USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Milwaukee > History of Milwaukee, city and county, Volume II > Part 73
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the eldest son, whose birth occurred near Whitewater, in Walworth county. attended the public schools of Sandusky and John S. Kaney continued his education in the high schools at Sextonville, Richland county, where he was graduated with the class of 1891.
His youthful experiences were those of the home farm and he early took his place at the plow, assisting in the work of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. He was ambitious, however, to direct his efforts along intellectual lines and largely through his own resources he was ahle to complete a course in the Wisconsin State Normal School in Milwaukee, being numhered among its alumni of 1896. In the meantime he had formed the purpose of becoming a member of the bar and with this end in view entered the law offices of Sheridan & Walliger of Milwaukee, who directed his readings for a time, while later he was a law student in the office of Bohmrich & Maher. He likewise attended the Milwaukee Law School, which has since become a part of the Marquette University and from which he received the degree of Bachelor of Laws in June, 1908, in recognition of the work which he had done in the Milwaukee Law School. In April, 1900, he successfully passed the required exami- nation for the state board and was admitted to the bar on the 19th of May of that year.
Advancement at the bar is proverbially slow, yet Mr. Kaney from the first made steady progress and has long since reached a place in the front rank of the leading lawyers of the city. For a little more than a year he practiced with Charles A. Cryderman, under the firm style of Cryderman & Kaney, but since that time has main- tained an individual practice and has long heen accorded a very liberal clientage that has connected him with much of the important litigations heard in the courts of the district. In the early part of his professional career he served as assistant city attorney for four years, under John T. Kelly and through the intervening period to the present he has engaged in law practice, his ability being manifest on many occasions in the masterful manner in which he has presented his cause before the courts.
On the 28th of November, 1906, Mr. Kaney was married to Miss Anastasia Ryan of Richland county, Wisconsin, who was born in Henrietta, Richland county, and is a daughter of Michael and Bridget (Farrell) Ryan, natives of County Wexford, Ireland, both now deceased. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Kaney are as follows: John S., who is attending the Marquette University high school; Rose B., a student in the Lady of Mercy Academy of Milwaukee; Mary C. and Anastasia, who are attending the St. Patrick's parochial school; Eileen and Alice J., who are not yet of school age. The parents are consistent followers of the teachings of the Catholic church and have membership in St. Patrick's parish. Mr. Kaney belongs to the Catholic Order of Foresters, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Royal Order of Moose, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Fraternal Reserve Association. He likewise helongs to the Milwaukee Zoological Society and also to the City Club. He has served on the board of trustees of the Milwaukee Public Museum and was visiting member of the hoard of the Wisconsin State Normal School at Oshkosh for 1912-13. He had previously held a similar position in connection with the State Normal School at Platteville in 1905-6 and with that at La Crosse in 1908-9.
Mr. Kaney has always been a progressive citizen, where politics are involved. In April, 1912, he was elected a member of the Milwaukee hoard of aldermen, representing the fifth ward, and at the expiration of his term was reelected to that office. He took a helpful part in bringing about various needed reforms and improvements in municipal government, served as chairman of the committee on taxes, was a member of the committee on railroads and also served on the committee on printing and engrossed ordinances. In 1903-4 he filled the office of justice of the peace for the fifth district of Milwaukee and in 1918 he was elected to represent the fifth district in the general assembly, being the only man who did not file nomination papers, his name being written in. He was elected on the republican ticket. During the World war Mr. Kaney acted as chairman of the draft board of the fifth district of Milwaukee and was a member of the Loyalty Legion, taking part in all of the war drives and in every phase of war work that tended to produce the needed financial support and to uphold the cause of the troops in camp and overseas. His aid and influence are ever given on the side of public progress and improvement. His ideals are high and his service has indicated an advance patriotism and love of country.
GEORGE KOCH.
In the recent death of George Koch, Milwaukee lost a business man and citizen of high worth. He was the founder of the West Side Bank of Milwaukee, situated at Third and Chestnut streets and organized in 1893. At the time of his demise he was serving as its vice president and had made the institution one of the strong and solid concerns of the kind in the city.
GEORGE KOCH
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Mr. Koch was born in Milwaukee in the year 1863 and spent his entire life in this city. He was for several years employed by the William Frankfurth Hardware Com- pany and later entered the employ of the Manufacturers Bank when it was located in the old Newhall building. Later he became engaged in the grain, feed and commission business. Afterward a branch of the Merchants & Exchange Bank was established in the block at Third and Chestnut streets, now used by the West Side Bank, and with the new institution Mr. Koch became associated. On July 1, 1894, it was reorganized as a state bank and called the West Side Bank, Mr. Koch being largely instrumental in founding it. He became cashier at its organization and remained a most active factor in its control and management to the time of his demise, which occurred March 7, 1922.
The bank was established with a paid up capital of one hundred thousand dollars, which was increased to a capital of four hundred thousand dollars, with surplus and undivided profits of four hundred and sixty-three thousand, four hundred and ninety- four dollars and deposits amounting to approximately three million dollars. This statement speaks for the soundness of the management and the success of the enter- prise. The following officers were chosen: Adam Gettelman, president; George Koch, vice president: Charles J. Kuhnmuench, cashier; Herbert Feerick, assistant cashier; while the directors in addition to the officers were Adam Gettelman, Otto J. Schoen- leber, V. J. Schoenecker, Jr., Walter A. Zinn, Victor Schlitz, John Schwalbach and George Koch. The same officers and directors have been associated with the bank since its organization, this being an unusual record in banking circles and showing how harmonious are the interests represented. Moreover, these gentlemen are all natives not only of Wisconsin but of Milwaukee, interested in the welfare of the city and ready at all times to cooperate in anything that will contribute to Milwaukee's upbuilding. In the bank management they most carefully safeguard the interests of their de- nositors, at all times tempering progressiveness by a safe conservatism. Mr. Koch, like his associates, was keenly interested in all public affairs and matters of general con- cern and his influence was ever on the side of progress and improvement. To the employes of the West Side Bank, Mr. Koch was known as the man with the sunshiny disposition. One of his associates said: "He was never severe or harsh but was an excellent executive. He believed that kindness, not cruelty, accomplished things."
On the 18th of February, 1896, Mr. Koch was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Millenhach of Detroit, who survives him. He was a prominent member of the West Side Turners and he also had membership in the Wisconsin Club and in the Calumet Club. He enjoyed in large measure the companionship of his associates in these organizations and by all was held in the highest esteem, the sterling worth of his character gaining him the warm regard of those with whom he came in contact.
ROLAND B. ROEHR.
Roland B. Roehr, vice president and secretary of the Wisconsin Mutual Liability Company and junior member of the firm of Piepenbrink & Roehr, is classed among the representative business men of Milwaukee. He was born in the city where he now resides, on the 14th of January, 1886, a son of Julius E. and Emma ( Krueder) Roehr, both of whom are living. The father was born in Brooklyn, New York, and came to Milwaukee as a young man, shortly afterward getting married. He opened law offices and soon built up an extensive and lucrative clientele. Mr. Roehr is still active in legal circles in Milwaukee, where he is regarded as a representative citizen, The paternal grandfather. of Roland B. Roehr, Edward Roehr, was born in Germany as was his maternal grandfather, John C. Kreuder, and both came to this country as young men. Grandfather Kreuder located in Milwaukee, where the birth of our subject's mother occurred, and there he engaged in the tanning business until his demise. In the acquirement of an education Roland B. Roehr attended the public schools of Milwaukee and after graduating from the South Division high school with the class of 1904, he enrolled as a student in the University of Wisconsin. While attending that institution he took a prominent part in campus affairs and was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, one of the best organizations of the university. He was graduated in 1908 with the B. A. degree and made his start in the commercial world as a clerk for the Bradicy & Metcalf Company. For a few months he remained active in that connection and then resigned his position to become a solicitor for the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, in whose service he remained for about one year. For the following three years he was general insurance solicitor for Chris Schroeder & Sons Company and subsequently, in the fall of 1912, he became associated with E. A. Piepenbrink. The firm was at that time doing business under the name of W. J. & E. A. Piepenbrink but in two or three months the senior member withdrew and the firm became Piepenbrink & Roehr. In February, 1913, the Wisconsin Mutual Liability Company was organized and Mr. Roehr became vice president and secretary. Vol II 45
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This company underwrites two lines of insurance, workmen's compensation and group accident and health insurance, and does business only throughout Wisconsin.
Since age conferred upon Mr. Roehr the right of franchise he has been a stanch supporter of the republican party but has never taken an active part in its affairs. His religious faith is that of the Lutheran church and he attends the Lake Park English Lutheran church. Fraternally he is identified with Milwaukee Lodge of the Elks, to Schiller Lodge of the Knights of Pythias, at Milwaukee, and he is well known in club circles as a member of the Milwaukee Athletic Club and the West Side Tennis Club. For three years he was president of the Milwaukee Tennis Association. Mr. Roehr is very fond of music, having inherited the love from his father, who was a director of musical societies and choruses in Milwaukee and who in his college days took a prominent part in the musical circles of the campus. A sister of Mr. Roehr's, Mrs. Anthony Olinger of Waukesha, is an accomplished pianist and has often played in public. She was, previous to her marriage, a member of the faculty of the Wis- consin Conservatory of Music. Another sister, Mrs. Robert H. Austin, is a well known singer in Milwaukee and has often appeared in concerts. Although the greater portion of his time is devoted to his business interests Mr. Roehr is a tennis enthusiast and finds recreation in following that sport. The many years of his connection with the commercial interests of the city have established him as a representative and thor- oughly reliable business man and an analyzation of his career shows that his success has been the direct outcome of his energy, determination and capability.
WILLIAM H. MORRIS.
William H. Morris, lawyer, who at the time of his death was connected with the legal department of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, was born in Williamsburg, New York, September 26, 1848, and was a son of Jabez and Maria (Hillman) Morris, who were natives of England, whence they came to America, settling in the Empire state. There their son, William H. Morris, was born and when he was about ten years of age his parents took him back to England, where he acquired his early education, pursuing his studies in that country to the age of nineteen years, when with his parents and one sister he returned to the United States, the family home being established in Milwaukee. Here the father and mother spent their remaining days. The former was an expert mechanical engineer and was one of the engineers at the Soldiers Home at an early period.
Wiliam H. Morris supplemented his general education by taking up the study of law under Benjamin K. Miller, Sr., and following his admission to the bar in October, 1872, he was associated with Miller, Noyes & Miller for a brief period. He then severed his connection with that firm and joined the late Rudolph Nunnemacher in the banking business, continuing with him for a few years. Later he returned to the firm of Miller, Noyes & Miller and was associated with them until 1898, when he joined the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company in the legal department, continuing in that department to the time of his demise, which occurred on the 1st of February, 1912. Both as a banker and lawyer he displayed superior ability and his enterprise, thoroughness and diligence brought him prominently to the front.
On the 15th of June, 1898, Mr. Morris was united in marriage to Mrs. Ellen Eliza- beth (Morris) Ward, the widow of the Rev. Edward Robertson Ward, who was a pioneer clergyman of Milwaukee. Her parents were Manoah and Maria (Sidley) Morris, the latter a daughter of Dr. Kyrle A. Sidley, who was a pioneer physician of this city. Mr. Morris was a contractor and builder and erected the Soldiers Home at Milwaukee and many other large and prominent buildings here. His last work was the annex to the Auditorium Hotel of Chicago, now known as the Congress Hotel, one of the largest and finest hostelries of the city. Mrs. Morris had three chil- dren by her first marriage, of whom one died in infancy. The others are: Edward Neville Ward, who married Miss Anna Cate, a granddaughter of Judge Cate of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and they have two children, Edward Neville and Lynn Boyd, who are with their parents in Toronto, Canada; and James Jackson Ward who is sales commissioner of Detroit.
In early life Mr. Morris was a stanch democrat but in more recent years gave stalwart support to the republican party. He was a thirty-third degree Mason and had the distinction of having been elected to preside over nearly all of the subordinate bodies in Masonry. He was a past master of Kilbourn Lodge; a past high priest of Wisconsin Chapter, R. A. M .; a past commander of Wisconsin Commandery, K. T .; a past master of Wisconsin Lodge of Perfection; and in the Scottish Rite he attained to the thirty-second degree, while the honorary thirty-third degree was conferred upon him in recognition of his splendid service for the order. He was also a past potentate of Tripoli Temple of the Mystic Shrine and through his Masonic and other connections was most widely known throughout the state. He belonged to St. James Episcopal
WILLIAM H. MORRIS
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church and his entire life was guided by high and honorable principles that found their root in a recognition of his obligations to mankind and his duties to his Maker. A practical and helpful Christianity found expression in his entire career and all who knew him hold his memory dear.
WILLIAM J. PAETOW.
William J. Paetow, a lifelong resident of Milwaukee, and for seventeen years con- nected with the C. W. Fischer Furniture Company, holds high position in the com- mercial circles of the city, for he is the vice president of the company and manager of its rug and drapery department. The constant development of his powers has won him advancement from time to time since he made his initial step in the business world and there is no resident of Milwaukee who has more intimate and thorough knowledge of rugs and draperies than does Mr. Paetow. He was born July 25, 1874, and is a son of Christian Paetow, a native of Germany, who came to the United States when abont thirty-two years of age. He at once made his way to Milwaukee and his father, John Paetow, also spent his last years in this city. The death of Christian Paetow occurred in 1914, while his wife passed away in 1916. She bore the maiden name of Dorothea Darling and was also a native of Germany, whence she came alone to Milwaukee about 1870.
William J. Paetow acquired his education in the parochial and the public schools of Milwaukee and his first position was with Goldsmith & Company, dealers in carpets and draperies. He remained with the house for fifteen years, winning advancement as time passed on until he became foreman of the workrooms. He afterward spent a year with Everts, Krause & Rugee and in 1905 he became connected with the C. W. Fischer Furniture Company as foreman of the workrooms. About a year later he was made manager and buyer of the carpet and rug department and for the past five years he has been vice president of the company. No little of the success of the enterprise is due to him for he has built up a large trade in the department which he manages.
On the 3d of July, 1900, Mr. Paetow was married to Miss Kate Schroedel, a daughter of John Schroedel, a brewer, who was born in Germany. They have become parents of two sons: Clarence, who was born October 14, 1902; and Raymond, born April 5, 1906. Mr. Paetow gives his political allegiance to the republican party and his religious faith is indicated in his membership in the Lutheran church. He is fond of fishing and all outdoor sports and he has always been a wide reader of good books, especially those which have to do with the world's progress. He is a student of men and events and is watchful of the signs of the times. In a word, he is a broad-minded man of keen sagacity and sound judgment, holding at all times to worth-while opinions and in busi- ness he has given tangible proof of his worth in the attainment of most substantial results.
EVERETT WOODS MAECHTLE, M. D.
Dr. Everett Woods Maechtle of West Allis, who in his practice is largely engaged in industrial surgery, was born on a farm at Port Washington, Wisconsin, October 30, 1886, and is a son of Jacob Frederick and Lois Fidelia (Sizer) Maechtle, the former of German lineage, while the latter is of French and Irish descent. The parents now make their home at Cedarburg, Wisconsin. the father having retired from active business, although for many years he was engaged in farming. Both he and his wife were born at Port Washington and were members of old pioneer families there. This worthy couple became the parents of six children who are yet living.
The youthful days of Dr. Maechtle were spent in the usnal manner of the farm- bred boy who divides his time between the acquirement of a country school education and the work of the fields. He continued a pupil in the rural schools to the age of fourteen years, after which he entered the Port Washington high school and was there graduated in 1906, taking an active part in high school athletics during that period. At the age of nineteen years he went to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he became an employe of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, being connected with the paper for a year and a half. He was also a day student in Hamline College during that period, work- ing on the Press at night and attending school in the day time. He carefully saved his earnings and in 1907 had acquired a sum sufficient to enable him to take up the study of medicine, being graduated in 1911 from the medical department of the North- western University in Chicago, at which time the M. D. degree was conferred upon him. He served an interneship of a year in the Milwaukee Hospital and spent the next six months in St. Mary's Hospital at Cresco, lowa, and at Preston, Minnesota, after which he returned to his native state, settling at West Allis, where he has since
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continued in the active practice of medicine and surgery but specializes in industrial surgery. He is now serving professionally thirty different manufacturing plants at West Allis and vicinity, including the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, which has over seven thousand employes. He has been physician and surgeon to this com- pany since 1916.
On the 20th of August, 1913, Dr. Maechtle was married to Miss Velma Vinal, who was born and reared in Appleton, Wisconsin, and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. They have two children: Janet Lois, born August 7, 1914; and Everett Vinal, horn March 11, 1917. Mrs. Maechtle is descended from old American families, one of her ancestors having come to the new world on the Mayflower, while her ancestral history also presents the names of those who served for the cause of inde- pendence, so that she is now a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Dr. Maechtle is also entitled to membership with the Sons of the American Revolu- tion through the maternal line, his forbears in that connection having been early settlers of New England.
Dr. Maechtle is fond of outdoor sports, including hunting and fishing and also enjoys a game of golf. He belongs to the Blue Mound Country Club and is a member of the Wisconsin Club of Milwaukee. He has membership in the Phi Rho Sigma, a medical fraternity, and also in the Acacia fraternity. He is a Mason of high rank, having attained the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite, the Knight Templar degree in the York Rite and is also a member of the Mystic Shrine. He likewise belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, while along strictly professional lines he is connected with the Milwaukee County Medical Society, the Wisconsin State Medical Society, the Wisconsin Surgical Society, the American Medical Association, the American Association of Industrial Physicians and Surgeons, and the West Allis Physicians Association, of which he was the organizer and is the secretary and treasurer. He is thoroughly conversant with modern ideas and methods of medical and surgical practice, keeping at all times in close touch with the latest scientific researches and discoveries, and his marked skill and ahility is manifest in the responsible positions which he fills as the professional representative of many of the largest manufacturing interests of this part of the state.
ARTHUR H. ANGER.
Arthur H. Anger is the treasurer of the William Steinmeyer Company of Mil- waukee and has advanced to his present place of responsibility in the business world from a humble position, working his way steadily upward through industry, determina- tion and capability. He is not alone, however, a successful business man, for his interests have covered a wide scope, and he has been particularly prominent in con- nection with the Boy Scouts of America and with various philanthropic activities.
Mr. Anger was born in Milwaukee, September 28, 1871, and comes of German ancestry in both the paternal and maternal lines. His grandfather, Johan Friederich Anger, was born in Germany and settled in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1851. He was the father of Ernst G. Anger, who was horn in Germany, August 22, 1831, and came to the United States at the age of twenty-five years, joining his parents, who had previously crossed the Atlantic. He settled at once in Milwaukee, where later he became an accountant with Philip Best and subsequently with the Pabst Brewing Company. He was a man of sterling character who always placed his home and family above all other interests and who throughout his life not only preached but truly practiced the Golden Rule, so that he was highly respected and beloved by all who came in close contact with him. His death occurred January 20, 1903, when he had almost reached the age of seventy-two years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Christina Schmidt, was born in Germany, March 8, 1846, and they were married in Hamilton, Wisconsin. She was a daughter of Andreas Schmidt, who was born in Germany and became one of the early settlers of Wisconsin, taking up the occupation of farming at Hamilton. His daughter, Mrs. Anger, departed this life December 21, 1917.
Arthur H. Anger, after pursuing his education in the public schools and the East Side high school of Milwaukee, was employed for two years in a drug store and there learned what he could about pharmacy. In 1890 he entered the employ of William Steinmeyer, a leading grocer, in the position of office hoy and has continued with this house throughout the intervening period. The business was incorporated under the name of the William Steinmeyer Company in 1894, at which time Mr. Anger hecame one of the stockholders and later was elected a director. Since then he has been a factor in the management of the business and for some time has held the position of treasurer. He is also president of the Anger Engineering Company, which he organized in 1912 with his brothers Walter A. and Bernard F. Anger.
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