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Ruby F., but Georgia died when quite young. The family are identified with the Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Patten is the daughter of Nuvell and Adaline (Grindle) Osgood, natives of Maine. Her father was a prominent merchant and real-estate dealer at Blue Hill and Surry, Me., and was a prominent man in his community.
EORGE
S. VAN DER KARR, proprietor of the Forks Hotel, also postmaster
and merchant at Forks, Larimer County, a large stock dealer and
partner of his brother in a mercantile business at LaPorte, was
born in Newark, Wayne County, N. Y., December 22, 1858. He
descends from an old Revolutionary soldier, who was a member of an
influential Holland family in New York, and was related to the Van
Ness and Schermerhorn families. A son of this soldier, Samuel,
removed from Albany to Newark, where he engaged in farming. During
the war of 1812 he enlisted and fought in defense of our
country.
Next in line of descent was Abraham Van der Karr, father of our subject. He was born near Albany, N. Y., and for years was an extensive stock dealer and farmer at Newark, but is now living retired. His wife, now deceased, was Mary Gardiner, a native of Kinderhook, N. Y., and of Dutch descent; her father, Aaron Gardiner, was born on the Hudson and removed to Wayne County, where he engaged in farming. He was a public-spirited man and assisted in the construction of churches and school houses. The family of which our subject was a member consisted of two sons and three daughters, but he and his brother Aaron, of LaPorte, are the only survivors.
In the public schools of Newark our subject received his education. In 1882 he came to Colorado and for ten years was engaged in the cattle business near Fort Collins, but finally went to Sioux City, Neb., where he had a ranch stocked with horses and cattle, and made shipments of stock from there to New York, Illinois and Indiana. In April, 1895, he brought his stock of goods to LaPorte, where he embarked in business. The following year he settled on his ranch of one hundred and sixty acres at Forks, where he raises alfalfa for feed. In 1891 he bought the Forks Hotel, which he rented for five years, but now conducts personally. This house, which was built in 1874 and has since been conducted as a hotel, is the oldest inn in the county, and, through additions made to it, furnishes ample accommodations for all who patronize it. He also built a commodious and substantial barn, as well as a store, in which he has the postoffice and keeps a general stock of goods. The postoffice was only recently established and he is the first postmaster. In addition to his other interests, he is connected with the mercantile business that is managed by his brother in LaPorte. On his ranch he raises graded Hereford and red polled Angus cattle, and has over one hundred head of horses, mostly Percherons and Normans. Politically he is a Democrat.
In Fort Collins, February 11, 1896, Mr. Van der Karr married Mrs. Delilah (Currie) Clark, who was born in Clinton County, Iowa, and removed to Wyoming in 1878, coming from there to Larimer County. Her father, George Currie, was born in Canada, and after engaging in farming for some years in Hamilton County, Iowa, he came to Colorado in 1891 and now lives in Pleasant Valley. His, wife, Margaret, was born in Canada, as was also her father, Ebenezer Nickeson. Mrs. Van der Karr was second among eleven children, of whom all but two are now living, those besides herself being Milo, of Iowa; Charles, of Manhattan, Colo.; Frank, whose home is in Nebraska; Fred, living in Boulder County, Colo.; John, of Pleasant Valley; Viola, Mrs. William Thomas, of Nebraska; Sarah, who is the wife of Isaac Niece, and lives in Nebraska; and Minnie, who married David Murray, of Boulder County. The first husband of Mrs. Van der Karr was George Clark, by whom she had one son and two daughters.
IDEON C. PRATT is a prominent and substantial farmer of section 1, township 10, range 66 west, Douglas County, and a man who has carved his way to success by the exercise of his own industry and perseverance. He made his way unaided by any other means, and is a striking example of what one may accomplish by courage and determination. He was born near the village of Goshen, Orange County, N. Y., June 8, 1834, and is a son of Alanson E. and Sarah (Noble) Pratt.
Alanson Pratt was a merchant of Elmira, N. Y.,
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where he moved when our subject was ten years of age. In 1856, with his family, he moved west and settled in Muscatine, Iowa, where he bought a large tract of land and began tilling the soil. After a few years of farming life, he embarked in the mercantile business in that town, pursuing that line of business until 1867. In that year he disposed of his stock and moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., where he conducted a mercantile store until he retired; he then went to St. Louis, Mo., to live with our subject's brother, and later he moved to Sedalia, Mo., where he passed from this life in 1893.
Gideon C. Pratt took advantage of the opportunity to obtain an academic education, and at seventeen years be began clerking in David A. Tuttle's store at Elmira, N. Y., his salary being $50 per year, out of which pay he had to clothe himself. At nineteen years his father moved to Muscatine, Iowa, and settled on a farm, where our subject worked; when his father opened a mercantile store, our subject entered the store as a clerk. In 1862 he went to Council Bluffs, Iowa, from which point he took the coach for Denver, Colo., the trip occupying six days and nights. He entered the employ of the bank of O. D. Cass & Co., as clerk, remaining with that company until 1864; he did all the collecting for the bank and in June, 1862, he was sent across the range to collect a large bill, and was obliged to go by night, in order to take advantage of the crust which would form over the snow; he collected the full amount in gold dust. Later he was transferred to the branch office at Central City, where he continued to do the collecting. In June, 1867, he became interested in a sawmill on the divide in Douglas County, and in 1869 he bought three hundred and twenty acres of land, where he now lives. He has since been engaged in farming and has increased his estate to seven hundred and twenty acres; he is energetic and enterprising, and has won many friends by his many sterling qualities.
While a resident of Muscatine, Iowa, Mr. Pratt was married, November 10, 1858, to Miss Lydia M. Cass, a daughter of Rev. M. G. and Sophia (Putman) Cass; her father was pastor of the Presbyterian Church of that town. Nine children blessed the home of our subject and wife, four of whom are now living. They were named as follows: Lily I.; Nellie S., wife of D. J. Shinner, of San Luis Valley, Colo., and they are the parents of five children; Gideon C., who resides with his father; and Agnes P. Our subject's father was a Democrat in his early days, but being opposed to the institution of slavery, he voted for John C. Fremont, upon the organization of the Republican party; our subject also voted for Fremont, and has ever since been an ardent supporter of the Republican party. He has served three years as county commissioner; two terms as assessor; as deputy assessor; and in 1885, he was honored with a seat in the legislature.
ON. AMOS G. WEBSTER, attorney-at-law of Castle Rock, and formerly
county judge of Douglas County, was born in the town of Noble,
LaPorte County, Ind., July 14, 1841, a son of Amos Gillette and
Hilah (Harding) Webster. Upon the farm where he was born the first
twenty-one years of his life were passed. He attended the country
schools and also a village graded school. August 74, 1862, he
offered his services to his country and was mustered into Company
K, Seventy-third Indiana Infantry. During the almost three years
of his service he participated in many skirmishes and the battles
of Perryville, Stone River and Nashville. When on a raid near
Rome, Ga., he and his comrades were captured by the Confederates
and he was sent to Belle Isle. Though the terms of surrender
stipulated that they should be sent through the lines in twelve
days, yet the officers were held for twenty-one months.
Fortunately, however, our subject and a few companions were soon
sent back on parole, and were exchanged and sent to Camp Morton,
Indianapolis, where he guarded prisoners. The winter of 1863-64 he
spent at Nashville, where he was drill master on siege guns Nos. 6
and 8. He was later engaged on guard duty at Larkinsville, Triana
and Athens, Ala., and Lavergne, Tenn., on the line of the
Nashville & Chattanooga Railway. From the ranks he was
promoted to be corporal and was mustered out as sergeant in July,
1865.
Returning to Indiana Mr. Webster entered the academy at Westville, where he carried on his studies for a time. In 1867 he began the study of law in the office of Capt. L. A. Cole at La Porte, and the following year was admitted to the bar, soon after which he opened an office at
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Perry, Dallas County, Iowa. November 11, 1868, in LaPorte County, he was united in marriage with Miss Phila L. Romans, who accompanied him to their new home in Iowa. For eleven years he engaged in practice in Perry, whence in 1879 he removed to Colorado, hoping that the change of climate would benefit his wife's health. He settled on a ranch in Douglas County, but in 1882 established his home in Castle Rock and began the practice of his profession, in which he has since engaged. His father was a Whig and he has always been a Republican. He was nominated by his party for the legislature in 1882 and received a majority of seven, but was counted out and declared beaten by one vote. In 1886 he was elected county judge and later was appointed to the office to fill a vacancy, serving for four years. Fraternally he is identified with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, of which he has been master workman, is the present financier, and has been selected to represent his lodge in the grand lodge.
ON.
ALBERT HALL. Among the citizens of Idaho Springs none has been
more earnest in endeavoring to advance her best interests than
this gentleman, who has been more or less closely associated with
local upbuilding for the past fifteen years. He has developed and
managed several mining enterprises in the vicinity and is quite
extensively interested in real estate hereabout. In 1897 he
erected the Hall block, which is 44X59 feet in dimensions and is
three stories in height. Among the mines in which he has invested
are the Tolland County group, Mansfield, Canfield, Alport,
Stafford, Union, Port Jarvis, Governor Bulkeley and Chloride. Many
of these are very valuable and are being pushed with energy and
ability by the fortunate owner.
The paternal grandfather of the above-named citizen was Nathan Hall, a native of Connecticut, in which state he resided until his death. The father of our subject was Gardiner Hall, a well-known cotton and thread manufacturer and one of the first to engage in the production of sewing thread in the United States. He was born in Mansfield, Conn., in 1809. In 1857 he accepted a responsible position with the Willimantic Linen Company, placed the machinery for the plant and subsequently superintended the manufacture of their goods. He died in Willington, in 1879. He was one of a rather remarkable family, numbering thirteen, eleven of whom lived to be large, strong men and women, taking leading places in the several communities in which they dwelt. In 1867 he was a member of the legislature of his native state and frequently he served as a selectman, and was county commissioner three years. His wife, mother of our subject, bore the girlhood name of Zeviah Emeline Essex. She was born in Colchester, Conn., and was a daughter of William P. Essex, a clothier. She is now in her ninety-first year. Six of her eight children lived to maturity, and five are still living. Orline, Mrs. J. R. Champlain, resides in Norwich. Gardiner is a large manufacturer of thread and cotton goods in South Willington, Conn. Emiline is Mrs. M. M. Johnson, her husband president and manager of the National Thread Company, of Mansfield, Conn. William H. enlisted in Company H, Eighteenth Connecticut Infantry, in the Civil war and was killed in 1864 at Newmarket, in the Shenandoah Valley, being then but twenty-two years of age. Origin was a member of the same regiment and company, and served to the close of the war; he is now living in the Nutmeg state and is the representative elected from Willington for 1899.
Hon. Albert Hall, the youngest of the family, was born April 1, 1846, in the town of Stafford, Conn. He was educated in Willington and Willimantic, and after leaving school was employed in the thread factory and machine shop of G. Hall, Jr., & Co., for thirteen years, part of the period being the foreman of the works. In 1883 he came to Colorado and has ever since spent a portion of each year in the Centennial state, though retaining his legal residence in Connecticut. In the autumn of 1883 he was nominated on the Republican ticket to the legislature of his own state and being elected, served in the session of 1884, representing the same town as had his honored father seventeen years before. He was initiated into Masonry in Uriel Lodge No. 24, A. F. & A. M., of Mansfield, Conn. He has always adhered to the principles of the Republican party, and is now an advocate of free coinage.
December 29, 1868, Mr. Hall and Miss Alice Eaton were married in Stafford, in which town
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Mrs. Hall had been reared, though her birth had taken place in Massachusetts. Their three children were Arthur Edwin, who died in infancy; Owen Gardiner, whose death occurred when he was but seven years old; and Etta M., a graduate of the Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham, Mass., and now Mrs. C. V. D. Peek, of New York City.
AWRENCE
WELTY, a pioneer of Franktown, Douglas County, was born in Baden,
Germany, in February, 1832. The first sixteen years of his life
were passed in his native land, where he received fair educational
advantages. In 1848 he accompanied his parents and a younger
sister to America, and after a voyage of thirty-six days in a
sailing vessel they landed in New York, but soon after proceeded
to Rochester, where the father procured employment at the
shoemaker's trade. During the time they resided in that city our
subject gained a thorough knowledge of his father's trade. In 1852
he went to Michigan and followed the trade in Kalamazoo. Two years
later he was joined by his father and mother.
In 1856 Mr. Welty married Miss Louise Siler, of Kalamazoo, but a native of Baden, Germany. The year after his marriage he went to St. Joseph, Mo., leaving his family in Michigan, but after two years they joined him in his new home. They remained there until 1863, when they came to Colorado. In 1861 Mr. Welty enlisted as a private in Company B, Thirteenth Missouri Infantry, and took part in the battle of Lexington, where he was taken prisoner by the Confederates. However, he was soon paroled and sent back to St. Joseph, where he was on parole at the time of coming to Colorado. He started across the plains on the 1st of April with a team of horses, and landed in Denver on the 1st of May. For some years he engaged in prospecting and mining, at which he was fairly prosperous. Later he engaged in the boot and shoe business in Denver. In 1864 he joined Company M, Third Colorado Cavalry, which was organized to fight the Indians, and served for one hundred days, during which time he was stationed at the barracks at California ranch (now Franktown). His family were at first on a farm he had rented near here, but they were finally obliged to move to the fort for protection.
Upon the land which he took up as a claim Mr. Welty resided for some years after the war, and he still owns two hundred acres of ranch property, which he farms. In 1872 he came to Franktown, where he has since followed the shoemaker's trade. In politics he is a Republican and takes a warm interest in local affairs. He is a member of Blunt Post, G. A. R., of Castle Rock. He and his wife are the parents of two children, the elder of whom, Mary, married John A. Blatt and lives at Leed City, S. Dak.; she has three children: Louisa, Herman and John. The younger daughter, Anna, is the wife of Henry Nink, of Salt Lake City, and has three children: Clara, Henry and Lawrence.
REDERICK
P. DEWEY, assistant cashier of the Bank of Clear Creek County, at
Georgetown, and one of its directors, also in charge of the
electric light plant of Georgetown, where he resides, came to
Colorado in September, 1879, and has made his home in Georgetown
since that time. He was born in Phoenix, Oswego County, N. Y.,
March 14, 1860, a son of Solomon and Sophia (Fish) Dewey, natives
respectively of Massachusetts and Halifax, Vt. The founder of the
Dewey family in America was Thomas Dewey, a native of Kent,
England, who came to Massachusetts about 1630 and was enrolled as
a freeman in 1634. In 1638 he moved to Windsor, Conn., where he
married a widow, Mrs. Frances Clark. He filled a number of local
positions, among them that of deputy to the general court, juror,
and an officer in the light infantry. In his family there were
five children: Thomas; Josiah, the ancestor of Admiral Dewey, who
gained fame in the war with Spain; Anna; Israel, ancestor of our
subject; and Jedediah.
Deacon David, son of Israel Dewey, had a son, David, whose son, David, was the father of Asaph, a native of Richmond, Mass., and our subject's grandfather. Asaph died in Richmond in January, 1833, and was buried in Lenox, Mass. C. E. Dewey, of Denver, David Dewey, of Georgetown, and our subject are descendants of Asaph Dewey. Solomon Dewey settled near Syracuse, N. Y., where he was a pioneer and improved a place. Of his first marriage six children are still living; all of whom reside near the old homestead. His second wife, Sophia, was
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born in Halifax, Vt., a daughter of Simeon Fish and the widow of Dr. Benjamin Henry. Her father, a native of Vermont, removed to Oswego County, N. Y., and became a prominent military man, being general in the New York state militia for some time.
The subject of this sketch was the only child of his parents. He attended the grammar and high school of Phoenix, Oswego County, N. Y., from which latter institution he graduated in 1878. In September of 1879 he came to Georgetown and entered the Bank of Clear Creek County as bookkeeper, but in January, 1880, was made assistant cashier, which position he has since held. He was at one time interested in the gas works of Georgetown, and upon its consolidation with the electric light plant as the United Light and Power Company he was made secretary and treasurer, in which capacity he has since been retained. This company supplies light and power to Georgetown and Silver Plume. He has been engaged in the management of various mines and mining affairs, and his numerous interests leave him little leisure time.
In Windsor, Dane County, Wis., June 23, 1887, our subject married Miss Edna M. Sabin, who was born in that town, a daughter of Deacon Henry Sabin. They are the parents of one child, Robert S. For a few years the family have made their home in Denver. Politically Mr. Dewey formerly voted the Republican ticket, but when that party declared for a gold standard of currency he ceased to give it his support and gives his vote and influence to men pledged to advocate the silver cause. Fraternally he is treasurer of Mohican Tribe of Red Men No. 54, and is also connected with Georgetown Lodge No. 48, A. F. & A. M., of which he is past master, and Georgetown Chapter No. 4, R. A. M.
OHN
WILLIAM WRIGHT, who is one of the most prosperous ranchmen of
Arapahoe County, owns a large stock farm situated on Running
Creek, in township 5 south, range 64 West. Since he settled here
in 1871 he has bought land from time to time, until his present
possessions aggregate sixteen hundred and eighty acres, all under
fence. On the ranch are a large number of cattle, for it is
largely through the stock business that Mr. Wright has been
prospered. In the spring of 1897 he sold five hundred head, but he
still has a large herd left on the ranch.
In Dallas, Tex., July 31, 1848, the subject of this sketch was born to John Wilson and Elizabeth (Leonard) Wright, natives of Tennessee. His paternal grandfather, Thomas Wright, was born near Nashville, Tenn., and descended from English ancestors, who were among the early settlers of Colorado. He became a large planter in Tennessee and later owned a plantation in Texas, where he had a number of slaves to operate the land. Among his associates he was known as an honest and honorable man, and as such he was highly esteemed. In political belief he was a Whig. During the war of 1812 he enlisted and served in defense of American interests. His death occurred in Texas when he was eighty-seven years of age.
By the marriage of Thomas Wright to Miss Tate, a southern lady, there were born twelve children who reached mature years. Of these John Wilson was born near Nashville, and in youth learned the shoemaker's trade, but after removing to Texas he gave his attention wholly to farming. Born June 1, 1820, his life extended over the greater part of the nineteenth century, and was brought to a close after seventy useful years. During the Civil war he enlisted in the Confederate army and served for the cause he believed to be right. Politically he voted the Democratic ticket. His marriage, December 15, 1842, united him with Miss Sarah E. Leonard, who was born in Tennessee, October 19, 1827, a daughter of George and Mary J. (Dooley) Leonard, of Scotch-Irish descent and Protestant faith. While still a young woman she died, June 19, 1855. Their family consisted of six children, of whom Martha Ann died in infancy. The others are: George Thomas, a farmer in Texas; John William, of this sketch; Sarah Elizabeth, who is married and lives in Texas; James Wilson, a stockman in that state; and Mrs. Ada Catherine Brooks, also of Texas.
In the common schools of the Lone Star state our subject received his education. His boyhood years were spent on a farm, and he early acquired a thorough knowledge of agriculture. In 1868, when twenty years of age, he began to buy and sell stock, which he drove from Texas to Colorado and sold in Denver prior to the advent
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of the railroad. He assisted in loading the first train load of cattle shipped east over the Kansas & Pacific road. He continued driving stock across the plains until 1871, and with the money acquired in the meantime he bought the place where he has spent the past twenty-seven years. When he started out for himself he did not have a dollar, but through energy and perseverance he has become prosperous.
In New Mexico, March 29, 1874, Mr. Wright married Miss Catharine Granger, daughter of John and Sarah Granger. Her father, who was a native of England and was in the English service in the West Indies, afterward settled in the United States; he and his wife spent their last years with their daughter, Mrs. Wright, in whose home he passed away July 26, 1898, at the age of eighty-four, and she November 3, 1896, at seventy-three years. Both were highly esteemed in this locality, where they had resided almost a quarter of a century. Politically, like his father, Mr. Wright is a stanch Democrat, and keeps posted in national and state affairs.
OHN
S. WHEELER has the distinction of being the oldest surviving
settler of Weld County. He was born in Worcester County, Mass., in
1834, a son of John B. and Laura J. (Graves) Wheeler, both natives
of the old Bay state. His father ran away from home at the age of
seventeen and shipped on a whaling vessel from Boston to southern
and eastern ports. For seven years he followed the water, being
successively third and second mate. After abandoning a seafaring
life, he settled at Flat Hill, seven miles from Fitchburg, Mass.,
and there he died at forty-five years of age. He and his wife were
the parents of three sons, John S., Theodore E. and Albert. After
Mr. Wheeler's death, his widow married Lawrence Bailey, and in
1844 moved to Dresden, Muskingum County, Ohio, where our subject
grew to manhood. He engaged in the mercantile business in that
town until 1859, when failing health forced him to seek another
occupation.
The eastern states were at that time in a fever of excitement caused by the discovery of gold in the mountains. Hundreds were already seeking the mountain regions, in the hope of finding a fortune in the mines. He followed the tide westward and arrived in Denver June 17, 1859. From there he went to Golden, thence to Blackhawk and engaged in mining until July 16. Later he located two claims at Fairplay. Returning to Blackhawk in August he went on to the Platte River and took up government land, establishing a ranch which he made his home. He was the first man in the county to open a ranch and begin farming. Until the fall of 1878 he continued there, but then went to Leadville and began mining, thence going to West Ten Miles, and established the first sawmill in that place. He also founded the station and postoffice of Wheeler, which stands on the Denver & Rio Grande and Denver & South Park Railroads. He moved his family there and remained for five years, mining on Wheeler, Copper and Sheep Mountains. He was the leading man in the place and was known by all the people around for many miles in every direction.
In 1884 Mr. Wheeler went to Denver and from there back to Weld County, where he has since engaged in farming and stock-raising on his ranch of two hundred acres. Through his efforts the Lupton Bottom ditch was constructed and for several years he served as president of the company. He also aided in the construction of Meadow Island ditches Nos. 1 and 2, and was president of both companies. In the Platteville Ditch Company he was one of the charter stockholders. He also held office as president of the Side Hill Ditch Company and was a stockholder in the Evans and Platte Valley Ditch Company.
As judge of Weld County, elected on the Democratic ticket, Mr. Wheeler served for four years, and during that time he began the study of law, which he has since continued, having charge of practically the entire legal business of the town. June 27, 1898, he was appointed notary public by Governor Adams, to hold office for four years. In 1876 he was a member of the constitutional convention and the following year was a candidate for secretary of state and a presidential elector. In party work in his county he has always been an active factor. He has been a director in the Association of Colorado Pioneers and fraternally is identified with the Brighton Lodge of Masons.
In February, 1857, Mr. Wheeler married Amelia D. Jones, daughter of Elon and Elizabeth Jones, of Dresden, Ohio. Three children were
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born of their union. Frank E., the eldest, was chairman of the board of county commissioners of Mineral County, Colo., and is manager of the Creede Co-operative Mining Company. Theodore Albert is clerk and recorder of Mineral County, and lives in Creede. Amelia D., now the wife of Frank Somerville, of Fort Collins, was for several years principal of the Platteville public school and also taught in Fort Collins for three years, her work ranking with that of the best teachers in the county.
DWARD
TURNER JEFFERY, president and general manager of the Denver &
Rio Grande Railroad Company, was born in Liverpool, England, April
6, 1843. In childhood, after the death of his father, who was an
officer in the British navy, he accompanied his mother to the
United States. His connection with railroad service began as a boy
thirteen years of age, in October, 1856, when he secured
employment as office boy and machinist apprentice in the service
of the Illinois Central Railroad at Chicago. In this place he
availed himself of the opportunity to learn mechanics. He was
transferred in 1853 to the office of the mechanical draughtsman as
an apprentice, in which position he gained a practical knowledge
of machinery and mechanical drawing, and later became mechanical
draughtsman and secretary to the superintendent of machinery of
the Illinois Central. From February 1, 1871, to May 4, 1877, he
was assistant superintendent of machinery for the same road. At
the latter date he was promoted to be general superintendent of
the road, and December 15, 1885, became general manager of the
company, which position he resigned September 2, 1889, after more
than thirty-three years continuous service.
Upon the severance of his connection with the Illinois Central Railroad Company, Mr. Jeffery had numerous offers of positions of responsibility with other railroad companies, but the long service he had given his company had told somewhat on his strength, and he preferred a period of rest and recuperation. About that time Chicago citizens were beginning to agitate the location of the World's Fair and a strong effort was being put forth to secure the exposition for that city. He was warmly interested in the project, and was a member of the citizens' committee of one hundred that was formed to push the matter. In the furtherance of the committee's plans, he was selected to visit the Paris Exposition as commissioner from Chicago, with a view to utilizing the information there obtained, should Chicago meet with success in her effort to secure the fair. He went abroad in the fall of 1889 and spent two months in close study of the exposition, presenting, on his return, a report that was most comprehensive and satisfactory, and that assisted materially in the organization of the work at Jackson Park.
In the winter of 1889-90 Mr. Jeffery became interested in the Grant Locomotive works of Chicago, and was made president of the company, which position he held until October I, 1891, when he resigned his connection with that company in order to accept the presidency and general management of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company. Up to the time he removed from Chicago, he maintained an active connection with World's Fair plans. He was one of the leading members of the board of directors, and was chosen one of three representatives who appeared before the senate committee in Washington to set forth the claims of Chicago. He held the responsible position as chairman of the grounds and building committee, a most important committee, to whom was given the task of planning and grouping the buildings, and superintending their construction and beautifying the grounds.
Conjointly with his duties as president of the Denver & Rio Grande, Mr. Jeffery assumed, in August, 1893, the receivership of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad, a line of one hundred and eighty miles, located in southwestern Colorado, which line had become insolvent during the panic of 1893. By judicious management of the affairs of that company he worked out the salvation of the road, and put its finances upon a paying basis, as well as adjusted all claims. In December, 1895, when his receivership ceased, he was made president of the road.
The tastes of Mr. Jeffery lie in the direction of business affairs, to the exclusion of politics. He is not a politician in any sense of the word. While living in Chicago he was repeatedly urged by prominent citizens of Illinois to become a can-
