USA > Tennessee > Notable men of Tennessee. Personal and genealogical, with portraits, Volume II > Part 18
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26
223
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
JOSEPH W. MARTIN, senior member of the firm of Martin, Phil- lips & Co., cotton factors, of Mem- phis, Tenn., was born in that city, March 17, 1871. After attending the public schools of his native city he --- -- entered the University of Virginia, and graduated with honors in 1891. For several years after leaving college he was in charge of the grocery de- partment of Hill, Fontaine & Co. During this period his partner, William P. Phillips, was associated with the well-known firm of Brooks, Neely & Co., as a cotton buyer, and later in charge of their cotton department. In the fall of 1900 the two young men organized the firm of Martin, Phillips & Co., and succeeded to the cotton business of both the firms with which they had so long been employed. This at once gave them a prestige in the cotton market which they have since maintained by their pluck, reliability and a thorough knowledge of the business in which they are engaged. At the present time the firm is one of the strongest, best-known and most progressive in the city of Memphis, and, as both its leading members are young men full of energy, the future is full of promise. Of Mr. Martin, Noland Fontaine, one of his former employers, has this to say: "I have known Joseph Martin from infancy. He is bright, pro- gressive and industrious, and thoroughly honest and reliable. If he tells you a thing is so, you may rest satisfied that such is the case. He has a disposition that wins friends, and those friends stick to him because of his real worth of character." Mr. Martin is prominent in the social life of the city, being a member of the Tennessee club, president of the Chickasaw club, member of the Driving and Country clubs. and affiliates with the Presbyterian church. In all these organizations he is popu- lar with the membership because of his congenial nature and willingness to enjoy the happiness and comfort of others, as well as his own.
224
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
GEORGE W. PERSON, secretary of the artesian water department, of Memphis, Tenn., was born in 1869, near that city, at Glenburnie, the home of his father, Maj. Richard J. Person. At twenty years of age, he exchanged the school-room and plantation life for the activities of a business career, and, in the employ of the then Artesian Water Company, he opened up his first set of books, in the same building where the office force of the city's superb water plant is domiciled to-day. He quickly mastered the technical details and important principles of the water-works system, and this, together with his intuitive reading of human nature and his imperturbable manner, quickly made him one of the most valuable men on the office force, and his promotion to the responsible position of cashier and assist- ant secretary was no surprise to those who were interested. Mr. Person is a genial gentleman and his friends are not few. He is up-to-date, thoroughly posted on matters of current interest, strong in his convictions, courageous in his defense of his opinions and always able to give a reason for them. He is a good citizen, and when a measure for the common wel- fare is to be considered, or a public abuse to be righted, his name is always to be found among those who lead. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. But amidst the added responsibilities of maturer life, Mr. Per- son has preserved the simple tastes of early years, and when vacation affords the opportunity, no keener sportsman or more zealous disciple of Izaak Walton ever baited a hook or followed a trail. Judge Latham, for thirty years president of the Arte- sian Water Company, with whom Mr. Person has sustained con- stant business and personal relations, pays this tribute to his worth and character: "George W. Person, young as he is, has already made an enviable reputation as a business man. His first position was that of bookkeeper, then as assistant secre-
225
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
tary and cashier he continued to serve the Artesian Water Con- pany of the city of Memphis. On the purchase of the plant by the city, his faithful and efficient service. extending through a period of fifteen years, was recognized by his promotion to the position of secretary under the board of water commissioners, which office he continues to fill with exceptional ability. With his rare capacity. the best of habits and courteous deportment, his friends look confidently to the future enlargement of his honorable career."
FRANK TRIMBLE, of the firm of Trimble & Corbitt, real estate deal- ers and promoters of immigration, Memphis, Tenn., was born at Hazel Green, Ky., sixty miles east of Lex- ington, in 1840, and lived there until he was in his twenty-third year, get- ting an education in the schools of his native state. In October, 1862, he went to Illinois, and about two years later he came to Memphis. His first business undertaking here was that of merchandizing, which he followed until 1884, when he sold out to engage in the real estate business. For some time he conducted his operations alone, but later associated with him S. R. Corbitt, a man thoroughly conversant with real estate condi- tions all through the South. The firm makes a specialty of the rich lands of the Yazoo delta, selling plantations, farms and large tracts of timber land to suit the purchaser. In the course of their business they have found homes for hundreds of fami- lies in the country around Memphis. This they have done by extensively advertising their business in the Northern states, and it has been said that there has never been a single announcement in any of their advertisements that they were not able and willing to fulfill. This course of fair dealing has given the firm a high standing and the investor, looking for an opportunity to place some of liis capital where it will yield sure returns, has always found the firm of Trimble & Corbitt absolutely reliable.
II-15
226
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
Mr. Trimble is also a director in the Griffith Casket Company, one of the substantial business institutions of Memphis. He does not mix in political affairs very much but is a Royal Arch Mason, a Knight of Pythias, and a member of the Episcopal church.
JAMES GARLAND DUKE, president and general manager of the J. G. Duke Machine Works, was born in Louisa county, Va., May 2, 1854. He grew to maturity in the cities of Rich- mond and Petersburg, where he received his education in the public schools. At the age of seventeen years he went into a machine shop in Petersburg and served his apprenticeship. He then worked for about eighteen months in the Tredegar Iron Works, at Richmond; then two years at Dayton, Ohio, and from that time until 1876 at different places. In 1876 he came to Memphis. In 1889 the Memphis Machine Works was incor- porated with Mr. Duke as vice-president and general manager. After eight years in this position he was for a year and a half with the American Cotton Oil Company, and in 1899 entered into a partnership for the establishment of a machine works. In 1902 the business was incorporated with Mr. Duke as presi- dent and general manager; A. S. Edmondson, vice-president ; J. E. Richardson, secretary and treasurer, and Thomas L. La- Malta, assistant manager. Every one of the organizers is well known in Memphis commercial circles as a thorough-going business man and a gentleman of unimpeachable integrity. It is not surprising, therefore, that the business of the concern has been a success from the very start. The company's works occupy nearly a block at the corner of Mulberry and Huling streets, within two squares of the Union Station, with modern brick buildings, latest improved tools and machinery, and a force of skilled and intelligent workinen. Already their goods are having a wide sale, and the future holds brighter prospects. Mr. Duke is an indefatigable worker, and much of the suc- cess of the firm is due to his untiring industry and business tact. He is a member of the Congregational church, in which he has served as deacon. In political matters, he is independent on local questions, supporting the man who promises to most
227
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
faithfully and efficiently discharge his official duties, but on all national questions he affiliates with the Republican party. He is well informed on the questions of the day, but he is pre- eminently a business man, and never neglects his business to indulge in political contests.
W. C. KNIGHT, of the firm of W. C. Knight & Co., cotton factors, Memphis, Tenn., stands pre-eminent in the commercial circles of that city as a self-made man, and one who has just cause to feel proud of his achieve- ments. He was born in Fayette county, Tenn., Feb. 16, 1864, but when about sixteen years of age he ran away from his father and went to DeSoto county, Miss., where he grew to manhood. Starting in life with practically nothing, except a strong determination to succeed, Mr. Knight engaged successively in farming, planting, mer- chandizing. and in operating a saw-mill in DeSoto county. In all these undertakings he was successful because of his indom- itable industry and business sagacity. Some one once said of him: "Everything he touches seems to turn into money." And while this is in a great measure true, it is due to his energy and foresight rather than to the blind element of luck. Mr. Knight has large interests in DeSoto county, but since 1901 he has been a resident of Memphis, where he has been engaged in the cotton business, in which he has won a wide reputation as a wide-awake and successful man. He does not mix in political affairs to any great extent, his mixing being confined to busi- ness circles, where few men are better or more favorably known. In fraternal circles, he is also a prominent figure, being a mem- ber of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen of the World. In all these societies he is popular because of his good-fellowship and high standing as a citizen. He is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, to the work of which he is a liberal contributor.
228
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
JOHN WHITE, of the firm of John White & Son, propri- etors of the Magnolia Stove Works, Memphis, Tenn., was born at Ann Arbor, Mich., March 1. 1847. When he was about twelve years old he went to Cincinnati, and six months later went to New Orleans, where he attended school for a year. When the war broke out he went to Evansville, Ind., there spending three years in learning the trade of molder in an iron foundry. In April, 1864, he enlisted as a private in Com- pany K. 136th Indiana infantry ( the "hundred-day men"), and served four months, after which he returned to Evansville and finished learning his trade. He then went to Louisville. Ky., and worked at his trade there for three years, until 1867, when he took a position on a steamboat, and was on the river for a year. He next located at New Albany, Ind., and there remained until 1882, when he came to Memphis, where he was for four- teen years foreman in the H. Wetter Manufacturing Company. At the end of that time he, in company with his son, John W. White, organized the Magnolia Stove Works, which they have successfully conducted ever since. At the time Mr. White came to Memphis he had nothing, and as he says was "six dollars in debt." He now has a competency and is at the head of one of the thriving manufacturing concerns of the city, an illustra- tion of what can be accomplished by energy, industry and fru- gality. John W. White, the son, was born in New Albany, Ind., March 7, 1870. He was educated there and at the Chris- tian Brothers' college, at Memphis, later taking a course at Nelson's Business college. Completing liis schooling in 1890, he entered the service of the H. Wetter Company as an office man, and after a year in that capacity went into the foundry of the same company and stayed there three years, learning the trade of molder. He then went back into the office and remained there until he withdrew to go into partnership with his father. Both father and son are therefore practical mechan- ics, and the success of their firm is due to this fact and to their already established reputation for fair dealing and honest goods. One of the employes of the stove works says: "Mr. White and his son are men of excellent character and correct habits. They will not let a piece of work go out with a defect in it if they
229
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
know it. They attend strictly to their own business and are in every way good citizens."
C. HUNTER RAINE, president of the Mercantile bank, Memphis. Tenn., is a native of the Old Dominion, having been born at Lynchburg, Va., Dec. 11. 1857. Until he was about thirteen years of age his family lived at Appomattox Court House. but in 1870 came to Memphis, where he finished his schooling and began his business career as a solicitor for a fire insurance company. After two years in this line, he went to the Bank of Commerce as collector, and afterward became teller in the bank. In 1883. when the Mercantile bank was organized, Mr. Raine was chosen cashier, retaining that position until Feb- ruary, 1904, when he was elected president of the institution. Of his election to the presidency. the Memphis Commercial- Appeal said : "The election of C. Hunter Raine to be president of the Mercantile bank is an honor well deserved by that gen- tleman. He has been identified with the bank ever since it was started, and to his ability as a financier much of the success of the institution has been due. He was quite a young man when he became cashier of the bank, but he soon demonstrated the stuff that was in him, and showed his ability to hold his own with old and experienced rivals. He is still a young man, whose experience has been such that he is now made president of the bank he helped to found. He has risen to his present position by sheer force of native ability, and his career ought to serve as an inspiration to other young men, to learn their business well, to do their duty faithfully, and to rest content with the conviction that their reward will come." In addition to his banking inter- ests, Mr. Raine is president of the Memphis clearing house ; a member of the executive committee of the new Memphis Jockey club and a director in the Tennessee Granite Brick Company. He is a man of varied attainments and is popular both with his business acquaintances and in the social life of the city. He is a member of the Tennessee club and of the Grace Episcopal church.
230
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
R. D. GOODWYN, vice-president of the Memphis Queensware Com- pany, was born in Shelby county, Tenn., in 1868, and is a son of the late R. D. Goodwyn, who was one of the wealthiest and most prominent citizens of Memphis. Mr. Goodwyn was educated in the public and pri- vate schools of his native county, and at the age of eighteen years . entered the employment of Porter & Macrae, as office boy. He remained with this firm for ten years, working his way up to the position of trav- eling salesman, which he held at the time the Memphis Queens- ware Company was organized, in 1896, and he left his old firm to become vice-president of the new organization. The make- up of the company is: L. D. Lines, of Tupelo, Miss., presi- dent ; R. D. Goodwyn, the subject of this sketch, vice-president; Charles W. Thompson, of Ripley, Miss., secretary and treas- urer; John Marbury, formerly with Irby & Gilliland, manager; and T. W. Tucker, in charge of the saloon, hotel and restau- rant trade. All these gentlemen are young men, full of energy, thoroughly familiar with the line of goods carried by the com- pany, and all possessed of fine business qualifications. By a systein of management whereby each one has his own particular duties to perform there is no clashing of authority, no misun- derstanding of what is to be done or who is to do it. Mr. Goodwyn is in charge of the retail department, where his thor- ough knowledge of his business and his uniformly courteous treatment of customers have been the means of winning and holding a large share of the city's trade. He is a member of the Tennessee club, the Chickasaw club, two of the leading social organizations of the city; the Business Men's club, which has for its objects the advancement of the commercial and material interests of Memphis, and the Baptist church. In church, club and society Mr. Goodwyn is well liked for his happy disposition and his sterling character.
231
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
WILLIAM KRAUSS, M.D., one of the most eminent physicians of Memphis, Tenn., was born on his father's estate, "Reichholdsmuehle," near the town of Kaiserslautern, Pa- latinate of Bavaria, June 14, 1861. At the age of eleven years he had com- pleted the grammar school course in the schools of his native town, and during the next two years took two courses in Latin. When he was thir- teen he came to America, where his parents had already preceded him, and, joining them in Mem- phis, he had private instructors for two years, at the end of which time he was apprenticed to a druggist. In 1880 he went to Baltimore and took a course in the College of Pharmacy, graduating in 1883. He then took up the study of medicine, and in 1889 was graduated from the Memphis Medical college. He then spent some time abroad, taking one season in the uni- versity at Kiel, Germany, the vacation course at Berlin, and a course at the University of Würzburg, one of the oldest and most historic institutions in Europe. In 1890 he returned to Mem- phis and took a position as assistant demonstrator of anatomy in the Memphis Medical college. Shortly afterward he equipped and established the first microscopical laboratory the college ever had, and was placed in charge of it. In 1896 he also organ- ized and equipped the first chemical laboratory worthy of the name that the college had ever owned, and was for some time in charge of this also, resigning in 1903 in order to have more time for scientific research and to devote to his practice. Doctor Krauss is a successful and progressive physician. He is a member of the American and Tennessee State Medical associa- tions, the medical societies of Memphis and Shelby county and a number of other medical and scientific bodies. He has been a liberal contributor to medical literature, several of his mono- graphs on the subject of malaria and kindred diseases having been quoted from in England, France, Germany, Italy, India and South Africa.
232
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
VICTOR A. CORDES, one of the prominent real estate men of Memphis, Tenn., was born in that city, Feb. 7, 1863. When he was about seven years of age his parents went to Germany and remained ten years, during which time he attended school in Stuttgart, Paris and Antwerp. Returning to Memphis in 1873, he graduated from Leddin's Business college and the Tennessee Law school, of that city. In 1887 he went into the real estate business, in which he has continued ever since. and in which he has been eminently successful. He started under the name of the Memphis Real Estate exchange, and was the pioneer in exchanging farms and Memphis property for property in the Northern states. Another line of business in which he was the pioneer was that of building homes and sell- ing them to men of moderate means on monthly payments. Hundreds of people in Memphis today own their homes through this method of purchase, who would otherwise be paying rent. Mr. Cordes has spent thousands of dollars in advertising his business through the North, and few men have done so much to call the attention of the world to the resources of Tennessee, or to the advantages of Memphis as a commercial center. True, he has done this for the profit it brought to him, but behind all that there is an undeniable public spirit, a general desire for the public weal, that would have asserted itself in some way. In addition to his real estate transactions, he has loaned thousands of dollars on first mortgage security, and the first one of his debtors is yet to be found to complain of his being an oppressor or a "shark." Mr. Cordes is vice-commodore of the Memphis Boat club. vice-president and manager of the Memphis Wreck- ing Company and a member of the Business Men's club. He is not a politician, preferring to devote his time and talents to his business. though he takes an interest in all questions touch- ing the public welfare. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and a consistent practitioner of its precepts.
MALCOLM M. GILCHRIST, a well-known real estate man of Memphis, Tenn., was born on a plantation in Panola county, Miss .. July 22, 1865. Until he was about eighteen he continued to live in that county, attending the common schools. Later he
233
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
took a course in a preparatory college in Tennessee, and entered Vanderbilt university, attending that institution until 1884. when he came to Memphis and took a course in a business col- lege. He then went into the grocery house of Meacham & Wharton, as cashier, and remained in that position for about eighteen months, giving it up to embark in the real estate busi- ness in 1886. As a member of the firm of Gilchrist & Martin, he continued for three years, and since then he has been in the business by himself. Mr. Gilchrist is a good judge of the val- ues of Memphis property, and he is frequently consulted for his opinions or employed to make deals by people who are not so well informed. Some of the heavy real estate transactions in recent years have been negotiated by him, always to the satis- faction of all parties concerned. "He is a man whose word is as good as his written obligation" was the comment lately passed on him by one who has known him ever since he came to Memphis, and who has had dealings with him. Such a com- ment is certainly to be coveted. and when it comes with the sincerity that this one did is doubly welcome. It tells the whole story of his standing in business circles, and of his character for reliability and veracity, as well as it could be told were volumes to be written on the subject. Mr. Gilchrist is a promi- nent Knight of Pythias and belongs to the Methodist Episco- pal Church South. in both of which organizations he is an influ- ential member.
LEW TISDALE, founder and general manager of the firm of Lew Tisdale & Co., dealers in gas and electric fixtures and general plumbers, Memphis, Tenn., is one of the progressive young business men of that city. He was born at Covington, Tenn., Feb. 13. 1869. came to Memphis when he was thirteen years of age and learned the plumber's trade with the supply house of J. W. X. Browne, receiving the princely sum of $2.50 per week at the beginning. After serving his apprenticeship he remained with Mr. Browne for several years, but in 1892 went into business as the junior member of the firm of Couillins & Tisdale. Two years later he formed a partnership with E. L. Rawlings, under the firm name of Rawlings & Tisdale, which
234
NOTABLE MEN OF TENNESSEE
continued until 1899, when Mr. Tisdale purchased his partner's interest and founded the house of Lew Tisdale & Co. The business of Rawlings & Tisdale had been conducted at No. 296 Second street, but soon after becoming the general manager of the business Mr. Tisdale found it necessary to remove to larger quarters, and secured his present location. Mr. Tisdale has worked his way up from the bottom of the ladder by his own ambitious efforts and untiring industry. Starting in life a poor boy, he is today at the head of one of the leading houses of his kind in the state. Being a practical mechanic, he knows a good job of work when he sees it, and his inherent honesty never permits him to turn off any other kind. The result is that the plumbing, gas and electric fixtures in some of the finest buildings in Memphis have been installed by Mr. Tisdale, and his constantly growing business is the best evi- dence of his efficiency and integrity. Mr. Tisdale is of a social disposition and belongs to the Business Men's club, the Menasha Hunting club, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is also a thirty- second degree Mason, a Knight Templar, a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, and a member of the Baptist church.
E. J. SMITH, president of the Memphis Machine Works, is a native of Brownsville, Haywood county, Tenn., where he was born in the month of October, 1856. His early education was interrupted by the ad- vent of the Civil war, but in 1865 he came to Memphis, where he attended school until he reached the age of sev- enteen years. He then went into the Louisville & Nashville railroad shops, as an apprentice, and remained there until he attained his majority. For several years he continued to work as a journeyman in shops at different points in Ten- nessee, Arkansas and Kentucky. In 1884 he came back to Memphis, where for four years he worked as a stationary
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.