4 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Asa S. Bushnell. THE present and 40th Governor of Ohio was born at Rome, Oneida county, New York, September 16, 1834, of revolutionary stock. In childhood he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 1851 to Springfield, where he has since made his home. He engaged in mercantile pursuits and at present is President of the Warder, Bushnell & Glessner Company, manufacturers of mowers and reapers. In the original of this company, Governor Bushnell was at one time employed as a book-keeper. It was through great talent and painstaking attention to business that he rose from a humble clerkship to the presidency of one of the greatest manufacturing establishments in the United States. He is identified with other business interests of Springfield and is prominent in religious and secret society circles. His gift of $10,000 to the Masonic Home was especially acceptable. In politics, Gov. Bushnell has been very prominent since 1885, when as Chairman of the Republican Executive Committee he assisted in returning a Republican Legislature and electing J. B. Foraker to the United States Senate. In 1895 he first allowed his name to be presented as a candidate for Governor, and he was elected by the great plurality of 92,622. Two years later he again led his party to victory, and early in the present year, he was inaugurated for the second time. His administrations have been wise, conservative, and statesmanlike. 6 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Asa W. Jones. A MAN who has achieved the distinguished honor of being twice elected Lieutenant Governor contrary to custom, and who is perhaps the best presiding officer the state has produced is A. W. Jones of Youngstown. He is a native Buckeye, having been born in Ohio, September 13, 1838. Upon being admitted to the bar, Mr. Jones located at Youngstown, where he soon became known as one of the best lawyers in Ohio. He is also largely interested in banking, and his short horn cattle are the pride of the state. An insult to his stock would be resented more promptly than an insult to himself. In 1895 he was first chosen Lieutenant-Governor and was re-elected in 1897. His great ability as a presiding officer, which has won him the esteem of both parties, was nowhere so forcibly shown as in the recent strife over the election of Senator Hanna, when, despite the excited state of the Legislature, Gov. Jones preserved perfect order and dignity in the deliberations of both the Senate and Joint Assembly. His mental attainments are remarkable and his genial nature and absolute fairness gain him the friendship of everyone he meets. His banquet to the Senators of the 72nd Assembly was the treat of the session, and the Senators, in token of their esteem and good will, presented him with a beautiful Knights Templar charm. Gov. Jones was married September 24, 1861, to Annette Palmer, and they have one daughter who is the wife of Prof. R. A. King, of Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana. 8 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Charles Kinney. OUR present Secretary of State of Ohio is Hon. Charles Kinney, of Portsmouth. Mr. Kinney was born July 7, 1850, at Springfield, Ky., but being thrown upon his own resources at the age of eleven by the death of his father, he removed to Columbus, Indiana, where he received his early education. Graduating from the public schools in 1866, he worked at the printers' trade until 1877, when having previously removed to Portsmouth, Ohio, he accepted the appointment of Deputy Treasurer of Scioto county. In 1883 he was elected by his party, the Republican, to the office of Treasurer, and reelected in 1885. His eminent qualifications and strict attention to business secured for him the appointment as Chief Clerk of the Secretary of State, and in 1896 he was the choice of his party for his present position, his election following by 51,538 majority. During the whole course of his life, Mr. Kinney's intense application and remarkable ability have so shaped his fortunes as to achieve for him a permanent success. Despite his manifold duties he is easy of access, genial and accommodating. His executive ability is universally acknowledged, and no doubt he will be re-elected to the office which by his exceptional work he has so well merited. Mr. Kinney was married in 1879 to Miss Letitia Yoakley, and they have one child, a son, John Yoakley Kinney. In church affiliation he is an Episcopalian. He is a Mason of high standing. 10 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Walter D. Guilbert. THE Auditor of State is another native Buckeye., being born in Guernsey county. His ancestry is French-Irish, and his great grandfather was a distinguished soldier in the American Revolution. Mr. Guilbert was educated at Winona, Illinois, but returned to Ohio to take up his life work, settling in Noble county. His exceptional talent earned for him two terms as Auditor of his county, and in 1888 he entered the Auditor of State's office as Chief Clerk. Here he served until 1895,. when he was nominated and triumphantly elceted Auditor by the Republican party. He was re-elected in 1897 by a large majority. Mr. Guilbert possesses great executive ability and has held important positions in the party machinery, Chairman of his County Committee and Member of State Executive Committee. By earnest and careful work he has brought the Auditor's office to the highest degree of efficiency it has ever known, while his cordial nature makes him warm friends wherever he goes. He stands high in secret societies, being a Knight Templar and Shriner in -Masonry, and a member of I. O. O. F., K. P., and I. O. R. M. lodges. Mr. Guilbert was united in marriage to Miss Mary Jordan, February 5th, 1868, and their family consists of three children, two. sons and one daughter. 12 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Samuel B. Campbell. THE State Treasurer of Ohio, Samuel B. Campbell, was born at Steubenville, July 2, 1846. He attended school until eleven years old when he was thrown upon his own resources for a livelihood and compelled to withdraw from school. He was first a newsboy, then a clerk in a store, and finally, when his age permitted, a soldier in the late war. He belonged to the 157th O. V. I. At the close of the war he returned to Steubenville and engaged in business. He was one of the organizers of the Miners, and Mechanics' Bank, and was its Secretary and Treasurer until 1879 when he was elected Treasurer of Jefferson county, in which position he served four years. In 1886 he was appointed Cashier in the State Treasury, remaining in this office until 1892. In 1895 he was nominated on the Republican ticket for Treasurer of State, and with the rest of the ticket was elected by a very large majority. In 1897 he was a candidate for re-election and again received the suffrages of the people of Ohio. Mr. Campbell is an able, accurate and conscientious officer, and by his careful work and strict performance of duty has commended himself to the people of the state regardless of political affiliations. In 1874 he was married to Miss Martha M. Whittaker. Two sons and one daughter were born to them, the sons dying when just entering manhood. Mr. Campbell is a Mason of high standing, a member of the B. P. O. E.. of the National Union, and the Royal Arcanum. 14 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Frank S. Monnett. THE Attorney General of Ohio, was born March 19, 1857, at Kenton, Hardin county, but received his early education at Bucyrus. He graduated from the High School in 1875, and from the Ohio Wesleyan University in 1880. Choosing the law as his profession, he entered the National Law School at Washington, D. C. graduating therefrom in 1882. He began practice in Bucyrus, and in a short time by his remarkable ability and close attention to business built up a large and lucrative clientele and was recognized as a railroad attorney of high talent. Mr. Monnett was the first Republican City Solicitor in the old Democratic stronghold of Crawford county and at his re-election in 1894, received the largest majority of any candidate. He nominated and was instrumental in pushing the campaign of "Uncle Stephen" Harris for Congress in that year, and the next year allowed himself to become a candidate for Attorney General. He led his ticket with a plurality of 98,233. Two years later he was re-elected to the high office. Mr. Monnett is a brilliant and versatile lawyer, absolutely fearless in what he believes is right. His fight on trusts is fresh in the minds of the people and has endeared him more than ever to his constituents. His eminent talents and unswerving fidelity to duty warrant us in bespeaking for him a higher office in the gift of the people of Ohio than the one he so worthily holds, and in whatever position he may be placed he is sure to be found honest and capable. 16 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Joseph E. Blackburn. THE popular Dairy and Food Commissioner is a native of Ohio, having been born at Farmington, Belmont county, June 30, 1860. He was educated in the common schools of Bellaire, and when thirteen years old secured employment in the Belmont Glass Works, where as a common laborer and later as a skilled mechanic he remained fourteen years. In 1887, the factory having closed down, Mr. Blackburn embarked in the drug business. He also took an active interest in politics and in 1895 represented Belmont county in the 72nd General Assembly. Here his great business ability showed to peculiar advantage, and the following year he was selected as the Republican nominee for the office of Dairy and Food Commissioner. In the November election, 1896, he received 525,353 votes, the largest vote ever cast for any candidate for an Ohio office. His administration of the responsible position in which he was placed has been in the highest degree able and efficient, and he has saved the people of the state many thousands of dollars in promoting pure food, protecting them from adulterations, and driving impure products from our markets. He is vigilant and prompt, but that he is not over-strict is conclusively shown by the fact that in the cases prosecuted for violation of pure food laws he has secured a greater proportion of convictions than ever was known before in the history of the office. Mr. Blackburn was married in 1879 to Miss Dora C. Truman, and they have one son. 18 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Oscar T. Corson. NEAR Camden, Preble county, Ohio, May 3, 1857, was born the State Commissioner of Common Schools, Hon. O. T. Corson. Mr. Corson has been engaged in teaching all his life since he left the common schools, except for summer work in the University at Delaware. His first employment was in the Roberts district, east of Camden; next he was Principal of the Fair Haven schools, and later of the Camden schools. While here he was granted a life certificate by the State Board of Examiners. From Camden he went to Granville, and thence to Cambridge, in both places being Superintendent. Mr. Corson is an unyielding Republican, and as such was elected State Commissioner of Common Schools in the fall of 1891, and his predecessor, Hon. C. C. Miller, resigning April 16, 1892, he was appointed by Gov. McKinley to fill out the term. His own term began in July 1892, and in 1894 he was re-elected by the tremendous plurality of 137,777, the largest ever given in the state. This great tribute to his ability and popularity is more than justified in the excellent way he has performed the duties which devolved upon him. Attending strictly to business, he is yet easy of access and accommodating. When he retires from office, July 11, 1898, he will bear with him the respect, esteem and grateful remembrance of all with whom he has come in contact. Mr. Corson owns and edits The Ohio Educational Monthly, a journal devoted exclusively to educational matters and published in Columbus. In religion he is a Presbyterian. He was married August 2, 1881, to Miss Ella M. Jacoby. 20 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Emilius O. Randall. E. O. Randall, the Supreme Court Reporter since May, 1895, is the son of Rev. David Randall, D. D., author and traveller, and was born in Richfield, Ohio, October 28, 18.50. His great grandfathers on both sides fought in the Revolutionary war, and he is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. After receiving his Ph. B at Cornell in 1874, he spent two years in post-graduate work there and in Europe, and then followed mercantile and literary pursuits in Columbus from 1878 until 1890. Although he had studied law and had been admitted to the bar by 1890, he took a further course in the Ohio State University Law School, receiving the degrees of L. L. B. and L. L. M. in 1892. He was at once appointed instructor in Commercial Law, and became Professor in 1895. He has held other positions of honor, as President of Columbus Board of Trade, 1887; member Board of Education, 1887-9 ; Trustee Columbus Library since 1884; Trustee Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society since 1893, its Secretary since 1894, and Member of American Bar and American Library Associations. His literary attainments are high, judgment mature, and knowledge of men and affairs large and varied. As an orator he ranks high, his vocabulary being ample, diction pure, and delivery graceful. Having an abundance of ready wit he is the best after dinner speaker at the Columbus bar. Mr. Randall was married October 28, 1874, to Miss Mary Coy of Ithaca, N. Y., and they have two sons and one daughter. 22 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. William S. Matthews. THE Insurance Commissioner of Ohio is W. S. Matthews, a native of Gallia county, where he was born, January 1, 1847. He was educated at the common schools and at the Ohio University at Athens. After following the tanner's trade for some time, he engaged in teaching. During the war he did good service in Co. G, 1st 0. V. H. A. Republican principles lie deep in him, and he has been prominent in the councils of the party. In 1891, 1895 and 1896 he was Secretary of the State Executive Committee, and he has been twice endorsed by his county for Congress in the Tenth District. He was Message Clerk of the Senate in the 64th and 65th General Assemblies, and Representative from Gallia County in the 66th and 67th, where his work was thoroughly done and highly appreciated. In 1887 he was appointed Chief Clerk in the School Commissioner's office, and continued in that position until May, 1896, when Governor Bushnell appointed him Insurance Commissioner of Ohio. Mr. Matthews, though quiet and unassuming, is one of the most capable men in an Ohio public office. He is shrewd and alert, an excellent manager in party campaigns, and he combines great administrative ability with rare tact, so that he is both a very popular and a very successful man. He was married December 6, 1880, to Miss Alice E. Martin. He is a Mason, a K. P. and a member of the G. A. R. 24 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Leonhard Hirsch. FOR twelve years Hon. Leonhard Hirsch has been Supervisor of Public Printing for Ohio. He was born in Berncastel on the Moselle, Rhenish Prussia, October 13, 1834. After receiving a common school education he became a printer, and established a printing and lithographing office in Frankfort-on-the-Main, but was obliged to leave all and flee to England when Frankfort was occupied by the Prussians in 1866. After five years' work there, part of which time he was manager of the Hermann, he emigrated to New York, and soon became manager of the daily Oestliche Post. He worked a few years in St. Louis, came to Columbus in 1876 and established the Ohio Sonntagsgast. Mr. Hirsch is an ardent Republican, and it was only by heroic exertions that he kept his paper alive, for the German population is largely Democratic. However, in 1891 he founded the Express, a daily, and the only German Republican paper in central Ohio. Since 1886 he has been Supervisor of Public Printing, being appointed successively by Governors Fora-ker, McKinley and Bushnell. Mr. Hirsch is a pleasant and affable gentleman, a keen judge of men and a careful and capable officer. His half century of life as a printer has made him in the highest degree competent, and no better man ever justified a line of type. He is a person whom it is a pleasure to meet and be acquainted with. 26 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Thaddeus E. Cromley. THADDEUS E. CROMLEY was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, June 21, 1843. He was educated in the district school, in the Circleville Union Schools and in Kenyon College at Gambier,. Ohio, graduating in 1865. He has been engaged in agricultural pursuits for years and now owns and manages a large farm. He has served as member of the Board of Education, Township. Trustee, Representative of Pickaway County in the General Assembly two terms, and Trustee of the Boys' Industrial School. He has always been a staunch Democrat, and in 1890 was the candidate of his party for Secretary of State. In 1895, the Tenth Senatorial district, Franklin and Pickaway counties, being entitled to two senators, Mr. Cromley was nominated as one of the Democratic candidates and was elected by a majority of 961. He was re-nominated by acclamation in 1897 and elected by 2373 majority. In. the organization, Senator Cromley's eminent abilities received recognition. He was made President Pro-tem., Chairman of the Committees on Finance and on Rules, and member of seven other important committees. He is one of the hardest workers in the Senate, a ready and effective speaker, and perhaps the strongest advocate of harmony and good will to he found on either side of the chamber. Senator Cromley was married, October 6, 1870, to Miss Mary R. Miller, and seven children have been born to their union. He belongs to the K. P.'s, the K. of H. and the Nebraska Grange. 28 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Martin Dodge. ONE of the most familiar figures about the Ohio Capitol is Senator Martin Dodge of Cuyahoga county. He was born at Auburn, Geauga County. in 1851, and passed the first twenty years of his life on a farm. In 1871 he entered Hiram College where he studied four years, and after that one year in Ruchtel College, Akron. In 1876 he moved to Cleveland to pursue the study of law. He entered the Ohio State and Union law college, and having studied the required two years was admitted to the bar in 1877. After two years' practice in Cleveland, lie went to Kansas, 'returning in 1882 to Cleveland. For six years he was engaged in real estate and building operations. For three years following he was business manager of the Sun and Voice. In 1893 he was appointed by the Governor, Chairman of the Ohio Road Commission, and contributed an original proposition incorporated in the report to the effect that inanimate power should be substituted instead of animal power as a means of transportation upon the common roads, and that steel rails should he substituted for macadamized roads. He is the leader of the good roads movement in Ohio, and one of his speeches on that subject has been printed by the State and another by the U. S. government. He was first elected as a Republican to the General Assembly of Ohio in 1891, the 70th, and was regularly reelected to the 71st, 72nd and 73d, in the latter being transferred by his constituents to the Senate. 30 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. John W. Harper. THE senior Senator from Hamilton county was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, February 11, 1830, educated in private schools and came to Cincinnati in 1852. For thirty-four years he was a wholesale clothier; since 1886 he has been engaged chiefly in Fire Insurance. He was on the Council and School Board of Avondale, the largest village in Ohio, since incorporated in Cincinnati. He was aid-de-camp on Gov. Hoadley's staff with rank of Colonel and rendered faithful service in the memorable Cincinnati riot, receiving special praise from the Governor. He was appointed by Gov. For-aker a trustee of the Central Insane Asylum at Columbus, and re-appointed by Gov. Campbell; was on the Board of Supervisors, Cincinnati, two years, appointed without his knowledge by Mayor Mosby, a Republican ; was one of the Decennial Board of Equilization, 1890 ; represented the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce several times in the National Board of Trade, Washington, D. C. ; .and was a projector of the Dramatic Festival of 1883-84. Senator Harper's grandfather was a private in the Maryland Line and was with Washington at Valley Forge. He is 1st V. P. of Ohio Society Sons of American Revolution. He is a Democrat, and as Chairman of Insurance and member of several important committees has rendered efficient service. He is genial of address and his reputation for probity and honor is unquestioned. He is a Unitarian. His wife whom he married in 1860, was Miss Jennie Ellis, of Lafayette, Indiana ; they have three children and five grandchildren. 32 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Lake F. Jones. THE people of Knox, Morrow, Holmes and Wayne counties, which constitute the 17th and 28th districts, send Lake F. Jones to the Senate of the 73rd General Assembly. Senator Jones was born at Fredericksburg, Ohio, August 11, 1844, of distinguished parentage. His grandfather, Benjamin Jones, was an Ohio Congressman, 1832, re-elected in 1834, and a personal friend of Andrew Jackson. He was one of the pioneers of Wayne county, and his son, D. K. Jones, is the oldest man continuously residing in that county. All of the family have been staunch and active Democrats, and it is as such that Lake Jones was elected to his present office. He is Chairman of the Committee on Ditches and Drains, and a member of Agriculture, Public Works and Public Lands, Benevolent Institutions, Insurance, Claims and Fish Culture and Game. His business experience renders him of great value in determining legislation, while his frank and engaging demeanor makes him one of the most popular men in either house. He is one of the best of friends, always liberal and free-hearted, and under no circumstances does he lose the good nature which is characteristic of him. He is also a deep student of legislative practice, and his influence is widely elt in the work of the 73d General Assembly. Senator Jones was married in 1868 to Miss Jennie Rathell, and their family consists of two daughters and one son. 34 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. John Mitchell. STRIKING figure of the Seventy-third General/ Assembly is the gallant soldier, Captain Jack Mitchell. He was born at Ithica, New York, October 14, 1833, but for over forty years has been a citizen of Ottawa county, Ohio. Previously he had spent three years as a sailor on the lakes. In 1861 he raised Company I, Forty-first O. V. I., but was unjustly deprived of the captaincy. Rather than desert the boys he had collected, he enlisted as a private, and by extreme gallantry won the rank he had been deprived of. At Mission Ridge Senator Mitchell, then a lieutenant, leading five men, and without orders, flanked and captured a battery of two gulls, and since that time he has been Captain Jack Mitchell. He has been four times honored by the office of Sheriff of Ottawa county, and at the time of his election to the legislature, was Deputy Customs Collector. He has always been a rock-ribbed Democrat, and in 1897 was elected by the Democrats of the Thirtieth District, Erie, Huron, Ottawa and Sandusky counties, to the State Senate. He is an earnest and conscientious senator, with his heart in the right place, and his vote is always found on the side of justice. He married a daughter of Benjamin Napier, who was with Perry at Lake Erie, and who is represented in the celebrated painting in the State House, and has four girls and five boys, one of whom, Frank, is a page in the Senate. 36 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Silas J. Williams. CARROLL and Stark counties have been represented in the Seventy-second and Seventy-third General Assemblies by Hon. Silas J. Williams, of Alliance, Stark county. Senator Williams was born December 5, 1844, at Conemaugh, Pa. He entered the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in 1862, and a year later came to Ohio. He worked on that company's lines until 1875, being telegrapher, train dispatcher, yard master and train master. He went into the firm of Morgan, Williams & Co. at Alliance in 1877, and with others organized the Solid Steel Company in 1882. He was its treasurer until it was merged into the American Steel Casting Company in April, 1894, and was treasurer of this company until December, 1894, since which time he has not been in active business. He was elected to the Senate of the Seventy-second General Assembly as a Republican over C. A. Kreider, Democrat, and was re-elected to the Seventy-third General Assembly over Junius C. Ferrall. Senator Williams is one of the most efficient members of the Assembly, and his affability and popularity, combined to his great legislative ability, make his influence very powerful in shaping legislation. He was made Chairman of the Committee on Claims, and member of the Committees on Finance, Agriculture, Manufactures and Commerce, Mines and Mining and several other very important committees. 38 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Adam Schafer. FULTON, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Putnam, and Wood counties form the Thirty-third Senatorial District. Three Senators are elected from this district, and the subject of this sketch is from Lucas county, his home address being Maumee. Senator Schafer was born at Mount Carmel, Ill., August 31, 1856. His early life was spent in that place. His education was obtained at Carthage College, Carthage, Illinois, and he then took theological courses at Gettysburg, Pa., and at the Wittenberg Theological Seminary, Springfield, Ohio. He learned the trade of blacksmithing and followed that for some time, but at length developed into a harvester and binder expert, following that vocation for four years. But his early tastes prevailed, and he finally became a clergyman, Presbyterian, in which profession he has since been an earnest worker. In the 73d General Assembly he is one of the leaders on the Democratic side, and his earnestness, sincerity and ability have never been questioned. He is Chairman of the Committee on Benevolent Institutions, and is a member of Common Schools and School Lands, Sanitary Laws and Regulations, Fish Culture and Game, Enrollment and other committees. Senator Schafer was married August 30, 1885, to Miss Lillie Zimmerman, who had been one of his classmates in college. Of this union four children were born; Ida Zimmerman, aged ten years; Florence Elizabeth, aged nine years; Mary Olive, aged seven years; and Henry Louis, aged three years. 40 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. C. A. Cable. CHARLES AUGUSTUS CABLE was born at Nelsonville, Ohio, April 6, 1834, and was educated in the common schools and at a select school in Athens. When fifteen he entered the mercantile business, in which he was engaged until 1858. Thereafter he acted as a salesman until 1861, when he entered Company G, Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as a lieutenant. He was in all the battles and campaigns of his regiment, more than ten engagements, including Stone River, Chickamauga and Chattanooga, and acted as adjutant, quartermaster, captain, and finally assistant adjutant-general. After the war he entered into mercantile and hotel business, and in 1873 in banking, in which he is at present engaged. Senator Cable is a strong Republican, has always taken an active interest in politics, and has held numerous minor offices, in all of which great credit was reflected on his capability. Gov. Hayes in 1875 appointed him a Trustee for the Athens Asylum for the Insane. In 1897 his district, the 9th and 14th, consisting of Athens, Fairfield, Hocking, Morgan, Washington and parts of Monroe and Noble counties, being entitled to two senators, he was one of the Republicans elected to the office. He is Chairman of the Committee on Industrial Schools for Boys and Girls, and a member of Municipal Corporations No. 2, Mines and Mining, Claims, Taxation and other important committees. His work is thorough and exhaustive, and the business experience he brings to the Senate is of great value in determining the legislation to be enacted. 42 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Lewis Voight. THE only Independent Republican in the Senate is Lewis Voight, of Cincinnati. Senator Voight was a representative in the Sixty-fourth General Assembly, and was elected to the Seventy-third on the issue of reform in the city of Cincinnati. On all other questions he has affiliated with the Republicans. He was born in Cincinnati January 7, 1837, has spent his whole life in that city, and has become one of her most prominent citizens. This is shown by his service as a member of the Board of Aldermen and also of the City Council. He is one of the leading merchants, his business being wholesale wall paper. He is President of Lewis Voight & Sons Co., of which his son William is manager, and of the U. S. Wall Paper Co., of which his son Elmer is manager, both companies being incorporated under the laws of Ohio. During the war Senator Voight served as Captain, Company H, Twenty-third Ky. V. I., and since the war has been prominent in G. A. R. circles. Besides belonging to Kirkup Lodge, I. O. O. F., he is a leading Mason, being a member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Commandery, Consistory and Shrine. He was married April 28, 1857, to Susana M. Friedel, and has four children, William, Elmer, Lewis, Jr., and Florence. In religion he is a member of the English Evangelical Lutheran Church. Senator Voight is one of the best workers in the senate, and his upright and straightforward conduct has earned for him the confidence and respect of all his acquaintances. 44 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. W. E. Miller. WILLIAM EDWARD MILLER is one of the two senators who represent the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Districts, Licking, Muskingum, Perry and Delaware counties, in the senate of the Seventy. third General Assembly. He was born at Newark, Licking county, March 12, 1856, received his education in the public schools of that place, and entered business life in the home town. He was a druggist until 1882, when he engaged in the manufacture of engines, boilers and saw mills, a business which, in association with his father-in law, R. Scheidler, under the firm name of the Scheidler Machine Works, he still continues. Senator Miller was a member of the Board of Education from 1886 to 1895, and of the City Council 1897-98. He is a Democrat, and as such was elected to his present position. He is chairman of the Committee on Railroads and Telegraphs, and a member of Finance, Public Works and Public Lands, Manufactures and Commerce, Labor, Mines and Mining, etc., where he renders faithful and efficient service. He is genial and popular, yet a man who thinks he was sent here to help pass good laws, and who bends every energy to that purpose. He was married October 2, 1879, to Miss Annie Scheidler. He is a member of Acme Lodge, 554, F. & A. M. ; Warren Chapter, 6, R. A. M. ; Bigelow Council, 7, R. & S. M. ; St. Luke's Cornmandery, 34, K. T. ; Ohio Consistory A. & A. S. R. ; Syrian Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. ; Zanesville Lodge, 114, B. P. O. E. ; Newark Lodge, 13, K. of P.; and Bayard Taylor Council, Royal Arcanum. 46 - THE OHIO BLUE BOOK. Hon. Alfred M. Cohen. ALFRED M. COHEN, one of the four senators from Hamilton county, has lived in Cincinnati since his birth, October 19, 1859, and is a product of the common schools. He graduated from the Cincinnati Law School in 1880, but was not admitted to the bar for nearly six months, not having reached legal majority. From the start he commanded a considerable practice, and now has a foremost position among Cincinnati lawyers. He is senior member of the well known firm of Cohen & Mack. A staunch Democrat, he is averse to office, but is high in the councils of his party. He has served in the common council, and was chairman of the famous convention which nominated for mayor, Col. Gustav Tafel. He sounded the keynote of that campaign, and his convention speech suggested the wisdom of nominating him for the senate. He accepted only after much persuasion, and his majority was largest by several hundred of any senatorial candidate from the county. He has distinguished himself by close application to duty and is one of the most conscientious and painstaking senators. He is chairman of Municipal Corporations No. 1, to which legislation affecting Cincinnati and Cleveland is referred. His championship of reform legislation for Cincinnati was among the most effective efforts of the session. He is a member of the aristocratic Cincinnati Club, and is prominent in nearly all leading fraternal societies, especially in Masonry. For several years he has been President of the United Young Men's Hebrew Association of America, which comprises all prominent Y. M. H. A's in the United States. Senator Cohen is married and has an interesting family of three children. 48 - OHIO BLUE LAWS. Hon. William V. Blake. AMONG the ablest representatives of Ohio in the Senate of the Seventy third General Assembly is William V. Blake, of Columbiana. He was elected to his seat by the Republicans of the Twentieth and Twenty-second Districts— Columbiana, Jefferson, Belmont and Harrison counties, over George B. Aten, Democrat, by a plurality of 4916 votes. Senator Blake was born in Chesterfield, England, October 28, 1843, and left school to take part in manual labor before he unraveled the mysteries of the primer. Coming to America in the sixties, he at first worked at his trade in the Trenton, N. J., potteries, and in 1889 entered the service of the well-known firm of Knowles, Taylor & Knowles, East Liverpool, Ohio. In this city with its thirty potteries, he is the only one following the trade of " thrower." Senator Blake is a staunch and earnest Republican and an ardent and able advocate of all legislation tending to better the condition especially of the laboring classes. As chairman of the committee on Labor, and member of such important committees as Manufactures and Commerce, Mines and Mining, Roads, Highways and Turnpikes, etc., he is in a condition to give his best energies toward promoting the requisite legislation, and this he does in a way to earn him the approval of his constituents and the esteem of his colleagues.