Grundy-Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Lambert, John January 12, 1847 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com February 20, 2006, 3:53 am Author: Gen/Bio Record Will Co IL 1900 John Lambert. The name of Mr. Lambert is indissolubly associated with the growth and development of the wire industry, with which he has been connected since it was in its infancy. He is therefore justly recognized as one of the foremost men of Joliet and it may be doubted if the city has any citizen more remarkable, in many respects, than he. The Lambert family were among the early settlers of Hunterdon County, N. J., and the now thriving city of Lambertville was named in their honor. Mr. Lambert was born in that place January 12, 1847. He was a mere lad when the Civil war opened, but, fired with a love of adventure and a patriotic zeal in behalf of the nation, he determined to enlist in the Union army. In January, 1862, his name was enrolled as a private in Company D, First New Jersey Cavalry. He was sent with his regiment to Virginia, but after a year, owing to ill health, was honorably discharged. Later he again volunteered in the service, becoming sergeant of Company A, Third New Jersey Cavalry, in which he remained until the close of the war. Under General Custer he participated in the Shenandoah campaign of 1864, including the battles around Winchester and terminating in the splendid victory at Cedar Creek, the occasion of General Sheridan’s famous ride “From Winchester Twenty Miles Away.” In 1865 he took part in the battles of Waynesboro, Ashland, Dinwiddie Courthouse and Five Forks. In the latter engagement he was wounded by a fragment of a shell, causing the loss of a part of his left hand. He also had his horse shot from under him. After this he bore a part in all the battles under General Grant until the surrender of General Lee. He was present at the grand review in Washington, D. C., and was one of four men of his company who at the time were able to perform duty, out of the original number of one hundred and one. He received an honorable discharge from the army August 9, 1865. Two years after the close of the war Mr. Lambert came to Illinois and settled in Grundy County. The year 1870 found him a resident of Joliet, where he has since made his home. He was for six years an officer in the Illinois state penitentiary. In April, 1876, he married Miss M. E. Bishop, of Joliet. They have one child, Anna E. A few years after coming to Joliet, Mr. Lambert had his attention drawn to the wire business, a careful study of which convinced him of its wonderful possibilities of growth and development. In 1879 he became a member of the Lambert & Bishop Wire Fence Company, which from the first enjoyed steady growth and soon became well known among similar organizations. In 1892 this was merged with the St. Louis Wire Mill Company, the Braddock Wire Company and the Iowa Barb Wire Company, forming the Consolidated Steel and Wire Company. On the election of officers for the company he was chosen vice-president and later was also made general manager. When the American Steel & Wire Company began its corporate existence, January 1, 1899, he was elected president, a position of great responsibility and influence, and one for which his talents amply qualified him. It was due to his business foresight and capacity, coupled with fine executive ability, that he attained a place among the controlling spirits of one of the largest and most successful manufacturing industries in the country. He has given his attention very closely to business, refusing all invitations to participate in public affairs and all appointments to office, the sole exception being in one instance, when he accepted an appointment as colonel on the staff of Governor Tanner. His notable achievements in the field of commercial endeavor have made his name a synonym of success. He is an accuratejudge of men, his naturally keen insight having been deepened by his varied experiences in life, which have brought him in contact with men of all classes. His business career has been marked by the exercise of unusually keen discrimination. Perhaps the two traits most noticeable in his business dealings are his excellent judgment and his energy. In fact, his enterprise and ability are of such a character that death alone can terminate his activities. His ready wit and command of language fit him for a public speaker, and had he chosen to enter the political arena he would have been a power in his party, but his addresses have always been limited to industrial topics, along which line he has been most deeply interested; and these speeches are especially valuable, as representing the thoughts and ideas of a man whose brain is stored with practical information, accumulated during a long and active business career. Source: "Genealogical and Biographical Record of Will County, Illinois", 1900, Biographical Publishing Company, Chicago, Pages 566-567 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/grundy/bios/lambert152nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ilfiles/ File size: 5.4 Kb