1832 –
Distiller
Dwight A. Aiken was born in Oswego, New York, during 1832 and moved with his parents to Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1848. From 1852 to 1861, he was a bookkeeper with a grocery store in Detroit. At the start of the Civil War, he became a captain in the Commissary Department of the Federal army and was stationed at Camp Nelson, Jessamine County, Kentucky, from...
1869 - 1921
Traction Line Operator and Banker.
Younger Alexander was born around 1869 in New Liberty, Owen County, Kentucky. Moving to Lexington prior to 1902, he became involved in the construction of electric traction (streetcar) lines. He controlled the streetcar lines, along Paris Pike from Lexington to Paris, and between Georgetown and Paris.
Mr. Alexander later became involved in...
1839 - 1911
Farmer and Banker.
Richard T. Anderson was born during March 1839 in Fayette County, Kentucky. Graduating from Transylvania University shortly before the Civil War, he began raising trotting horses. Around 1867 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Agricultural and Mechanical College (later the University of Kentucky). In March 1870, he became a member of the private banking...
1871 - 1950
Banker.
Richard T. Anderson was born in Fayette County around 1871, the nephew of Richard T. Anderson. He was first employed as a bookkeeper for the Fayette National Bank and then the Second National Bank. From 1902 to 1905, he was a partner in Anderson & Dudley (a chinaware firm).
After his uncle's death in 1911, Mr. Anderson became a director of the Security Trust...
Born in Lexington, Kentucky, on June 24, 1912. Physician, Neurosurgeon. Civic Leader. University of Kentucky, B.S., 1934. Died July 18, 1998.
After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree from the University in 1934, he entered Vanderbilt University, where he earned the Doctor of Medicine degree in 1938. Prior to military service in World War II, he held a neurosurgical residency at Vanderbilt, and was...
Mira Snider Ball serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Ball Homes LLC. Ball Homes was incorporated in 1959 by Mira and her husband, Don. The company is operated by the couple and their three children, Lisa Ball Sharp, Ray Ball, and Mike Ball. She and Don are also the proprietors of Donamire Farm in Lexington.
Ball has always been an active member of the Lexington community. Since 2007, she has served...
1848 - 1909
Dry Goods Merchant and Banker.
John L. Barkley was born around 1848 in Scott County, Kentucky. He came to Lexington in 1881 to engage in the dry goods business and around 1889 entered into partnership with his brother, George Barkley.
Mr. Barkley became President of the Central Bank around 1900 and after the formation of the Lexington Banking and Trust Company in 1906, he...
18__ - 1917
Turfman and Distillery Investor
Colonel William S. Barnes was a noted breeder of thoroughbred horses. In 1881, he purchased half interest, with Colonel James E. Pepper, in the Melbourne Stud Farm. Melbourne was located on Georgetown Pike, one mile from the city limits on the interurban tracks. In 1891, Barnes acquired sole ownership of the farm. In the late...
1860 - 1941
Banker.
J. Edward Bassett was born in Lexington on November 18, 1860, the son of Squire Bassett. During 1882, he joined his father's firm of Squire Bassett & Sons (a retail shoe and boot merchant). In 1905, Mr. Bassett was selected a director of the Fayette National Bank and in 1908 he succeeded his father as President. During 1909, Mr. Bassett also replaced his father as a...
1921 -
Keeneland Association.
James E. "Ted" Bassett was born in Lexington on October 21, 1921, the grandson of J. Edward Bassett. After serving with the Marines in the South Pacific during the Second World War, he graduated from Yale University. From 1956 to 1967, Mr. Bassett was the Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Public Safety and from 1964 to 1967 the director of the Kentucky State...
1824 - 1909
Merchant and Banker.
Squire Bassett was born January 1, 1824 in Harrison County, Kentucky. In 1846, he came to Lexington to clerk in the Lexington Post Office and in 1848 he was appointed Postmaster for Lexington. A prominent supporter of Henry Clay (and later the Republican Party), he resigned from the Post Office in 1855 and established Squire Bassett & Sons (a retail shoe and...
1808 - 1883
Dry Goods Merchant and Banker.
Henry Bell was born on March 28, 1808 in Georgetown, Delaware and came to Lexington in 1833 to establish a dry goods business. In 1852, he organized the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation (erectors of the Clay Monument in the Lexington Cemetery). Mr. Bell was serving as the President of the Lexington branch bank of the Bank of Kentucky in 1865, when its...
Born in Lexington, Ky., on July 2, 1922. Died, February 20, 1986. Attorney. Sports Official, Civic Leader. University of Kentucky, B.S., 1948; LL.B., 1950.
He began the practice of law in his native Lexington immediately upon graduation from the University of Kentucky College of Law, in 1950. His most recent association has been with the firm of Fowler, Rouse, Measle & Bell.
At UK, he was active...
Physician and Banker.
Dr. David Bennett was for a number of years one of Lexington's most prominent physicians. Between 1887 and 1902, he served as the President of the National Exchange Bank. Beginning around 1895 he also served for several years as the President of the Lexington Clearing House Association.
1840 - 1903
Dry Goods Merchant and Banker.
John W. Berkley was born around 1840 in Montgomery County, Kentucky and moved to Lexington when he was seventeen to clerk for his brother. During the next few years, he was associated with a number of firms engaged in the dry goods business and during the 1870s, he formed J. W. Berkley & Company, a dry goods merchant. In addition, at one time he...
Adapted from Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Embracing Biographies of Many of the Prominent Men and Families of the State, 1896
Rev. Bolling was born in Greene County, Alabama on May 25, 1846. He was the son of Warner T. Bolling and Harriet Smith. He spent his childhood in Knoxville and Memphis Tennessee. He attended Emery and Henry College in 1861, but left school at...
1811 - 1883
Hardware Dealer and Banker.
Thomas Bradley was born in Madison County during June 1811 and relocated to Lexington around 1829. Within the next three years, he opened a blacksmith shop and by 1845 branched into the hardware business. In 1856, he purchased a five hundred acre farm, adjacent to the Lexington Cemetery, and began raising cattle and trotting horses. During 1859, he was...
1885 - 1969
Attorney. Victor Anderville Bradley was born in Georgetown, Kentucky, and graduated from Georgetown College and Harvard Law School. He established a legal practice in Georgetown in 1908. His clients included the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railroad, Southern Railroad, Indian Refining Company and Blue Grass Traction Company. He represented Kinzea Stone in various deals and...
1867 - 1935
Newspaper Publisher.
Desha Breckinridge was born in 1867 in Lexington, the son of Confederate Colonel William C. P. Breckinridge. After his father's death in 1904, he became the publisher and sole owner of the Lexington Herald. His newspaper supported progressive reforms in Kentucky, educational improvements, a state tuberculosis sanitarium and women's suffrage. He was married to...
Born in Washington, D. C., on November 29,1913. Died, July 29, 1979. Attorney. Member, U. S. Congress. University of Kentucky, A.B., 1937; LL.B., 1939.
He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives and as the Commonwealth's Attorney General before being elected to the Congress in 1972; he was re-elected in 1974 and again in 1976, serving through 1978. He was the sixth Kentucky Breckinridge to serve in...
Born in Lexington, Kentucky, on December 28-, 1933. Businessman. Attorney. University of Kentucky, Bachelor of Arts, 1957; LL. B. , 1960.
Former Chairman of the Board and President of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation, 1964-73, he built the fast-food company into a worldwide multi-million dollar firm before disposing of his interest and pursuing other business interests in 1973.
He became owner...
1928 -
Real Estate Developer and Investor.
Alex G. Campbell was born in Lexington, Kentucky on April 19, 1928. He was employed between 1946 and 1954 by Liggett-Meyers Tobacco Company. In 1954, he formed the Lexington Tobacco Storage Company and acquired W. L. Petty Company (tobacco sales). He disposed of the bulk of his tobacco holdings in 1965.
In addition, he became involved during the...
1840 - 1916
Retail Merchant and Banker.
William H. Cassell was born in Jessamine County, Kentucky on December 5, 1840. He came to Lexington during 1860 to clerk for Allen Plunkett & Co. In 1862, Mr. Cassell joined the Confederate Army under General John C. Breckinridge and was captured in July 1863 by Federal forces. After being released from prison in June 1865, he returned to Lexington and...
Born in Corydon, Ky., on July 14, 1898. Died, July 15, 1991. Attorney, Governor of Kentucky. U. S. Senator. Commissioner of Baseball. University of Kentucky, LL.B., 1924; LL.D., 1936.
He opened an office for the practice of law in Versailles in 1924.
Beginning a political career as Master Commissioner of Woodford County Circuit Court in 1928, he was a state Senator two years later, and in 1931 began...
1846 - 1925
Farmer, Railroad President and Banker.
Christopher D. Chenault was born during 1846 in Madison County, Kentucky, a descendent of William Chenault (a pioneer settler of Boonsboro). He was the President of the Lexington & Atlantic Railroad, which operated between Versailles, Richmond and Irvine, Kentucky. Around 1900, that firm was taken over by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad...
1837 - 1900
Banker.
Joseph Clark was born during 1837. He served as the President of the Northern Bank of Kentucky from December 1886 until May 1887. Mr. Clark also served as a director of the Security Trust and Safety Vault Company from 1888 to 1900, and as President from 1899 to 1900. In addition, Mr. Clark served on the Board of Directors of the Fayette National Bank from 1888 to 1892 and the...
Born in Louisville, Mississippi, on July 14, 1903. Died, June 28, 2005. University Professor. University of Kentucky, M.A., 1929.
After taking his master's degree at the University of Kentucky in 1929, he went on to Duke to pursue a doctorate in history. He returned to join the UK faculty in 1931, and earned the Duke Ph.D. degree in 1932. He previously had taken a bachelor's degree at the University of...
By Dr. Thomas D. Clark
On June 29, 1852, Henry Clay asked his son Thomas to come and sit by his bedside. Just before the hour of noon, “The Great Compromiser” drew his last breath. At that point his life became a completed major chapter in the...
1839 -
Distiller
Henry C. Clay, known as H. C. Clay, was born in 1839, a nephew of the Henry Clay (Kentucky Senator and Statesman). He was also related the Grimes family of Grimes Mill (and later married one of the Grimes’ cousins). In 1880, he became one of the principals in the distilling partnership of Stoll, Clay & Company (that built the Commonwealth Distillery). During 1885, the...
Laura Clay was born February 9, 1849, at White Hall estate near Richmond Kentucky, the daughter of emancipationist Cassius Marcellus Clay and Mary Jane Warfield Clay. She attended Foxtown Academy in her early years. Spent several months in Russia, when her father was...
Around 1875, Sam Clay, Jr. established a whiskey brokerage in Lexington, with offices located at 11 West Water Street. Clay was from Paris, Bourbon County, and associated with Thomas J. Megibben. In 1879, he became a partner in the Wm. Tarr & Company, which operated the Ashland Distillery. He marketed the firm’s Ashland and Wm. Tarr whiskies.
...
Fred N. Coats, an automotive mechanic, started in the automotive industry with the Dayton Motor Car Company, Dayton, Ohio, which built the Stoddard-Dayton Motor Car. In 1909, he was hired to be the plant foreman for the Lexington Motor Car Company. He became the company General Manager and managed the day-to-day affairs of the company....
Born in Lexington, Ky., on November 5, 1898. Died, May 4, 1983. Engineer. Author. Historian. Collector. University of Kentucky, B.S.M.E., 1920; M.S.M.E., 1929; Litt.D., 1947.
Author of numerous books, pamphlets and articles on Kentucky history and the lives of Kentuckians, whose library on Kentuckiana is one of the largest in private hands, he also encouraged the preservation of the history of the...
1868 - 1935
Lumber Merchant and State Senator.
Thomas A. Combs was born on the family's farm in Breathitt County, Kentucky during 1868 and by 1889 began clerking at his father's general store and sawmill. During 1893, Senator Combs came to Lexington and founded the Combs Lumber Company, serving as the firm's President until his death. In 1903, he was elected Mayor of the City of Lexington and in...
1886 - 1973
Banker.
William H. Courtney was born during 1886 in Clay County, Kentucky. In 1913, he entered banking as the first Cashier of the First National Bank of Whitesburg, Kentucky. Around 1919, Mr. Courtney came to Lexington to join the Phoenix & Third National Bank and in 1925 he was selected as President of the Phoenix National Bank and Trust Company. In 1929 after the merger, he was...
1868 - 1957
Clothing Merchant and Banker.
Leonard G. Cox was born in Lexington in 1868. After graduating from Transylvania University and the University of Michigan Law School, he returned to Lexington and founded the firm of Graves, Cox & Company (clothing merchant). Mr. Cox served as the President of the First National Bank from 1909 until the merger in 1913, and after the merger, served as...
Adapted from Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Embracing Biographies of Many of the Prominent Men and Families of the State, 1896
Mr. Curry was born in Harrodsburg on June 23, 1829. He was the son of James and Katherine (Stagg) Curry. He was educated in Harrodsburg until the age of fifteen. After this he worked as a clerk in the Harrodsburg Post Office for one year. Then...
1897 – 1982
Banker.
Edward S. Dabney was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky on September 13, 1897. In 1929, Mr. Dabney joined the Security Trust Company as Assistant to the President and in 1945 became President. After the merger in 1961, he became Chairman of the First Security National Bank and Trust Company and for the next seven years led the legal fight to consummate the merger. He retired in...
1855 - 1923
Businessman and Mayor.
J. Hull Davidson was born in Lexington, Kentucky on August 23, 1855. After graduating from Transylvania University in 1872, he was employed by the First National Bank as a bookkeeper until 1879. On January 1, 1880, he entered the plumbing fixtures business and acquired the old Lanckhart foundry (later the Lexington Plumbing Company). During 1884, Mr. Davidson...
1859 - 1931
Contractor and Businessman.
Louis des Cognets was born in Lexington, Kentucky on March 6, 1859. He became associated with the private bank of Grinstead & Bradley, serving as a teller, but left in 1883 to engage in coal retailing and mining (under the name Lexington Coal & Coke). His firm was one of the largest in Kentucky, with offices in Cincinnati and New York City. Later,...
1873 - 1956
Businessman. Victor Kenney Dodge was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and moved to Lexington in 1891. He became part owner of the Lexington Lumber Company. He was a member of the Board of Aldermen for the City of Lexington in 1902 and 1903. In 1924, he was a candidate for the city commissioner. He was a Captain in the Kentucky Guard and an expert pistol shot (winning a number of...
Adapted from Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Embracing Biographies of Many of the Prominent Men and Families of the State, 1896
Mr. Durham served as Judge of the Circuit Court, Member of Congress, Comptroller of the United States Treasury, and as a Cashier of the Central Bank of Lexington. He was the son of Benjamin and Margaret Robinson Durham. He was born in Boyle...
E. Belle Jackson
1848- 1942
Eliza or Isabelle (Belle) Mitchell was born December 31 1848 in Perryville, KY and raised in Danville, KY. Her parents, Mary and Monroe Mitchell, purchased their freedom before her birth. Belle...
1930 -
Banker.
Benjamin J. Elkin was born in Lexington on May 7, 1930. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1952 and for the next two years served in the U. S. Army as a First Lieutenant. After returning to Lexington, he was Deputy Tax Commissioner for Fayette County from 1954 to 1956. In September 1956, Mr. Elkin joined the First National Bank and Trust Company and by 1959, he was...
1887 - 1981
Insurance Agent.
Dan Estill was born during 1887 in Fayette County, the son of Robert C. Estill. He graduated from the University of Kentucky and served in the U. S. Army during the First World War. After returning from the war, he became an agent for the Kentucky Growers and Covington Mutual Insurance Companies. Mr. Estill served as a director of the First National Bank and Trust...
1855 - 1931
Farmer.
Robert C. Estill was the second son of William R. Estill (born on April 22, 1855). He also inherited a large farming operation in 1875 and engaged in the breeding of trotting horses. He was for a number of years Vice President of the Kentucky Trotting Horse Breeders Association and a director of the Lafayette Hotel. Mr. Estill also served on the Board of Directors of the...
1874 - 1968
Farmer.
W. Rodes Estill was also born on "Elmwood" around 1874, the son of William W. Estill. After his father's death, he continued to raise cattle and sheep on the family's farm. Mr. Estill served as a director of the Phoenix National Bank and Trust Company from 1925 until 1929, and the First National Bank and Trust Company from 1929 until 1961. After the merger in 1961, he...
1812 - 1875
Farmer.
Colonel William R. Estill was born on his father's farm in Madison County around 1812, the son of Captain James Estill. After Colonel Estill's marriage to Harriett Hughes (daughter of Jacob Hughes - which see), he purchased a large farm on the Winchester Pike in Fayette County and operated an extensive cattle and mule raising concern. During the Civil War, he supplied a number...
1848 - 1925
Farmer.
William W. Estill was born on April 12, 1848, the son of William R. Estill. After his father's death in 1875, he engaged in the breeding of short horn cattle and Cotswold sheep on his farm, called "Elmwood." Mr. Estill served as a director of the First National Bank (from 1887 to 1905), Fayette Safety Vault and Trust Company (from 1890 to 1892), Third...
Adapted from Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Embracing Biographies of Many of the Prominent Men and Families of the State, 1896
The son of Josiah and Jane Ann (Shouse) Felix. He was born in Woodford County, Kentucky on October 6, 1838.
He graduated from Georgetown College in June 1860, and was ordained by Doctor Duncan R. Campbell. He was called to the Baptist Church at...
1846 - 1909
Businessman and Banker.
D. Frank Frazee was born during 1846 in Mason County, Kentucky and came to Lexington to attend the Kentucky University during the Civil War. After graduating, he entered the firm of Scott, Skillman and Frazee (later changed to Brower, Scott & Frazee). In 1886, he became a large stockholder in the Phoenix Hotel Company and served as a director until his death...
1805 - 1870
Attorney and Banker.
William C. Goodloe was born on October 10, 1805 in Richmond, Kentucky. After graduating from Transylvania University in 1824, he began practicing law before the age of twenty-one. During 1841, he moved to Frankfort to practice law with his father-in-law but returned to Richmond in 1846. In 1847, he was appointed the Circuit Court Judge for Richmond. During the...
1809 - 1886
Turfman and Banker.
James A. Grinstead was born around 1809. He served as a clerk of the old Bank of the United States Branch at Lexington and as the United States Pension Agent for Kentucky during the early 1830s. When the Northern Bank of Kentucky succeeded the Bank of the United States at Lexington, Mr. Grinstead continued as the Cashier of the new institution. During the late...
1913 - 1980
Thoroughbred Farmer.
Louis Lee Haggin II was born in Fayette County on April 12, 1913, the great grandson of James Ben Ali Haggin (legendary horseman and mining operator). James B. A. Haggin was a partner in the famed Homestead (silver) Mine in Colorado and Anaconda (copper) Mine in Montana. He owned Elmendorf Farm in Lexington (with over 1,000 thoroughbred horses). Louis L. Haggin...
Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on May 30, 1910, Journalist. Historian. University of Kentucky, Ph.D., 1954. Died June 7, 1980.
His first career was in journalism. From 1932 to 1951, except for the period of World War II, he was a reporter and columnist with the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette. After the war, he returned to his position with the newspaper, but in 1951 he decided to become an academician and...
1806 – 1888
Distiller and Banker
Robert B. Hamilton was born on October 5, 1806. From 1881 to 1888, he was a partner in the whiskey and liquor brokerage firm of Stoll, Hamilton & Company (with Richard P. Stoll). In 1872, Hamilton became President of the Lexington City National Bank and led the bank through the Panic of 1873. He resigned in October 1883 due to ill health and died on August 6,...
Born in Lexington, Kentucky, on July 22, 1949. President, Claiborne Farm. University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, B.S. 1971.
He is President of his family's farm, Claiborne Farm, an international business focusing on breeding and raising world-class Thoroughbred racehorses. His clientele includes prominent businessmen from America, Canada, England, Ireland, France, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Japan....
1833 - 1887
Jeweler and Brewer.
William Harting was born on March 26, 1833 in Germany and immigrated to America in 1854 settling in Cincinnati, Ohio. During 1858, he relocated to Lexington to establish a jewelry store and in May 1864, he married Jane Hillenmeyer (which see - Hillenmeyer Family). In the fall of 1873, he established a malt brewery on Paris Pike and around 1875 entered into...
1856 - 1921
Lumber Merchant, Banker and Thoroughbred Farmer.
Hal Pettit Headley was born during 1856, the son of George W. Headley (of the private banking firm of Headley, Anderson & Company). He served as the President of the family's Headley Lumber Company in Lexington. Mr. Headley served on the Board of Directors of the Central Bank (1890s), First National Bank (in the early 1900s), Third...
1889 - 1962
Thoroughbred Farmer.
Hal Price Headley was born in Lexington on the family's farm during 1889, the son of Hal Pettit Headley. During 1908, he returned from Princeton University to take over the family's farms, La Belle and Beaumont, after his father suffered a stroke. In 1912, Mr. Headley began to actively purchase thoroughbred horses for his own stable and during the next fifty years...
1849 - 1923
Nurseryman and Capitalist.
Hector F. Hillenmeyer was born on August 28, 1849 near Sandersville, Fayette County, Kentucky. He inherited his father's farm and nursery business (Hillenmeyer Nurseries, founded in 1841, the second oldest business in Lexington). His sister, Jane Hillenmeyer, married William A. L. Harting (which see), a prominent Lexington banker. Mr. Hillenmeyer was well...
1885 - 1965
Nurseryman.
Louis E. Hillenmeyer was born on November 22, 1885 in Fayette County, the son of Hector F. Hillenmeyer. After graduating from the University of Kentucky, he joined the family's nursery business. Mr. Hillenmeyer served as a director of the Frankfort Natural Gas Company, Columbia Gas System, Lexington Water Company, General Telephone of Kentucky, Hurst Home Insurance Company...
Born in Lexington, Ky., on November 2, 1885. Nurseryman and Horticulturist. Businessman. Civic Leader. University of Kentucky, B.S., 1907. Died, May 31, 1965.
For eighteen years (1924-42), was a member of the University Board of Trustees, and a member of the Executive Committee. He also was a long-time member of the Athletics Board and served on the UK Alumni Association board of directors.
As a...
1917 - 1990
Nurseryman and Banker.
Walter W. Hillenmeyer, Jr. was born on January 13, 1917 in Fayette County, Kentucky, the son of Walter W. Hillenmeyer and a grandson of Hector F. Hillenmeyer. He was a partner in the family's firm of Hillenmeyer Nurseries and served in the Second World War as an aide to General C. R. Huebner, on the staff of General George S. Patton. After the war, he returned to...
1822 - 1912
Businessman, Educator and Banker.
James M. Hocker was born in Lincoln County, Kentucky on June 28, 1822. He conducted a successful mercantile business in Hustonville, Lincoln County, Kentucky until relocating to Lexington after the Civil War. In 1866, Mr. Hocker formed a partnership with John B. Tilford and J. W. Proctor as private banker. Later, Mr. Hocker continued business as J. M...
1939 -
Banker.
Will Hodgkin graduated from the Culver Military Academy, Culver, Indiana in 1958 and Vanderbilt University in 1962. He began his banking career in 1962 as a teller with the Clark County National Bank. He quickly was promoted to cashier in 1964, Executive Vice President in 1970 and President in 1979. In 1970, Mr. Hodgkin led a group of investors in acquiring the Clark County Bank...
Born in Kane, Pennsylvania, on November 23, 1937. Founder of Printing and Broadcast Corporation. University of Kentucky, B.S., 1961.
Forming a sports marketing and association management firm in 1972, Jim Host is now president and chief executive officer of Universal Sports America and Host Communications Inc., nationally renowned for its expertise in marketing services to universities, conferences and...
1791 - 1874
Farmer and Banker.
Jacob Hughes was born during 1791 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. After his father's death, he settled around 1813 on the Briar Hill Road on sixty acres. By hard work, Mr. Hughes acquired over five thousand eight hundred acres while conducting an extensive farming operation. During the Civil War, he was a strong supporter of the Union. At the war's end, Mr....
1891 - 1955
Attorney and Bus Line Operator.
Guy A. Huguelet was born in Charleston, South Carolina on January 1, 1891. In 1906, he joined the Southern Railway, leaving in 1912 to enter law school at the University of Kentucky. After graduating in 1914, he returned to the Southern Railway, but resigned a year later to enter private practice. During the First World War, he served with the Federal...
1773 - 1849
Merchant, Manufacturer and Financier.
John W. Hunt was born in Trenton, Delaware in August 1773. Mr. Hunt began his business career during 1792 in a dry goods store in Richmond, Virginia. After settling in Lexington during 1795, he again entered the dry goods business. His business expanded from the westward trade and by 1810, he was one of the wealthiest individuals in Lexington. ...
1838 - 1920
Attorney and Banker.
Judge Joseph D. Hunt was born in Fayette County, Kentucky on August 14, 1838. After graduating from Centre College in 1854 at the age of sixteen, and the University of Louisville's Law School in 1857, he began practicing law. In September 1862, he joined the Confederate Army under General John Hunt Morgan and was captured on General Morgan's Ohio Raid in July 1863...
1858 - 1947
Attorney and Banker.
Edward L. Hutchinson was born in Summerville, South Carolina on July 31, 1858. During 1880, he came to Lexington to study law and in early 1884, he entered the legal profession. Mr. Hutchinson served during the next few years as County Attorney, City Alderman and Councilman.
Mr. Hutchinson was one of the founders of the Lexington Tobacco Company in 1893 and...
At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, roughly a hundred years ago, James Ben Ali Haggin of Elmendorf, was famous as one of the era’s robber barons - a wealthy mining operator and turfman.
A letter addressed to J. B. Haggin, America, provided sufficient information to be delivered immediately to his New York office. However, today his name is forgotten, except for parts of Kentucky, California, South...
Jordan C. Jackson Jr.
1848-1918
Undertaker and Political Activist
Jordan Carlisle Jackson Jr. was the second son of Jordan Carlisle Jackson and James Ann Buckner. He was born a slave. Denied a formal education, he...
Julius Marks Sanatorium
Reminiscing my childhood years 1944-1946
by Edward C. Shaw, Jr.
Our country's involvement during WW2 meant nothing to the little 5 year old boy living with his parents, an older sister, and a baby brother. The year of 1944 seemed no different than the one before as far as he was concerned. He cared only about his neighborhood pre-school playmates and the activities...
Hardware Merchant and Banker.
John M. Kelly was a Vice President and stockholder of the Lexington Foundry and Hardware Company during the 1890s. Mr. Kelly also served as a director of the Third National Bank from 1910 to 1911 and as the President of the Lexington Banking and Trust Company from 1912 to 1913.
1811 - 1878
Farmer and Banker.
Silas P. Kenney was born around 1811 and operated a large stock breeding farm in Jessamine County, Kentucky. During 1856, he was a founding director of the Agricultural Deposit Bank of Lexington and served for a number of years as a director of the Kentucky Association (which operated the thoroughbred racetrack in Lexington). Mr. Kenney was elected President of the...
1851 – 1890
Distillery Manager
Joe Kimbrough was born in Harrison County, Kentucky, on June 10, 1851. Around 1870 he became a bookkeeper for the firm of Cussen, Megibben & Kimbrough, dry good merchant of Cynthiana, Kentucky. His father was a partner in the firm. In 1876, he was married to Mattie Megibben, daughter of Thomas J. Megibben.
In January 1879 he came to Lexington to manage...
Born in Tallega, Lee County, Ky., on August 9, 1912. Banker. Attorney. Financier. Insurance Company Executive. University of Kentucky, A.B., 1934; LI.B., 1937. Died, November 21, 1975.
Born into a family of modest means, he worked to help pay his way through high school and college by delivering newspapers, clerking in a grocery store, doing janitorial work and binding books in the Eastern Kentucky Library...
Born in Lexington, Ky., on September 1, 1879. Librarian. University of Kentucky, B.A., 1898. Died April 13, 1966.
She was asked by University President James K. Patterson in 1909 to organize a library at the University. Prior to that time, professors and departments had small collections of books which students were allowed to use. At a salary of $870 a year, she and two student assistants moved into the...
1852 - 1928
Banker, Hemp and Tobacco Merchant.
William J. Loughridge was born in Lee County, Mississippi during 1852 came to Lexington in 1870 to enroll in Transylvania University. After graduation, her returned home in 1874. In 1877, he returned to Lexington to engage in farming and during 1883, he entered the hemp business with his father-in-law, William W. Bruce. The Bruce family was one of...
1875 - 1947
Banker.
Charles N. Manning was born in Manchester, Kentucky on May 10, 1875. He was educated at the University of Kentucky and entered the employ of the Security Trust and Safety Vault Company in 1893 on a part-time basis. In 1898, Mr. Manning became the Secretary and Treasurer and during 1916 the President of the Security Trust Company. He continued to serve as President until...
Born in Florence, Ky., on September 30, 1932. Professor of pathology and neurology. Director of the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and its Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. University of Kentucky, B.A., 1960, M.D., 1964.
He is nationally known for his expertise on Alzheimer's Disease and has served on a U.S. Congressional advisory panel on preventing illnesses. He is a member of the national board of...
1863 - 1941
Insurance and Banker.
William K. Massie was born in Fayette County during 1863 and educated at Centre College, where he graduated in 1881. He spent the next two years in Missouri before returning to Lexington in 1883. He established McCann & Massie (with William E. McCann), which operated as a stock and real estate broker, and Massie & Sayre (with James W. Sayre of D. A. Sayre...
Adapted from Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Embracing Biographies of Many of the Prominent Men and Families of the State, 1896
Mr. McCorkle was born in Lexington, VA on May 9, 1861. He was educated at the county schools of Rockbridge County. In 1879 he moved to New York, where he worked in the cotton commission business until 1883.
He moved to Lexington, KY in 1883, where...
1863 - 1925
Railroad Agent, Farmer and Banker.
Will McDowell was born outside of Frankfort, Kentucky on August 16, 1863, the son of Henry Clay McDowell and a great grandson of Henry Clay. In 1885, he graduated from the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale University with a Civil Engineering degree. During 1888, he was the General Manager of the Red River Lumber Mills at Clay City.
Mr....
1861 - 1952
Banker.
James E. "Jimmy Mac" McFarland was born around 1861 in Nicholasville, Kentucky and moved to Lexington in 1874. His banking career started in 1885 with the National Exchange Bank (serving as Cashier from 1892 to 1902).
In 1906, he joined the City National Bank as a Vice President, maintaining that position after the combinations with the First National Bank and the Phoenix...
In June 1783, John McKinney, schoolmaster for the one room schoolhouse in pioneer Lexington, was attacked by a wildcat in his classroom. Having gone to school early to copy out the articles of peace signed by the United States and Britain, he left the door to the schoolhouse open. He was disturbed by noise in the classroom, and looked up to see a wildcat, in the building. Making his presence known to the...
1831 - 1890
Distiller and Turfman.
Thomas J. Megibben was born in Clermont County, Neville, Ohio, and at an early age relocated to Cynthiana, Harrison County, Kentucky. He was the largest landowner in the county, with twenty eight hundred acres of land. He built “Monticello,” a mansion overlooking the Licking River in Cynthiana, with three floors and twenty-seven rooms. He raised...
1822 - 1889
Attorney and Banker.
James P. Metcalfe was born in Nicholas County, Kentucky on December 17, 1822. After graduating from law school, he practiced law and during the 1850s served in the General Assembly for Nicholas County. Mr. Metcalfe relocated to Lexington around the time of the Civil War and served as the founding President of the National Exchange Bank from 1878 to 1881. He had...
1907 -
Banker.
LeRoy M. Miles was born on November 12, 1907 in Maysville, Kentucky. After graduating from the University of Kentucky in 1928 and the Harvard Business School in 1930, he began his banking career with the First National Bank and Trust Company in July 1930. Mr. Miles was promoted to Assistant Cashier in 1936, Vice President in 1946, Executive Vice President in 1954 and President in...
1836 - 1909
Banker & Dry Goods Merchant.
Thomas D. Mitchell was born around 1836 in Bourbon County, Kentucky. He settled in Lexington during 1865 (at the end of the Civil War) to become the first Cashier of the First National Bank of Lexington. He held that position from 1865 to 1887. He served as a director of the bank from 1876 to 1906. He was also a director of the Security Trust &...
Monk Estill
We do not know much about the early life of Monk Estill. The names of his parent and the time and place of his birth will likely remain a mystery. We do know that he came to Kentucky in the 1770s with his master Captain James Estill. He is credited with the planting of an apple orchard at Boonesboro that the settlers hailed as “a great benefit to the country.” He and his wife, whose name and...
1869 - 1951
Mechanic and Auto Engineer. John C. Moore was born in 1869 at Oxford, near Georgetown, Kentucky. He was a self-educated mechanic, who became a pioneer automotive engineer and inventor. During the 1890s, the bicycle had developed into the later craze and Moore operated a bicycle repair shop in Georgetown. In 1893, he came in second in a Winchester to Lexington bicycle race. He completed the...
Born in Lexington, Ky., on September 25, 1866. Educator. Scientist. Winner of the Nobel Prize in medicine, for biological research in 1933. University of Kentucky, B.S., 1886, M.S., 1888. Died, December 4, 1945.
A pioneer geneticist who discovered basic mechanisms of heredity, his experiments went on to the end of his long life, and many of the students he inspired continue the search. A winner of the...
1886 - 1970
Banker.
John C. Nichols was born during 1886 in Mercer County, Kentucky. After receiving his education at Georgetown College, he began working in 1907 for the Farmers Bank and Trust Company in Georgetown (as the Cashier). In 1923, Mr. Nichols came to Lexington as a Vice President of the Phoenix National Bank and Trust Company. After the merger in 1929, he became Vice President of the...
Adapted from Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Embracing Biographies of Many of the Prominent Men and Families of the State, 1896
Dr. Oldham was the son of Dr. William B and Laura A (Mathews) Oldham. He was born in New Castle, Kentucky on March 19, 1866. He attended public schools in New Castle until the age of thirteen. After which he attended a three year course at State College...
1848 - 1911
Attorney.
Judge Watts Parker was born on February 23, 1848 in Athens, Fayette County, Kentucky. In 1869, he entered the mercantile business in his hometown and in 1870 the legal profession. Two years later, he moved to Lexington to practice law and attend the University of Kentucky Law School, from which he graduated in 1873. In 1874, he became law partner with Jeremiah Morton, which...
1850 – 1906
Master Distiller and Turfman.
Colonel James Edward Pepper, Master Distiller, was a bigger-than-life, flamboyant promoter, who was very proud of his distilling heritage – the third generation to produce Old Pepper whiskey. He claimed the oldest distillery – founded in 1780 – in the United States, the largest distillery in the world and the “best” whiskey in the United States.
He...
1862 - 1931
Banker.
Joseph W. Porter was born in Nicholas County, Kentucky on December 9, 1862. Immediately after his birth, his family moved to a farm outside the city limits of Lexington. After finishing first in his class at the University (now Transylvania), he taught at several colleges before assuming the Latin and Mathematics Chair (in 1889) at the Hamilton College, Lexington. In July 1899...
1856 - 1922
Attorney.
J. Waller Rodes was born in 1856 in Lexington, Kentucky. After graduating from the Kentucky University, he entered the legal profession and for the next six years was the Deputy Sheriff for Fayette County. In 1888, Mr. Rodes was instrumental in the founding of the Phoenix National Bank, serving as the first Cashier (1888 to 1910) and as President (1910 to 1911). After the...
Born in Paducah, Kentucky, on September 20, 1923. Businessman. University of Kentucky, B.S., 1947.
He joined Jerrico, Inc. in 1948 when it consisted of two hamburger stands and a sandwich shop. He became Chief Executive Officer in 1957 and President of the company in 1963.
In 1957, he launched a program to franchise Jerry's Restaurants and guided Jerrico, Inc. into becoming a publicly owned company...
1932 - 2007
Banker.
Will Rouse was born in Lexington on August 4, 1932. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1954, having played on the basketball team under Adolph Rupp. After a stint as a Captain in the Air Force from 1955 to 1958, he began his banking career with the Security Trust Company. In 1963, Mr. Rouse became a loan officer and in 1973 was promoted to the head of the retail...
Adolph Rupp
University of Kentucky Head Coach
1930- 1972
He was born September 2, 1901 in Halstead Kansas. He grew up on his immigrant parent’s farm. His father died when he was just nine years old. He was instilled at an early age the value of hard...
1793 - 1870
Silversmith and Banker.
David A. Sayre was born near Madison, New Jersey during March 1793. He arrived in Lexington during the spring of 1811 and apprenticed himself in the silversmith business. By putting in long hours, within a few years he was able to purchase the silversmith business and by 1823 branched out into the private banking business under the trade name of D. A. Sayre...
1820 - 1899
Banker
Ephraim D. Sayre was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on September 25, 1820, a nephew of David A. Sayre. His father was James C. Sayre and his mother was Elizabeth P. Hamilton, who was a relative of Alexander Hamilton. In 1825, his family moved to Louisville where his father engaged in coach trimming and farming. In February 1848, Mr. Sayre moved to Lexington to become an assistant...
1851 - 1920
Attorney.
John T. Shelby was born in Springfield, Kentucky on January 25, 1851 and came to live on his father's farm in Lexington during 1854. He was educated at Centre College and the Kentucky University before graduating from Princeton in 1870. He began practicing law in Lexington during 1872 and served as City Attorney from 1873 to 1874. During September 1875, he entered into a law...
Simon Kenton
(1755- 1836)
Simon was born on April 3, 1755 in Fauquier County Virginia. He was the seventh of nine children, who preferred helping his father on the family farm to school. When he was 15 years old he fell in love with Ellen...
William “King” Solomon is counted among the town’s earliest characters. Reputedly the son of a wealthy Virginia family, he migrated to Lexington and took up residence – as the town drunk. He had grown up in Virginia, not far from where Henry Clay was born. Solomon...
1858 – 1948
Attorney
Charles H. Stoll was born in Lexington in 1858, the fourth son of George H. Stoll, Sr. He graduated from Transylvania College and in 1886 entered the practice of law. Stoll was one of the founders of the Electric Street Railway Company, George Stoll & Sons (with his father – traded in bonded whiskey). In 1886, he became associated with the Kentucky Union Railroad and...
1841 – 1914
Banker and Revenue Agent
George J. Stoll, Jr. was born in Lexington on December 22, 1841, the first son of George J. Stoll, Sr. After graduating from Transylvania with high honors, he spent a year in Cincinnati studying business before returning to Lexington in 1858. He became a bookkeeper with the Agricultural Deposit Bank and in 1861 was elected City Clerk (serving for four years)....
1819 – 1893
Internal Revenue Assessor
George J. Stoll, Sr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1819 and moved to Lexington in 1840. Stoll entered the cabinet and furniture making business in 1845 with John L. Patterson. At the start of the Civil War, President Lincoln appointed him Internal Revenue Bureau Assessor. His salary was $1,400 per year. He held that...
1855- 1908
Distiller and Banker
James S. Stoll was born in Lexington in 1855, the third son of George J. Stoll, Sr. In 1881 he invested, along with his brother, in Stoll, Clay & Company. In 1891, Stoll and Sanford K. Vannatta established a partnership, known as Stoll, Vannatta & Company, to wholesale whiskey. At the time of his death in 1908, he was President of the Stoll & Company (...
1864 – 1929
Banker
J. Will Stoll was born in Lexington on September 11, 1864, the fifth son of George J. Stoll, Sr. After graduating from Transylvania University in 1882, he became a messenger for the Lexington City National Bank. During the 1890s Stoll became the bank’s Cashier and in 1908 its President. After the merger in 1913, with the First National Bank, he became the President of the First...
1851 – 1903
Distiller and Attorney
Richard P. Stoll was born in Lexington on January 21, 1851, the second son of George J. Stoll, Sr. He attended Kentucky University, graduating in 1868. In 1875, Stoll was elected to the Kentucky Legislature (serving one term). In 1877, he became the Deputy Director of the Internal Revenue Bureau in Lexington and the next year Commissioner of the Internal Revenue...
1851 – 1925
Grocer and Horsemen. Preston Kinzea Stone opened a small grocery store in Georgetown, Kentucky, during 1876 “with only two hundred dollars” to his name. He was extremely successful and expanded into the wholesale grocery business. He became wealthy and had a number of interests. He also became a horseman, with thoroughbred and trotters, and won the Kentucky Derby in 1891.
...
1817 - 1893
Farmer and Banker.
Colonel Robert R. Stone was born in Madison County, Kentucky on August 24, 1817. He was a graduate of the Harvard Law School, but never practiced law. After receiving a large inheritance, he operated a large farm in Madison County until the outbreak of the Civil War. He served as a Colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War.
After the war, Colonel Stone...
- 1898
Clothier and Banker.
Louis Straus was born in Lexington and established Straus Brothers (a gentlemen's clothing store) with his brother Gus Straus, sometime prior to 1881. He was also President of the City's Board of Aldermen during the 1890s. Mr. Straus was elected President of the Central Bank in 1893 and served until his death in 1898. After his death, his store continued to...
Born in Lackey, Kentucky on July 31, 1924. Diversified Industry Executive. University of Kentucky, B.S., 1946.
William Sturgill became deeply involved in the coal business in 1959, when he joined with long-time coal operator Dick Kelly and formed Kentucky Oak Mining. Together they pioneered surface mining and reclamation techniques and built the largest coal auger in the world. In 1970, they sold the...
1825 – 1911
Land Speculator and Distiller
William Tarr was born on June 22, 1825, in Paris, Kentucky. His first business venture was cultivation of a watermelon patch on the family farm. With these funds, he became a mule trader and farmer. Before the Civil War, he entered the distilling business and in 1871 established Wm. Tarr & Company – which acquired the Ashland Distillery in Lexington,...
1925 - 2006
Banker.
Neilan Thurman was born in Letcher County, Kentucky on March 19, 1925. During the Second World War, he served in the U. S. Navy in the South Pacific and Philippine Islands. After the war, he attended the University of Kentucky, graduating with high distinction in 1949, and began working for the First National Bank and Trust Company in 1951. He became an Assistant Cashier in...
1812 - 1878
Banker.
John B. Tilford was born on March 4, 1812, the son of John Tilford, President of the Bank of the United States’ branch in Lexington and later of the Northern Bank of Kentucky. Mr. Tilford and James Hanna operated J. B. Tilford & Company, a retail grocery, in downtown Lexington during the 1840s and 1850s. In September 1849, Mr. Tilford succeeded Robert S. Todd as President...
1791 - 1849
Attorney, Cotton & Dry Goods Merchant and Banker.
Robert S. Todd was born in Lexington, Kentucky around 1791, the son of Levi Todd - one of the town founders. After receiving an education at Transylvania University, he was admitted to the Kentucky Bar on September 11, 1811. Prior to the outbreak of the War of 1812, he was among the organizers of the Lexington Light Artillery...
Born in Glensboro, Anderson County, Ky., on May 31, 1870. Attorney. Author. University of Kentucky, Ll.B., 1912; Ll.D., 1930. Died, July 25, 1964.
Although he began the practice of law in Lexington following receipt of his law degree from the University of Kentucky in 1912, he was better known as an author and as an authority on Abraham Lincoln. His Lincoln collection was one of the most extensive in the...
Born in Knox County, Kentucky, on October 19, 1898. Died, April 3, 1990. Engineer. Businessman. University of Kentucky, B.S., 1921.
His rise in the business world was steady. He was an engineer, manager and Director with the Petroleum Exploration Company until 1942 when he became a Vice President and Director of The Standard Oil Company (Ohio) at Cleveland. He was President of the Sohio Petroleum Company...
1824 - 1889
Merchant and Banker.
Captain John B. Wilgus was born in Lexington, Kentucky on March 22, 1824. After his father's death, when just twelve years old, he was left with the responsibility of caring for his widowed mother, younger brother and sisters. For the next six years, he engaged in the hauling brick for the buildings being erected around Lexington.
Around 1844 he secured a...
Horse Trader and Livery Stable Owner. Garrett D. Wilson was a noted dealer in horses, who in 1880 opened the “Horseman’s Headquarters” on Main Street, adjacent to the Phoenix Hotel. He conducted many of the noted auctions of thoroughbred and trotters during this period. During the Spanish American War, he supplied all the cavalry mounts for the U. S. Army in Cuba. In 1902, he acted as agent for James Ben Ali...
1848 - 1908
Hemp Merchant and Banker.
Avery S. Winston was born during 1848 in New Orleans. After attending college in New Jersey, he traveled to Germany in 1860 to complete his education. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Mr. Winston returned to America and enlisted in the Confederate Army's famed Washington Artillery Unit. In 1862, he was transferred to the Confederate Navy and fought in the...
- 1929
Distiller
Joseph Wolf was born in Darmstadt, Germany, and immigrated to Chicago in his early teens. Arriving in steerage, he worked at odd jobs until he landed a job of liquidating a stock of whiskey on commission. He became a successful whiskey broker. He was a founder of the National Wholesale Liquor Dealers Association in 1895. Wolf began distributing Old Pepper when he purchased...
Born in Lexington, Kentucky, on February 15, 1918. Died, January 13, 2004. Engineer. Business Executive. University of Kentucky, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, 1939.
He began his career as an engineer with the Bailey Meter Company, a subsidiary of General Electric and Babcock and Wilcox, and remained with this firm until 1941, when he entered military service.
He served with the Ordinance...
1918 - 2005
Businessman.
William T. Young was born on April 15, 1918 in Lexington. After returning from the Army in 1946, Mr. Young established W. T. Young Foods Inc., the producer of the "Big Top" brand of peanut butter. In 1955, he sold the firm to Proctor & Gamble Company, which continues to produce peanut butter in Lexington under the "Jiff" brand name. During 1957, he established W. T....
