USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Milwaukee > History of Milwaukee, city and county, Volume II > Part 47
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In the year 1897 Mr. Barkow was married to Miss Ida Meschke, a daughter of Charles Meschke of Hubbleton, Wisconsin, and they have become the parents of eight children: Helen, the wife of A. J. Hess; Hilda; Esther, who has passed away; Walter; Edna; Arthur; Lydia; and Carl. The religious faith of the family is indicated in their connection with the Nazareth Lutheran church.
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In politics Mr. Barkow has always been a republican since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, but the honors and emoluments of office have had no attrac- tion for him, as he has never been an aspirant for political preferment. He belongs to the Association of Commerce and through that agency supports all those forces and plans which make for public progress and improvement. His cooperation can at all times be counted upon to promote the public welfare and as a business man he has contributed in substantial measure to the material development of Milwaukee.
THOMAS L. SMITH.
Thomas L. Smith, one of the prominent mechanical engineers of Wisconsin, was long identified with manufacturing interests in Milwaukee, particularly in the metal trades. While he achieved a large measure of personal success, his labors were of a character that contributed greatly to the progress and upbuilding of the community.
Mr. Smith was born in Bolton, England, on June 6, 1855. His surname was appro- priate, as he came of a family of metal workers, many of whom were employed in the Musgrove Works in Bolton. Mr. Smith was only four years of age when brought by his parents to Milwaukee, where his father secured a position in the car repair shop of the Milwaukee road. His early education was acquired in the parochial school of St. James Episcopal church. When still a young lad, his parents moved to Water- town, Wisconsin, where his father operated a machine shop and foundry. In that establishment Thomas L. Smith learned the machinist's trade, early displaying marked skill and ingenuity in mechanical matters. In 1873, although he had had no high school training, he decided to take a collegiate course in mechanical engineering. He entered Iowa State College at Ames and graduated in 1877 with the highest scholastic record of any Ames student up to that date, including fifteen grades for full terms. During his course, he served as one of the instructors in the college machine shop and earned a sufficient sum to pay his tuition and meet all the expenses of his college course. Mr. Smith was but twenty-two years of age when he graduated. Immediately afterward he was appointed instructor in mathematics and bookkeeping, retaining that position for several years. He then went to Boston and completed his engineering education in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1920 Iowa State College conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering.
After leaving college Mr. Smith was employed several years in the engineering department of the Whitehill Sewing Machine Company of Milwaukee. He was also identified, at various times, with D. J. Murray Manufacturing Company of Wausau, Wisconsin, Filer & Stowell Manufacturing Company, Kempsmith Manufacturing Com- pany, C. J. Smith & Sons (now A. O. Smith Corporation) and Pawling & Harnischfeger. In the '80s Mr. Smith undertook his first independent business venture-a machine shop at Reedsburg, Wisconsin. From a financial standpoint, this enterprise was not successful but during this period he invented and huilt the first flexible-arm wood- carving machine. This invention netted Mr. Smith a profit of only five million dollars. But that modest sum later became an important factor in building up several im- portant industries. In 1898-9 he organized and conducted a school of engineering and mechanical drawing in Milwaukee. While thus engaged he made the acquaintance of D. W. Cutter of the Northwestern Tile Company, a firm engaged in the contracting business. Concrete construction was then in its infancy. It was through Mr. Cutter that Mr. Smith became impressed with the need for an efficient concrete mixer. In 1899 Mr. Smith invented the Smith tilting mixer, making a working model of the proposed machine. Its practical character appealed at once to Mr. Cutter, who agreed to pay the cost of the first outfit in return for the possession and title to it. Accordingly, the first tilting mixer was built in 1900, proving to be entirely successful in both design and construction. Mr. Smith at once took out patents and built additional models. The first machine was chain driven, mounted on regular wagon trucks and propelled by a steam engine. The second machine was gear driven and included several improvements on the first, although the basic idea was retained. From that time forward the success of Mr. Smith was assured. His concrete mixer soon be- came known throughout the world, proving to be a most efficient machine, not only for mixing concrete but for mixing other materials, such as the glass batch, core-sand, fertilizers, chemicals and baking powder.
A contemporary biographer, writing of his business career from this time forward, has said: "He succeeded in making an arrangement with Doelger and Kirsten, machinists, whereby his machines were made on credit, payment being made when he received settlement from the buyer. In this manner he built up his capital until he had enough money to organize, with two cousins, the Smith Machine Com- pany, which company took over the manufacture of the mixers. They started in a small shed but soon rented larger quarters from the Grant Marble Company. In the
THOMAS L. SMITH
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meantime Mr. Smith continued to conduct his own sales and finances under the name of T. L. Smith.
"Growth was so rapid that in 1905 Mr. Smith organized a corporation known as The T. L. Smith Company, to handle the sales and finances. Manufacturing was still carried on by the Smith Machine Company until The T. L. Smith Company took over the Smith Machine Company and the Wisconsin Foundry Company, a subsidiary com- pany, which had been furnishing grey iron castings to the Smith Machine Company. Summarizing the growth of the business, Mr. Smith started in 1900 with a capital of about five hundred dollars, while in 1921 The T. L. Smith Company had assets of over one million, two hundred thousand dollars!
"The T. L. Smith Company represents only one of Mr. T. L. Smith's successful business ventures. In 1905 Mr. Smith purchased a controlling interest in the Sterling Wheelbarrow Company, then a small, struggling concern on the verge of bankruptcy. He applied his energies and ability to that business until it finally developed into the largest and most successful of all his holdings. The Sterling Wheelbarrow Company is a veritable monument to the courage, persistence, ability and steadfastness of pur- pose of Mr. T. L. Smith.
"His third important business venture was in the field of rock and ore crushing machinery. In 1906 he organized the Smith & Post Company, now the Smith Engineer- ing Works of Milwaukee. He built a factory and took over the manufacture and sale ยท of gyratory crushers under the Symons patents. The original machines were not successful and the concern encountered many difficulties. But year after year Mr. Smith worked away with this company, improved the product, designed new models and finally brought it to the point of success. He lived to see this company on a sound. successful and profitable footing with exceptionally good prospects for a large and successful future."
Shortly after leaving college Mr. Smith married Anna A. Shillcox of Watertown, Wisconsin. The union was a long and happy one. Three sons and one daughter were born to them. Mr. Smith died April 29, 1921, leaving his three sons to carry forward the enterprises which he founded.
Mr. Smith was not only a most prominent and successful business man but was the possessor of all those qualities which men most admire in their fellows. He held to high standards and ideals. No good work of charity or religion sought his aid in vain. He was a most faithful follower and exemplar of Masonic principles and was equally consistent as a member of St. James Episcopal church, in which he took a most active and helpful part, serving for many years as a member of its vestry. He became one of the early members of the City Club and was a director of the Milwaukee School of Trades.
A modern philosopher has said, "Not the good that comes to us hut the good that comes to the world through us is the measure of our success." Judged by this standard, the life record of Thomas L. Smith was truly a successful one. He strove mightily to attain his purpose in business but he always found time to perform his full duty to his fellowmen. He fully met every obligation that devolved upon him as a citizen and there was not a Milwaukeean who was not proud to call him friend. One who knew him well said of him: "There are many men who are successful in business. There are many who excel in the pursuit of music, art and literature. There are many who are honest and steadfast, who love their work, their families and their homes. There are many men who are lovable, kind, generous and thoughtful. But not often do we find all these virtues combined in one man. In the character of Thomas L. Smith we find them all-and more."
H. A. MULLETT.
H. A. Mullett, assistant general manager of the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company of Milwaukee, was born in Louisville, Kentucky, December 11, 1880, and is a son of Richard B. and Anna R. (Warren) Mullett, who were natives of Ohio and Kentucky, respectively. The father for many years devoted his life to mercantile pursuits in Kansas City, Missouri, removing to that state during the early boyhood of his son.
It was in the public schools of Kansas City that H. A. Mullett pursued his early education, while later he attended a technical school at Terre Haute, Indiana, and was there graduated in 1904 with the degree of Electrical Engineer. In the same year he became associated with the Westinghouse Electrical Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- vania, and was thus associated until 1906, when he came to Milwaukee and has since been connected with the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company, of which he is now the assistant general manager. His first position was that of assistant to the superintendent of equipment and later he was advanced to the superintendency of that department. In 1918 he was made assistant general manager of the company and is
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now actively associated with the direction of its affairs. His position is one of large responsibility and his capability for the office is widely recognized.
On the 8th of September, 1909, Mr. Mullett was married to Miss Lydia Grossenbach, a daughter of George W. Grossenbach of Milwaukee, the vice president of the Mechanics Insurance Company, represented at length on ancther page of this work. To Mr. and Mrs. Mullett have been born a son and daughter, Howard and Helena, who reside with their parents in Wauwatosa. Mr. Mullett has always found pleasure in a game of tennis and has held membership in several tennis clubs. He also belongs to the Alpha Tau Omega, a college fraternity, is a member of the Milwaukee Association of Com- merce, of the Men's Club of Wauwatosa, of the City Club of Milwaukee and the Stickney Field Club, maintaining in outdoor pleasures and sports that even balance to business activity which is so necessary in preventing the development of one phase of life to the detriment cf others.
JOHN W. RADKE.
For the third term John W. Radke is serving as alderman of the twenty-second ward of Milwaukee and in his activities for the city is actuated by a public-spirited devotion to the general good that has been manifest in his support of many progressive measures. His capability as a business man enables him to assist largely in managing business affairs for the city, and while seeking to reach high municipal ideals, he employs the most practical methods in their attainment. He is also well known in Mil- waukee as an undertaker with a large business, having been active in this field of labor for a decade.
One of the city's native sons, Mr. Radke was born September 13, 1886, a son of . Richard and Ida ( Petersdorf) Radke, both of whom are natives of Germany. They came with their parents to the United States in early life- prior to their marriage. The father, however, had served for three years in the German militia-a compulsory mili- tary training for all young men in that country. Having arrived in the new world, the family made their way westward to Milwaukee and Richard Radke has been em- ployed by the firm of Goll & Frank during much of his life.
John W. Radke was educated in the public schools of this city and after putting aside his textbooks was employed as a grocery clerk. He afterwards served for four years in the city fire department as city fireman and in 1911 he was gradnated from the Johnson College of Embalming and turned his attention to the undertaking busi- ness, opening an establishment at his present location-4409 Lisbon avenue. Here he has built up a very large business as the years have passed. In 1912 he erected his present building. a two-story brick structure forty-five by one hundred and twenty feet. In this building he has a well appointed chapel for private funerals. He attends all of the undertaker's conventions and keeps thoroughly informed concerning the most progressive and scientific methods that have to do with his work. He is a member of the Milwaukee and also of the Wisconsin State Funeral Directors Association.
- On the 2d of June, 1908, Mr. Radke was married to Miss Della Krause of Mil- waukee, and they have become parents of two children, Annette and John. Fraternally Mr. Radke is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Knights of Pythias and is a loyal follower of the teachings and purposes of these societies. During the World war he took an active part in furthering all war interests and drives and acted as chairman of the undertakers' group in pro- moting the sale of Liberty bonds and in raising funds along other lines. His political endorsement is given to the republican party and in 1916 he was elected to the office of alderman from the twenty-second ward and has twice been reelected to the position, so that he is now serving for the third term. He is chairman of the water- works committee and the public acquisition committee and is doing excellent service in these connections and in fact has been a most earnest, faithful and effective worker for the good of his ward and for the city at large, since called to office.
FRED W. RIBBE.
Fred W. Ribbe, vice president of the Gugler Lithographic Company, has been identified with this business for forty-three years, working his way steadily upward from a humble position to executive office and contributing in large measure to the substantial growth and progress of the enterprise. His life record indicates something of the opportunities which Milwaukee offers to her native citizens, and Mr. Ribbe is numbered among those who have recognized the advantages to be obtained here, equal to those which can be secured in other sections of the country. The fact that he has always remained here is also evidence of the attractiveness of Milwaukee as a place
JOHN W. RADKE
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of residence. He was born on the 8th of September, 1859, his parents being J. F. and Wilhelmina (Luban) Ribbe. The father came to Wisconsin from Berlin, Germany, in the year 1854 and engaged in merchandising in Milwaukee, remaining in this city to the time of his demise in 1901. His widow survived him for more than a decade, passing away in 1912.
Fred W. Ribbe is indebted to the public school system of the city for the educa- tional opportunities which he enjoyed and which qualified him for life's practical and responsible duties. Starting out in the business world, he served an apprenticeship to the lithographic and engraving trade in 1875 with the Siefert-Gugler Company and after completing a four years' term of indenture he joined the Gugler Lithographic Company, with which he has since continued save for a period of two years, which he spent in Buffalo, New York. With bis return to Milwaukee he again became associated with the Gugler Lithographie Company and winning various promotions from time to time was eventually made superintendent in the year 1912. Eight years later he was elected to executive office, being made vice president of the company in 1920. The success of bis life is attributable in large part to the fact that he has always continued in the line in which he embarked as a young tradesman, gaining thorough knowledge of every phase of the business and developing a skill and ability which could not hope to be obtained when an individual dissipates his energies over a broad field. There is no phase of lithography with which Mr. Ribbe is not thoroughly familiar, and he is therefore able to wisely direct the efforts of those in his employ.
In 1888, when in Buffalo, New York, Mr. Ribbe was united in marriage to Miss Louise Kuhm, a daughter of Jacob F. Kuhm, who come to America about 1840 and conducted an extensive brewing business at Buffalo. Mr. and Mrs. Ribbe are parents of three children: Roland, who married Miss Mildred Johnson; Edna, now the wife of Albert Pietsch of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin; and Alma, now the wife of Henry Mueller of Milwaukee.
Mr. Ribbe is a member of the Turnverein but has never become actively associated with clubs or fraternities. He votes with the republican party and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but has never sought nor desired office. His business activities have claimed the major part of his time and attention, and his thoroughness and persistency of purpose have constituted the foundation upon which he has built the superstructure of his success.
FRANK N. FERGUSON.
Frank N. Ferguson, cashier of the First National Bank of Wauwatosa, has been a lifelong resident of Wisconsin and has gained a place among the representative and wideawake young business men of the state. He was born in Waukesha, April 8, 1891, and is a son of Theodore J. and Emma (Newman) Ferguson. He pursued his educa- tion in the schools of Wauwatosa following the removal of his family to this place and when his textbooks were put aside he went to work with his father in the nursery business. In January, 1919, he entered the First National Bank as a clerk and winning promotion was at length elected assistant cashier, while in January, 1921, he was elected to the cashiership. It is a very responsible position for a young man of his years, for he is one of the youngest bank cashiers of the country. However, he has made a close and thorough study of the banking business and manifests sound judgment and keen sagacity in the conduct of the affairs of the institution that come under his control.
On the 19th of June, 1915, Mr. Ferguson was married to Miss Gladys Paull of Wauwatosa, and they have become parents of two sons, Donald S. and Rae G. Mr. Ferguson was identified with all the war drives and was very active in maintaining those interests which constituted the support of the soldiers in camp and field. He is a member of the Men's Club of Wauwatosa and of other organizations that are not only of a social nature but contribute to the welfare, progress and improvement of the city.
THOMAS P. FINNEGAN.
Thomas P. Finnegan, assistant secretary of the company operating under the name of Hackett, Hoff & Thiermann, Incorporated, was horn in Milwaukee, April 25, 1852. His father, Thomas Finnegan, was a native of Cavan, Ireland, while the mother was born in Kells, Westmeath, Ireland. They came to the United States in October, 1849, settling in what was then the third ward of Milwaukee, at the corner of Oneida street and Junean place. The father was a landscape gardener and devoted his life to that business. He was permitted to enjoy his new home, however, for only a brief
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period, as he passed away on the 25th of August, 1862. His widow long survived and died on the 16th of August, 1895. In their family were four sons and four daughters. Thomas P. Finnegan, who was the fifth in order of birth, pursued his education in the public schools of Milwaukee to the age of eleven years, when in 1863 he secured work as a cash hoy in the retail dry goods house owned hy J. L. Davis. He was not long in recognizing the fact that industry and perseverance constitute the highway to success. He worked through the succeeding sixteen years in various positions and with various firms, each change in his business connections marking a forward step as the result of his faithfulness, his thoroughness and his diligence. On the 1st of March, 1879, he was appointed assistant clerk in the municipal court, a position which he filled until January 1, 1882, when he became deputy clerk under Julius Meiwinkel, who was then clerk of the court. Mr. Finnegan continued to occupy the position until 1890, and when Frank E. Wohler was elected clerk he was continued in the position of deputy, serving for four years under Mr. Wohler. On the 1st of May, 1894, he be- came associated with the firm of Hackett & Hoff as manager of their safety deposit department and in charge of their books. He has been with this firm continuously since and upon the incorporation of the business in September, 1917, under the style of Hackett, Hoff & Thiermann, Incorporated, Mr. Finnegan was made assistant secre- tary, an office which he has since filled.
On the 1st of May, 1879, Mr. Finnegan was married in Milwaukee to Miss Margaret T. Hackett, who passed away April 24, 1908. Their children are: Margaret Theresa; Gertrude, who since 1903 has heen a Sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Mary Agnes, who is a graduate registered nurse of St. Mary's Hospital of the class of 1910 and is now with the city board of health in connection with the school depart- ment; Agnes, who died at the age of twenty-two months; Thomas A., a member of the Jesuit Order, who is pursuing his theological course in the St. Louis University at St. Louis, Missouri, and will be ordained to the priesthood in 1923; Bellina A., who is a clerk of the board of public works; Francis Anthony, who was ordained a secular priest in May, 1921, and is now assistant to Father Charles Olsen in St. Mary's church at Janesville, Wisconsin; Theresa; and Genevieve, who is a director of the kinder- garten at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
In politics Mr. Finnegan has always maintained an independent course, voting according to the dictates of his judgment rather than of party ties. He has been very prominent in the upbuilding of the Catholic church and was one of the organizers and for three years secretary of the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin, formerly known as the Catholic Knights of America. He was secretary of St. John's Cathedral congregation from 1883 until 1886, when he became a member of Holy Rosary parish and was elected secretary thereof, while subsequently he was chosen treasurer and so served until 1920. He was likewise a member of St. John's Cathedral choir for nine years and has been a member of the Holy Rosary choir for twenty-one years. He is very fond of music and of reading, turning to these for rest and recreation, and in years past has devoted much time to church work, his labors and influence in this connection being marked and vital.
ISAIAH BOORSE.
Isaiah Boorse, a self-made man whose life was crowned with success as the result of his thoroughness, persistency of purpose and undaunted enterprise, was born in Pennsylvania in 1855 and spent much of his life in Milwaukee, where he passed away on the 2d of January, 1915. For more than two decades he had been a director and the superintendent of the National Straw Works, the largest hat manufacturing enter- prise in the city. His parents were Daniel and Rachel (Rasor) Boorse, who came to Milwaukee in the year 1855. The father was a stock dealer, buying and selling horses, cattle, sheep and hogs for many years, developing a business of substantial proportions along that line. The family of Daniel Boorse numbered six children, three sons and three daughters: Mary, now deceased; Emma, the wife of I. V. Borndt; J. R., who is residing in Colorado; Henry, Isaiah and Clara, all of whom have passed away.
Isaiah Boorse obtained his education in the public schools and in the Spencerian Business College of this city, after which he initiated his business career hy entering the employ of the Slocum Hat Company, with which firm he remained until it was dissolved. After the affairs of the Slocum Hat Company were closed, Mr. Boorse to- gether with the majority of the stockholders in the old firm organized the National Straw Works, of which he was given full charge, becoming manager and one of the heavy stockholders in the plant. As the years passed this enterprise developed into the largest hat factory in the city of Milwaukee. For twenty years he remained active in the conduct and management of the business and his lahors found tangible expres- sion in the continued growth and success of the enterprise. which became one of the important productive . industries and manufacturing interests of the city.
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