For the past seventeen years a resident of Topeka, Mr. Bronson has been a considerable factor in the material prosperity of the state, particularly in connection with the agricultural interests. As resident agent for a firm of foreign capitalists, he has been instrumental during his time in handling and distributing over $25,000,000 cash to the land owners and farmers of Kansas and adjoining states, and he is perhaps as well informed as any man in the state on the subject of agricultural credit, land values and farming interests from the financial standpoint.
A native of Herkimer County, New York, where he was born June 3, 1855, Arthur W. Bronson is a son of O. W. and Elizabeth (Harter) Bronson. His family have been Americans for many generations, and O. W. Bronson was a carriage manufacturer, a trade which he adopted from his father. O. W. Bronson also owned a farm in New York, and it was in the country that Arthur W. Bronson spent the first twelve years of his life. He attended the public schools, and in 1877 graduated in the civil engineering department of Willston Seminary in Massachusetts.
Though prepared for a technical profession, Mr. Bronson never practiced civil engineering, but instead engaged in merchandising at Herkimer, New York, and not finding that business to his liking he came west in 1884, and for three years was inspector with the Lombard Investment Company. He then became resident agent for Close Brothers & Company, who were English capitalists representing the Mortgage and Debenture Company. For nine years Mr. Bronson lived in Sioux City, Iowa, then spent two years at Kansas City, and since then has lived in Topeka. His business service is chiefly to extend credit to farmers and through the medium of his agency has been distributed perhaps more actual cash for Kansas farming operations than through any other one source.
Mr. Bronson is a member of the Topeka Commercial Club, is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason, and a member of the Presbyterian Church. In 1878 he married Miss Ida M. Bridenstein. Their one son Olcott W. is employed in the scientifie department of the State Historical Society as curator.