to the schools of Jones County, and started a new era of usefulness for them. Ever since that time he has been accorded the credit of putting the schools there on a higher and more efficient level. Coming to Ohio in 1888, he settled in Bellevue, and became the proprietor of the Bellevue News, which he has ever since published. He established a daily edition of this paper recently, and it has been accorded a generous welcome by the people of Bellevue and vicinity. Secretary of State Laylin appointed him to his present position as Stationery Clerk in his office, which position he has ably filled for the last four years.' His duties in that office are to purchase and dispense the stationery, paper and supplies used by the various State departments of Ohio. He is well and favorably known in many fraternal circles, belonging to the various Masonic 'bodies, including the order of the Knight Templars and the Scottish Rite Consistory (thirty-second degree). He is also a member of the Mystic Shrine and the K. of P. He is a Past Master of the. Masonic "Blue Lodge," Past T. I. M. of Masonic Council and Past Eminent Commander of Norwalk Commandery. He was married to Miss Jessie Denison, of Anamosa, Iowa, on the 29th of August, 1888. Daniel J. Ryan, Ex-Secretary of State and attorney at law at Columbus, Ohio, was born in Cincinnati on the 1st of January, 1855. His parents were born in Ireland and came to this country about 1850, settling in Cincinnati. They afterwards removed to .Portsmouth, Ohio, where young Ryan received his education in the public schools, passing through all the grades. He was graduated from the High School. in 1875. For a year. before leaving school he was entered as a law student in the office of Judge James W. Bannon, where he continued his studies after graduating.. In February, 1877, he was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of Ohio. He at once commenced practice alone at Portsmouth, and the following April was elected City Solicitor, and re-elected in 1879, serving until the spring of 1881. In 1883 he was elected member of the Ohio House of Representatives, and was re-elected in 1885. During his service he was Speaker pro tem and Chairman of the Committee of Public Works. At the expiration ,of his legislative duties he resumed the practice of his profession. In 1888 he was elected Secretary of State of Ohio, and in 1890 re-elected for a second term. He resigned the office, however, in. 1891, to. accept the appointment of Commissioner in Chief for Ohio of the" World's Columbian< the duties of which required his services until May, 1894. While Secretary of State he assisted in the compilation of Smith & Benedict's edition of the Revised Statutes of Ohio. He has since been engaged in his practice in Columbus. Mr. Ryan has. always been a Republican. He was the first President of the Ohio Republican League, and presided in New York %Ayer the first convention of the Republican Clubs, which met in 1887. For many years Mr. Ryan has been one of the Trustees of the Ohio Historical Society. He was - 350 - appointed by the Exhibitors' Association at the World's Fair as one of the commissioners to the Antwerp Exposition in 1894. Governor McKinley appointed Mr. Ryan as delegate to the National Water Ways Convention, which met in Vicksburg in 1894. In the practice of law Mr. Ryan has been identified with many important cases in Ohio, which attracted attention both in and out of the State, among which might be mentioned the case touching the constitutionality of the abandonment of the Hocking Canal, and litigation, relating to the Food Department of the State. On the loth of January, 1884, Mr. Ryan was married to Myra L. Kerr, of Portsmouth, Ohio. Charles Kinney, Ex-Secretary of State of the State of Ohio,. was born in Springville, Kentucky, on the 7th of July, 1850, the son of Charles and Elizabeth (Cox) Kinney. His father died in 1861, shortly after which he removed with his mother to Columbus, Indiana, where he received his primary education in the public schools, graduating therefrom. in .1866. While residing in Columbus he learned the trade of a printer, which occupation he followed until 1871, when the family removed to Portsmouth, Ohio. Here he engaged in various mercantile pursuits until 1877, when he was appointed Deputy Treasurer of Scioto County ; Was .nominated by the Republican party of that county and .elected County Treasurer in 1883, and re-elected in 1885. In 1889 he was appointed assistant to Secretary of State Daniel J. :Ryan, of Portsmouth, with whom he had been associated for a number of years. Mr. Kinney Was nominated by the Republican party of Ohio as a candidate for Secretary of State, and: elected in 1896, and re-elected in 1898; serving two *terms of two years each.. After his retirement from office in 1901 he formed a law partnership at Columbus, Ohio, with George H. Jones, formerly of Portsmouth, under the firm name of Jones & Kinney. Mr. Kinney was married, in 1879, to Letitia H. Yoakley, daughter of John Yoakley, of Portsmouth, Ohio. Horace Ankeney, The man of modesty and worth naturally shrinks from the task of writing a sketch of himself for a work of this kind, for the reason that, in writing of one's self, it is difficult to avoid even the appearance of egotism, hence the preparation of this sketch has devolved on another than the person concerned. Horace Ankeney was born in Beaver Creek Township, Greene County, Ohio, on the nth of February, 1850. His father, Samuel Ankeney, was a Marylander and his mother, Margaret Gettard,. an Ohioan. They are both deceased. The father was an admirer of Horace Mann, when that great educator was connected with Antioch College at Yellow Springs, Ohio. He also admired Horace Greeley, and for years was a constant reader of - 351 - the great editor's paper. Having been so much attached to these great men, it is little wonder that one of his sons was named Horace. The mother was of German extraction and possessed many noble traits. Four children were born to these parents, two sons and two daughters, and all of them have ever remained in their native county of Greene. The parents> were prosperous and accumulated a competence, and at the same time looked carefully after the education of their children, Albert and Horace both being alumni of Miami University at Oxford, Butler County, Ohio. After graduating, both adopted farming as their life work, Albert being a prominent cattle dealer, as well as a farmer. For two years the subject of this sketch taught in his native township, and has ever since given much attention to a study of the needs of the public schools, serving twenty years as member of the Board of Education of his native township, being its President seventeen years. He can look with much pride on securing, in the face of great opposition, the Superintendency of schools for his township and later a township High School, both of which have resulted in great good to the community, many of the youth of the township going from the High School to college. In addition to his work in behalf of the common schools he has been connected with higher institutions of learning—a trustee of Miami University from 1887 to 1900, of Heidelberg University from 1885 to 1900. He served as Infirmary Director of his county from 1883 to 1889, and was the author of the first pamphlet of collated and annotated Poor Laws in the State, a similar collation-of the laws having since been published by the State Board of Charities under authority granted by special act of Legislature. Near the close of his second term, he resigned to give special attention to raising the endowment of one of The institutions of his Church. Mr. Ankeney has always been enterprising along agricultural lines, serving as President of farmers' clubs and institutes, and actively engaged in everything that enhances the interest of the farming community. For years he was a director of the Second National Bank of Xenia. He has been a constant employer of labor, and several of his employes, through following his advice, are now themselves owners of farms. He has always been an ardent advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and represented his county in the Seventy-fourth and Seventy-fifth General Assemblies, serving as Chairman of the Committee on Libraries, and a member of the Committees on. Schools, Finance, and Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home. So satisfactory were his services to the State as a Legislator, that his friends urged him to become a candidate for the office of State Dairy and Food Commissioner. He easily secured the nomination, which was followed by his triumphant election by a large majority. The duties of the office are arduous and exacting, but he performed them in such a manner as to compel all interests to admit his honesty and impartiality. He was re-elected in George D. Freeman, One of the citizens of Columbus, Ohio, who has taken active part in many of the improvements which have made it one of the most beautiful cities in the State, is Colonel George D. Freeman. He was born at Ovid, Franklin County, Ohio, on the iith of August, 1842. His father, Usual W. Freeman, together with his mother, Margaret (Christy) Freeman, came from New Jersey to Ohio in 1833. Usual Freeman served with distinction in the New York militia during the War of 1812 and was also an assistant engineer for the city of New York during the platting of the part of the city north of Canal Street. His father, William Freeman, was a soldier of the Revolution. Colonel George D. Freeman took advantage of the limited educational opportunities afforded by the common schools of his early days, at a later period supplementing the instruction thus obtained by attendance-of night schools. When but six years of age he lost his father, and at the age of eleven years he became the only support of his mother, and 'bravely did he assume the responsibility. When still a lad he entered the studio of D. D. Winchester, then the leading artist of Columbus, but left the employ of this gentleman to become a page in the Ohio House of Representatives at the last session held at Odeon Hall and the first held in the present Capitol Building. He received his appointment from Nelson H. Van Voorhees, the Speaker of the first Republican Legislature of Ohio. From here he entered the dry goods house of Headly & Elerly, with whom he remained until 1866, when he was admitted as a junior partner in this firm. Later years found him the senior partner of Freeman, Stanley & Norton, who were the successors of Headly & Elerly. In 188o Colonel Freeman withdrew from the dry goods trade and entered into the furniture business as a member of the firm of Halm, Bellows & Butler, who were succeeded by Freeman, Halm & McAllister. Later Colonel Freeman withdrew from this business to establish the George D. Freeman Mantel Company, engaged in the manufacture of mantels and interior furnishings. In 1878, on the organization of the State militia into the Ohio National Guard, Mr. Freeman, at the urgent request of the regiment, assumed command and became the Colonel - 353 - of the famous Fourteenth Ohio National Guards, in which capacity he served the State for thirteen years. The period of his command was marked with many trying ordeals, where bravery, good judgment and a cool head were very necessary attributes in a commanding officer. The well-remembered Cincinnati riots were among these occasions, and it was at this time that the abilities of Colonel Freeman as a commander were shown. He brought peace and order out of the turbulent mob that surged through the streets of the city, endangering life and property. In 189o, through press of business, Colonel Freeman was obliged to resign his post. At the breaking out of the Spanish War, Colonel Freeman was called- to the position of Acting Assistant Quartermaster-General and was active at Camp Bushnell in equipping the troops for the front—in fact, put up the camp. From there he was ordered to the duty of Superintendent of the State Arsenal, where he is still on duty. He had two sons in the late Spanish War. Colonel Freeman has taken a prominent part in all public enterprises, serving for some years on the County Board of Agriculture, and took an active interest in securing to the city the beautiful spot known as Franklin Park. This was not a political service, nor has he held any political office, although frequently pressed to do so. On the 31st of October, 1865, Colonel Freeman was united in marriage to Miss Julia A. Diehmer, whose parents were pioneers in the settlement of Central Ohio. Four children have been the issue of this union. A. B. Critchfield, Adjutant General of Ohio, was born on a farm in Ripley Township, Holmes County, Ohio, on the 23d of August, 1863. He comes from fighting stock. His great-grandfather, John Critchfield, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, served under Generals Washington, Morgan and Green, and was in the memorable winter camp at Valley Forge. He took part in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, the storming of Stony Point, the Cowpens, etc., and was wounded at Cowpens, for which he received a pension during the later years of his life. General Critchfield's grandfather was Lorenzo D. Critchfield, one of the pioneer settlers of Holmes County, then a part of Wayne County. He was an active Democrat in politics until 1856, when he became a Republican on the question of slavery. He enlisted in the army during the Mexican War, but his company never got beyond the borders of the United States. The father of General Critchfield, William P. Critchfield, also drew his sword for the defense of his country in the Civil War, and has been a patient but intense sufferer as the result of his service ever since. He now lives on a farm in Ripley Township, Holmes County. He taught school for many years, but some time ago retired. He is a Republican in politics, a strong and influential citizen in that community, enjoying the confidence and esteem of all. General Critchfield, who obtained a thorough education in the public schools, became identified with the militia - 354 - of his native State before he became of age. He enlisted in the Ohio National Guard in the spring of 1884, and has served in all the grades from private to Major in the celebrated Eighth Ohio Volunteer Regiment of Infantry. He represented the fourth generation of his family since the declaration of independence in a war of his country against a foreign enemy, and served with distinction as Captain of Company H, Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in the war with Spain ; took part in the campaign against Santiago, Cuba, and was present at the surrender and evacuation of that city by the army of General Toral. The General has always been a faithful adherent of Republican principles. He has filled the position of clerk in the Adjutant General's Department under the administration of Governor McKinley. He was for one year inspector in the department of the Food and Dairy Commissioner; Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue and Chief Clerk in the department of the Inspector of Workshops and Factories. He held the latter position until his appointment to the office of Adjutant General on the 11th of January, 1904. He belongs to the following societies and orders : Masons, Elks, Modern Woodmen, Society of the Army of Santiago and United Veterans of the Spanish-American War. In 1895, General Critchfield married Miss Livina Cammarn, who died in January, 1897. In June, 1902, General Critchfield Was married to Miss Frances Bucher, of Shreve. They reside in a pleasant home in the city of Columbus, and are members of the Christian Church. Frederick Blankner, It has been said that the late John Sherman was the dean of the office holders in the Buckeye State, the Sage of Mansfield having spent forty years in the service of the people as Representative in Congress, as United States Senator, Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State. But even that record must give way for Col. Frederick Blankner, who has held a position in the State House since 1858—fortyseven years in round numbers. For forty-two years, or since 1863, he has been Third Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms in the House, and in that time no man has had the temerity to seriously oppose him. It is a sufficient reply as to Mr. Blankner's fitness for the position to point to his unparalleled record. It has never been equaled in the history of Ohio politics. Frederick Blankner is of German birth, born in Bavaria on the 28th of July, 1836. His father was a retired business man. One year after the birth of young Blankner the family emigrated to America, landing in New York. They soon went to Buffalo, thence by canal to Cleveland, thence to Portsmouth by the same means of conveyance, eventually retreating their journey from Portsmouth to Columbus by canal, and here Frederick Blankner has ever since resided. He was educated in the public schools of Columbus and afterwards worked with the Ohio Tool Company, having charge of the packing department. He entered the service of the State upon the organization of the Fifty-third General Assembly, when Salmon P. - 355 - Chase was Governor, being elected one of the porters in the House of Representatives. He served in this position until 1863, when the Fifty-fifth General Assembly, with David Tod as Governor, named him as Third Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms of the House, a post he has held without a break ever since. He served in Company A, Fifth Ohio Cavalry, during the war of 1861, returning home on furlough during the session of the General Assembly to serve as Third Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms. On the 18th of January, 1857, he married Fredericka Volk, and four children were born to them, "two sons and two daughters. The -wife died on the 18th, of August, 1872, and Mr. Blankner was married to Anna M. Harding, to whom one daughter was born. There is probably no ma n better known in Ohio legislative circles than Frederick Blankner, and his unequaled record demonstrates his popularity in more eloquent words than can be employed in this connection. He is everybody's friend, and no matter how closely party lines are drawn in the organization of the House, or what faction or party wins in that contest, Frederick Blankner is the unchallenged Third Assistant Sergeant-atArms. It is safe to say that as long as he lives he will remain in his position. His services are invaluable, and there is no one to take his place.' Frederick Blankner stands without a rival as one of the unique characters in the history of Ohio politics. Andrew Jackson, It is no common honor for one man to be chosen Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives for six terms, yet that has been accomplished by Andrew Jackson, who held. this responsible position in the Seventy-sixth General Assembly. Mr. Jackson is a Greene County product, born near Cedarville on the 25th of December, 1845, where he has ever since resided. He received a common school education in the schools of Xenia, and when the war broke out enlisted in the Ninety-fourth Ohio Regiment and served for a full term of three years with distinguished credit. He entered politics actively when he was elected a member of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly from Greene County, and was re-elected to the Sixty-ninth. He was chosen Sergeant-at-Arms of the Seventieth, Seventy-first, Seventy-second, Seventy-fourth, Seventy-fifth and Seventy-sixth General Assemblies, and proof of his popularity is shown that in every election after the first he has had no real opposition for another term. He was the Republican caucus nominee for Sergeant-at-Arms of the Seventy-third General Assembly, but went down when the opposition to Senator Hanna organized the House. Mr. Jackson is a farmer and breeder of fine horses at his beautiful place near Cedarville ; was a member of the. Ohio Chickamauga Commission, that erected monuments to the Ohio troops on the battlefield of Chickamauga, and for years has found time to fill many of the village offices.. He is popular wherever known, and his unfailing good nature has made him a legion. of friends. Party lines cut no figure in this matter, for while Mr. Jackson is and .always has been an unswerving, loyal - 356 - Republican, he stands deservedly high in the good opinion of those who are politically opposed to him. It is probable that he will be kept in his present place as long as he cares to serve. Mark Slater, The present incumbent of the office of Supervisor of Public Printing, Hon. Mark Slater, was born on the 9th of August, 1864, at Dayton, Ohio, where he resided until his appointment by Governor Nash on the 1st of May, 1901. His father, Mr. Calvin T. Slater, was an Englishman, and his mother, Caroline (Emiont) Slater, was of French extraction, born and raised in Canada. All of his adult life, Mr. Slater has been a devotee of the art preservative, his first employment being in the United Brethren Publishing House, in Dayton, where he was engaged for fifteen years. He afterward had in charge the printing for the National Cash Register Company, at Dayton, then embarking in business on his own account in a job printing office, where he was engaged at the time of his appointment. Mr. Slater is a member of the Typographical Union No. 57. He is a true-blue Republican and has 'been an active factor in party management in Dayton and Montgomery County ever since reaching his majority. He was a member of the Republican State Central Committee for several years, and now represents the Third District on that committee. Mr. Slater is a, member of the Maccabees, the Foresters and Elks. A first-class official and a popular gentleman, he unites all the elements of 'political success. Harvey H. Shirer, Secretary of the Ohio Board of State Charities, is a native of Montgomery County, of this State. His common school education was obtained in the rural schools of Van Buren Township. He was graduated from the Central High School of Dayton in 1893 with special honors. He entered the classical course of Heidelberg University at Tiffin the same year, and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in June, 1897. Special mention was given him for his high standing in class work, especially in Latin and Greek. During his college course he was identified with the leading student associations and enterprises. His fellow students and classmates honored him with responsible - 357 - positions in their organizations. He was editor-in-chief of the college paper, "The Kilikilik," for one year, and also of the class annual, the " '97 Aurora." After graduation the Board of Regents of Heidelberg University selected Mr. Shirer to serve as Professor of Pedagogy and Assistant in the Academy. In 1901 he resigned from the. Chair of Pedagogy to accept the position of Librarian, also continuing to teach a few classes in Latin and Mathematics in the Academy. On the 7th of November, 1902, he was unanimously chosen by members of the Ohio Board of State Charities as their Secretary, to succeed Mr. Joseph P. Byers, who had resigned to accept the Superintendency. of a State institution in another State. Mr. Shirer accepted at Once and took charge of his present work on the 1st of December, 1902. During the past year he visited all the infirmaries, children's homes, county jails and State institutions, which had never been accomplished before in a single year. His report to the Board shows the conditions existing in all these institutions. He has been identified during the last few years with church and Sunday-school work. In 1902 he was a lay delegate to the General Synod of the Reformed Church, held at Baltimore, Maryland. At present he is President of the Sunday School Board of the Ohio Synod of this denomination. The office of the Ohio Board of State Charities, with which Mr. Shirer is connected, is in the new State House Building. The Board is composed of the following members : Governor Myron T. Herrick, President ex-officio; General Roeliff Brinkerhoff, Mansfield; Judge Martin Dewey Follett, Marietta; Hon. Rutherford H. Platt, Columbus; Hon. J. G. Schmidlapp, Cincinnati ; Judge Henry C. Ranney, Cleveland, and Hon. Jesse N. Oren, Wilmington. John McSweeney, Attorney at law at Wooster, Ohio, and a member of the State Board of Library Commissioners, which Board was organized in 1896, is a native Ohioan, born at Wooster on the 1st of August, 1854. His father, Hon. John McSweeney, was also a lawyer, who acquired distinction not only in the State for his legal ability, but whose name became prominent all over this country. Mr. John McSweeney received his early education in his home city, attending the public and high schools, and graduating from the Wooster University in his twenty-second year. He was afterwards fortified with a brief season of work at the Boston Law School, from where he graduated in 1879, and later took a special course of study in the office of his distinguished sire. He was admitted to the bar before the Supreme Court of Ohio in the year 1879. In the fall of the same year Mr. McSweeney entered upon his career as a public official, he being elected Solicitor of the city of Wooster. His services were of such a high order and became so satisfactory .to the people, that upon the termination of his incumbency he was re-elected to the same position in 1883: His next public office was that of Prosecuting Attorney of Wayne County, a position he also held for two successive terms. He was appointed a member of the State Board of Library Commissioners in' the spring'of 1902, by the late Governor Nash. His term expires in 1908. Mr. McSweeney maintains an office at Wooster, Ohio, in which city he has a large and lucrative practice. Mr. McSweeney is considered to be one of the best trained lawyers in the State, and during all his active life he has been ever foremost in all movements pertaining to .the welfare of the people. He is a brilliant orator, broad in his conceptions, sharp and incisive in debate, with unusual analytical abilities. In 1884 he was united in marriage to Miss Ada Mullins. He resides with his family in his .home city, Wooster, Ohio. - 358 - William Kirtley, Jr., Member of the State Board of Public Works, was born on the 1st of November, 1858, at Warsaw, Indiana. His parents were both natives of Ohio, the father William Kirtley, having Butler County as his birthplace, and the mother, Percella Kirtley, being a native of Shelby County. The father was a hard-working, honest farmer, who toiled incessantly to provide a home for his family and to bring up his children a credit to his name and to the country, giving them such 'education as his limited means would allow. The son William received his early education in the Warsaw Public Schools and at the Ft. Wayne (Indiana) Business College, obtaining the means to continue and complete the course by working during the day. At the age of sixteen years he went to work as hotel clerk and learned the hotel business thoroughly, gradually advancing his position in life, until to-day we find him the owner and proprietor of the Crosby Hotel at Defiance, Ohio, and also of the Clark Hotel, Peru, Indiana. The position he now holds as a member of the State Board of Public Works is the first and only political office he has ever held. He received the nomination for the same by the Republican State Convention, held at Cleveland, Ohio, on the 28th of May, 1902. In the fall of the same year he was elected by a large majority. He has always been a staunch Republican, always ready to serve his party in any capacity when called upon. Socially, Mr. Kirtley is a Mason, Knight Templar, Shriner, Elk and K. of P. In religious belief he is a Methodist. On the .9th of September, 1879, Mr. Kirtley married Miss Amy Belle Moore; and by that union he is the father of an interesting family of three children—Bessie Moore Kirtley, W. Guy H. Kirtley and Fred Hasteing Kirtley. Mr. Kirtley resides at Defiance, Ohio. Mr. Kirtley was the first delegate elected from Ohio to the Republican National Convention, held in Chicago in 1904. George Henderson Watkins, Member of the State Board of Public Works; was born on the 17th of October, 1858, at Piketon, Ohio. He is the son of John H. and Sophia J. Watkins, both of whom were residents of this State. Mr. Watkins' father was ferryman at Piketon, Ohio, for many years, and a man well known in the southern part of Ohio. He was a private in the army during .the War of the Rebellion, and died in the service. George H. Watkins was six months old when the family moved from Piketon to Waverly, Ohio,.where he received his early education in the common schools until. he had reached the age of nine years. The father having died when Mr: Watkins was a child, the mother was re-married to Benjamin. Lewis, who settled on a farm north of Waverly, residing there for a number of years. At the early age of thirteen - 359 - years Mr. Watkins was employed by Lauman & Allison, general merchants, on Bear Creek, where he remained until he was twenty years old, when he opened a store at Clifford, Ohio, for Mr. Lauman. He had charge of that store from, 1878 until 1886, when he removed to Wakefield and opened a store under the firm name of Lauman & Watkins. In 1900 Mr. Watkins bought out the interests of his partner, Mr. Lauman, and in the following year located his office at Columbus. There he engaged extensively in railroad tie contracting, in which business his name is known and on the 'books of the great railroad corporations in this and other States. Mr. Watkins has always been an ardent Republican, and is one of the conspicuous figures in Republican .politics of the State. In February, 1898, he was made Superintendent of the Ohio canals, and in 1902 was elected a member of the State Board of Public Works, a position he still holds, and has filled with great distinction. Mr. Watkins is a Mason and has a large circle of friends in Masonic bodies. He was married in January, 1879, to Lilly I. Glaze, by which union he is the father of two sons and one daughter. His residence is located at Portsmouth, Ohio. Charles E. Perkins, The present Chief Engineer of the Public Works of Ohio, where he has made a splendid record in the management of the State's waterways, is a native of Akron, Ohio, where he was born on the 7th of May, 1850. His grandfather, Simon Perkins, came to Ohio from. Connecticut in 1800 and settled at Warren, Trumbull County, as the representative of .the West- ern Reserve Land Company. On his maternal side his great-grandfather was Judge Tod, father of Governor David Tod, a name that stood high among Ohio's jurists half a century ago. His mother was Mrs. Grace Ingersoll (Tod) Perkins. Young Perkins was educated in the public schools at Akron and at the Western Reserve Academy. He also attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, N. Y., for three years, and the Columbia School of Mines in New York City for one year. Mr. Perkins has always been connected with the Republican party, and is an active worker in the ranks of Ohio Republicans. In the line of his profession - 360 - Mr. Perkins was Assistant and City Engineer of Akron for seven years, and Surveyor and Engineer of Summit County for nine years, besides being engaged in general practice. In every instance he has given splendid satisfaction, and his record as Chief Engineer of the Ohio Canal System—an office in which he has been retained since his first appointment by Governor McKinley in 1892—indicates the thoroughness of his work in his present position, and his practical education along the lines of expert engineering. Mr. Perkins is a zealous believer in inland waterways as. a public necessity and an advocate of the building, across the Ohio portage, of a modern barge canal connecting Lake Erie with the Southern rivers. His annual report for the fiscal year, 1903, addressed to the Governor and the State Board of Public Works, was an able and comprehensive paper containing an exhaustive argument on the practicability and advisability of inaugurating a system of extensive repairs to the canals and an improvement of their present defective physical condition, leading ultimately to the building of a barge canal from the Lakes to the Southern rivers, similar to that now being undertaken by the State of New York in the rebuilding of the Erie Canal connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River. In referring to the Public Works, in his message to the Seventy-sixth General Assembly, the Governor paid the following tribute to the report of Mr. Perkins, and to his personal record : "In this document is embraced a very instructive and complete report by Mr. Charles E. Perkins, the Chief Engineer of Public-Works, with his estimate as to what must be done, in order to place them in a useful condition for the future. This report I transmit to the General Assembly, together. with this message, believing that it will receive the consideration which it richly deserves. "Mr. Perkins is an engineer of integrity and great professional ability. His services have been devoted to the Public Works of Ohio for twelve years,. and his opinions are entitled to much weight." He was married in 1880 to Miss May Adams, daughter of Mr. Frank Adams, a prominent manufacturer of Akron. Ralph D. Cole. It has been the good fortune of few men indeed to achieve, so early in life, so great success, and win for themselves such an enviable reputation as that achieved and won by Hon. Ralph D. Cole, of Findlay, Ohio. At the age of thirty years, when most men have scarcely more than laid the foundation of a successful career, he has already come into possession of a large measure of its fruits. He was born on a farm in Biglick Township, Hancock County, Ohio, in the year 1873, and is the thirteenth of a family of sixteen children, all except one of which are still living. He is of Scotch-Irish descent, his mother having been born in Scotland and he is the refutation - of the adage that thirteen is an unlucky number. When a barefoot boy upon his father's farm, attending the country school and doing "chores," he developed a passionate fondness for books, and he has been a hard - 361 - student ever since ; reading much and thinking much, striving to keep abreast of the times, and to become well informed upon all matters of general interest. He graduated from Findlay College and subsequently, after teaching several terms of school, took a course in the law department of Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio. After having served for two terms as Deputy Clerk of the Courts of Hancock County, he was elected to represent his native county in the Seventy-fourth General Assembly, being then but twenty-five years old. He succeeded himself in the Seventy-fifth General Assembly, and, notwithstanding a most desperate fight waged against him, chiefly on the ground that he was "too young," he increased his majority in that close county from 199 to 681 votes. Because of his fluency of speech and the careful thought which he gave to every measure that came before the House, he rapidly pushed his way to the front, and was soon recognized as one of the leaders in debate. His grandmother was a Webster, cousin to Daniel Webster, the Sage of Marshfield, and her grandson seems to have imbibed some of the characteristics of his illustrious, though distant, kinsman. Recognizing his, energy, adroitness and ability, at the special request of the Nash Administration, he was placed in charge of one of the most important of the taxation measures enacted by that body, which bears his name, and was instrumental in pushing it into early enactment. He was Chairman of the Committee on Taxation, member of the. House Committee on the Municipal Code, and on the Code Conference Committee. No member of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly was more widely known for industry, sagacity and the fearless, straightforward advocacy of important measures than Mr. Cole. He refused a third nomination, and forming a partnership with two of his elder brothers, under the firm name of Cole, Cole & Cole, entered upon the practice of law at Findlay, Ohio. He was not long to remain, however, in private life ; for as the time approached to nominate a successor to Hon. W. R. Warnock to represent the Eighth Congressional District of Ohio in the National Congress, the Republicans of Hancock County, urged Mr. Cole to enter the race ; and in April, 1904, after one of the most spirited contests, Mr. Cole was nominated on the 634th ballot. For nearly forty years Hancock County had been unable to secure this honor for one of her favorite sons, and Mr. Cole is the first Republican who was ever able to bring the nomination to his county. As the majority in his district is very large, his election followed, and he is one of the youngest members of the National House of Representatives. His forcefulness as a public speaker is widely recognized, and he was honored by being chosen as one of the speakers at the recent dedication of the Ohio monuments on the battlefield of Shiloh. Having 'arisen from the humble walks of life by dint of his own industry, and coming in contact with all classes of men who toil and struggle, he is especially fitted to represent the whole people; knowing their needs and aspirations. Personally he is clean, always standing for what he believes to be right ; and he has the courage to advocate it, regardless of the results. His success has not been due to luck. He has achieved it by industry and sagacity, and by a genial disposition which makes him popular with the people. He is unmarried, and resides with his father, a retired farmer, in his spacious home in the suburbs of the city. Few men in public life have such bright prospects, and his friends confidently predict for him a still more brilliant career. Charles Follett, The venerable attorney-at-law at Newark, Ohio, a jurist, who practiced his profession for more than a half century, was born on the 14th of December, 1820, in Franklin County, Vermont. He comes froth good old New England stock, and his family name is found to-day in the records of New England's history. Mr. Follett's parents were John F. and - 362 - Sarah Lemira (Woodworth) Follett, both of whom were born in the same historic State. The father was a militiaman in the War of 1812, and during the remainder of his life was engaged in the occupation of farming. The "Niles Register" of the 17th of October, 1812, has an item as follows: "Governor Chittenden, of Vermont, ordered home the militia from Platesburgh, and the Folletts remonstrated," an evidence of the intense patriotism of the Follett family during the war of the United States with England. The great-grandfather of Mr. Charles Follett, Eliphalet Follett, married Elizabeth Dewey, a relative of the ancestors of the famous Admiral Dewey, of Manila fame. A great-uncle, Frederick Follett, during the massacre in Wyoming Valley, was shot and stabbed nine times, and finally scalped by the murderous Indians, but remarkable as it may appear, feigning death, he subsequently escaped and lived—without his scalp, which remained in the possession of the Red Devils. Mr. Follett was educated in the common schools of his native district, in an academy and a private seminary. He afterwards studied law and was admitted to the bar in October, 1845. He first attracted attention as a public man when, at the age of twenty-seven years, he was made Postmaster of Johnstown, Licking County, Ohio, where he had settled. In October, 1848, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Licking County, holding the position for two terms, being re-elected. From this position he resigned in 1852, and was elected to the Ohio Senate, representing the counties of Licking and Delaware. While a member of that distinguished body, Mr. Follett became early recognized as a man of extreme usefulness to his party and people. He took an active part in all legislation enacted by that body, and he was the author of the first efficient anti-liquor traffic act passed by an Ohio Legislature : "An act, to provide against the evils resulting from the sale of intoxicating liquors in the State of Ohio," passed on the 1st of May, 1854 (see Ohio Laws, volume 52, page 153). Its constitutionality was sustained by the Supreme Court of Ohio, viz. : Section 18 of Article 16, in these words : "No license to traffic in intoxicating liquors shall hereafter be granted in this State, but the General Assembly may by law provide against evils resulting therefrom" (see Miller and Gibson vs. The State of Ohio, 3 Ohio, State Rep. 475). Mr. Follett is also the author of an act, supplementary to an act, entitled "An act to prohibit unauthorized banking, and the circulation of unauthorized bank paper, passed on the 12th of March, 1845, and on the 1st of May, 1854." Mr. Follett served one term in the State Senate, after the expiration of which he resumed his practice. In 1864 he was nominated by the Democracy of the then Thirteenth Congressional District, composed of the counties of Muskingum; Licking, Knox and Coshocton, as their candidate for Congress, to which office his friends believed him duly elected, having received a majority of 1,222 votes over his competitor, Columbus Delano, but Follett was counted out and Delano seated, upon returns and votes said to have been cast by - 363 - soldiers in the different States and Territories and hospitals of the Federal Army. In October, 1870, Mr. Follett was elected Judge of the Common Pleas Court for the Sixth Judicial District of Ohio, to fill a vacancy, and in the fall of the following year was elected for a full term of five years to that important position. In the fall of 1884 he was elected a Judge of the Circuit Court, Fifth Circuit of Ohio, a. middle term of four years, and later was returned to that position, for a full term of six years, serving altogether a period of ten years. In political belief, Judge Follett is a bi-metallic Democrat, and is an ardent admirer of Jefferson, Jackson and Bryan, as well as of Judge Parker, for whom he voted in the last. Presidential election. Judge Follett was married in April, 1842, to Mary Delia Lewis, who died on the 6th of July, 1902. By this union, he has five living children.. In religious belief, Judge Follett. is a Presbyterian, and is a regular attendant of the Second Presbyterian Church of Newark, Ohio, in which city he resides. The closing years of Judge Follett are spent surrounded by a host of friends, who appreciate his sterling qualities and broad human sympathies. He is a man of whom anyone would be proud to be a friend. He is a brother of the late Dr. Alfred Follett, of Granville, Ohio, and of Judge Martin Dewey Follett, of Marietta, Ohio, and the late John F. Follett, of Cincinnati, Ohio—once a member of Congress and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the State. Judge Charles is the elder of six brothers. Herman P. Goebel, A leading attorney in the city of Cincinnati, representing the Second. District of Ohio in the lower branch of the National House of Representatives, was born on the 5th of April, 1853, in Cincinnati. He is of German descent, his father, Christian Goebel, a cabinet maker, emigrating to this country from Darmstadt in 1848. His mother was a native of Bohnfeld, Suabia, Germany. Judge Goebel received his education in the public and night schools of his home city, attended a commercial college, and is a graduate from the Cincinnati Law School in 1872. At the age of nineteen years he engaged in that profession to which he has devoted his life. When of age he was admitted to the bar and became identified with the law firm of Young, Crawford & Goebel, and later with that of Goebel & Bettinger. The latter firm continued in business until 1904, since which time Congressman Goebel has practiced his profession under his own name, with offices located in the Mercantile Law Library Building at Cincinnati, Ohio. Judge Goebel in political belief is a Republican, and has occupied many positions of trust in the gift of the people. In 1875 he was a member of the Sixty-second General Assembly of Ohio, in which capacity he served with distinction. He was a member of the Judiciary Committee of that body, and through his efforts the office of court interpreter was created, also a law permitting appeal from the decisions of Justices of the Peace. In 1884 he was elected Probate Judge, and re-elected in 1887. After the expiration of his second term he again took up the - 364 - practice of law, in which he became eminently successful. Judge Goebel is admirably equipped for the career which he has chosen for himself. He is a man of great abilities, high character and well-merited reputation for calm judgment and unselfish devotion to the public good. In 1.902 Judge Goebel was nominated and elected to Congress by the Republicans of the Second Ohio Congressional District, and ably fulfilling that trust, he was rewarded for his fidelity to the people 'by a re-election in 1904. Socially, Congressman Goebel is a leading member of the Masonic fraternity, a Scottish Rite Mason, Knight Templar and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He has been twice married, and is the father of three girls and one son. His residence is located at Rapid Run Road, Price Hill, Cincinnati, Ohio. Thomas Barton Kyle, A leading lawyer of Troy, Ohio, and member Of Congress from the Seventh Ohio District, was born on the loth of March, 1856, in the city in which he has gained distinction in his chosen profession. Congressman Kyle is the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Barton S. Kyle, who served during the War of the Rebellion in the Seventy-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was killed in the battle of Shiloh. His early education was received in the public schools of Troy and at Dartsmouth College, in which institution of learning he spent two years, after which he studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1884, when he immediately took up the practice of his chosen profession. He has been pre-eminently successful, and to-day Mr. Kyle is recognized as one of the ablest attorneys in his part of the State., His ability as an attorney was early recognized by the people of his community, and in 1890 he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Miami County. After the expiration of his first term of office, having served with great distinction, Mr. Kyle was re-elected by an increased majority. For three years: he was President of the Board of Education. He was nominated and elected by the Republicans of the Seventh Ohio Congressional District to the Fifty-seventh and Fifty-eighth National Congress. During his activity in the lower branch of the National .House of Congress, Mr. Kyle was a member of a number of important committees, in which he rendered important services. Since he became of age, Mr. Kyle has been closely identified with the Republican party, and he is recognized as one of the strongest and ablest men of his community. He was married to Lettie Benedict, of Legrande, Iowa, on the 26th of December, 1883. Two children have been the issue of this union. Mr. Kyle resides in Troy. His offices are located in the Courthouse of that city, where he is engaged, in connection with his partner, Senator Long, in the general practice of law. John J. Lentz, Ex-Member of Congress from the Twelfth Ohio District, and attorney at law at Columbus, Ohio, is a lawyer of national reputation, and one of the foremost leaders of the - 365 - Democratic party in the Buckeye State. He was born on the 27th of January, 1856, near St. Clairsville, Belmont County, Ohio, the son of Simon and Anna (Meyer) Lentz. His grandfather, John Lentz, was a native of Bavaria, Germany, and emigrated to the United States, settling in Ohio. Mr. John J. Lentz spent his childhood days in the country and so early acquired the rugged constitution that has proved of incalculable value to him in his unceasing struggle for success. Young Lentz obtained the first rudiments of an education in the district schools of his native county and the St. Clairsville High School, walking to and from that institution daily, a distance of five miles. At the age of seventeen he became a teacher and ultimately was appointed Superintendent of the Mainville graded schools, occupying that position at the time he attained his majority. His salary earned thereby paid his tuition in college. Resigning his position as Superintendent of the Mainville schools, he entered the National Normal University, at Lebanon, Ohio, graduating from that institution in 1877, after which he matriculated at the Wooster University. He was attracted to Wooster by Walter Q. Scott, who became his personal friend, and while attending that well-known college, Mr. Lentz won the second prize in the oratbrical contest. Graduating from Wooster in 1878, he pursued his studies at the University of Michigan, and was graduated from there in 1882, receiving the degree of A.B. From Ann Arbor, Mr. Lentz went to New York, finishing his thorough education at the Columbia College, graduating in 1883 with the degree of LL.B. In the same year Mr. Lentz was admitted to the bat before the Supreme Court of Ohio, and since that time he has been continuously engaged in the practice of his chosen profession in the city of Columbus, Ohio. The years of study he had spent at the different institutions of higher learning had laid the foundation for his success. Mr. Lentz has always been a staunch and unswerving follower of the principles of the Democratic party, in whose ranks he is a recognized leader of more than ordinary intelligence and ability. He is a man of commanding appearance, of great intellectual force and energy. As a political speaker he has no superiors. His arguments are both forceful and convincing ; and a vocabulary almost unlimited, a. power of statement that is inspiring with confidence and supreme logic are prominent features in his eloquence, whether in a political gathering or before Judge or jury. Mr. Lentz has rendered his party and the people in general many important and valuable services. He was a member of the Board of Teachers' Examiners of the city of Columbus for five years and trustee of the Ohio -University. In 1883 he was brought prominently before the Democratic State Convention for the position of Governor without his consent, and he received a large complimentary vote. In 1896 his name was placed on the Congressional ticket of his party, and he was elected to represent the Twelfth District of Ohio in the lower House of Congress by a majority of forty-nine votes, although the National Republican ticket carried the dis- - 366 - trict by two hundred and eighty-four votes. Having served with distinction in the "War Congress," he was re-elected to a second term, and this time by a majority of seven hundred and twenty-two votes. In 1900 he was again nominated, but was defeated by Mr. Emmett Tompkins, a Republican, by eighteen votes, although President McKinley carried the district by seven hundred and thirty-five votes. After the expiration of his second term in Congress, Mr. Lentz resumed the general practice of law, in which he achieved a high standing. His abilities and experience as a lawyer are acknowledged, varied and extensive, and he is considered as one of the most efficient members of the bar of his native State. In September, 1896, he was elected National President of the American Insurance Union, and since then he has been repeatedly re-elected to that position. Mr. Lentz was a law partner of the late Governor George K. Nash. His offices are located, in the Wyandotte Building, West Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio. Nicholas Longworth, Attorney at law at Cincinnati, Ohio, and member of Congress from the First Congressional District of Ohio, belongs to one of the most prominent families of the Queen City. His great-grandfather, Nicholas. Longworth, was one of the first settlers in Cincinnati ; his grandfather, Joseph Longworth, founded the Cincinnati Art School, which stands to-day as a monument of that gentleman's public spirit ; while his father, Judge Nicholas Longworth, enjoyed the distinction of being one of the foremost exponents of the law in Ohio, and who stood high in the legal profession of this country. Congressman Longworth was born on the 5th of November, 1869, at Cincinnati. He received his early education in the schools of his home city, after which he attended Harvard University, graduating from. that famous institution in 1891 -with high honors. Returning to the Queen City, Mr. Longworth entered the Cincinnati Law School, from where he went to Harvard and studied for one year in the Law Department of that university. He finished his legal education at the Cincinnati Law School, from which he graduated. After being admitted to the bar he took charge of the large estate of Mrs. Susan Longworth. Congressman Longworth is a staunch Republican, and has served his party often and faithfully. In the year of 1897 he was nominated by the Republicans of Hamilton County as a candidate to the Seventy-third General Assembly, but met defeat with the rest of the ticket. Two years later, however, he was triumphantly elected on the ticket of his party to the same position, in connection with Judge Harry H. Hoffheimer and Judge Carl Nippert. In 19o1 Congressman Longworth was returned to the General Assembly, but this time as a State Senator, and in this position served the people with distinction. His name was placed before the people in 1902 as a candidate for Congress, and his election followed. At that time he was one of the youngest members in the National House of Representatives, but - 367 - notwithstanding his youth he made such an enviable record that at the expiration of his term of office he was re-elected, in 1904, by an increased majority. Congressman Longworth is a leading member of the Stamina Republican League and of the Blaine Club, of which, in 1901, he was elected President. He also belongs to many social, fraternal and business organizations. During the last Presidential campaign Mr. Longworth was a member of the Republican State Committee, in which position he rendered valuable services. There is no doubt but that Congressman Longworth has a brilliant and useful career before him. James A. Norton, Is a name that stands out prominent, in the contemporary list of Ohio's bright sons. His refinement, his honor and his zeal as a politician have endeared him to a wide acquaintance, especially within the ranks of his own political party. As a public man, two characteristics mark him in particular—his personal popularity and his great efficiency. He was born on the 11th of November, 1843, at Bettsville, Seneca County, Ohio. His father, Rufus Norton, was a physician of English descent, and came from a family of physicians. The mother of James A. Norton was Clarissa Waters, who came from Connecticut Puritan stock, and was married to Rufus Norton at Ashtabula in the year 1835. The ancestors of both were brave and chivalric people, and left their names on the army rolls of both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 with England. Dr. James A. Norton was educated in the schools of Tiffin, Ohio, and in the office of his father, where he became well versed in the profession of medicine. Much of his professional education, however, was acquired during the Civil War, when at odd hours he improved the time by studying the mysteries of a science that had been so enticing to his ancestors. When nineteen years of age, young Norton enlisted in the service of the Union army, and was chosen Sergeant. His regiment was the One Hundred and First Ohio, with which he served through its movements as a portion of the Army of the Cumberland. At Chickamauga he was wounded and seriously injured. In 1864 he was commissioned by President Lincoln, First Lieutenant, and assigned to duty as Post-Adjutant of Draft Rendezvous at Louisville, Ky., and he served here and at other points in a like capacity until mustered out of service on the 16th of October, 1865. In July, 1865, while on a furlough, he was married to Adaline Heming, daughter of Thomas Heming, a noted educator of Tiffin, Ohio. Returning from the war, Mr. Norton continued his professional studies, and, in 1867, began the practice of medicine in partnership with his father. Feeling the need of a change of climate, owing to hemorrhages of the lungs brought on by injury in the war, Dr. Norton removed to Hampton, Iowa, to engage in practice there, but returned at the end of four years on the death of his father, to take up his large practice at Bettsville. In the fall of 1873 Dr. Norton was elected to the lower House of the General Assembly of Ohio, and served - 368 - through the Sixty-first, Sixty-second and Sixty-third General Assemblies. His service as a legislator was distinguished for faithful and industrious labor. By reason of his forensic powers, which were developed here, Dr. Norton has since been called into service in every campaign to advocate from the stump the principles of his party, making in one campaign as many as seventy speeches. Having acquired a taste for the legal profession while in the legislative service, he pursued the study of law, and in 1874 was admitted to the bar. Having made the law of corporations a specialty, Dr. Norton was well equipped to take up the new work, for which he was engaged at the close of his legislative career—that of superintending the contracts of the S. L. Wiley Construction Company, of Massachusetts. This concern were builders of water works, and Dr. Norton had charge of all their work west of the Alleghenies. This fully engaged his attention until the company's failure, brought about by the famous wreck of the firm of Grant & Ward, in 1884. In the meantime, Dr. Norton and his family had established themselves in a fine home in the city of Tiffin. In 1885, in the midst of the construction of a new Courthouse, the County Auditor died, and at the earnest solicitation of the Prosecuting Attorney, Dr. Norton accepted the appointment to the office of Auditor. This office he continued to hold, by appointment and election, up to September, 1892. His service as Auditor was especially proficient, bringing forth strong words of commendation from State Auditor Poe. Dr. Norton's skill as a political organizer and director found recognition in his selection by his party as Chairman of the Democratic State Committee, in 1887, a position he held until 1892. He was, perhaps, the most active person in bringing about the election of Hon. Calvin S. Brice to the United States Senate. He was also a strong advocate for the nomination of James E. Campbell for Governor of Ohio, in 1889, and upon the successful issue of the campaign was appointed by- the Governor, State Commissioner of Railroads and Telegraphs. In this position, Dr. Norton actually brought order out of chaos, and converted the office from what Governor Foraker described -"a political sinecure that ought to be abolished" to one of the most useful departments of the State government. Upon the inauguration of Governor McKinley, in 1892, out of personal consideration and friendship for that gentleman, Dr. Norton at once tendered his resignation, but it was accepted only on condition that he remain in charge until the following May. Immediately upon his resignation being tendered, Dr. Norton was offered and accepted a position in the legal department of the general offices of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, his duties being to take charge of legislative and tax matters in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and the District of Columbia. In the fall of :1896, Dr. Norton was elected member of Congress and te-elected in 1898 and 1900. In this' capacity he served the people in a very proficient way. His work in. Ohio politics is apparent, and will be preserved in the annals of our great State. Milton Sayler, Was born in Lewisburg, Preble County, Ohio, on the 4th of November, 1831. His parents were natives of Virginia, and came to Ohio in the early part of this century. His grandfather, Daniel Sayler, was a member of the Ohio Legislature in 1820 and 1821. During the period of 1834-1835 his father, John Sayler, represented Preble County in the lower branch of the Legislature, and afterwards Preble and Butler Counties in the State Senate from 1838 to 1840. Milton Sayler, the eldest son, was graduated from the Miami University in 1852 with the highest honors of his class, and was chosen to fill a vacancy in the Board of Instruction of that university. During his life as a teacher he studied law, and was graduated from the Cincinnati Law School. Shortly after, the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion he gave up all pursuits to enter the army, but his election to the Ohio - 369 - State Legislature in 1862 prevented this. He remained in the Legislature one term and was elected a member of the Cincinnati Council in 1864 and 1865. During the war he formed a law partnership with T. C. Ware, which continued until the death of Mr. Ware. He then connected himself with Judge Okey, Wilson Kennan and his brother Nelson, under the firm name of Okey, Sayler, Kennan & Sayler, which lasted but one year. On the dissolution of the firm in 1866 he formed a partnership with his brother Nelson, as Sayler & Sayler, under which firm name two of his brothers still continue the parctice of law. During the war, and while the Democrats were in control in Cincinnati, he was the most prominent man of the party in public and political life. His remarkable faculty for remembering names and faces served to bring him very close to the people. In 1872 he was elected to Congress from the First Congressional District, and served three terms. During the long and continued illness of Speaker Kerr, of the Forty-fifth Congress, he was elected Speaker pro tempore. While in Congress he was prominent in committee work of ways and means, on revisions of laws, and private land claims. He dropped out of political life in 1878, during one of the most remarkable and memorable campaigns in the history of Cincinnati, as it worked the change of control from Democrats to Republicans. In thiS campaign he was. defeated by Benjamin Butterworth, and the political life of a brilliant and popular political leader was at an end. When Congress adjourned he went to Colorado and remained there several years, and then went to New York and took up the practice of law there. He was a thorough scholar *and student, his proficiency in Hebrew, Greek, Latin and modern languages was sufficient to qualify him for a professorship in any of those languages. He was a brilliant lecturer, and at one time gave a great deal of attention to theological studies, his family. even believing at one time that he would enter the ministry, and when he gave that up and entered law and politics, there were many regrets. He edited with Swan a supplement to the Revised Statutes of Ohio. Although always a Democrat, he never wavered in his allegiance to the Government. He never married. His death occurred in New York on the 17th of November, 1892, and his body was followed to the grave at Spring Grove Cemetery, that beautiful city of the dead, near Cincinnati, by many of his old associates at the bar. Thomas E. Scroggy, Member of Congress from the Sixth Ohio Congressional District, and a veteran of the Civil War, is a native Ohioan, born in Warren County on the 18th of March, 1843. His parents were John and Lucy (Northrup) Scroggy, the former a native of New Jersey, and the latter of Connecticut. His father, who followed the vocation of a miller, was born in 1780, and came to Mount Holly, Ohio, when the State was in its infancy, operating a saw - 370 - mill for many years. Later he moved to Harveysburg, Warren County, where Thomas E. Scroggy was born. The latter went to school until fourteen years of age, when he became apprenticed to a carriage maker.. He was eighteen years old when the Civil War broke out and President Lincoln issued his first call for volunteers, and in response to that call Judge Scroggy immediately joined Company B of the Twelfth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in May, 1861. Sorely disappointed on account of his rejection by reason of his youth, there being forty-nine volunteers in excess of the quota, he, in July of the same year, again offered his services to his country, and this time his name became enrolled on the roster of Company H of the Thirty-ninth Ohio Infantry, and he was mustered in at Camp Dennison, Ohio. His war record is a brilliant one. He was assigned to duty first in Missouri and later took part in the siege of Corinth, where his regiment was the first to enter the fortifications. Under General Rosecranz he helped to defeat the Confederates at Inka. Later he participated in the battle of Corinth, facing the desperate charge of the Confederates under Colonel Rogers, of the Second Texas, on Fort Robinett. Taking part in every engagement of his regiment until the 4th of July, 1864, when, in an assault on the rebel fortifications at Nico jack Creek, he was shot through the right lung and incapacitated. For three months he wavered between life and death in the hospital at Marietta, Georgia, but gaining a little strength, was started northward. A relapse occurred, however, and he was placed in the hospital at Nashville, Tennessee. From there the physicians who attended him, thinking that his days were numbered, sent him home to close his eyes among the familiar scenes of his boyhood days. The spark of life remained dominant in his rugged frame, and a terrific battle ensued between life and death, which raged for a period of six months, when nature asserted its right for life, and he survived from his injuries. It now became necessary for him to earn a living, and he accepted a position as a clerk in a dry goods store in Harveysburg. In 1865 he removed to Xenia, working in the employ of a grocery firm. On the 1st of January, 1866, Mr. Scroggy formed a partnership with his father-in-law in the millinery business. During these days of laborious employment he in leisure hours read law under the direction of Hugh Carey and Judge C. C. Shearer. While being a law student he was elected a Justice of the Peace of Xenia Township, in 1869., Two years later he was admitted to the bar, by the Supreme Court of the. State of Ohio. As a tribute to his legal ability, and to the record he made in the Civil War, his name was placed before the people in 1898 as a candidate for Judge of the Common Pleas Court, and to that position he was elected in the fall of the same year. That he ably filled that position of trust was manifested when, in 1903, he was again elected to that distinguished office, this time without any opposition whatever. In the spring of 1904, Judge Scroggy was announced as a candidate for Congress in the Sixth Ohio District, his opponent in his own party being - 371 - Congressman Hildebrand, backed by the solid support of the State Administration. A factional fight. ensued, and both candidates claimed the nomination. Their contentions were brought before the Republican State Convention, and later before the Supreme Court of Ohio for decision. Justice prevailed, and Thomas E. Scroggy was declared to be the legal candidate of his party. His triumphant election followed. Notwithstanding bitter opposition and the Judas treachery of those who, in the interest of their own party, should have supported him, Judge Scroggy secured a large majority of votes. In January, 1866, Congressman Scroggy was united in marriage to Stella Ledbetter, who died on the 14th of December, 1887. One son was born to this ‘union, but he died in his infancy. On the 4th of February, 1892, Judge Scroggy was married to his present wife, Mary Bloom, of Xenia, Ohio. The Judge is a thirty-second *degree Mason, a member of the G. A. R., R. A. M., B. P. O. E. and an honorary Member of the Junior Order of American Mechanics. J. H. Southard, Member of Congress from the Ninth District of Ohio, and prominent as a member of the legal profession in Toledo, was born on a farm in Washington Township, Lucas County, Ohio, on the l0th of January, 1851. He is a son of Samuel and Charlotte (Hitchcock) Southard, the former of whom, a native of Devonshire, England, came to America about the year 1833, and located in Lucas County, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in March, 1896. He followed the vocation of a farmer, and was very successful. The mother of Congressman Southard was born in the State of New York. Mr. Southard is the oldest son in a family of nine children. He spent the years of his childhood on a farm and obtained his education in the country schools and those of the city, of Toledo. He prepared for college at Adrian, Mich., and Oberlin, Ohio, after which he entered Cornell University, at Ithaca, N. Y., from which celebrated institution he graduated in 1874. In the spring of 1875, Mr. Southard began the study of law in Toledo, and such was his application, that he was admitted to the bar in the spring of .1877. He has continued to practice ever since, and enjoys the well-earned reputation of being one of the most brilliant lawyers in the State. Mr. Southard has always been a follower of the doctrines of the Republican party, and has served the party of his choice in many capacities. He is a man of commanding appearance, an able debater and a forceful and convincing public and political speaker. Among the members of the legal profession of the northwestern part of Ohio he has no peer, and he stands high in the esteem of his fellow citizens. In 1882 Mr. Southard was appointed Assistant Prosecuting Attorney of Lucas County, and the year following Prosecuting Attorney. Three years later, in 1887, he was re-elected to the office, holding the same two terms. In 1894 he was nominated for Congress by the Republicans of the Ninth District, and was elected over candidates - 372 - on the Democratic and the Populist tickets by a majority of 6,6o6. Since that time Mr. Southard has graced the halls of the National House of Representatives, and his counsel has been sought and his influence felt in many questions of national and international importance.. The district he represents is one of the most populous in the State, and is composed of Lucas, Ottawa and Wood Counties. Mr. Southard was united in marriage to Miss Carrie T. Wales, of Toledo, and this union has been blessed with three children. Mr. Southard's law office is located in the Spitzer Building, Toledo, Ohio. William Woodburn Skiles, Deceased, during his active life one of the most representative lawyers of Central Ohio. was a man of national prominence, having represented the Fourteenth Congressional Dis trict of the Buckeye State for nearly two terms in the lower House of the National Congress. with credit to himself and to his constituents. A most promising career was cut short by his untimely death, in January, 1904. Mr. Skiles was born on the 11th of December, 1849, at Stoughtstown, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. His parents came to Richland County, Ohio, in 1854, and from this time on until his death Congressman Skiles always resided in Shelby and vicinity. He obtained his early education in the district schools of his home city, and afterwards took a full college course at Baldwin University, Berea, Ohio. In 1876 he and his brother, George M. Skiles, were graduated from the above named institution, and began the study of law with the firm of Matson, Dirlan & Lehman, of Mansfield. They were admitted to the bar on the 24th of July, 1878, and immediately opened an office at Shelby, where they were engaged. in the general practice of law until Mr.. William Woodburn Skiles closed his earthly. career: Mr. Skiles had always been a staunch adherent of the Republican faith, and for many years had taken an active part in the affairs of the Republican party. His advice was often sought in the councils of his party, and in many campaigns he was a forceful exponent of Republican principles. For one term he was a member of the State Central Committee. In the summer of 1900 Mr. Skiles was nominated by the Republican Congressional Convention of the Fourteenth Ohio District as a candidate for Congress, and he was elected in the fall of the same year by a large majority. While being in Congress, Mr. Skiles served as a member of important committees, and he always was a true and faithful servant of the people. That his services were appreciated was proven by his re-election to the same office by an increased majority in the fall of 1902. Previous to his election to Congress, Mr. Skiles had never held any political office other than being President of the Shelby School Board for the last twenty years. He was> prominently connected with manufacturing and financial institutions in Shelby, but devoted his time entirely to his law practice. On the 3d of October,1878, Mr.Skiles was married to Miss E. Dora Matson, of Shelby, and a son, Aubrey, and a daughter, Zante, were born to them. - 373 - Edward L. Taylor, Jr., Congressman from the Twelfth Ohio District, being one of the best-known members of the bar of the Capital City, is a native of Columbus, and was born on the loth day of August, 1869. He is a son.of Edward L. Taylor, One of the most. prominent lawyers of the State. Mr. Taylor received his education in the public schools of Columbus, from which he graduated in 1887. The following year be began preparation for admission to the bar, and was a student under his father, who was a member of the firm of Taylor & Taylor. He was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of Ohio on the 3d day of December, I891, and has since that time been in the active practice of his profession in his native city. In November, 1899, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Franklin County for the term of three years, his opponent being Albert Lee Thurman, a grandson of the Honorable A. G. Thurman. At the close of his first term, having performed the duties with ability, he was reelected by a largely increased majority over that of his first election. Mr. Taylor served as Prosecuting Attorney until the :3d day of March, 1905. At the November election, 1904, he was, after having been nominated for Congress without opposition, elected to represent the Twelfth District in that body by the unusual majority of 7,200. Mr. Taylor was united in marriage on the 4th of January, 1894, to Miss Marie A. Firestone, of Columbus, a daughter of C. D. Firestone, of The Columbus Buggy Company. Mr. Taylor is a prominent member of the Masonic bodies, the Elks and other well-known secret organizations. William Aubrey Thomas, Of Niles, Trumbull County, who succeeds General Charles Dick as Congressman from the famous Nineteenth District, was born on the 7th of June, 1866, and is a son of John R. and Margaret Thomas. The father, who died in 1898, was one of the pioneer iron manufacturers of the Mahoning Valley, which is noted for its varied iron and steel industries. W. Aubrey Thomas was reared at Niles, and secured his preliminary education in the public schools of that thriving city, graduating from the High School in 1883. In the fall of the same year he entered Mt. Union College at Alliance, Ohio, where he studied for two years. Anticipating a business life and to better prepare himself for the iron and steel business he entered the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, N. Y., where he took a thorough course in chemistry and metallurgy. Returning to Niles, he spent two years in the laboratory of The Thomas Furnace Company as analytical chemist and was then advanced to the position of Superintendent of the - 374 - furnace, in which responsible place he soon demonstrated unusual executive ability and a thoroughness in a practical way that rapidly placed him in the front rank among furnace men. He continued as Superintendent until the sale of the plant in 1898. Mr. Thomas is now interested with his brothers, John M. and Thomas E., in the Thomas Furnace Company at Milwaukee, Wis., and the Niles Fire Brick Company at Niles. He is the President and Treasurer of the Niles Boiler Company, a director in the First National Bank of Niles, and also associated in other enterprises. In politics Mr. Thomas has been active ever since he attained his majority, having been for years a familiar figure in district and State conventions, and always identified with county affairs. By natural gifts and education his fitness for political preferment was early recognized, but aside from the office of Councilman in his home town of Niles he refused to accept any place offered him until in the spring of 1904, when partial freedom from business duties led him to follow the unanimous wishes of his fellow townsmen and enter the contest for the nomination for Congressman. With his own county unitedly supporting him he, against big odds, invaded Summit County, and by his engaging manners, pleasing personality and known capability, succeeded in getting a majority of the delegates in that county, which, with the aid of Portage County, resulted in his nomination on the eighteenth ballot. The other counties of the district are Ashtabula and Geauga. Mr. Thomas is prominent in Masonry, and when serving as Master of the Blue Lodge No. 394 at Niles was known as the youngest man holding such a position in the State. He is a member of Lake Erie Consistory, thirty-second degree, and Al Koran Shrine of Cleveland ; Warren Commandery, Knights Templars, of Warren, and the founder 'of the B. P. O. E. lodge at Niles. Mr. Thomas resides with his mother and sister, Miss Mary A. Thomas, on a beautiful farm of one hundred and fifteen acres within the corporate limits of the city. He has never married. Another sister, Margaretta, is the wife of Dr. T. O. Clingan of Niles. One brother, John M., resides in Milwaukee, Wis., and the other, Thomas E., near the old home at Niles. Being of a progressive spirit, Mr. Thomas has been a hard worker for the upbuilding of his home city, and has always been found promoting only what he believed to be for the best of the town and the betterment of conditions among all classes. On one occasion, when, in carrying forward a local improvement, it was found that the work would necessitate the removal of the home of a woman dependent on her own resources, Mr. Thomas hunted up a contractor and had the building properly located on its new site at his own expense. This, with many other good deeds showing his noble character, was done without ostentation or any outward show whatever.