Daniel H. Wilcox

Daniel H. Wilcox has been intimately associated with affairs on the lakes for about fifteen years. He was born November 26, 1862, Savannah, Ga., his parents being Daniel H. and Frances (Ansley) Wilcox. The father was an extensive dealer in cotton and fertilizers, and the house he established has been conducted since his decease as a stock company under the name of the Wilcox & Gibbs Guano Co., operations being carried on in Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, South Carolina.

In 1865 the family came north, settling in New Haven, Conn., and the son was sent to Yale College, coming out in the class of 1882. He then spent nearly two years in Texas, on a cattle ranch, and entered fully into the peculiar style of border American life. Before the end of 1883 he went to Buffalo and took a position with the Anchor line, and since that time he has continued to engage in some active branch of marine business. He was soon transferred to the office of the Lake Superior Transit Company, which was in the Anchor line building, and of which the Anchor line formed a part, and in 1887 was sent to St. Paul as the northwestern agent of the transit company. In 1890 he was made general freight agent of the Lake Superior Transit Company, and in 1893, on the dissolution of that company, he was made general freight and passenger agent of the Western Transit Company, which position he retained three years. During this time he gained a knowledge of the freight business, not only on the lakes but on the rail lines, that showed his mind to be especially fitted for that branch of business. In 1896 he went into business on his own account, and established himself as a marine average adjuster, soon obtaining a large number of losses of very intricate character and great importance to settle. In this line he is at present engaged.

On June 3, 1892, Mr. Wilcox married Miss B. L. Hurd, daughter of H. D. Hurd, of Buffalo.

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Volume I

This version of Volume II is based, with permission, on the work of the great volunteers at the Marine Captains Biographies site. To them goes the credit for reorganizing the content into some coherent order. The biographies in the original volume are in essentially random order.

Some of the transcription work was also done by Brendon Baillod, who maintains an excellent guide to Great Lakes Shipwreck Research.