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Biographies
Source:
† Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio
and Representative Citizens
Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co.
Chicago, Ill -
1908
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1908 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
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J. B.
LOOKER, president of the Western Reserve Security
Company, of Akron, is one of the city's leading citizens,
participating largely in its business and social life, and
taking an interest in its development as well as in its good
government. Mr. Looker was born at Cincinnati,
Ohio, in 1873, and was reared and educated in his native
city. He came to Akron in 1897, for some eight years
previously having been in the rectifying business. For
five years he was in business at Akron as a representative
of Fleischman & Company, of Cincinnati, and then
opened a restaurant and was additionally interested in a
five and ten cent store at Columbus. Prior to
December, 1903, when Mr. Looker organized the Western
Reserve Security and Loan Company, he had been engaged in a
banking and loan business. He still operates two
restaurants, one in Canton and another in Akron, they being
the most select and high class places of the kind in the
respective cities.
In 1893, Mr. Looker was married to Leta Lake,
of Chicago, and they have three children: Adelaide,
Florence and Helene. Mr. Looker
is a thirty-second Degree Mason, and belonging to the Blue
Lodge, Chapter, Council and Commandary at Akron and to Lake
Erie Consistory at Cleveland. He is also a member of
the Masonic and the Akron Lunch clubs.
†Source: Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio
and Representative Citizens -
Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. -
Chicago, Ill - 1908~Page 328 |
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BYRON H. LOOMIS - See Loomis Hardware
Company
†Source: Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio
and Representative Citizens -
Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. -
Chicago, Ill - 1908~Page 815 |
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FRANK FOWLER LOOMIS,
city electrician of Akron, and one of the most expert
electrical engineers of Ohio, is a native of this city,
where he was born in 1854, a son of Joseph and Elizabeth
(Taylor) Loomis.
Joseph Loomis located at Akron about 1845, and
commanded one of the boats plying on the Akron Canal, which
did a large business in those days. At the outbreak of
the Civil War he enlisted in Company H, Twenty-ninth
Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving until his death,
in 1862 from the effects of a cold contracted while crossing
the Cumberland River in the line of Duty. His widow
survived until 1892.
Frank F. Loomis was eight years old when his
father died, and he was taken to the home of his uncle, who
operated a farm near Wadsworth, where he remained until
1868. He then came to Akron, where he worked for one
year on the canal and one year for the Morrell Pottery
Company. Hen then learned the blacksmith's trade,
serving an apprenticeship of three years, and during that
period became a member of the Akron Fire Department, an
organization with which he has remained identifed ever
since. In the very early days of the general study of
electricity he became interested and soon began to
experiment with motors and dynamos ability for this line of
work seeming to belong to him naturally. He soon
devoted all of his time to experimenting and inventing, and
has been very successful, not only in bringing out new
inventions, but also in materially improving many old ones.
He has had five patents granted him on motors and dynamos,
and four patents on alarm boxes, two on electric drills and
two on electric railway signals. It may not be
generally known, for Mr. Loomis is modest,
notwithstanding his many successes, that he designed and
built the first electrical motor police patrol in the world.
Since 1880 he has been city electrician at Akron. He
practically started the Akron Electrical Manufacturing
Company, and he owns stock in a number of other city
enterprises. He is considered exceptionally expert in
the placing of underground wires. In 1878 Mr.
Loomis was married to Barbara Grad.
Fraternally, he is an Elk and an Old Fellow.
†Source: Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio
and Representative Citizens -
Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. -
Chicago, Ill - 1908~Page 1096 |
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LOOMIS HARDWARE CO.,
one of the oldest business firms at Cuyahoga Falls, which
was established in 1864 and incorporated in 1895, does the
largest business in its line in Summit County. Its
main founder was L. W. Loomis, the late father of the
present proprietors, Byron H. and Irving L. Loomis,
who was prominently identified with the progress and
development of this section for very many years. L.
W. Loomis was born Jan. 11, 1836, at Nelson, Madison
County, New York, and was the eldest of a family of eleven
children born to his parents, who were
William and
Emeline (Thomas) Loomis.
L. W. LOOMIS was five
years of age when his parents moved to Wyoming County, New
York, and he remained on his father's farm until he had
reached his majority, when he started out for himself.
His capital of $10 he used in preparing to go out on the
road as a tin peddler for the firm of Smith & Harrington,
of Waterloo, New York, and he was in the employ of this
house when he enlisted for service in the Civil War,
entering Company G. Thirteenth Regiment, New York Volunteer
Infantry. During the two years he was in the army he
participated in the battles of Yorktown, Hanover Court
House, Ball's Bluff and other engagements of more or less
importance, and was honorably discharged at Canandaigua, New
York, Feb. 6, 1864.
After his return from the army, Mr. Loomis
resumed work for his old employers, until February, 1864,
when, with his brother, Horace E. Loomis, he came to
Cuyahoga Falls, and in partnership with his former firm,
established the business which is now known as the Loomis
Hardware Company. Mr. Loomis and brother
contributed ten tinware wagons and they had a half interest
in the business. In March, 1865, L. W. Loomis
bought his brother's interest, and in 1868 he became the
sole owner of the business. He found a market all over
the country, and for twenty years kept up the peddling
business in seasonable time, replacing the tinware with a
hardware stock.
On June 10, 1895, the Loomis Hardware Company was
incorporated by L. W., Byron H. and Irving L.
Loomis. This business has been since expanded into
one of the largest in the county. The store at
Cuyahoga Falls is stocked with everything in the line of
hardware, including kitchen furnishings and ranges.
The tinware department has been resumed, and they have a
special trade which takes their manufactured goods.
When Mr. Loomis came to Cuyahoga Falls in 1864,
he found a town with a population of 1,500, with few sings
of improvements of a public character. It was
through his personal efforts that a petition was circulated
which resulted in the incorporation of the town. He
was a man of great enterprise and remarkable foresight.
In 1879, in partnership with H. E. Parks, he opened
up High Bridge Glen, which became a very popular public
resort, and during Mr. Loomis management a pavilion
costing $3,500 was erected. From the time of its
organization until his death Mr. Loomis was president
of the Falls Savings and Loan Association. In politics
he was a Republican, and no man was ever better qualified
for civic office, but the only office he would accept was
that of councilman. For many years he was connected
with Howard Lodge of Odd Fellows.
On June 3, 1864, Mr. Loomis was married to
Jane Curtiss, who was a daughter of Chauncey Curtiss,
of Canandaigua, New York, and they had five children, three
of whom reached maturity, namely: Lillian M.
born Mar. 21, 1865, who died Aug. 31, 1898; Byron H.,
who was born Sept. 18, 1868; and Irving L. who was
born Aug. 21, 1871; Mrs. Jane Loomis mother of these
children died May 26, 1895.
BYRON H. LOOMIS was reared and educated at
Cuyahoga Falls and has been connected with his present
enterprise during the whole of his business life. He
is secretary and treasurer of the Loomis Hardware Company.
IRVING L. LOOMIS, who is president and general manager
of the Loomis Hardware Company, like his brother, passed
through the Cuyahoga Falls High School and then entered the
present business, working for five years in the tinshop.
On Mar. 23, 1895, he was married (first) to Mabelle
Campbell, a daughter of C. A. Campbell, of
Hudson. She died Nov. 7, 1897, leaving one son,
Carl C. Mr. Loomis was married (second), Nov. 24,
1898, to Clara L. Nelson who is a daughter of
Chester Nelson of Tallmadge. Mr. Loomis
belongs to Star Lodge, No. 187, F. & A. M., and to the
Knights of Pythias, in which he is past commander, being
also a member of the Uniformed Rank of Cuyahoga Company, No.
84.
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 814 |
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HARRY E. LOOMIS, general
manager of the National Coal Company, at Akron, with offices
in the Hamilton Building, is an old experienced coal man,
having been connected with this industry for many years.
He was born at Wadsworth, Medina County, Ohio, in 1860, and
is a son of E. G. Loomis, a prominent railroad and
coal man, who was a pioneer in the latter business in this
section.
Harry E. Loomis worked in the coal mines while
still a schoolboy. In 1878 he was made superintendent
of three mines of the Silver Creek Mining and Railway
Company, of which his father was president and general
manager, and during the great miners' strike, proved of
great value to the company, with which he continued to be
connected for about five years. He completed his
education at the Western Reserve College, and in 1880 came
to Akron. He then studied law in the office of
Attorney L. D. Waters, was subsequently admitted to
the bar and practiced for a short time, but then returned to
the coal business. For several years he was general
manager of the Loomis Coal Company, and then, for
several years more, was engaged in the practice of law, but
subsequently he again became identified with the coal
interests of this section, becoming secretary and manager of
the National Coal Company, which operates three mines in the
Cambridge District, having an output of 2,000,000 tons
annually. This is one of the most extensive coal
mining companies in the State and owns the three largest
producing mines in the county. Mr. Loomis is
interested in other coal companies and coal banks. He
is probably as well informed concerning this important
industry as any one in the State, and having made it his
main business in life, has the satisfaction of knowing that
his efforts have been crowned by sucess.
Mr. Loomis has one
daughter, who is the wife of Forrest Firestone,
a well-known attorney at Akron.
He is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
Fraternally, he is a Thirty-second Degree Mason and belongs
to the leading social clubs of Akron.
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 928 |
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IRVING I. LOOMIS
- See Loomis Hardware
Company
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 815 |
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L.
W. LOOMIS - See
Loomis Hardware Company
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 814 |
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