William H. Penman

Last updated
William H. Penman
William Hunter Penman Pictorial and Biographical Record 1894 page 224.jpg
1st Mayor of East Chicago
In office
1893–1898
Succeeded by William Hale
Personal details
BornMay 18, 1858
Hammondsville, Ohio
DiedNovember 30, 1917
Beaumont, Texas
Political party Republican
Spouse(s)Alice McCoy
Residence East Chicago, Indiana
Profession Storage tank manufacturer

William Hunter Penman (May 18, 1858 [1] November 30, 1917 [2] ) was the first known permanent resident of East Chicago, Indiana, and later its first mayor.

East Chicago, Indiana City in Indiana, United States

East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census. It is the home of Marktown, Clayton Mark's planned worker community.

Contents

Early life

Penman was born in 1858 in Hammondsville, Ohio, to Scottish parents John Penman and Margaret Frazer. [1] At the age of ten, he left school to work as a cooper. [1]

Hammondsville, Ohio human settlement in Ohio, United States of America

Hammondsville is an unincorporated community in central Saline Township, Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 43930. It lies along State Route 213. The community is part of the Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. Notable residents are Pap "Buckeye" Hogue and Bevo Francis.

Cooper (profession) maker of staved vessels such as barrels

A cooper is a person trained to make wooden casks, barrels, vats, buckets, tubs, troughs and other staved containers from timber that was usually heated or steamed to make it pliable. Journeymen coopers also traditionally made wooden implements, such as rakes and wooden-bladed shovels. In addition to wood, other materials, such as iron, were used in the manufacturing process.

In 1878, Penman went to work in the storage tank works of his brother-in-law, William Graver, in Pittsburgh. [1] The Graver Tank Company was then expanding due to heavy demand from the Standard Oil Company. [3] Penman soon became supervisor of the Pittsburgh works, a position he later also held at the company's subsequent locations in Lima, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. [1]

Storage tank Container for liquids or compressed gas

Storage tanks are containers that hold liquids, compressed gases or mediums used for the short- or long-term storage of heat or cold. The term can be used for reservoirs, and for manufactured containers. The usage of the word tank for reservoirs is uncommon in American English but is moderately common in British English. In other countries, the term tends to refer only to artificial containers.

Pittsburgh City in western Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States, and is the county seat of Allegheny County. In 2017, a population of 302,407 lives within the city limits, making it the 63rd-largest city in the U.S. The metropolitan population of 2,324,743 is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania, and the 27th-largest in the U.S.

Lima, Ohio City in Ohio, United States

Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately 72 miles (116 km) north of Dayton and 78 miles (126 km) south-southwest of Toledo.

On December 13, 1883, Penman married Alice McCoy, of Enon Valley, Pennsylvania. [1] They had two children. [1]

Enon Valley, Pennsylvania Borough in Pennsylvania, United States

Enon Valley is a borough in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 306 at the 2010 census.

East Chicago

In 1888, William Graver sent Penman to East Chicago to supervise the construction of the new Graver Tank Works there. Penman arrived in June 1888. [1] At the time, the development of East Chicago had only just begun, with the completion of a railroad line to the city by the Chicago & Calumet Terminal Railway earlier the same year. [4] The Graver Tank Works was the first set of buildings in the city. [5]

Upon moving to East Chicago with his family, Penman built a two-story home at the corner of Tod and 148th Street, in what is today the city's Southside neighborhood. [6] The Penmans boarded in nearby Hammond until the house was complete. [1] The two-story house, which was soon joined by others, stood across the street from the Graver Tank Works. [6] The Gravers' was the first home built in East Chicago. [6]

Southside (East Chicago) Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Southside or South Side is a neighborhood in western East Chicago, Indiana. Together with Northside and Roxana, it makes up "East Chicago proper," as distinct from Indiana Harbor. The population is 64% Hispanic and 25% African American. The neighborhood is home to 20% of East Chicago's population. The neighborhood is dominated by residential uses, with relatively few institutional buildings.

Hammond, Indiana City in Indiana, United States

Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the 2010 United States census, it is also the largest in population: the 2010 population was 80,830, replacing Gary as the most populous city in Lake County. From north to south, Hammond runs from Lake Michigan down to the Little Calumet River; from east to west along its southern border, it runs from the Illinois state line to Cline Avenue. The city is traversed by numerous railroads and expressways, including the South Shore Line, Borman Expressway, and Indiana Toll Road.

The following year, in 1889, East Chicago was incorporated as a town. [7] Penman was elected treasurer of the town council. [7]

East Chicago held a special election of municipal officers on March 14, 1893, in order to become a city. [8] Penman was elected mayor. [8] He was reelected in April 1894. [1]

In the 1894 election, Penman (a Republican) was opposed by the Democratic candidate, Colonel Redmond D. Walsh. [9] In August 1895, Walsh swore out a warrant against Penman, accusing him of improperly using his office to secure a public contract for water mains. [9] Penman thus became the first of many East Chicago mayors to face public corruption charges. [5] However, when the case was tried to a jury, the jury not only acquitted Penman, but jointly issued a public testimonial to his character. [10] In October 1895, Penman sued Walsh for defamation. [11]

As mayor, Penman sought to establish the necessary infrastructure for urban development, including a municipal water supply and fire department. [5] However, these utilities ultimately went bankrupt due to the city's inadequate finances in this early stage. [5]

For a time in the 1890s, Penman and George McCoy operated the Penman & McCoy Tank and Boiler-Making Works in East Chicago. However, the works entered receivership and were sold in 1898. [12]

Texas

In 1901, Penman formed his own company, the Penman Tank Company. Initially based in East Chicago, the company moved to Beaumont, Texas in 1902. [13] Before the factory was even built in Beaumont, Penman Tank already had $500,000 in contracts, including from the Southern Pacific Railroad. [14]

Penman died in on November 30, 1917, and was buried in Beaumont. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pictorial and Biographical Record of La Porte, Porter, Lake and Starke Counties. 1894. p. 224.
  2. 1 2 "William Hunter Penman (1858-1917)". Find A Grave. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  3. Petroleum Age Vol 6 No 1. 1919. p. 176.
  4. Robert Lewis (2009). Chicago Made: Factory Networks in the Industrial Metropolis. p. 163. ISBN   0226477045.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Lu Ann Franklin (1993-02-23). "Thirteen men have led the city on its course". Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  6. 1 2 3 Tamsen Song Anderson (2013). ""Beautiful New Homes": The Development of Middle-Class Housing in the Industrial Suburb of East Chicago, Indiana". Indiana Magazine of History. 109 (3): 185–223.
  7. 1 2 Kenneth J. Schoon (2003). Calumet Beginnings: Ancient Shorelines and Settlements at the South End of Lake Michigan. p. 150. ISBN   025334218X.
  8. 1 2 Jane and Evan Ammeson (2016). East Chicago. p. 11. ISBN   1467115002.
  9. 1 2 "Col. R.D. Walsh's Spite: Trumps Up a Charge Against Mayor Penman, of East Chicago". Indianapolis Journal. 1895-09-01. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  10. "Penman's Vindication'". Indianapolis Journal. 1894-10-04. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  11. "Mayor Penman Strikes Back". Indianapolis Journal. 1895-10-04. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  12. The Iron Trade Review - Volume 31. 1898. p. 21.
  13. Engineering and Mining Journal. 1902. p. 359.
  14. Iron and Machinery World - Volume 91. 1902. p. 33.