The full biographical sketch as printed, transcribed from the public-domain book. Spelling and wording are the original author’s; a few scanning errors may remain.
JAMES P. ANDERSON.
Anderson, who has given his whole active life to the business except during a few years, when he was prominent in connection with circus, enterprises.
James P. Anderson was born at Cadiz, Harrison county, Ohio, in 1841, and his father was John Anderson, a native of Scotland, who became promi- nent as a farmer in that county. After some years’ connection with the local omnibus line at Wheeling, West Virginia, he was, in 1864, appointed by the receiver of the Kinsman street railway of Cleveland, Ohio, superintendent of that line and managed it successfully until 1866, when it was finally cleared from indebtedness and was returned to the control of the company which had previously operated it. In 1866 he came to Columbus and took charge of the old omnibus line with which Dr. Hawk was identified as the directing spirit, which then covered the whole city except High street, which had a short street railway line. After Dr. Hawk sold out the enterprise to the Columbus Transfer Company Mr. Anderson was for twelve years a partner with B. E. Wallace, of Peru, Indiana, in the ownership and management of the Great Wallace Shows, his interest in which he eventually sold to Mr. Wallace, who has continued the enterprise to this time.
While Mr. Anderson was in Europe Adam Forepaugii died and James A. Bailey purchased the great circus enterprise which Mr. Forepaugii had built up and required a manager for the concern, and he telegraphed Mr. Anderson to return to America and take the show in hand, and Mr. Ander- son managed it successfully for five years. After Mr. Bailey assumed con- trol of the Buffalo, Bill Wild West, Mr. Anderson represented Mr. Bailey’s interest in that concern for four years, until 1898, when he returned to Colum- bus to become the manager for the Columbus Transfer Company.
Mr. Anderson is a thirty-third-degree Mason and is personally acquainted with prominent Masons in all parts of the country and with many in Europe. He was married while a resident of Wheeling, West Virginia, to Miss Esther Jane Packer, a daughter of Isaac Packer, proprietor of the Union Hotel of that city, and has three children: James, a plumber of Columbus; Anna, who married P. J. Cassidy, of Columbus ; and Sally, who is a member of her parents’ household.
Mrs.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Record of Franklin County, Ohio. See the original pages at the Internet Archive.
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