Monroe County Biographical Sketches B

Monroe County, New York History

Rochester, New York in 1827

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Biographical Sketches of Monroe County Residents

The following biographical sketches were originally published in the History of Rochester and Monroe County New York From the Earliest Historic Times to the Beginning of 1907 by William F. PECK, The Pioneer Publishing Company, New York and Chicago, 1908.

See the indexes for a complete listing of all of the biographical sketches included in this two volume work.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

 

B

 

Fred H. BEACH

pages 973-974

Fred H. BEACH is president of the ATLANTIC STAMPING COMPANY and a director of various corporations. His attention is largely given, however, to general business interests such as come with the supervision of varied and extensive investments. He has been a life-long resident of Rochester, his birth having occurred on the 22d of August, 1846, in a dwelling which occupied the site of the present residence of the Catholic bishop. His father, William H. BEACH, a native of Rome, New York, was one of the first proprietors of the EXPRESS, of Rochester, the predecessor of the POST EXPRESS, one of the leading papers of the city. He was an active man of affairs in early life, exerting a widely felt influence for public progress and development, and he died, loved and respected by many, in 1879. He was a charter member of the Veteran Grays and his activity touched so many interests of society that his death came as a personal bereavement to a large majority of Rochester's citizens. His wife, who in her maidenhood was Alvira MORGAN, died in 1902.

In early boyhood Fred H. BEACH became a pupil in public school No. 6 and afterward attended Satterlee & Benedict's school. He was a student in an advanced private school at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war. He greatly desired to go to the front but, being an only son, his parents opposed him in this and he entered the office of the EXPRESS. He was in the employ of James VICK, seedman, from 1876 until 1887, continuing with that firm in increasing important positions. In the meantime he invented a very ingenious machine for the manufacture of paper boxes and formed a co-partnership with Mark D. KNOWLTON, of Chicago, for the manufacture of that machine. This was numbered among his business interests until a few years ago, when he sold out to Mr. KNOWLTON, who continued in the manufacturing line under the name of the M.D. KNOWLTON COMPANY until his death. Mr. BEACH has made extensive investments in various business enterprises, and his sound judgment and wise counsel have proven so valuable in the successful management of various interests that his co-operation is being continually sought. He does not care to accept office in any of the business enterprises with which he is allied aside from the directorate, save that he is now president of the ATLANTIC STAMPING COMPANY, a large concern which manufactures all kinds of galvanized iron in various useful devices, the product being shipped to all parts of the world. This business furnished employment to over a hundred workmen in the factory, to a large office force and to a number of traveling salesmen. The buildings are three hundred and eight feet in length and are located along the tracks of the NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD at No. 180 Ames street.

Mr. BEACH is very prominent in Masonry, having become an early member of Valley lodge, No. 109, A.F. & A.M., of which he is now a past master. He also belongs to Hamilton chapter, No. 62, R.A.M., and is past eminent commander of Monroe commandery, No. 12, K.T. He has taken the thirty-second degree of the Scottish rite in Rochester consistory and belongs to Damascus Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine. He is also member and director of the Masonic Club of Rochester, of the Rochester Yacht Club, the Transportation Club of New York city and the Columbia Rifle Club. He is trustee and active member of the First Methodist Episcopal church and is much interested in the church and charitable work, being a trustee of the West avenue church.

IN 1868 Mr. BEACH was married to Miss Alice HOWLAND, of Rochester, and they have one son, Fred H. BEACH, JR., who has a son, Frederick G. The family home is at No. 83 Park avenue and is the center of a cultured society circle. Mr. BEACH finds an appropriate place in the history of those men of business and enterprise in the state of New York whose force of character, whose sterling integrity, whose fortitude amid discouragements, whose good sense in the management of complicated affairs and marked success in establishing large industries and bringing to completion great schemes of trade and profit, have contributed in an eminent degree to the development of the vast resources of this commonwealth. In all things he has been actuated by a fidelity to principle, showing him as one who has a perfect appreciation of the higher ethics of life. He has gained and retained the confidence and prospect of his fellowmen and is distinctively one of the leading citizens not only of Rochester but of the Empire state, and in his home city, where his entire life has been passed, he has gained not only admiration and respect but the sincerest regard and friendship of the great majority of those who know aught of his career.

Daniel M. BEACH

page 729

Daniel M. BEACH, an attorney at law at the Rochester bar, was born in Watkins, New York, May 24, 1873, and is a son of Daniel and Angelica C. (MAGEE) BEACH, both of whom were natives of the Empire state. The father is in Watkins, New York. He was general counsel for the FALL BROOK RAILROAD for many years or until it was absorbed by the NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD system, and is a member of the state board of regents.

Daniel M. BEACH, having acquired his education in the public schools of Watkins and at Fort Hill School in Rochester, was graduated in 1889. He also attended Hobart College, from which he was graduated with the class of 1892, prior to entering the law department of Columbia College - the New York Law School - where he completed the regular course with the class of 1896. He was then admitted to the bar and entered upon the active practice of his profession in the fall of 1897 in the office of HARRIS & HARRIS. In January, 1905, he was admitted to the firm of HARRIS & HARRIS, which later, in March, 1907, was changed to HARRIS, HAVEN, BEACH & HARRIS, James S. HAVEN being admitted.

On the 31st of October, 1901, was celebrated the marriage of Daniel M. BEACH and Miss Marion H. LINDSAY, of Rochester. They have three children, Daniel M., Lindsay and Alexander BEACH. Mr. BEACH is a member of the Rochester Country Club and the Genesee Valley Club, while in the path of his profession his connection is with the Rochester Bar Association.

Henry C. BREWSTER

pages 423-424

It is the records of such men as Henry C. BREWSTER that stand as contradictory evidence of the statement, too often heard, that America is given over to the spirit of commercialism; that busi­ness and naught else claims the attention and efforts of our leading men. Rochester knows Henry BREWSTER as a financier of eminent ability but knows him moreover as a public-spirited citizen, as a man of benevolences, of kindly purposes and high ideals. The great interests of the country at large - politics, the church and the charities - have made claims upon his attention, claims that he has fully met, and while the business activity and prosperity of the city have been greatly aug­mented through his labors, her public welfare has profited by his efforts and his history is one which reflects honor and credit upon Monroe county and the state at large.

Rochester may well be proud to number him among her native sons. The ancestral history is one of close connection with America through many generations. His parents were Simon L. and Editha (COLVIN) BREWSTER. The father, who was born in the town of Griswold, New London county, Connecticut, in 1811, acquired his edu­cation in the common schools and afterward became connected with the business interests of his native town. For ten years he was there engaged in manufacturing and in his thirtieth year he removed to Rochester, New York, where for eighteen years he was a prominent representative. of mercantile interests. On the expiration of that period he retired from business life in 1859, but four years afterward again took his place in the business world, being elected president of the TRADERS BANK in 1863. Two years subsequently this was reorganized under the national bank act under the name of the TRADERS NATIONAL BANK and Simon L. BREWSTER continued as its president until his death, which occurred in August, 1898. He was therefore for more than a third of a century at the head of this important finan­cial institution and under his guidance it took rank among the leading moneyed concerns of the Empire state. Its business covered every depart­ment of banking and its financial strength, based upon the well known reliability and business methods of its president and other stockholders and officers, secured to it a constantly increasing patronage. In 1844 Mr. BREWSTER was united in marriage to Miss Editha COLVIN, a daughter of Hiram D. COLVIN, of Rochester. She died in 1899.

The 7th of September, 1845, was the natal day of Henry C. BREWSTER, who was reared amid the refining influences of a home of culture. Between the ages of six and eighteen years his time and attention were largely given to the acquirement of an education and he then became a factor in finan­cial circles, entering the TRADERS NATIONAL BANK in the fall of 1863. No parental influence smooth­ed his pathway or released him from the arduous work which constitutes the basis of advancement and success. It was personal merit that gained him promotion as he mastered the various tasks assigned to him in the different positions which he filled in the bank. He realized that there is no excellence without labor and in the years which followed he so thoroughly acquainted himself with the banking business that in July, 1868, he was chosen by the vote of the directors to the office of cashier, in which he continued to serve for more than twenty-six years. He was then elected to the vice-presidency in the fall of 1894 and five years later succeeded his father as president of the TRADERS NATIONAL BANK, since remaining at the head of the institution.

For forty-four years Henry C. BREWSTER has been a factor in financial circles in Rochester, his usefulness and activity constantly increasing as time has passed. He was for many years the first vice-president of the ROCHESTER TRUST & SAFE DEPOSIT COMPANY and for a considerable period was president of the GENESEE VALLEY TRUST COMPANY, which was organized by him. In 1893 he became the founder of the ALLIANCE BANK OF ROCHESTER and for nearly seven years served as its first vice-president. He was the first president of the ROCHESTER CLEARING HOUSE ASSOCIATION, in which capacity he served for five years, and he became a charter member of the chamber of com­merce, of which he has twice served as president, and for two terms he was its first vice-president. As a financier he is known and honored throughout New York. In 1899 he was elected to the presidency of the NEW YORK STATE BANKERS' ASSOCIATION, which he had assisted in organizing five years before, acting as its vice-president during the first year of its existence. He was also vice-presi­dent of the AMERICAN BANKERS' ASSOCIATION from the state of New York for five years. His course has ever been such as would bear the closest in­vestigation and scrutiny. There is in him a native sagacity and a weight of character that well qualify him for leadership and command for him admiration and confidence. No trust reposed in him has ever been betrayed in the slightest degree and in fact his entire career has been an exemplification of the old and time-tried maxim that honesty is the best policy.

His broad humanitarianism has led to his support of various charitable and benevolent inter­ests and, while report says that he gives generous­ly in cases of need, he has always done so in most unostentatious manner. In fact he is opposed to display of any character and is never given to weighing any act in the scale of public policy. Principle has guided his conduct and shaped his course and his views of life are based upon a recognition of individual responsibility and the brotherhood of man. He has served as one of the trustees of St. Peter's Presbyterian church and is connected with the ROCHESTER HOMEOPATHIC HOSPITAL as a member of the board of governors. He acted as its first treasurer and has done much in the interests of that institution. Socially he is connected with the Genesee Valley and the Coun­try Clubs of Rochester, while his membership re­lations also extend to the Union League Club of New York city and the Strollers Club of New York. In these societies which foster patriotism, historical research and an appreciation of the honor which is ever due to a worthy ancestry, he is also known. He is a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants, being eligible by reason of the fact that his ancestry is directly traceable to Elder William BREWSTER, who crossed the Atlantic in the historic vessel which brought the first settlers to New England. He is likewise a member of the Society of Colonial Wars, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Society of the War of 1812, of Philadelphia, and the New Eng­land Society of New York. In his citizenship he has ever stood for advancement and improvement and is not unknown in political circles. On the contrary he believes it the duty as well as the privilege of every American citizen to exercise his right of franchise and support those princi­ples which seem most beneficial in bringing about good government. His stalwart republicanism and his well known devotion to high ideals in political life led to his selection in the fall of 1894 for rep­resentation in congress from the thirty-first dis­trict of New York. He served in the fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth congresses and during his first term was a member of the committee on coinage, weights and measures. The following term he was made chairman of the committee on the alcoholic liquor traffic and a member of the committee on invalid pensions. In 1900 he represented New York in the republican national convention which placed William MCKINLEY at the head of the ticket, and was an alternate at large in 1904. He was a member of the New York Chamber of Com­merce about ten years.

Most happily situated in his home life, Henry C. BREWSTER was married, in October, 1876, to Miss Alice CHAPIN, a daughter of Louis CHAPIN, of Rochester, and they have two daughters, Rachel A. and Editha C. Their home is the center of a cultured society circle and their friends are many. Mr. BREWSTER has never allowed the accumulation of wealth to affect in any way his manner toward those less fortunate and entrance to the circle of his friends is gained by charac­ter worth and not by material possessions. His associates know him as a most genial, kindly gen­tleman and, while he has made the acquaintance of many men distinguished in state and national affairs, he holds as his most priceless treasure, the friendship and respect of his fellow townsmen among whom his entire life has been passed and who are thoroughly familiar with his history from his boyhood down to the present time.

Dean L. BUTLER

page 1251

To the business men who have made their own way to success a town is accustomed to look for aid in its growth. They are men who have the energy and the determination not only to see what is best for a town, but to carry their plans to fulfillment. For this reason Brockport has always relied on Dean L. BUTLER. He was born there on the 19th of March, 1867, and is a son of David J. and Mary BUTLER. Although a resident of Brockport, the father was engaged in the furniture business in Rochester for fifteen years, but in 1877 he embarked in business in his home town, dealing in flour and feed for some time. He was also interested in other enterprises, but is now living a retired life. In 1862, during the dark days of the Civil war, he enlisted in the Twenty-first New York Cavalry and served for three years.

Dean L. BUTLER began his education at the age of seven years in the Brockport Normal School, where he continued his studies until 1891. He then assumed charge of his father's flour and feed business, which he carried on most successfully. In 1899 he began carrying mail, a position in which he served efficiently for six years. The opportunity for starting in the coal business presented itself and he has since devoted his attention to that line of trade and has built up an excellent business.

In 1895 Mr. BUTLER was united in marriage to Miss Margaret DETCHER, of Rochester, and to them has been born one child, Dorothy Dean, now five years of age. He is a much respected member of the Sons of Veterans and is also connected with the Business Men's Association of Brockport. In 1896 he joined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has held several offices in his lodge. In politics he is a stalwart republican and he holds membership in the Presbyterian church. In business affairs he is notably reliable and his prosperity has not been based on others' losses, but is due to his own efforts, and in promoting his own interests he has advanced the general welfare.

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