Mr. Ryan is a representative of that class of men who have made the western part of this country famous because of the enterprise and determination with which they have undertaken, and pushed to completion, plans for the betterment, not only of themselves, but of the communities where they have resided. It may be said with truth that few have been more closely connected with, or more deeply interested in, everything tending to the good and welfare of the City of Davenport and its inhabitants than Mr. Ryan. It has been said that he who sets before his fellows an example of industry, sobriety and honesty of purpose has a present as well as a future influence on the well-being of his country, for his life and character are woven into the lives of others for all time to come. It is no exaggerated statement to say that Mr. Ryan has done this. His life, identified with the city's development from his earliest boyhood, has been one of activity, not only in his own interests, but in those of the city as well.
He was born on the thirteenth of January, 1851, in Warren County, Indiana. His parents were Edgar and Salinda (Osborne) Ryan. His father was a stock-breeder and a man of consequence and influence in the community. In the early “fifties" he represented his County in the State Legislature. He was a successful man of affairs and enjoyed a large share of the confidence and respect of the community in which he lived.
In 1855 he removed with his family to Davenport, Iowa, and in company with Mr. A. C. McCarn, a former fellow-citizen of his in Indiana, embarked in the wholesale grocery trade in this city, handling a general line of goods. His career in Davenport was cut short by his death in 1857, less than two years after his arrival.
Edgar Harvey Ryan received his early education in the public schools of Davenport and afterward attended a commercial college in La Fayette, Indiana. On the first of January, 1873, he, in partnership with his brother, J. A. Ryan, began business in Davenport as a merchant, dealing in gentlemen's furnishings, etc., at the corner of Second and Main Streets in this city, under the firm name of Ryan Bros.
This copartnership continued until 1877, when J. A. Ryan removed to St. Paul, Minnesota, and the business was continued by Edgar H. Prior to engaging in business for himself Mr. Ryan had been a traveling salesman for Keith Bros., wholesale hatters in Chicago. His experience in this capacity had given him a valuable insight into business methods and was of great value to him when he undertook to conduct business for himself.
In 1887 he closed his career as a merchant and in August, 1888, in company with Mr. C. G. Bosch, incorporated the Bosch-Ryan Grain Company. Previous to this he had built what is known as the Ryan block, corner of Second and Brady Streets, one of the most modern and commodious business blocks in the city. The firm of which Mr. Ryan is a member is one of the most prominent in its line in the city, but Mr. Ryan has not confined his transactions to this one line of business. He has been and is interested in many extensive enterprises in the city. He is secretary of both the Davenport Town Lot Company and the Davenport Safety Deposit Company and is financially and otherwise interested in numerous other enterprises in the city. He is a member of Trinity Lodge No. 208, Free and Accepted Masons, also of Davenport Chapter No. 16.
Although comparatively a young man, it is no exaggeration to say that Mr. Ryan ranks as one of the leading business men of the city. He is a man of calm and sober judgment and belongs to that type of men who leave their impress upon the community in which they live. He is noted among his associates for his energy, enterprise, shrewdness and integrity. His counsel is often sought by business associates older than himself, a fact which attests that his business contemporaries have a good opinion of his sagacity and ability.
Mr. Ryan was married, in June of 1873, to Miss Ella, daughter of Thomas Coleman, of La Fayette, Indiana. They have but one child a daughter, Julia C.
BIOGRAPHIES