USA > South Carolina > Men of mark in South Carolina; ideals of American life: a collection of biographies of leading men of the state, Volume IV > Part 24
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CHARLES PINCKNEY WRAY
W RAY, CHARLES PINCKNEY, ex-mayor of Ridge- way, Fairfield county, South Carolina, and for fourteen years a member of the common council of that town, was born near Shelby, Cleveland county, North Carolina, on the 2d of January, 1860. His father, James Alexander Linton Wray, was a planter in North Carolina until 1874, and was an active worker in the cause of temperance, and in all that had to do with the welfare and progress of the church of which he was a member. He had married Miss Margaret Louise Blanton, daugh- ter of George Blanton, of Cleveland county, North Carolina. His paternal great-grandfather, who was of Scotch-Irish descent, settled in North Carolina, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and fought at King's Mountain. His son, the grandfather of Charles P. Wray, though not more than fourteen years of age at the time, also took part in that historic battle. Mr. Wray's grand- mother's family, the Lintons, of Scotch descent, had settled in Pennsylvania before the middle of the eighteenth century.
Until he was twelve years old he lived in the country. His father, a man of strong principle, early taught his children habits of systematic daily work, but he gave them fair opportunities for recreation. Charles P. Wray was the eighth of a family of nine children. He enjoyed out-of-door sports, hunting, etc. His father lost all his property as a result of the war, and the deter- mination on his part to pay all the obligations he had incurred during the years of pressure and poverty which followed the war, as well as to keep his young children in school, gave but limited opportunities to his son to obtain an education. Until he was fifteen years old, Charles attended school in the old log school- house near his home.
When about sixteen he began to be self-supporting. Before he was twenty-one he spent two years on the Pacific coast, in Oregon and Washington; and to the experience of life which he there acquired, and to his acquaintance with men of different classes and of varied characteristics, coming from all parts of the country, whom he there met, he ascribes "the best part of his education for life." From 1875 to 1879 he acted as clerk in a
Men of Murk Publishing Ca. Washington,D.C.
yours Very Truly Chas . Wray
1
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CHARLES PINCKNEY WRAY
drug store at Shelby, North Carolina. From 1879 to 1881 he saw frontier life in the Northwest. From 1882 to 1885 he was engaged in farming. Since 1885 his principal business has been merchandising and lending money. For six years, from its organization in 1888, he was secretary and treasurer of a savings and loan association which was then converted into the Bank of Ridgeway, of which he is vice-president. He has made large investments in farming lands, of which he has about five thousand acres, which he rents to tenants and which give him satisfactory returns.
From both his parents Mr. Wray inherits religious principles and an interest in Christian work. He early became a member of the Baptist church, and since 1886 he has been a deacon in that church. For a period of twenty years he was also treasurer of the church and he is, and has been since 1888, superintendent of the Sunday school of the Baptist church at Ridgeway.
Since 1894 he has served continuously as a trustee of his school district. He has twice been mayor of Ridgeway : his last term expired April 1, 1909, and he refused to stand for reelection. For fourteen years he served as a member of the common council of Ridgeway. He is a director in the Audubon society of South Carolina. For several years he had been a trustee of the Green- ville Female college and in 1908 he was reelected for a term of five years.
On the 2d of July, 1884, he married Miss Martha Louise Robertson, daughter of D. G. Robertson, of Fairfield county, South Carolina, and his wife, Sara Ann (Rembert) Robertson, of Sumter county, South Carolina. They have had four children, one of whom is living in 1909.
In politics Mr. Wray is allied with the Democratic party, although he has never been an active politician, and has never sought or held political office.
His favorite recreation is shooting quail, and he has always been very fond of fox hunting, because, as he says, his "father was a lover of fine horses and of the chase."
To the young men of South Carolina who aim at true success in life he offers this advice: "Trust in God always; and always have some useful work to do. Do not 'wait for something to
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CHARLES PINCKNEY WRAY
turn up,' but turn up something worth doing and do it. Do not be afraid that you will do too much work for the salary you are getting; but do your best, whatever your pay; and stick to the thing you undertake, never giving up until you finish it. Read good books."
The address of Mr. Wray is Ridgeway, South Carolina.
Men of Mark Publishing Co. Washington, D. C.
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ZACCHEUS FRANKLIN WRIGHT
W RIGHT, ZACCHEUS FRANKLIN, merchant and banker, president of the Newberry Cotton mill, was born at Newberry, South Carolina, on the 21st of March, 1869. His father, Robert H. Wright, was a merchant, who had married Miss Mary Frances Bowers, daughter of Jacob Bowers, of Newberry, South Carolina.
His early life was passed in the village of Newberry. He attended the public schools of the village. The influence of his mother was exceptionally strong in forming his character. In boyhood and youth he had excellent health, and the circumstances of his family were such as to open the way to a thorough prepa- ration for college and to a collegiate course, without the necessity of working for his own support. Entering Newberry college, he was graduated at the age of nineteen with the class of 1888. In October of the same year he entered upon business life as a merchant in the book and stationery business in his native town. For the last twenty years he has been actively identified with the business life of Newberry. Since 1897 he has been cashier of the Commercial bank, of Newberry, South Carolina. In the recent organization of manufacturing interests in South Carolina, Mr. Wright, like so many other enterprising men of foresight in his state, has interested himself in the erection, equipment and devel- opment of cotton factories. Since 1905 he has been president of the Newberry Cotton mill.
His business abilities have not been confined to the manage- ment of his own affairs. Not simply through his connection with the bank and factory referred to above, but in many other ways, by public spirit and an interest in all that concerns the welfare of his town, he has contributed to the financial prosperity of Newberry. Since 1906 he has been president of the Newberry chamber of commerce.
In his political affiliations he is identified with the Demo- cratic party. By religious convictions and early training he is associated with the Methodist church.
He finds his favorite form of exercise and relaxation in driving.
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ZACCHEUS FRANKLIN WRIGHT
Mr. Wright has never married. His business enterprise, his wide acquaintance, and his steady devotion to the duties of the positions he fills, lead his fellow-citizens to expect from him still larger public service in the future, and to anticipate continued and increased prosperity for him in his business relations.
Mark Fy
Sinceully yous H.N. Hymaus
HARRY HASTINGS WYMAN
W YMAN, HARRY HASTINGS, M. D., of Aiken, South Carolina, was born on Melrose plantation in Hampton county, South Carolina, on the 13th of August, 1845. His father, Joel W. Wyman, M. D., a physician and surgeon, was characterized by gentleness, integrity, love of home and country. He became a leader in every effort to build up the community in which he practiced his profession. A graduate of Amherst college, and a native of Massachusetts, he came South in "the twenties" of the last century, and was graduated from a course of medicine at the South Carolina Medical college, Charleston, South Carolina, receiving a silver urn for the best Latin thesis on a medical subject. Practicing medicine and surgery in Hamp- ton county, he proved his New England devotion to education by helping to establish good schools in his neighborhood; and by his own efforts and support he made possible the maintenance near his home of a thoroughly good school taught by college-trained men, in which pupils could be well fitted for the better colleges of that day.
He was descended from Francis Wyman, who came from West Mill, Herts county, England, in 1640, and settled at Woburn, Massachusetts, where the ancestral home is still preserved by the "Francis Wyman Association." Thirty-three members of the Wyman family served in the Revolutionary war. Dr. Joel W. Wyman married Miss Catherine Clementina Hay, a grand- daughter of the Colonel Ann Hawkes Hay (descended from the Hays of Scotland) who came from the island of Jamaica in the eigthteenth century, settling at Haverstraw, New York ;- com- manded a company of militia in the Revolution ;- and partici- pated in the defence of West Point, attracting the attention of General George Washington who wrote of him, "He is a faithful and indefatigable officer." His son, Lewis Scott Hay, went to Boiling Springs, Barnwell county, South Carolina, early in the nineteenth century, and was the father of Miss C. C. Hay, who became the wife of Dr. Joel W. Wyman. They had five sons who enlisted in the army; Harry Hastings Wyman and his twin brother, Hampden Hay Wyman, enlisting when they were not
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HARRY HASTINGS WYMAN
yet sixteen. Dr. Joel W. Wyman died in 1883 at the age of eighty-three years.
Harry Hastings Wyman in his boyhood was not robust. He had an impediment in his speech, but overcame it by strong determination and exercise of his will power. He attended the schools that were near his early home, and the military and classical academy of Aiken, until in 1861 that institution was closed by the war.
His twin brother, Hampden Hay Wyman, was mortally wounded at the battle of Swift Creek, Virginia. The wounded boy was a true hero. As he lay dying he said: "Tell mother I am not afraid to die-that if I had a hundred lives I would give them for my country."
For four years Harry Hastings Wyman served in the Con- federate army, first as a private, and later as ordnance officer of Company F, Eleventh South Carolina volunteers, Colonel Fred Hay Gantts, in Hagood's brigade, Hoke's division of the Army of Northern Virginia. When Hoke's division was detached from Lee's army for the defence of Fort Fisher, North Carolina, believing that his brigade would be surrendered with Johnson's army, he obtained permission to leave, wishing to join General Kirby Smith's Trans-Mississippi army if the fighting continued there. He was never captured, never paroled, and never took the oath of allegiance.
The seven years immediately after the war, he spent in work- ing on his father's farm, reading and studying at the same time. History and biography have always given him keenest pleasure. The influence, in his boyhood and early manhood, of his mother, was strong for good. From his earliest childhood, greatly by the bent of his mind, and influenced by the professional example of his father and brothers, he had determined to be a physician. It was not until 1872, however, that he could command the means; to enter the Medical College of South Carolina at Charleston. He was graduated in 1875 with the degree of M. D., receiving "the first honors for class standing and thesis." He at once began the active practice of his profession in what is now Hampton county, residing there until 1884 when he removed to Aiken, South Carolina, where he is still in active practice. During the thirty years of his professional career, he has been a member of the state board of medical examiners (1891-92) and he has been
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HARRY HASTINGS WYMAN
chairman or physician of the board of health, Aiken, South Caro- lina, since its organization in 1897. He has been a trustee and director of the Aiken institute since 1886. He has been city physician of Aiken since the organization of the board of health in 1898; and he has served as examiner for various life insurance companies. He was a member of the first board of education of Hampton county.
In 1866, Dr. Wyman married Miss Abbie Swift Edwards, daughter of Colonel J. D. Edwards of Walterboro, South Caro- lina, who lived two years after her marriage. In 1870 he married Miss Martha Washington Davis of Beaufort, South Carolina, daughter of Mr. Bushrod Washington Davis. Of their four children, two died in infancy, and two (Mrs. H. E. Vincent, Jr., Aiken, South Carolina, and Dr. Harry H. Wyman, Jr., of Aiken), have survived their mother, who died in 1878. In 1881 Dr. Wyman married Miss Hannah Marion Aldrich, daughter of J. T. Aldrich, Esq., of Barnwell, South Carolina. They have had four children : James Aldrich Wyman, lawyer; Benjamin F. Wyman, lawyer; Marion Hay Wyman, medical student at South Carolina Medical college, Charleston, South Carolina; and Lallah Wyman, student at Winthrop college, South Carolina.
In politics Dr. Wyman has always been a Democrat; and during the reconstruction period he was active in the interest of the white people as against carpetbag government, doing excep- tional service in the campaign in 1876 which ended in the election of General Wade Hampton as governor. While he is intense in his patriotic love of his state, he is by no means a politician, but is a devoted lover of home; and he believes that rural life is the best means of training children for a high type of manhood.
By religious conviction he was early identified with the Presbyterian Church, South; and he has been a ruling elder in that church for more than thirty years.
To the young men of South Carolina, Dr. Wyman com- mends: "Thorough preparation for chosen life-work, promptness, strict attention to details, perseverance and inflexible honesty"; and he advises "the study of the great men of the past, of whom the South has furnished many great both in defeat and in vic- tory." "But especially would I commend to all young men that they diligently serve God; for this is the essential secret of the only true success in life."
LEROY FRANKLIN YOUMANS
Y OUMANS, LEROY FRANKLIN, LL. D., was born November 14, 1834, in what is now Hampton county, South Carolina. He died in Columbia, December 3, 1906. He was the son of William Youmans and Selina Johnston. His father, a successful planter, held for many years the offices of clerk and sheriff of Beaufort district. He was descended from Edward Yeamans, nephew of Sir John Yeamans, governor of South Carolina from 1671 to 1674. His mother's grandfather, Nathan Johnston, was a captain of militia in the War of the Revolution; and his own grandfather, of the same name, was a captain of South Carolina troops in the War of 1812.
His early life was passed in the country, under the guidance of an intelligent father, and of a gentle, devoted mother. At the Beaufort district academy, he early showed that taste for reading and study which distinguished him through life. Entering the South Carolina college he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in 1852. For this institution he always cher- ished the most ardent affection and gratitude, and among the last of his public services was his address in commemoration of the centennial of the college, in 1905, when his alma mater conferred upon him the degree of LL. D.
After teaching for a short time, Mr. Youmans was admitted to the bar. In December, 1857, he married Miss Mary E. Tilling- hast, who, for many years his devoted helpmeet, survived him, as did three of their seven children.
He had already begun to make his mark as a successful lawyer when the War between the States broke out. He at once enlisted in a cavalry company, of which he was elected lieutenant; and he served faithfully to the end of the war. It is a singular proof of the confidence of his fellow-citizens, as well as of his fidelity as a soldier, that though twice elected to the legislature, in 1862 and 1864, after each session he again returned to active service with his command.
Returning with broken fortune to the practice of the law, in 1866 he was appointed solicitor of the second circuit. He was
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afterwards regularly elected to the same office. The political changes which ensued caused his retirement in 1868, but not before he had given proof of conspicuous ability and fidelity in the responsible duties of this office. Meanwhile he had taken a prom- inent and earnest part in the earliest efforts for political reform. In 1865 he had been again elected a member of the legislature, as well as of the convention called by Provisional Governor Perry, in September, 1865, to reorganize the state government. He was already widely recognized as a leader in law and in politics.
In 1872 Mr. Youmans moved to Columbia; and his practice and influence grew rapidly. In the canvass of 1876 he took a prominent part; and here his remarkable power as a public speaker was conspicuously shown. In the ensuing legal contests he was among the lawyers who defended the legality of the new state government; and the distinguished service he then rendered, sustained and increased his reputation for legal ability and eloquence.
In 1877, on the resignation of General Conner, Mr. Youmans was elected by the legislature, attorney-general; and the next year he was elected by the people, who again chose him to this office in 1880. From this time the recital of his life touches the most important events in the history of South Carolina. The record of the great cases which he defended or prosecuted on behalf of the state need not be fully given here. The great "Bonded Debt" case involved more than a million dollars; and the case which involved the bills of the Bank of the State of South Carolina, Mr. Youmans conducted successfully before the supreme courts of South Carolina and of the United States. His conduct of these great cases received the highest encomiums from the bar and the bench, and marked Mr. Youmans as a great constitutional lawyer. In the prosecution of those who, under Radical rule, had defrauded the state, he displayed equal ability, energy and eloquence. Here it may be sufficient to allude to the case against Cardoza and Smalls, and to the celebrated Kimpton case, which Mr. Youmans prosecuted in Boston. The facts of these cases are well known to the bar and to all who are familiar with the history of that time.
In the defence of South Carolina citizens, under Federal indictments which threatened to throw into confusion the new
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LEROY FRANKLIN YOUMANS
state government, Mr. Youmans exhibited equal zeal and eloquence. Among others the famous "Ellenton Case" was a triumph for his forensic power. Of his speech on that occasion F. W. Dawson, the well-known editor of "The News and Courier," wrote "it has seldom been equalled"; and in the "Mayesville Case," Editor Murray, of "The Anderson Intelligencer," wrote of Mr. Youman's speech, "it ranks with the best specimens of oratorical effort in ancient or modern times."
In 1885 Mr. Youmans was appointed by President Cleveland United States attorney for the district of South Carolina. In this office he did much to restore the Federal courts in South Caro- lina to the dignity and influence which they had lost during the years which followed the war.
On his retirement from this office, Mr. Youmans continued the practice of law in Columbia. Among the important cases in which he was distinguished, that of the State vs. McDaniel may be cited, in which, by an extraordinary display of legal acumen and convincing argument, he secured a new trial, ending in the acquittal of his client, who was already actually in prison on a life sentence.
In 1906, on the death of Mr. Gunter, Mr. Youmans was again appointed attorney-general. In spite of failing health he con- tinued to the end the faithful discharge of his duties, showing to the very last his old-time love of work and clearness of intellect. Death found him in harness, weakened by long sickness, but with undiminished devotion to duty.
It is difficult to give in brief any worthy estimate of Mr. Youmans' striking personality. As a lawyer he was distinguished alike by the extent and accuracy of his legal knowledge and by his power to grasp and apply the principles of law. He was inde- fatigable in his investigation, and insatiable in his search for light and truth. The essential honesty of his character always controlled his practice; and gave conviction and power to his opinions. As an advocate he wielded extraordinary power, alike before judge and jury; but he never condescended to trickery or special pleadings; and he wore the ermine of his profession with unstained purity and dignity. His character and achievements
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LEROY FRANKLIN YOUMANS
as a lawyer entitled him to rank among the noblest ornaments of his profession in South Carolina.
Mr. Youmans was an orator of extraordinary power. Those who have heard him can never forget the potent spell of his eloquence. The editor of "The State" wrote of him: "In the combined attributes of learning, eloquence and brilliancy, LeRoy F. Youmans stands alone" in the history of the South Carolina bar; and "had his lot been cast in a larger field, his wonderful powers would have won fame not bounded by this continent."
Mr. Youmans was a scholar, not limited by his profession, but devoted to literature and to learning. He was a gentleman, upright, true, gentle, affectionate, unselfish, respected by all, and loved most by those who knew him best. The tradition of his eloquence and learning, of his brilliant intellect and of his patriotic services, will long survive in his native state.
List of Full Page Portraits VOLUME IV.
FACING
FACING
PAGE
HEMPHILL, JAMES C.
MCLEOD, THOMAS G. . . ... 227
ABNEY, BENJAMIN L. .. . 3
MAXWELL, JOHN
243
BRANTLEY, THOMAS F. 41
NORTON, JAMES .
281
BUTLER, MATTHEW C ..
48
ORR, SAMUEL M. 285
COLE, JAMES A. 70
Ross, D. CLAUDE. 304
DANIEL, WILLIAM W. '82
SCOTT, DAVID C. 318
FOXWORTH, WILLIAM S ... 97
SCOVILL, WARREN N. 322
GALLUCHAT, MINOR C .. . 100
SIMONTON, CHARLES H. 343
HARVIN, WINFIELD S. .
131
SMITH, MENDEL L. 347
HAYNESWORTH, HENRY J .. 134
TAYLOR, BENJAMIN W 356
HUNT, WALTER H. 151
WARREN, EDWIN F.
379
JOHNSON, WILLIAM J. 157
WESTON, FRANCIS H. 386
JONES, WILLIAM M. 162
WILLIAMS, BENJAMIN S. 392
LAW, WILLIAM A. 177
WOLFE, WILLIAM C. 398
MCCALL, CHARLES S. 188
WRAY, CHARLES P. 410
MCCRARY, THOMAS J. 200
WRIGHT, ZACCHEUS F 417
McDONALD, JAMES E. 206
WYMAN, HARRY H.
421
MCKISSICK, ISAAC G.
220
PAGE
[Frontispiece]
MAULDIN, WASHINGTON C. 236
AULL, ELBERT H. 13
MULLINS, HENRY
262
COLEMAN, WILLIAM. 75
SARTOR, WILLIAM H. 312
Vol. IV-S. C .- 23.
Index of Biographies VOLUME IV.
PAGE
PAGE
ABNEY, BENJAMIN L.
.
3
DENDY, WADE J.
86
ADAMS, ROBERT. 4
DENDY, WILLIAM E.
87
ALDRICH, ROBERT.
6
DRAKE, JOHN N
89
ARCHER, HENRY P
9
DUPRE, ARTHUR M.
91
AULL, ELBERT H. 13
DUPRÉ, DANIEL A. 93
BAILEY, CASSIUS M.
15
FOXWORTH, WILLIAM S.
97
BALLENTINE, SIDNEY C ....
16
GALLUCHAT, MINOR C.
100
BEDENBAUGH, ZACCHEUS W. 18
GARDNER, GEORGE W
106
BLACKBURN, GEORGE A.
21
GARY, FRANK B
109
BLITCH, NORMAN H. 23
BOGGS, JULIUS E
26
GRIFFITH, HARRISON P
114
BOWMAN, ILDERTON W
31
HALL, WILLIAM T.
119
BOYCE, JAMES.
33
HALLMAN, SAMUEL T
121
BRADLEY, ROBERT F
37
HARDIN, MARK B.
126
BROOKS, JOHN H.
44
HAYNESWORTH, HENRY J .. 134
48
HERNDON, EDMUND L.
138
BUTLER, THOMAS B.
56
HICKMAN, TRACY I.
140
CALHOUN, FRED H. H
59
HODGES, GEORGE C.
142
CAMPBELL, JOHN C
61
HORINE, JOHN W.
145
CARLISLE, JOHN E
63
HOUSEAL, WALTER G
147
CARLISLE, JOHN M.
64
HUNT, WALTER H.
151
CARROLL, FRANCIS J.
66
JEFFERIES, WILLIAM
153
CHEYNE, WALTER.
68
JOHNSON, WILLIAM J
157
COLE, JAMES A.
70
JONES, RICHARD H
COTTINGHAM,
ARCHIBALD
J. C. ..
78
KNIGHT, JOHN M.
167
Cox, WILLIAM F.
80
KOHN, AUGUST.
169
DANIEL, WILLIAM W.
82
KOLLOCK, ALEXANDER
G ... 173
GRIER, BOYCE H.
112
BOWEN, ROBERT E.
28
GRUBER, WILLIAM B
117
BRACKETT, RICHARD N
35
HAMEL, JOHN W
124
BRANTLEY, THOMAS F
41
HARVIN, WINFIELD S.
131
BUTLER, MATTHEW C
160
COLEMAN, WILLIAM
75
JONES, WILLIAM M.
162
KIRKLAND, THOMAS J
166
432
INDEX OF BIOGRAPHIES
PAGE
PAGE
LAW, WILLIAM A 177
PELL, ROBERT P 289
LIDE, ROBERT. 180
PETTY, CHARLES 291
LOWMAN, JACOB W 183
RANDOLPH, HARRISON 293
LOWRANCE, WILLIAM B. 185
REDFERN, ALEXANDER M ... 295
McCANTS, ELLIOTT C .... 194
MCCONNELL, HENRY E ... 197
McCONNELL, THOMAS M ... 198
Ross, D. CLAUDE. 304
MCCRARY, THOMAS J. 200
RUFF, WILLIAM H. 308
MCCULLY, NEWTON A.
204
SANDERS, ARTHUR K. 310
MCDONALD, JAMES E.
206
SARTOR, WILLIAM H. 312
MCGHEE, SAMUEL H. 210
SCARBOROUGH, ROBERT B .. 316
MCINTOSH, JAMES H 212
SCOTT, DAVID C. 318
MCIVER, EVANDER R 214
SCOVILL, WARREN N 322
MCKELLAR, PETER A .. 216
SEABROOK, WILLIAM L. 326
McKISSICK, ANTHONY F .. 218
SEASE, THOMAS S 328
McKISSICK, ISAAC G
220
SELLERS, JOHN C. 330
MCLEOD, THOMAS G.
227
SETZLER, EDWIN B. 332
MACFARLAN, ROBERT 230
SHELOR, JOSEPH W 335
MALLARD, EPHRAIM G, 232
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