USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > Warwick's Keystone commonwealth; a review of the history of the great state of Pennsylvania, and a brief record of the growth of its chief city, Philadelphia > Part 41
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JOHN B. ROBINSON.
John B. Robinson was born in Alle- gheny City, Pa., May 23, 1846. He was thoroughly prepared for a collegiate course and matriculated at Amherst Col- lege. In 1862, when but sixteen years of age, he enlisted in Captain Ridder's com- pany attached to the 15th Pennsylvania Emergency Regiment, but was after a short service, discharged on account of youth. He was then appointed to the Naval Academy at Annapolis and gradu- ated in 1868. During his service in the navy he visited almost every country in the world and advanced through all grades, to a lieutenancy previous to his resignation in 1875 to take up the study
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JOHN B. ROBINSON.
of law. He was prepared for his legal career in the office of John G. Johnson, Esq_ and after being admitted to prac- tice in the Philadelphia Courts, he remov- ed to Delaware County where he entered politics and soon became the Republican leader. He was elected to the State Leg- islature in 1884 and was re-elected in 1896, being particularly conspicuous dur- ing these sessions as a brilliant debater and painstaking legislator. He was elected to the State Senate in 1889 and while a member of this body, was, in 1800, elected to the Fifty-second Con- gress and was returned for the Fifty- fourth session, when he retired owing to the claim of Chester County to the seat. In 1801 he was elected to the presidency of the State League of Republican Clubs. He was appointed United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, by President MeKinley, was retained dur- ing the administration of President Roosevelt and Taft and is still occupying the position. Mr. Robinson is owner and editor of the Media Ledger.
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ENOCH W. PEARSON.
Vocal sight-reading was introduced into the public schools of Philadelphia in 1897 by the creation by the Board of Education of a Department of Music with Mr. Enoch Pearson the present in - cumbent as Director and a small corps of assistants. The present organization FNOCH W. PEARSON. consists of the
Director, eighteen assistants and two special teachers.
In the elementary schools five twelve- minute periods per week are devoted to this subject in each class-room, and in the higher schools the sixty minutes a week devoted to the subject is given in a single period. In most of the boys' schools the work is handled with the pupils en masse, and in the girls' schools, in divisions. In the Normal School for Girls and in the School of Pedagogy the work includes normal instruction and practice and ob- servation work for the pupil teachers.
In the Boys' High School the weekly work is done by resident teachers. In the Girls' High Schools, Normal School and School of Pedagogy, the work is carried on by the assistants to the Director and two special teachers.
The special activities of the Department of Music embrace the organization and fostering of school glee clubs and orches- tras, assisting with the music at various parents' meetings, Home and School League meetings, and with the music at many public and semi-public functions.
WILLIAM VAN OSTEN.
William Van Osten who for many years was a member of Council from the Sixth Ward seems to have discovered the secret of pe- rennial youth. lle is eighty- seven yearsof age and des- pite a severe attackofpneu- monia when in his eighty- sixth year, is as young and WILLIAM VAN OSTEN. active as a man thirty years his junior. Mr. Van Osten was born in Philadelphia in 1825 and cast his first vote in 1846. He has been a restaurateur for sixty-seven years, sixty of which was spent m his present location, Fifth street above Mar- ket.
" He "run with the hose" in early days and as natural sequence of that pe- riod drifted into politics but held no of- fice until he was elected to Councils in 1887.
He has known and fraternized with all the local political celebrities since the time of Robert T. Conrad, first Mayor of the city after the Consolidation and has been active in all the events that marked the early history of the city. He has taken a great interest in turf matters for forty years and was for a long while a starter and judge of trotting races on many of the principal tracks of the coun- try.
llis interest in horse flesh is still strong and he takes a spin in the park every morning.
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WILLIAM II. KEYSER.
William II. Keyser was born in Phila- delphia, May 19, 1855, and was educated in the public schools. He was employed in Leary's Old Book Store, Fifth and Walnut streets, from 1870 to 1879, when he started in business for himself. lle has always been an active figure in Re- publican politics and in 1884 was elected to the State Legislature as a representa- tive, serving eight terms and part of the ninth, when he. was elected to the Sen- ate to succeed Senator Osborne, who died in 1901, serving continuously in that body for twelve years. Mr. Keyser has been a member of the State Committee and a delegate to many conventions of his party. He is a member of the Fidelity and Young Men's Republican Club of the Twentieth Ward and the Twentieth Ward Republican Club.
JOSEPHI R. CONNELL.
Joseph R. Connell, a progressive West Philadelphian, is a representative seion of a family, that has, since the last cen- tury was in its teens, done things, big things, for the good of the eity, State and Nation. Bred to great activity and re- sponsibility, versed in the study of hu- man nature, actively participating in ex- tensive enterprises, the success of Mr. Connell is conceded in the business world to be due to the rare sagacity and original methods he has displayed. Public spir- ited motives have always characterized his affairs. As an instance of this there stands at Oakmont, a beautiful suburb of Philadelphia, the massive High School of Haverford Township. When the people of that vicinity were perplexed as to ways and means to acquire a suitable site for a building for the education of their chil- dren, Mr. Connell settled the question by donating two acres of valuable ground and a portion of the money toward the construction of this magnificent building, which to-day is the pride of the entire county. All of his enterprises have been eminently successful, and many of his companies have made profits of over one hundred per cent. within a year after their formation. The increase in realty
values in some of his enterprises have reached the two million dollar mark with- in two years, and others have forged ahead more rapidly. Heredity had much to do with Mr. Connell's success. lle comes from Colonial stock, being a lineal descendant of Isaac Pennock, an officer in the army of William, Prince of Or- ange, who settled in Chester County, l'a., in 1685, and upon the paternal side the first of his forebears in this country was the son of an Episcopal clergyman, George Connell, who settled at Marcus Ilook, and at his own expense fitted out a fleet to patrol the Delaware River dur- ing the Revolutionary War. In the next generation came John Connell, merchant prince, man of affairs, scholar, traveler, philanthropist and servant of the people. He it was who presided at the first great meeting held in Philadelphia to raise funds to carry on the War of 1812. The Connell homestead in those days stood at the corner of Broad and Chestnut streets, and there John Connell entertained La- fayette on his memorable visit to the United States. There, too, Webster, Slay, Gallatin and President John Quincy Adams were his frequent guests. It was in his arms that John Quincy Adams, in the Speaker's room at the National Capi- tol, breathed his last. George Connell, the grandsire, a constructive statesman. was elected to the Senate in 1860. Cam- eron, Curtin, Connell, was a trio that ren- dered heroic service to the State and Na- tion at a time that "tried men's souls." Colonel Alexander McClure, the veteran editor and historian, than whom no other man had more intimate and comprehen- sive knowledge of the State's history, re- ferred to Senator Connell "as the braini- est man in the brainiest Senate of Penn- sylvania." In truth, the activity of this man during the twelve years of his in- cumbency was prodigious. His influence as a leader was incalculable and his ac- complishment, both for the State and for the Nation, was a matter of signal good fortune. Mark his sagacity at a critical time of great excitement, when as chair- man of the Finance Committee, a position he held until the time of his death, his bill to place the State of Pennsylvania on a financial war footing was introduced by him a full month before Fort Sumter
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JOSEPH R. CONNELL.
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was fired upon. This bill, while defeated, was passed by the same body within thirty days after the above unhappy event, at an extra session of the Legisla- ture upon the urgent recommendation of Governor Curtin. His also was the bill for a stay law to save innocent debtors from sacrifice. Among the many other measures introduced and advocated by him, which would in themselves estab- lish his far-seeing statesmanship, were the repeal of the State tax upon real es- tate and imposing in lieu thereof a tax upon banks and gross receipts of railroad companies ; An Act for the payment of the interest of State debts in National currency in place of coin, and, the re- demption of the odious tax upon our State loans. Verily to interpret the signs of the times is the prerogative of statesmanship. Among many of the great things accomplished by Senator Connell in the interest of Philadelphia was the extension of Fairmount Park, from a lit- tle parcel of ground of about three acres, to over three thousand acres, in which Philadelphians pride themselves today. As a part of this magnificent plan, there grew out of his fertile brain, the Fair- mount Park Commission, which has since administered the affairs of this great holding of the city. It was largely due to his influence that something like adequate compensation was secured to the Judges of the Courts of Philadelphia. Realizing that the office should be one of dignity and permanency, he made earnest efforts to have a similar bill enacted in favor of the Judges of the Supreme Court. The handling of the City Trusts and the re- forming of the management of Girard College, "were footprints" which he left "upon the sands of time." His heroic battle which resulted in the taking of Girard College out of politics, placed that great institution upon the basis where it stands today, the greatest of its kind in the world.
The father of Joseph R. Connell is Horatio P. Connell, one of Philadelphia's most esteemed citizens, who, through the persuasion of his friends, took up the work of his distinguished sire. Possess- ing the quiet demeanor of "William, the Silent," the loyalty of a MacGregor, a will iron, a deep sense of knightly honor
and an indefatigable purpose, he easily and naturally took his place as a leader among men. During his four terms in the Assembly, he was one of the most popular and influential members, where honorable success characterized his legis- lative career. Subsequently, as Sheriff of Philadelphia, he established moral business standards in that office which were quickly recognized and most grate- fully appreciated by the members of the legal profession, and at the expiration of his term of office he was highly eulogized by the newspaper press of the city. His heart is as tender as that of a child and the acts of charity and benevolence that have rained from his hand, have endeared him to countless numbers. He is a life member of St. Albans Lodge, F. & A. M., many clubs and societies, and in any of these bodies where wits assemble, his versatility and originality fairly flows and sparkles. His repartee comes with equal rapidity and ease, either from his own re- sources, or from a mind well-stored with the best in English literature. When he puts his whole soul into jest, it leaves no sting, but rather makes happy and bright- er the lives of those about him. His memory is truly remarkable. As an in- stance, he familiarized himself with a very lengthy judicial opinion. Thirty years later, when the subject was touched upon, he quoted it verbatim from the be- ginning to the end. Burns he has from cover to cover. It is indeed a treat to hear him read, in true Scottish dialect, his favorite bard or from the prose of lan Maclaren. On one occasion, while being entertained by the Caledonian Club, the members were so charmed with his ren- derings of Burns, that they forthwith made him an honorary member, a distinc- tion shared in Pennsylvania with the late Simon Cameron only. If Horatio P. Connell loves the lesser literary lights, he fairly worships the name of Shakespeare, and as he reads and interprets the works of the "Myriad Minded," one cannot for- get the treat it gives, to weep with him over the grave of Ophelia : to go off into fields of side-splitting laughter with Sir John or to follow the melancholy Dane through his dark speculations. If he loves the Bard of Avon, this poet in turn has described Horatio P. Connell in these
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words, which though hackneyed, fit him so aptly : "Ilis life was gentle and the ele- ments so mixed in him that nature might stand up and say to all the world, this was a man." Modesty has always been one of his distinguishing characteristics and although having passed the patri- archal three score years and ten, he dis- likes comment upon his deeds, which have made his life so beautiful and so replete with benefits to his fellow men. Such charming personality, sterling integrity and nobility of character, must of neces- sity influence progeny and these inherited traits, coupled with a genial personality and a soul filled with faith in his Creator, have made Joseph R. Connell popular with his friends and acquaintances and successful in his business.
EDWARD HUTCHINSON, JR.
Edward Hutchinson, Jr., now so prominent in the real estate world, was born in Philadelphia, January 28, 1872. He was educated in the public schools and 1888 began his career with the firm of Carey Bros., manufacturers of wall papers, and after eleven years of steady advancement he was made Vice-Presi- dent of the company, a position which he still retains. In 1899 he started as a real estate broker, this being made compara- tively easy by R. Davis Carey, who, ap- preciating his ability and integrity, placed him in charge of his vast real estate hold- ings, and it was this close association with Mr. Carey to which Mr. Hutchin- son attributes his present success. By careful and sagacious management, he in- creased and expanded his business until now he is one of the largest operators in this line, controlling about four hundred high class apartments. He also special- izes in mortgage securities and has com- mand of sufficient capital to take any loans. His judgment in these matters is considered by investors infallible. 1912 he erected the Hutchinson Building. 122 South Thirteenth street, to accom- modate his extensive interests. In addi- tion to the real estate business, he is President of the Marley and Beaver Dam Mills, Vice-President and Treasur-
er of the Philadelphia Trading and Mor- ris Realty Companies. He is also a di- rector of the Colonial Trust Company.
EDWARD HUTCHINSON, JR.
He is a member of the Manufacturers, Athletic, Pen and Pencil and Automobile Clubs. His home is in Queen Lane Ma- nor, Germantown.
JOHN B. PATTON.
John B. Patton was born in Philadel- phia, January 16, 1874, the son of Mat- thew Patton, who was a Highway Com- missioner for twenty-one years. Mr. Pat- ton was educated in the public schools and his first entry into business life was as a clerk with the Pennsylvania Rail- road Company. Seeing little prospect for advancement with this corporation, he turned his attention to mercantile pur- suits and became president of the Ran- cocas Sand and Gravel Company. He afterwards became president of the Phil- adelphia Observation Company, which
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operated the sight-seeing automobiles around the city. He eventually entered the brokerage business, for which he was especially adapted and soon became the largest in- dividualhand- ler of com- mercial paper in the city. He is now lo- cated in a handsome suite of offi- ces in the Pennsylvania Building and JOIEN B. PATTON. specializes in annuities, incomes, estates, and bills pay- able. Mr. Patton is a Republican in politics and he is a member of the Manu- facturers', the Chelsea Yacht and the West Philadelphia Republican Clubs.
T. LAURENCE EYRE.
T. Laurence Eyre, active in Republican State politics and prominent in commer- cial lines, was born in Birmingham Township, Delaware County, Pennsyl- vania, May 24, 1862. His early education was obtained in the public schools of Coatesville and West Chester, where his parents resided at different periods, and he afterwards took an optional course at the State Normal School, West Chester, Pa. At the age of fifteen years he secur- ed a position as clerk in a general store at Rising Sun, Maryland, where he re- mained for one year and then became traveling salesman for a wholesale groc- ery firm in Philadelphia. He remained in this position until he was twenty-one years old when he engaged in the stock brokerage business at West Chester, Pa. Mr. Eyre cast his first vote for the Re- publican ticket and since that time he has always exerted an influence in Chester County political affairs. His first contest was in the Congressional campaign of 1886 when he was arrayed on the side
of Smedley Darlington, who won in the convention by the narrow margin of one vote and was elected in a three cornered fight at the general election. He became secretary to Congressman Darlington in 1887 and was appointed clerk to the Pres- ident pro tem of the Senate of Pennsyl- vania in 1880. At the expiration of this session, he was made Collector of Statis-
T. LAURENCE EYRE.
tics in the Department of Internal Af- fairs, but resigned in 1895 to accept the position of Deputy Secretary of Internal Affairs. He retired from this office to become a candidate for Recorder of Deeds of Chester County but was defeat- ed for the nomination by one delegate and returned to Harrisburg to resume the position of Collector of Statistics. Hle was made Sergeant at Arms of the Sen- ate in 1897 and was appointed Deputy Collector of the Port of Philadelphia in 1808, at the same time filling the position of assistant to the chairman of the Re- publican State Committee. In May, 1800, Governor Stone made him Superinten-
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dent of Public Grounds and Buildings at the State Capital and at the expiration of the Stone Administration, he retired from official life to enter the contracting business, organizing the Eyre Construc- tion Company, of which he became presi- dent. In 1906, the Eyre Construction Company became Eyre-Shoemaker, Inc., Mr. Eyre continuing as president after the merging. Since that time the com- pany has constructed a vast amount of heavy railroad work, including some of the largest bridges on the Middle and Pittsburgh Divisions of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, the railroad yard at Northumberland, Pa., which is said to be the largest and most complete distribut- ing yard in this country; the bridge across the Susquehanna River at Havre de Grace, Md., for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company; the bridge across the Schuylkill River at Philadel- phia, on the New York Division of the Pennsylvama Railroad and much other large work of a similar character. Mr. Eyre is of English ancestry, being de- scended from Robert Evre, who, in 1648, came to this country under appointment by the Crown to fill the position of Judge of the Court then held at Chester, Dela- ware County, Pa. Mr. Evre has numer- ous business connections aside from his interest in Eyre-Shoemaker, Inc. He is president of the Sapulpa Refining Com- pany, vice-president of the Laurel Oil and Gas Company, treasurer of the Unit- ed States Land and Lumber Company, president of the Indiana County Street Railway Company, director of the Farm- ers and Mechanics Trust Company of West Chester, Pa., and is a trustee of the West Chester State Normal School. He is a member of the New York Club of New York City, the Manufacturers Club of Philadelphia, the West Chester Golf and Country Club, the Chester County Republican Club and the Chester County Historical Society.
EDWARD F. GORMAN.
Recognizing the unlimited possibilities in West Philadelphia realty, Edward F. Gorman, immediately upon leaving col- lege, turned his attention to building in
that section and in the ten years that have ensued has probably accomplished more than any other single individual in de- veloping the territory west of the Schuyl- kill River. Mr. Gorman was born in Philadelphia, May 24, 1882, and was edu- cated at La Salle College. He graduated in 1903 and his first entry into business life was with his father, whom he even- tually succeeded. He devoted his entire time to the erection of substantial houses of ornate design at moderate prices, in all
EDWARD 1. GORMAN.
erecting about 1,500 dwellings and con- verting much barren acreage into beauti- ful residential sections. In addition to his other interests he is a member of the firm of Marshall, Gormman and Wilson, which is now erecting 112 houses in that section. He is also president of the West Arch Building and Loan Association, and the Adelphia Motor Car Company, and is a stockholder in several banks and trust companies. Mr. Gorman is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. the Belmont Road Drivers' Association and the Operative Builders' Association.
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JOSEPH BALDWIN HUTCHINSON.
Beginning as a rodman in the em- ploy of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com- pany, Joseph B. Hutchinson has filled many important engineering positions with that corporation and is now the assistant to the vice-president in charge of real estate, purchases and insurance. He was born in Bristol, Pennsylvania, on March 20th, 1844, and after a pre- paratory education entered the Poly- technic College of Pennsylvania, gradu- ating in 1861. After his graduation he entered the Delamater Iron Works in New York City in the Spring of 1862, and continued there until the Fall of that year, when he passed an examina- tion by the Board of Inspectors in the same city, and received a certificate as Third Assistant Engineer. Ile at once entered the service of largous & Co., as Third Assistant Engineer on one of their steamers plying between New York and Havana, where he continued until the steamer was sold to the United States Government in the early part of 1863.
In June, 1863, Mr. Hutchinson enter- ed the service of The Pennsylvania Rail-
NE COMMONWEALTH.
road Company, as rodman on the Mif- flin and Centre County Railroad. With- in two weeks thereafter, under leave of absence, he volunteered in the army, served throughout the Gettysburg cam- paign, and was honorably discharged in August, 1863. 1
Mr. Hutchinson returned to the rail- road service as rodman in the Construc- tion Corps on the Western Pennsylvania Railroad, in September, 1863. In Au- gust, 1864, he was promoted to Assis- tant Engineer of that road, and in May, 1865, to Assistant Engineer of Mainte- nance of Way and Construction. In 1868 he was transferred to the Colum- bia and Port Deposit Railroad as Assis- tant Engineer, and remained there until January, 1869, when he was made As- sistant Engineer on the Butler Exten- sion. In March, 1869, he returned to the Columbia and Port Deposit Rail- road, as Assistant Engineer in charge of that road and the Columbia Bridge.
In July, 1870, Mr. Hutchinson was promoted to Principal Assistant Engi- neer of the Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad, serving in that capacity until July ist, 1877, when he was appointed As- sistant Superintendent of that road. He was promoted on January ist, 1879, to Superintendent of the Lewistown Di- vision ; July Ist, 1881, to Superintendent of the Frederick Division; December 8th, 1884, to Superintendent of the Al- toona Division; January Ist, 1890, to Superintendent of the Western Pennsyl- vania Division; January Ist, 1891, to Superintendent of the Maryland Divi- sion of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, Baltimore and Potomac Railroad and Washington Southern Railroad.
On March ist, 1893, Mr. Hutchinson was made General Superintendent of Transportation, Pennsylvania Railroad System, and on February 10th, 1897, General Manager. On January 1st, 1903, he was appointed to the newly cre- ated position of Assistant to the Second Vice-President of The Pennsylvaina Railroad Company, and on the same date to corresponding positions on the North- ern Central Railway, the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad and West Jersey and Seashore Railroad Com-
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