Muskogee County, OK Biographies

Muskogee County, OK Biographies

STEPHEN P. MANN.
Stephen P. Mann, prominently connected with the real estate and investment business in Muskogee, where he took up his abode on the 20th of July, 1902, has also been associated with many important public projects which have contributed in substantial measure to the growth, development and improvement of the city.

Mr. Mann was born in Hopkins county, Texas, September 15, 1861, his parents being John W. and Martha L. (Hubbard) Mann, both of whom were natives of Tennessee. The father was a stockman and farmer, devoting his life to those pursuits, whereby he provided for the support of his family.

Stephen P. Mann pursued his early education in a log school and much of his training was received in private schools. Starting out in the business world, he secured a clerkship in a dry goods store and was thus employed for seven years. Steadily he made advancement, gaining thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the business, and by carefully saving his earnings he was at length enabled to establish a general store of his own in Texas. Later he confined his attention to the conduct of a store in which he carried only men's wear. In this business he continued for thirteen years. On the 20th of July, 1902, he came to Muskogee. In the intervening years many lines of business have claimed his attention and profited by his cooperation and progressive spirit. For one year he was manager of the Spaulding Mercantile Company and later be turned his attention to the real estate business, in which he has since been engaged. He is thoroughly familiar with the real estate market, is a splendid valuator of property and has negotiated many important realty transfers during the years in which he has handled the business in Muskogee. He was likewise a cotton buyer for ten years. His efforts have always been along the line of development and "he has sold a large portion of the business property of Muskogee,

In 1903 Mr. Mann was elected to the city council at Muskogee which put in the initial system of water and sewer at Muskogee, he serving as chairman of the light and water commission that put in the first aseptic tank in the county, on which he saved the city one thousand dollars over the consulting engineer's estimate on the contract price for the city. He has ever regarded a public office as a public trust and it is well known that no trust reposed in Stephen P. Mann has ever been betrayed in the slighest degree. When holding official position he has bent every energy to the faithful discharge of his duties and has labored most earnestly for the welfare and upbuilding of the district which he represents. For eight years he served as a member of the city council at Sulphur Springs, Texas, without pay other than two dollars per month and it was during this period that the council succeeded in freeing the city from indebtedness. Mr. lfann was elected mayor of Sulphur Springs, Texas, in 1891 but resigned after a year and a half. During his period of service, however, he sold water bonds and established the waterworks, and with the maturity of the bonds it was found that the waterworks had been instituted at no expense to the city. He- was also city councilman of Muskogee in 1903 and 1904 and again he exercised his official prerogatives in support of many measures of direct benefit to the public. At the same time his business activities have been of a character which have contributed to the public good. At the present writing he is a director of the Guaranty Trust Company of Muskogee, also of the Industrial Loan & Investment Company and of the E. O. Clark Abstract Company.

On the 30th of July, 1891, Mr. Mann was united in marriage to Miss Floy Ashcraft of Sulphur Springs, Texas, and they have become parents of three children: Grace, now Mrs. Jewel Bixby of Muskogee ; Jack, who was born July 4, 1903; and Elsie. Mr. Mann turns to fishing and hunting for recreation, greatly enjoying these phases of outdoor life. His life has been purposeful, his labors resultant and Muskogee numbers him among her representative citizens. [Source: pg. 13-15, Benedict, John Downing,. Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma : including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922. - Submitted by Nancy Piper]

HENRY O. VALEUR.
Henry O. Valeur, architect and builder, of Muskogee, was born in Norway, April 30, 1882, a son of Alrik and Dorothy Valeur. He enjoyed liberal educational advantages, receiving his more advanced training in universities of Norway and of Germany, pursuing university studies in his native-country for three years and in Germany for four years. In young manhood he went to sea, spending. three years as a sailor, and it was subsequent to this time that he became a student in Germany, thus qualifying for important and' responsible duties in life.

It was with the belief that he would have better business opportunities on this side of the Atlantic that Mr. Valeur left the Land of the Midnight Sun and came to the new world. He did not tarry on the Atlantic coast but made his way at once into the interior of the country and settled in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he was connected with the electric light plant, representing the Westinghouse Electric Company for a year. He next went to Lima, Ohio, where he was engaged on the construction of public buildings for five years. It was in 1909 that he arrived in Muskogee and through the intervening period he has. been identified with the business interests of this city as an architect. He made the plans for and superintended the construction of the West high school of Muskogee, also the grand stand at the fair grounds, the Carnegie public library, the Hays building at State and Broadway, the high schools at Chandler and Morris, Oklahoma, and various other public structures, business blocks and fine residences. His activities make constant demand upon his time and energy and that he has attained a notable point of efficiency is evidenced in the attractive design and beauty of many of the structures which have been built under his supervision.

On the 17th of .August, 1909, Mr. Valeur was married to Miss Ella Schwint of Lima, Ohio, and during the period of their residence in Muskogee they have gained a wide and favorable acquaintance. Mr. Valeur is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias and he also has membership in the Rotary Club, being the one representative of his profession in that organization. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world, for here he has found the opportunities which he sought and in their utilization has advanced steadily toward the goal of success. [Source: Pg 7-8, Benedict, John Downing,. Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma : including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922. - Submitted by Nancy Piper]

WILLIAM EDWARD DELEHANT.
William Edward Delehant, organizer and promoter of the Cardinal Drug Company of Muskogee, conducting both a wholesale and retail business, has long been recognized as a dynamic force in the commercial circles of Muskogee. Starting in business here with an extremely limited capital, he has steadily developed his interests and the scope of his activities until his position in commercial circles is one of prominence and leadership. He has ever been a man of broad vision in relation to business affairs and his life record should serve as a source of encouragement and inspiration to others, showing what can be accomplished through individual effort. Mr. Delehant was born in Buffalo, New York, on the 6th of April, 1873, and is a son of Michael Vincent and Bridget" (Maloy) Delehant. The father devoted his life to the milling business, operating a flour mill for an extended period.
William E. Delehant supplemented his public school training by study in the University of Buffalo at Buffalo, New York, from which he was graduated in 1892 on the completion of a course in the department of pharmacy. He afterward devoted two years to service in the United States Marine Hospital at Buffalo, New York, filling the position of hospital steward. He next went to Helena, Montana, where he remained for five years and during that period was engaged in the retail drug business. On leaving the northwest he came to Oklahoma, settling in Muskogee in March, 1906, and through the intervening period of more than fifteen years he has resided in this city, more and more largely leaving the impress of his individuality and ability upon the commercial history of this part of the state. On the 6th of January, 1907, he organized the Cardinal Drug Company and is now' sole owner of the business conducted under that name. He purchased a retail drug store at a cost of fifteen hundred dollars, making thereon a cash payment of one hundred and fifty dollars. He bent every energy toward the development of the trade and the upbuilding of the business and soon was enabled to discharge all of his indebtedness and to extend the scope of his activities. After a time he established a second store and then a third and is now the owner of three fine and well appointed drug stores, owning all the fixtures and carrying a large stock of drugs and druggists' sundries. He has likewise established a wholesale store and his business represents an investment of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The wholesale department, situated at Nos. 110 and 112 North Main street, occupies a building fifty by three hundred feet, two stories in height with basement. One of the retail establishments is situated at Main and Broadway, a second at Okmulgee and Second streets and the third at 317 West Broadway. The company today employs fifty people. Thus Mr. Delehant has constantly broadened his business and is today one of the foremost druggists in his section of the state. He was formerly president of the Muskogee Retail Druggists Association and he is a member of the executive board of the Oklahoma Pharmaceutical Association. He is likewise a member of the public relationship committee of the National Association of Retail Druggists and is constantly studying the trade from every possible standpoint in order to further the interests and promote the favorable conditions - under which the drug trade is carried on.
On the 25th of June, 1908, Mr. Delehant was married to Miss Josephine Madge McNerney, a native of Ohio. Their residence is at No. 1517 West Okmulgee and is one of the attractive homes in the city, erected in 1920. Mr. Delehant is fond of baseball and athletic sports and turns to these for rest and recreation. He belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, to the Town and Country Club and to the Sequoyah Club, all of which expresses his appreciation for the social amenities of life. He also belongs to the Rotary Club and to the Chamber of Commerce and is in full sympathy with their efforts to extend trade relations, to improve business conditions and to uphold the civic standards of the com¬munity. His life has been fraught with successful accomplishment and his course has been marked by a steady progression that has taken him out of humble surroundings and placed him in the field of large opportunity.
[Page 16-20, Benedict, John Downing,. "Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma : including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa." Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922. -- Submitted by Nancy Piper]

AUGUST FERDINAND KRUMREI
August Ferdinand Krumrei, a Muskogee contractor whose extensive patronage is at once proof of his skill and of his ability, was born in Germany, October 17, 1862, and acquired his education in the schools of his native land. He there remained to the age of twenty years, when in September, 1882, he bade adieu to friends and family and crossed the Atlantic to the new world, making his' way first to Ann Arbor, Michigan. He had previously acquainted himself with the trade of masonry and carpentering and he became identified with building construction in that city, working for others for a period often years and thenstarting out independently as a contractor in 1892. He left Michigan, however, four years before that time, going to Albany, Oregon, in 1888. There he established business and remained for thirteen years, or until 1901. At that time he returned to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he continued to reside until October, 1906, when he began contracting in Muskogee, Oklahoma. In 1913 he incorporated his business under the name of the A. F. Krumrei Construction Company, of which he is the president. Even a partial recital of the buildings which he has constructed serves to show the prominent position which he occupies among the contractors of the city. He erected the Bass building, the LaRue Hotel, the Albany building, the Zufall building, the St. Clair building, school buildings at Webbers Falls, Morris and Vian, Oklahoma, and several consolidated schools in McIntosh county. He has likewise erected large apartment houses in Tulsa and Muskogee and there stand at various points throughout the state large and substantial structures which he has erected. He has enjoyed a very extensive patronage in eastern Oklahoma and he has been the builder of many Indian schools and dormitories. He thoroughly understands every phase of the building trade and the great scientific principles which underlie his work and the results which he has accomplished have .been highly satisfactory to his patrons and have constituted a most gratifying source of prosperity for himself.
On the 7th of October, 1886, Mr. Krumrei was married to Miss Augusta Bulow, a native of Germany, and they have become the parents of four children: Lula E., Walter E., Edward A. and Charles L. When leisure permits Mr. Krumrei greatly enjoys a fishing or hunting trip. Fraternally he is a Mason who has taken the degrees. of the York Rite, including those of the Knights Templar commandery, and he is likewise a member of the Mystic Shrine. Coming to the new world in young manhood, he has never had occasion to regret his determination to try his fortune in America. On the contrary, he has found here the opportunities which he sought and in their utilization has made steady progress:
He has found that in this country industry and enterprise bring their rewards unhampered by caste or class, and steadily working his way upward, he has become recognized as one of the prominent contractors of Muskogee and is also numbered among its valued and representative citizens. [Page 22-24, Benedict, John Downing,. "Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma : including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa." Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922. -- Submitted by Nancy Piper]

ZEB PETTIGREW JACKSON
Zeb Pettigrew Jackson, whose activity in the field of real estate in Muskogee is bringing substantial results in the attainment of success, was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, August 10. 1886, and is a son of U. L. Jackson, mentioned on another page of this work. Spending his boyhood days under the parental roof, he supplemented his early educational opportunities by study in the University of Arkansas, devoting a year to civil engineering. In April, 1908, he became associated with his father in the insurance, real estate and loan business which the father had established in 1901. The partnership was maintained between them until the father's death on the 3d of January, 1918, since which time Mr. Jackson has conducted the business alone. He has handled a large amount of real estate, negotiated many important realty transfers and has gained a notable clientage.
On the 4th of November, 1914, Mr. Jackson was married to Miss Terry Eberle of Muskogee, and they have two children, Z. P., Jr., and Lucille Wisdom. Mr. Jackson turns to golf and hunting for recreation and pleasure when leisure permits. He belongs to the Wauhillau Club, also to the Town and Country Club and fraternally is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Masons. He has taken the degrees of lodge, chapter and commandery and also of the Mystic Shrine. He has long .manifested an active and helpful interest in public affairs and for three and a half years was a member of the Muskogee park board, acting as assistant secretary of the board for a considerable period and at length resigning his position. His aid and cooperation can be counted upon in relation to everything that has to do with the general welfare and public progress. [Page 25-26, Benedict, John Downing,. "Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma : including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa." Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922. -- Submitted by Nancy Piper]

GROVER P. WATKINS.
Grover P. Watkins, engaged in the practice of law at Fort Gibson, was born at Carrollton, Arkansas, August 23, 1886, and is a son of Paschal T. and Eliza (Holt) Watkins, who were also natives of Arkansas. The father was a druggist and also a farmer, devoting his attention to the two lines of business at Carrollton. He served as a soldier throughout the Civil war with the Confederate forces and became an officer of the army. He died November 11, 1905, and is still survived by his wife, who makes her home in Green Forest, Arkansas.
Grover P. Watkins was reared and educated in Carrollton and at the age of seventeen years began teaching school. He followed that profession for eight or nine years and during that time he devoted the hours which are usually termed leisure to the study of law. It was his desire to become an active practitioner at the bar and to this end he matriculated in the Chicago Law school, from which he was graduated with the class of 1903. He afterward went to Harrison, Arkansas, where he practiced for four years, and in 1917 he went to Muskogee. Here he was admitted to practice before the supreme court in 1918 and before the United States federal court in 1919. He formed a partnership with his uncle, John Watkins, who conducts the Muskogee office of the firm, while in June, 1920, Grover P. Watkins removed to Fort Gibson and opened an office, although he is still a member of the firm of Watkins & Watkins.
On the 1st of June, 1920, Grover P. Watkins was united in marriage to Miss Mary D. Brown, a daughter of William and Bell Brown, members of the Cherokee tribe and pioneer residents of Muskogee county. They now reside about three miles from Fort Gibson, where her father conducts a farm.
Mr. Watkins belongs to the Masonic fraternity, in which he has taken the degrees of the lodge and chapter. He is also identified with the Independent Order of-Odd Fellows, with the Daughters of Rebekah and with the Eastern Star. He has always voted with the democratic party, believing firmly in its principles as factors in good government. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church. He is now serving as city attorney of Fort Gibson, and in addition to his law practice he represents several insurance companies. His course has been marked by steady progress since he qualified for law practice, his ability resulting from .thorough study and careful analysis of his cases. [Page 28-29, Benedict, John Downing,. "Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma : including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa." Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922. -- Submitted by Nancy Piper]

GEORGE K. POWELL.
George K. Powell, member of the Muskogee bar, was born in Minneapolis, Kansas, a son of Samuel Joseph and Louisa (Rivers) Powell, the former a real estate dealer long connected with that line of business in support of his family.
George K. Powell pursued his early education in the public and high schools of his native city and afterward entered the University of Kansas, from which he was graduated on the completion of a classical course in 1901, while in 1904 he received his professional degree, having for three years devoted his attention to the study of law. In April, 1905, he came to Muskogee and through the intervening period has remained in this city. Prior to this time he had spent two years in the law office of George K. Powell of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, before completing his course in the law department of the University of Kansas. His training and experience were thorough and constituted an excellent preparation for his professional activities here. He has confined his attention to civil law practice and is thoroughly familiar with every phase of that branch of jurisprudence. He prepares his cases with notable precision and care and never seems to lose sight of any detail bearing upon the cause, while at the same time he gives due emphasis to that important point upon which the decision of every case finally turns. He is a well known member of the Muskogee Bar Association and the Oklahoma State Bar Association and his contemporaries in practice recognize his fidelity at all times to the highest ethical standards of the profession. He is now attorney for various corporations.
On the 15th of November, 1905, Mr. Powell was married to Miss Ada West of Minneapolis, Kansas, and they are widely and favorably known in the city in which they make their home. Mr. Powell greatly enjoys a fishing or hunting trip and thereby gains rest and recreation from the onerous cares of an active professional career. He belongs to the Wauhillau Club and is president of the club. He likewise belongs to the Muskogee Rifle Club and has always displayed great appreciation for the social amenities of life. [Page 31-32, Benedict, John Downing,. "Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma : including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa." Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922. -- Submitted by Nancy Piper]

JESSE A. DE WITT.
Jesse A. DeWitt, whose mental equipment is of that character that enables him to delve to the root of business problems and whose determined energy enables him to conquer obstacles and difficulties in his path, is now occupying a most enviable place in financial circles of Muskogee. He was the president of the Central State Bank until January 1, 1922, and is now a director. He comes to the southwest from Wisconsin, his birth having occurred in Montfort, that state, September 23, 1889, his parents being I. G. and Abbie (Taylor) De Witt, the former a newspaper publisher.
In young manhood Jesse A. De Witt took up the study of law. He spent some time as a student in the University of Wisconsin and also in the Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois, and in 1915 he made his way to the southwest, taking up his abode in Muskogee. Here he turned his attention to the oil business and also to banking, but all personal considerations were put aside after America entered the World war, for in March, 1918, he joined .the army, becoming a member of the One Hundred and Fifteenth Ordnance Corps. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the adjutant general's department, thus serving from September 1, 1918, until April, 1919. It was several months after his return from the war, or on the 15th of September, 1919, that Mr. De Witt was elected to the presidency of the Central State Bank and remained at its head until January 1, 1922, directing its business policy and shaping its continued growth and development. He has ever recognized the fact that the bank which most carefully safeguards the interests of its depositors is the one most worthy of public patronage and support. The large amount of business now annually transacted over its counters indicates most clearly" the confidence of the public in the institution and its officers. Mr. De Witt is president of the Hanover Oil & Gas Company and a stockholder in four different banks. If he has a hobby it is horses, and he owns a large number of fine harness horses.
On the 2d of August, 1918, Mr. De Witt was married to Miss Mabel Smith, of Muskogee, and they have two children : Jack Richard, two and a half years of age; and Patricia, in her first year. Mr. De Witt belongs to the Town and Country Club, the Sequoyah Club and the Kiwanis Club, and moving in the best social circles of Muskogee, is highly esteemed by reason" of his geniality, unfeigned cordiality and sterling worth. His circle of friends is almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance. [Page 37-38, Benedict, John Downing,. "Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma : including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa." Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922. -- Submitted by Nancy Piper]

JESSE CARROLL CULBERTSON.
Operating widely in the real estate field of Muskogee and thoroughly acquainted with values and the opportunities for sale, Jesse Carroll Culbertson has made steady progress in his business career through his close application, energy and commendable determination. A native son of Illinois, he was born in Macon county, November 25, 1882, and is a son of Griffith James and Lydia (Pieper) Culbertson. The father was also engaged in the real estate, loan and insurance business and thus in youth Jesse C. Culbertson gained considerable knowledge of the business, laying up information that has been to him of great value in later years. He supplemented his public school training by study in the University of Nebraska, for a period of two years. He afterward became a law student there and completed his law course in 1903. In the meantime, however, he had made his initial step in the business world by entering the First National Bank of Lincoln, Nebraska, as a messenger in 1898. Steadily he worked his way upward through a period of eight years, winning various promotions until he became teller. He resigned that position in 1906 to become a resident of Muskogee.
Since taking up his abode in this city Mr. Culbertson has engaged in the real estate, loan and insurance business, thus returning to the field of activity with which he had become somewhat familiar ill his boyhood through association with his father. In 1908 he purchased a business, forming a partnership on the 15th of February of that year with Luther E. Tomm, under the firm style of Culbertson & Tomm. They maintain not only an extensive real estate department but also handle loans and insurance. Their position is one of leadership-in their chosen field and today they are well known as the owners of the Railway Exchange building, an eight-story structure recognized as the finest business block of Muskogee, containing seventy-two thousand square feet of floor space. Mr. Culbertson is recognized as a splendid valuator of property and most progressive in the conduct of all his business interests. Aside from the three lines which claim his attention in Muskogee he is well known through his agricultural activities. He has fifteen hundred acres of land which he farms himself and is the owner altogether of three thousand acres of farm land.
Mr. Culbertson belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and he is a very active and helpful member of the Kiwanis Club. He is also a member of Beta Theta Pi college fraternity. He generously cooperates in all measures that he believes will prove of public benefit and he was very active in the bridge bond election and campaign. He belongs to the Sequoyah Club and also to the Town and Country Club and in these various social organizations with which he is connected is extremely popular. While he has nothing of that familiarity which prompts the individual to greet everyone as a valued friend, he is nevertheless of a cordial and genial disposition, readily recognizing the good qualities in others and judging his fellowmen not by wealth but by worth. [Page 41-42, Benedict, John Downing,. "Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma : including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa." Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922. -- Submitted by Nancy Piper]

MILTON GOODDELL YOUNG.
Well known and prominent in the financial circles of Muskogee is Milton Gooddell Young, who is the president of the Security State Bank. Long experience has well qualified him for the important and responsible duties which devolve upon him in this connection and as the years have passed he has made himself a forceful factor among the bankers of his section of the state. He was born in Florence, Alabama, February 15, 1884, and is a son of Andrew M. and Ollie (House) Young. His father was also prominent in financial circles, being the first bank commissioner of the state of Oklahoma.
Milton G. Young largely acquired his education in the public schools and when fifteen years of age started out in the business world, becoming associated with his father in the Bedford County Bank at Wartrace, Tennessee. He served as bookkeeper there for two years and then went to Fort Worth, Texas, where he occupied the position of auditor with the Continental Bank & Trust Company. In 1905 he arrived in Muskogee and entered the Bank of Commerce as assistant cashier. His next position was that of cashier in the Exchange National. Bank and he remained with that corporation until April, 1919, when he organized the Security State Bank, of which he has since been the president. His connection with these various banking institutions has brought him a broad and comprehensive knowledge of the business and as the years have passed his steady advancement has taken him to the goal of success.
On the 18th of October, 1911, Mr. Young was married to Miss Mary A. Jackson of Muskogee, and they have become parents of two children: Betty and Mary Virginia. Mr. Young finds pleasure in fishing trips which occasionally constitute a source of recreation for him, He has always been interested in the public welfare and at one time served as treasurer of Muskogee. Fraternally he is connected with the Elks and with the Masons and in the latter organization has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and has become a member of the Mystic Shrine. He belongs to the Town and Country, Club and also to the Wauhillau Club, being at all times a welcome visitor in the rooms of these organizations. He is yet a comparatively young man and has made a notable and enviable place for himself in business and financial circles. He is honored and respected by all, not alone by reason of the success he has achieved but also owing to the straightforward methods he has ever followed in the attainment of his prosperity. [Page 44-45, Benedict, John Downing,. "Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma : including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa." Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922. -- Submitted by Nancy Piper]

JAMES J. ROONEY.
James J. Rooney, contractor and builder of Muskogee, who died July 8, 1922, was well known throughout the state. His building operations carried him into various cities where there stand as monuments to his skill and ability some of the finest structures found within the borders of the commonwealth.
Mr. Rooney was born in Iowa City, Iowa, January 2, 1864, and was a son of Lawrence and Maria Rooney. The father devoted his life to merchandising. The son obtained a public school education and then started out to make his own wav in the world. He first learned the trade of a stone cutter and mason and thus laid the foundation for his future progress and success. In 1886 he made his way to the Indian Territory and one of his first contracts was for the building of the stone culverts for the Valley Railroad. Soon afterward he began the construction of buildings and today some of the finest structures of the state show the skill of his handiwork. He was awarded the contract for the Marshall county courthouse, the Ottawa county courthouse, the high school building at McAlester, the county courthouse in Girard, Kansas, the high school buildings of Maysville, Oklahoma, the schools of Wagoner, Oklahoma, and he rebuilt the Creek Nation capitol building, also built the first courthouse in Ottawa county. The First National Bank building at Checotah, Oklahoma, is another of the structures which he erected and he built some of the finest buildings of eastern Oklahoma as well. In fact he erected more buildings than any two men in eastern Oklahoma. The Pryor courthouse, which he built, was erected at a cost of two hundred thousand dollars.
Mr. Rooney was married to Mrs. Frances O'Hare Hart, a former teacher in the public schools of Muskogee, the wedding being celebrated in 1910. He was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic church, in which he was a trustee, and to which his widow also belongs. Mr. Rooney gave his political support to the democratic party and served as a member of the Muskogee city council through the Bennett administration. His support and influence were ever on the side of advancement and improvement, and in his own career was shown that steady progress which results from capability, thoroughness and reliability in business. His word was as good as his bond and he was known for his great honesty and generosity, the poor and needy always finding in him a friend. [Page 48-51, Benedict, John Downing,. "Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma : including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa." Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922. -- Submitted by Nancy Piper]