◦EDMUND JOSEPH PHELPS.
Since 1878 Edmund Joseph Phelps has been actively associated with the progress and development of Minneapolis. He was born on a farm near Cleveland, Ohio, on the 17th of January, 1845, a son of Joseph Edmund and Ursula (Wright) Phelps. Colonial patriots were the forebears of Mr. Phelps, the progenitor of the family in this country having been William Phelps, who came from Tewksbury, England, and located in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1630. He resided in Dorchester for a number of years and then removed to Windsor, Connecticut. Joseph Edmund Phelps established himself on a farm in Brecksville, near Cleveland, Ohio, and resided there for many years. He was one of the foremost agriculturists of that community, living to the venerable age of ninety and spending his last years with his son.
Edmund Joseph Phelps was reared on the home farm and received his early education in the public schools of Brecksville, Ohio. Later he entered the preparatory department of Baldwin University at Berea, Ohio, and subsequently he became a student in the preparatory department of Oberlin College. In 1864, after completing a business course, he was offered a position as teacher in the Northwestern Business College at Aurora, Illinois, and he was active in that capacity for two years. At the termination of that time he engaged in the banking business with the firm of Valentine & Williams, at Aurora, and there gained his first practical experience in the banking business. In 1870 he resigned his position at the bank and engaged in the furniture trade, organizing the firm of E. J. Phelps & Company. Eight years later, however, he disposed of that business and came to Minneapolis, purchasing the furniture business of J. B. Hanson. Soon afterward he formed a partnership with J. S. Bradstreet, under the style of Phelps & Bradstreet, and this firm built up a successful business in artistic furniture and house furnishings. Its trade extended throughout the Northwest and its taste and artistic skill marked a long step forward in the progress of domestic art in this city. In 1883 Mr. Phelps withdrew from the firm and from the furniture business and later in the same year, in company with E. A. Merrill, he organized the Minnesota Loan & Trust Company, with a capital of two hundred thousand dollars. That concern developed into one of the greatest financial institutions in the city and the Northwest. For many years Mr. Phelps was secretary and treasurer of the institution. A fine fireproof office building (the first in the Northwest), with safety deposit vaults, was built on Nicollet avenue. The business grew rapidly from the first under the able management of Mr. Phelps and Mr. Merrill. The Minnesota Loan & Trust Company was the pioneer organization in this line of financial business and has been the model for many similar institutions as the years have passed. For nearly a decade Mr. Phelps was associated with the activities of the institution. He then withdrew from the company and went into the elevator business. For some time he was associated with the Peavey interests and he became president of the Belt Line Elevator Company.
Since 1879 Mr. Phelps has been a member of the Board of Trade and he was president of that body in 1884 and 1885. The idea of holding a great harvest festival in this city, as an expression of thanksgiving for the abundant harvest of 1891, was first suggested by Mr. Phelps, and he was a dominant factor in promoting the enterprise and securing its success. In 1892 he assisted in the distribution of the cargoes of relief ships sent to Russia. He is a man of varied business interests and was one of the prime movers in the establishment of the Minneapolis Business Union, of which body he was chief executive in 1892. This organization did much to induce manufacturers and jobbers to establish themselves in this city. Other institutions to which he has lent his cooperation are the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, the Brown & Haywood Glass Company, the Northwestern Elevator Company, the National Bank of Commerce, the Moore Carving Machine Company and the Phelps-Eastman Company, being vice president of the last named.
On the 16th of September, 1874, Mr. Phelps married Miss Louisa A. Richardson, a resident of Aurora, Illinois. She is the daughter of Charles R. and Ruth (Shepard) Richardson and is descended from colonial forefathers and Revolutionary patriots. Mr. and Mrs. Richardson were natives of Salem, Massachusetts. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Phelps five children have been born: Ruth, Richardson, Edmund J., Jr., and two who have passed away. A sketch of Richardson Phelps appears elsewhere in this work.
Mr. Phelps has always given his political endorsement to the republican party and in 1892 he was elected treasurer of the national republican convention. He has always been a leader in the public life of this city. In 1905 he was elected a member of the park board, and at the expiration of his first and second terms of six years each he was reelected and is now finishing his eighteenth year of consecutive service. For two years he was president of the board. Socially Mr. Phelps is one of the most genial and democratic of the prosperous citizens of Minneapolis. He is a member of the Minneapolis Club, Woodhill Club, Minikanda Club, Lafayette Club, Automobile Club, Minneapolis Whist Club and the Society of Colonial Wars. In 1898 he was president of the Commercial Club and was active in accomplishing the absorption, of the Board of Trade that was effected in that year. He is likewise a member of the Minnetonka Yacht Club and was commodore of that organization. His keen appreciation for the cultural interests of life is indicated in the fact that he has been a trustee of the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts for many years, was one of the organizers of the Orchestral Association of Minneapolis and has long been a leading figure in aesthetic, musical and art circles of the city. Mr. Phelps has always led an active life. In fact, he has ever been regarded as the strongest center of the community in which he moves and his example as a citizen is an inspiration to younger men. In his business life his course has been marked by continuous advancement and each forward step has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities.
History of Minneapolis, Gateway to the Northwest
Shutter, Marion Daniel
The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Minneapolis
1923, 3 volumes
Since 1878 Edmund Joseph Phelps has been actively associated with the progress and development of Minneapolis. He was born on a farm near Cleveland, Ohio, on the 17th of January, 1845, a son of Joseph Edmund and Ursula (Wright) Phelps. Colonial patriots were the forebears of Mr. Phelps, the progenitor of the family in this country having been William Phelps, who came from Tewksbury, England, and located in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1630. He resided in Dorchester for a number of years and then removed to Windsor, Connecticut. Joseph Edmund Phelps established himself on a farm in Brecksville, near Cleveland, Ohio, and resided there for many years. He was one of the foremost agriculturists of that community, living to the venerable age of ninety and spending his last years with his son.
Edmund Joseph Phelps was reared on the home farm and received his early education in the public schools of Brecksville, Ohio. Later he entered the preparatory department of Baldwin University at Berea, Ohio, and subsequently he became a student in the preparatory department of Oberlin College. In 1864, after completing a business course, he was offered a position as teacher in the Northwestern Business College at Aurora, Illinois, and he was active in that capacity for two years. At the termination of that time he engaged in the banking business with the firm of Valentine & Williams, at Aurora, and there gained his first practical experience in the banking business. In 1870 he resigned his position at the bank and engaged in the furniture trade, organizing the firm of E. J. Phelps & Company. Eight years later, however, he disposed of that business and came to Minneapolis, purchasing the furniture business of J. B. Hanson. Soon afterward he formed a partnership with J. S. Bradstreet, under the style of Phelps & Bradstreet, and this firm built up a successful business in artistic furniture and house furnishings. Its trade extended throughout the Northwest and its taste and artistic skill marked a long step forward in the progress of domestic art in this city. In 1883 Mr. Phelps withdrew from the firm and from the furniture business and later in the same year, in company with E. A. Merrill, he organized the Minnesota Loan & Trust Company, with a capital of two hundred thousand dollars. That concern developed into one of the greatest financial institutions in the city and the Northwest. For many years Mr. Phelps was secretary and treasurer of the institution. A fine fireproof office building (the first in the Northwest), with safety deposit vaults, was built on Nicollet avenue. The business grew rapidly from the first under the able management of Mr. Phelps and Mr. Merrill. The Minnesota Loan & Trust Company was the pioneer organization in this line of financial business and has been the model for many similar institutions as the years have passed. For nearly a decade Mr. Phelps was associated with the activities of the institution. He then withdrew from the company and went into the elevator business. For some time he was associated with the Peavey interests and he became president of the Belt Line Elevator Company.
Since 1879 Mr. Phelps has been a member of the Board of Trade and he was president of that body in 1884 and 1885. The idea of holding a great harvest festival in this city, as an expression of thanksgiving for the abundant harvest of 1891, was first suggested by Mr. Phelps, and he was a dominant factor in promoting the enterprise and securing its success. In 1892 he assisted in the distribution of the cargoes of relief ships sent to Russia. He is a man of varied business interests and was one of the prime movers in the establishment of the Minneapolis Business Union, of which body he was chief executive in 1892. This organization did much to induce manufacturers and jobbers to establish themselves in this city. Other institutions to which he has lent his cooperation are the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, the Brown & Haywood Glass Company, the Northwestern Elevator Company, the National Bank of Commerce, the Moore Carving Machine Company and the Phelps-Eastman Company, being vice president of the last named.
On the 16th of September, 1874, Mr. Phelps married Miss Louisa A. Richardson, a resident of Aurora, Illinois. She is the daughter of Charles R. and Ruth (Shepard) Richardson and is descended from colonial forefathers and Revolutionary patriots. Mr. and Mrs. Richardson were natives of Salem, Massachusetts. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Phelps five children have been born: Ruth, Richardson, Edmund J., Jr., and two who have passed away. A sketch of Richardson Phelps appears elsewhere in this work.
Mr. Phelps has always given his political endorsement to the republican party and in 1892 he was elected treasurer of the national republican convention. He has always been a leader in the public life of this city. In 1905 he was elected a member of the park board, and at the expiration of his first and second terms of six years each he was reelected and is now finishing his eighteenth year of consecutive service. For two years he was president of the board. Socially Mr. Phelps is one of the most genial and democratic of the prosperous citizens of Minneapolis. He is a member of the Minneapolis Club, Woodhill Club, Minikanda Club, Lafayette Club, Automobile Club, Minneapolis Whist Club and the Society of Colonial Wars. In 1898 he was president of the Commercial Club and was active in accomplishing the absorption, of the Board of Trade that was effected in that year. He is likewise a member of the Minnetonka Yacht Club and was commodore of that organization. His keen appreciation for the cultural interests of life is indicated in the fact that he has been a trustee of the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts for many years, was one of the organizers of the Orchestral Association of Minneapolis and has long been a leading figure in aesthetic, musical and art circles of the city. Mr. Phelps has always led an active life. In fact, he has ever been regarded as the strongest center of the community in which he moves and his example as a citizen is an inspiration to younger men. In his business life his course has been marked by continuous advancement and each forward step has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities.
History of Minneapolis, Gateway to the Northwest
Shutter, Marion Daniel
The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Minneapolis
1923, 3 volumes
◦EDMUND JOSEPH PHELPS.
Since 1878 Edmund Joseph Phelps has been actively associated with the progress and development of Minneapolis. He was born on a farm near Cleveland, Ohio, on the 17th of January, 1845, a son of Joseph Edmund and Ursula (Wright) Phelps. Colonial patriots were the forebears of Mr. Phelps, the progenitor of the family in this country having been William Phelps, who came from Tewksbury, England, and located in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1630. He resided in Dorchester for a number of years and then removed to Windsor, Connecticut. Joseph Edmund Phelps established himself on a farm in Brecksville, near Cleveland, Ohio, and resided there for many years. He was one of the foremost agriculturists of that community, living to the venerable age of ninety and spending his last years with his son.
Edmund Joseph Phelps was reared on the home farm and received his early education in the public schools of Brecksville, Ohio. Later he entered the preparatory department of Baldwin University at Berea, Ohio, and subsequently he became a student in the preparatory department of Oberlin College. In 1864, after completing a business course, he was offered a position as teacher in the Northwestern Business College at Aurora, Illinois, and he was active in that capacity for two years. At the termination of that time he engaged in the banking business with the firm of Valentine & Williams, at Aurora, and there gained his first practical experience in the banking business. In 1870 he resigned his position at the bank and engaged in the furniture trade, organizing the firm of E. J. Phelps & Company. Eight years later, however, he disposed of that business and came to Minneapolis, purchasing the furniture business of J. B. Hanson. Soon afterward he formed a partnership with J. S. Bradstreet, under the style of Phelps & Bradstreet, and this firm built up a successful business in artistic furniture and house furnishings. Its trade extended throughout the Northwest and its taste and artistic skill marked a long step forward in the progress of domestic art in this city. In 1883 Mr. Phelps withdrew from the firm and from the furniture business and later in the same year, in company with E. A. Merrill, he organized the Minnesota Loan & Trust Company, with a capital of two hundred thousand dollars. That concern developed into one of the greatest financial institutions in the city and the Northwest. For many years Mr. Phelps was secretary and treasurer of the institution. A fine fireproof office building (the first in the Northwest), with safety deposit vaults, was built on Nicollet avenue. The business grew rapidly from the first under the able management of Mr. Phelps and Mr. Merrill. The Minnesota Loan & Trust Company was the pioneer organization in this line of financial business and has been the model for many similar institutions as the years have passed. For nearly a decade Mr. Phelps was associated with the activities of the institution. He then withdrew from the company and went into the elevator business. For some time he was associated with the Peavey interests and he became president of the Belt Line Elevator Company.
Since 1879 Mr. Phelps has been a member of the Board of Trade and he was president of that body in 1884 and 1885. The idea of holding a great harvest festival in this city, as an expression of thanksgiving for the abundant harvest of 1891, was first suggested by Mr. Phelps, and he was a dominant factor in promoting the enterprise and securing its success. In 1892 he assisted in the distribution of the cargoes of relief ships sent to Russia. He is a man of varied business interests and was one of the prime movers in the establishment of the Minneapolis Business Union, of which body he was chief executive in 1892. This organization did much to induce manufacturers and jobbers to establish themselves in this city. Other institutions to which he has lent his cooperation are the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, the Brown & Haywood Glass Company, the Northwestern Elevator Company, the National Bank of Commerce, the Moore Carving Machine Company and the Phelps-Eastman Company, being vice president of the last named.
On the 16th of September, 1874, Mr. Phelps married Miss Louisa A. Richardson, a resident of Aurora, Illinois. She is the daughter of Charles R. and Ruth (Shepard) Richardson and is descended from colonial forefathers and Revolutionary patriots. Mr. and Mrs. Richardson were natives of Salem, Massachusetts. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Phelps five children have been born: Ruth, Richardson, Edmund J., Jr., and two who have passed away. A sketch of Richardson Phelps appears elsewhere in this work.
Mr. Phelps has always given his political endorsement to the republican party and in 1892 he was elected treasurer of the national republican convention. He has always been a leader in the public life of this city. In 1905 he was elected a member of the park board, and at the expiration of his first and second terms of six years each he was reelected and is now finishing his eighteenth year of consecutive service. For two years he was president of the board. Socially Mr. Phelps is one of the most genial and democratic of the prosperous citizens of Minneapolis. He is a member of the Minneapolis Club, Woodhill Club, Minikanda Club, Lafayette Club, Automobile Club, Minneapolis Whist Club and the Society of Colonial Wars. In 1898 he was president of the Commercial Club and was active in accomplishing the absorption, of the Board of Trade that was effected in that year. He is likewise a member of the Minnetonka Yacht Club and was commodore of that organization. His keen appreciation for the cultural interests of life is indicated in the fact that he has been a trustee of the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts for many years, was one of the organizers of the Orchestral Association of Minneapolis and has long been a leading figure in aesthetic, musical and art circles of the city. Mr. Phelps has always led an active life. In fact, he has ever been regarded as the strongest center of the community in which he moves and his example as a citizen is an inspiration to younger men. In his business life his course has been marked by continuous advancement and each forward step has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities.
History of Minneapolis, Gateway to the Northwest
Shutter, Marion Daniel
The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Minneapolis
1923, 3 volumes
Since 1878 Edmund Joseph Phelps has been actively associated with the progress and development of Minneapolis. He was born on a farm near Cleveland, Ohio, on the 17th of January, 1845, a son of Joseph Edmund and Ursula (Wright) Phelps. Colonial patriots were the forebears of Mr. Phelps, the progenitor of the family in this country having been William Phelps, who came from Tewksbury, England, and located in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1630. He resided in Dorchester for a number of years and then removed to Windsor, Connecticut. Joseph Edmund Phelps established himself on a farm in Brecksville, near Cleveland, Ohio, and resided there for many years. He was one of the foremost agriculturists of that community, living to the venerable age of ninety and spending his last years with his son.
Edmund Joseph Phelps was reared on the home farm and received his early education in the public schools of Brecksville, Ohio. Later he entered the preparatory department of Baldwin University at Berea, Ohio, and subsequently he became a student in the preparatory department of Oberlin College. In 1864, after completing a business course, he was offered a position as teacher in the Northwestern Business College at Aurora, Illinois, and he was active in that capacity for two years. At the termination of that time he engaged in the banking business with the firm of Valentine & Williams, at Aurora, and there gained his first practical experience in the banking business. In 1870 he resigned his position at the bank and engaged in the furniture trade, organizing the firm of E. J. Phelps & Company. Eight years later, however, he disposed of that business and came to Minneapolis, purchasing the furniture business of J. B. Hanson. Soon afterward he formed a partnership with J. S. Bradstreet, under the style of Phelps & Bradstreet, and this firm built up a successful business in artistic furniture and house furnishings. Its trade extended throughout the Northwest and its taste and artistic skill marked a long step forward in the progress of domestic art in this city. In 1883 Mr. Phelps withdrew from the firm and from the furniture business and later in the same year, in company with E. A. Merrill, he organized the Minnesota Loan & Trust Company, with a capital of two hundred thousand dollars. That concern developed into one of the greatest financial institutions in the city and the Northwest. For many years Mr. Phelps was secretary and treasurer of the institution. A fine fireproof office building (the first in the Northwest), with safety deposit vaults, was built on Nicollet avenue. The business grew rapidly from the first under the able management of Mr. Phelps and Mr. Merrill. The Minnesota Loan & Trust Company was the pioneer organization in this line of financial business and has been the model for many similar institutions as the years have passed. For nearly a decade Mr. Phelps was associated with the activities of the institution. He then withdrew from the company and went into the elevator business. For some time he was associated with the Peavey interests and he became president of the Belt Line Elevator Company.
Since 1879 Mr. Phelps has been a member of the Board of Trade and he was president of that body in 1884 and 1885. The idea of holding a great harvest festival in this city, as an expression of thanksgiving for the abundant harvest of 1891, was first suggested by Mr. Phelps, and he was a dominant factor in promoting the enterprise and securing its success. In 1892 he assisted in the distribution of the cargoes of relief ships sent to Russia. He is a man of varied business interests and was one of the prime movers in the establishment of the Minneapolis Business Union, of which body he was chief executive in 1892. This organization did much to induce manufacturers and jobbers to establish themselves in this city. Other institutions to which he has lent his cooperation are the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, the Brown & Haywood Glass Company, the Northwestern Elevator Company, the National Bank of Commerce, the Moore Carving Machine Company and the Phelps-Eastman Company, being vice president of the last named.
On the 16th of September, 1874, Mr. Phelps married Miss Louisa A. Richardson, a resident of Aurora, Illinois. She is the daughter of Charles R. and Ruth (Shepard) Richardson and is descended from colonial forefathers and Revolutionary patriots. Mr. and Mrs. Richardson were natives of Salem, Massachusetts. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Phelps five children have been born: Ruth, Richardson, Edmund J., Jr., and two who have passed away. A sketch of Richardson Phelps appears elsewhere in this work.
Mr. Phelps has always given his political endorsement to the republican party and in 1892 he was elected treasurer of the national republican convention. He has always been a leader in the public life of this city. In 1905 he was elected a member of the park board, and at the expiration of his first and second terms of six years each he was reelected and is now finishing his eighteenth year of consecutive service. For two years he was president of the board. Socially Mr. Phelps is one of the most genial and democratic of the prosperous citizens of Minneapolis. He is a member of the Minneapolis Club, Woodhill Club, Minikanda Club, Lafayette Club, Automobile Club, Minneapolis Whist Club and the Society of Colonial Wars. In 1898 he was president of the Commercial Club and was active in accomplishing the absorption, of the Board of Trade that was effected in that year. He is likewise a member of the Minnetonka Yacht Club and was commodore of that organization. His keen appreciation for the cultural interests of life is indicated in the fact that he has been a trustee of the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts for many years, was one of the organizers of the Orchestral Association of Minneapolis and has long been a leading figure in aesthetic, musical and art circles of the city. Mr. Phelps has always led an active life. In fact, he has ever been regarded as the strongest center of the community in which he moves and his example as a citizen is an inspiration to younger men. In his business life his course has been marked by continuous advancement and each forward step has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities.
History of Minneapolis, Gateway to the Northwest
Shutter, Marion Daniel
The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Minneapolis
1923, 3 volumes
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