Person Sheet
NameWebster Clay Weiss
Birth23 Sep 1853, Weissport, Carbon Co., PA
FatherEdward Weiss (~1824-1866)
MotherHenrietta Steckel
Misc. Notes
Further bio.
MAJOR WEBSTER CLAY WEISS, son of Edward and Henrietta (Steckel) Weiss, was born September 23, 1853, in Weissport, Carbon county, Pennsylvania, and was there reared and educated. He attended school during the winter months only. At twelve years of age he was thrown on his own resources, as he was deprived by death of his father's care, and afterwards he and his brother were obliged to support the family. He commenced his business career by driving mules on the gravel bank for the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. He worked his way from this lowly position to that of boating agent for the company with which he had been connected since boyhood. In 1885 he resigned his position to accept that of sales-agent for the wholesale coal firm of Whitney & Kemmerer, taking charge of their Mauch Chunk office, which position he resigned in 1899.
The political career of Mr. Weiss has been marked. When only twenty-one years of age he was placed on the Republican ticket for auditor and was elected by a handsome majority. Three years later when only twenty-four years of age, he was nominated for justice of the peace and after a severe contest was elected by a flattering majority. A few years later he was nominated for school director and was again elected, became the secretary of the board and in this capacity advised the board to adopt a uniform system of textbooks and pay for the same out of the district treasury. This was done and his arrest followed for misappropriation of public funds. He was indicted by the grand jury on this charge, but the late Judge Dreher decided in his favor and since then the state has provided for free textbooks. Mr. Weiss was the first Republican State Representative of the House ever elected from Northampton County on a straight ticket and was the only successful candidate on the ticket in 1894, the year of his election. He was re-nominated in the fall of 1896, and reelected by a largely increased majority, notwithstanding the fact that the county gave a Democratic majority for the Presidential electors.
Major Weiss served on several very important committees, prominent among them being the Educational and the Appropriation. Among the important bills introduced by Mr. Weiss was one calling for an appropriation of $40,000 for St. Luke's Hospital. He secured $25,000, which was an increase of $17,000 over what had been voted the hospital prior to Mr. Weiss's election. Another bill was that calling for an appropriation of $200,000 for Lehigh University. The University was in financial straits and would have suffered very materially had not the State come to the rescue. $150,000 was appropriated, and Mr. Weiss is held in grateful remembrance for his untiring energy in pushing this measure.
Major Weiss served with distinction in the volunteer service during the Spanish-American war, having been appointed a paymaster with the rank of Major, by President McKinley, June 13, 1898. This appointment was promptly confirmed by the United States Senate. He served until the close of the volunteer campaign and was honorably discharged June 13, 1899. During his service he was stationed as the resident paymaster in several of the large camps. His work was severe and responsible, disbursing $1,812,000.00 and accounting for every dollar, no charges for errors nor loss of funds standing against him in the Paymaster's Departments. So efficient were his services that General Stanton, Paymaster-general of the U. S. Army, wrote to United States Senator M. S. Quay as follows: "Major Weiss has proven himself to be a very valuable officer and well worthy of your recommendation, and it gives me pleasure to say that in making Major Weiss paymaster of volunteers, you exercised good, sound judgment, and he has proven himself worthy of your confidence. He is made of the right kind of material, and I hope we may retain him."
Major Weiss did not wish an appointment in the regular army, but returned home at the close of the volunteer movement, and resumed his position with Whitney & Kemmerer, having been transferred to the Carbon Iron & Steel Co. as sales agent, of which company Mr. Kemmerer was president.
Major Weiss resigned this position in the fall of 1899 and devoted all of his time to the Pennsylvania State Jurisdiction of the Royal Arcanum, having been elected to the office of grand regent at Pittsburg in May 1899. He was so successful in building up the order in the state, and in increasing its membership that he was prevailed upon to accept the office of state secretary at the biennial session of the Grand Council held at Gettysburg in 1901. He was unanimously reelected at Wilkes-Barre in 1903, and is devoting all his time to the interest of the fraternity. He has beautifully furnished offices at Bethlehem where with able assistants he keeps in close touch with the 300 councils, divided into 75 districts, representing 5,000 officers, and a membership of 40,000, with $75,000,000.00 of insurance protection in force in the state. He founded the Keystone Arcanian, the official organ of the State Jurisdiction and has continued its editor to this day. He is held in high esteem in his home and by the order which he represents. As an orator and after-dinner speaker he has few equals in fraternal circles, and few men are more widely known in the state than he, having within the past five years traveled more than 50,000 miles through the state, delivering upwards of five hundred addresses and participating in more than one hundred and fifty banquets. The press of the state has paid him high tributes as instance that voiced by the Braddock Daily News in the following notice of his visit to that city: "Mr. Weiss is an eloquent orator; a man of splendid attainments, and is most at home on the platform, when presenting the great principles of the Royal Arcanum. The work which he is doing can not be measured by human mind and must be fruitful of great results, not only to the Royal Arcanum Brotherhood, but to other kindred organizations as well, and the name of Webster C. Weiss will ever shine among the galaxy of men who have labored for the good of "Brother man.' "
The marriage of Webster C. Weiss was celebrated in Weissport in 1874 with Miss Hattie E., daughter of the late John Adam and Mary A. Schnayberger. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Weiss: Ilerda E., further mentioned hereinafter; Lilly L. and Claire G., deceased.
MAJOR WEBSTER CLAY WEISS, son of Edward and Henrietta (Steckel) Weiss, was born September 23, 1853, in Weissport, Carbon county, Pennsylvania, and was there reared and educated. He attended school during the winter months only. At twelve years of age he was thrown on his own resources, as he was deprived by death of his father's care, and afterwards he and his brother were obliged to support the family. He commenced his business career by driving mules on the gravel bank for the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. He worked his way from this lowly position to that of boating agent for the company with which he had been connected since boyhood. In 1885 he resigned his position to accept that of sales-agent for the wholesale coal firm of Whitney & Kemmerer, taking charge of their Mauch Chunk office, which position he resigned in 1899.
The political career of Mr. Weiss has been marked. When only twenty-one years of age he was placed on the Republican ticket for auditor and was elected by a handsome majority. Three years later when only twenty-four years of age, he was nominated for justice of the peace and after a severe contest was elected by a flattering majority. A few years later he was nominated for school director and was again elected, became the secretary of the board and in this capacity advised the board to adopt a uniform system of textbooks and pay for the same out of the district treasury. This was done and his arrest followed for misappropriation of public funds. He was indicted by the grand jury on this charge, but the late Judge Dreher decided in his favor and since then the state has provided for free textbooks. Mr. Weiss was the first Republican State Representative of the House ever elected from Northampton County on a straight ticket and was the only successful candidate on the ticket in 1894, the year of his election. He was re-nominated in the fall of 1896, and reelected by a largely increased majority, notwithstanding the fact that the county gave a Democratic majority for the Presidential electors.
Major Weiss served on several very important committees, prominent among them being the Educational and the Appropriation. Among the important bills introduced by Mr. Weiss was one calling for an appropriation of $40,000 for St. Luke's Hospital. He secured $25,000, which was an increase of $17,000 over what had been voted the hospital prior to Mr. Weiss's election. Another bill was that calling for an appropriation of $200,000 for Lehigh University. The University was in financial straits and would have suffered very materially had not the State come to the rescue. $150,000 was appropriated, and Mr. Weiss is held in grateful remembrance for his untiring energy in pushing this measure.
Major Weiss served with distinction in the volunteer service during the Spanish-American war, having been appointed a paymaster with the rank of Major, by President McKinley, June 13, 1898. This appointment was promptly confirmed by the United States Senate. He served until the close of the volunteer campaign and was honorably discharged June 13, 1899. During his service he was stationed as the resident paymaster in several of the large camps. His work was severe and responsible, disbursing $1,812,000.00 and accounting for every dollar, no charges for errors nor loss of funds standing against him in the Paymaster's Departments. So efficient were his services that General Stanton, Paymaster-general of the U. S. Army, wrote to United States Senator M. S. Quay as follows: "Major Weiss has proven himself to be a very valuable officer and well worthy of your recommendation, and it gives me pleasure to say that in making Major Weiss paymaster of volunteers, you exercised good, sound judgment, and he has proven himself worthy of your confidence. He is made of the right kind of material, and I hope we may retain him."
Major Weiss did not wish an appointment in the regular army, but returned home at the close of the volunteer movement, and resumed his position with Whitney & Kemmerer, having been transferred to the Carbon Iron & Steel Co. as sales agent, of which company Mr. Kemmerer was president.
Major Weiss resigned this position in the fall of 1899 and devoted all of his time to the Pennsylvania State Jurisdiction of the Royal Arcanum, having been elected to the office of grand regent at Pittsburg in May 1899. He was so successful in building up the order in the state, and in increasing its membership that he was prevailed upon to accept the office of state secretary at the biennial session of the Grand Council held at Gettysburg in 1901. He was unanimously reelected at Wilkes-Barre in 1903, and is devoting all his time to the interest of the fraternity. He has beautifully furnished offices at Bethlehem where with able assistants he keeps in close touch with the 300 councils, divided into 75 districts, representing 5,000 officers, and a membership of 40,000, with $75,000,000.00 of insurance protection in force in the state. He founded the Keystone Arcanian, the official organ of the State Jurisdiction and has continued its editor to this day. He is held in high esteem in his home and by the order which he represents. As an orator and after-dinner speaker he has few equals in fraternal circles, and few men are more widely known in the state than he, having within the past five years traveled more than 50,000 miles through the state, delivering upwards of five hundred addresses and participating in more than one hundred and fifty banquets. The press of the state has paid him high tributes as instance that voiced by the Braddock Daily News in the following notice of his visit to that city: "Mr. Weiss is an eloquent orator; a man of splendid attainments, and is most at home on the platform, when presenting the great principles of the Royal Arcanum. The work which he is doing can not be measured by human mind and must be fruitful of great results, not only to the Royal Arcanum Brotherhood, but to other kindred organizations as well, and the name of Webster C. Weiss will ever shine among the galaxy of men who have labored for the good of "Brother man.' "
The marriage of Webster C. Weiss was celebrated in Weissport in 1874 with Miss Hattie E., daughter of the late John Adam and Mary A. Schnayberger. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Weiss: Ilerda E., further mentioned hereinafter; Lilly L. and Claire G., deceased.
Spouses
1Hattie E. Schnayberger
FatherJohn Adam Schnayberger
MotherMary A.
Marriage1874, Weissport, Carbon Co., PA