Kansas

Biography of Joseph L. Strickler

Joseph L. Strickler. In reviewing the lives of the business men of Cherryvale, especially in regard to the establishment and growth of the oil industry, it who have taken part in this work have been those who have brought with them from other parts of the state and country reputations for honorable dealing, and capability for accomplishment of purpose. Associated with the oil industry of this part of the state is the name of Joseph L. Strickler, who came to Cherryvale in 1902 and is now probably the largest independent producer in this locality. Mr. Strickler has been identified with … Read more

Biography of Lewis Corbin True, Col.

Col. Lewis C. True. Some interesting distinctions belong to this veteran soldier and lawyer who now lives retired at Kansas City, Kansas. He came to Kansas soon after leaving the army, and spent several years combating the hardships and plagues which afflicted the farmers in that period in Franklin County. Unable to make progress as a farmer, he took up the study of law, and in 1871 was admitted to practice in Cherokee County. He spent five years in general practice at Chetopa, and was then elected county attorney of Labette County. Kansas had just enacted its state wide prohibition … Read more

Biography of Edward Alexander Enright, Hon.

Hon. Edward Alexander Enright. Distinguished as a statesman as well as for his achievements at the bar, Edward Alexander Enright is an honored, valued and admired citizen of Kansas City. For almost a quarter of a century he has been a prominent factor in the law and in public affairs, and his name stands foremost among the leaders who have organized, fathered and vitalized many of the progressive movements which have made Kansas the great commonwealth it now is. Edward Alexander Enright was born September 17, 1858, at West Burke, Vermont, the seventh in a family of nine children born … Read more

Biography of William Clyde Tomlinson

William Clyde Tomlinson. As one of the representative and old established undertakers of Southeastern Kansas, William Clyde Tomlinson, of Chanute, belongs to that class of men in his line who have elevated the calling to a profession and conduct their work scientifically and expertly. Mr. Tomlinson established his business in Chanute seventeen years ago and with the exception of an interval of three years, has been here continuously since. During this time has witnessed remarkable advancements made in his field of endeavor. The modern undertaker and embalmer must be the possessor of qualities which fit him for his calling, for … Read more

Biography of Granville S. Hoss, Jr.

Granville S. Hoss, Jr. Since his appointment to the office of postmaster of Cherryvale, in 1915, Granville S. Hoss, Jr., has been discharging the duties of his responsible position in a capable and conscientious manner that has given the people of the city no reason to complain of their mail service. Prior to assuming the duties of this office, Mr. Hoss had been connected with several business houses and had displayed ability that brought him favorably forward as made of official timber. Mr. Hoss was born at Nevada, Missouri, December 28, 1885, and is a son of Granville S. and … Read more

Biography of William Elliott Barnhart

William Elliott Barnhart, who has lived in Kansas City, Kansas, since 1887, has held many large responsibilities in connection with transportation lines, both urban and general railway companies, and has also regulated his private affairs so as to give time for much public service to his home city. His personal career has been one of many interesting experiences and achievements and his ancestry is also an appropriate matter of record. Mr. Barnhart was born at Cedar Valley in Wayne County, Ohio, December 8, 1857, a son of Frederick William and Clarisas (Gooding) Barnhart. The paternal ancestry goes back to his … Read more

Biography of Austin H. Jennings

Austin H. Jennings. For many years the name of Jennings has been honorably associated with business enterprises of importance in Kansas City, through the efforts of Austin H. Jennings, who is president of the Crystal Springs Ice, Fuel & Grain Company and is interested in other concerns that occupy a prominent place in the commercial field. Although not quite so active as in earlier years, Mr. Jennings continues one of the most stable and dependable of the city’s business men and one of the most reputable and highly esteemed citizens. Mr. Jennings was born May 25, 1850, on a farm … Read more

Biography of Thomas E. Donnellan

Thomas E. Donnellan of Parsons has the active supervision of all Southeastern Kansas, Eastern Oklahoma and Southwest Missouri for the International Harvester Company. He has been general agent for that great corporation for the past fifteen years. Mr. Donnellan is a Kansas man, is a birthright farmer and knows the practical side of farming, an experience which has proved valuable to him as representing a great agricultural house. His family on both sides came to Kansas in territorial days. His father, John Donnellan, who was born in County Clare, Ireland, in 1824, came to this country at the age of … Read more

Biography of James H. De Coursey

James H. De Coursey. Many of the great commercial houses of the world have been built up from a small foundation, and a young law student’s enterprise in nourishing and developing a business idea of his own, is responsible for the most extensive ice cream and butter manufacturing plant in the State of Kansas. It is located at Kansas City and is the property of the De Coursey family, and its able manager, James H. De Coursey, was also its founder. The De Coursey name has been one held in high regard in Kansas for three generations. The first of … Read more

Biography of William Henry Hite

William Henry Hite. In some individuals the business sense is remarkably developed and this proves the medium through which they may attain an eminence not to be gained by those who try to control affairs for which they have no aptitude. It is now generally recognized that no one reaches unusual success who works against his natural inclinations, and when competition is so keen men need every assistance that developed talent can give in order to take profitable advantage of offered opportunities and to be able to develop legitimate business chances. Especially is this true in communities where strong and … Read more

Biography of Anthony C. Fasenmyer

Anthony C. Fasenmyer, now retired, has been a constructive factor in the commercial affairs of Kansas City, Kansas, and many of the results of his thirty-one years of activity still stand and have entered permanently into the life and well being of the community. Mr. Fasenmyer was born at Fryburg in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, January 10, 1857. He was the third of five children whose parents were Jacob and Frances (Fletcher) Fasenmyer. His grandfather Balthaser Fasenmyer lived near Strassburg in Alsace, France. He spent seven years as a soldier under the great Napoleon. From there he emigrated to America and … Read more

Biography of George W. Kidder

George W. Kidder, who, excepting for the earliest years of infancy, has spent his entire life in Crawford County, has had a long and varied and extremely useful relationship with business affairs in various towns of that county and particularly in Pittsburg. Mr. Kidder is now secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and is also secretary of the Retail Merchants Association. The Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce, which was established in 1881 at the beginning of the town when Pittsburg was nothing more than a coal camp, has been in continuous operation ever since. They performed a great work and the … Read more

Biography of John L. Robinson

John L. Robinson. The absolute honesty, the feeling of community interest, the intelligent public spirit that belong and illuminate the best type of citizen, are all qualities demanded of men who enter the banking field. The close relation between banks and a community’s prosperity makes the banking business one of paramount importance. One of the well known financiers of Neosho County, Kansas, is John L. Robinson, president of the Fidelity State Bank, at Chanute, áa business man of long and honorable experience. Mr. Robinson was born June 25, 1865, in Delaware County, Iowa, and is a son of A. M. … Read more

Biography of James H. Luscombe

James H. Luscombe is present county attorney of Wyandotte County. He was elected in 1916 by a majority of 1,070 on the democratic ticket. He has been practicing law at Kansas City, Kansas, for the past eighteen years and entered the law after a long service as a plaster contractor. The chief factor in his success either as a mechanic or as a lawyer has been hard work. He is noted for the zeal and efficiency with which he handles every interest entrusted to his charge, and his uprightness of character and other qualifications made him one of the strongest … Read more

Biography of James D. Peters

James D. Peters is a successful member of the Parsons bar. Business and clients came to him generously when he established himself in private practice. Anyone familiar with the facts of his life will say that Mr. Paters’ prosperity has been well earned. From early boyhood he gained his education and made his own way in the world, and in climbing upward to success has helped others along the way. He was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, June 5, 1867. His father John Peters, who was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1811 and died in Westmoreland County; Pennsylvania, in … Read more

Biography of Tillman E. Dale

Tillman E. Dale. Distinguished as the oldest oil contractor and driller in the mid-continent fields, Tillman E. Dale, one of the substantial men of Chanute, Kansas, is one of the best known oil men in Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming, having operated in every field in earlier days in the business and is the pioneer in Neosho County. Mr. Dale was born March 1, 1862, in Buchanan County, Iowa. His parents were George and Mary Robinson (Davey) Dale, both natives of England. George Dale, the paternal grandfather, was born in England in 1807 and remained in his own country until he … Read more

Biography of Allen Dale Hileman

Allen Dale Hileman. Belonging to that class of business men whose practical education, quick perceptions and great capacity for painstaking industry have advanced them to positions of business prominence formerly occupied only by men many years their seniors, Allen Dale Hileman, while representing the vigorous and resourceful present of Kansas, gives promise of participating in its more enlightened future, more especially at Cherryvale and in Montgomery County, where he is engaged in a well-established real estate, loan and insurance business and also connected with the Montgomery County National Bank. Allen Dale Hileman, or Dale Hileman, as he is universally known, … Read more

Biography of William Beggs

William Beggs, now county clerk of Wyandotte County, and with a long and honorable record of public service, has been a resident of Kansas City, Kansas, since early boyhood and found his work for many years in connection with some of the packing industries of the city. There is hardly a better known citizen of the city or county, and his ability to do things and get things done and his personal integrity have long made him a man of mark. He was born in the northern part of Ireland May 27, 1867, the oldest of seven children of Richard … Read more

Biography of John Pellegrino

John Pellegrino. Among the men of high merit that the State of Kansas has called to responsible position, is John Pellegrino, of Pittsburg, Kansas, state mine inspector. From the age of fifteen years to the present, Mr. Pellegrino has been identified with mines and mining, with the exception of two years, during which interval he served faithfully as a United States soldier in the Philippine Islands. He has had a wide field of experience, and by hard, practical work in the mines and by persistent study in different institutions of learning, he has thoroughly qualified himself for the important post … Read more

Biography of Joseph A. Wells

Joseph A. Wells was one of the earliest settlers in Neosho County. He moved into that section in March, 1866, less than a year after he was discharged with an honorable record as a soldier of the Union. On April 4, 1866, he took up his claim of a quarter section of land three miles northwest of the townsite of Erie. For over half a century he has been identified with that community. After farming for a year and a half, Mr. Wells sold his claim, and moved to Erie. In the meantime he had been elected to the office … Read more