Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Stevens, Hubert A 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com November 10, 2007, 4:02 am

Author: Genealogical and Biographical Record of Will County

HUBERT A. STEVENS, city engineer of Joliet, was born in Cedar County, Iowa, 
March 10, 1864. In 1866 his parents moved to Chicago, and he has spent most of 
his life in that city. He attended the Chicago schools, graduating from high 
school in that city in the class of 1880. He entered the University of 
Illinois and graduated from the college of civil engineering in 1884. Soon 
after his graduation at Champaign he received an appointment as an assistant 
engineer on the government force employed in the Mississippi river improvement 
work, and he remained on this work for about a year and a-half, becoming 
familiar with the different phases of river and harbor work. He was stationed 
first at Memphis, Tenn., and afterward at Portage, Wis. After the completion 
of the government surveys at these points Mr. Stevens had charge for the 
contractors of the construction of the Wisconsin Central railroad bridge 
across the Chicago river, and was afterwards in charge of the inspection of 
material for that road in South Chicago. He was offered and accepted the 
position of engineer of the North Chicago Street Railroad Company during the 
time that the change was being made from horse to cable as a motive power. He 
had full charge of the construction work in putting in the cable lines on the 
entire North side system. This work took about two years, and at the end of 
that time he was appointed assistant city engineer of Chicago, and placed in 
charge of all the municipal improvements on the North side in the city of 
Chicago. He held this position nearly seven years, serving under Mayors Carter 
Harrison, Sr., Roche, Cregier, Washburne and Hopkins. In 1896 Mr. Stevens went 
into business for himself, handling the engineering department in connection 
with the firm of Mariner & Hoskins, chemists and engineers. Poor health at 
this time compelled him to abandon his work temporarily, and many months were 
spent traveling through this country, Mexico and Canada. In 1899 he was 
appointed city engineer of the city of Joliet, and held that position during 
the time when the drainage canal was being constructed through this section. 
In that position he became thoroughly familiar with many of the most difficult 
engineering problems connected with that great work. In the different 
positions that he has held he has had a splendid opportunity to become 
conversant with a wide range of engineering work of different kinds, and he 
has been quick to take advantage of this experience. He is a member of the 
western society of engineers, and the Illinois society of engineers and 
surveyors, and is also connected with various local clubs. June 18, 1890, he 
married Miss Hattie B., daughter of Hon. M. B. Thompson, of Urbana, Ill. They 
have two sons, Vernon and Richard. Charles W. Stevens, father of Mr. Stevens, 
was a native of Exeter, N. H., and married Miss Lucy L. Allen, of Boston, 
Mass. Shortly thereafter he moved to Iowa, and gained his start in life by 
farming. Although unfamiliar with practical agriculture, the condition of the 
times were such that he met with remarkable success. A fortunate venture in 
raising a large acreage of onions, when throughout the country there happened 
to be a great scarcity of that vegetable, gave him the needed capital to 
enable him to engage in mercantile pursuits. In 1866 he settled in Chicago, 
where he opened a wholesale photographic supply house, soon building up a 
trade which extended all over the central and western states. Burned out by 
the fire of 1871 and losing everything, yet with a credit untarnished he was 
able in ten days' time to open his doors again with a larger and better stock 
of goods than Chicago had ever seen, months before any of his competitors got 
on their feet. For twenty years he remained in business, and on his retirement 
he continued to make Chicago his home, until his death in 1890. A man of great 
energy and more than ordinary ability, he built up a business reputation of 
the highest order, and met a financial success his talents richly merited. In 
politics he was a Republican. He was a member of many fraternal societies, 
being a thirty-second degree Mason, a member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias. His wife, a true woman and loving help-
mate, did not long survive him. They left two children, one a daughter, 
Shirley, being now the wife of F. A. Gritzner, of Chicago. Martin B. Thompson, 
father of Mrs. Stevens, made during his lifetime an enviable record as a 
soldier, lawyer and statesman. As a soldier, when the Civil war broke out, he 
enlisted as a private and remained at the front until the close ofthe 
conflict, working his way from the ranks to a captaincy. As a lawyer he served 
as public prosecutor for the Sixteenth judicial district for four years, which 
was followed by a term as state's attorney for Champaign County. During the 
eight years he served as prosecutor he acquired a knowledge of criminal law, 
that together with his great natural talent, made him a formidable antagonist 
on either side of a criminal case. As a statesman he represented the Thirtieth 
district in the senate, being an active and influential Republican, and a 
stanch supporter of Logan, Oglesby and other early Republican leaders in 
Illinois. As a state senator he rendered the same faithful efficient service 
characteristic of him in every position. His daughter, Mrs. Stevens, was a 
girl of greatest assistance to him in his political life, and displayed 
judgment and tact in the many responsibilities of the work. For several terms 
she held office as postmistress of the state senate.

Additional Comments:
Genealogical and Biographical Record of Will County Illinois Containing 
Biographies of Well Known Citizens of the Past and Present, Biographical 
Publishing Company, Chicago, 1900

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