The Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Representative Men of Chicago, Milwaukee and the World's Columbian Exposition

              BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
39
cess. A detailed list, even of his public enter¬ prises, would fill more space than we could devote to what is but, at the best, a general sketch. But while this is so, there are one or two which de¬ serve and require more than a mere passing notice.
The originator and sole proprietor (formerly) of Graceland Cemetery, Mr. Bryan purchased this tract of land, having found that the population of the North Side was inevitably encroaching on the old cemetery (which now forms part of Lincoln Park), and, if only from a sanitary point of view, this was extremely undesirable. Graceland alone (with its beautifully laid-out and well-kept walks and shrubs, etc.) would be a worthy me¬ morial of his public enterprise and regard for the prosperity and health of the community at large. He also built '' Bryan Hall " (the site of which is now occupied by the Grand Opera House), and here many a memorable war meeting was held, and innumerable entertainments for patriotic ob¬ jects. Mr. Bryan was president of the great Northwestern Fair for the relief of soldiers of the Union in 1865, for, though a Southerner by birth, all his affiliations and sympathies had ever been with the cause of the Union. As the direct result of his presidency, the Fair yielded over $300,000 to the invalid soldiers' fund—such was the repose placed in his integrity, and in his faculty of harmonizing the conflicting interests of the various officers and committees. If still yet another monument to his patriotism and loyalty were required, the Soldiers' Home, built under his direction and with money advanced by him, is that monument, and for many years its president, his work on its behalf was, and is, unflagging. In fact, his distinguished and arduous service during
the war was such that no honors were esteemed too great, and amongst others accorded him was that of being elected a member of the Loyal Legion, etc. It was to Mr. Bryan's forethought and enterprise that Chicago owed the Fidelity Safe Depository, which passed, unscathed, through the flames of 1871, and was the means of saving many millions to the  citizens.
Mr. Bryan married in 1850 Miss Byrd Page, of Virginia, the issue being a son—Charles P. Bryan, now a member of the Illinois Legislature, and formerly of that of Colorado, and who by profes¬ sion is a journalist and magazine writer of consid¬ erable repute—and a daughter.
As a speaker, Mr. Bryan is vigorous, eloquent and convincing, one who controls his audience, and rarely fails to carry his point; and, in addi¬ tion, one who seldom speaks unless he has some¬ thing to say well worth the hearing. His ban¬ quet and other public speeches—unpremeditated as many of them are—bristle with eloquent phrases and happy allusions, while they are marked with that good sense and general culture which is, and always has been, so characteristic of Thomas B. Bryan.
As First Vice-President of the '' World's Co¬ lumbian Exposition," unanimously elected to that office, he is the right man in the right place, and with him in this position, there need be no fear for the success of such a fair as the world has never yet seen ; and if it be successful, as it un¬ doubtedly will be, to Thom.as B. Bryan must be given the greater credit, for in him Chicago has a citizen who is, and always has been, devoted to her welfare, and no man has worked more assidu¬ ously for her good, or with greater results, than has the subject of our sketch.
JOHN   P. BARRETT,
CHICAGO,  ILL.
JOHN p. BARRETT, superintendent of the J Fire Alarm Telegraph of Chicago, is a native of Auburn, New York. While he was yet a child, his parents removed to Chicago, where John received a good common school education, and ''ran" with ''Niagara " No. 3. In 1858, he went   to sea, and   while   off   the   coast of South
America, in the Pacific ocean, fell from the mast¬ head and broke his arm and leg. In August, 1862, he returned to Chicago, and was appointed a member of the Fire Department, serving as watchman for " No, 8" and ''No. 3." In 1864, he was given charge of the City Hall bell and held that position one year.