Page images
PDF
EPUB

when a tax was placed on oils Colonel Smithnight held the office of United States inspector of oils, holding this position for two years, when the law was abolished. In 1868 he was appointed storekeeper of bonded warehouse, but refused the position by reason of the demands of his private business affairs. In 1880 Governor Foster conferred upon him the appointment as state inspector of oils for three years, and he subsequently retained the office, by reappointment, until a change in the administration and in the name of the office brought about his involuntary retirement. Upon the accession of Governor Foraker his eligibility and faithful service were again accorded recognition, and he was appointed state oil inspector, in which capacity he was retained throughout the first term of Foraker's administration. The Colonel has been an alert and watchful worker in the ranks of the Republican party from the time of its organization, and that his allegiance has not been of supine order nor yet actuated by desire of self-aggrandizement is shown in the prominence which has been his in the party, while seeking for himself no public preferment. He has been a delegate to party conventions from the time of its inception, and a recognition of his zeal and executive ability was accorded to him in his selection as a member of the Ohio state central committee, of which he was a member for three different terms, and he has been a member of the county central committee for thirty years, and chairman thereof seven terms. is one of the enthusiastic members of the Tippecanoe Club, one of the leading Republican organizations of the state. In his fraternal relations he is identified with the time-honored order of Freemasonry and is also a member of the Memorial Post of the Grand Army of the Republic. His interest in all that pertains to the progress and material prosperity of the city of his home is shown in his retaining membership in the chamber of commerce. Of the Ottawa Shooting Club, one of the representative organizations of the sort in Cleveland, he was the prime promoter and has served as its president for many years.

He

[blocks in formation]

the best element of the entire people who stood ready to sacrifice themselves and their fortunes in its behalf and for the principles which have since governed this aggregation of patriotic citizens of the republic and which have been fully up to the standard set by the founders. After an existence of over forty years the names which composed the party at the time of its birth are still represented among its leaders and supporters.

Among the first of these that were made part of the Republican party in eastern Ohio, none has appeared more frequently upon its rolls than has that of Wick. Indeed, this name is also synonymous with the entire industrial progress of Youngstown, and will, in all probability, endure as long as will the republic and the city with which it has been so closely identified, and to which its owners have added so much material wealth. The family name of Wick made its first appearance in America almost simultaneously with the Mayflower party, Lemuel Wick coming from England to this country about the year 1620. Afterward the name became well known on Long Island, where, at Southampton, the founder of the Ohio branch, Henry Wick, grandfather of our subject, was born. Before he came west this gentleman married Miss Hannah Baldwin, of Morristown, New Jersey, soon after moving to Pennsylvania and settling in Washington county, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits until 1801. In the latter year this worthy man removed to Youngstown, and there he became the pioneer merchant by opening and for many years successfully conducting such a general store as supplied the needs of the times. The store in those days was not only a place of purchase, but also of barter, and the material or produce bought by the proprietor from his customers at times exceeded what he had to sell, although his stock of goods consisted of everything coexisting with the demands of human welfare, including drugs, hardware, clothing, implements and groceries. In this manner trade adapted itself to the necessities and circumstances of the people in that particular locality. Success attended every effort of Mr. Wick and material wealth accumulated in his hands. Seven children were born to him and his wife, all of whom became heads of families and merchants in Youngstown or the surrounding country, and to-day they represent the wealth, industry, and best citizenship of Mahoning Valley.

Caleb B., the eldest son of Henry Wick, was appointed a colonel in the First Ohio Regiment in 1817 or 1818, when he was but twenty-two years old. He secured the limited educational advantages afforded by the county, and early in life entered into his business career by forming a partnership with Dr. Henry Man

in spirit and devotion as any child ever born beneath the protecting flag of the stars and stripes.

Colonel Smithnight has ever been an active and zealous worker in the cause of the Republican party and has taken a prominent place in the deliberations and councils of the Ohio contingent of the great political organization, and while he has been the successful man of business and the true and publicspirited citizen, yet there are these other salient points which render all the more appropriate a review of his life in this connection.

Louis Smithnight is a native of the province of Saxony, Germany, where he was born on the 16th of December, 1834, the son of Fred and Aurelia (Wolford) Smithnight, being the eldest of their four children. Both parents were born in Germany, and the mother passed her entire life in the loved Fatherland. After her death the father of our subject came to America, and he died in Chicago, in the year 1855. Young Louis attended the excellent common schools of his native province until he had attained the age of fourteen years, when he determined to try his fortunes in the new world. He bade adieu to his boyhood home and set sail for the United States, landing at the port of New York city in the year 1849. From the national metropolis he forthwith made his way to Cleveland, the major portion of the long and weary journey being made by means of the water-ways transportation which then represented the best facilities in the line-this having been prior to the advent of the railroads in the west. He soon continued his way to Columbus, which city was then suffering from the ravages of the great cholera scourge. While in Ohio's capital city, he was for a short time employed in a candle factory, but he eventually located in Wooster, this state, where he was for two years engaged in the wholesale grocery house of A. Kimball. In 1851 he came to Cleveland, in the employ of the same concern, which subsequently failed in business, after which he became head clerk in the wholesale grocery establishment of A. J. Wenham, retaining this position seven years.

Colonel Smithnight had been industrious and economical, and had thus secured somewhat of a financial reserve, when, in 1858, he had a malignant attack of the prevailing "gold fever," and proceeded with all expedition, as did many another, to exchange his hard-earned savings for a goodly lump of experience in the alluring search for the precious metal. He proceeded to Pike's Peak, Colorado, where he remained six months, when he found his financial reinforcement reduced to a minimum and his prospects none too attractive. He was therefore ready to take his experience firmly in hand and to transport the

same with himself back to Cleveland, which city has ever since been his home and the field of his ultimately successful operations. He returned to the Forest City within the year 1858 and engaged in the drug business, locating on Broadway, whence he removed the following year to quarters on Woodland avenue, and subsequently he moved to No. 579 Erie street, where he has been located for many years. He is a graduate in pharmacy and his establishment is one of the oldest in the city, and his careful methods and correct business principles have won him the esteem and confidence of the community.

In the year 1853 Colonel Smithnight became a member of that famous old military organization, the Cleveland Light Artillery, and of this he was an enthusiastic supporter. When the cloud of civil war

obscured the national horizon and President Lincoln issued his call for volunteers, Mr. Smithnight responded with all loyalty and promptitude, closing his drug store and nailing on its door a shingle bearing the laconic inscription, "Closed; Gone to War." He proceeded with his battery to the front, and in the engagements at Carrick's Ford, West Virginia, where he acted in the capacity of gunner, he silenced and captured the first rebel gun, which valiant action called forth a special mention of his service in the general order issued by General N. Morris, who commanded the brigade. In 1862 Colonel Smithnight organized the Twentieth Ohio Independent Volunteer Artillery, and took command of the same, being assigned to the Army of the Cumberland. In 1863, while in action, his horse was wounded and he was thrown to the ground and so injured as to render him incapable for active duty, on which account he resigned his commission, being honorably discharged on April 25, 1863, on account of disability. He had been placed in charge of the fortifications at Murfreesboro, where he was in control of seventy-two field pieces, including heavy and light artillery, at the time when he received his discharge.

Colonel Smithnight has never abated his interest in military affairs, as is shown in the fact that in 1872 he organized Battery A, Cleveland Light Artillery, Ohio National Guard, while in 1876 he was elected colonel of the First Regiment of Light Artillery. In this connection no higher endorsement can be accorded him than to state that his regiment was recognized to be one of the best disciplined and most strongly marked for true soldierly qualities of all similar organizations in the Union.

After returning from the war the Colonel resumed his drug business, which had been so summarily interrupted, and he has continued uninterruptedly in this line of enterprise to the present day. At the time

when a tax was placed on oils Colonel Smithnight held the office of United States inspector of oils, holding this position for two years, when the law was abolished. In 1868 he was appointed storekeeper of bonded warehouse, but refused the position by reason of the demands of his private business affairs. In 1880 Governor Foster conferred upon him the appointment as state inspector of oils for three years, and he subsequently retained the office, by reappointment, until a change in the administration and in the name of the office brought about his involuntary retirement. Upon the accession of Governor Foraker his eligibility and faithful service were again accorded recognition, and he was appointed state oil inspector, in which capacity he was retained throughout the first term of Foraker's administration. The Colonel has been an alert and watchful worker in the ranks of the Republican party from the time of its organization, and that his allegiance has not been of supine order nor yet actuated by desire of self-aggrandizement is shown in the prominence which has been his in the party, while seeking for himself no public preferment. He has been a delegate to party conventions from the time of its inception, and a recognition of his zeal and executive ability was accorded to him in his selection as a member of the Ohio state central committee, of which he was a member for three different terms, and he has been a member of the county central committee for thirty years, and chairman thereof seven terms. He is one of the enthusiastic members of the Tippecanoe Club, one of the leading Republican organizations of the state. In his fraternal relations he is identified with the time-honored order of Freemasonry and is also a member of the Memorial Post of the Grand Army of the Republic. His interest in all that pertains to the progress and material prosperity of the city of his home is shown in his retaining membership in the chamber of commerce. Of the Ottawa Shooting Club, one of the representative organizations of the sort in Cleveland, he was the prime promoter and has served as its president for many years.

In 1853 was solemnized the marriage of Colonel Smithnight to Miss Charlotte Stopps, and they became the parents of one son and one daughter, Julia and Albert. Mrs. Smithnight died in December, 1857, and subsequently the Colonel consummated a second marriage, being united to Miss Nattie Kingsley in 1×66.

[blocks in formation]

the best element of the entire people who stood ready to sacrifice themselves and their fortunes in its behalf and for the principles which have since governed this aggregation of patriotic citizens of the republic and which have been fully up to the standard set by the founders. After an existence of over forty years the names which composed the party at the time of its birth are still represented among its leaders and supporters.

Among the first of these that were made part of the Republican party in eastern Ohio, none has appeared more frequently upon its rolls than has that of Wick. Indeed, this name is also synonymous with the entire industrial progress of Youngstown, and will, in all probability, endure as long as will the republic and the city with which it has been so closely identified, and to which its owners have added so much material wealth. The family name of Wick made its first appearance in America almost simultaneously with the Mayflower party, Lemuel Wick coming from England to this country about the year 1620. Afterward the name became well known on Long Island, where, at Southampton, the founder of the Ohio branch, Henry Wick, grandfather of our subject, was born. Before he came west this gentleman married Miss Hannah Baldwin, of Morristown, New Jersey, soon after moving to Pennsylvania and settling in Washington county, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits until 1801. In the latter year this worthy man removed to Youngstown, and there he became the pioneer merchant by opening and for many years successfully conducting such a general store as supplied the needs of the times. The store in those days was not only a place of purchase, but also of barter, and the material or produce bought by the proprietor from his customers at times exceeded what he had to sell, although his stock of goods consisted of everything coexisting with the demands of human welfare, including drugs, hardware, clothing, implements and groceries. In this manner trade adapted itself to the necessities and circumstances of the people in that particular locality. Success attended every effort of Mr. Wick and material wealth accumulated in his hands. Seven children were born to him and his wife, all of whom became heads of families and merchants in Youngstown or the surrounding country, and to-day they represent the wealth, industry, and best citizenship of Mahoning Valley.

Caleb B., the eldest son of Henry Wick, was ap pointed a colonel in the First Ohio Regiment in 1×17 or 1818, when he was but twenty-two years old. He secured the limited educational advantages afforded by the county, and early in life entered into his business career by forming a partnership with Dr. Henry Man

ning, in a general mercantile establishment.

He, like his father, was prosperous in trade and succeeded in acquiring considerable wealth. He remained in business until 1848, at which time he retired. In 1828 Mr. Wick was united in marriage to Miss Maria Adelia Griffith, and of the children born to them the following five still survive: Caleb B., Jr.; Henry K., born August 31, 1840; Rachel K., now Mrs. R. W. Taylor; Hannah M., the wife of C. D. Arms; and Miss Laura E. Wick. The father was a Whig and later joined the Republican party, casting his vote for John C. Fremont in 1856. He and his brothers, together with a few associates, built the first rolling-mill in the eastern part of Ohio in 1846,-the company known as the Youngstown Iron Company, now the Brown-Bonnell Iron Company, thus establishing a new industry in this portion of the county. It grew to immense proportions and was most successfully conducted until the country was overwhelmed by the panic of 1853. Two years later it was sold to the parties who subsequently founded the present company. The death of Mr. Wick occurred June 30, 1865.

Caleb B. Wick, Jr., the immediate subject of this biography, was born in Youngstown, Ohio, April 24, 1836. He became the possessor of his father's name, and when a boy was always called the young colonel. The title has remained with him until the present day, and he is now known as Colonel Caleb B. Wick, of Youngstown, Ohio. Aside from being a delegate from his district to the St. Louis national convention, at which Major McKinley was nominated for the presidency, Mr. Wick has never been the recipient of political preferment. In 1871 he was instrumental in organizing what is now known as the Mahoning Valley Iron Company, furnishing more than two-thirds of the capital necessary for the enterprise. He conducted it until after the panic of 1873, part of the time as a rail mill, and then disposed of his interests. Henry K. Wick, a brother of our subject, is one of the most successful coal operators in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.

It is, however, as supporters of the Republican party that the Wick family is entitled to just recognition. Since the first inception of the party its members have stood shoulder to shoulder with those who have made the United States what it is and have often sacrificed personal interests and contributed liberally of their means in order to perpetuate the principles that have stood for patriotism and the greatest good to the greatest number. Always earnest in upholding the cause in which they believe, they have never asked for political office for themselves, but are always willing to contribute of their worldly goods in the support

of party nominees, it mattered not who they were as long as their principles were for the best interests of the country in which they reside. Such were the men who defended the Union in 1860, and the same elements dominate the Republican party of the present day.

In the business line we may notice that in 1853, when seventeen years old, Mr. Wick entered the Mahoning County Bank, of which he was cashier from January, 1860, until the fall of 1862, when he resigned to engage in the iron business. In 1866, when the Lawrence Railroad, the first road connecting Youngstown with the east, was built, Mr. Wick was a director. In 1870, when the Ashtabula & Pittsburg Railroad was incorporated, he was one of the incorporators. He has always been a director, and of the thirteen original directors only himself and one other are now living. He is president of the Board of Commerce. Thus we see that as a business man Mr. Wick stands high. A nation is built up only by such

men.

H

WON. JOHN CAMPBELL, deceased. --The history of the Republican party in Ohio would not be complete without mention of this gentleman, who for many years exerted a commanding influence in political circles and who was largely instrumental in the building up and crystallization of the Republican party in southern Ohio.

He was born in Brown county, this state, January 14, 1808, of Scotch-Irish parentage. In 1833 he came to Lawrence county, Ohio, locating at Hanging Rock, where he engaged in the manufacture of pig iron from native ores; and he certainly did more than any other one person for the development of the manufacturing and industrial interests of the county during the half century succeeding his entering into business in that section. In 1833, in connection with Andrew Ellison, he built the Lawrence furnace and became one of its owners. In 1834, together with Robert Hamilton, he erected the Mount Vernon furnace, and removed from Hanging Rock to take the management of the same. From this furnace were developed those large iron industries which for a period of thirty years were conducted at Ironton and Cincinnati by the partnership of Campbell, Ellison & Company. In 1837, when Vesuvius furnace was built, he induced its builder, William Firnstone, to test a plan he had devised for the using of the waste gases of the furnace in the smelting of the ores, which proved to be a great success. In 1844, with John Peters, he erected Greenup furnace, in Kentucky, and in 1846 Olive furnace in Lawrence county, Ohio, which is still in

successful operation. In 1847 he constructed Gallia furnace, and in 1849 Keystone furnace.

In 1849 he was the master spirit in the organization of the Ohio Iron and Coal Campany, which owned the lands upon which were platted and laid out the city of Ironton, and which, by reason of the various industrial enterprises that he projected and became interested in to a greater or less extent, has become the leading city of southeastern Ohio and the center of the industrial development of the Hanging Rock iron region. He was subsequently engaged in the building of Howard, Madison, Washington, Monroe and the New Hecla furnaces. It was a matter of principle with him to make such investments as gave employments to labor, and consequently he never became a stockholder in banks or put his money in bonds and other securities. For a period of many years there was no great enterprise undertaken in this locality that Mr. Campbell did not actively promote, one of which was the building of the Iron Railroad, which opened up a large and exceedingly valuable section of the county and brought into use its extensive mines of iron ore, stone-coal, fire-clay and limestone. His business capacity was extraordinary, and his faculty for planning, controlling and guiding important industries was very remarkable. He possessed great dignity of character and unusual intellectual force and power.

[ocr errors]

Politically, Mr. Campbell was early affiliated with the Democratic party. He was, however, favorable to the doctrine of protection, believing that our infant industries should be fostered by beneficent legislation. He was a Democrat of the Andrew Jackson type. He always rejected with horror and disdain the wild and guilty phantasy that man can hold property in man," and during the dark days of slavery the fugitive never appealed to him in vain. He was so deeply imbued with anti-slavery principles that in 1848 he attended the national convention which nominated ex-President Van Buren upon an anti-slavery platform, and did all in his power to secure the success of that ticket. It failed, but the principles it represented he rejoiced to see succeed in the election of the martyr president, Abraham Lincoln. From that time onward he remained a leading and very influential member of the Republican party. He was a warm personal friend of the late Governor, Senator and Judge S. P. Chase. In 1863 he was appointed collector of internal revenue for the eleventh district of Ohio, and filled that position until removed for political reasons by President Andrew Johnson.

In his political, as in his business, career, he was ever honorable, fearless and true. He would resort to no trickery, no double dealing, nothing that would

degrade true manhood; and upon his death, which took place on Sunday, August 30, 1891, he was sincerely mourned by the entire community, official and private. As was well said by the Ironton Daily Republican, he was a grand and good man, ripe in years, of true nobility of character, full of kind words and good deeds, which remain as a perpetual monument to his memory.

H

ON. SAMUEL HAMILTON BRIGHT, a jurist of Logan, Hocking county, was appointed common-pleas judge of the first division of the seventh judicial district of Ohio, by Governor Foraker in 1887, and served about a year, when he became a candidate for election; but the subdivision being strongly Democratic he was not elected. Then, from 1870 to 1874, he was deputy revenue collector for Hocking, Fairfield and Perry counties, under General Hurst, resigning in the latter year on account of his increasing law practice.

The Judge is an old-time Republican, voting first in 1864, for Abraham Lincoln, and since that time has often taken a part in judicial and congressional conventions. Twice he was a candidate for congress. In 1876 he was a delegate to the Republican convention in Cincinnati, which nominated R. B. Hayes for president of the United States. He has been a member of the judicial and congressional district committees, and has often been chairman of the executive committee. Hocking has generally been a strong Democratic county, but in recent years, owing to the efforts of Judge Bright and others, it has given occasional Republican majorities. In 1896, however, owing to the union of the Democratic and Populist parties, it went Democratic. Judge Bright has been one of the leading speakers on the political issues of the day in this section of the state, instructing the people on financial questions at all the principal points in Hocking and surrounding counties; and he has also contributed much to the local press and some to the Ohio State Journal, ably advocating protective tariff, reciprocity, etc. In fact, he has been the leading Republican in Hocking county, taking an active part in the nominating conventions,--county, district and state,―occasionally serving on important committees. He has also been interested in city affairs, and has served as a member of the city school board four years.

Judge Bright was born November 9, 1841, near Logan, in Hocking county, Ohio. His parents were Samuel S. and Rebecca (Ijams) Bright, the former of English descent and the latter of Welsh. His ancestors in both the paternal and maternal lines, emigrating from the old world, settled in Maryland when

« PreviousContinue »