Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/662

 590 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI tioiiing of its ability to liquidate all its obli- gations at any period in its history. The bank has done much to conserve the best interests of the coinnnuiity in which it is located and those identified with its management have at all times been citizens of the highest stand- ing. In addition to being one of the principal stockholders in the bank of which he is presi- dent, IMr. Albert is also one of the leading principals in the Soiitheast Missouri Trust Company, of Cape Girardeau, which was or- ganized "and incorporated in 1906 and which has a paid up capital stock of five hundred thousand dollars. He was one of the organ- izers of this corporation and has been a valued member of its directorate from the beginning. He is also a stockholder and di- rector in the Cape Girardeau AYater AVorks Company and the local electric-light com- pany. Every enterprise and measure pro- jected for the general good of the conunuuity has received the earnest co-operation of ^Ir. Albert and no citizen of Cape Girardeau has shown more distinctive loyalty and public spirit. Though he has had naught of ambi- tion for public office, he yielded to the impor- tunities of his fellow citizens and consented to become a candidate for the office of mayor of his home city. He was first elected to this position in 1877 and he served as mayor for seven years, — a fact that offers the best voucher for the efficiency and acceptability of his administration of municipal affairs, — an administration marked by due conservatism and wise progressive policies. IMr. Albert has shown a specially lively interest in educa- tional affairs and he has served consecutively as a member of the board of regents of the Missouri State Normal School at Cape Girar- deau since 1885. He was appointed to this office by Governor Francis and has thrice been reappointed. During more than a quar- ter of a century of such identification vith this fine state institution he has been inde- fatigable in the promoting of its interests and the maintaining of its facilities at the highest standard. Besides serving as mayor of his home city Mr. Albert has held other munici- pal offices and also county offices, his elec- tion to each of which was made entirely with- out solicitation or effort on his part and his acceptance of which was prompted solely by a sense of civic duty. In polities he accords unwavering allegiance to the Democratic party and both he and his wife are communi- cants of the Protestant Episcopal church. He is one of the appreciative and valued mem- bers of Cape Girardeau Lodge. No. 639, Be- nevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In the year 186-i was solemnized the mar- riage of ]Mr. Albert to iliss Clara Given Hay- dock, of Livingston county, Kentucky, and she was summoned to eternal rest on the 25th of December, 1900. Of the nine children of this union six are now living, and concerning them the following brief data are given: Ilattie is the widow of S. R. Nelson, of Chilli- cothe, ilissouri, and she has three children ; Leon, Jr., who is engaged in banking at St. Louis, Missouri, married iliss Alary Juden, and they have three children ; Alma is the wife of William W. Wood, of Baltimore, Marjdand, and they have thi-ee children; Harry, who is a resident of St. Louis, Mis- .souri, where he is engaged in the real estate business, married Miss Charlotte Peironnett, and they have two children; Clara is the wife of Henry Coerver, of Olathe, Colorado, and they have one child; and Leland is engaged in commission business at Cape Girardeau. Helen, who is deceased, became the wife of iIelbourne Smith, of Farmington, Missouri, and is survived by one child, so that Mr. Al- bert has a total of thirteen grandchildren, in whom he takes the deepest interest, as may well be inferred. On the 4th of April, 1907, ilr. Albert contracted a second marriage, by wedding jMiss Lee Cairns, who vas born and reared in ^Missouri and who proves a gracious chatelaine of his beautiful home in Cape Gir- ardeau. Joseph F. Chilton, the present prosecut- ing attorney of Madison county, IMissouri, has gained a position of distinctive priority as one of the representative members of the bar of the state and he served for one term as representative from his district in the Mis- souri state legislature. He has gained success and prestige through his own endeavors and thus the more honor is due him for his ear- nest labors in his exacting profession and for the precedence he has gained in his chosen vocation. A native of Frederickto^^l, IMissouri, Jo- seph F. Chilton was born on the 8th of Febru- ary, 1872, a son of Septimus W. and Julia (Newberry) Chilton, the former of whom is now living in retirement at Fredericktown and the latter of whom was summoned to the life eternal in 1888. The father was born