[Henry T. Clarke was born in Greenwich, Washington county, New York, April 26, 1834, and is a decendant of John Clarke, who settled in Rhode Island with Roger Williams. He was educated in the Greenwich Academy in his native town. In May, 1855, Mr. Clarke came to Nebraska and located at Bellevue, Sarpy county, where he entered upon a business career which has been marked with great success. During Mr. Clarke's residence at Bellevue he bought largely of lands in that place and vicinity and when the

Pacfic road was projected he expended much money and exerted his already great influence to secure to Bellevue the location of the road. That. point had many topographical, advantages over Omaha for a large city, but Omaha was a winner in the contest and hence Bellevue has remained to this day the small village it was then. Mr. Clarke was a member of the Territorial Legislature in 1864, and of the Territorial Council in 1865. He projected the Omaha & Southwestern railroad in 1869. In the earlier period of his residence in Nebraska he was largely engaged in contracting and building county and railroad bridges. In 1876 he projected and built the bridge across the North Platte river at Camp Clarke, thereby opening up the Sidney short route between Sidney, Neb., and Deadwood in the Black Hills, where he established a branch of his wholesale jobbing business. The same season he projected and established the Continental Pony Express, furnishing all the

mountain districts in the Black Hills with mail, having from the United States government charge of the entire line, and having his postoffices in all the mining camps. In 1883 Mr. Clarke projected the Bellevue College, gave to it a tract of 265 acres on Elk Hill, in Bellevue, and erected a fine college building with a capacity of from 200 to 300 students, making it a free gift to the Presbyterian Church of Nebraska. In 1880 Mr. Clarke invested in the wholesale hardware business in Omaha, being at the same time largely interested in real estate in Sarpy and other counties. In 1883 he removed to Omaha and established here the H. T. Clarke Co. drug house, with a branch in Lincoln -two of the most extensive wholesale drug houses west of Chicago. In 1887 he sold out the Omaha house, but still conducts that at Lincoln, and has within the past year built an extnsive block at the latter city for the accommodation of his increasing business, Mr. Clarke is probably the

largest real estate owner in Nebraska, possessing some 50,000 acres of farming land in different counties of the state. His improved farms in the vicinity of Bellevue and other points of the state comprise about 5,000 acres, on which he has erected comfortable farm houses and outbuildings, and by his liberal treatment of tenants secures the best class of occupants. He is also a large cattle owner, having over 2,000 head on his different farms. In 1886 Mr. Clarke was prominently named for governor of the state on the Republican ticket, and but for the exceptional popularity of Gen. Thayer on account of his war record, would undoubtedly have received the nomination. In every movement calculated to promote the moral and business interests of Omaha, Mr. Clarke has been prominent. He is president of the Law and Order League, formed about two years since to secure a better enforcement of law and order in this city, and his co-operation is always sought -- and never denied -- in every good work.]

ing Inspectors, Viaduct Tenders, Special Police, etc., appointive by the Mayor, and subject to the approval of the Council. So wisely are the duties of the several city officials regulated, so many are the checks and counter checks placed upon them all by the municipal charter that Omaha is a very well governed city -- none better in fact. One of the potent forces in bringing Omaha, in to its high estate as a city, has been the Board of Trade. It was organized in 1877, by the business men and leading citizens for the purpose of advancing and building up the city's interests, and was always an effective agency. In 1885, when Omaha's position as a great city

was beyond dispute, the Board was reorganized, the membership fee increased from $125 to $250, and much new blood introduced. It was then decided to erect a suitable building, and on a desirable site, corner of Farnam and Sixteenth streets, was erected the splendid six-story structure, an illustration of which is presented in this volume. The building and site are valued at $100,000, and it is estimated that the annual rentals will foot up $35,000. The Board has a membership of about 250 of the leading business

men, capitalists and citizens. It is officered by a president, two vice-presidents, secretary, treasurer and board of nine directors. Semi-monthly meetings, or oftener, as occasion demands, are held and the energies and sturdy efforts of enterprising men are thus blended

     [Samuel D. Mercer was born in Marion county, Illinois, June 13, 1842. He received his literary education at a select school conducted by Elder Mannahan, at Walnut Hill, Marion county, and later at McKendree College, Lebanon, Illinois, and his medical education at the Michigan University, the Chicago Medical College and at the Berkshire Medical College of Massachusetts, where he graduated. At the breaking out of the civil war, Dr. Mercer entered the 149th Regiment of Illinois Volunteers as assistant surgeon,

and served with his regiment in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, until at Dalton, in the latter State, he was mustered out in February, 1866. On November 9, 1866, the doctor came to Omaha and immediately engaged in practice. In February, 1868, he proposed to the profession the appointment of a committee to correspond with the physicians throughout the State in
regard to the organization of a State Medical Society, and the Nebraska State Medical Society was the result. For twenty years, until April, 1887, Doctor Mercer was actively engaged in the practice of his profession, during which time he held many honorary positions
and was specially recognized as the leading surgeon of the Northwest. For eighteen years the Doctor was the assistant surgeon of the Burlington

and Missouri Railroad and for eight years the chief surgeon of the Union Pacific Railroad, and organized its medical department, which was in a prosperous condition when he resigned in 1895. Dr. Mercer organized the Omaha Medical College and held the chair of clinical surgery and afterwards the chair of surgery and clinical surgery in the medical department of the State University. He was president of the Board of United States Pension Examiners for many years, Secretary of the Nebraska Medical Association for seven years after its organization and a corresponding member of the Boston Gynecological Society. During the active period of his practice the Doctor found time for authorship, and published a work on spinal curvature and treatment of spinal diseases. When Doctor

Mercer retired from the active practice of his profession in 1887, it was not to rest. Having acquired large real estate interests in Omaha, he engaged in enterprises calculated to benefit the city and develop his property, notably in the building of cable tramways and motor street railways, in which during the past year he has been especially active, overcoming obstacles that but few men would have cared to encounter. He is also largely interested in real estate and street railways in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. In Omaha he has devoted himself to the improvement and building up of Walnut Hill, one of the finest residence portions of the city, where he has built for himself one of the fine modern residences of Omaha, and where others of our wealthy citizens are following his example. In addition to these enterprises the Doctor has erected during the past year two of the largest and finest business blocks in the city, and has thus shown himself to be one of the most energetic and useful citizens of Omaha.]