Alfred Thomas Bailey, whose life record constituted a fine example of manliness, industry and enterprise, was prominently identified with oil interests of northeastern Oklahoma and his sudden demise in 1918 brought with it a sense of overwhelming loss to his mother, to whom he was ever a most devoted son, and was also the occasion of deep and sincere regret to the many he had made during the period of his residence in this part of the state. A native of Canada, he was born at Ottawa, in the province of Quebec, on the 25th of September, 1873, his parents being Thomas S. and Ida (Walters) Bailey, the former a native of London, England, while the latter was born in Galt, Canada. The father met an accidental death in a factory in Canada in 1887. The maternal grandfather, Thomas Bailey, was a man of marked intellectual attainments and served as district judge at Ottawa, Canada, making a highly commendable record in that connection. He passed away at Osgood, Canada, in 1884. His daughter Ida married Thomas S. Bailey on the 25th of September, 1872, and they became the parents of five children : Alfred, Charles, Enid, Edna and Blanche. The daughter Enid married A. E. Dwelle, formerly a well known resident of Bartlesville but now acting as vice president and assistant cashier of the State Bank of Pasadena, California. The mother is still a resident of Bartlesville and is conducting one of the leading groceries in the town, her store being located at No. 801 Jennings Street. She is a very capable business woman and has built up a good trade, owing to her reasonable prices and ability to supply the demands of her patrons.
Alfred Thomas Bailey acquired his education in the public schools of Pennsylvania and subsequently went from McKean county, that state, to Ohio. He first came to Oklahoma in 1903 and in 1910 he embarked in the oil business in this state as a producer, becoming an active and prominent worker in that field. His investments were wisely made and his business methods were characterized by the progressive spirit of the age, while his integrity was at all times above question. Through close application and judicious management he accumulated a substantial competence and was on the point of retiring in order that he might spend his remaining years in close companionship with his mother, to whose sympathy and counsel he attributed his success in life, when he was killed in an automobile accident.
He was a thirty-second degree Mason and an exemplary representative of the craft, taking a prominent part in the activities of the order. He was a self-educated and self-made man, whose labors were of a character that contributed not only to individual success but also to the general welfare and prosperity. His was an admirable character, worthy of all praise, and he enjoyed to the fullest extent the confidence and respect of his fellow townsmen.