Santa Rosa County FlArchives Biographies.....Galliver, George A. 1861 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/flfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 12, 2008, 10:11 pm Author: B. F. Johnson (1909) Geo. A. Galliver It would appear practically impossible for any man to crowd into one life of thirty-seven years more of accomplishment than has been done by George A. Galliver of Bagdad, Manager of the Stearns and Culver Lumber Company, a huge concern operating with a capital of $1,750,000. Mr. Galliver was born near Ingersoll, Ontario, on January 9, 1872, and is just a little past his thirty-seventh birthday. His parents were Henry and Mary J. Luscombe Galliver, who came from England to Canada in 1855, and moved from there to St. Louis, Mo., in 1860. The family returned to Canada in 1862, and the father built and operated one of the first commercial cheese factories in America. In 1879 he moved to Michigan, where he owned cheese factories and farms until his death in 1893. On the maternal side his people come from the Luscombes, a very old English family whose seat was at Luscombe Castle near Dawlish, Devonshire, England. The Gallivers were farmers of the same shire. Several of the brothers were decorated for valiant military service. Two came to America. The military record of a brother of our subject's mother is quite remarkable. A midshipman of the British Navy; a lieutenant in the army in the Crimean Campaign; an explorer into the heart of Australia-one of four survivors of a party of thirty; released by the British Government for service in China he became Adjutant-General to the famous Christian Hero "Chinese" Gordon in subjugating the Tae Ping Rebellion. In leading desperate charges against fortifications he was twice severely wounded. Later as a member of Lord Napier's Magdala Expedition he entered Abyssinia, remained there, and through the native prince, Kassa, was by directing his military campaign instrumental in consolidating the various warring principalities into the Empire of Abyssinia over which Kassa ruled as King John, assuming his name of John as a compliment to him. Ambitious to open up the country to civilization, he twice visited England as ambassador of the king, soliciting a British Protectorate over the country, but the embroilment of Britain in Egypt prevented it. In an effort to promote peace between Egypt and Abyssinia he lost his life in 1877, by Egyptian treachery. As a boy Mr. Galliver attended the preparatory schools at Fostoria, Mich., and at the age of thirteen he began work as a telegraph operator and then for seven years, having in quick succession advanced through various branches of railroad work on the Pere Marquette Railroad attained finally the official position of Secretary to General Manager. This service was broken in upon by occasional periods of attendance at Albion College, Albion, Mich. His railroading was followed by service with a manufacturing and mining company of Mexico. He then became connected at different times with various Chicago business houses in the manufacturing line. Later he was Assistant Superintendent, then Sales Manager and Assistant Secretary of the Monarch Cycle Manufacturing Company and the Chicago Sewing Machine Company combined. Solicitous of his time, impatient of accomplishment, this period became a crucible by which habits of intense application and concentration of mind and working power were extraordinarily developed in him. For not only did he prosecute his business duties through many steps of promotion and higher responsibilities, but he devoted all his evenings, Sundays and holidays to night school and study, specializing upon economics, sciences and medicine for seven years without intermission or vacation, finally graduating in medicine as president of his class in 1900, and passing State Board examination, was licensed to practice in same year. But he limited his practicing to charitable clinical work. Fitted now for either business or profession, or both, he was secured by Parke, Davis and Company, the largest manufacturers of pharmaceutical, biological and chemical products in the country, to be their scientific representative in Chicago. In the meantime a vast consolidation of bicycle manufacturing institutions had occurred, and the American Bicycle Manufacturing Company, "the bicycle trust" was formed. Mr. Galliver's record with the old Monarch Company had not escaped notice and he was sought by the big company. They engaged him as sales manager in 1901. From this time on his professional work in medicine was relegated to diversion only and specializing in industrial lines now engrossed his attention. Several years prior to this, while with the Monarch division of the trust, the traffic or railroad relations of the western end of the big aggregation was given to him to direct, in addition to his other duties. This brought him in contact with many of their factories, and advantage was taken of it by him to study industrial organization, systematization, and production as displayed in the actual operation of these plants. He collected many forms and made copious notes. His business library also began to assume proportions. When the Stearns and Culver Lumber Company, formed in Chicago for operation in Florida, needed a manager, they turned to Mr. Galliver, and in 1903 he came to Florida, having taken an interest in the company, and became its manager. This work he pursued for three years in a most efficient manner, and then resigned to accept the secretaryship and general management of the Domestic Sewing Machine Company at Newark, N. J., one of the oldest institutions of this kind in the country. This company he practically reorganized and rejuvenated, giving three years of most assiduous and arduous attention to it. While at Newark he also organized the National Sweeper Company of New Jersey, a manufacturing concern making carpet sweepers, and established the most complete factory for this purpose in the world. He was recently recalled to Florida by his friends on the Board of Directors of the Stearns and Culver Lumber Company, and is now conducting the operations of that huge concern as its general manager. He has interested himself in Florida real estate and has abounding confidence in the future of the "Land of Flowers and Opportunity." That he has made upon the people of that section a strong impression during his first incumbency is evidenced by the universal expressions of gratification at his return. The citizens there affirm that while he is an active, energetic, positive man, very alert to give faithful service to his company, he is yet always considerate of the rights of others, taking an active interest in local affairs, and is willing to do his part in moving things along for the betterment of the community. A local paper said of him, that no more public-spirited man has ever lived in the community. On July 7, 1901, he married Miss Ethel Lillian Campbell, a daughter of Elijah and Sarah Carter Campbell, of Deland, Ill. Mrs. Galliver's mother is a lineal descendant paternally of the Virginia Carters of Shirley, and maternally of Riley, one of the pioneer colleagues of Daniel Boone. Mrs Galliver is a most estimable and accomplished woman, a graduate in medicine, and having passed the State Board examinations of both States, is licensed to practice in Illinois and Florida. For two years she directed a women's clinical dispensary in Rush Medical College of the University of Chicago, and was also identified with University Settlement work in Chicago. She is devoted to her home, practices medicine charitably only, is active in Arts and Crafts work, and gardening, and is regarded as a great accession to the community by the best people of the section where they now live. Mr. Galliver has been a great traveler. He has visited every State in the Union in addition to which he is a native of Canada and has seen active service in Mexico. He is a member of the Methodist Church, a Republican in national politics, but governed locally by the quality of candidates and the issues for which they stand. In a social way he is a member of the Engineers' Club of New York City, the Osceola Club of Pensacola, the Country Club of Pensacola, the Chicago Medical Society, the Masons, the Odd Fellows, and Maccabees fraternal societies. In addition to being a stockholder in and Genera] Manager of the Stearns and Culver Lumber Company, who are also large land holders and manufacturers of naval stores, he is a stock holder in the American Gas and Electric Company, in the Republic Iron and Steel Company, the Utah Copper Company, the Kansas City Southern Railway Company, and the National Sweeper Company, and owns residence property in Arlington Heights, New Jersey, overlooking New York City and harbor. It will thus be seen that his activities extend into many industrial fields. He has contributed considerably to trade papers upon manufacturing, selling and advertising, and has perfected minor inventions in sewing machines and carpet sweepers, in addition to a complete "formaldehyde antiseptic carpet sweeper." He has been an extensive reader of scientific and industrial works in addition to the periodical press, has a large library of reference, scientific, business and educational books, and is a close student of human nature. As a public-spirited citizen, watchful of everything that affects the general welfare, Mr. Galliver believes that the best interests of Florida would be promoted by improving educational, agricultural and industrial affairs, in particular. Educationally, he prefers to see manual training and study of useful arts and sciences leading in our schools, and is an advocate of University Extension work and libraries for the masses. Agriculturally, the more extended use of modern machinery, and the diffusion of scientific farming knowledge practicable to Florida soils, with associations, conventions and fairs. And for industry, which he considers more particularly his own sphere, he believes thoroughly in the efficacy of modern "efficiency-engineering" practice, staff and line organization, and employment of statistics in directing increasing performance. He says that successful manufacturing demands maximum productive results at minimum cost. That these results are obtained by interplay of men, machines, materials and methods, but for each and all of these factors it is necessary that unit standards of efficiency be predetermined and recorded, and then, continuously, work must be so directed as to improve upon them, establishing concurrently new standards only to be bettered in turn. That in the direction lies the crux. The best workers and the best machines and good materials are not enough. They are present in many failures. Direction in efficiencies is of the first importance. The standards referred to properly collected by the accounting departments and balanced with the general books form the indispensable cost records. From these records, compiled comparatively, pointings for future direction in the line of cost reduction are afforded as well as bases for fixing profits. Analyze past records only in order to synthetize future schedules. Statements prospective of current general accounts forecasting daily, weekly, monthly, and even annually, particularly all those bearing upon finances, are requisite for guidance and protection. Then work to beat the forecasts. Coordination or team-work, based intelligently upon all such facts and figures, will win. These principles apply not only to manufacturing proper, but as well to the commercial departments and the administrative business. Their application in general is coextensive with all industrial lines, even including mining, railroading and public utilities, and will make for success and progress in them all. Florida has the resources, of course of her kind, and the successful exploiting of them industrially should receive a great deal of study on the part of her people. Yet a young man in the first flush of his strength, he has accomplished results worthy of a gray-haired veteran, and Florida is to be congratulated on having men of this type as leaders in the industrial campaign which is now making the State great. Additional Comments: Extracted from: FLORIDA EDITION MAKERS OF AMERICA AN HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WORK BY AN ABLE CORPS OF WRITERS VOL. III. Published under the patronage of The Florida Historical Society, Jacksonville, Florida ADVISORY BOARD: HON. W. D. BLOXHAM COL. FRANK HARRIS HON. R. W. DAVIS SEN. H. H. McCREARY HON. F. P. FLEMING W. F. STOVALL C. A. CHOATE, SECRETARY 1909 A. B. CALDWELL ATLANTA, GA. COPYRIGHT 1909 B. F. JOHNSON Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/santarosa/photos/bios/galliver86gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/fl/santarosa/bios/galliver86gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/flfiles/ File size: 13.2 Kb