USA > Washington > Spokane County > Spokane > Spokane and the Spokane country : pictorial and biographical : deluxe supplement, Volume I > Part 9
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On the 24th of June, 1886, occurred the marriage of Dr. Martin and Miss Margaret L. Brown, a daughter of Dr. M. J. Brown, of Detroit, Michigan, now deceased. Her father was a cousin of Frances Folsom, who became the wife of Grover Cleveland. He be- longed to a well known old family and was distinguished for his ser- vice in the Union army. Dr. and Mrs. Martin have two sons: Douglas Ewart, nineteen years of age, now attending Whitman Col- lege; and Frank McPherson, eight years of age, attending the pub- lic schools.
Dr. Martin is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and is interested in all its plans and movements for the development of the city, the exploitation of its resources and for the promotion of its material interests. His political support is given to the republican party and he is identified with many fraternal organizations, includ- ing the Masonic, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the An- cient Order of United Workmen, the Knights of Pythias, the Wood- men of the World and the Canadian Order of Foresters. He has been a noble grand in the Odd Fellows lodge, a master workman of the Workman's lodge, and medical examiner of the Woodmen of the World. In more strictly social lines he is also well known as a member of the Spokane Club and the Country Club and as a life member of the Spokane Athletic Club. He is an enthusiastic mem- ber and one of the directors of the Young Men's Christian Associa-
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tion and for several years served on the finance committee during the time the present building was erected. His life has been an ex- pression of many notable principles and he is well known as an ex- emplary representative of the various societies to which he belongs and which have their root in beneficent purpose. In his professional service he has ever held to high ideals. With him sound judgment has never been sacrificed to hasty opinion and while he manifests a progressive spirit in adopting new ideas and improvements, he has never been quick to discard old and time tried methods which have had their root in long experience and bear the sanction of sound judg- ment.
Jose is Cunningham
John G. Cunningham, Al. D.
D R. JOHN G. CUNNINGHAM, a distinguished phy- sician and surgeon of Spokane and one to whom the country owes much for his interest and practical ef- forts in the development of the Alaska coal fields, was born in Winona, Minnesota, December 20, 1872, a son of John M. and Mary A. (Johnston) Cun- ningham. His father was a Minnesota farmer and is now living retired in St. Paul. Notwithstanding his eighty years he is still very active and in excellent health. The son was provided with liberal educational opportunities and received his profesional training in Rush Medical College of Chicago, from which he was graduated in 1897 with the M. D. degree. He entered upon the practice of medi- cine in that city in connection with his brother, Dr. D. H. Cunning- ham, with whom he remained for a year and a half. Thinking, however, the far west would offer a better field, he came to Spokane in the fall of 1898 and here entered upon active practice. He has since remained a representative of the profession here and his ability has placed him in a foremost place as a representative of the medical profession of the northwest. He has made two trips to Europe, traveling extensively over that country, doing post-graduate work in various centers of medical learning and visiting all the leading hospi- tals and medical colleges of Europe and America. He specializes in surgery, is a member of the staff of the Sacred Heart Hospital of Spokane and is the surgeon of the Great Northern Railroad at Spo- kane.
Aside from his practice Dr. Cunningham has demonstrated his ability and resourcefulness in the field of business, in which prosper- ity has attended his efforts. He is the owner of large tracts of land and city property in and near Spokane and is also the owner of a large tract in the Horse Heaven country, being interested in the development of about thirty thousand acres there. He is largely responsible for the development of the Alaska coal fields, being the first one to send an expert there, at his own expense, to explore and investigate the coal deposits of that country. With his associates he has spent upwards of three hundred thousand dollars in the exploi-
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tation and development of the coal mines of Alaska and in this con- nection displays marked courage and foresight in bringing to the attention of the world the great coal resources of the northwest. He and his associates undertook the work in a most systematic manner, planning wisely for the opening of the country, the building of roads and the development of this great industry. Dr. Cunningham is also interested with his brother, Clarence Cunningham, in the Coeur d' Alene mining district.
In his social relations Dr. Cunningham is widely known as a member of the Spokane Club, the Country Club, the Spokane Ama- teur Athletic Club and the Elks Lodge, No. 228, of Spokane. His geniality and his cordiality win him friends wherever he goes and he leaves the stamp of his personal worth upon all with whom he comes in contact.
On the 30th of June, 1904, Dr. Cunningham was united in mar- riage to Miss Claudia Petite, of Chicago, and they have a daughter, Margaret Claudia, born November 6, 1905. Mrs. Cunningham is a singer of note. She was at one time prima donna with the celebrated Bostonians and for the last two years has been studying grand opera in Europe with Cotogni, of Rome, as one of her instructors and was also a pupil under Professor Herman De Vries, of Paris. She made a very successful debut in grand opera in Rome, Italy, also sang before Queen Marguerita and received from Italian opera managers most flattering offers to return. She found that, contrary to the reports concerning the reception of American singers by the Ital- ians, she was most favorably and enthusiastically received, her splen- did vocal and dramatic power winning for her encore after encore. After singing before Queen Marguerita, whom she found very gra- cious and lovable, the queen presented her with a magnificent cluster of American beauties and appeared most interested in Mrs. Cunning- ham's replies to the queen's questions concerning her family. She has sung the principal roles in La Sonambula, Rigoletto, Traviata, Lucia and Madame Butterfly, and was asked by the Italian com- poser Storti to create the principal part in his new opera Venezia. She also appeared in concert in Rome and scored successes which have made her services sought by various managers. Dr. and Mrs. Cun- ningham have a most attractive home at No. 1722 Riverside avenue and are most prominent in social life in the city, aside from the prominence gained by the scientific attainment of the one and the artistic ability of the other.
Nonis Ziegler
Louis Ziegler
OUIS ZIEGLER, a man who "stood foursquare to L every wind that blows," a man whose nobility of character and integrity of action placed him above the majority of his fellows, was for many years a resident of the northwest and continuously contrib- uted to its development not only in a material way but in that upbuilding of high ideals which constitutes the real basis of a country's progress. He was born at Kettrick in Rhenish Bavaria, Germany, July 17, 1837, and was in his fifteenth year when he accompanied his parents on the long voyage across the Atlantic. The family home was established in Ohio and some time afterward Louis Ziegler went from there to Maysville, Kentucky, where he learned the wagon-maker's trade. Three years were spent south of Mason and Dixon's line, after which he returned to Ohio, and for two years followed his trade in Russellville. He then went to Bloom- ington, Illinois, where he worked at wagon making until 1859 and in that year he established business on his own account, opening the first wagon and plow manufactory at Chenoa, McLean county, Illinois. Success attended the new enterprise and in 1865 he was enabled to invest six thousand dollars in the erection of a new factory building, but disaster overtook him in 1870 in its destruction by fire. His losses were so great that he was not able at once to resume business and for two years he occupied the position of sergeant at arms in the Illinois state senate. He then returned to his native land, which had in the meantime, by the fortunes of the Franco-Prussian war. become incor- porated in the newly formed German empire.
The year 1873 again witnessed Mr. Ziegler's arrival in Illinois, where he once more embarked in business, forming a partnership with John Dehner for the purchase of the Chenoa flour mill, which they operated until 1876, when again his savings were sacrificed to the fire god. The following year he erected a new flour mill in Chenoa but again he suffered heavily through fire in March, 1878, leaving him without the means for reconstruction. He spent the next seventeen months in the settlement of his affairs and in the conduct of a grain trade at Chenoa. While his business did not prosper, owing to no
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fault of his own, he rose steadily in the regard of his fellow townsmen as a man of reliability, worthy of confidence and regard, and in ap- preciation of his personal qualities they called him to public office. He served as justice of the peace from 1861 until 1865 and in 1869 was elected mayor, giving to the city a businesslike, progressive ad- ministration that led to his reelection for a second term. He also be- came prominent in Masonic circles there, joining Chenoa Lodge, No. 292, F. & A. M., of which he was elected master in 1861, thus serving for twelve years. He became the first high priest of Chenoa Chapter, No. 143, R. A. M., and filled the position for five years, beginning in 1870, and again after an interval. He joined Yates City Consistory, A. F. & A. M., of Peoria, and from 1862 until his departure from the state was a member of the grand lodge of Illinois, of which he served as senior grand warden in 1878-9. In political circles, too, Mr. Zieg- ler made his presence felt. In an address delivered at the time of his death, John Arthur, at one time grand master of the Masonic lodge of Washington, said of Mr. Ziegler: "In the state of Illinois, amongst a population almost wholly American by nativity, the young German loomed into prominence as a thorough student of public questions and a forceful advocate of his views and sentiments. He had dili- gently studied the English language and the historians, poets, ora- tors, philosophers and publicists who wrote and spoke in it. He had come to speak it without a perceptible trace of foreign accent. His power as a logical exponent of republican principles, aims and policies attracted attention; and his friendship was cultivated and valued by such great chiefs of that party as Senator Shelby M. Cullom, General John A. Logan, Governor Richard Oglesby and General John Mc- Nulty, who had singled him out as one of the rising leaders of the party in those strenuous days when only strong men forged to the front; indeed, Brother Ziegler was by nature, temperament and con- scious power quite unfitted to be a follower anywhere or in any cause."
On the 25th of December, 1862, occurred the marriage of Louis Ziegler and Miss Margaret Jane Sample, a lady of rare excellence and beauty of character who belonged to a prominent Illinois family. They became the parents of three children but William Henry is the only son and the only one now living. The daughter, Jennie Louise, died only a few months after her marriage, and Frederika Louisa died in March, 1872, at the age of five years.
When fire had three times laid waste his property at Chenoa, Mr. Ziegler resolved to try his fortune elsewhere and came to the north- west, arriving at Spokane Falls in August, 1879. Here he at once
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made and carried out plans for entering into business life thus pro- viding for his family, and at the same time he affiliated with the Masonic organization of Spokane, joining Spokane Lodge, which was then under dispensation. With the granting of its charter he became its first worshipful master and during the greater part of his after life he was a prominent member of the grand lodge of this state, serving in various offices. He was elected to the position of grand marshal and when the grand lodge convened for the first time in Spokane, which was still known as Spokane Falls, June 4, 1884, he was elected deputy grand master. In 1885, at the meeting of the grand lodge in Tacoma, he was chosen grand master. That he was a man of eloquence and had great love for his adopted home in the northwest is indicated by words which he uttered on that occasion, speaking of the Puget Sound as "a place of exquisite beauty and de- light, one of the most lovely inland seas upon the earth, teeming with abundance of delicious fishes and all kinds of molluscan delicacies of rarest flavor. No people on earth," he continued, "are so especially favored by munificent nature as our people who are vouchsafed homes on this delightful sea. Upon the bosom of these placid waters ride the ships of all nations, taking and bringing the products of the earth for barter and exchange. But if we raise our eyes and look, we will behold, on our right, the mighty Cascade range, with fir-clad hills and snow-capped mountains piercing the clouds, with heads of per- petual ice, forming a formidable barrier, which separates this magnifi- cent Mediterranean of the Pacific from our Inland Empire of most fertile fields, where the husbandman reaps the richest of rewards for honest toil."
He was reelected grand master and on the 1st of June, 1887, opened in Vancouver the thirteenth annual communication of the grand lodge. A splendid and scholarly rhapsody on the Columbia river, flowing at their feet, makes the foreword of his message a verit- able classic. In fervent and glowing language he follows the great river's course from the dark forests and snow-clad mountains of Brit- ish Columbia into Idaho, Washington and Oregon, and finds it em- blematical of the varied duties of human life. "Taking its way," he says, "through the winding and intricate labyrinths which mark the course of human events, and through which all men are destined to pass,-by aid of the clue of reason and understanding, if we but per- severe in the proper discharge of our duties, we shall emerge from the mysterious recesses of intellectual darkness and enter that state of light and wisdom which is bestowed as an inheritance of perpetual
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keeping on those who are faithful to every trust and obedient to the laws and duties of true manhood." Throughout all the years of his connection with Masonry he cherished a most lofty conception of the order, its purposes and its work.
Mr. Ziegler remained throughout his life a student of the classics, an associate of the master minds of all ages. Again we quote from the address of Mr. Arthur, who said: "Louis Ziegler never completely rallied from the shock and the grief caused by his wife's death. If man was ever spoiled by the assiduous, unremitting care and thought- ful attentions and services of a loving and devoted wife, he was that man; and when she left him he felt very much alone in the world and very helpless in his own well equipped home. His old strong, aggres- sive spirit gradually left him; he often said that he was lagging super- fluous on the stage; Reed and Haller and other intimate friends of bygone days had passed to the realms beyond; a new generation had sprung up and willingly assumed the burdens formerly borne by himself and his friends and associates; the city in which he had for years known every man, woman and child was now filled with strange faces from all parts of the world; he had (among the very few) saved all his property from the general wreck of the panic years, 1893-1897, and had well-nigh discharged all of the erstwhile heavy incumbrances upon it; his son had taken his place in the active management of affairs; he himself had nothing to do but while away the hours in the silent company of his favorite authors, whose merits, beauties and philosophy his neighbors were too busy to consider or discuss with him; he viewed with horror the very possibility of becoming a useless and decrepit old man, detailing his aches and pains to an unsympa- thetic world; he felt that his life work had been successfully and satisfactorily done and that he ought not to remain to cumber the earth; and so, in the splendid young city where we are holding this annual communication, which he had nursed in its infancy and zeal- ously and ably assisted in developing from a hamlet of a couple of hundred persons to a commercial mart having a population exceeding one hundred and fifteen thousand, Louis Ziegler, grand master of Masons in Washington from June 4. 1885. to June 3. 1887, resigned his soul to the Grand Architect of the universe at the hour of 3:50 o'clock in the afternoon of Sunday, January 15, 1911, after an ill- ness of ten days.
* In one of his letters to me from Germany, Brother Ziegler says: 'I am here in the land of Wilhelm, Bismarck, Luther, Goethe, Schiller and Friedrich der Grosse and hosts of other famous men. It is indeed interesting in the greatest degree. As you
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know, I am not particularly bound to any country or people but have a hearty appreciation of all.' This last expression is a true index to his exceptional broadmindedness and his rare exemption from na- tional bias or sectarian prejudices. He was the friend of all peoples and of all religions. When the Jesuit missionaries from the Colville Indian reservation, in the days before railroad communication was established, came, weary, worn and dust-laden to Spokane Falls for the necessary provisions and funds, it was to the home of Louis Zieg- ler, the German Lutheran, that they first betook themselves; there they found hearty welcome and good cheer and remained until their mission was accomplished; and from that generous and hospitable home they never went away empty-handed.
"At the funeral of Mrs. Ziegler three years ago I was impressed with the manifestly sincere grief of the Catholic priests who attended the beautifully simple ceremonies at the residence, and with the large attendance of the Roman Catholics of Spokane; and I made inquiry as to the cause. Everybody was able to tell me. The scene was repro- duced at his own funeral; and as I repeated the Masonic service of sorrow in the same place, the members of the ancient church were among the most deeply affected mourners. Many of them expressed to me afterward their profound appreciation of the sublimity and grandeur of our ritual and their love and admiration for their de- parted friend.
"On previous visits to the Ziegler home I had the pleasure of meeting there the Jewish rabbi, whose learning and ability were highly prized by Brother Ziegler and who, I found, was a frequent visitor and showed in every way that he knew himself to be among warm and trusted friends. Everyone who liked to talk of the higher things of life found delight in that home. Brother Ziegler had studied with deepest interest the works of the great religious masters of all ages and climes ;- he could almost
Behold each mighty shade reveal'd to sight,
The Bactrian, Samian sage, and all who taught the right.
"His memory to the last was uncommonly retentive and accurate; and he had at his fingers' ends the contents of his extensive and well selected library. A stranger hearing him in the discussion of re- ligious, philosophical, literary, poetical or historic subjects would be sure to conclude that Brother Ziegler belonged to one of the learned professions and could not all his life have been an active business man ; but like our great merchant, Alexander T. Stewart, who read a por-
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tion of Horace's Odes every morning before going to his store; George Grote, the historian of Greece; Samuel Rogers, the poet; and Sir John Lubbock, the philosopher and scientist-all three of whom were bankers-Brother Ziegler did not allow the exactions of business to absorb and monopolize his intellectual activity and powers.
"It will readily be understood that a man who steadily cultivated his mind on those high lines and was of massive build and dominating personality, was a formidable antagonist in this grand lodge and that he generally had his way.
"He was a veritable Rupert of debate and a bulwark of old- fashioned Masonic principles. Withal he was an able and sagacious business man. As soon as he could close his affairs in Illinois after the loss of his flouring mill by fire, he came, in August, 1879, to Washing- ton territory and sought the wheat-growing country of the Walla Walla valley; but after seeing the little village which was growing up beside the mighty cataracts of the Spokane river, he decided that the potential motive power of those cataracts would in time attract capital and industries and compel the rise of an imporant commercial center; and here he started in the hardware business and laid the foun- dations of a fortune. He retired from store-keeping in 1886. After the destructive fire of 1889, which swept the business district of the young city, and the fourth from which he suffered, he was the first man to start a brick building; and the Ziegler block still stands as a testimony to his confidence and his foresight. As might be expected from a man of his calibre, he was a generous, gracious and forbearing landlord. No bill for rent was ever presented to a tenant. The ar- rears might run for months, and no allusion was made to them. No- body asked for a written lease; Brother Ziegler's word that the tenant could stay as long as he wished was known by everybody to be as good as a bond. For over twenty years the same man has been the janitor of the block; and the engineer and the yardman have held their posi- tions for over eight years. They all feel more like the retainers of a feudal chieftain of old than latter-day employes. Indeed, there was in Brother Ziegler a good deal of the spirit of the feudal lord. His home belonged to everybody, and it was sacred to hospitality. He delighted to have the friends and neighbors around him and to make them happy. Proud of Lord Bolingbroke's close friendship, Alex- ander Pope exclaims :
'Here St. John mingles with my friendly bowl
The feast of reason and the flow of soul.'
So it was at the Ziegler home; it was entertainment of the lofty kind
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when kindred spirits gathered there; and the brighter they were, the more highly did they prize the remarkable intellectual resources of their host.
"In an address which I had the privilege of delivering to you in this city in June, 1906, on our deeply beloved grand secretary, Thomas Milburne Reed, I adverted in these words to a circumstance which you will pardon me for recalling: 'Another wish very dear to his heart was fulfilled. Fifteen or twenty years before, a fraternal compact was made between three past grand masters of Washington: Colonel Granville O. Haller, U. S. A., of Seattle; Hon. Louis Zieg- ler, of Spokane (past senior grand warden of the grand lodge of Illi- nois) ; and Hon. Thomas Milburne Reed, of Olympia, that one or other of the survivors should conduct and perform the Masonic cere- mony at the burial of the departed. Brother Haller passed away first, and Brother Ziegler officiated. Brother Reed followed next. When we informed Grand Master Miller of the compact he grace- fully and generously invited Brother Ziegler to take his place and conduct at the grave the Masonic ceremonies over the remains of his dear and departed friend. The magnificent attendance of Masons from all corners of Washington will not soon forget the words of philosophy, love and eulogy so touchingly pronounced on that oc- casion by the last survivor of the three parties to the compact. They were worthy of Reed and worthy of Ziegler. Par nobile fratrum.'
"With the remains of our dear friend consigned to the tomb, a similar compact was entered into between Brother Ziegler and myself. When I saw that his end was approaching, I apprised Grand Master Neterer of the compact. Upon learning of Brother Ziegler's death, and with that fine courtesy and warm Masonic spirit so eminently characteristic of him, our grand master promptly appointed me as his special deputy to convene the grand lodge at Spokane and con- duct the Masonic burial services over the remains of our departed brother. On January 19th we buried him with grand lodge honors.
"Thus passed away a Mason of the old school and a character of classic mould and proportions. Louis Ziegler possessed in high de- gree the virile qualities, mental equipment and moral courage which go to make leaders of men. He was one of the most earnest, vigorous and highly gifted of our grand masters, and he made upon Wash- ington Masonry an impression that will not soon be effaced. Peace to his ashes!"
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