USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Milwaukee > History of Milwaukee, city and county, Volume III > Part 60
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In 1897 Mr. Muckle was married to Miss Amelia De Ceu, who has passed away. In 1912 Mr. Muckle wedded Anna L. Birr of Milwaukee. They have two sons and two daughters: David, James, Susie and Millie. David was in the service during the World war, was overseas and was in action for a year as a member of the Seventy-
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eighth Division. He was once gassed and once wounded while acting as motorcycle lider and was under fire for four months. He made a most brilliant record through his fidelity to duty and his unfaltering support of the high principles which caused the American army to enter the World war.
Mr. Muckle is a member of all the various Masonic bodies. He is a life member of Yonnondio Lodge, No. 163, A. F. & A. M., of Rochester, New York, with which he has been identified for twenty-seven years. He also belongs to Wisconsin Chapter, R. A. M .; Wisconsin Council, R. & S. M .; Wisconsin Commandery, K. T .; Wisconsin Consistory, A. A. S. R .; and to Tripoli Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is likewise a member of the City Club and of the Milwaukee Shoe & Leather Club, and his social qualities, his genial disposition and the genuine worth of his character have made for personal popularity and have established him high in public regard in his adopted city.
JAMES J. BURTON, M. D.
Dr. James J. Burton, a physician and surgeon of Milwaukee who has engaged in practice in this city for the past twelve years, with offices at the corner of Twelfth street and North avenue, is widely recognized as one of the leading and successful representatives of the profession here. His birth occurred in St. Croix county, Wisconsin, on the 18th of October, 1880, his parents being Thomas W. and Kathryn ( Hughes) Burton, both of whom were natives of Waukesha county, this state. The father is deceased. The mother still survives and now makes her home in Chicago. Their family numbered six children, three sons and three daughters.
James J. Burton, the second in order of hirth, was reared in Waukesha after the age of seven years and there acquired his early education. His more advanced literary training was received in Marquette University of Milwaukee, which con- ferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1906, and he then matricu- lated in St. Louis University for the study of medicine but after one year spent in that institution he entered the medical department of Marquette University, in which he completed the remaining three years of his professional course, receiv- ing the degree of M. D. in 1910. For one year he served as interne in the Lake- side Hospital and then took up the private practice of medicine in Milwaukee, where he has followed his profession through the past twelve years. He specializes in obstetrics and is accorded an extensive practice that well attests his pronounced skill in his chosen field. He pursued postgraduate work in J. B. De Lee's Lying- In Hospital of Chicago in 1909 and has kept in close touch with the advanced thought of the profession through his membership in the Milwaukee County Med- ical Society, the Wisconsin State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.
On the 16th of July, 1913, Dr. Burton was united in marriage to Miss Olivia M. Schowalter, a native of Milwaukee and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Schowalter, both of whom were also born in this city. The father, long a well known and prosperous business man here, is deceased. Dr. and Mrs. Burton have become parents of a son, James Charles Burton, who was born June 12, 1918. lf the Doctor may be said to have a hobby, it is his home, for there he finds his great- est happiness. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church and fraternally he is identified with the Catholic Order of Foresters and the Benevo- lent Protective Order of Elks. The period of his residence in Milwaukee, as a student and physician, covers seventeen years and at all times he has conformed his practice to the highest professional ethics. thus winning the respect and con- fidence of his professional colleagues and contemporaries.
ROBERT C. ZANNOTH.
Robert C. Zannoth, president of the Roberts Brass Company of Milwaukee, engaged in the manufacture of heating and plumbing supplies and automobile accessories, came to this city in 1884, when a youth of about seventeen years, his hirth having occurred in Germany on the 2d of October, 1867, his parents being Frederick and Charlotte (Krause) Zannoth. He obtained his early education in the schools of his native coun- try and in 1884 crossed the Atlantic to the new world, making his way to Milwaukee, where he afterward supplemented his early educational training hy study in a private school. He was a toolmaker by trade, having learned the business when in Germany. and from the beginning of his residence in Milwaukee he has been identified with the machinist's trade. Steadily he has worked his way upward in this connection as his power and capability have increased and in 1914 he established a machine shop on his
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DR. JAMES J. BURTON
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own account at No. 249 Lake street. It was a most humble beginning, his original place of business being but twelve by twenty feet. As time passed on, however, his trade grew and eventually the business was incorporated under the name of the Roberts Brass Company. In 1915 Mr. Zannoth purchased ground at Nos. 178 to 182 Lincoln avenue and in 1920 removed to this site after erecting a substantial two-story building, eighty-five by ninety feet, with a foundry forty-five by one hundred and ten feet. The company is engaged in the manufacture of heating and plumbing supplies and automo. bile accessories, and something of the continued growth of its patronage is shown in the fact that it now employs eighty-five people. Mr. Zannoth started the business with a borrowed capital of four hundred dollars and today the business reaches between two hundred and fifty and three hundred dollars daily, or about nine thousand dollars per month. High standards have always been maintained in the quality of the output and the progressive business methods of the house and the thoroughly reliable deal- ings have been the salient features in the attainment of the present-day prosperity.
In 1896 Mr. Zannoth was married to Miss Anna Smith, a daughter of John Smith, and they have two living children, Loretta and Frank. Mr. Zannoth belongs to the Association of Commerce, which indicates his position upon questions vital to the welfare and progress of the community, and his attitude in relation to individual responsibility is shown in the fact that he is a consistent member of the Masonic fraternity.
FRED H. STRAUSS, M. D.
Dr. Fred H. Strauss, urologist, whose highly developed skill in the field of his specialty has brought him an extensive practice was born October 29, 1872, in the city which is still his home, his parents being Mr. and Mrs. August H. Strauss, both of whom are deceased. Their family numbered nine children, five sons and four daughters, one of the sons being Dr. Oscar S. Strauss, who has his office in the Wells building in Milwaukee.
Dr. F. H. Strauss entered upon the study of medicine and was graduated from the Marquette Medical College in 1897. He has since taken postgraduate work in the New York Postgraduate School and has practiced continuously in Milwaukee for a quarter of a century. While he is well versed concerning the broad field of medical practice, he nevertheless specializes in urological cases and has been notably successful in their treatment.
On the 2d of January, 1905, Dr. Strauss was married to Miss Bertha Hawes and they have a daughter, Elizabeth Charlotte, who was born in November, 1909. Dr. Strauss finds his greatest happiness at his own fireside, yet at the same time is truly appreciative of warm friendships, and has many. He enjoys billiards, bowling and outdoor sports and fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, while his religious belief is that of the Lutheran church. In professional con- nections his membership extends to the Milwaukee County Medical Society, the Wis- consin State Medical Society and the American Medical Association and these con- stitute an avenue whereby he keeps in touch with the trend of modern professional thought and investigation.
HON. GUSTAVE G. GEHRZ.
Hon. Gustave G. Gehrz, judge of Branch No. 5 of the circuit court of Milwaukee county, was elected to the bench on the 1st of April, 1919, to fill out an unexpired term and has since been reelected for the full term, so that his service as judge will continue until the 1st of January, 1927. Ile holds to high standards of judicial place and power and at all times his decisions are characterized by a thorough grasp of the law, thorough understanding of the equity of a case and a most earnest desire to maintain justice and right.
Judge Gehrz was born in the city of Milwaukee, November 14, 1875, a son of John F. and Anna (Rahn) Gehrz, who were natives of Germany and came to Milwaukee in 1870. The father turned his attention to merchandising here and became well known in that connection.
Gustave G. Gehrz, reared and educated in Milwaukee, completed the work of the public schools up to and including the eighth grade. At a later period, desirous of pre- paring for the bar, he began reading law in the office of the late John C. Ludwig and also with the firm of Austin & Fehr. On the twenty-first anniversary of his birth- November 14, 1896-he was admitted to practice. He continued in the office of Austin & Fehr as an employe for about four years and on the 1st of January, 1900, was ad- mitted to a partnership under the firm style of Austin. Fehr & Gehrz, remaining with
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the firm during the period of his active practice in the courts. On the 1st of April, 1919, he was elected circuit court judge to fill out the unexpired term of the late Judge W. J. Turner and at the next regular election, on the 6th of April, 1920, was elected for the full term, so that he will continue as the incumbent on the bench until the 1st of January, 1927. Judge Gehrz has never sought office of any kind but was asked to make the race for this position and, finally consenting, was elected by a majority of seven thousand. He is a clean-cut lawyer and conscientious judge, recognizing fully the responsibilities that devolve upon the man who occupies the bench in his efforts to restore the normal conditions of society through the maintenance of law and order.
On the 14th of June, 1914, Judge Gehrz was married to Miss Paula Frey, daughter of Frank J. Frey, secretary and treasurer of the Geuder, Paeschke & Frey Company of Milwaukee. The two children of this marriage are: Robert G. and Jane F. Judge Gehrz belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan. He is a charter member and was one of the first board of directors of the Marquette University Alumni Association. He is likewise an Elk and an Eagle and has membership in the Milwaukee Athletic Club, the Wisconsin Club and the Old Settlers' Club, while along strictly professional lines he is identified with the Milwaukee, Wis- consin State and American Bar Associations. Whether in professional or fraternal relations he is held in high esteem, the sterling worth of his character heing attested by all who know aught of his career.
AUGUST NICHOLAS RITZ.
An energetic business man, whose success in life has been on a parity with his well directed endeavors, is August Nicholas Ritz, president of the Diamond Ink Company, one of Milwaukee's leading business enterprises. His birth occurred in Rossbach, llessen, Germany, on the 6th of December, 1853. He is descended from a long line of landholders in that country, records still being in existence tracing the family back for several hundred years. The grandfather of August Nicholas Ritz was John Ritz and he owned farm lands in Germany throughout his life. The father of our subject was John Caspar Ritz, who was born in 1806 and passed away in 1893. He was a cabinetmaker and came with his family to Rochester, New York, in 1863. He won substantial success in his business undertakings and resided in Rochester until his demise. John Caspar Ritz was a man of good edu- cation and highly intellectual and cultured and was in early life an army officer, being a strict disciplinarian. His wife was before her marriage Elizabeth Mihm and her death occurred in 1861. She was likewise a native of Hessen, where her marriage took place.
In the acquirement of an education August Nicholas Ritz attended the paro- chial and public schools of Rochester. New York. Upon the completion of his pre- liminary education he studied chemistry for five years, at the end of which time, together with Charles Simonds, he purchased a drug store, which he conducted under the name of Ritz & Simonds. In 1874 he left Rochester, heeding the advice of Horace Greeley to "Go west, young man", and after a short time spent in Chi- cago located in Milwaukee in October of the same year. He then entered the wholesale drug business, in which he remained until 1886, when having secured an interest in the Diamond Ink Company, he retired from the drug trade to devote his undivided attention to the latter business. The Diamond Ink Company was established in 1875, and though it had attained a certain success, it was very much on the decline when Mr. Ritz became sole owner and manager. As the result of his capable management the concern was incorporated in 1906 under the laws of Wisconsin and Mr. Ritz became president, an office he has held since that time. The market for Diamond inks covers the world and has but a few real competitors. The company supplies ink in all quantities from bottles of a quarter of an ounce size to barrels. The most popular sizes are the two ounce and quart bottles, which are sold by the millions. When Mr. Ritz took over the business it was his desire to make it one of the leading concerns in the country and he not only set about to give the public the best ink possible but from his own formula made the well known white stationers' paste, first put out as Diamond cream mucilage hut now known as Diamond cream paste. The paste is also put up in all sizes up to gallon jars and is used all over the world. The Diamond Ink Company was the first to place the square ink bottle, which has become so popular, on the market, and this progressive step practically revolutionized the ink business of the world. In 1887 they put out the first catalogue of its kind ever issued in book form in this country and their forty-seventh annual catalogue was issued in January, 1922. When first put out the catalogue was only a small eight-page booklet but it is now a good-sized illustrated catalogue.
On the 23d of April, 1876, Mr. Ritz was united in marriage to Miss Flora Isabel
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AUGUST N. RITZ
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Bosley, a daughter of Alonzo Bosley, a builder, contractor and house mover of Rochester, New York, in which city Mrs. Ritz was born. Her family had been resi- dents of that state for many years, the first member of the Bosley family having located there soon after coming from England about 1739. Her grandfather was John Green Bosley, one of the prominent and well known men of the community. Her grandmother was Esther Miner, a direct descendant of John Hollister, who emigrated from England in 1642. One of the John Hollisters was a petty officer in Washington's army during the Revolutionary war. Mrs. Ritz is therefore en- titled to membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution and in the local chapter takes an active part. To Mr. and Mrs. Ritz four children have been born: Agatha Isabel is the widow of Edward J. Walker of Cleveland, Ohio, whose demise occurred in 1915. She has two children, Isabel and Edward A .; Robert Richard Ritz is secretary and treasurer of the Diamond Ink Company. He received his education in the Milwaukee schools and after graduating from the East Side high school became a student in Professor Sommer's school of chemistry and in due time, completing his education, entered his father's business. He married Frances Folsom Bremington of Milwaukee and they have five children: Margaret, Robert Richard, Jr., Louise, Jane and August William. His father-in-law, William Brem- ington, was for many years connected with the Milwaukee fire department; the third member of the Ritz family is Flora Louise, now the wife of Eugene R. Schmidt, superintendent of the Diamond Ink Company and they have five children: Robert, Ralph, Eugene, Loraine and Richard; Frances Mary, the youngest member of the Ritz family, is the wife of Paul Pope Stothart. He was athletic instructor in the State Normal School and later in the Boys' Technical high school until he became production manager of the Diamond Ink Company. Mr. Stothart enlisted for serv- ice during the World war hut did not get across to France.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Ritz has followed an independent course in politics, voting for the man without regard for party prin- ciples. Both he and his wife are communicants of the Holy Rosary Catholic church and fraternally he is a Knight of Columbus. He has won the fourth degree in that order and was grand knight in 1910. Mr. Ritz has been president of Columbus Institute, in the promotion of which he took a very active part, and is now a mem- ber of the board of directors. He is also a member of the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin, of which he is a past branch president, and he likewise belongs to the Old Settlers' Club and acts as a director of the Washington Park Zoological Society. His membership connections also include the National Association of Stationers & Manufacturers and the Credit Men's Association, the Milwaukee Athletic Club and the Association of Commerce. In every undertaking with which he has been con- nected he has won substantial success, for a large share of his time has been devoted to promoting its interests. In 1880 he was one of the organizers of the Wisconsin Pharmaceutical Association and was the sixteenth to sign the roster. Mr. Ritz is a lover of outdoor life and has been a great hunter. He has hunted game in the Dakotas and Iowa and throughout the west in general. He is also a bowler of ability and his tads are gardening and motoring. A man of much intellect, he is fond of all good literature and his home at 548 Frederick avenue boasts of a library of technical and historical works. Mrs. Ritz is quite musical hut confines her talents to the family circle. During the World war they were active in all kinds of war work and gave generously of their time and money for furthering the interests of the government. Mr. Ritz has contributed much to the growth and development of Milwaukee and is one of the most successful and popular business men of the city.
FRANK E. COX, M. D., D. O.
Dr. Frank E. Cox has been thoroughly trained both in osteopathy and in the science of medicine and in his practice employs both branches of healing, utilizing the one to round out and supplement the other, so that his labors are attended with excellent results. Milwaukee numbers him among her native sons, his birth having here occurred December 22, 1882. His father, Joseph Lano Cox, was a contractor in roofing and sheet metal work in his active life and died in Milwaukee February 8, 1922, at the advanced age of eighty years. He was a Civil war veteran. In young manhood he married Elizabeth Jane Bowes, who has now reached the age of seventy- six. Both are natives of England but came to the United States with their respective parents when quite young and were married in Manitowoc, coming to Milwaukee soon after, more than a half century ago, and were among the most highly respected old couples of the city.
Dr. Cox obtained his early education in the Milwaukee public schools and while still in his teens pursued a business course. For several years thereafter he was
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identified with the real estate and insurance business as an employe in the office of his uncle, John D. Bowes, well known in Milwaukee. Subsequently he was in the employ of the Milwaukee Gas Light Company for two years hut in the meantime had determined to enter upon a professional career and took up the study of medicine. He pursued a preparatory course in the Milwaukee Medical College and later he spent a year in law study, as he was not yet sure whether he wished to become a physician or a lawyer. Medicine, however, finally won and he continued his studies in the Milwaukee Medical College and its successor, the medical department of Marquette University, until graduated with the M. D. degree in 1910. Not yet satisfied with the preparation that he had made for practice, he took a course in the Still College of Osteopathy at Des Moines and was there graduated with the D. O. degree in 1911. Since that time he has practiced in Milwaukee, using both methods of healing, and thus he is producing splendid results.
In June, 1912, Dr. Cox was married to Miss Myrtle Beatrice De Baufer, who was born in lowa but was reared in Milwaukee and was employed in an office in the city prior to her marriage. Dr. Cox is a Knights Templar Mason and also a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He finds recreation and enjoyment in music and is one of the popular vocalists of the city. He sings first tenor in the Lyric Glee Club, to which he has belonged for several years, and his musical ability adds much to the pleasure of many social occasions.
T. J. JONES.
T. J. Jones, superintendent of schools in West Allis, was born in Carnarvon, Wales, within sight of Carnarvon Castle, on the 17th of June, 1867, his parents being Joseph T. and Jane (Jones) Jones, hoth of whom were natives of Wales. The father, a minister of the Baptist church, came to the United States about 1873, settling first in Utica, New York, while subsequently he removed to Shenandoah and then to Akron, Ohio. His last pastorate was at Dodgeville, Wisconsin, and he departed this life in 1887. He was a graduate of Bristol College of England and a man of scholarly attainments who concentrated his entire attention upon the duties of his holy calling.
T. J. Jones began his education in the public schools of his native country but was only seven years of age when brought to the new world and afterward continued his education in the public schools of Dodgeville, Wisconsin, and in the State Normal School at Platteville, Wisconsin, in which he completed his prepara- tory course in 1891. He afterward entered the University of Wisconsin at Madi- son and was graduated in 1896, while later he pursued a postgraduate course in Harvard University. His life has been devoted to educational work and always his course has been characterized by the highest ideals of the profession. He has been a teacher in the grade schools of Dodgeville and supervising principal at Linden, Wisconsin. He also served as county superintendent of schools in Jowa county, Wisconsin, and was supervising principal at Port Washington, while later he was called to the superintendency of schools at Elkhorn, Wisconsin, there re- maining for seven years. In 1907 he came to West Allis, where he has continued as superintendent through the intervening period of more than fourteen years. When he took up his work here there were three small school buildings and fifteen teachers. The school system of the city has developed until now there are one hundred and thirty teachers, occupying nine beautiful school buildings, while a tenth is in course of construction. The West Allis high school building is con- sidered one of the finest in the middle west and when finished will have cost about one million dollars, including huilding and equipment. It is supplied with the latest facilities for teaching the industrial and domestic arts and also for commer- cial training and has one of the best equipped gymnasiums in the state, while as an adjunct thereto are shower baths and a fine swimming tank. The gymnasium is used every night of the week for social center purposes. The beautiful audi- torium, accommodating fifteen hundred people, is by far the finest auditorium of the city and is being constantly used for community service. In addition to the regular line of work taught in high school, the institution offers courses in metal wire work, sheet metal, machine shop, concrete and alabaster work, also courses in printing, and practically all of the school blanks and forms for the schools of the city are printed here. There is likewise a splendid commercial department maintained in the school, while for the young women, sewing, dressmaking, mil- linery and cooking courses are offered, the pupils receiving thorough instruction along these lines. A cafeteria is maintained by the students, furnishing meals to between three and four hundred pupils daily at a minimum cost. Another branch of instruction in the high school is music, hoth vocal and instrumental, and in the year 1920 four orchestras were maintained. The high school is organized on
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