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William L. Rees
William L. Rees. who is successfully engaged in the real estate
and
insurance business in Pueblo as the junior partner in the firm
of Hoffman &
Rees, is numbered among the honored pioneers of Colorado, the
period of his
residence here covering thirty-seven years. His birth occurred
in Johnstown.
Pennsylvania, on the 2nd of September, 1857, his parents being
Lewis and Sarah
(Morris) Rees, both of whom have passed away. The father died
while on a visit
to Pueblo in 1885.
William L. Rees attended the public schools of his native town
but began
providing for his own support at the early age of nine years,
obtaining work in
the mines, while subsequently he was employed in a steel mill.
It was in 1881,
when a young man of twenty-four years, that he determined to try
his fortune in
the west, believing that he might have better opportunity for
business
advancement in this section of the country. Accordingly he made
his way to
Colorado and after learning the bricklayer's trade turned his
attention to
contracting. He first worked on what is known as the
Philadelphia smelter at
Pueblo and continued active in his trade until elected to the
position of county
commissioner in 1894. He continued to serve in that capacity for
six years and
made a most creditable record, establishing the county poor farm
and promoting
other valuable work in his official connection. After leaving
that position he
was identified with the post office department for a year and
then entered the
revenue department, in which he remained for twelve years. He
also held a state
position for about two years and in these various connections
won an enviable
reputation for efficiency and fidelity. In February, 1917, he
embarked in the
real estate and insurance business as a member of the firm of
Hoffman & Rees and
has since gained a most gratifying measure of success along
those lines. Alert,
enterprising and progressive, he has accomplished what he has
undertaken and in
his vocabulary there is no such word as fail.
On the 12th of April, 1882, Mr. Rees was united in marriage to
Miss
Margaretta Rees, who though of the same name is not a relative.
They have two
daughters: Ida, who is the wife of Earl Litz, of Chicago,
Illinois; and
Gertrude, a public school teacher.
In his political views Mr. Rees is a republican. Before Bessemer
became a
part of Pueblo he was a very prominent factor in its public life
and in fact was
largely instrumental in its development and up-building, the
improvements there
instituted being directly attributable to his efforts. He is now
a member of the
Local Draft Board No. 2 in Pueblo and is widely recognized as a
most loyal and
public-spirited citizen. Fraternally he is identified with the
Masons and the
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, while in religious faith he
is a
Protestant. He has witnessed the growth and development of his
adopted state
from early times to the present and Pueblo numbers him among her
most highly
respected and valued pioneer citizens.
Source: Stone, Wilbur Fiske,
History of Colorado, volume III. Chicago: The S. J. Clarke
Publishing Company, 1918.
Contributed by Joy Fisher (Dec08)
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