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THE OFFICIAL FAMILY- pages 8-11 - ORWOOD has been superlatively fortunate in the choice of her officers, and from the time of the selection of the first members of the village cabinet to the present hour, Dame Scandal has not had a chance to whisper a word of suspicion. Mayor Aaron McNeill, who is serving this second term, is a member of the law firm of Archer & McNeill. He is a Muskingum County product and has long been prominent in the councils of Ohio's Grand Lodge of the I. O. O. F. He is one of Norwood's heavyweights, physically and intellectually. In Cincinnati he ranks with the notably successful practitioners at the bar, and he has lent dignity, ability and an intense loyalty to "everything Norwood" to his administration.
John C. Masker is the only treasurer Norwood has ever had, and his term is likely to last as long as he is willing to hold the village purse-strings. Mr. Masker is a retired manufacturer, and for nearly a quarter of a century he was a member of the Cincinnati soap and candle house of B. H. Lamping & Co. He has proved a faithful officer in this, the first public position to which his fellow townsmen called him. That is a characteristic trait of Norwood's officials. The great majority of them began their public careers in the great cause of Norwood's prosperity, and "the good of Norwood" is the length, depth, breath, and height of their political ambitions. W. E. Wichgar, who has served as clerk since 1891, is the right man in the right place. He writes a hand as clear as copper plate, and is with the American Book Company. W. E. Bundy, the solicitor, has proved to be an adept in diplomacy in handling the legal affairs of the village. Before he came to Norwood he served as Secretary of the Board of Elections of Hamilton County. Some years ago he edited the Wellston Argus and the Ohio Mining Journal. His father was killed fighting for the flag of the Union, and when he was chosen Colonel of the Sons of Veterans of the State of Ohio, he acquired that title. He was also Province President of the Phi Delta Theta. Colonel Bundy's grandfather, H. S. Bundy, is the oldest man in Congress, and Norwood's solicitor is a man who is a credit to his ancestry. There is just one member of the board of council who has served the village faithfully and continuously ever since its birth. The man is Frederick H. Mehmert. He is treasurer of the E. L. O'Connor Company in the shoe business in Cincinnati. He resides in the old L. C. Hopkins home on Montgomery avenue, and "Old Norwood" has kept him in his seat. Reference to his missionary efforts in behalf of the electric road is made in another chapter. A. H. Pape, East Norwood's representative, ranks next in time of service. He is now secretary of the Chamber of Commerce in Cincinnati; had been in the railroad business for fifteen years, and is the agent of the C. & O. During the life of the Davenport Club, he was a leading spirit, and at that time he ranked as one of the best of Cincinnati's amateur disciples of Thespis. West Norwood chose one of her favorite sons when John Rolsen was sent to council, and since his advent in that body West Norwood has kept pace with every other section of the village in the character and scope of the improvements made. In business, he is with Knight & Co., the Cincinnati printers and publishers, and is serving his fourth year as a "city father." John J. Hess was called by the people on the Heights, and he did so well that they sent him back for a second term. He is a carriage builder and in business for himself in Cincinnati. Although born in Germany, only two years of his life was spent there. The Ivanhoe and Elsmere district has a worker in Albert Berger. "Good roads" is his hobby, and as a trustee of Millcreek Township, he rode it before he broadened his field of public endeavor. Mr. Berger is superintendent of the tank wagon system of the Standard Oil Company, and his acquaintance in Cincinnati is very large. He was in the oil business himself for ten years before joining forces with the Standard. Jacob M. Thomssen, who is with the Methodist Book Concern, was the only member of the old council who retired in the spring of 1894. He has been deservedly invested with the title of "the father of the water works movement," and there was no man in the body more active in the early advocacy of action along that line than he. After four years of service in the board, he decided to retire and Edward H. Anthony was elected to succeed him as South Norwood's representative. Although Norwood has never been divided into wards, it is the custom to give each one of the six divisions of territory membership in council. That is an unwritten law that has never been violated. Mr. Anthony is one of the best known of the old newspaper guard in Cincinnati. He has been on the Enquirer and Times-Star staffs, and now holds a position of trust under County Treasurer Leo Schott. Colonel James M. Harper, the village engineer, was called to that post by council. He is well qualified for the duties of the important trust. For eight years he had served Hamilton County as chief engineer and he has been with various railroads centering in Cincinnati in the capacity of civil engineer. The Ohio State Society of Surveyors and Civil Engineers, at its last session, complimented Colonel Harper by an election to the presidency of that important body. Pleasant Ridge, noting the skill with which Norwood's engineering was conducted, has installed Colonel Harper in the same position there. Too young to enlist he was an assistant under his father, Surgeon Harper, who was attached to Gen. Sherman's staff. In Norwood, John A. Murray, Andrew Birnbaum and Edward Heyl hold the rank of assistant engineers. Marshal Benjamin Zeis has been titled "Norwood's Chief Deitsch," for he embodies the duties of a member if "the finest" with those of the position to which he was elected. He is a faithful official, and lives in his own cozy home on Lawence avenue. ——— – ——— |
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