USA > Washington > Spokane County > Spokane > History of the city of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume II > Part 72
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In 1898 he was married to Miss Caroline M. Klein, a daughter of A. Klein, of Calmar, Iowa, and they are the parents of four children: Marie, who was born in 1899; Joseph, whose birth occurred in 1901; Angela, in 1903; and John, Jr., born in 1904.
The family are members of the Roman Catholic church, and Mr. Cannon is a fourth degree Knight of Columbus, a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters, and a member of Spokane Lodge No. 228, B. P. O. E. He is also a member of the Ritzville Commercial Club, and president of the Ritzville Realty Company and can at all times be depended upon to champion the interests of the Inland Empire,
Some time ago he instituted a Lincoln Day gold medal contest, whereby each year he gives on Lincoln's birthday a gold medal to the member of the Ritzville high-school class who delivers the best essay on the life of Lincoln. Naturally progressive and energetic, he has high ideals of the duty of citizenship, that he en- deavors to maintain by according his support and cooperation to every movement that he believes to be for the welfare of the community.
WILLIAM E. STAUFFER.
William E. Stauffer, president of the Spokane Detective Agency and Merchants' Police, was born in Boone, Iowa, on the 26th of March, 1874. He is a son of Joseph and Hannah (Craft) Stauffer, both of whom passed away in 1909. When but four years of age William Stauffer was taken to Chicago by his parents and in that city he was reared and educated. He attended the public schools until seventeen years of age when he began his study of the profession in which he is now engaged. Until 1896 he was employed in various parts of the United States as an expert detective, but desiring to open an agency of his own he came to Spokane and established the present firm which is the oldest detective agency in this city and has a working force of about twenty-five men. Mr. Stauffer, although only thirty-eight years of age, has already attained a position of eminence and has won a national reputation for his astuteness, penetration and persistency in detecting crime and placing its perpetrators in the hands of the law. His fearlessness and daring in making arrests are subjects of public note and have won him much of the fame which he now enjoys. He has been active in many cases which have been famous throughout the west, the first of these being the case of Johnny Gerard who had been kidnapped more than two years previous to the detection of the kidnap- pers. Mr. Stauffer and his partner captured Fred Wood and I. E. Marsell, two desperate criminals whose depredations so terrorized the people of that city that
W. E. STAUFFER
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the mayor had sworn in four hundred citizens as special officers to effect their cap- ture. These notorious lawbreakers were captured while in the act of burglarizing Wentworth's Clothing store, and for their capture five hundred dollars was given by the city to the detectives. Mr. Stauffer also arrested John McLean, a profes- sional burglar, who, an hour before his arrest had broken into the Holley, Mason, Marks & Company Hardware store. This arrest called for great physical strength and was so strongly resisted that a man of less ability than Mr. Stauffer would have been unsuccessful. In November, 1899, Mr. Stauffer was employed by the citizens of Spokane to detect men who were committing numerous clever burglaries through- out the city, and although he worked on the case alone, it was only a week before he had succeeded in arresting the criminals. Other cases with which he has been connected are the capture of Harry Tracy, the famous outlaw, and Mr. Stauffer was one of the men who lifted Tracy into the wagon after he had been killed. He also captured Harry Nichols, Harry Hall and Guy Thompson, professional box-car robbers and Winifred Moter, accused of forgery. Many other cases might be men- tioned, but Mr. Stauffer's reputation is well known throughout the country. He is not only active in detecting crime but is also one of the influential men of this city who are trying to prevent its possibility. He introduced in Spokane the well known police register clock system.
On the 10th of April, 1901, Mr. Stauffer was married to Miss Matilda Fogen- thaller at Spokane. To their union two children have been born: Horan Ivan and Wayne Wilbur. Fraternally Mr. Stauffer is identified with the Samaritan Lodge, No. 52, 1. O. O. F .; with the Unique Encampment, No. 32; the Canton Patriarchs Militant; and with the Woodmen of the World. In fraternal and social circles he is well liked and very prominent, and his engaging personality has won him many friends.
A. STARKE OLIVER, D. D. S.
Dr. A. Starke Oliver, who engages in the practice of dentistry in the Mohawk building, this city, was born in Quebec, Canada, on the 12th of July, 1865, and is a son of Robert W. and Jessie (Starke) Oliver. The mother passed away in 1902 and the father in 1908.
In the early youth of Dr. Oliver his people came to the United States, locating in North Dakota, in the public schools of which state he continued the education that he had begun in the schools of Montreal. Having decided to adopt the profession of dentistry for his life vocation he subsequently matriculated in the dental depart- ment of Washington University at St. Louis, from which institution he was gradu- ated in 1889 with the degree of D. D. S. Immediately thereafter he went to Butte, Montana, where he established an office that he maintaied for a year. From there he removed to Olympia, Washington, where he engaged in practice until 1896, when he came to Spokane. He has a well equipped office and as he is a skilful and efficient representative of his profession, has succeeded in building up a good prac- tice.
While residing at Olympia, this state, Dr. Oliver was united in marriage to Miss Mira Simmons, a daughter of Roland E. and Maria Simmons, the event being Vol. II-34
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celebrated on the 10th of December, 1891. Dr. and Mrs. Oliver are the parents of one daughter, Jessie Irene, who is still attending school.
Dr. Oliver is a worthy exemplar of the Masonic fraternity and has attained the rank of the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite and is affiliated with the El Katif Temple. He is also a life member of Spokane Lodge, No. 228, B. P. O. E. At the present time he is serving as a member of the governing board of the Inland Club, with which he has long been affiliated, and in politics he is a republican. Dr. Oliver is one of the able representatives of his profession, and served as a member of the state board of dental examiners in 1903 and 1904, and in 1910 he was re- appointed to the same office and is still serving in this capacity. He also served one term as secretary of the Washington State Dental Association. During the sixteen years of his connection with the dental fraternity of Spokane, Dr. Oliver has manifested the ability that ranks him among the leading representatives of the profession in the city.
J. F. COLLIER.
J. F. Collier, a well known real-estate dealer of Ritzville, is one of the highly successful pioneer agriculturists and extensive landowners of Adams county, where his grain fields alone aggregate thirty-three hundred acres, in addition to his town holdings and a ranch of two hundred acres in Whitman county. He was born in Sheboygan county, Wisconsin, on the 21st of September, 1852, and is a son of Dr. Harrison and Louisa (Hostetler) Collier. The father, who was a physician, engaged in practice in Wisconsin for seven years, but at the expiration of that period, in 1856, he removed with his wife and family to Indiana. There the mother passed away when our subject was a child of four and a half years, and the father subsequently removed to Illinois, and after practicing there for a time went to Mis- souri, where he continued to be identified with his profession.
The boyhood and youth of J. F. Collier were passed on a farm in Indiana, where he obtained his agricultural training. His educational advantages were very limited being confined to the course of the district school, which he attended at such irreg- ular intervals as he was not needed in the tilling of the fields and the care of the stock. He remained in that state until about 1870 when he went to Illinois, continu- ing to engage in farming in the latter state until February, 1884. The west had long had a strong attraction for him, as he felt it afforded greater possibilities for an en- terprising and ambitious man, so in the spring of 1884 he came to Washington and homesteaded a tract twenty miles south of the present site of Ritzville. During the succeeding twenty years he industriously applied himself to the further cultivation and improvement of this place, his efforts meeting with such lucrative returns that he was able to extend the boundaries of his ranch from time to time until he had ac- quired thirty-three hundred acres. This is under high cultivation and well improved, and is now numbered among the valuable grain ranches of the county. In 1903, Mr. Collier withdrew from the active work of the fields and came to Ritzville and en- gaged in the real-estate business. He conducted this alone at first but later took J. L. Cross in the firm and they have since continued operations under the firm name of Collier & Cross. Twenty-eight years have elapsed since Mr. Collier first located
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in Adams county, during which period he has been an interested observer of the country's wonderful development. He assisted in plowing the first five acres broken in Rattlesnake flat, now known as the finest wheat belt in the county, and to him likewise belongs the distinction of hauling the first load of wheat shipped from Washtucna, which has become one of the largest shipping points for wheat in this section. In addition to his valuable holdings in this county, Mr. Collier has a ranch of about two hundred acres in Whitman county, near Pullman. Prosperity has at- tended his efforts but he well deserves his success, as during the early years of his residence here he worked incessantly and suffered all of the hardships and priva- tions that are usually associated with life on the frontier.
In Indiana, on the 4th of February, 1875, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Collier and Miss Mary E. Hunter, whose family removed from Kentucky to In- diana during the pioneer period, locating in Washington county. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Collier numbered nine, seven sons and two daughters, all of whom are married with the exception of one son. Their residence is one of the most at- tractive in Ritzville and is one of the city's show places, owing to its beautiful grounds. Mrs. Collier is very fond of flowers and is one of those people who pos- sess the knack of making everything grow and develop in a marvelous manner. As a result their yard is a bower of beauty from early spring until late autumn, the various plants apparently striving to outdo each other in their efforts to reward her labor with a profusion of blossoms.
Mr. Collier is one of the substantial and well-to-do citizens of Adams county and at different times has been identified with various local enterprises, and for four or five years was a director of the German-American State Bank of Ritz- ville. He is held in high esteem throughout the county, where he has many friends of long years standing whose loyalty he has won and retained through his fine prin- ciples and sterling worth, being a man of upright conduct and incorruptible integrity.
JOSEPH ROSENHAUPT.
Joseph Rosenhaupt, long one of the prominent merchants of Spokane, and also associated with the improvement of real estate in the city, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, October 17, 1840. His father was a native of Germany. The son spent his youthful days in Maryland and at the age of nineteen years removed to Illi- nois, where he was living at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war. He en- listed for service with the One Hundred and Seventh Illinois Regiment, with which he was connected for three and a half years, participated in the battle of Frank- lin, was with Burnside at Chattanooga, and went with Sherman on his famous march to Atlanta. He also proved his valor in other hotly contested engagements and when the war was over returned with a creditable military record to Illinois. For a time he resided in Peru, that state, and later in La Salle, where he engaged in merchandising until 1885, when he came with his family to Spokane. Here he has been largely interested in mercantile affairs and is now one of the active heads of the Chicago Clothing and Mercantile Company, which is a leading estab- lishment of this character in the northwest. The business has been greatly devel- oped along safe and substantial lines. It has passed through the era of fire and
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financial panic undisturbed, owing to the reliability of the men at its head, and, watchful of all the details of the business and of all indications pointing to suc- cess, Mr. Rosenhaupt has moved steadily forward to the goal of prosperity and belongs to that class of representative American citizens who promote public inter- ests in advancing their individual affairs.
Moreover, Mr. Rosenhaupt assisted greatly in raising the subsidy for the Great Northern Railroad of Washington and also a part of the subsidy for the Spo- kane Falls & Northern Railroad. He was always more or less actively connected with public enterprises in early days here and has been interested in the build -. ing of important business blocks and dwellings. He is interested in property at the corner of Division and Riverside streets and is one of the owners of the Fra- ternal building at the corner of Riverside and Wall streets. He was also largely connected with the building of the Spokane Theater and the Auditorium Theater, the leading one of the city, and the Empress Theater, a vaudeville house on the Sullivan and Considine circuit. Associated with his son Frank he is the owner of six hundred and forty acres in an apple ranch and also property in the Snake river district.
In early manhood Mr. Rosenhaupt married but in June, 1905, was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, Mrs. Johanna Rosenhaupt, who for many years had been to him a faithful helpmate and companion on life's journey. In politics Mr. Rosenhaupt has ever been an active republican, unfaltering in his support of the principles of the party, and his social relations extend to the Masonic fra- ternity and the Grand Army of the Republic, in which he maintains pleasant rela- tions with the boys in blue. In matters of citizenship he at all times displays the same fidelity and loyalty to his country which he manifested on southern battle fields.
CHARLES J. ANDERSON.
Among the successful business men of Spokane few have displayed more reso- lute will power and greater determination than Charles J. Anderson, manager of the Anderson Land Company. Of Scandinavian lineage, Mr. Anderson has put into his activities in this country of great opportunities, all the sturdy, thrifty, energetic and persevering qualities which characterize his ancestral people. He was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, on the 4th of November, 1880, and is a son of John and Augusta (Ekstrom) Anderson. The father's death occurred when his son, Charles J., was but six years of age, and being one of the elder children responsibility fell to the lot of Charles at an early age. He availed himself of every opportunity to secure a good education, and by working faithfully during the summer and evenings he was able to complete the course in the high school of Bis- marck, graduating with the class of 1898. Immediately after this he accepted employment as clerk in the Pacific Hotel of Bismarck, and for one year held this position. By careful management and strict economy he was able to earn enough to support his mother and himself as well as assist in the care of the younger chil- dren, but realizing that the west would give him greater financial opportunities, and the duties he owed to his family strongly impressing this necessity upon him,
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he left Bismarck and accepted a position with Dr. H. J. Riesland as advertising agent, traveling between Minneapolis and Missoula, Montana. Until he was twenty-one years of age he remained in this position, but at that time filed a claim for a homestead and took up a timber claim in Klamath county, Oregon. During all this time he was the sole supporter of his widowed mother and was financially responsible for the education of the younger children. His life in Oregon was one of hardship and constant labor, and because of the unsettled condition of the country he frequently found himself exposed to the dangers of the pioneer. On one occasion, while looking over the timber tracts on his property, he lost his way, and for three days and three nights tramped the woods, vainly seeking the loca- tion of his home. During this time he lived on the berries to be found in the woods and suffered untold hardships. Leaving Oregon after two years he came to Spo- kane, and although a total stranger, he immediately embarked in the real-estate business. During the first year he met with many difficulties and his sales were not numerous, although he succeeded again in earning enough to support his mother and her family in North Dakota. In his filial devotion he has always been untir- ing, and although still a young man he can well feel he has already performed one great duty completely. At the present time he is manager of the Anderson Land Company and is also actively engaged in the real-estate and loan business. He is a small stockholder in the Scandinavian American Bank of Spokane, and is a heavy stockholder in the Sunrise Gold Mining & Milling Company. He seems to possess an intuitive sense of land values, and has frequently availed himself of the opportunity of purchasing property which he holds for investment pur- poses. At present he is the owner of several farms and also timber holdings.
On the 22d of September, 1910, at Spokane, Mr. Anderson was married to Miss Anna Vollmer, a daughter of Joseph and Barbara Vollmer. He is a member of Oriental Lodge No. 74, of the Masonic Order of Spokane, and is active in fraternal circles. One element of his success perhaps is due to the persistency of purpose which has permitted him to devote his energy throughout his business career to the undertakings in which he is immediately engaged. He has thoroughly mastered the details of the real-estate business, and is therefore most competent to build up and control an extensive enterprise of this character.
FERDINAND R. WOLFLE.
One of the successful mining men of the northwest is Ferdinand R. Wolfle, whose offices are in the Hutton building. He was born in Yankton, South Da- kota, on the 20th of August, 1882, and is a son of Conrad and Anna (Meyer) Wolfle, who were among the pioneer settlers of South Dakota and removed to Portland, Oregon, in 1888, where they now reside.
Ferdinand R. Wolfle was educated in the public schools of Portland and when he had passed all the consecutive grades entered the high school, from which he was graduated with the class of 1902. Immediately after finishing his school- ing he started upon his independent career, going at first to the mining districts of the British Columbia country. For more than three years he remained in this region although he had his headquarters at Spokane, from which city he carried
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on his business deals. Subsequently he was interested in the mines of Nevada for a short time, before going to the Coeur d'Alene country where he remained until 1908, after which he located permanently in Spokane. Since he has taken up his permanent residence in this city, he has been engaged in both the real-estate and mining business and is at present manager of the Florence Silver Mining Com- pany of British Columbia and is interested in the United Copper Mine. Mr. Wolfle seems to possess intuitive judgment for mining valuations, which has enabled him to master the intricacies of mining and place him in a high standing in his profession.
He is a stanch republican and by his judicious consideration of the party prin- ciples is persuaded that republicanism is essential to the permanent prosperity of the nation. He holds membership in the Knights of Pythias and the Inland Club. Without special advantages at the outset of his career, he has steadily worked his way upward by the merit system and has thus won a position involving wide re- sponsibility and at the same time bringing substantial financial benefits.
CHARLES A. PLACKETT.
Charles A. Plackett, auditor of the New World Life Insurance Company, whose offices are in the Paulsen building, was born in London, England, on the 30th of November, 1868, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Plunkett) Plackett, whose deaths occurred in 1909 and 1883 respectively.
Charles A. Plackett received his education in the schools of the Haberdashers Company in London until he was sixteen years of age. At that time he accepted employment in a wholesale chemical company of this city and six months later entered the treasury department of the Midland Railroad Company of England, where he was employed for five years. Subsequently he left his native land and came to America, locating at Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he entered the service of the Canadian Pacific Railroad in the traffic department. He held this position until 1897, when he went to Vancouver, British Columbia, and for a year and a half worked for the Union Steamship Company. After he gave up that position he again entered the employ of the Canadian Pacific and was with them for a short time before coming to Spokane in 1899 and entering the employ of the Spokane Falls & Northern Railway Company. By that time he had mastered many of the details attendant upon the affairs of railroad operations and was a highly valuable employe but, desiring to engage in the insurance business and make use of his expert mathematical ability, he accepted employment with the Western Union Life Insurance Company as chief accountant and auditor. In April, 1910, he resigned from that position and entered upon a similar one with the New World Life Insur- ance Company. He has since been their most valued and efficient auditor. His comprehensive knowledge of mathematics and his broad experience in active work of railroads and insurance companies all qualify him in large measure for the duties of his present position, and since entering the company he has been a force- ful factor in its success and promotion.
On the 24th of September, 1900, Mr. Plackett was married in Spokane to Miss Helen Mckay, a daughter of William and Elizabeth Mckay. His political in-
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dorsement is given to the republican party and he holds membership in the Inland Club, the Spokane Amateur Athletic Club, the Knights of Columbus and the Wood- men of the World. His entire life work has been in mathematical lines and in this connection he has gained wide recognition, being regarded as one of the ablest representatives of the insurance circles of Spokane.
RICHARD G. KEIZER.
Richard G. Keizer, who is manager of the sales departments of the Panhandle Lumber Company of Spirit Lake and the Blackwell Lumber Company of Coeur d'Alene, was born in La Crosse county, Wisconsin, on April 1, 1879. He is a son of Nicholas and Ella (Mulder) Keizer, and in the paternal line is of Dutch extrac- tion, his grandparents having emigrated from Holland about 1840, locating in Wis- consin. In 1887, Nicholas Keizer together wit hhis wife and family removed to Spokane, Washington, but in the fall of the following year they returned to Wis- consin, where they thereafter made their home.
With the exception of the one year the family lived in Spokane, Richard G. Keizer obtained his education in the public schools of La Crosse, Wisconsin. After the completion of the work of the grades he entered the high school of that city, where he pursued a commercial course, terminating his school days at the age of fifteen years. During the succeeding two years he was employed at various things, his age and inexperience making it difficult for him to find a position commensurate with his ability. In 1896 he was employed to report the speeches of Knute Nelson, made during the Mckinley campaign of that year. The following year he secured a position as bookkeeper and salesman with the C. H. Nichols Lumber Company of La Crosse, with whom he remained for two years, ever since having been identi- fied with lumber interests. He subsequently went to Cloquet, Minnesota, where he held positions with both the Cloquet and Northern Lumber Companies until Decem- ber, 1907. Severing this connection he came to Spokane to assume charge of the sales department of the B. R. Lewis Lumber Company of Coeur d'Alene, con- tinuing in their employment until the 8th of August, 1908, when he came to Spirit Lake to organize the sales department of the Panhandle Lumber Company, which had but recently been incorporated. Practically the entire period of Mr. Keizer's business life has been spent in the lumber business, every detail of which he has thoroughly mastered. In October, 1909, he was asked to organize and take charge of the sales department of the Blackwell Lumber Company, which he has ever since been managing in conjunction with the sales department of the Panhandle Lumber Company.
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