Florondo Schweitzer (1877-1953)

From the Sebewaing Blade, October 16, 1953.

  There were few men more prominent in Sebewaing, Michigan in the first half of the 20th century than Florondo Schweitzer, a leading business figure and politician in his region. Mayor of Sebewaing for nine years, Schweitzer was the founder of the Sebewaing Lumber Company, was a village councilman for three decades, and was active in church work and the local Masonic fraternity. A native of Canada, Florondo Schweitzer was born in Crediton, Ontario on September 14, 1877, the son of Charles and Christiana Schweitzer. 

  Removing to Michigan at age five, his early education was obtained in that state, and married on New Year's Day 1903 to Esther Davis (1882-1965), to who he was wed for fifty years. The couple would have one son, Paul. Several years after his marriage he was appointed as a deputy sheriff for Sebewaing, and in 1913 served as a circuit court juror. 

  By 1926 he had established himself in the lumber business, being an owner of the Sebewaing Lumber Co., as well as the manager of the Pigeon Lumber & Supply Co., the latter dealing in "Building Supplies of All Kinds and Paints and Hardware." In 1936 Schweitzer became sole owner of both the Pigeon Lumber and Sebewaing Lumber properties and for two years served as company president. He sold the Pigeon Lumber and Supply Company in 1938 but continued ownership of the Sebewaing Lumber Co. until a few years prior to his death, operating under the name Sebewaing Lumber and Supply Co. In addition to the above, Schweitzer was a member of the board of directors of the Sebewaing Gas and Oil Company, and in 1930 was elected its president.

From the Sebewaing Blade, July 24, 1936.

  Active in the churchwork and in the fraternal life of his community, Florondo Schweitzer was for thirteen years secretary in the local church and was a member of the Wallace Lodge, No. 434 of Free and Accepted Masons. Additionally, both he and his wife held memberships in the Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic-affiliated body. 

  Schweitzer made his first move into local politics with his election as a councilman in 1911, where he held a seat for nearly thirty years. In 1931 he was elected as trustee for a two-year term, and in 1933 was nominated for village president, a post similar to that of mayor. He was elected that March and, all told, served nine years in office, his final term ending in 1942. During his tenure, Sebewaing passed an ordinance in 1936 to "regulate the operation of public dances and public dance halls, in the village of Sebewaing" and in 1939 proclaimed the week of April 24th "Fire Prevention Clean Up Week", which called upon:

"All departments of the city, the Chamber of Commerce, civic clubs, schools, all other clubs or associations, and our people in general to take active part in the constructive program planned to make our city Clean, Healthful, Thrifty, Safe, and Beautiful."

  Refusing to be a candidate for village president in 1942, Schweitzer returned to politics the following year when he was appointed to the village council to fill a vacancy and served for the remainder of 1943. Later he would win election as village supervisor and assessor, serving in the latter post until his death in 1953. Shortly before his passing Sebewaing celebrated its centennial, and in the summer of 1953 Schweitzer and his wife were named Centennial King and Queen, taking part in a Fourth of July float parade. Just months later Schweitzer died unexpectedly at age 76, and following his death on October 8, 1953, was mourned as one of the village's "best-known citizens." He was survived by his wife Esther, and both were interred at the Memorial Cemetery in Sebewaing.

Shapleigh Chandler Drisko (1877-1938)

From the Maine legislature composite portrait of 1931.

   A three-term Maine state representative who was first elected in 1930, Shapleigh Chandler Drisko was a farmer and lumberman in Washington County who held a variety of local offices during his life, including school board member, selectman, and tax assessor. The son of Joseph Whitney Drisko and the former Isabel Frances Farnsworth, Shapleigh Drisko was born in Jonesboro, Maine on February 15, 1877. Little information could be found on Drisko's early life or education, and in May 1903 married Myra Luella Noyes (1876-1952), to who he was wed until his death. The couple would be childless.

   While there is a dearth of resources mentioning Drisko, his 1938 obituary gives note as to his employment with the Eastern Pulpwood Co. of Calais, Maine as a purchasing agent. He is also mentioned as a farmer. In 1903 he was elected as Jonesboro town tax assessor and five years later was serving as first selectman, an office he'd be returned to on several further occasions. In 1911 he was serving Jonesboro as one of two town constables and in 1916 made his first run for the Maine legislature but was defeated.

  In 1930 Drisko was again a candidate for the legislature and was this time elected. During the 1931-33 term he was a member of the committee on Federal Relations, and after winning a second term in 1932 was named to the additional committee on Cities and Towns. Drisko's final term (1935-37) saw him serve on the committee on Education.

  Little else is known of Drisko's life, except notice of his death in Machias, Maine on March 19, 1938. His wife Myra survived him by fourteen years, and after her death in 1952 was interred alongside him at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Jonesboro.

  

From the Bangor Daily News, March 21, 1938.

Link Field Forehand (1877-1916)

   Florida legislator Link Field Forehand's life is examined today, and I'm proud to relate that the following biography on this obscure Floridian marks the first time a picture of him is available online. A lifelong resident of the Sunshine State, the mysterious Link Forehand has scant information on himself available online, but a 1915 Florida Blue Book (where the above portrait was located) came to my rescue in this regard, helping to furnish many of the facts contained herein.

  Link Field Forehand was born in Liberty County, Florida on Independence Day 1877, one of six children born to Jeremiah M. and Mary Parish Forehand. Forehand inherited his rather odd name from his paternal grandfather, also named Link Field Forehand. A few variations in spelling have also been found for Forehand's name, among them "Link Fields", "Linkfield" and the abbreviation "L.F. Forehand."

  Link Forehand's father Jerry died when his son was just eleven years old, and the young boy received his education in the public schools of Liberty County. Following his graduation Forehand, "by persistent efforts and self-sacrificing", went on to enroll at the Florida State College in the late 1890s. He is mentioned as being involved in local merchandising after leaving school and had "good success in his business." Forehand married around 1905 to a Ms. Cassey Stokes who eventually gave birth to four children, Calum (born October 1909), Selma (born 1910), Onis (born December 1913), and Cecil C. (later known as Cary Cecil, born in April 1915).

  In November 1914 Forehand was elected by the citizens of Liberty County as their representative in the Florida State House of Representatives, taking his seat at the beginning of the 1915 term. He served as chairman of the legislative committee on Forestry during this term and also held a seat on the committees on Indian Affairs, Insurance, Live Stock, and Privileges and Elections. Busy as a first-term legislator, Forehand received a write-up in the 1915 Florida Blue Book, which noted that during his service he "performed the great trust nobly and well. He was a man of forceful type, one who believed firmly and honestly. He showed utter lack of fear and appeared not in the least tender, or backward in his views, whether right or wrong." The below snippets denoting Forehand's service were featured in the aforementioned book.

  Link F. Forehand's tenure in the legislature lasted but a short time, being terminated by his unexpected death a little over a year after taking his seat. He died on March 6, 1916, aged only 38, and was interred at the Bristol Cemetery in Bristol, Liberty County, Florida. His untimely death is recorded by a notice on the Rootsweb genealogical website as being the result of "pelegra" (pellagra), a vitamin deficiency disease brought about by the lack of vitamin B3 in one's diet. 

  Following her husband's untimely death, Cassie Stokes Forehand remarried in North Carolina in April 1919 to Gustave Stigwalt, and it is unknown at this time if any children were born to this union. Originally the names of the Forehand children and Cassie Stokes couldn't be found, and a hearty thank goes out to SNIAPH site friend Greg Spadoni for locating those interesting historical tidbits. Greg received an extensive mention in two previous articles on Washington state politician and judge Govnor Teats, which can be viewed here and here. Many thanks again for your help!

Stellar Rudolph Light (1877-1961)

   A one-time mayor of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Dr. Stellar Rudolph Light was a prominent physician in his native state who in his later years became an educational and medical benefactor to institutions of higher learning throughout Michigan. Light is honored today on the fifty-second anniversary of his death as the newest profile to be added to the site, and I must note that his unusual first name took a fair bit of digging to locate! While the information on Light's medical and public career is readily available online, nearly all of the sources mentioning him give his name as "S. Rudolph Light". After some hours of tedious searching in medical journals and newspapers of the time, Light's first name was revealed to be "Stellar", and judging by his success in the fields of medicine and public service, he was aptly named!!

   Born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania on March 2, 1877, Stellar Rudolph Light was one of two sons born to the Rev. Ezekiel Hoffer Light (1834-1903) and the former Katherine Ann Bowman. Light's early years in Pennsylvania are unknown at the time of this writing, as is his education.  What is known is that Light decided upon a career as a physician at an early age and eventually enrolled at the University of Michigan's Department of Medicine and Surgery around 1900. Light's name is listed as a "third-year student" in the 1903 General Register of the University of Michigan and notes that he was a resident of Dayton, Ohio. 

                                           From the 1903 University of Michigan Register.

   In 1904 Light graduated from the University of Michigan and in that same year became an assistant physician at the Kalamazoo State Hospital. His tenure here lasted until 1907, and at some point afterward established a private practice in Kalamazoo. Sources of the time also list him as an "mfg. pharmacist" in that city. Light married in Kalamazoo on June 25, 1908, to Ms. Rachel Winifred Upjohn (1880-1929) with whom he had one son, Rudolph Alvin Light (1909-1970). Rudolph Alvin followed in his father's footsteps and became a noted medical practitioner, later serving as an associate professor of surgery and director of surgical research at Vanderbilt University during the 1950s. He gained further distinction when he was named a Commander of the British Empire in 1964 for his earlier service as an educational benefactor and visiting professor of surgery at Oxford. In an interesting historical tidbit, Rudolph Alvin married in 1960 to Ann Rork (1908-1988), a former actress and ex-wife of prominent American billionaire Jean Paul Getty (1892-1976).

   In addition to Dr. Rudolph Alvin, Winifred Upjohn had another son from a previous marriage named Richard Upjohn (1902-1994). Light adopted Richard upon marrying Winifred in 1908 and eventually gave the boy his own last name. Richard Upjohn Light would go on to prominence in his own right, becoming a noted surgeon, pioneer aviator, cinematographer, author, and President of the American Geographical Society from 1947-1950.

  While continuing to practice medicine, Light and his father-in-law William Erastus Upjohn (1853-1932) established the Orchard Hills Realty Company in 1916. William Upjohn was already an established figure in Kalamazoo and had established the Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company in 1886. S. Rudolph Light first joined this company in 1907 and later became one of its vice presidents in the mid-1910s. In 1919 Light was named as a trustee of the Michigan State Psychopathic Hospital at Ann Arbor, and continued in this position until becoming Mayor of Kalamazoo.

This notice on Light's election as Mayor appeared in the Benton Harbor Palladium in 1929.

   In November 1929 Light was elected as the Mayor of Kalamazoo, Michigan, succeeding outgoing mayor Edward Kennedy who had declined to enter that year's race. Light's inauguration as mayor was somewhat dampened by the passing of his wife Winifred, who had died in April of that year at age of 48. Light's term as Mayor concluded in 1931 and in the following year he served as a member of the Kalamazoo City Commission under newly elected mayor Lewis C. Wright. Dr. Light continued involvement in political affairs by serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention from Michigan in 1936 and 1940. In the mid-1940s he was named as the President of the American National Bank of Kalamazoo. 

   In his later years, Light found further distinction as a philanthropist and educational benefactor, donating large sums of money to various institutions both in Michigan and elsewhere. In 1955 he donated funds that led to the establishment of the S.R. Light Laboratory at Vanderbilt University and the S. Rudolph Light Fund as well as the S. Rudolph Light Medical Scholarship were also established in his name.

   Stellar Rudolph Light died in Wisconsin at the Milwaukee Sanitarium on January 27, 1961, at age 84. His death notice gives note that Light had been a resident of that facility since September of 1960 and he was later returned to Kalamazoo to be buried in that city's Mountain Home Cemetery. This cemetery is also notable for being the final resting place of oddly named Michigan Governor, legislator, and State Supreme Court justice Epaphroditus Ransom (1798-1859), profiled here back in July of 2011.

This death notice for Light appeared in the Benton Harbor Palladium in 1961.

Candelario Vigil (1877-1941)

    From the 1913 work "Representative New Mexicans"

   Candelario Vigil is honored today as the first political strange name profile from the state of New Mexico. A resident of Union County, Vigil was a prominent figure on the New Mexico political scene both before and after it became a state in 1912. Little could be found online in regard to his life and political career, but enough information has been located to compile a small write-up on his accomplishments.

  Born on February 2, 1877, in San Wapello, New Mexico, Candelario Vigil was the son of Augustin (1843-1909) and Eleuteria Ortega Vigil. Candelario is recorded by the 1913 work Representative New Mexicans as attending public schools in the Mora County, New Mexico area and was later enrolled in a private school in the village of Wagon Mound. 

   Candelario married in 1897 to Ms. Carolina Vigil (1878-1941, no relation) with whom he had several children, who are listed as follows: Daniel (1898-1898), Candelario (1900-1979), Lionela (1902-1995), Agustin (1907-1999), Esequiel (1905-1998), Max Elmer (1909-2000), Fulgencio (born 1912) and an adopted daughter,  Juanita (born 1918).

  From the few sources that mention him, Candelario Vigil is recorded as being "one of the most successful stockraisers" in the Union County area, owning a large amount of American Hereford cattle. The Representative New Mexicans also note that Vigil was a notary public and served a term on the Union County Board of Education from 1902-1904. 

  In 1911 Vigil's public profile received a boost when he became a delegate to the New Mexico Constitutional Convention from Union County. This convention was of major importance in New Mexico's history as it drew up a state constitution, and within two years of its creation, New Mexico became the 47th state, with its statehood proclamation being signed by then-President William Howard Taft. 

  In 1912 Candelario Vigil was elected as a Republican to the New Mexico State House of Representatives. Taking his seat in January 1914, Vigil's term concluded in 1916. Due to the lack of information on Mr. Vigil, it is unknown at this time if he took part in any important legislation during his years of service, and it is also a mystery as to the committees he may have served on.

  Little else is known of Vigil's life after his tenure in the New Mexico legislature. He is recorded as dying on March 14, 1941, at age 63 in the town of Clayton, New Mexico, and was shortly thereafter interred at the Clayton Cemetery in Union County. Carolina Vigil died a few months after her husband in September 1941 at age 64 and was interred alongside him in Clayton. 

                   This portrait of Vigil appeared in the 1915 edition of the New Mexico Blue Book.

Ontje Ontjes (1877-1942)

Portrait from the Iowa State Red Book.

   This curiously named man is Ontje Ontjes, a resident of Grundy County, Iowa who served three terms in the Iowa State House of Representatives. Blessed with an outstanding name that's easy to remember and hard to forget once you see it, Ontjes also was a well-known banker, farmer, and businessman in Grundy County in addition to his legislative service.

   Ontje Andrew Ontjes was born in German Township, Iowa on May 31, 1877, the son of Andreas (Andrew) and Hilka Meyer Ontjes. The Ontjes family moved to Butler County when Ontje was a child and he later attended rural schools in the town of Aplington. His adolescence was spent mainly in farm work and at age 23 he became the manager of the Nye-Schneider Elevator Company, a grain and coal business located in the town of Parkersburg. He continued in this employ for two years and later acquired another grain elevator in nearby Allison, Iowa, continuing in dealing grain until selling his business in the mid-1900s. Ontjes later began dabbling in real estate, holding and selling land throughout Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

   Ontje Ontjes married in 1906 to Ms. Sophie Frerichs (born 1884) and the couple is recorded as having one son, Edward (birthdate unknown). In the same year as his marriage, Ontjes assisted in forming the Farmers Savings Bank of Holland, Iowa, beginning a lifelong interest in local banking circles. He served as the cashier and director of this bank for a number of years and later became the builder of the Aplington Telephone Exchange.

   In 1916 Ontje Ontjes made his first move into politics, running successfully for Mayor of Holland, Iowa. He served in this office for two terms, the last of which concluded in 1920. He continued active business and civic involvement during his mayoralty, serving as the Holland School district treasurer from 1918 to 1920, and was the organizer, founder, and Secretary-Treasurer of the Grundy County National Farm Loan Association beginning in 1917.

   Ontjes won his first term in the Iowa State House of Representatives in the 1920 election and was reelected to the legislature in 1923. During his terms he served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules, and also had the distinction of serving as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House during the 40th General Assembly in 1923. Addressing the legislature shortly after attaining the speakership, Ontjes highlighted his being a banker, landowner, and taxpayer, while also relating that:

"Taxes have gone up by leaps and bounds during the past several years and to my way of thinking we should formulate laws that will do justice to our needs, equalize taxes and lower the levies instead of increasing them. I value the good will of all the members and to you that are new members, I will be more than pleased to be of the utmost service. It makes no difference as to whether you are a farmer, lawyer or whatever your profession is. We should all work with one object in mind, namely, what is best and neccessary for the common interest of all the people."

                                     Ontje Ontjes as he appeared in the 1923 Iowa State Manual.

  Ontjes retired from the legislature at the end of the 1925 term. He was returned to the House two years after his retirement and served another two-year term concluding in 1929. In his later years, he continued to be a prominent public figure in Grundy County, taking a special interest in the upkeep and maintenance of county roadways. His Grundy Register obituary gives note that he served as president of the Primary No. 14. Association in the years before his death. The Register also records him as being a parishioner at the First Baptist Church at Grundy Center and as a member of the local order of the Knights of Pythias.

   Ontjes' last years are listed as being marked by ill health, and the Register notes that he had been suffering from cancer "that covered a period of two years". He was confined to his home in the months before his death but "still kept in touch with his business from his sickbed up to within a few weeks before the end came." He died on December 31, 1942, at age 65 and was shortly thereafter interred at the Grundy Center Cemetery. Ontjes was memorialized in local newspapers as a popular legislator and businessman "with wide acquaintance throughout Grundy and the adjoining counties."

This obituary for O.A. Ontjes appeared in the Waterloo Sunday Courier a few days after his death.