Mr. Higgins belongs to the Masonic lodge, being a thirty-second degree Mason, and is also a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Woodmen of the World. His political, like his business career has been marked by steady progress and his ability is attested by the demand of his fellow citizens for his service in office.

Mr. Lancaster is a democrat in his political views and has long been an active worker in the ranks of his party. He has frequently served as a delegate to the county and state conventions of the party and his opinions have long carried weight in its councils. Fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and he is widely known by reason of his activities along various lines and his residence in different parts of the state. He has ever been greatly interested in the state and its development, and has been particularly active in support of the good roads movement. It was this which led to his appointment to his present position as state inspector of highways and already he has marked out his work along progressive lines productive of excellent results. He looks ever beyond the exigencies of the moment to the opportunities, the needs and the possibilities of the future, and is working to give Colorado a system of highways of which she will have every reason to be proud.

James F. Law

James F. Law, conducting a profitable and growing business under the name of the Law Automobile Company of Pueblo, was born in Crofthead, Scotland, on the 1st of March, 1868, and is a son of Robert and Mary (Forrest) Law. Crossing the Atlantic to America during the early boyhood of James F. Law, the parents established the family home at Lexington, Missouri, and there the subject of this review attended school, supplementing the knowledge that he had acquired in the graded schools of Scotland. He was afterward apprenticed to the blacksmith's and machinist's trades, acquainting himself with the basic principles of both and developing a considerable measure of efficiency. At the age of nineteen years he left home to work at his trade in Kansas City and later removed to Lexington, Missouri, where be entered the employ of the Lexington Coal Mine Company as a machinist. He resided there until 1903, when he removed to Pueblo, Colorado, and secured a position as a machinist in the steel works. He was afterward employed in different places, mostly along mechanical lines, and in 1914 he engaged in the automobile business, which has since claimed his time, energies and attention. He conducts a repair shop and garage, repairing all kinds of machines, his natural mechanical skill and ingenuity serving him in good stead in this connection. He has been very successful from the beginning. He started his business on a small scale but has secured a liberal patronage as the years have passed on. He now has room for twenty-five cars and he employs four men, making his one of the substantial industries of this kind in the city.

Mr. Law was united in marriage to Miss Mattie Weedin, a daughter of Dan W. Weedin, of Lexington, Missouri. The children of this marriage are: Daniel; James F., who is a sergeant in the balloon division of the aerial service in France; Mrs. Elizabeth Kane of Pueblo; John, a high school pupil; and Arthur and Rose, also in school.

The religious faith of the family is that of the Presbyterian church and Mr. Law also holds membership with the Woodmen of the World. In politics he maintains an independent attitude, supporting men and measures rather than party. He is interested in educational progress and for three years served as secretary of School District No. 12. He is a public-spirited man, lending his aid and influence to all measures and movements for the general good, and his personal worth, his business integrity and his loyalty in citizenship are factors which establish him high in public regard in his adopted city.

Among those citizens who are shaping the destiny and promoting the interests of Pueblo is numbered James Lee Lovern, who is now acting as commissioner of finance and supplies. A native of Missouri, he was born in Callao on the 7th of August, 1866, a son of James and Martha (Mathis) Lovern, who continued their residence in Missouri until 1882 and then removed with their family to Colorado, where they spent their remaining days, both having now passed away. They were the parents of three sons and three daughters.

James Lee Lovern, the youngest of the children, was educated in the public and high schools of Missouri and in the school of experience has learned many valuable lessons. In his youthful days he engaged in newspaper work and has been connected with every department of newspaper publication, devoting twenty-six years to journalism. On his election to the office of commissioner on the 6th of November, 1917—the first office that he has ever consented to fill—he severed his connection with the Pueblo Chieftain, with which paper he had been associated for many years, contributing in marked measure to its success by reason of his long experience and progressive methods. He is now confining his efforts and attention to his public duties, which he is performing in a most capable and efficient manner, endeavoring at all times to give the city a businesslike and economical administration.

J. H. H. Low, an attorney practicing at the Pueblo bar, was born on the 18th of October, 1856, near New Albany, Indiana, a son of Erastus M. and Martha J. (Hubbard) Low. The father was a blacksmith and farmer and both he and his wife are now deceased.

Their son, J. H. H. Low. was educated in the public schools and began reading law in the office and under the direction of Congressman Townsend. In early life he taught school for ten years and while thus engaged devoted his leisure to the study of law. He came to Colorado in September, 1884, and has been principal of every high school in Custer county. As an educator he won a prominent position, imparting readily and clearly to others the knowledge which he had acquired. In June, 1889, he was admitted to the bar and entered upon practice in Silver Cliff, Custer county, where he remained for two and a half years. He then removed to Pueblo, where be has since made his home, and through the intervening period has continuously practiced his profession. He has served as district attorney for four years and has given his undivided attention to his professional activities, which have constantly grown in volume and importance. He is also the president of the Central Investment Company.

Mr. Low has been married twice. In 1877, in El Paso, Illinois, he wedded Miss Ella D. Smith, by whom he had four children. H. Townsend Low, M. D., who is in the United States Army as a first lieutenant in the Medical Corps, was formerly stationed with the National Guard at Camp Kearny, California, and is now somewhere in France. Percy H. is a railroad fireman residing in California. Sibyl gave her hand in marriage to C. R. Morris, of Boulder, Colorado. J. H. H. Low, Jr., is in the United States service in France. The mother of the above children passed away in 1902 and in March, 1904, Mr. Low was again married, his second union being with Miss Elizabeth Noble, who reared the family.

James M. Luqueer, proprietor of the Pueblo Transfer, was born in Montrose, New York, on the 30th of October, 1865, a son of Francis T. and Charlotte (Suydam) Luqueer. The family comes of French Huguenot ancestry. The grandfather was prominent in New York and a street of Brooklyn was named in his honor. The family has long been represented in the Empire state. The father of James M. Luqueer was a member of the Seventh Regiment of New York Volunteers during the Civil war. Both he and his wife have now passed away.

James M. Luqueer was the third in order of birth in a family of three sons and a daughter. He was educated in private schools of the Empire state and in young manhood he entered the wholesale house of Calhoun, Robins & Company, there remaining for a year. He next became connected with the firm of Willett & Hamlin, sugar and hemp brokers, with whom he continued until he attained his majority. He was then sent to the Philippines as agent for that company and spent four years on the islands. Upon his return to America he made his way to Colorado, settling in Pueblo in 1890, taking over the business of the Pueblo Transfer & Storage Company, which he has greatly increased, developing it to extensive proportions. He now utilizes eight wagons, has a large storage house and employs ten men. Through individual effort and ability he has become one of the substantial citizens of Pueblo, closely applying himself to his business and utilizing every means for its legitimate advancement.

John Wauler Mahan

John Wauler Mahan, secretary-treasurer of the Mahan Jewelry Company of Colorado Springs, was born in Paoli, Indiana, in 1867 and comes of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His father. Samuel Mahan, was also a native of Paoli, Indiana, born in the year 1826, and in the place of his nativity he was married to Miss Sarah Dougherty, a native of that place. She died in the year 1901 and is still survived by her husband, who yet resides near his native town.

John Wauler Mahan was reared in the vicinity of Paoli, Indiana, upon the old home farm, and attended the country schools. Between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one years, he took up the profession of teaching, which he followed in the rural schools, but on attaining his majority he turned his attention to commercial pursuits by learning the watchmaker's trade in Paoli and since 1889 he has been continuously engaged in the jewelry business. He arrived in Colorado in 1895, at which time he took up his abode in Boulder, and a year later he removed to Leadville, where he opened a store, continuing there until 1902. In the latter year he became a resident of Pueblo, where he worked at his trade for two years, and in 1904 he removed to Albuquerque. New Mexico, where he was employed at the jewelry trade for one year. On the expiration of that period he became a resident of Ouray, Colorado, where he lived for a year, and in 1906 he made his way to Colorado Springs, where he worked for the Johnson Jewelry Company until 1914. He then bought an equity in the business and the firm name was changed to the Mahan Jewelry Company, with Mr. Mahan as secretary, treasurer and manager. He is now active in control of the house and the business is one of gratifying and extensive proportions. He is thoroughly familiar with every phase of the business and of the work connected therewith and is well qualified to assume executive control over the undertaking. He is likewise secretary and treasurer of the Elliott-Johnson Investment Company of Colorado.

On the 25th of February, 1889, at Paoli, Indiana, Mr. Mahan was united in marriage to Miss Ella Hollingsworth and to them have been born four children. Dwight Hollings-worth was born in 1891 and was an instructor in military service at Austin, Texas; he was commissioned second lieutenant, having in eleven months risen from the rank of private and is in the aviation branch of the service. The others are: Judith, born in Brandenberg, Kentucky, in 1893; Frank W., who was born in Leadville, Colorado, in 1901; and James Samuel, born in Pueblo, Colorado in 1904.

Mr. Mahan's military service covers connection with the Reserve Watch of Colorado. He affiliates with' the Presbyterian church and he gives his political allegiance to the republican party. He belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and is interested in all of its projects for the general good. His has been an active and useful life marked by steady progress, bringing him to a prominent position in commercial circles of Colorado Springs.  

W. Sherman Marble

W. Sherman Marble is a partner in the firm of Marble Brothers, general contractors, enjoying the well earned reputation of standing in a position of leadership in their line of activity in Pueblo. Mr. Marble was born at West Liberty, Cedar county, Iowa, in April, 1866. At the usual age he entered school and mastered the branches of learning therein taught. Experience, too, greatly broadened his knowledge. He afterward learned the carpenter's trade, taking up work along that line as soon as he had completed his education. He worked with his father, who had long engaged in building operations, and he was employed in that way in Kansas and in Colorado, coming to the latter state in 1890, at which time he took up his abode in Pueblo. Monuments to his skill and ability are seen in the Young Men's Christian Association building, in the Minnequa school, in the Odd Fellows Home, in the Central high school and other well known structures.

John Wesley McClinton

John Wesley McClinton is superintendent of the Pueblo School District No. 1 and in following his profession he has ever recognized the fact that the purpose of teaching is to develop capacity. He has therefore put forth earnest effort in school training to give the pupil a foundation for further development in later life and his labors have been most beneficially resultant. His identification with Pueblo dates from 1917, when he came to this state to accept the superintendency of the Centennial high school, but previously he had gradually worked his way westward after leaving Chicago, where he had pursued his studies as a public school and college student. He had become a resident of that city in early boyhood, although he is a native of Canada, his birth having occurred in Ontario on the 4th of January, 1878, his parents being John and Margaret (McKitrick) McClinton. The father was a farmer by occupation and has now passed away, but the mother is still living. They had a family of two sons and two daughters.

John Wesley McClinton, who was the third child in that family, pursued his early education in Northwestern Academy of Evanston near Chicago and later attended Northwestern University, in which he won the Bachelor of Arts degree upon graduation with the class of 1903. He next went to Aberdeen, South Dakota, where he was engaged in teaching in the high school, there spending two years. He afterward devoted five years to educational work at Redfield, South Dakota, and on the expiration of that period went to Minneapolis, where for one year he was a teacher in the Central high school and during that period studied law at night. He then accepted the position of superintendent of the schools of Mitchell. South Dakota, where he remained for six years, and in 1917 he was called to the superintendency of the Centennial high school of Pueblo. His entire professional record has been marked by steady advancement and by close conformity to the highest professional ideals. He has taken special work at Columbia University and throughout his life has remained a close and discriminating student, constantly broadening his knowledge by wide reading and investigation.

William B. McMinn, who is engaged in the undertaking business in Pueblo, his native city, was born on the 26th of August, 1887, a son of John H. and Elizabeth (Mallen) McMinn. The family had long been represented in the west and removed from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Pueblo, where they took up their abode about forty years ago, when this was a wild and largely undeveloped section of the state. The father engaged in the furniture business for a long period and was prominent in the commercial circles of his adopted city. He was also active in politics and filled the office of justice of the peace, in which position he rendered decisions that were strictly fair and impartial. When he passed away in 1908 his death was the occasion of deep and widespread regret because of the sterling worth of his character and his valuable contributions to the improvement and up-building of the section in which he lived. His widow still survives him and is yet a resident of Pueblo.

William B. McMinn was educated in the public schools of Pueblo, pursuing a course in the Central high school, and after his textbooks were put aside turned his attention to railroad work, becoming connected with the Denver & Rio Grande in the superintendent's office. He there remained from 1903 until 1911, steadily working his way upward in that connection. He was afterward with the firm of McMahon & Company for a year and a half and then spent five years in the employ of the United Undertakers. In 1916 he established business on his own account and has a splendidly equipped undertaking establishment. He has an auto hearse and motor cars and he employs the most improved and scientific methods in the care of the dead. He has in his service two men and one lady attendant and he has developed a business of substantial proportions.

On the 10th of November, 1909, Mr. McMinn was united in marriage to Miss Mabel G. Prendergast, of Pueblo, who is a representative of one of the old and honored pioneer families of this section of the state. They now have two children, Eileen and William.

John R. Miller

John R. Miller, the well known custodian of the courthouse at Pueblo and junior vice commander of the Spanish War Veterans in Colorado, was born in Jacksonville, Morgan county, Illinois, April 21, 1869. He is the youngest child in a family of four sons whose parents were George and Mary (Peterson) Miller. When a small boy the family removed to Kansas, where the father served as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. Both parents are now deceased.

John R. Miller was educated in the rural schools of Kansas, in which state his early life was spent. On starting out in life for himself he chose railroading and for many years was a locomotive engineer. About 1888 he came to Colorado and located at Pueblo, where for a time he was in the employ of the Smelter and Steel Works. During the trouble with Spain he enlisted in 1898 in Company C, First Colorado Infantry, and remained in the service for eighteen months, one year of that time being spent in the Philippines.

Raymond Miller

On the roster of public officials in Colorado appears the name of Raymond Miller, of Denver, who is the president of the state board of land commissioners and whose record has been characterized by marked devotion to duty and intelligent and capable fulfillment of all of the tasks entrusted to his care. He comes to the west from Kentucky, his birth having occurred in Millersburg, that state, on the 20th of December, 1862. He is descended from English ancestry, the family having been founded in America in an early day. Representatives of the name became pioneer residents of Kentucky and there James M. Miller, father of Raymond Miller, was born and reared. He became a successful farmer and stockman, spending his entire life in Bourbon county, Kentucky, where the family home had been established in the eighteenth century and where his brother, Dr. W. M. Miller, a prominent physician, still resides. During the Civil war an elder brother. J. A. Miller, served with the Confederate army under John A. Morgan as a private. He joined the troops when fifteen years of age and continued at the front until the close of hostilities. James M. Miller was quite active and successful in the conduct of his farming interests, lived a quiet, unassuming life and was a devout and loyal member of the Methodist church. He never desired or sought political honors or emoluments and passed away in Kentucky in 1878 at the age of fifty-seven years, thus terminating a quiet but altogether useful career. He had married Rachel Andrew Jackson Hitt, who was born in Kentucky and belonged to one of its oldest and most prominent pioneer families of English descent. Mrs. Miller passed away in 1905 on the old homestead when seventy-nine years of age. In the family were six sons and two daughters.

Raymond Miller, who was the seventh in order of birth, was educated in the district schools in Millersburg and in the Kentucky Wesleyan College, from which he was graduated with the class of 1882. His early experiences were those of the farm-bred boy who divides his time between the duties of the schoolroom, the pleasures of the playground and the work of the fields. He remained at home until 1882 and after his graduation removed to Atlanta, Georgia, where he secured employment with the wholesale dry goods house of M. C. & J. F. Kaiser. He then entered upon clerical lines and remained in Atlanta until 1886, when he determined to try his fortune in the west. For a year he resided in Scott county, Kansas, and then removed to eastern Colorado taking up his abode in what was then Bent county but is now Kiowa county. He was a pioneer settler, taking up his abode there prior to the building of railroads or the organization of the new county. With the formation of Kiowa county he was elected the first county treasurer and occupied that position for two terms, or four years. He next served as register of the United States land office at Pueblo, occupying that position for a period of four years, and upon his return to Kiowa county he engaged in the live stock business, in which he still retains his holdings. He is one of the owners of one of the largest sheep and horse ranches in the state and his interests along that line have been most carefully and wisely directed. On the 18th of January, 1917, Mr. Miller was appointed to his present office, that of president of the state board of land commissioners, by Governor J. C. Gunter for a term of six years, and this position he has since successfully filled. Aside from his other business and official duties he is a director of the Colorado State Bank of Haswell, Colorado.

Henry O. Morris

Henry O. Morris, the well known secretary and treasurer of the Proven Fields Oil Company, residing in Pueblo, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on the 14th of October, 1855, a son of Henry J. and Malinda (Bigney) Morris. His uncle, Major Bigney, was one of the very earliest of the Colorado pioneers and at one time was editor of the Pueblo Chieftain. Henry J. Morris, father of Henry O. Morris, was engaged in the blockade service during the Civil war. He died in France. The family afterward removed to Janesville, Wisconsin, and later sought a home in the west, settling at Leavenworth, Kansas. In September, 1874, they came to Colorado, taking up their abode in Pueblo, and thus Henry O. Morris became a resident of this city when a youth of nineteen years. He had acquired his education in the graded schools of the various localities in which he had lived and after the removal to Pueblo he became identified with newspaper interests as a member of the staff of the Pueblo Chieftain. Later he was engaged in cavalry service and geological survey work of the government for five years, after which he returned to Pueblo and for a quarter of a century was engaged in the real estate and insurance business in this city, dealing largely in ranches. He was thus active through the period of early development and colonization in this part of the state. A year ago he became one of the organizers of the Proven Fields Oil Company, which buys only proven oil lands which it then develops. Its work has been carried forward most satisfactorily and successfully and one may always depend upon its property as of productive value.

Delbert P. Porter, superintendent of waterworks at Pueblo, was born in Morgan county, Missouri, on the 18th of June, 1885, a son of Cicero and Mary Porter, the latter now deceased. While spending his youthful days under the parental roof he acquired a public school education and was a youth of seventeen years when in 1902 he came west settling at Fort Collins, Colorado, where he lived for four years. In 1906 he became a resident of Pueblo, where he has now made his home for twelve years. He has been continuously identified with the city service for eleven years and during the last two years has filled the position of superintendent of the waterworks. In this connection he is putting forth every effort to furnish an adequate supply of pure water for Pueblo. The work of the department is thoroughly organized and there has been a splendid pumping system installed. Everything about the place is kept immaculate and in most sanitary condition, and Mr. Foster's work is proving highly satisfactory to the public.

Among the various enterprises which contribute to the substantial development, progress and prosperity of Pueblo should be mentioned the Model Dairy, of which Victor I. Prevost is the president and in which connection he is building up a very substantial and gratifying business. He comes to the west from Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Wyoming county, that state, on the 13th of January, 1857. He was one of twin boys, his brother being Vernet Prevost, and they were sons of Edward and Elizabeth (Stark) Prevost, both of whom have now passed away. Their youthful days were spent under the parental roof with time divided between the duties of the schoolroom, the pleasures of the playground and such tasks as were assigned them by parental authority. After mastering the branches of learning taught in the public schools they became students in the Keystone Academy at Factoryville, Pennsylvania, and after preparing himself for work in the educational field Victor I. Prevost took up the profession of teaching, which he followed through the winter months, while in the summer season he worked at various occupations that would yield him an honest living and gain him a start in life. He spent three years, from 1S79 until 1881, in Nevada and in the spring of 1882 he arrived in Colorado. Pleased with Pueblo and the advantages which the city seemed to offer, he resolved to ally his interests with those of southeastern Colorado and embarked in the dairy business at Pueblo, continuing active in that line until 190!). He was then called to public office and filled the position of city commissioner from 1911 until 1914. He retired from office as he had entered it—with the confidence and goodwill of all concerned, and when his term was over he once more took up the dairy business and has since concentrated his efforts and attention upon that line. He saw the necessity for a model dairy in Pueblo and in the spring of 1914 organized the company of which he has since been the president. The plant is thoroughly modern in its equipment, most sanitary in its arrangement and in the way the business is handled, while in trade relations the firm is thoroughly straightforward and reliable. Owing to these, salient qualities they have built up a business that has constantly grown in volume and importance and they today utilize twelve wagons in the delivery of dairy products and employ a large force of twenty-five men.

On the 29th of January, 1S84, Mr. Prevost was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Haver and to them have been born four children: Edna E.; Mary E.; Victor C, who is now in France with the One Hundred and Forty-eighth Regiment, Heavy Artillery; and Winnifred, who died at the age of twelve years. In social circles of the city Mr. and Mrs. Prevost occupy an enviable position and the hospitality of many of the best homes is freely and cordially extended to them.

William L. Rees

William L. Rees. who is successfully engaged in the real estate and insurance business in Pueblo as the junior partner in the firm of Hoffman & Rees, is numbered among the honored pioneers of Colorado, the period of his residence here covering thirty-seven years. His birth occurred in Johnstown. Pennsylvania, on the 2nd of September, 1857, his parents being Lewis and Sarah (Morris) Rees, both of whom have passed away. The father died while on a visit to Pueblo in 1885.

William L. Rees attended the public schools of his native town but began providing for his own support at the early age of nine years, obtaining work in the mines, while subsequently he was employed in a steel mill. It was in 1881, when a young man of twenty-four years, that he determined to try his fortune in the west, believing that he might have better opportunity for business advancement in this section of the country. Accordingly he made his way to Colorado and after learning the bricklayer's trade turned his attention to contracting. He first worked on what is known as the Philadelphia smelter at Pueblo and continued active in his trade until elected to the position of county commissioner in 1894. He continued to serve in that capacity for six years and made a most creditable record, establishing the county poor farm and promoting other valuable work in his official connection. After leaving that position he was identified with the post office department for a year and then entered the revenue department, in which he remained for twelve years. He also held a state position for about two years and in these various connections won an enviable reputation for efficiency and fidelity. In February, 1917, he embarked in the real estate and insurance business as a member of the firm of Hoffman & Rees and has since gained a most gratifying measure of success along those lines. Alert, enterprising and progressive, he has accomplished what he has undertaken and in his vocabulary there is no such word as fail. On the 12th of April, 1882, Mr. Rees was united in marriage to Miss Margaretta Rees, who though of the same name is not a relative. They have two daughters: Ida, who is the wife of Earl Litz, of Chicago, Illinois; and Gertrude, a public school teacher.

Ward C. Robertson

Ward C. Robertson, manager of the Princess and Rialto Theatres of Pueblo, was born in Montrose, Missouri, on the 1st of June, 1874, a son of Charles and Elizabeth (Henry) Robertson. The father was a farmer by occupation and removed from Montrose, Missouri, to Boonville, that state. In the later years of his life he lived retired enjoying the fruits of his former toil, but both he and his wife have now passed away, his death occurring in 1894, while his widow long survived him, being called to her final rest in 1915.

Ward C. Robertson attended the public schools, but his education has been largely acquired in the school of experience. He early began to earn his own living and when a boy of but twelve years took up the task of selling papers in Kansas City. He was thus engaged from 1886 until 1888 and as he advanced in years he felt the necessity of acquainting himself with a trade. He then learned the slater's trade at which lie worked for three years, and subsequently he followed the grocery business in San Francisco, California, and at Bisbee, Arizona. He has been identified with the moving picture business since 1905.

For four years he has made his home at Pueblo. Under his direction is conducted the Rialto Theatre of Pueblo, which is the finest in the state, and employment is here given to twenty-eight people. He also has under his charge the Princess Theatre and he puts forth every effort to give the public most interesting and artistic entertainment.

On the 10th of December, 1903. Mr. Robertson was married to Miss Abbie May Shaffer, whose grandfather was one of the pioneers of Missouri, his place being known as the old Steel mansion. He engaged in buying horses and mules for shipment to Great Britain, these being sent by boat down the Mississippi river.

Arthur L. Robison

Arthur L. Robison, manager at Pueblo for the Colorado Live Stock & Loan Company, in which connection he is controlling important business interests, is a native of Crawford county, Kansas. He was born in the year 1880, a son of Frank Charles and Clara (Potter) Robison. The family arrived in Colorado in 1890, settlement being made in Colorado Springs, but the father is now deceased.

Arthur L. Robison was educated in the public schools and in the high school of Colorado Springs, Colorado, after which he attended business college at Colorado Springs and thus further qualified for life's practical and responsible duties. In his youthful days he became identified with the cattle industry, first as a cowboy, in the employ of the Alfalfa Land & Cattle Company, and the Riley Lennord Cattle Company and John H. Riley. He began work at a wage of but twenty dollars per month, but his capability and trustworthiness led to frequent promotions until he was receiving one hundred and fifty dollars per month. For a time he was with the George Cheesman Company and afterward with Haley. Harris & Company, but was ambitious to engage in business on his own account and saved his earnings until this course was possible. He had a one-third interest in the business with Haley, Harris & Company in New Mexico and he has had cattle experience in many of the western and southwestern states. He has occupied his present position as manager with the Colorado Live Stock & Loan Company in the Pueblo office since October, 1917. This company is extensively engaged in buying and selling cattle and loaning money on cattle and Mr. Robison's marked ability in this direction led to his selection for the present important position which he now fills. There is nothing connected with the cattle interests of the west with which he is not familiar, having gained comprehensive knowledge from the time when he went upon the range as a cowboy. His company operates quite extensively in New Mexico and Arizona, necessitating Mr. Robison making frequent trips to that section of the country.

Robert D. Sharp is president of the Robert D. Sharp Music Company of Denver. His is a name well known in musical circles, not only by reason of the fact that he is an extensive and successful dealer in music and musical instruments but also owing to the fact that he is a well known composer, having written many popular selections which have caused his fame to spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific. His establishment is generally headquarters for musicians visiting Denver, while in musical trade circles he is widely known, for in his place of business can be found almost every known musical instrument, including pianos, organs, the stringed instruments, Victrolas and a complete set of the latest records. As a business man Robert D. Sharp has shown initiative and enterprise and as the years have passed has worked his way steadily upward to success.

A native of Tuscola, Illinois, he was born on the 28th of July, 1882, a son of Pliny F. and Louise (Foster) Sharp, who were also natives of Illinois, whence they removed to Colorado in 1883, settling in Pueblo, where the father engaged in the shoe business. In 1908 he removed to Denver, where he is still living, but the mother passed away in Pueblo in 1884. They had a family of two children, the daughter being Miss Marie Sharp, also a resident of Denver.

In early life Robert D. Sharp attended the public schools of Pueblo and afterward became a college student in Fort Collins, Colorado, remaining there until 1905. He early displayed marked musical taste and talent and soon began developing the powers with which nature had endowed him. While still pursuing his education he had organized the Fort Collins Band and Orchestra, which has become one of the leading musical organizations of the state and is widely known throughout the country. He was the conductor of this orchestra for four years and while its head he received engagements to play in various large assemblages, gatherings and conventions, taking him to many parts of the country. He won fame as an orchestra leader and he advanced the organization from one of twenty-two pieces to more than twice its original size. It still remains one of Colorado's most famous bands. It was in 1905 that Mr. Sharp established his first music store, which was a very modest affair containing a few musical instruments and sheet music mostly of his own composition. From time to time, as the trade warranted, he increased his stock and expanded his store and eventually the business was incorporated as a close corporation, of which Mr. Sharp became the president. His interests have since developed to extensive proportions and his place is today considered one of the leading musical supply houses of Colorado. His slogan in advertising is "All Things Musical," which shows something of the extent and scope of his business. In addition to handling pianos, organs and all kinds of brass and string instruments he has an extensive phonograph department, with separate rooms in which records may be heard. He is considered an authority upon music in Denver and his music supply house is one of the finest in the west.

Among the alert and enterprising business men of Pueblo is numbered George H. Sweeney, who is conducting a real estate and fire insurance agency, in connection with which he has won a large clientage. He ranks among the foremost in this connection and his efforts have been a potent and far reaching force in the up-building and improvement of his city. Mr. Sweeney is numbered among the native sons of Pueblo, born on the 3d of November. 1879. His parents were W. H. and Hannah (Peabody) Sweeney, the latter a sister of Governor Peabody. The parents were married in Denver and removed to Pueblo, where Mr. Sweeney for many years engaged in the furniture business, becoming a pioneer in that line of trade in his adopted city, to the up-building and commercial success of which he made liberal contribution. Both he and his wife have now passed away. Their family numbered two sons and a daughter.

George H. Sweeney, the youngest member of the household, spending his youthful days under the parental roof, began his education in the public schools and, mastering various branches of learning, won promotion from time to time until he became a high school pupil. When his textbooks were put aside he made his initial step in the business world as an employee in the First National Bank of Pueblo and later he became connected with the coal trade in this city. The next change in his business career brought him into the field of real estate, at which time he opened an office in the Thatcher building. He found here a congenial field of labor and has made steady and rapid progress. He now handles most of the large buildings in Pueblo, negotiating many important realty transfers, and he is also a prominent factor in industrial circles of the city as the secretary and treasurer of the Pueblo Foundry & Machine Company, which is controlling a very extensive and important business. In the foundry are employed one hundred and fifty men and their patronage is steadily increasing, constituting a substantial source of Pueblo's prosperity. !n addition to his real estate interests Mr. Sweeney handles fire insurance, of which he writes a large amount annually.

Charles Tarbell

Charles Tarbell is the vice president of the Saguache County Bank and is thus actively and prominently identified with the financial interests of Saguache, Colorado, where his activities constitute a feature in business development and progress. He was born in Keokuk, Iowa, and is a son of Edward and Rebecca Wells (Lyons) Tarbell. At an early age he moved with his parents to Des Moines. In the paternal line he traces his ancestry back to Thomas Tarbell, who came from Scotland in 1647 and settled at Watertown, Massachusetts. He is also a descendant in the eighth generation of Rebecca Nurse, who was one of the martyrs of that black chapter in American history known as the Salem witchcraft. He is also a great-great-grandson of William Tarbell, who was called out as one of the minutemen by Paul Revere on the 18th of April, 1775, as he rode from house to house arousing the Americans with the news that the British were marching, preparatory to opening the first engagement that plunged the country into the Revolutionary war.

Edward Tarbell, the father, was born in Camden, Maine, removed westward to Iowa and came to Colorado in 1872, making his way to Denver. Soon afterward he became identified with business interests of Golden as a contractor and continued a resident of this state until his death, which occurred in 1901. He had served his country as a soldier of the Civil war. having been a non-commissioned officer with an Iowa regiment. His wife died in 1885. They had a family of eight children, of whom Charles Tarbell is the eldest. His living brothers and sisters are: Edward F., living in Aspen, Colorado; Harry, who is a resident of Portland, Oregon; Mrs. Elizabeth Moffat Hartman, of Pueblo, Colorado; and Winfield S., of Denver. The family had known David H. Moffat in Des Moines, Iowa, and Mr. Tarbell's sister, Mrs. Hartman was named for Elizabeth Moffat, a sister-in-law of David H. Moffat.

Charles Tarbell began his education in the public schools of Des Moines, Iowa and continued his studies in Colorado, having been a young lad when in 1872 he accompanied his parents on their westward removal to this state, the journey being made with team and wagon from Des Moines, Iowa. En route he assisted his brothers in driving the stock which they brought with them to the west. After his textbooks were put aside Charles Tarbell turned his attention to merchandising in Saguache and through all the intervening period since 1874, when he made his initial step in the business world, he has been closely identified with the commercial and financial development of the city in which he now makes his home.

In 1880 he assisted in the organization of the Saguache County Bank, in which undertaking he was associated with Isaac Gotthelf and Leopold Mayer. He was cashier of the bank for a number of years and was then elected to the vice presidency, which position he still fills, and from the beginning of his official identification with the institution he has contributed in substantial measure to its growth and upbuilding. He with the Gotthelf estate owns the Gotthelf & Tarbell Mercantile Company and his labors have been an important element in furthering the material progress of city and county.

Mr. Tarbell was united in marriage in Des Moines, Iowa, to Miss Ella McBroom and to them has been born a son. Robert R., who married Etta O'Neil. Mr. Tarbell belongs to the Masonic fraternity and also to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise and he was an alternate to the national republican convention which was held in Chicago in 1908. He is much interested in the vital political problems and questions of the day and belongs to that class of American manhood who, holding strong political views, nevertheless place citizenship and the country's welfare above partisanship. His activities have at all times been intelligently directed, whether for the public benefit or the advancement of his individual business interests, and in fact his business affairs have contributed to public progress as well as to individual success.

Herman F. Weese

As president of the Empire Bottling Company of Denver, Herman F. Weese is at the head of a commercial enterprise which under his able direction has grown to be an important industry of the city. He was born in Germany. July 29, 1864, a son of Herman and Martha (Wahlers) Weese, who in the fall of 1881 came to America, locating in Douglas county, Kansas, where the father successfully engaged in the cultivation of land, so continuing with good results until his death in 1916. His wife had departed this life eight years before, in 1908. her death also occurring in Douglas county, Kansas. In their family were nine children, of whom two are deceased, while those living are: Mrs. Katharine Rushmeyer, residing in Kansas; Fred Weese, of New York state; Mrs. Minnie Kersting, a resident of Denver; and Henry and August Weese, and Mrs. Lena Sutton, all of whom reside in Topeka, Kansas.

Herman F. Weese. the remaining member of the family, spent his boyhood in Germany, where he attended school. At the age of seventeen he came with his parents to this country and when his father settled upon a farm in Kansas he assisted in its operation until his removal to Colorado in 1887, when he was twenty three years of age. He first engaged in railroad work and later was connected with brick manufacturing, continuing in the latter line until 1896. Having carefully saved his earnings, he was then able to embark in business independently and established a bottling works in Denver. Under his able management the enterprise proved successful and in 1902 he organized it as the Empire Bottling Company. He has since 1916 been the executive head of the business, of which he is still the president, while Henry A. Lucks is vice president and William Laicke, treasurer. Mr. Weese has always followed honorable business principles and has given his patrons full value and first class service and therefore the business has expanded and grown until it is today one of the foremost enterprises of its kind in the city. He bottles all kinds of soda water and other non-intoxicants and his trade extends over a wide territory.

In 1898 Mr. Weese was united in marriage to Miss Louise Meyer, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Meyer, the ceremony being performed in Denver. Mrs. Weese was born in Pueblo, Colorado, and to this union was born a son, Albert M. Weese, whose birth occurred August 2, 1900, in Denver. He is a graduate of the class of 1918 of the North Denver high school. After fourteen years of happy married life Mrs. Weese passed away in 1912. In October, 1913, our subject married Mrs. Anna Stauch, of Denver, a daughter of Conrad and Anna Funke.

Hon. Francis M. Weiland is numbered among the residents of Fowler who are now retired. For many years he was very active in business circles and controlled important interests, but in later years has put aside business cares and is enjoying a rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves. At different periods in his career he has been active in public office and at all times has been most loyal to the interests of the community and commonwealth which he has represented.

Mr. Weiland was born in Knightstown, Indiana, on the 29th of September, 1849. his parents being J. H. and Elizabeth (Leonard) Weiland. The father was a millwright by trade and for many years resided in Indiana but both he and his wife are now deceased. Their family numbered four sons and one daughter.

Francis M. Weiland, who was the fourth in order of birth, acquired his education in the public schools and also had training in a commercial school. His early experiences were those of the farm-bred boy and he soon became familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. He left the farm in 1872, when a young man of twenty-three years, and removed to Pueblo, Colorado, where he became identified with the mercantile house of Peabody & Jordan, occupying a position there for three years. On the expiration of that period he began farming on his own account and for a few years successfully cultivated a tract of land. He then engaged in merchandising on his own account in Nepesta, where he continued until 1890, when he removed to Fowler, establishing what is now the Larkin Mercantile Company. He conducted the business successfully for a time and then sold out, after which he devoted a number of years to farming. At length, however, he put aside the active work of the fields and took up his abode in Fowler, while his sons are now cultivating the place. He has ever manifested a progressive spirit in all that he has undertaken and his success has come to him as the merited reward of persistent labor, intelligently directed.

In 1868 Mr. Weiland was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Carleton, a native of Iowa, and to them have been born the following named: Adelbert A., C. E., Edward F., Jay O. and Pearl, the last named the wife of Stanley Larkin, of Fowler. There are thirteen grandchildren.

Ernest Weinhausen, steward at the Colorado State Hospital in Pueblo, was born in Germany on the 9th of March, 1866, a son of Ernest and Bertha (Von Loewenstein) Weinhausen, both of whom passed away in their native country. The son obtained his education in his native land, pursuing a nine years' course in a "gymnasium" there, these schools being a combination of the American grammar and high school. He left home for the United States in 1881, when a youth of fifteen years, desirous to enjoy the opportunities and advantages of the new world and. its democratic form of government. He made his way to St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1881 became an employee in a wholesale drug house there. He was afterward with a surveying party engaged in survey work between northern Minnesota and Michigan in 1885. In that year he went to South Dakota and engaged in the drug business for four or five years, and leaving South Dakota he returned to Minnesota and engaged in work for a wholesale drug company in Minneapolis. He remained there until his removal to Pueblo, Colorado, in 1893. Arriving in this state, he embarked in the drug business in Durango and in 1894 engaged in the drug business in Pueblo for some time. His connection with the State Hospital began by daily visits in order to put up the medicine needed there. He visited the institution in that way twice each day but as the work increased the board induced him to devote his entire time to the work. This was in September, 189S, and besides acting as druggist he became private secretary to Dr. Thombs, whom he assisted for a considerable period. On the 1st of January, 1902, he was appointed steward of the hospital and has served continuously since with the exception of one year, doing excellent work in this connection.

Clarence C. White

Clarence C. White, manager of the United Undertaking Company at Pueblo, was born at Orchard Grove. Missouri, on the 24th of June, 1881, a son of George L. and Sally (Cooper) White. The father is a farmer by occupation and after leaving Missouri removed with his family to Kansas and thence to Colorado, where he and his wife still make their home.

Clarence C. White was a young lad when the family became residents of the Sunflower state and there he pursued a public school education, passing through consecutive grades to the high school and thus becoming well qualified for life's practical and responsible duties. When his textbooks were put aside he turned his attention to the occupation of farming. In fact in the meantime he had assisted largely in the work of the fields during the periods of vacation and early became familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. He devoted himself to farming in Kansas for two years and in 1906 removed from that state to Colorado, where he entered commercial circles, engaging in the furniture business in Pueblo in connection with Calkins White. In 1912 he became actively engaged in the undertaking business, organizing the United Undertaking Company, which was then located at D street and Union avenue, where it remained for six years. Later they moved to their present location in the Masonic Temple, at Broadway and Evans avenue. They have a well appointed chapel with commodious seating accommodation, have complete auto equipment and follow the most sanitary and scientific methods in their care of the dead. They employ three men and also have a lady attendant. They are most careful and progressive in funeral direction and the patronage of the firm has constantly increased, bringing to them well merited success.

Charles B. Willis

Charles B. Willis, captain of Fire Company No. 3 at Pueblo, was born at Corinth. Orange county, Vermont, August 16, 1863, a son of Jonathan B. Willis, who was a shoemaker by trade and who in 1870 removed with his family to Denver, where he conducted a shoe shop until the 2d of February, 1872. He then removed to Pueblo and opened a shop on Santa Fe avenue, becoming one of the pioneers of the city, as he had been in Denver. The old log shop which he occupied in the early days is still standing. He remained for years an active factor in business and had prospered in his undertakings but suffered losses through a bank failure. He died in the year 1900.

Charles B. Willis had to go to work when a youth of but twelve years, owing to the failure of the bank in which his father had placed his savings and which brought great financial disaster to the family. Mr. Willis then began herding sheep and was thus employed for two years. He afterward began driving a team for his father in connection with city employment when a youth of fourteen and has been in the employ of the city continuously since. He was a member of the early volunteer city fire department and when the city first established the paid department in 1893 Mr. Willis became a member. He was made a captain in 1895 and he served as chief for two years. He has been a very active and prominent factor in bringing about the present efficiency of Pueblo's fire department. He is now captain of Fire Company No. 3, which company is splendidly organized and drilled, doing most effective work in fighting the fire fiend.

In his political views Mr. Woodring is a democrat but not an office seeker. Fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Lodge No. 115 at Calhan. About the close of the Civil war he enlisted with the Confederate army and was in several guerrilla skirmishes in Missouri. This constitutes his military experience. While in the service he was wounded in the leg. His religious belief is indicated by his support of the Methodist church. He is numbered among the pioneer settlers of Colorado and for three years after his arrival in Calhan he lived in a tent. He has watched the entire growth and development of this section of the state and has borne an active and helpful part in promoting its progress and improvement. He stands at all times most loyally for the welfare of the community in which he lives and his support can ever be counted upon to aid those interests which are of civic worth.        

It was in the public schools of this city that Harold D. Writer pursued his early education, which was supplemented by study in the University of Colorado, in which he pursued a three years' course. Having an opportunity to enter the automobile business and encouraged by his parents to take this step, he procured the agency for the Paige and Harroun cars for southern Colorado. He maintains a service and repair station and has built up a business of gratifying proportions, now employing five men. He greatly enjoys hunting and fishing when leisure permits and is fond of all phases of outdoor life but concentrates his efforts and attention upon his business affairs, which are wisely and creditably conducted and are bringing to him substantial success.