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WILLIAM
JAMES FREY.
A
notable character in more ways than one is the gentleman whose
career is herein to be briefly outlined. During his residence of
over forty years at
Findlay
, he has been prominently connected with the politics and business
as well as the industrial and social life of the city. As a popular
candidate for congress, chairman of the state committee of one of
the great political parties, president of the city water works, a
leading druggist and in other ways Mr. Frey has been constantly in
the public eye, and necessarily subjected
to the criticism which never fails to accompany prominence of any
kind. That he has passed through this ordeal unscathed is sufficient
evidence that he possesses those moral qualities which enable one to
rise superior to the ordinary faultfinding, characteristic of
humanity, and grow steadily in the good will as well as esteem of
the community. Mr. Frey comes from an old family, which originated
in
England
, but was long domiciled in
Maryland
, the first immigrant locating at
Baltimore
but later settling in the southwestern part of the state. His
grandfather was^Dr. William Frey, who was born and bred in
Maryland
and became a noted physician, his practice extending over a wide
area of the state. He married Elizabeth Coddington, daughter of
General Coddington of Revolutionary fame and member of a family of
great influence during the formative period of the republic. Samuel
D. Frey, son of the Doctor, was born in Alleghany county, near
Cumberland
, Maryland, in 1825, and was the first of the name to try his
fortunes in the west, in 1846 he came to
Bellefontaine
,
Ohio
, as a contractor engaged in building the first line of railroad
through that town. A short time before his arrival in a business
capacity, he has visited Bellefontaine in a more interesting role
and had been married there to Priscilla B., daughter of Hon. John
Slicer. The latter was a man of note in
Maryland
and for many years represented Alleghany county in the state
legislature. After finishing his contract with the railroad company
Samuel D. Frey followed other pursuits and finally came to
Findlay
, where he was engaged in the drug business until the time of his
death in 1897. William James Frey, son of the last mentioned, was
born at Bellefontaine, Ohio, December 9, 1854, and was six years old
when his parents removed to Findlay. His education was received in
the schools of the latter city, supplemented by attendance for two
years at
Cleveland
College
, and a term at the
Commercial
College
in the same place. It was in 1871 that Mr. Frey finished his course
at the last named school and immediatelv there finally abandoned his
intention of following the profession and joined his father in the
drug business at
Findlay
, which connection he has since continuously maintained. Mr. Frey
got in touch with politics at an early age,
exhibited a natural turn therefor and has risen to prominence as one
of the leaders of the Democratic party. Eventually lie was nominated
by his party as its candidate for congress in the Eighth Ohio
district, which normally has a Republican majority of 6,500, but by
a vigorous canvass and much hard work Mr. Frey managed to cut down
these figures over two thousand. At the Democratic state convention
in 1900, he was made chairman of his party's state central committee
and held that position during the two subsequent
years to the entire satisfaction of his associates. He was
re-elected to this position at
Sandusky
in 1902. In 1890 Mr. Frey was elected president of the Findlay Water
Works Company and has since discharged the duties of that office. In
1890 Mr. Frey was united in marriage with Miss Mary, daughter of
Captain Alexander Gilchrist, of Vermilion county, and the result of
the union is an only daughter, named Florence M. Mr. Frey's
fraternal connections ;t re confined to membership in the Knights of
Pythias, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
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