USA > West Virginia > Encyclopedia of contemporary biography of West Virginia. Including reference articles on the industrial resources of the state, etc., etc. > Part 44
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51
ago, by close economy, commenced a small busi- ness at Piedmont, have by their combined in- dustry not alone created fortunes for them- selves, but opened the highways of wealth for others to come after them. One of the main keys to the secret of Mr. Davis' success may be discovered in the reply he gave Mr. Thomas Swann, of Maryland, when at the outset of his career that gentleman asked him if he was " equal to running and taking charge of a pas- senger train." "As to running the train, I have no apprehensions, but as to taking care of the passengers and performing the other duties in- cident to the place of a conductor, I cannot speak, that can only be determined by trial." This reply needs no comment. He has ever been watchful, always enterprising, and, even as we write, his interest in national and local affairs continues unabated. Since his retirement from the Senate he has devoted much time and means to the creation of industries and the growth of towns along the line of the West Virginia Road, which has long since been extended to the Cheat- Potomac Divide, and taps the rich Tygart's Valley. Hon. Stephen B. Elkins, Secretary of War in the Cabinet of President Harrison, mar- ried Mr. Davis' eldest daughter; the town of Elkins is named in his honor. When Grover Cleveland was nominated in 1884, the name of Henry G. Davis, in addition to that of Thomas G. Hendricks, was mentioned for the second highest office. It was at one time thought that Mr. Hendricks would decline to run, and when Mr. Davis was approached with the proposal he urged the acceptance on the part of Mr. Hendricks. When Hon. Daniel Manning's ill- ness forced his resignation as Secretary of the Treasury under President Cleveland, Mr. Davis was spoken of for the portfolio, and when the Gubernatorial contest of 1888 set in, by universal consent he was regarded as the person most likely to be chosen as the Democratic candidate. His letter, however, of August Ist of that year, addressed to Mr. J. B. Taney, of the Wheeling Register, declining election to the Governor- ship, settled the question decisively, and pointed the fact that Mr. Davis did not desire future political honors. In closing his letter, he said, "I hope and believe that the Convention will select and elect a worthy, sound, and progres- sive man, identified with West Virginia and its
.
JA Brown
241
CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF WEST VIRGINIA.
development, who will work for the advance- ment of the people and the progress of the State." As Chairman of the Committee on Or- ganization of a permanent Board of Immigra- tion and Development, he spoke in February, 1888, with Mr. Elkins, at Wheeling, on "The Resources and Development of West Virginia." Mainly through his efforts was this Board es- tablished. To its magnificent work future gen- erations can point with pride. Mrs. Davis is esteemed as a loving wife, a devoted mother, and a model housekeeper. She is of a most kindly nature, agreeable in conversation, and possesses marked simplicity of manners. The Davis' home throughout bears the impress of her genial disposition. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have five children: Hallie, married to Hon. Stephen B. Elkins, who was Secretary of War in the Cabinet of President Harrison and for whom the town of Elkins, W. Va., is named; Kate, the sec- ond daughter, married Lieutenant R. M. G. Brown, of the United States Navy; Grace, the third daughter, and two sons, Henry and John. Mr. Davis' brother, Thomas B., remains a bache- lor, and his eldest brother, the banker, died sev- eral years ago. In 1889 Mr. Davis accepted the office of Delegate on the part of the United States in the International American Congress. In closing this review, it needs but slight men- tion to remind the reader that ex-Senator Davis, in his wide social and political intercourse, was necessarily thrown into the society, and to this hour retains the friendship, of many leading men. His delightful summer residence at Deer Park, Md., is ever filled with a troop of friends, and hospitality, abundant and overflowing, is always accorded. Among his guests have been Presi- dents Grant, Cleveland, and Harrison ; and many others associated with Federal and State affairs; among them, Sherman, Blaine, Thurman, Bay- ard, Windom and McDonald. Mrs. Davis and the late Mrs. Harrison were warm personal friends.
JAMES F. BROWN.
HON. JAMES F. BROWN, prominent as lawyer and citizen, was born March 7, 1852, in Charleston, Kanawha County, Va. (now West Virginia). His family were among the pioneers of the Old Dominion. About the beginning of
the century his grandfather, Dr. Benjamin Brown, moved from Prince William County to the Ohio Valley. His father, Judge J. H. Brown, was born in the County of Cabell, Va., and be- came distinguished among the lawyers of his State and prominent in its politics, especially in the movements which led to the division between Eastern and Western Virginia and in the forma- tion of the new State, filling many offices of honor and trust, both prior to and after the sep- aration of the States. His mother, Louisa M. Brown, was the daughter of the late F. G. L. Beuhring, a woman of rare culture and intellect and of lovely disposition. Young Brown's boy- hood days were passed amidst the excitements incident to the marching of contending armies back and forth through the Kanawha Valley during the Civil War. Schools, then, were out of the question, but the hardy sports of the boys of those days, and the self-reliance imposed by the times, even upon the boys, were no mean preparation for the later struggles in college and after-life. After the close of the war he attended the Charleston Institute, and later the University of West Virginia, from which he graduated with College honors in 1873. He after- ward studied law and was admitted to practice in 1875. Shortly after his admission to the bar he joined his father in a partnership which continued until his father's retirement from practice. In 1888 he formed a partnership with Malcolm Jackson, Esq., of the Kanawha bar, and in 1892 E. W. Knight, Esq., was associated with them under the title of Brown, Jackson & Knight, a firm of reputation throughout the State for the strength and standing of its mem- bers. Mr. Brown, inheriting much from his parents, supplemented by a thorough mental training, from his first admission to the bar de- veloped the elements of the successful lawyer, and soon became widely known, his practice extending to most of the important cases of his district, both in the State and Federal Courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. Although inclined to the exciting con- tents of politics, Mr. Brown early recognized the exactions of his profession and declined polit- ical preferment for himself. Nevertheless he took active interest in the cause of aspiring friends. Always a Democrat, and naturally of determined purpose and aggressive in any cause
242
CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF WEST VIRGINIA.
he espoused, he was an active participant in all except one of the State Conventions of his party held since 1868, as well as in the contests that followed. In 1882, during his absence, he was nominated by his party for one of the three members to be sent from Kanawha County to the Legislature. His father, and then law-part- ner, was about the same time nominated for the same office by the Republican Convention. Both were put to their mettle, and after a spirited can- vass, in one of the closest contests ever had in the county, the son received the highest number of votes cast, and the father the next highest, resulting in the election of both as two of the three members to which the county was en- titled. Mr. Brown took a prominent part in shaping the legislation of the session, serving upon the "Judiciary Committee," the "Finance Committee," and other important committees of that body. He took part in the contest which resulted in the first election of the Hon. John E. Kenna to the United States Senate, advocating the election of the late Hon. W. A. Quarrier for that position; was an earnest supporter of the first legislative enactment providing for a " State Mine Inspector," and of the Constitu- tional Amendment, then submitted, and after- ward adopted by the people, changing the time of holding general State elections from October to the day fixed by law for the Federal elec- tions. He successfully opposed the Prohibi- tion Amendment, then vigorously urged by powerful factions in both parties, and took prominent part in all the important measures before that Legislature. He declined further office by appointment or election and returned to active practice in his profession. In 1890 he was appointed by Governor A. B. Fleming, Re- gent of the State University, his Alma Mater, and at once took a decided part in directing the policy and management of that institution. Mr. Brown, like his father, was ever deeply inter- ested in the prosperity and progress of his native town, and devoted much time, as well as thought and means, to its advancement. In 1880 he was elected to its Council and has almost continu- ously since been a member of that body. Dur- ing his term of service Charleston has emerged from the chrysalis state into a handsome city. Its credit, then on the wane, was soon thoroughly established and its obligations brought to a pre-
mium. Its population has since doubled, its streets have been paved, and the city has been sewered; a perfect system of waterworks has been constructed; electric lighting and street railways have been introduced; three new bridges built, connecting the city with its suburbs over the adjacent rivers; two new railroads and street railways brought into the city. The new State Capitol, the new Court House, City Hall, Opera House, and many im- posing business blocks and handsome residences have been added, evidences of its progress and prosperity, while the village of a few years ago has become a wealthy banking, wholesaling, and manufacturing centre for the southern half of the State. In every measure for the improve- ment and prosperity of Charleston, Mr. Brown was among the foremost, and the present pros- perous city is, to a degree, a monument to his energy, judgment, and public-spirited efforts in its behalf. In professional, private, and public life Mr. Brown has been always the same, kind and considerate of others, and firm and sincere in his friendships. His career has been marked by strong convictions and prompt and vigorous action, persevered in until the end sought was accomplished; always courteous, but deter- mined, and unflinching in the direction of duty. September 13, 1877, Mr. Brown married Miss Jane M. Woodbridge, daughter of the late John M. Woodbridge of Marietta, Ohio. They have six children, all living, and reside at the old homestead in which he was born; a beautiful place, surrounded by a grove of ancient elms, preserved in the heart of the city. Possessing sturdy physical powers and unusual professional and public experience, Mr. Brown justly merits the reputation he enjoys as a sound lawyer, a safe leader, and a gentleman of refined and at- tractive social qualities.
I. C. WHITE.
DR. ISRAEL CHARLES WHITE stands at the fore front of American geologists, and is a recognized authority on coal, petroleum, and natural gas throughout the Union and the Can- adas. He was born in Monongalia County, in the northern part of what is now West Virginia,
243
CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF WEST VIRGINIA.
on the first of November, 1848. In 1867, at the age of nineteen, he became a cadet in the West Virginia University, then newly established, and was graduated with high honors in 1872. Two years were then devoted to teaching in Kenwood school, New Brighton, Pa., and an- other year to further teaching and study in his native county. His tastes developing in the di- rection of chemistry and geology, he entered up- on a post-graduate course in those branches in the Columbia College School of Mines in New York City, under the teaching of Professors Newbury and Chandler. Immediately on the termination of his studies he received an appointment as assistant to Prof. John J. Stevenson, on the Sec- ond Geological Survey of the State of Pennsyl- vania. The expedition made its preparations in April, 1875, and the season was devoted to an exhaustive survey of the counties of Washington, Green, South Allegheny, and South Beaver. In April, 1876, owing to the genius displayed by him during the work of the previous season, he was given full charge of the examination of the geological formations lying along on either side of the boundary line between the two States of Pennsylvania and Ohio, on account of differ- ences of opinion which had arisen between the
geologists of the respective States concerning the identity of the coal and limestone beds of the region. Dr. White made an exhaustive
study of the subjects in dispute, and demon- strated the matter so clearly that his views have never been questioned by either party to the controversy. So enthusiastically did he enter upon his work, and so thoroughly was it per- formed, that, when just entering on his twenty- ninth year, he was elected to the chair of Geol- ogy at the West Virginia University, where he had been graduated but five years before. He promptly entered upon the duties of his profes- sorship, but also continued in the service of the Pennsylvania State Survey, devoting his vaca- tions to the work until 1884 (preparing and publishing in the mean time eight volumes of reports on different counties of Pennsylvania), when he was appointed to a position in the United States Geological Survey, his special duty being to prepare a monograph on the bitu- minous coal fields of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. At the end of four years his work was completed and sent in for publication
as early as August, 1888, but owing to the prover- bial delay of all government printing was not published until July, 1891. He then engaged in an exhaustive survey of the Allegheny moun- tain region in the vicinity of White Sulphur Springs, and the contiguous counties of Green- brier, Monroe, Allegheny, and Craig. Profes- sor White was the first geologist to make a thorough examination of and harmonize the Pennsylvania and Ohio coal measures. As early as 1882 his investigations resulted in his recognizing as belonging to the "Salina For- mation," the rocks in the range of counties lying along the Susquehanna River, in that section of the northeastern part of the State embracing Lackawanna and Northumberland with the inter- vening counties, these rocky formations hav- ing been previously classified either with the Clinton or Lower Heidelberg groups. Dr. White was the first scientist to apply and suc- cessfully demonstrate the anticlinal struc- ture of rocks in reference to the location of gas and oil wells. His theory was announced in 1885, and every subsequent test made by himself or others tended to establish its accuracy. As a writer, he has been extremely voluminous in his specialty, geology, and ranks among the very highest of writers as well as workers in his chosen field. While he has been a constant contributor of scientific articles connected with his investigations in geology, to the scientific journals of the day, as well as preparing valu- able papers for different societies to which he belongs, and furnishing "Notes" on the geology of West Virginia, taken during class excursions, and reprinted in the West Virginia University catalogues for 1883, 1884, and 1885, he is also the author of no less than nine large volumes of the reports of the geological survey of Penn- sylvania. The larger works thus far issued from his prolific pen are embraced in the follow- ing list : Report (Q 1) on Beaver, Allegheny, and South Butler Counties, 337 pages, 1878; Report (Q 2) on Lawrence County and the Ohio Line Geology, 336 pages, 1879; Report (Q 3) on Mer- cer County, 233 pages, 1880; Report (P) on Per- mian Fossil Plants, joint author with Prof. Wil- liam M. Fontaine, 143 pages, and 38 double-page plates (lithographed), 1880; Report (Q 4) on Crawford and Erie Counties, 400 pages, 1881 ; Re- port (G 5) on Susquehanna and Wayne Counties,
244
CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF WEST VIRGINIA.
243 pages, 1881 ; Report (G 6) on Pike and Monroe Counties, 407 pages, 1882; Report (G 7) on Wyo- ming, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Columbia, Mon- tour, and Northumberland Counties, 404 pages. 1883; Report (T 3) on Huntingdon County, 471 pages, 1885; The Comparative Stratigraphy of the Bituminous Coal Measures in the North- ern half of the Appalachian Coal Field, 212 pages, 1891. Dr. White has been honored by election to several of the more important scien- tific societies in the country. He is a Fellow of the American Philosophical Society; Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Fellow of the Maryland Academy of Sciences; Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences; Fellow of the Geological Society of America, and Treasurer of same, and an hono- rary member of many more. The degree of Ar- tium Magister was conferred upon him by West Virginia University, and that of Doctor of Phi- losophy by the University of Arkansas. In July, 1893, he was appointed as one of the forty Judges on Awards in the Mines and Mining De- partment at the Columbian Exposition, Chicago. At the organization meeting of these Judges, July 15, 1893, he was unanimously selected as President of this body, which contained the most eminent specialists from all countries having mineral exhibits.
NATHAN GOFF.
HON. NATHAN GOFF, LL.D., Secretary of the Navy in the Cabinet of President Hayes, and now Judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Fourth District, comprising the States of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina, was born at Clarksburg, Va., Febru- ary 9, 1842. His father, Waldo P. Goff, came from New York, early in the present century, and settled in Harrison County, Va., where he established himself in the mercantile business. He died in Clarksburg, at the age of eighty-six, after a long and useful career. Nathan, the subject of the present sketch, resembles his father in being a man of stalwart frame and of robust constitution. In disposition, he is mod- est, unassuming, and cautious. He comes of a long-lived family; one of his uncles, Nathan
Goff, Sr., for more than half a century a prom- inent citizen of Harrison County, having died at the ripe age of ninety. The boy received his early education at the Northwestern Academy, Clarksburg, and Georgetown College, D. C. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, when only nineteen years of age and while he was still a student at Georgetown, young Goff, fired with patriotic zeal and enthusiasm, enlisted in Com- pany G, Third Virginia Infantry. He remained in the ranks only a few days, when his comrades elected him to the Lieutenancy of the Com- pany. The regiment was at once ordered into active service and saw some severe fighting. It took part in the battles of McDowell, Port Re- public, Winchester, Droop Mountain, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Rocky Gap, Cross Keys, Rappahannock Station, and a number of less im- portant combats. Lieutenant Goff was promoted to the rank of Major for conspicuous bravery on the field. During the latter part of the war he served under General W. W. Averill. He was taken prisoner at Moorefield, W. Va., January 20, 1864, and passed four months in that " cham- ber of horrors," Libby Prison, where he was re- tained as a hostage for Major Armsey, a distin- guished officer of the Confederate Army, who was confined in a Union prison. As soon as it was intimated by the Confederate Government that the execution of Armsey would be followed by the shooting of Goff, the influential friends of the latter made strenuous efforts to save his life. It was while his fate thus trembled in the balance that the brave young soldier showed a heroism and indifference to life that excited the admiration of friend and foe alike. In a letter which he wrote to President Lincoln, and which is now on file in the War Office, in speaking of his probable fate, he said :
" If Major Armsey is guilty, he should be exe- cuted, regardless of its consequences to me. The life of a single soldier, no matter who he may be, should not stand in the way of adherence to a great principle."
On his release from prison, he was sent for by Secretary Stanton, who procured him an inter- view with the President, to whom, in the pres- ence of Mr. Stanton, the young man gave an account of the sufferings of himself and his comrades in Libby Prison and the general con- dition of things. The result of the statements
245
CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF WEST VIRGINIA.
he made so impressed the President and Mr. Stanton with the horrors of the situation that a general exchange of prisoners was almost im- mediately effected, although no exchanges had taken place for a long time previous. Here it is proper to relate another instance of the nobil- ity and generosity of Goff's character. Shortly after he returned to his regimental duties, Major Armsey, on whose account he came so near los- ing his life and for whom he had been ex- changed, was a second time captured by the Union troops and confined at Clarksburg. As soon as the citizens and soldiers of the town heard that the innocent cause of the sufferings of their gallant townsman was in their power, it was proposed by the more hot-headed members of the crowd to lynch him. Fortunately, how- ever, for the luckless prisoner, Major Goff ar- rived at his home from Grafton in time to save Armsey's life, which he did by saying to the in- furiated citizens: "Let no friend of mine lay a hand upon this man; he is entitled to our protec- tion as a prisoner of war." When the war closed, Goff, who was then only twenty-three years of age, was promoted to Brevet Brigadier-General for bravery on the field, and in March, 1865, he was honorably discharged from the volunteer service of his country. He then studied law at the University of New York, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Laws, and, returning to his native town, commenced the practice of his profession. In 1867 he was elected from Harri- son County as a member of the House of Dele- gates of West Virginia, and re-elected in 1868. He was next appointed United States District Attorney for the District of West Virginia, in August, 1869, by President Grant. In spite of the fact that at the time of his appointment he had never tried a case in Court, he discharged his duties with consummate ability for many years, and resigned, leaving behind him a record second to none of his predecessors. In the mean time he was twice nominated for Congress but was defeated on both occasions. He was nomi- nated by acclamation for Governor by the Repub- lican State Convention in 1876, after he had posi- tively declined to run if nominated, but was forced into the contest. In this campaign the General made a reputation as a political speaker, and although unsuccessful, ran ahead of the ticket in every county, notwithstanding the preju-
dice against a man who had sided with the Union against the Confederacy. General Goff served in the Cabinet of President Hayes as Secretary of the Navy, from January 7, 1880, until the close of the administration. During his incumbency of this important office he was recognized as Secretary of the Navy in fact, and not-as is too often the case-a mere figurehead. The Re- publican party again nominated him for Con- gress in 1882, and in spite of strong Democratic opposition he was elected by a majority of 1867, and in 1884 was re-elected by a majority of only 204. He was again nominated and elected in 1886, when he increased his majority over eight hundred. During his six years' service in Con- gress he gained a high reputation as a debater and parliamentary orator, and in every respect justified the choice of his fellow-citizens. At the Republican State Convention, Charleston, 1888, he was again nominated by acclamation for the gubernatorial chair in spite of his re- luctance to accept the high honor, but was finally forced into making the contest. Again he stumped the State, meeting the ablest men of the Democratic party, and was on the face of the returns elected by an apparent majority of 110. This was all the more remarkable and gratifying to his friends, inasmuch as the rest of the Republican ticket was defeated by a majority of about 500. A charge of illegal voting was made by the Democratic party, and upon the question coming before the Legislature and being investigated, his opponent, Judge Flem- ing, was declared duly elected, and took his seat accordingly. In 1884, Mr. Goff was elected
Chairman of the National Republican Congres-
sional Executive Committee, and managed its affairs so successfully that he was unanimously re-elected to the position in 1888. In 1888 the Columbian University, Washington, D. C., con- ferred upon him the honorary degree of LL.D. For many years past he has taken a prominent
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.