USA > Wisconsin > The United States biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of eminent and self-made men, Wisconsin volume > Part 22
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OTTO ZWIETUSCH,
MILWAUKEE.
I N tracing the history of successful self-made men, nothing can interest us more than to discover the secret of their success; and while many may attribute this to the working of native genius or the favors of fortune, study and observation teach us that in the great majority of cases success is the result of continued and persevering effort, applied in the direction of one's natural tastes. This fact is fully illustrated in the life of him whose name heads this sketch. A native of Quedlinburg, Prussia, he was born on the 30th of March, 1832, and is the son of Frederick William Zwietusch and Johanna née Fielitz. His father spent eleven years in the mili- tary service, including the war of 1813-15, under the King of Prussia. Until his fourteenth year Otto attended the public schools at Magdeburg, and at that time turned his attention to mechanics, learning all the various branches of blacksmithing, mould- ing, pattern making, locksmithing, turning and finish- ing. During the years of his apprenticeship, being of a studious disposition and ambitious for the acquisition of knowledge, he spent his evenings and Sundays in the school of polytechnics, and in 1850 received from the King of Prussia the silver medal award of merit. At the age of nineteen years he left home and traveled through Germany, working in several southern cities, and in 1854 sailed for the United States. For sixteen weeks after his arrival in New York he was without a dollar in his pocket and unable to get employment. Removing to She- boygan, Wisconsin, in 1855, he was employed in the machine shops for one year, and. in 1856 settled in
Milwaukee. After following his trade for two years, having accumulated a small capital, he established the white beer brewery, a branch of business not represented in the city at that time. Beginning in a small, one-story frame building, employing one boy to assist him, his product for the first year was be- tween four and five hundred dollars, while at the same time he continued his work in the machine shop of Messrs. Menzel and Stone. Soon afterward he began the manufacture of soda water and fount- ains, and in 1869 commenced manufacturing Amer- ican champagnes. By aid of his mechanical genius he has made some valuable inventions connected with his business, among which may be mentioned the glass faucet, the first in the United States, the patent generator, double stream draught tubes, the self-regulating beer preservers, and at last the com- bined soda water apparatus, beer preserver and chem- ical fire extinguisher, the result of three years of study and experimenting. He holds twelve patents for his own inventions, all of which are applied to his immediate business.
His trade has been prosperous from the first, and has gradually grown to its present dimensions. In 1875, in place of one boy, it employed over twenty men; the small frame building had given place to extensive brick structures, while the original capital of three hundred dollars had increased to thirty thousand dollars, producing annually nearly fifty thousand dollars. The nature of his goods has been such as to meet a popular demand, while their quality has secured to him an enviable reputation.
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Politically, Mr. Zwietusch was formerly a repub- lican, casting his first presidential ballot for Fremont in 1856. In 1872 he became identified with the liberal movement, supporting Horace Greeley for the presidency, and is at the present time independ- ent in his views.
He was married in June, 1857, to Miss Louisa
Ehlert, of Hagen, Westphalia. Mr. Zwietusch is the only member of his family and the only person of this name in the United States.
He began life with no capital other than his own native abilities, and by steady application has at- tained to financial success and reached an honorable standing among his fellow-men.
GENERAL FRANCIS H. WEST,
MILWAUKEE.
F RANCIS H. WEST was born at Charlestown, New Hampshire, October 25, 1825. His father was in easy circumstances, and lived upon his estate. His paternal grandfather was a soldier in the revo- lutionary war, and was a cousin of Benjamin West, the great artist. The family were among the first settlers of Boston. The maiden name of his mother was Lydia C. Fitch. She was born on Nantucket Island, and was a lineal descendant of Peter Folgar, the first male born on that island, and who was grandfather of Benjamin Franklin. Mr. West's father was a man of strong prejudices, had a great antipathy to educational institutions, and conse- quently his son, Francis, received only a common school education, at Charlestown.
Young West, being of an adventurous spirit, left home at the age of twenty years, and came to Wis- consin. His first winter in this State was spent at the lead mines near Platteville. In the spring fol- lowing he went to Monroe, and there he entered into mercantile pursuits, dealing in general merchan- dise and lumber. His lumber trade led him to the Upper Wisconsin river, where he spent most of the three succeeding years. At that time the region of the Upper Wisconsin was a dense wilderness, where civilized man had but little penetrated. But this was not exciting enough for our adventurer.
In the year 1859 he organized a large emigrant party, which he conducted across the plains to Cali- fornia, returning by way of Panama and New York. During the spring of 1860 he organized a second party to make the same perilous journey, this being the year of the Indian war. They were much harassed by the savages, and on several occasions had skirmishes with them. He succeeded, however, in conducting his party in safety to their destination, and he in the following autumn returned, as before, by way of the isthmus, to New York.
In the year 1862 he began his military career as lieutenant-colonel of the 31st Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers. His regiment was sent down the Mis- sissippi river, and in 1863 he was promoted to col- onel. After the battle of Chickamauga they were sent to reinforce the army of the Tennessee. Before going to the front they were stationed for a time at Nashville, and afterward at Murfreesboro. While the regiment was stationed at this point Colonel West was appointed president of a commission for the examination of officers with regard to their qual- ifications.
At the battle of Peach Tree Creek he, with his command, joined Sherman's army at the front, and remained with him during the siege of Atlanta, and was with him on his march to the sea, and also on his subsequent march through the Carolinas and Virginia to Washington, participating in all the en- gagements of that campaign.
When the left wing of the army of Georgia had advanced within nine miles of Savannah they were delayed nearly a day by two redoubts, erected on the opposite side of a nearly impassable swamp or lagoon, the redoubts being strongly manned with artillery. After various ineffectual attempts by dif- ferent brigades to dislodge the enemy, Colonel West was directed to take the 31st Wisconsin and 81 st Ohio regiments, ford the lagoon, and make a flank movement and charge the redoubts. This was done with great gallantry, the men plunging through the swamp, often waist deep. The movement was quickly executed, the assault was vigorous, and after a brief resistance the garrison fled, leaving all their camp equipage, which fell into the hands of the vic- tors. For this daring assault Colonel West and his little band were publicly thanked, in presence of the officers of the division, by General Slocum, commander of the left wing.
yours July
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At the battle of Bentonville, March 19, 1865, the last engagement of General Sherman's command, Colonel West's brigade was stationed across a road which was the key to the whole position. This they persistently held through the day, repulsing five fierce assaults of the enemy, made en colonne. For his gallantry in defending this position Colonel West was promoted to brigadier-general by brevet.
General West remained in the army to the close of the war, and was mustered out at Madison in July, 1865, having never, since he entered the army, been off duty a single day, except a short leave of absence while his command was in garrison at At- lanta.
At the close of the war he became a resident of Milwaukee, entered into the grain trade, and was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, was vice-pres- ident for two terms and was then elected president, and was a second time elected to that office.
General West has never been a zealous partisan
in politics ; was originally a whig, but acted with the republican party from the time of its organiza- tion until the nomination of Horace Greeley for the presidency, since which time his sympathies have been with the liberal reform party.
In 1874 he was member of the State assembly, and has also been a member of the State senate.
He is opposed to the excessive power of aggre- gated capital, and has by both pen and speech labored to aid the working people, with whom he has always been in sympathy. His motto is, "The greatest good to the greatest number."
General West was married in 1848, to Miss Emma M. Rettenhouse, daughter of William Rettenhouse, one of the earliest settlers of Green county, and at one time State senator. Her mother was sister to Eli Moore, formerly member of congress from New York city, and subsequently collector of that port. They have nine children living, three sons and six daughters.
LEWIS B. ROCK,
MILWAUKEE.
EWIS B. ROCK was born in Drummondsville, Canada East, August 13, 1825, son of Lewis and Mary Rock. His father was by trade a carpen- ter, and soon after the birth of this son removed his family to the town of Durham, Canada East, into a very sparsely settled region. Living in the midst of vast forests almost primeval in their solitude, this pioneer family had no other means of obtaining money than by the manufacture of black salts from the ashes of the trees cut down and burnt; for although their produce was abundant, there was no market for it only to exchange it for labor.
Lewis was kept at school until nine years old. This, with the exception of three months after he was nineteen, comprised all the instruction he ever received. He learned to write by copying, with patient perseverance, the addresses of letters which he carried to and from the post-office for his em- ployers, and at last became a good penman.
At the age of eleven he left home, and for the four subsequent years worked for Captain John Plogart as chore boy. On the 4th of March, 1844, being then nineteen years old, he left the Dominion with only two dollars and fifty cents in his pocket, and carrying all his earthly possessions in a small
bundle, he walked to Bristol, New Hampshire, a distance of two hundred miles. Here he was en- gaged by S. S. Merrill, proprietor of a hotel and also of a wholesale cloth store, to make himself generally useful, for the sum of one hundred dollars per year, with the privilege of attending school three months out of the twelve, of which, however, he never availed himself. He remained in the employ of Mr. Merrill four years; part of the time serving as clerk in the wholesale house, and after- ward having charge of a branch store in the adjacent village of Bridgewater. Thence he went to Lowell, Massachusetts, where for one year he remained as clerk and barkeeper at the Merrimack House.
On the Ioth of January, 1850, he sailed from Boston to San Francisco, and was two hundred and one days in making the voyage. After four years of varied fortunes on the shores of the Pacific, during which he engaged in mining, dam building, mer- chandising and various other pursuits, he returned to Lowell. After some months spent in visiting old friends, he came to Milwaukee in July, 1854, where he was employed as baggage master by his old friend, Mr. S. S. Merrill, who was now conductor on the Milwaukee and Mississippi railroad. He re-
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tained this position two years, until promoted to that of conductor on a mixed train, and afterward on a passenger train, where he remained thirteen years. In 1866 James Spencer, manager of the road, appointed conductor Rock assistant superintendent of the same line, the name of which has since been changed to the Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien railroad. After filling that position for one year to the entire satisfaction of all concerned, he was promoted to
that of superintendent of the northern division of the Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad (of which the Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien became a division), where he remains to this day.
About six months after his arrival in Milwaukee - December 3, 1854-he married Miss Hannah W. Sanborn, by whom he has had three sons.
In politics, he is a liberal democrat; and is also liberal in his religious views.
EDMUND L. RUNALS,
RIPON.
T' HE subject of this sketch, a native of Arcade, Wyoming county, New York, was born on the 28th of December, 1826, and is the son of Ezekiel D. Runals and Rebecca née Parker. His father, a farmer by occupation, was an influential man in his community, and highly respected by all who knew him. Edmond received a common school educa- tion in his native town, and later attended the acad- emy in Bethany and Strykersville, and after closing his studies spent two years on his father's farm. In 1846, being then twenty years of age, he left his home in the East, and removing to the West, settled near Ripon, Wisconsin, and for five years engaged in agricultural pursuits, and in the meantime began the study of law, practicing in the justice courts. Upon leaving the farm in 1851 he removed into Ripon, and in 1855 was admitted to the bar at Fond du Lac. During this same year he began the publica- tion of the "Ripon Home," and continued it with good success till 1857, when he sold his interest and devoted his entire attention to the practice of his profession. He soon became known as a skillful attorney, and by constant and close application to study and careful and judicious management of his business, made it both professionally and financially
successful. In 1864 he was elected judge of the municipal court and served in that capacity for four years. Aside from his professional duties, he has been a large operator in real estate, and by careful investments has amassed an ample fortune, and lives in the enjoyment of a pleasant home and enjoys the high regard of a host of friends, being most esteemed by those who know him best. Beginning life with- out means, his present standing is wholly the result of his own effort, and he may most appropriately be called a self-made man. In his political sentiments lie is identified with the republican party, and has been honored with many positions of public trust. In 1857 and 1858 he represented his county in the State legislature, and has also been elected alderman of his city for several terms. Among other local positions he has held the offices of commissioner of schools, town superintendent of schools, assessor, and city attorney. He is not a member of any church, but in his religions opinions holds to the principles laid down in the golden rule.
He was married on the 10th of July, 1847, to Miss Dorlesca R. Avery, and by her has one son, W. T. Runals, now engaged in manufacturing carriages at Ripon, and of the firm of Goodall and Runals.
HEMAN B. JACKSON, OSHKOSH.
H EMAN B. JACKSON is a native of Naper- ville, Illinois, which place at the time of his birth consisted of a "handful of huts," and was a mere settlement among the savages who then roamed through that country, watered by the Dupage river.
He was born on the 24th of July, 1837, and is the son of William Jackson and Lucy née Babbitt. His father, a blacksmith by trade, was a man of moder- ate means, and his mother was an earnest Christian ; both were much respected in their community.
.
H. R. Lckou
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THE UNITED STATES BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY.
While Heman's boyhood presents few phases in distinction from that of other boys, it was yet marked by an earnestness and determination that were very notable, and which have characterized his maturer life and deeds.
In his boyhood at school he became early noted for his declamatory powers, and seemed to be a natural and forcible speaker, and to possess that quality and manner of speech and action which stirs the emotions of the listener. He generally came to the front on what was then called "exhibition day " at school. As a boy he had many warm friends whom he always stood ready to befriend, ardently and forcibly, if necessary, when he believed them to be right -and it was not difficult to convince him that they were right.
Of these qualities in the boy many of his school- fellows,-including the author of this sketch,- have a painful remembrance ; in fact they always preferred to be on his side when the matter was to be fought out. He never knew when he was whipped, and would never cry "enough." This spirit which so signally marked him as a boy has become characteristic in his legal practice. The more difficult the case the more it claims his atten- tion, until victory usually crowns his work. Oppo- sition is only the signal for greater effort.
The subject of this sketch was educated in the seminaries at Warrenville and Elgin, Illinois, and later he attended the Western Reserve College at Hiram, Ohio. He states, with pride, that he suc- ceeded in attending college by means of his own personal efforts and the practice of the most rigid economy. While at college he boarded himself at an expense not exceeding seventy-five cents per week. At the close of his studies there he engaged in teaching two terms of district school, and then began the study of law with Messrs. Joslin and Gifford at Elgin, Illinois.
At the early age of twenty years he was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1857. Going from Elgin to Crystal Lake, Illinois, he first "hung out his shingle " there. That field proving too limited for his ener- gies and ability, he removed in the spring of 1859 to his present home in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and entered upon a practice of his profession which has since become very extensive and remunerative, and in which he has gained a wide reputation as a success- ful and skillful attorney. The present firm of Jack- son and Halsey was formed in 1865, and is widely and worthily known. Mr. Jackson was admitted to
practice in all the courts of record in Illinois while a resident of that State. In 1863 his practice first called him to the bar of the supreme court of Wis- consin, and in the same year he was admitted to the United States circuit and district courts. His prac- tice is general, and largely in the supreme court. A reference to the court reports shows that in a large majority of his cases he has been successful. He is an ardent and earnest advocate, and zealously makes his client's cause his own. He presses the salient point of his case in an impassioned and forcible manner that can only come from the heart and an honest purpose. His manner as an advocate is that of a man who means what he says. Before attempting to induce others to think his client's cause is just, he first convinces himself and then speaks forcibly what he really believes. At the opening of the war he was deeply interested in the Union cause, and, prompted by his ardent nature, and a disposition which always induced him to make the cause he espoused his own, he was among the very first to enlist for the war. On the 21st of April, 1861, he enlisted at Oshkosh, and entered the army as second lieutenant of Company E, 2d Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. Afterward he was promoted to a position on the staff of General W. T. Sherman. He acted in the capacity of staff-officer at the battle of Bull Run, and continued on General Sherman's staff until on account of a serious and permanent injury he was compelled to quit the service during the same year. This was regretted the more by himself and his friends for the reason that he had already attained a position in the line of promotion which afterward placed his chief on the very pinnacle of military fame. Nothing re- mained for him on leaving the army but to resume his legal practice, which he did at the same place from which he entered the service.
In politics he was reared a democrat, but since attaining his majority he has been identified with the republican party.
Mr. Jackson never held any public office, with the exception of such as was connected with the practice of the law. He was twice elected city attorney of Oshkosh. In 1864 he became district attorney, and was reëlected to that office in 1868. In 1875 he was nominated by the republican party of his dis- trict as its candidate for member of the State legis- lature, but through local causes was defeated. He has always identified himself with movements tend- ing to promote the welfare of this city.
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THE UNITED STATES BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY.
Previous to the great fire of Oshkosh in 1875 he had erected several large blocks, which, together with millions of property of his neighbors, were destroyed. He suffered then a severe loss in prop- erty, but none in energy or native pluck. Since that time he has continued his building operations to some extent, still having great faith in the future growth and prosperity of his city.
He has always joined heartily with his fellow- citizens in public enterprises inaugurated for the benefit of Oshkosh. He was one of the original incorporators of the Wisconsin and Lake Superior Railroad Company, organized for the purpose of building a railroad north from Oshkosh. His public spirit has ever kept him foremost among those who sought to promote the public good by supplying public libraries, establishing lecture courses, etc.
He is now in the prime and vigor of life, and emphatically a man of action, and those who best
know him have reason to believe that his record will become brighter, and his life one of more marked success in the future than in the past.
Mr. Jackson was married on the 14th of June, 1862, to Miss Annett L. Harwood, by whom he has three daughters.
Such is a brief outline of the early life history of one who, beginning without means, educating him- self by his own work, relying upon his own re- sources, has established himself among strangers in the practice of the law, and worked his way up step by step, until he has already achieved an en- viable reputation as a lawyer, and reached a posi- tion of high public regard and social standing, and is living in the enjoyment of an ample fortune, sur- rounded by all the comforts of a happy home, but who, still believing that life is action and that work is the normal condition of all, is pressing on to new achievements.
THOMAS H. LITTLE, M.A.,
JANESVILLE.
T HOMAS HENRY LITTLE, a native of Au- ! gusta, Maine, was born on the 15th of Decem- ber, 1832, and was the son of Thomas Little and Elizabeth P. nee Howard. He traced his ancestry back to the Plymouth Colony, when one Thomas Little married the daughter of Richard Warren, who came over in the Mayflower. Always of a quiet, studious disposition, he graduated from Bowdoin College in 1855 with honors, and soon after accepted a position as teacher in the high school at Gardiner, Maine. One year later, turning his steps westward, he was providentially drawn into a work which, though he then regarded it as only temporary, so engaged him that he afterward resolved to devote his life to it. Arriving at Columbus, Ohio, he engaged to teach in the Institution for the Blind. Remaining till 1859, he accepted a similar situation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but owing to the trou- bles in the South he remained but one year, and returning to Columbus, he taught there till August, 1861, at which time he received a call to the super- intendency of the Institution for the Education of the Blind at Janesville, Wisconsin, a position which he accepted and filled till his death, which occurred on the 4th of February, 1875.
He was married in 1862 to Miss Sarah F. Cowles,
daughter of Rev. Henry Cowles, D.D., of Oberlin, Ohio, and became the father of four daughters.
Mr. Little was thoroughly and conscientiously devoted to his work. By close study and careful observation of institutions for the education of the blind, in our own and other countries, he became master of the most advanced theories of his profes- sion, and gained such a reputation that when the institution for the blind in Batavia, New York, was opened, in 1868, he was invited to its superintend- ency. He declined the offer, however, feeling that he could accomplish more where he was. By con- stant work and close application to study he so over- taxed himself that in 1873, by the advice of his physicians, he took a sea voyage, and spent several months in Europe, visiting different institutions, and conferring with the most experienced educators of the age. The relief from care and labor so im- proved his health that he returned with renewed vigor and enthusiasm, and an added experience of great value to his work.
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