and Mr. Carnegie, and it was due almost entirely to his efforts that the movement for peace was so successful.
Judge Reed was the guiding spirit of the combine of local capitalists, then known as the Magee-Flinn syndicate, and in many other enterprises where the needs of a clear head and a thorough knowledge of the law were needed, Judge Reed at all times was the one man to whom his associates looked for advice and action, if necessary.
He is regarded by many lawyers as one of the greatest in the country, and when the intricacies of a case are to be worked out Judge Reed can accomplish wonders in finding the facts. It is stated on high authority that the firm of which Judge Reed is the head has in one year cleared $400,000 in fees and commissions, but it was a year notable in the formation of industrial corporations.
Judge Reed was born in Allegheny September 10, 1853, the son of Dr. J. A. and Eliza- beth Reed. He was educated in the Western University of Pennsylvania, now the Uni- versity of Pittsburgh, graduating in 1872. In 1875 he registered as a law student with his uncle, David Reed, a distinguished lawyer of his time, and in 1877 formed a partner- ship with P. C. Knox, ex-Secretary of State, as Knox & Reed. He was appointed Judge of the United States District Court by President Harrison, but ill health compelled his resignation the following year. After a long rest he returned to the practice of law.
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JOHN C. BANE.
John Curry Bane, son of Aaron Bane and Mary W. Bane, was born in Answell township, Washington county, Pennsylvania, November 6, 1861. His early life was spent on his father's farm. He was graduated in 1882 from Washington and Jefferson College. He was admitted to the bar of Washington county, January 13, 1890, and engaged in general practice there until March, 1901. Mr. Bane was admitted to the bar of Allegheny county in 1895. On March 31, 1901, he moved to Pittsburgh. Since that time he has engaged in gen- eral practice in the courts of Common Pleas, the Supreme, Superior state courts and the Federal courts. While Mr. Bane never held office, he is a Demo- crat in politics and was a delegate to the national convention in Kansas City in 1900. He is a 32nd degree Mason, a member of the Pittsburgh Athletic As- sociation and the Union Club of Pitts- burgh. He married Miss Katharine Miller, June 26, 1901, and has five chil- dren.
J. P. HUNTER.
John Porter Hunter, attorney and business man, was born in Allegheny. His parents were Thomas A. Hunter and Sarah Hunter. He was educated in the common schools of Allegheny and at Washington & Jefferson College. Fol- lowing graduation from college he studied law and was admitted to the bar of Allegheny county in 1884, and later to the bars of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the Supreme Court of the United States. Few attorneys are more skilled than Mr. Hunter in con- ducting jury trials. Mr. Hunter is also an expert in equity law and is attorney for many corporations. Mr. Hunter is also interested in many business enter- prises. He is director in the Shaffer- Smathers Oil Company, the Equitable Trust Company and the Consumers Re- fining Company. Mr. Hunter belongs to the Duquesne Club, the Oakmont Coun- try Club and the Pittsburgh Country Club.
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J. D. BROWN.
John D. Brown was born in Pitts- burgh September 6, 1865. He is a son of A. M. Brown, a well-known member of the Pittsburgh bar. His education was secured in the public schools of Pittsburgh and at Harvard University. He was admitted to the bar in June, 1899, and has been very successful in the practice of his profession. He is president of the Anchor Savings Bank, having succeeded his father in that posi- tion at the latter's death. Mr. Brown is vice-president of the Pittsburgh Real Estate Company and director in the German National Bank of Pittsburgh, and the Hardy & Hayes Company. He is a member of the Board of Managers of the Western Pennsylvania Institu- tion for the Blind, and treasurer of the Emma Farm Association. His home is at Oak Knolls, Wexford, Allegheny county, Pa.
JAMES M. CLARK.
James M. Clark, prominent Pitts- burgh attorney, was born in Washing- ton, Pa., in 1863. His parents were Wil- liam Clark and Margaret Donaldson (nee Mevey) Clark. After attending the public schools of Washington, Mr. Clark entered Washington and Jeffer- son College, from which he graduated at the age of 21 years. After three years of study in the law school of Co- lumbia University, New York, he was graduated with the degree of bachelor of laws. He received the degree of mas- ter of arts from the Columbia Univer- sity School of Political Science. While in college Mr. Clark took an active in- terest in athletics. Since graduation he has been a moving spirit in many civic organizations and has done much for the industrial and social betterment of Allegheny county. Mr. Clark is still in- terested in clean healthful sports as is apparent from his active membership in the Pittsburgh Athletic Association. He is also a member of the Duquesne Club and the Pittsburgh Country Club. Mr. Clark has a strong and pleasing person- ality which impresses favorably all those with whom he comes in contact.
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RICHARD B. SCANDRETT.
Richard B. Scandrett was born in Pittsburgh June 30, 1861, his parents being William A. Scandrett and Mary Brown Scandrett. He was educated in the public schools of Pittsburgh and Al- legheny, Adrian College, Michigan, and Washington and Jefferson College, grad- uating from the latter in 1885. From 1885 to 1887, inclusive, he was an in- structor in the Allegheny High School, and from 1887 to 1892 was secretary of the board of school controllers of Alle- gheny. He was admitted to the bar of Allegheny county in December, 1889, and has been practicing in Pittsburgh since that date. He is a director in a number of corporations. Mr. Scandrett and Miss Agnes Morrow were married at Slippery Rock, Butler county, Pa., on July 8, 1890. They have three children. Mr. Scandrett is a member of the Du- quesne Club, Pittsburgh Athletic As- sociation, Country Club, the Americus Republican Club, the Elks, and a num- ber of other organizations.
COL. JAMES ELDER BARNETT.
Col. James Elder Barnett, law- yer, was born at Elder's Ridge, In- diana county, Pa. He graduated from Washington and Jefferson Col- lege in 1882. From 1895 to 1897 he was deputy secretary of the com- monwealth, and in 1899 was elected state treasurer. He is now associa- ted with R. B. Scandrett in the law firm of Scandrett & Barnett. He was elected lieutenant-colonel of the famous "Fighting 10th" Regi- ment, National Guard of Pennsyl- vania, in 1897. In the Spanish- American war he served in the Philippines and participated in all engagements of his regiment dur- ing the Filipino insurrection until the capture of Malolos. April, 1899, he was placed in command of the regiment and acted as regimental commander until the regiment was mustered out, August 27, 1899. He succeeded Col. Hawkins as com- mander of the district of Cavite, and served from May 10, 1899.
60
PHILIP BRENNAN REILLY.
Philip Brennan Reilly, specialist in real estate and corporation law, was born in Pittsburgh October 29, 1876. His parents were the late John C. Reilly and Ursula (nee O'Connor) Reilly.
Many men succeed in life in spite of unfavorable home environment dur- ing the formative period of their lives and in spite of lack of opportunities to cultivate mind and body under the di- rection of skilled teachers in good schools and colleges. Undoubtedly such men would in most instances have achieved a far greater measure of suc- cess if their earlier development had not been hindered and warped by unfavor- able conditions.
Philip Brennan Reilly would have succeeded in spite of most any kind of early home environment, for he pos- sesses an unusually keen intellect and a persistent will. His early surround- ings, however, were favorable, for he comes of a most distinguished family and he received a liberal education in the best schools and colleges of the country.
After studying in the parochial schools of Pittsburgh he entered Ford- ham University, from which he gradu- ated in 1900. He next entered the Pittsburgh Law School, where his standing was un- usually good. In 1903 he graduated with a thorough knowledge of the great underlying principles of law, and a practical working knowledge of statutes and court decisions as well. A few months after graduation from the law school he was admitted to practice law in the courts of Pennsylvania, becoming a member of the Allegheny county bar.
He at once opened a law office and quickly built up a creditable practice. He special- ized in real estate and corporation law and soon attained unusual prominence in his chosen lines of work. Not content with a legal practice, which was the envy of many of his associates, Mr. Reilly became actively interested in business. As a director of the Washington Trust Company he has done much to promote the success of its banking ac- tivities by wise advice and practical counsel. He has done much also to increase the busi- ness of the City Insurance Company, of which he is also a director.
In the evenings, when the work of the day is done, and on holidays, Mr. Reilly de- lights to mingle socially with friends. He believes that a man is only as old as he feels, and that to keep young in body and spirit it is necessary to seek healthful diversion and recreation. Mr. Reilly is a popular and prominent member of the Pittsburgh Country Club, the Pittsburgh Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Press Club.
A pleasing personality, the right kind of home training, a liberal education and a keen, broad-minded insight into human nature are among the elements which have en- abled Mr. Reilly to rise rapidly in business as well as socially and professionally. Al- though born into a distinguished family, Mr. Reilly has never used the social and busi- ness standing of his relatives as a means of attaining position and clients. He has de- pended entirely upon his own efforts to achieve victory in the battle of life.
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ROBERT M. EWING.
Robert M. Ewing is a Pennsyl- vania product and a representative member of the Pittsburgh bar. After an education in the public schools and the Saltsburg Academy at Saltsburg, Pa., by his earnings as a teacher he was enabled to continue his studies in Wash- ington & Jefferson College, being a mem- ber of the class of 1891. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar of Indiana county. He came to Pitts- burgh and was admitted to the Alle- gheny county bar in 1893. Civic and patriotic matters claim a large portion of Mr. Ewing's time. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Board of Trade, a trustee of the Western Pennsylvania Historical Society, and in Wilkinsburg, where he resides, of the Wilkinsburg Board of Trade and the Pennwood Club. Mr. Ewing is one of seven sons of the late James H. Ewing and of Eleanor (Rhea) Ewing, still living. Mr. Ewing occupies a suite of offices in the Farm- ers Bank building. He is married and has two daughters and a son.
GEORGE E. REYNOLDS.
George E. Reynolds, lawyer, of the Frick building, Pittsburgh, is the son of George P. and Rebecca (Dreisbach) Reynolds, and was born at Turbotville, Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, February 28, 1876. He began work on a farm at the age of nine, and finally found an opportunity to study in Ursi- nas College, Collegeville. He entered the State Normal School at Lock Haven. Pennsylvania, and at the end of a year of hard work was graduated at the head of his class. He became principal of the High School at Hill's Grove, Sullivan county, this State. After steady ad- vancement, he withdrew from educa- tional work and studied law, being ad- mitted to the Northumberland county bar in September, 1902, then to the Al- legheny county bar and to the Supreme and Superior Courts of the United States in the western district of Penn- sylvania. He is a member of the Benevolent Order of Elks, the Masonic Order and the Pittsburgh Country Club.
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L. M. PLUMER.
L. M. Plumer, attorney at law, was educated at Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., graduating with the degree of bachelor of arts. Later the degree of master of arts was conferred upon him. Following his graduation from college Mr. Plumer studied law and was admitted to the bar. Since then he has been engaged in the practice of his pro- fession. Not content with a legal business, which would satisfy the ambition of most men, Mr. Plumer is actively engaged in many business enterprises. He belongs to the Duquesne Club, the Pittsburgh Athletic Association, the Country Club, the University Club and Union Club. A pleasing personality and shrewd insight into human nature backed by a good education is responsible for Mr. Plumer's success.
63
H. FRED MERCER.
H. FRED MERCER, Lawyer, Pittsburgh.
EDWARD J. KENT.
Edward Joseph Kent is a native of Westmoreland county, but now a promi- nent practitioner at the Allegheny coun- ty bar. As the son of Thomas C. Kent and Mrs. Margaret Kent, he was born March 2, 1868, and received the rudi- ments of his education in the public and parochial schools. Then he entered St. Vincent's, at Beatty, and left there when he was 18 years old with the M. A. de- gree. He entered the University of Michigan and graduated in the law de- partment of that institution with the LL. B. degree in 1890. In the same year Mr. Kent came to Pittsburgh, where, in September, he was admitted to the bar and has enjoyed a growing and prosperous general civil practice ever since. Mr. Kent belongs to a num- ber of fraternal and social organizations in Pittsburgh. Among these are the Knights of Columbus, the Duquesne Club, the Pittsburgh Athletic Associa- tion, the Automobile Club and the Bru- nots Island Matinee Club.
64
FREDERICK L. KAHLE.
Frederick L. Kahle, corporation lawyer for a number of the largest coal and coke companies of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, was born in Jefferson county, Pa., April 18, 1862.
He is the son of Frederick P. Kahle and Isabell Mccutcheon Kahle, who are both living at the age of 90 and 86 years. Mr. Kahle, eminent in the learned and distinguished array of legal practition- ers in Pittsburgh, whose success is due to his hard work and the diligence of his application, was educated in the public schools and the high school at Plumer, Venango county. He attended the Rouseville Normal School and the Erie Seminary.
After fitting himself in education for teaching, Mr. Kahle became princi- pal of the Sugar Grove High School and later of the Sugar Grove Normal School. Later he read law under Hon. J. H. Osmer at Franklin, Pa., and was admitted to the bar in 1886.
He practiced in Franklin until 1904, becoming district attorney of Venango county in 1888; city solicitor of Frank- lin for five terms, and was then made United States Referee in Bankruptcy, serving the country in this legal capac- ity from 1895 until 1904.
As a referee in bankruptcy Mr. Kahle's record has been remarkable. Of all the cases in bankruptcy before him his de- cisions were reversed in but one case. This case is regarded as unique in the history of Pennsylvania jurisprudence. Aside from his profession Mr. Kahle is a great lover of oil paintings. For many years he has been collecting paintings of the highest grade, and the walls of every room in his home are covered with handsome and valuable paintings. He has a magnificent collection of English, Dutch, Italian and Russian paintings.
Ten years ago he moved to Pittsburgh and became a corporation lawyer for the coal companies mentioned before. He is now associated in offices, in the Park building, Pitts- burgh, with W. T. Tredway and Senator James I. Adams, but not in partnership; he is the owner of one of the largest, most extensive and complete law libraries in the State.
Mr. Kahle is a Presbyterian churchman; a member of several Masonic organizations ; a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the East End Board of Trade and the Young Men's Republican Tariff Club, and a life member of the Pittsburgh Press Club.
In 1888 he married May G. Galbraith, daughter of Dr. David C. Galbraith, of Frank- lin, Pa., who was one of the most extensive and successful of the early oil producers in the oil country. He has a daughter, Anna, who was graduated from the Thurston-Gleim School, East Liberty, and a son, Clarence Courtney Kahle, a graduate of Shady Side Acad- emy, and now a student at Washington and Jefferson College.
Mr. Kahle is a self-made man in every acceptation of that term. When he started out in the world of business he had nothing behind him but a sheepskin and a dogged de- termination to succeed.
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STEPHEN STONE.
STEPHEN STONE, Lawyer, Pittsburgh.
W. W. SMITH.
Prominent among Pittsburgh's at- torneys at law is William Watson Smith. A native of Hollidaysburg, Pa., having been born there September 7, 1871, a son of William P. Smith and Virginia Watson Smith, Mr. Smith as a boy at- tended the grade schools of Hollidays- burg, and after completing his prepara- tory work continued his studies at Princeton University, being graduated from that institution in 1892. Since that time he has practiced law in Allegheny county, having been admitted to the bar shortly after his graduation, and he has won prominence and success in his pro- fession. In addition to having a thriv- ing practice as an attorney, Mr. Smith is a director in the Union National Bank. Attorney Smith is well known and popular as a member of the Du- quesne Club, Union Club, University Club and the Pittsburgh Golf Club, and he has been identified for years with the Pittsburgh Alumi Association of Prince- ton University.
66
JAMES D. HANCOCK.
Born near Wilkesbarre, Luzerne county, Pa., June 9, 1837, James Denton Hancock is the son of James Hancock and Mary Perkins Hancock. Mr. Han- cock attended the common schools of Luzerne county, then the Wyoming Seminary and Kenyon College, at Gam- bier, O., from which he was graduated. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in Pittsburgh and from there re- moved to Franklin, Pa. Mr. Hancock soon was favored with a large business. He became identified with the Pennsyl- vania Society of the Sons of the Ameri- can Revolution and is the president of this organization. Mr. Hancock is a di- rector of the Pittsburgh, Youngstown & Ashtabula Railway Company, and of the Fayette County Gas Company. He is a member of the Franklin Club, of Franklin. In 1900 the degree of doctor of laws was conferred upon him by his Alma Mater; prior to that time he had been a candidate for Congress on the Democratic ticket. He has been a fre- quent contributor to periodicals on eco- nomic subjects.
CLARENCE BURLEIGH.
Clarence Burleigh, recognized in the fraternity of able Pittsburgh law- yers, was born in Boston, Mass., in 1853. He came to Pittsburgh in 1862 and obtained his early education at the public schools. He began life as a pat- tern-maker. By hard study, he obtained admission when quite young to Wash- ington and Jefferson College, from which he graduated. He began the reading of law in 1875 under Bruce & Negleyand, and two years later was ad- mitted to the Allegheny county bar. In 1878 he formed a law partnership with John R. Harbison. He was made assist- ant city solicitor of Pittsburgh, and in 1891, appointed District Attorney; at the expiration of his term he was elected for a full term. In 1895 he was elected City Solicitor. The Homestead rioters were prosecuted by Mr. Burleigh in line with official duty, which he fearlessly performed. Mr. Burleigh was contin- ued as City Solicitor for Pittsburgh, un- til 1902, when he resigned to become general attorney for the Pittsburgh Railways company. In addition to this appointment, he is engaged in the gen- eral practice of law.
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LEANDER TRAUTMAN.
Leander Trautman, attorney at law, was born February 17, 1865, at Canton, Ohio. His father was the Rev. Louis Trautman. At the age of four years he was taken to Pittsburgh. He received his early education in the Pitts- burgh schools. At an early age he went to work for the Black Diamond Steel Company of Pittsburgh. While work- ing he studied stenography until he be- came very proficient. Mr. Trautman has acquired a complete classical educa- tion by studying under the best private tutors obtainable. While working as a court reporter in the Federal and Alle- gheny county courts he read law under Judge Jacob F. Slagle, and in 1893 was admitted to the bar. Since that time he has practised law contnuously at 434 Diamond street. Mr. Trautman is direc- tor in many business corporations in Pittsburgh for which he is attorney. He has had large experience in handling estates. Mr. Trautman married Miss Minnie Abele, of Lebanon, Pa. There are three children.
W. A. HUDSON.
William A. Hudson is a lawyer of Pittsburgh, with offices in the Berger building. He was born at Staunton, Virginia, August 20, 1850. In 1873 he was graduated from the University of Virginia with high honors. He had pre- viously attended Roanoke College, Sa- lem, Virginia. He was admitted to the bar immediately after graduation and came to Pittsburgh in 1891, admitted to the Allegheny county bar in September of that year, and later to the courts of the State and the Federal Supreme Court. In Virginia he had served as Judge of the Common Pleas Court. Judge Hudson has carried on a general law practice and has given special at- tention to commercial and corporation law, and many of the largest corpora- tions have retained him. Judge Hudson devotes his whole energy to his pro- fession. On May 12, 1875, he married Miss Ida Florence Rector, of Loudoun county, Virginia. Mrs. Hudson died May 1, 1898. There are nine children.
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