USA > West Virginia > Men of West Virginia Volume II > Part 19
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that important industry on a sound financial basis. He has been somewhat identified with the oil development of his State. On the whole he has met with gratifying success both in busi- ness and in his chosen profession, and has hown himself willing and anxious to aid in everything pertaining to the public welfare.
In politics he was formerly a Dem- ocrat, but has always opposed the Bry- an movement, and voted for McKin- ley's second election. During this campaign he made one speech, which was printed and circulated by the Re- publican State Committee. He is now actively identified with the Republi- can party, presiding over the last coun- ty convention of that organization.
Mr. Clark is a member and active worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He is also a prom- inent member of the Masonic fratern- ity. He is now filling his fifth suc- cessive term as master of Wetzel Lodge, No. 39, A. F. & A. M., is dep- uty grand lecturer of the second Ma- sonic district, and is an officer of the Grand Lodge of West Virginia, A. F. & A. M. He is also a Knight Tem- plar, a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Ma- son, and a Shriner. He is the founder of The Magnolia Club, of New Mar- tinsville, of which he has been presi-
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i dent since its organization, it being one of the most successful and well man- aged social organizations in West Vir- ginia.
JAMES CARROLL FRAZER.
JAMES CARROLL FRAZER, senior member of the law firm of Fra- zer & Frazer, at Morgantown, Monon- galia County, West Virginia, and sec- retary and treasurer of the Morgan- town Bridge & Improvement Compa- ny, was born June 29, 1867, at Mar- tinsburg, West Virginia. He is a son of Hugh Andrew and Margaret Jane (Carroll) Frazer.
Hugh Andrew Frazer, our sub-
ject's father, was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and died at the age of 56 years, in 1900. He was a wholesale merchant and operated the first grain elevator in the Valley of Vir- ginia. Prior to the close of the Civil War, he was engaged in a tanning business in his native State. In 1866 he came to West Virginia and located at Martinsburg. In politics he was a Republican. He was a deacon in the Presbyterian Church. Margaret Jane (Carroll) Frazer, our subject's moth- er, was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and now resides at Del- mar, California, in her 55th year. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Frazer.
James Carroll Frazer graduated with honors from the Martinsburg High School in 1883 and in October of the same year entered Fishburne Military Academy at Waynesboro, Virginia, but within a few months was obliged to leave on account of fail- ing eyesight. He returned to Mar- tinsburg and entered his father's wholesale establishment and remained there two and a half years as his fa- ther's representative in the grain busi- ness. He then went West and for a long period had charge of the grain traffic on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway, with headquarters at
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St. Joseph, Missouri. After five years he resigned, as his health was impaired and spent a season in recuperating.
In 1890 Mr. Frazer was married to Leila Jessie Cropp, who was born in Surrey, England, and is a daugh- ter of John Cropp, who was the in- ventor of many improvements in the manufacture of the celebrated Lons- dale prints at Manchester, England. One son was born to this marriage, Hugh Carroll, who is now a student at Bookham, Surrey, England. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Frazer spent a year in England and on the Continent and then returned to Mar- tinsburg and engaged in business. In January, 1898, Mr. and Mrs. Frazer removed to Morgantown and both en- tered the law department of the Uni- versity of West Virginia, taking a full course and graduating in June, 1899. Mr. Frazer and his talented wife then formed the law partnership of Frazer & Frazer, which has been one of the successful legal firms of the city. Mr. Frazer is interested in various busi- ness enterprises. On March 1, 1903, he was appointed by Governor A. B. White, a member of his staff, with the rank of colonel.
In politics Mr. Frazer is a stanch Republican. Both he and his wife be- long to the Protestant Episcopal
Church in which he is a vestryman. They have just completed a handsome home in Morgantown which is always hospitably thrown open to their many friends.
HON. STEPHEN BENTON ELKINS.
HON. STEPHEN BENTON ELKINS, who has attained eminence as a lawyer, financier and statesman, whose name is familiar to every stu- dent of the country's history, is a man of more than exceptional ability as he is also of striking appearance. As Sec- retary of War in the cabinet of the late President Benjamin Harrison, he dis- played great qualities of statesman- ship which did much to promote inter- national peace, and as senior United
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States Senator from West Virginia, he is regarded as one of the most capa- ble and forceful men in the Senate of the United States.
Senator Elkins was born on his father's farm, in Perry County, Ohio, September 26, 1841. During his early boyhood, his father removed to Mis- souri and he there obtained his educa- tion in the public schools in his vicin- ity. and later in the State University of Missouri, graduating from the lat- ter in 1860, at the head of his class. He entered upon the study of the law, but early in the progress of the Civil War he entered the Union Army and served as captain of a company for some time on the Missouri border. He was admitted to the bar in 1863, and in 1864 went to New Mexico for the practice of his profession. In many ways this field was undesirable as it was then a rough border country, with a population that was two-thirds Span- ish. But this condition was no deter- rent to a man of the calibre of Sena- tor Elkins. He mastered the Spanish language, becoming through hard study proficient in the tongue, in one year. His capacity was soon so thor- oughly tested and proved that clients flocked to him and he gained popular- ity and influence.
Although yet young in years, his
fellow citizens recognized his great ability and in 1866 sent him to the Territorial Legislature. He did not disappoint his friends, his work in that body constantly displaying his devo- tion to the welfare of the Territory. In 1867 he was made Attorney Gen- eral of New Mexico. In the follow- ing year he was appointed by Presi- dent Johnson, United States district attorney for the Territory, and he was one of the few officials of that admin- istration who met with the approval of President Grant. In this position it became the duty of Senator Elkins to enforce the act of Congress, prohib- iting slavery in the territories of the United States and he was the first of- ficial who quietly and faithfully exe- cuted the law, although he met with dangerous opposition from the rich and influential and even suffered threats of personal violence. In 1873 Sen- ator Elkins was elected a delegate from the Territory to the 43rd Congress, by a majority of 4,000 votes over his Mexican opponent, and in 1875 he was re-elected. In Congress he rapidly gained prominence through his indus- try, ability and effective support of im- portant measures, and during his sec- ond term he was untiring in his efforts to secure the admission of New Mex- ico as a State.
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Senator Elkins has always been stanch in his Republicanism, and his four active years in Washington brought him into close association with public affairs and he became a prom- inent supporter of the policy of pro- tection to American industries. In 1875 he was appointed a member of the Republican National Committee upon which he served through three presidential campaigns. In 1884 the executive committee elected him chair- man and it was mainly through his personal friendship for both James G. Blaine and, later, Benjamin Harrison, that both of these distinguished men became candidates for the Presidency. On December 17, 1891, he became Sec- retary of War, under President Harri- son, an appointment which brought to that office a natural born statesman of intellectual strength, an excellent or- ganizer and a most courteous and dip- lomatic gentleman.
After closing his term of service in Congress, in 1878 Senator Elkins re- moved from New Mexico to West Vir- ginia. Prior to that he had, however, become a man of business as well as a politician and was ranked with the capitalists of the Southwest. For 13 years he was president of the First Na- tional Bank of Santa Fe and was one of the largest land owners in the coun-
try and an extensive owner of silver mines in Colorado. After removing to West Virginia, in company with his father-in-law, ex-Senator Davis, he de- voted himself, apart from political life, to the development of the great natural resources of the State, in the coal and timber business as well as in the con- struction of railroads. While success has crowned these enterprises and amassed fortunes for their promoter, the benefits accruing to the State in the wake of these developments can scarce- ly be counted. Thousands of dollars of capital have been invested here, bringing prosperity to the inhabitants and furnishing employment to all who wish to labor. Senator Elkins has been vice-president of the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railroad Compa- ny since its organization, and of the Piedmont & Cumberland Railroad, and is also president of the Davis Coal & Coke Company.
The Republicans of the Legislature of West Virginia, in December, 1892, gave Senator Elkins the complimentary vote for United States Senator. In 1894 he led the Republicans of this State in a struggle, which, for the first time since the period of reconstruction, broke the solid South. It is known in political history as the Elkins-Wilson contest, Mr. Wilson being defeated by
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a decisive majority, and the State be- ing carried by the Republicans by 13,- 000 majority. Senator Elikins was elected to his first term in the United States Senate by the Legislature of 1895, and to his second term by the Legislature of 1901.
While in Congress, Senator Elkins married a daughter of ex-Senator Henry G. Davis, of West Virginia, a woman of great personal charm, refine- ment and social ability. At Elkins, in Randolph County, is "Halliehurst", the beautiful country seat of Mr. El- kins. It is a mansion of four stories, with many towers, and stands upon a mountain site of unusual beauty, and from a distance resembles an old stor- ied castle of other lands, the difference being that this home lacks no modern appointments for comfort. Senator Elkins resides casually in New York, where he has interests and enjoys the companionship of many friends in that great center. He belongs to the Union League, Republican, Ohio, United Service, Metropolitan and Manhattan Athletics clubs and the Southern So- ciety. He contributes also to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural His- tory, and the American Geographical Society. Personally Senator Elkins is of commanding appearance, a noble
type of an American citizen. His courtly manner in society gives place to geniality with his friends, and he has long been beloved by his constitu- ents and respected by his opponents, who feel proud of so distinguished a fellow citizen.
ARTHUR BOREMAN SMITH.
ARTHUR BOREMAN SMITH was born on a farm, four miles south of Middlebourne, Tyler County, Vir- ginia, now West Virginia. His ances- tors were among the early settlers in that section and spent their lives there.
Mr. Smith's great-grandfather, John Boreman, emigrated from En- gland in 1770, landing at Havre de Grace, Maryland. Shortly afterward,
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he went to the Shenandoah Valley and settled at Woodstock, Virginia. On the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, he espoused the cause of the pa- triots and was made a paymaster in the Continental Army. Among his other duties was that of paying the troops at Fort Pitt. His road to and fro each year was the "Braddock trail." He traveled as a peddler, with his gold beneath a false bottom of a small trunk on which was neatly ar- ranged a supply of linen tablecloths and towels. A tea canister concealed his paper money. He served through- out the war without a suspicion aris- ing as to his real character. The trunk and canister are the property of S. S. Smith, of Scenery Hill, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
After the war, Mr. Boreman mar- ried Sarah Seaton, a member of the celebrated Seaton family, and shortly afterward removed to Waynesburg, Greene County, Pennsylvania. He be- came the first prothonotary of Greene County and held that office until his death. His family consisted of three boys and four girls. The oldest son, Kenner, was the father of Arthur I. Boreman, the first Governor of West Virginia, and afterward a United States Senator. Another son, still liv-
ing, is U. S. Judge Jacob S. Boreman, of Ogden, Utah.
Gilbert Smith, our subject's grand- father, was left an orphan at an early age, his father being killed while at- tempting to escape from the Indians by swimming the Delaware River. His mother was also killed by Indians, but the manner of her death is unknown. The children, three boys and one girl, made their way to the home of Dr. Carson, a relative, and remained there for a time, finally separating, never to be re-united. Gilbert drifted to West- ern Pennsylvania. He served in the army during the War of 1812, partic- ipating in the battles of Bladensburg and North Point. Returning to his adopted home, Waynesburg, Pennsyl- vania, at the close of the war, he short- ly afterward married Jane Hunt Bore- man, third daughter of John Boreman. Purchasing a farm on the south bank of Middle Island Creek, four miles from Middlebourne, he removed from Pennsylvania to Virginia in 1825 and there remained. He at once became one of the foremost farmers of that section, noted for his energy, honesty and sturdy integrity. On election day, 1860, he announced his intention of voting for Abraham Lincoln, but was informed he could not do so as the
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names of the Lincoln electors were not on the poll books. He promptly pre- sented the names of the electors and insisted that they be placed on the poll books, but was met by a positive re- fusal. He asserted his right as an American citizen, one who had served his country, paid his taxes and gener- ally obeyed the law, to vote for the man or party of his choice. He further stated that he was now growing old and might possibly never again have an opportunity to vote for a Presi- dent. The following Thursday he was killed by the falling of a tree. His wife lived to the ripe age of 98 years, dying early in 1895.
Anibrose Smith, son of Gilbert Smith, and father of our subject, was born in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, September 2, 1822. His early life was spent on the farm. He was a strong, athletic young man, the leader in all local sports and, while educational fa- cilities were not of the best, he acquired considerable knowledge. This was possibly due to one teacher, Ann Arch- bold, of whom he was much enamored. Miss Archbold is well remembered by old settlers. Her superior education, strong individuality and refined man- ners left their impress upon all who were so fortunate as to be her pupils. As a result, the moral and intellectual
attainments of the neighborhood were. and have remained high.
Mr. Smith married young in life,. being only 20 when he was wedded to. Louisa McCay. He continued farm- ing with slight intermissions until! 1854, when he removed to Middle- bourne in order, primarily, to give his; children better educational opportuni- ties. He engaged in carpentering and. building until 1869, when he purchased the Tyler House and continued in the. hotel business until 1891, when he sold' his hotel and retired. His death oc- curred December 8, 1896. Mr. Smith was the father of six children, one of whom, George, died while an infant. The others are Jennie E., Isabel C .. Furbee, Arthur B., Gilbert D., an at- torney-at-law at St. Marys. West Virgina, and Lloyd E., proprietor of The Washington, Portsmouth, Ohio ..
Jacob McCay, of Scotch parentage, was born in Delaware, about 1788 .. But little is known of his early his- tory, but his subsequent life was such as to stamp him as an honest man, frugal and industrious. He crossed' the Alleghanies shortly after Fulton launched his steamboat on the Hudson. Settling in Western Virginia he en- gaged in the charcoal business, sup- plying iron furnaces with fuel, a trade. he had evidently learned in Delaware.
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When and where he met and married Elizabeth True, the writer of this sketch is not informed. Suffice it to say he found a woman of rare intelli- gence and true worth. She was of English parentage, was well educated and devoted her best energies to the ed- ucation and training of her children. They lived for a time at the Laurel Iron Works, Monongalia County, at which place their daughter Louisa was born. Thence they removed to Tyler County and settled on a farm about three miles west of Middlebourne. Al- though his wife was sorely afflicted of rheumatism for 40 years, so much so as to be practically helpless, Jacob Mc- Cay kept a brave heart, cared for his large family as well as the most pros- perous of his neighbors and possessed a competence at his death, which oc- curred January 8, 1875. His wife survived him four years, dying Janu- ary 18, 1879. Louisa (McCay) Smith died March 25, 1898.
Arthur B. Smith, notwithstanding the efforts of his parents to give him an education, did not succeed to any considerable extent. When a child, his right ankle was accidentally dislocated. The attending physician failed to ad- just it, with the result that he was maimed for life. Schools in Virginia 40 years ago were very different from
those of today. The rod ruled. Woe betide the urchin who crooked his finger in a direction disapproved by the "master." Notwithstanding the handicap imposed, at the age of 13, Arthur possessed the rudiments of an education. He was a fairly good read- er, had mastered descriptive geogra- phy, a study of which he was passion- ately fond, had a smattering of gram- mar and had reached percentage in arithmetic. His school days ended one bright morning in May, 1861. The Civil War was on in all its fury. Ty- ler County was intensely loyal to the Union. A lady rushed into the school room and bade the teacher to "let these children go." The children went. The shrill notes of a fife and tenor drum were heard. "Old Glory" was flaunting in the breeze. Boys and girls rushed pell mell down the street like a cyclone. There were soldiers wearing the blue of the Union. No more school for that crowd of youngsters.
A year later he entered the office of the West Virginia Plaindealer, a Union newspaper owned and edited by J. Edward Boyes, first Secretary of State of the new State. For three years no one read the exchanges with more avidity than did the youngest member of the force. The paper lan- guished and died, but free schools
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were being organized. Teachers were scarce and young Smith became a teacher. It is no flattery to state that he succeeded. His services were in de- mand at the highest salary paid. There was considerable opposition to the schools. He soon gained a reputation for ability to control unruly youths. To establish the free school system re- quired endless labor. Not content to spend his time in country schools, he aspired to teach schools of higher grade in the towns. This necessitated hard study, but he won a place in the front rank of the teachers of the State.
On the third day of June, 1874, at the home of the bride's parents, in Duncan's Falls, Muskingum County, Ohio, Arthur B. Smith and Anna C. Gordon were united in marriage. Mrs. Smith is a daughter of Rev. Da- vid and Jane (Dickey) Gordon. Her father was one of the pioneer ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church and for 40 years was an honored mem- ber of the Pittsburg Conference. He ranked as one of the two most highly educated men in that distinguished body of ministers. Her mother was a member of the Dickey family of Indi- ana County, Pennsylvania. Both of her parents were Scotch. Mrs. Smith was well educated and was also a teacher. About a year after their mar-
riage, Mr. and Mrs. Smith removed to Ritchie County, where he continued to teach until 1878, when they returned to Middlebourne. Mr. Smith bought the Tyler County Star in 1881 and published it for several years, making quite a reputation as a safe and dis- creet editor.
Having sold the Star in 1889, Mr. Smith accepted a position as proof- reader in the Government Printing Of- fice, at Washington. He was soon afterward transferred to the Congres- sional Record force and for four years rendered efficient service in perform- ance of that most critical and exacting work.
A change occurring in the admin- istration, Mr. Smith resigned his po- sition July 1, 1893, and purchased the Martinsburg Herald. He at once pro- ceeded to publish a straight, clean-cut Republican
newspaper. Berkeley County was close politically, but dur- ing the time the Herald was under his management there were no Democratic victories in the county. The panic of 1893 was severely felt in the Valley. There was no market for farm prod- ucts. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, on which Martinsburg largely de- pended, was bankrupt. Men were idle, merchants did but little business and could not afford to advertise. Patrons
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could not afford to pay their bills. He could fight his opponents to a finish, but is was a greater task to keep the paper going. The campaign of 1894 resulted in the defeat of William L. Wilson, the great free trader and lead- er of the Democratic party. The Her- ald was a prominent factor in that cam- paign. It vigorously assailed Mr. Wil- son's political record and with equal earnestness defended his unimpeach- able personal character.
When the campaign of 1896 was approaching, the Herald was the first newspaper in the State to declare for sound money. Many of his political associates differed from him, but they gradually fell into line, with the result that notwithstanding several Repub- licans joined the free silver movement, Berkeley County gave a Republican majority of over 400, and the sena- torial district, composed of the coun- ties of Berkeley, Morgan and Jeffer- son, and known as a reliable Demo- cratic district, also went Republican.
Having assumed other duties, Mr. Smith severed his connection with the Herald in 1898. During the five years he labored earnestly for the advance- ment of the schools of the city. In this he was supported by the best peo- ple, regardless of party, and his efforts were eminently successful. Graduates
from the Martinsburg schools are now admitted to the best colleges without examination.
Although actively connected with politics for many years, Mr. Smith never desired nor sought political pre- ferment. It was always a pleasure to him to assist others to positions of honor and trust. He possessed the confidence of the leaders and his advice always received due weight. When he souglit a Federal appointment, his ap- plication was indorsed by practically all of the prominent Republicans in the State.
During the past four years Mr. Smith has resided in Washington, D. C., still retaining his legal residence in Martinsburg. His family consists of his wife and three daughters, Marga- ret Gordon, Mary Forrest and Louise Jane. Margaret was married, Decem- ber 26, 1898, to Oliver Miles Ruark, of Baltimore, in which city they reside. Their son, Arthur Edward, is a bright lad of three years, of whom his grand- parents are excessively fond. Mary and Louise are still at home, the latter being a student in the classical depart- ment of the Columbian University.
Mr. Smith is a special agent of the Post Office Department in the Rural Free Delivery service. It is in this connection that he has scored his great-
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est success. During the past five years, he has devoted his best energies to the development of the greatest boon the government has bestowed upon the ag- riculturists of this country. After re- ceiving his appointment, he inquired as to the character of the duties he was expected to perform and was told to work out the best possible system. Congress had provided for "Experi- mental Rural Free Delivery" and the Department proceeded to "experi- ment." There was nothing on which to base the experiment. Systems in vogue in other countries were not ap- plicable. Here Mr. Smith's construc- tive ability made itself manifest. The appropriation at that time was $50,- 000. The appropriation for the fiscal year, beginning July 1, 1903, exceeds twelve millions. The annals of no country present any such phenomenal growth in any branch of civil expendi- ture. That the money has been and is being properly expended cannot be doubted. It is the only item in any appropriation bill that is not criticised. The Department has experienced 110 difficulty in securing all the money it could properly expend. Indeed, the Postmaster-General has frequently been compelled to protest against ap- propriations larger than he could judi- ciously expend.
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