Cyrus W. Fisher

As printed in 1912

COL. CYRUS W. FISHER, who has been a man of influence and more or less prominence in different sections of the country for very many years, and who is now one of the most distinguished citizens of Bucyrus, O., was born Sept. 22, 1835, at Wayncsvillc, Warren county, O. After several family changes of residence in his boyhood, Cyrus W. Fisher was sent in 1846, by his father, Dr. Fisher, from the pioneer home in Rock county, Wis., to attend school at his birthplace in Ohio. In 1849 Dr. Fisher with the rest of his family also returned to Ohio and the son joined his father at Lebanon in Warren county, and continued his studies while living at home until about 1851. In the above mentioned year he accompanied a corps of railroad engineers and assisted in making surveys through Ohio, being thus occupied until 1854, in which year he entered the employ of the Ohio & Indiana Railroad Company, remaining with that corporation for two years. His next railroad connection was with the Bee Line road, with which he was identified until 1857, being a passenger conductor on the line between Crestline and Indianapolis. He then accepted a position in the office of the superintendent of that road, at Bellefontaine, Ohio, and remained there until President Lincoln’s first call for troops in 1861.

Fie then entered the service of the Federal Government as first lieutenant of Co. F, 23rd O. V. I. His brother officers were men of high character and ability and several of them later achieved national distinction. His colonel was W. S. Rosecrans, his lieutenant colonel, Stanley Matthews, and his major, Rutherford B. Hayes. In July, 1861, the regiment was sent to western Virginia, and in the succeeding November Lieut. Fisher became major of the 54th Ohio Infantry, which regiment, in February, 1862 became a part of the army division that first came under the command of General Sherman, who was then a brigadier. In November, iSbj Major Fisher was again promoted, becoming lieutenant-colonel of the 54th regiment, and as such he was a participant in all the operations of the 15th Army Corps, his valor, coolness and military ability serving well his command on many a battle-field. His faithful service to his cause and country ended only with the close of the war, when he returned to Bellefontaine, where his family then resided.

Immediately after the termination of his military career, Col. Fisher removed to Oskaloosa, Iowa, with the idea of entering upon the practice of law, having been admitted to the Ohio bar in 1864. lie first, however, went into journalism, purchasing the Oskaloosa Herald, which he conducted until 1868, when he disposed of it and opened a law office. His prospects were encouraging, but by this time he had found the climate not favorable to his health, and when it became a matter of necessity for him to find a less trying one, his thoughts again turned to railroading, in which field he felt at home. Accordingly he shortly afterward accepted the position of superintendent and general freight and ticket agent in the more congenial climate of Colorado, being the first incumbent of that office for the Denver Pacific line in that state.

Col. Fisher’s identification with the Denver Pacific, the Kansas Pacific, and the Colorado Central railroads continued until the summer of 1878, when lie was made superintendent of the Mountain Division of the Union Pacific Railroad. He held this latter position until 1879, when he resigned in order to become general superintendent of the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad, of which he was also a director and second vice president. In September, 1882, he became general manager of the New Orleans & Denver Railroad Company, of which in 1883 he was elected general manager and president. In 1884-5 he was general manager and lessee of this road, but resigned in March, 1886, in order to accept the position of general manager of the Rock Island Railroad lines west of the Missouri river.

From 1886 to 1888 his time was completely taken up in the construction and putting into operation of thirteen hundred miles of trackage. Family affliction in the death of his wife, which took place in this year, induced his resignation, his need of rest and recreation being apparent to all his friends. These he found in a trip to Europe, where, during a stay of six months, he visited many points of interest. The year 1 884 found him once more in his native state and subsequently be became a settled citizen of Bucyrus, where he

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COL. CYRUS W. FISI1KK made investments and purchased a comfortable and attractive residence at No. 125 Renssalaer street. After locating in this city he became connected with the Erey-Sheckler Clay Working Company, later known as the American Clay Machinery Company. At the present writing he is president of the Bucyrus Public Library, also of the Bucyrus Hospital Association, and of the Fairbanks Steam Shovel Company, of Marion, Ohio. He has been very active in Grand Army circles and has served for several years as commander of the post at Bucyrus.

For many years Col. Fisher has been a leading factor in Republican politics, and was a hearty and effective worker for the late President William McKinley, who was an old army comrade and a personal friend. In 1896 Col. luther visited Denver, Colo, in a political capacity, just at the time that the Denver, Cripple Creek & Southwestern Railroad was being organized, and the presidency of this company being tendered him, he accepted it and held the office for two years. Other interests, however, soon claimed his attention and he retired permanently from participation in railroad affairs.

Col. Fisher was first married at Bellefontaine, O., in 1859, to Miss Sallie M. Dunham. She died Sept. 25, 1860, being survived for a few weeks by an infant son. The Colonel’s second marriage was contracted in 1864 with Miss Martha I. I fetich, who was born in Crawford county, O. Her death took place in 1888, at Hot Springs, Ark. In 1891 Col. Fisher married Mrs. Mary D. Beer, a lady well known in Bucyrus. To his second marriage ten children were born, two of whom survive — Cyrus II. and Sallie. Col. Fisher is a thirty-second degree Mason, having been identified with the fraternity for the past 54 years. Fie manifests a thorough interest in all that concerns the welfare of Bucyrus, which he has shown by action whenever a good example was needed or when called upon to aid in a worthy cause. Every practical movement for the moral and material betterment of the community has had his cordial support. File extent of his private charities will never be fully known, for, like every true gentleman, he dislikes ostentation, satisfied with the approval of his own conscience in whatever he may do for his fellow man.

As printed in History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1912). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.