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HUMPHREY BARKER CHAMBERLIN,
son of Robert and Eliza (Barker) Chamberlin, was born in Manchester,
England, on the 7th day of February 1847. ©Shauna Williams |
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NATHANIEL PETER HILL. In the halls of congress Nathaniel P. Hill was one of the most influential and commanding figures; in his own state of Colorado he was a leader among the citizens, and one who was repeatedly delegated by them to carry the name and interests of the Centennial state before national bodies. Nathaniel P. Hill was of rare ancestry, traces of which can be identified as far back as Robert de la Hull, who "came into England with ye Conqueror"; this ancient warrior lived at the hamlet of Hull, now the Court of Hill, Shropshire. From him the line may be noted down to Sir Moses Hill and his son, Peter, who, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth in 1573, accompanied the earl of Essex, at the head of the English troops, to suppress the trouble known as O'Neill's Rebellion, for which services the Hills were given large estates. Nathaniel Hill, the great-grand- father of Senator Hill, came to the United States with wealth and located at a Scotch- Irish settlement west of the Hudson river, then on the westernmost frontier, and known as Dwarskill, in the precinct of Hanover, but now known as the town of Crawford. Orange county. New York. His second son, Peter, (1751-1795) was a captain in Colonel James Clinton's Regiment of minute men at the age of twenty-four; he was in command of his company, with two lieutenants and sixty-five men, on duty at Fort Constitution, February 13, 1776. and was at Fort Montgomery, October 6, 1777. Captain Hill's second son. Nathaniel Peter, father of Senator Hill, was a lieutenant of cavalry in the War of 1812 and was captain of the Orange Hussars for many years thereafter. He served in the New York general assembly for four terms and was judge of the court of common pleas from 1823 to 1825. Nathaniel P. Hill, our immediate subject, was born at the old homestead in Orange county, New York, February 18, 1832, and died in Denver. Colorado, May 22, 1900. The homestead mentioned was located about three miles east of Montgomery, New York. Nathaniel P. was the third of seven children and. after the death of his father, he succeeded his brother, James K.. in the management of the home farm, at the same time attending Montgomery Academy. He entered Brown University in the year 1853, there majoring in chemistry and graduating with honors in 1857. From 1859 until 1864 he occupied the chair of chemistry at Brown. His knowledge of metallurgical subjects, particularly the chemistry processes. and his success at Brown University, resulted in certain capitalists of Providence and Boston seeking his services. These men had been offered a tract of land in Colorado, called the Gilpin grant, and they requested Mr. Hill to investigate the tract and report upon its characteristics. So it was that in the year 1864 he came to Colorado by Concord coach. Blackhawk was his destination and he arrived at a time when that camp had reached a turning point owing to the lack of scientific methods of treating ores. This brought a subject to his attention which was to result later in a change of metallurgical processes to which the entire subsequent history of the state is due. In a word, the free gold quartz had practically been dug out and was succeeded by refractory copper, iron and other ores; rich in gold, but which could not be worked in the stamp mills. Mr. Hill twice more visited Colorado in 1865, endeavoring to arrive at some method of handling the ores. In pursuit of this knowledge he crossed the Atlantic to Swansea, Wales, where he further studied the ore reduction methods used in the world known smelters there. In the same year, 1866, he made a second trip to Swansea, carrying with him samples of Colorado ore and which he proved to be amenable to the processes there used. With this valuable knowledge he returned to the states and quickly interested Boston and Providence capitalists in the future of the Blackhawk field. These men subscribed two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars and the Boston & Colorado Smelting Company was organized in 1867; this company began the active smelting work at Blackhawk in January, 1868. The business grew to such an extent that in 1873 a branch was established at Alma, Colorado. Products were received from all parts of the mining west and the capital was increased to the sum of one million dollars, and a larger establishment built at Argo, in the suburbs of Denver. In addition to the above interests, Mr. Hill became identified with the United Oil Company, which controlled the larger part of the oil output of Florence, Colorado. He was president of the Colorado Smelting & Refining Company, the Denargo Land Company and many other enterprises connected with the development of the west. In politics Nathaniel P. Hill was a republican and quickly became a party leader. He became noted as a foe of monopolies, although he himself was heavily interested in many corporations. His first office of political nature was that of mayor of Black- hawk in 1871. Then in 1872 and 1873 he was a member of the territorial council. In January, 1879, at the republican caucus he was nominated for United States senator and elected for a term of six years, his term beginning March 4, 1879, when he succeeded Jerome B. Chaffee. During his service in the national law-making body Senator Hill accomplished many conspicuous deeds and was the instigator of many acts by congress. He was the author of the bill for the removal of the Uncompahgre Utes from southwestern Colorado to the Uintah reservation in Utah, also a bill appropriating money for the sinking of artesian wells. The section of school land in the mineral districts, having been exempted under the law donating to the state two sections in each township, was of no value to Colorado, so Senator Hill introduced a bill to take other land in lieu of the sixteenth and thirty-sixth sections, found to be mineral, and this finally became a law in 1884. The sum of three hundred thousand dollars was secured by appropriation for public building in Denver by the terms of another bill which Senator Hill sponsored. He took a prominent part in the debate over the tariff bill in 1883, championing the wool interests of Colorado and demanding that the tariff of 1867 be unchanged. He took special interest in fighting the railroad land grabbers and exposed a stupendous fraud connected with the New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Vicksburg land grant. His speeches on the postal telegraph and on the silver question are among the most intelligent and virile upon those subjects. The service Senator Hill rendered to his state and country during his years in congress were not unrewarded, for in 1891 President Harrison nominated him as one of the three members of the International monetary commission, a position of high honor and trust. His last public appearance occurred in the year 1893, when he acted as representative of the Denver Chamber of Commerce to the bimetallic conference at Chicago and Washington. As the owner of the Denver Republican for a number of years. Senator Hill moulded to a great extent the republican policies of the state. Senator Hill was married in July, 1860, to Miss Alice Hale, who was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in January, 1840, and who died in Denver, Colorado, July 19, 1908. She was of New England stock, of that family which gave Nathan Hale, the patriot. In Denver Mrs. Hill was a social leader and became a woman loved and respected by reason of her charitable and philanthropic work. She was the founder of the kindergarten system in the city and was one of the chief workers for the Young Women's Christian Association building. For twenty years she was the regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. The Hill mansion, located at the corner of Welton and Fourteenth streets and now headquarters for the Mountain division of the Red Cross, was for many years the center of the social activities of the city. Fourteenth street was then the best residence street of Denver and the Hill home occupied a prominent position in the neighborhood of the residences of the Berger, Kountze and other notable families. To Senator and Mrs. Hill were born three children, namely: Crawford Hill of Denver, Mrs. Franklin Price Knott of Santa Barbara, California, and Mrs. Lucius M. Cuthbert of Denver. Submitted by Janice Rice |
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Lawrence C. Phipps
Hon. Lawrence C. Phipps, United States senator from Colorado, former member of the Colorado State Council of Defense and member of the National Finance Committee of the American Red Cross Association, is furthermore known in financial circles of Denver by reason of his extensive investments in various corporations and as a stockholder and director in various commercial, mining and agricultural interests. Mr. Phipps was born in Amwell township. Washington county, Pennsylvania, August 30, 1862, a son of the Rev. William Henry and Agnes (McCall) Phipps, the former a native of England, while the latter was born in Dumfries. Scotland. He graduated from the high school at Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania, at the age of sixteen years, and later won the honorary degree of Master of Arts from Denver University. Soon after leaving school he began work in the iron mills in the capacity of night weigh clerk in one of the Carnegie plants and from that time until 1901, when the Carnegie interests were sold to the United States Steel Corporation, he advanced from one position to another and was finally admitted to a partnership in the concern, together with other young men who had been selected by Mr. Andrew Carnegie as being most deserving of such recognition. At the time of the sale of the Carnegie plant Mr. Phipps was vice president and treasurer of the company. He then retired from active business and removed to Colorado, where he has since made his home. He has important business investments in the west and maintains offices in the Gas & Electric building of Denver. He was chairman of the board of directors of the Denver & Salt Lake Railroad and a director of the Nevada-California Electric Corporation, owning a power line operating in California and Nevada, serving the Goldfield district of Nevada and the mining and farming districts of southern California. Long before entering public life Mr. Phipps took a very active interest in movements intended for the general development and up building of the city of Denver as well as the entire state of Colorado. He has constantly reached out along lines of helpfulness and of public progress and in July, 1904, he founded the Agnes Memorial Sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis and endowed the institution with a fund producing an annual revenue of seventeen thousand dollars. He has closely studied all vital questions bearing upon the welfare and up building of city, state and country. In 1913 he was selected as president of the Colorado Tax-Payers Protective League, organized for the betterment of state and city administrations. He took a most active interest in the development of the Moffat road and made large investments in irrigation projects in northwestern Colorado with a view to developing the territory served by that road. He is one of the large stockholders in the Eastern Colorado Farm Loan Company and is one of the largest contributors to the fund being raised by the Denver Civic and Commercial Association for assisting farmers in cultivating additional land. He is also interested in the Denver Morris Plan Company, which loans money to deserving citizens, thereby keeping them out of the hands of the loan sharks. On the 5th of September, 1885, Mr. Phipps was united in marriage at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Ibrealla Hill Loomis, who passed away in July, 1888, leaving a son, Lawrence C. Phipps, Jr., and a daughter, -^ho is now Mrs. William White. Later Mr. Phipps wedded Genevieve W. Chandler, of Pittsburgh, on the 22d of April, 1897. This marriage was annulled by law in 1904. They had two daughters, Dorothy Chandler and Helen Chandler Phipps. On the 25th of January, 1911, Mr. Phipps wedded Margaret Rogers, a daughter of Judge and Mrs. Piatt Rogers, of Denver, and they have two sons. Allen Rogers and Gerald Hughes. The eldest son, Lawrence Phipps, Jr., who is the father of three children, volunteered for military service in 1917, and completed his course in the balloon school, earning a commission as second lieutenant. The religious faith of Mr. Phipps is that of the Episcopal church. He turns for recreation to golf, shooting and fishing, which he greatly enjoys. He is prominently known in club circles, being a member of the Denver, Denver Country, University, Cactus, Denver Athletic and Mile High Clubs of Denver; the Bankers and Engineers Clubs of New York; the Pittsburgh and Duquesne Clubs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and the California, Los Angeles Country and the Brentwood Country Clubs of Los Angeles. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party and he has long exercised considerable influence over public thought and opinion in relation to vital political questions and activities. In the fall ^of 1918 he was elected on the republican ticket to the office of United States senator by a majority of thirty-four hundred, succeeding John F. Shafroth. His efforts in behalf of public welfare since the entrance of the country in the war have been most pronounced. He was one of the first life members of the American Red Cross, and when the Colorado Division was organized in 1913 he became chairman of the Denver Chapter, which position he held continuously, with the exception of one year, until he entered the recent senatorial campaign. Immediately after the declaration of war against Germany he was named by President Wilson a member of the National Finance Committee of the American Red Cross. He was made chairman of the Mountain Division, comprising the states of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico, for the second Liberty Loan drive. The results obtained in that campaign compared most favorably with those reached in any other division, being approximately two hundred end thirty-six per cent of the amount asked for by Washington headquarters, as against an average of one hundred and seventy- six per cent for the entire country. He was also made a member of the Colorado State Council of Defense and his deep interest in Denver's welfare, up building and development is further indicated in the fact that he is serving on the board of directors of the Denver Civic and Commercial Association. He has been a dynamic force in the promotion of all those activities, individual and public, with which he has become identified, the results achieved overtopping both private and public anticipations. Submitted by Janice Rice |
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JOHN GOOD. Almost sixty years have been added to the cycle of the centuries since John Good became a resident of Denver, as he arrived in this city, then a western frontier village, in 1859. Through all the intervening years until his death he had been an interested witness of its growth and development and took an active part in promoting its progress and improvement. His labors, too, were an element in the advancement of the interests of the state, for he had been closely associated with mining, with railroad building, with banking and with real estate activity. He passed the eighty-fourth mile- stone on life's journey before answering the final summons, passing away November 22, 1918. in Denver. His birth occurred at Uhrweiler, Alsace-Lorraine, then a part of France but taken over by Germany in 1871. His natal day was October 14, 1834, his parents being Jacob and Elizabeth (Kiefer) Guth. It was in 1854 that Mr. Good of this review changed his name from Guth to the form that he afterward used — that of John Good. His father was born in 1800 and was a large landowner and farmer of France and afterward of the United States, leading a busy, useful and active life of eighty-six years, his death occurring in 1886. His wife was the daughter of Philip and Elizabeth Kiefer. She had two brothers, George and Philip, who fought with Napoleon and perished in the memorable retreat from Moscow, being then respectively eighteen and seventeen years of age. John Good was a pupil in the public schools of his native town until 1854, when at the age of twenty years he determined to try his fortune in the United States, his cousin, John T. Good, of Uhrweiler, having come to the new world in 1837, settling in Akron, Ohio. John Good joined his cousin at Akron and engaged in business with him, there remaining for about five years. He was one of the pioneer settlers of Denver, arriving in this city in 1859 with his ox team and wagon. In that year he established one of the first general merchandise stores in Denver, its location being on Blake, near Fifteenth street. To secure goods he had to make sixteen trips across the plains, hauling all his own freight, and one of these trips required ninety days. There was always danger of Indian attack, but he bravely and fearlessly made the journey in order to secure the stock necessary for the conduct of the business. He conducted the store for only a short time, however, for while he was absent on one of his trips the man whom he left in charge of the store suddenly made his departure after disposing of the entire stock, and when Mr. Good returned he found an empty store. In 1859 he became associated with Charles Endlich in organizing the Rocky Mountain Brewery Company, thus founding the first brewery in Colorado. They conducted the business until 1864, when Mr. Good sold out to his partner, but upon the latter's death six months afterward he resumed ownership and control of the plant. In 1871 Philip Zang purchased the brewery, which was thereafter conducted under the name of the Philip Zang Brewing Company.In 1901 Mr. Good consolidated the Milwaukee and Union breweries into the Tivoli-Uuion Brewing Company, of which he became the president and treasurer, continuing as such until his death. He did not confine his efforts to a single line, however, but reached out along many fields of usefulness in business. Forceful and resourceful, he became one of the organizers and promoters of the old German Bank, organized under the laws of Colorado on the 3d of March, 1874. The German National Bank was the outgrowth of the German Bank, its charter as a national bank being secured in April, 1877. Mr. Good was elected to the vice presidency of the institution and also became a member of the board of directors. He saw the possibilities for Colorado's development along various other lines and became one of the promoters and first stockholders of a number of railroad enterprises, including the Denver & Pacific, the Denver & Gulf Railroad and the Denver & South Park Railroad. He likewise extended his efforts into the field of real estate and also became a large investor in mining properties as well as in railroads and in banks. His interests and activities constituted a potent element in the growth and material development of city and state. In May, 1862, Mr. Good was united in marriage to Miss Rosalia M. Wagner, a daughter of J. Christopher and Anna Barbara (Meyer) Wagner, of Mishawaka, Indiana, and a niece of Serephine Meyer, who was a judge of the supreme court and during the Civil war served as colonel of the One Hundred and Seventh Ohio Regiment. He had two sons, Turine and Tulius Meyer, who were members of his regiment and were killed in battle. A third son. General Edward Meyer, was connected with the Nineteenth Ohio Volunteers. Mr. and Mrs. Good became the parents of six children, as follows: Leonora R., who is now the wife of J. E. Hasier, of New York city; Carrie, who gave her hand in marriage to J. J. Reilly, of Salt Lake City; Louis; Nellie; Louis Wagner; and John Edward, who was graduated from Yale University as a member of the class of 1895. Mr. Good gave his political allegiance to the republican party in state and national matters, while in local affairs, he supported issues and men, who, according to his judgment would be of greatest benefit to the welfare and progress of the city, irrespective of political party. He was twice elected city treasurer of Denver, filling the office from 1875 until 1878 inclusive. He was one of the organizers and charter members of the old Lotus Club and exercised marked influence over the social as well as the political and business interests of the city. In fact Denver ranked him with her leading men and his public-spirited devotion to her welfare was widely recognized. Submitted by Janice Rice |
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ORA HALEY. Ora Haley, of Denver, was until his retirement from business a few years ago the largest individual range and cattle owner in Wyoming and western Colorado and ranks with the well known pioneer settlers of the two states. He first visited Denver in the spring of 1865, when he drove a bull team into the city, — then a young man of about twenty years. He was born in East Corinth, Maine, nineteen miles from Bangor, and at thirteen years of age he started to carve out a career for himself. At Bangor, where the family had many friends, he spent the first few years of his independent life and at nineteen years of age was in Iowa, beginning life anew in the strenuous west. This was about the year 1864 and it was in the following spring that he drove the bull team across the country to Denver. The life of a "bullwhacker" appealed to him and he continued freighting in the hills until he finally decided to go into the butchering business at the new Blackhawk camp. In 1868 Mr. Haley settled in Albany county, Wyoming, locating first at old Fort Sanders and later at Laramie, where he again turned his attention to the butchering business, from time to time making small ventures into cattle raising. Almost from the outset he became a leader in his part of Wyoming. He was elected to the lower house of the territorial legislature in 1871 and was a member of the council in the legislative session of 1881. He was also one of the county's representatives in the first state legislature in 1890 and gave thoughtful and earnest consideration to vital questions which came up for settlement and was a cooperant factor in shaping the destiny of the state during its formative period. Always a stanch republican, he was and still is one of the strongest supporters of Senator Warren. In 1877 Mr. Haley was still operating a meat market in Laramie, but he had already made his brand, a cut of a heart, famous on what is still known as the Heart ranch on the Little Laramie. In 1880 he started the Two Bar brand in what was then Routt county, but the district has since been made a part of Moffat county. Soon he had holdings on the Snake, on Lay creek, on Elkhead creek and in Brown's Park. His ranch near Laramie contained about thirty-six thousand acres and in all he was the owner of about sixty thousand acres. In 1888 he obtained possession of the Hutton ranch and his ranches finally extended for twenty-five miles along the Laramie river. His cattle interests gradually grew and developed until he attained a position of leadership as the largest individual range and cattle owner in Wyoming and western Colorado. In business affairs his vision has always been broad, his sagacity keen and his judgment sound, and whatever he has undertaken he has carried forward to successful completion. About seven years ago, or in 1912, he disposed of much of his range, the Clay Springs Cattle Company of Hackberry, Arizona, buying the Moffat county holdings. It was in the early '90s that Mr. Haley became one of the principal stockholders of the First National Bank of Laramie and afterward acted as its vice president for many years. His bank interests were disposed of about the time that he sold his Moffat county ranch and he then retired to Denver, where he now owns a palatial home and some of the valuable business and office buildings of the city, notably the West Hotel and the Cooper building. His business interests and investments are looked after by his son. Ora B. Haley, and his extensive holdings in Logan county are supervised by his partner, Mr. Harris. In Omaha, on the 8th of January, 1872, Mr. Haley was married to Miss Augusta Pfeiffer, of that city, a daughter of Frank A. and Susan (Maddox) Pfeiffer. Mrs. Haley in her paternal line comes of German ancestry, while on the maternal side she is descended from the well known Maddox family of Virginia, prominent in the days of the Revolution. Mr. and Mrs. Haley have three children living. These are: Mattie, now Mrs. Arthur A. Smith, of Sterling, Colorado; Annie, now Mrs. R. L. George, of Laramie, "Wyoming; and Ora B., who married Maud Hunn, of Denver. There are eleven grandchildren, of whom Ora B. Haley has six— Carla M., Mabel Augusta, Juliana B., Ora B. Jr., Patricia and Charles T. Mrs. R. L. George has three children— Adelaide H., Ora H. and Ann H., while Mrs. Arthur A. Smith is the mother of two, Nancy Augusta and an infant daughter. Mrs. Haley is most domestic in her tastes, devoting her time to the welfare of her home and family, promoting the comfort of husband and children and extending a most warm-hearted hospitality to their many friends. The career of Ora Haley has constituted an important factor in the development of the west and he has been associated with every phase of the state's progress and upbuilding from pioneer times to the present. Submitted by Janice Rice |
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ARTHUR L. HOYT, M. D. Dr. Arthur L. Hoyt, a well known and representative citizen of Akron, is the efficient treasurer of Washington county. He was born in Monticello, Iowa, on the 12th of January, 1867, a son of Lyman and Adeline (Hallett) Hoyt, who were natives of New York and Michigan respectively. In 1850 the father removed to Iowa, locating in Jones county, where he purchased and improved a tract of land which he successfully cultivated throughout the remainder of his life. His demise occurred on the 4th of April, 1879, while his wife was called to her final rest in April, 1882. Arthur L. Hoyt was reared in the state of his nativity and after completing his more specifically literary education went to Iowa City to enter the medical department of the State University, which institution conferred upon him the degree of M. D. in 1896. He first located for practice at Popejoy, Iowa, where he remained for six years, and next removed to Dows, Iowa, there successfully following his profession until 1911. In that year he came to Colorado for the benefit of his health and took up his abode in Akron, Washington county, where he opened a drug store. He did not practice medicine but continued in business as a druggist until the 1st of January, 1915, when he was elected county treasurer, in which capacity he has since served. In this connection he is making a most creditable and commendable record, discharging his duties with marked promptness, ability and faithfulness. He has farming interests in this state and has now long been numbered among the substantial and esteemed citizens of his community. On the 15th of March, 1888, Dr. Hoyt was united in marriage to Miss Louetta Swisher, a daughter of Philip O. and Margaret Elizabeth (Swisher) Swisher, by whom he had three children, namely: Otto J., who is engaged in the jewelry business in Akron; and Phillip Otho and Audrey Lyman, both of whom died in infancy. Dr. Hoyt gives his political allegiance to the republican party, while his religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. Submitted by Janice Rice |
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JOHN FRANCIS CAMPION. John Francis Campion, a Denver capitalist whose success had its foundation in the rich mineral resources of the state, to the development of which he brought energy, persistency of purpose and keen discernment, became well known through business connections all over the west. It is said that what a man does and what he attains depends largely upon his opportunities, but the well balanced man mentally and physically is possessed of sufficient courage to venture where favoring opportunity is presented, and his judgment must determine the real value and worth of every opportunity. Not all days in the career of John Francis Campion were equally bright, but he managed to turn threatened failures into victory and dispersed the clouds of defeat with the sun of prosperity. Mr. Campion was born on Prince Edward Island in December, 1849, a son of M. B. and Helen (Fehan) Campion, who were also natives of Prince Edward Island and were of English and Irish lineage. For many generations the family had been extensive landowners in England. The first representative of the name in the new world was John Francis Campion, Sr., who crossed the Atlantic with his wife and children and settled on Prince Edward Island, where he and his wife lived to an advanced age, the former passing away at the age of seventy-five, while the latter reached the seventieth milestone on life's journey. M. Brevort Campion, who was one of their family of nine children, four sons and five daughters, became a successful shipbuilder and owner, building his own vessels in his own shipyards, and as captain he was able to sail any craft. He not only figured prominently in connection with the commercial activity of the island but was also a recognized leader in political circles, first as a supporter of the liberal party and after- ward of the conservative party. He was chosen to represent his district in the Prince Edward Island parliament and he was especially prominent in the administrative affairs of the island. The last twenty years of his life were passed in Colorado and he became a leading citizen of Leadville and was also widely known throughout the state. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Helen Fehan, was a daughter of Dr. Fehan, a prominent physician on Prince Edward Island, who lost his life one stormy winter's night while crossing the Northumberland strait, which has a width of nine miles. To Mr. and Mrs. M. B. Campion were born four children and as a member of that household John Francis Campion spent his youthful days as a public school pupil in his native locality and in the Prince of Wales College at Charlottetown. to which he returned in 1862, his parents having previous to that time removed with their family to California. The brothers. John F. Campion, then seventeen years of age. and George Campion, a youth of fifteen, anxious to participate in the Civil war in the United States, ran away from college and attempted to enlist in the American navy, but because of his youth the younger brother was rejected. After passing the necessary examination John F. Campion was accepted and assigned to a position as assistant quartermaster. He was on duty on the ship Dolphin and carried to General Sherman the first dispatches he received at Savannah, after completing his famous march to the sea. With difficulty and danger the boat proceeded to the entrance of the Savannah river, there being many sunken vessels in the harbor, while a great conflagration raged along the wharves, immense quantities of cotton being then in flames. Following the close of the war John F. Campion returned to California on a visit to his parents, who were then residents of Sacramento, and turning his attention to mining, he became interested in the development of the rich mineral resources of the west as miner, prospector and mine owner. In 186S he discovered the White Pine silver mine but after making a fair start in its development lost all that he had in that venture, amounting to about five thousand dollars. He afterward took up mining at Eureka, Nevada, where he developed and sold valuable properties and won substantial fortune through his operations there. Subsequently he went with his father and brother to Pioche, Nevada, where he continued mining, becoming the owner of the Pioche Phoenix, a valuable silver property. He organized the Pioche Phoenix Mining Company but was compelled to make a hard fight for the property, as other claimants attempted by force to assert their alleged rights. Mr. Campion, however, succeeded in holding the mine until the courts awarded him formal possession thereof. After disposing of his interests in Nevada, Mr. Campion went to the new mining camp of Leadville, Colorado, in April, 1879, and there bought, developed and sold various properties, also retaining valuable interests in that district. He became the owner of the Bison, Reindeer, Elk and Ibex mines, the last better known as the Little Johnny. He began the development of all these properties, naming them for animals. The Ibex became one of the richest mines in the west and has given out great fortunes to many of its operators. Mr. Campion was the general manager of the Ibex Mining Company, was also president of the Napite Mining Company of Breckenridge, a director of the Carbonate National Bank of Leadville, the vice president of the Seventeenth Street Building Company of Denver, vice president of the Denver National Bank, vice president of the Denver, Northwestern & Pacific Railway Company (Moffat Road), president of the Northwestern Terminal Company and president of the Big Horn Mining and Cattle Company. Thus he extended his efforts over a broad field, contributing in substantial measure to the material upbuilding of the state. In business matters his judgment was seldom, if ever, at fault and his keen discernment enabled him to readily recognize every difficulty as well as every opportunity of a situation. Avoiding the former and utilizing the latter to the best possible advantage, he built up his fortunes along substantial lines, employing constructive methods, so that his path was never strewn by the wreck of other men's failures. In the year 1895-6 Mr. Campion erected a palatial home at No. 800 Logan street and there installed a happy family. It was on the 15th of April, 1895, in Denver, that he wedded Miss Nellie May Daly, a sister of Thomas F. Daly, and their children are: John F., Jr., born June 26, 1896; Helen; Phyllis; and Roland, born September 12, 1901. John F. Campion, Jr., prepared for college at Exeter and left Dartmouth in his junior year for service in France, where he is a member of Company C, Three Hundred and Second Heavy Tank Battalion. Mr. Campion was a member of various clubs, including the Denver Club, the Denver Athletic Club and the Denver Country Club. He was one of the promoters and organizers of the Colorado Museum of Natural History, of which he was chosen president and in this connection directed one of the most interesting attractions at City Park. While engaged in mining at Breckenridge he formed the acquaintance of Professor Edwin Carter, who had made a splendid collection of the fauna of Colorado, including the bison and many other rare specimens of natural history. This most valuable group of Rocky Mountain wild animals was in danger of loss by fire, or want of attention, being stored in the cabins of the owner. Mr. Campion, assisted by Joseph A. Thatcher and others, obtained the old Carter collection, and made il the nucleus for the museum at City Park. He was also a patron of art, being president of the Municipal Art League, and that his Interests extended into other lines is indicated in the fact that he was a trustee of Agnes Memorial Sanitarium. Any man of generous impulses and broad views can give money away to worthy objects, so while Mr. Campion's contributions to charity and benevolence were real and creditable, his signal service was in the vigor he lent to the pioneer era in making this region habitable and in bringing its resources to light. Such careers are too near us now for their significance to be appraised at their true value, but the future will be able to trace the tremendous effects of their labors upon the society and the institutions of their time. The possibilities of high position afforded in the United States to industry and fidelity have never been better illustrated than in Mr. Campion's case. Starting out in the world without special advantages, he came to be possessed of wealth and) of high social position, with a mind enriched by books and art and a constant mingling with men and women of the highest_ education and accomplishments. He came to be possessed of almost everything that men covet as of value and this was won through his unaided exertions. It is well, too, that so successful a life should have found time for the finer things which our self-made men are so prone to overlook — aid in money and personal attention to schools, collection of rare objects of beauty from all over the world and the artistic adornment of his city and of his home. His career was an illustration of the fact which Carlyle has expressed: "The obstacles in the paths of the weak become stepping stones for the strong." Submitted by Janice Rice |
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BELFORD, James Burns |
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History of Colorado Volume IV By Wilbur Fiske Stone Chicago The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company 1919
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History of Colorado Volume IV By Wilbur Fiske Stone Chicago The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company 1919 JOHN McEWEN FOSTER, M. D. Dr. John McEwen Foster, engaged in the practice of medicine in Denver, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, January 11, 1861, a son of Turner Saunders and Harriet (Erwin) Foster, the latter a daughter of James and Margaret (Caldwell) Erwin. The father, Turner S. Foster, was born in the year 1820, devoted his life to the practice of law and passed away in the year 1898. Dr. Foster, who was the third in order of birth in his father's family of five children, pursued his early education in the public schools of Nashville, Tennessee, and afterwards became a student in the Montgomery Bell Academy of Nashville. He next entered the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee, and having determined upon the practice of medicine as a life work, he matriculated in the medical department of the University of Tennessee, from which he was graduated in 1891. In September, 1889, he first visited Colorado, and after completing his medical course in 1891 took up his abode In Denver, where he has since made his home, devoting his attention to the active practice of his profession, in which he has won substantial success. After completing his course in the University of Tennessee he had gone to New York, where for a time he was house physician in the City Hospital on Ward's island, retaining that position for a year and a half, during which he gained the broad and valuable training and knowledge that only hospital experience brings. He afterward traveled throughout Europe, visiting the various medical centers of learning of the old world and the noted hospitals on that side the Atlantic, particularly in Berlin, Vienna, Paris and London. He pursued special courses on diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat and remained abroad for several years. He is today regarded as an eminent authority upon ophthalmology, otology, rhinology and laryngology in this section of the west. He is continually carrying his studies forward, thus promoting his efficiency, and he has won more than local renown as professor and lecturer at the University of Colorado and at the University of Denver, where he has given special courses on diseases of the ear, nose and throat. He is now serving on the staffs of St. Joseph's Hospital, St. Luke's Hospital and the Children's Hospital of Denver and is likewise connected in a professional capacity with the Denver City & County Hospital. He holds membership in the Denver City and County Medical Society, the Colorado State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. He is likewise a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Otology and Rhinology and the American College of Surgeons. He is ex-eye and ear surgeon for the Colorado Midland and the Colorado Southern Railways, and is examiner for the eye and ear on the board of examining surgeons for United States pensions in Denver. On the 29th of December, 1885, at Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Foster was united in marriage to Miss Bessie Bethel, a daughter of Captain and Mrs. W. D. Bethel. They have become the parents of three children. William B., born in Denver in 1890, is now engaged in ranching in Weld county, Colorado. Pinckney Bethel, born in Denver In 1894, is married and makes his home in Denver but is now connected with the quartermaster's department of the regular army. John McEwen, Jr., born in 1899, is attending school at Salisbury, Connecticut. Dr. Foster belongs to the Denver Club and to the Denver Country Club and is appreciative of the social amenities of life although his profession makes heavy demands upon his time and energies. He has won for himself most favorable criticism as a lecturer and educator as well as a medical practitioner in the field in which he specializes and his pronounced ability is attested by colleagues and contemporaries. Submitted by Vicki Hartman |
Frank
S. Byers has for almost six decades been a resident of Colorado and
two years ago was chosen for the honored position of president of
the society of Colorado Pioneers. A son of William N. Byers,
mentioned elsewhere in this work, he was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in
1855, and was therefore but a little child when he came to Denver
with his father on the 7th of August, 1859. During his youthful days
he attended the common schools of the town, for Denver was then a
western frontier village, and also worked in his father's newspaper
office. In 1867-1868 he carried the pony route of the Denver News,
attending to his duties after school and was one of Denver's first
news carriers. The money which he earned he saved and this he
judiciously put into the cattle business with John Evans, thus
launching forth upon a business line in which he later became very
prominent. He afterward had the benefit of instruction in the
Agricultural College at Lansing, Michigan, in 1870-71. In 1868,
however, he had entered the live stock and cattle business,
beginning by gathering cattle on the Arkansas river in connection
with Governor Evans and William Daily. He was the first settler,
with stock to remain, in what is now Grand county, then a part of
Summit county, where he went in June, 1874, with cattle. With the
passing years he took a very prominent and active part in the
development of that region. He served as county treasurer and also
as commissioner of Grand county and he carried the first mail into
the county in 1878. He aided in the organization and was the first
president of the Bank of Grand County, which was the first financial
institution in that civil division of the state. At the present time
he is largely living retired, deriving a substantial income from
well placed investments.
