Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Buck, Werden ************************************************ 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 http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00003.html#0000719 February 2, 2008, 2:45 am Author: Past & Present Will County, 1907 Werden Buck is today one of the extensive dealers in coal in Joliet, having a business which is at once indicative of his superior qualifications, his straightforward methods, his laudable ambition and his indefatigable energy. A native son of Will county, he was born in Manhattan, February 9, 1869, and is a son of George A. Buck, a pioneer resident of Joliet. His early youth was spent in the place of his nativity but in 1880 the family removed to Joliet and he enjoyed the advantages of a high-school education to the close of the junior year. He then entered business life, working as collector and night operator for the Chicago Telephone Company at a salary of five dollars per week, a position that commanded his services for twenty hours out of the twenty-four. Six months later he became an employe of the firm of Paige & Benson, dealers in groceries, coal and ice. He was at first connected with the ice department, and after a brief period Chester Paige and A. W. Hays succeeded J. D. Paige in the grocery business, while the firm of Paige & Benson continued in control of the ice and fuel trade. In 1888 Mr. Buck purchased the interest of Chester Paige, and business was then conducted under the firm style of A. W. Hays & Company, their location being in the old Opera House block on the corner of Chicago and Clinton streets. When that building was destroyed by fire in 1892 the business was removed across the street to the Auditorium block, and since that time Mr. Buck has carried on a large and profitable trade. In 1892 the firm extended the field of its operations by becoming dealers in coal and building materials on Cass street, also handling sewer pipe, drain tile and fuel. On the 9th of March, 1888, Mr. Buck purchased his partners interest and has since been sole proprietor of the coalyards at Nos. 511-513 Cass street. He has a building forty by one hundred and thirty- two feet with yards in the rear, and carries in stock all kinds of pressed brick manufactured in the United States, together with sewer pipe and drain tile, and in these lines conducts an extensive business. His methods are such as will bear the closest investigation and scrutiny and because of his success, are of interest to the commercial world. He has based his business principles and actions upon the rules which govern unswerving integrity and unfaltering effort and in this lies the secret of his rise to prosperity and prominence in commercial circles. In 1892 Mr. Buck was united in marriage in Joliet to Miss Inez Paige, a daughter of J. D. Paige, at one time mayor of the city and superintendent of the Joliet fire department. They have one son, George Paige. Mrs. Buck holds membership in the Universalist church and Mr. Buck is in hearty sympathy with many movements for the uplifting of humanity and the amelioration of the hard conditions of life for the unfortunate ones of the earth. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen camp at Joliet and gives his political allegiance to the democracy. For one term he served as township clerk but has never had aspiration for public office. He is a man who carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes, forming a definite plan of action and accomplishing results while many others would stop to theorize. Additional Comments: PAST AND PRESENT OF WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS By W. W. Stevens President of the Will County Pioneers Association; Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1907 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/will/bios/buck2395nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ilfiles/ File size: 4.1 Kb