Newton Eldred Retallick

Newton E. Retallick. A busy, useful and eventful career has been that of this well known citizen and substantial business man of Battle Creek, where he conducts a large and prosperous enterprise in the handling of ajl kinds of real estate and as representative of a number of the leading insurance companies doing business in Michigan. His is one of the moat extensive and prosperous insurance agencies in Calhoun county, and he also maintains a department for the extension of financial loans on'approved real estate security. Through thorough knowledge of his chosen lines of endeavor he has won distinctive precedence and success and he is now recognized as one of the leading real estate and insurance men of his home county, where he has secure place in popular confidence and esteem. He has been a resident of Battle Creek for more than thirty years and is a schon of one of the sterling pioneer families of the. Wolverine state.

Mr. Retallick was born on a farm in Climax township, Kalamazoo county, Michigan, on the 3d of June, 1857, and is a son of John Truscott Retallick and Hilinda (Newton) Retallick, who were numbered among the early settlers in that township, where the father became a prosperous agriculturist and stock-grower. He continued to be identified with these great basic industries throughout his entire active career and was sixty-nine years of age at the time of his death, which occurred with but slight premonition, in March, 1904, in the court house at Marshall, the judicial center of Calhoun eoUnty, where he had accompanied his son Newton E., of this review, for the purpose of transacting certain business. Six children, three sons and three daughters were born of this union. The mother is living in Climax Vjllage and her age is seventy-five years.

Newton E. Retallick was reared under the invigorating discipline of the home farm, where he early learned the lessons of practical industry, and in the meanwhile he duly availed himself of the advantages of the common schools of the locality and period. He was an appreciative student and made good use of his opportunitira, as is shown by the fact that when nineteen years of age he proved himself eligible for pedagogic honors. During five winter terms he was a successful teacher in the district schools, a portion of the time in Kalamazoo county and the remainder in Calhoun county. In the spring of 1881 he was elected township superintendent of schools of Climax township, Kalamazoo county, and in that year he assisted in the election of the first county superintendent of schools for that county, under the new laws of the sta.te, the incumbent for the first term having been chosen by the township superintendents and later elections having been of popular order. After serving as township superintendent for somewhat less than one year Mr. Retallick resigned his office, and assumed the position of brakeman on the Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway. Under these conditions he removed his family to Battle Creek in September, 1881, and here he has since maintained his home. After serving as brakeman for eighteen months Mr. Retallick was promoted to the position of conductor of a freight train, and after holding this position nearly two years he abandoned railroad work and became agent for the underwriting of life and accident insurance. A year later he engaged in the grocery business on East Main street. Battle Creek, and though he soon adopted an exclusively cash policy, in the face of dire predictions on the part of his friends and other business men, he made the enterprise a profitable one under this system. He retired from the retail grocery trade after a period of three years and accepted a position with the Canada & St. Louis Railroad, whose line is now known as the Battle Creek division of the Michigan Central Railroad. At the expiration of ten months he again entered the, service of the Grand Trunk Railroad and was soon given the position of conductor, in which

Hosted by

Google lie eoutinued to serve for twelve years, his last trip having been made in April, 1902. He was in a number of railway wrecks during his long period of careful and effective service, and on two occasions he narrowly escaped death. In 1899 he was in a serious collision at South Bend, Indiana, the patent couplers on his train having pulled apart when the train was running at a speed of fifty miles an hour, and the rear end of the train having crashed into the front section. He was on the steps of a coach in the rear section and in the impact was rendered unconscious and reported killed. He did not regain consciousness for two and one-half hours and when his wife arrived on the scene the next day she did not expect to find him alive.

"While still actively identified with railway work Mr. Ketaliick began making a special study of insurance business in all lines, and in April, 1902, he again turned his attention to this field of enterprise, in which his success has been unqualified and substantial. He is agent for the following named life-insurance companies; The Old Line Bankers' Life Insurance Company, of Lincoln, Nebraska; the Wisconsin National Life Insurance Company, of Oshkosh, "Wisconsin; the Aetna, of Hartford, Connecticut; and the American Surety Company, of New York. He is the only agent in Battle Creek who does insurance underwriting on live stock, and in this line he represents the National Live Stock Insurance Company, of Indianapolis, Indiana. He is also local agent for the following named fire and accident companies; Fireman's Underwriters, of Newark, New Jersey; Northwestern National, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Glens Falls, of New York; National Ben Franklin Lumber Insurance Company, of New York; and the Continental Casualty, of Chicago. It is probable that few if any other insurance agents in Michigan have contracts with a larger number of companies than has Mr. Ketallick. He further is agent for the New Jersey Plate Glass Insurance Company and the Fidelity & Deposit Company of Maryland, each of which give insurance against burglary on banks, residences and other properties, and the former indemnity on general accidents to plate glass.

In September, 1905, Mr. Ketallick expanded the scope of his enterprise by engaging also in the real estate busine in which he formed a partnership with Michael H. Vernon, under the firm name of Vernon & Retallick. The alliance was dissolved on the 15th of February, 1909, and Mr. Retallick has since conducted an individual enterprise in this important department, his son being his effective assistant m the handling of the large volume of business of which he is the executive head. He has never lacked in independence and self-reliance Mi E. P. Boggs is the sales manager for Mr. Ketallick, He has the most complete general insurance office in the city and his real estate operations are of broad scope, including the handling of both urban and farm property, the renting of farms, residences, business places, and collection of rents. His son, Eldred A. has, general supervision of outside work in the insurance department of the business, collection of rents, etc.

In politics Mr. Retallick gives his allegiance to the Republican party, and while he has never been ambitious for public office his civic loyalty has never been lacking, so that he proved a valuable member of the board of aldermen of Battle Creek, to which he was elected in 1903, as representative of the Fifth ward. He was made chairman of the water-works and sewer committee, and a member of the committees on bridges, public lighting, and building inspection and permits. He proved a progressive and valued member of this municipal body and served as alderman for two years. He and his family are zealous members of the First Methodist Episcopal church in their home city and he has been a trustee of the same for more than thirty years, besides which he served for some

Hosted by

Google time as classleader. Mr. Eetallick has long been identified with the Order of Railway Conductors, and he has killed nearly all of the ofdcea in the local division of the same, being its legislative representative at the time of this writing, in 1912, He is also afSliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of the Modern Maccabees and the Independent Order of Foresters, Reverting to here to his connection with the Order of Railway Conductors, it may be noted that in November, 1903, he was elected chief conductor of Division No, 6, and, in company with his wife he attended the convention of the grand division, at Detroit; as did he later at Denver, Colorado, though he was not a delegate to the latter assembly. He is the owner of valuable realty in Battle Creek, including his handsome residence, at 251 Main street, east, and the substantial two-story brick business block at 247 Main street, east, the latter having been erected by him in 1888.

On the 17th of October, 1878, at Climax, Kalamazoo county, was solemnized the marriage of Mr, Retallick to Miss Eunice Ann Eldred, who was born and reared in that county and who is a daughter of the late John A. and Polly. J. (Peckham) Eldred. The former passed the closing years of his life at Charleston township, Kalamazoo county, having devoted his active career to farming. His widow resides in Battle Creek. Mr. and Mrs. Retallick have two children, both of whom were born and reared in Battle Creek. Edith Blanche, who was graduated in the high school as a member of the class of 1903, is now the wife of Edward C. Galloway, of Battle Creek; and Eldred Austin is associated with his father in business, as has already been noted in this contest.

Mr. Retallick is deeply appreciative of the manifold attractions of his native land and has indulged himself and his family in extensive travel in the various sections of the United States, believing it the proper policy to "see America first." In 1889, in company with his wife and daughter, he made an extended trip through the west, and they visited the principal points of interest in Colorado, including Canyon City, where the excursion party was tendered a fine banquet by the citizens. Passing through and visiting the leading cities and towns of Utah and Montana, as well as Washington and Oregon, Mr. Retallick and his wife and daughter arrived in Seattle three days prior to the great fire which swept that city. The journey included an interesting trip on Puget Sound, and from Portland the party proceeded by the Mount Shasta route to San Francisco and Sacramento. Returning to Portland, the trip was made up the beautiful Columbia river, and then the return journey came, with short visits in Nebraska and Iowa. Mr. Retallick and his family were absent from home two months and traveled a distance of eight thousand one hundred and fifty miles. Mr. Retallick visited the Centennial exposition, in Philadelphia, in 1876, and incidentally made a trip to Niagara Falls and to points of interest in Canada. In 1893, accompanied by his wife and daughter, he attended the "World's Columbian exposition, in Chicago, and about seven years later he and his family made a trip to Niagara Falls and into Canada. In 1905 Mr. Retallick made another extended and most interesting trip through the west and on this occasion he was accompanied by his wife, his mother and his sister. They traversed the entire Pacific coast of the United States and covered a distance of more than eight thousand miles, as had been done sixteen years previously. Incidentally the party attended the great exposition in the city of Portland, and the entire trip was one that proved most interesting and profitable. Mr. Retallick fully appreciates the broadening influence of travel, and has gained a wide knowledge of his native land, so that his admiration for and love of the same have been greatly intensified.

Hosted by

As printed in History of Calhoun county, Michigan; a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principle interests (1913). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.