SEVENTH GENERATION

976. Clyde Holland Hunter was born on 19 Mar 1889 in Williamson County, Illinois. He died on 8 Feb 1989 in Quincy, Illinois.

CLYDE HOLLAND HUNTER

My father had a warm friendship with many people, and particularly with the descendants of Jacob Hunter and the many other relatives he had in and about Williamson County. He carried on a long correspondence with Lettie and Lawrence Hunter, without whose tireless work this Scrapbook could not exist. The entire family owes them both an enormous debt.

We should also acknowledge a huge debt to Dr. Richard H. Hunter and Lawrence Hunter for resurrecting the Jacob Hunter Cemetery, which had fallen into disgraceful ruin, on the verge of oblivion. We can only hope that this important historical landmark will now receive the attention and support that it deserves.

We have included my father's obituaries from the Chicago Tribune and the Quincy paper. They give much of the factual information. What they cannot impart is the intense enthusiasm and love he had for so many things, such as (but not necessarily in this order) his ancestors, Williamson County, Rotary, fishing, books, singing (a basso profundo, he sang in concert under the direction of Stokowski, and for many years with the Congregational Church Choir), gardening (a consistent prize winner at flower shows), the accounting profession, his accounting firm (Gray Hunter Stenn & Co.), his fraternity (Theta Delta Chi), the University of Illinois (he sang Hail to the Orange with great gusto on his 99th birthday), athletics (a member of the Marion High School team, the best high school football team in Southern Illinois and once holder of the state record for the 440 yard dash - for which he was then known as "Rabbif') and, above all, his countless friends. He had only one avowed hatred -- crabgrass, with which he fought a continuing, and usually winning, battle.

My father had three children: James Gordon (b. 12-6-15), Robert Shannon (b. 8-13-19) and John Richard (b. 10-16-27). They, their descendants, and some family friends are shown in the facing picture. He was living and in good mental health but not able to make the trip. His descendants are indicated by showing the name of their parent [shown in brackets, thus] who was a descendant following their names. .

Robert S. Hunter, Quincy, Illinois December 31, 1991

FRONT ROW - Rebecca Paull [Margaret Belle Hunter Paull]; Mr. McLane [father of Louise McLane Hunter, John Richard Hunter [Clyde Hunter]; Louise [Mrs. John R.] McLane Hunter.

SECOND ROW - Karen Jackman; Thomas Paull; Nell Catherine Hermann [Robert S. Hunter]; Dorothy L. Behrensmeyer (Mrs. Robert S.) Hunter; Janice Kay Hunter [William R. Hunter]; Shellie Ann Hunter Bebble [James G. Hunter Jr.]; Laureen; Kathleen Hayden [Mrs. John McLane] Hunter.

THIRD ROW - Kavin J. Hunter [James G. Hunter]; Margaret Belle Hunter Paull [John R. Hunter]; Linda Louise Hunter (Mrs. Ronald R.) Hermann [Robert S. Hunter]; William R. Hunter [James G. Hunter]; James Gordon Hunter [Clyde H. Hunter]; James Gordon Hunter, Jr. [James G. Hunter]; John McLane Hunter [John R. Hunter].


MEMORIAL

On Feb. 8, 1939 the Williamson County Historical Society lost a very good friend who had, over the years, been a member of our society. Clyde Hunter who passed away at the age of 99, lived in Quincy, Illinois, but he was born in our county and never lost interest in his roots here. Related not only to the Hunter family of Carterville and the Peterson family of Johnston City, as well as a great many of our early citizens, Clyde told me once that he was born in a house which sat just where our Williamson County Historical society Area Museum now stands at 105 S Van Buren. St.. in Marion. He offered to give our Museum (and at my suggestion finally donated to John A. Logan College) four historically significant chairs which had been given as a wedding present from Mrs. John A Logan to her childhood friend Annie Cox who married a prominent Marion banker, Shannon Holland. The beautifully handcrafted chairs with deep wine colored velvet covering are now displayed at John A. Logan along with other Logan memorabilia.

Always generous, Clyde donated a $500 Missouri Pacific R.R. coupon bond from which our Society draws 4.5% interest yearly. He also insisted on giving the writer a similar bond as a token of his appreciation for some very small research for him. Interested in genealogy, Clyde had done a great deal of work on his own family, and had hoped to be able to find out something about an ancestor who may have been connected with the history of the Cherokee Indians being transferred to Oklahoma from the eastern part of the U.S., but I regret to say I failed in being able to help him in that regard.

Clyde would have turned 100 on March 19th. He was born March 19, 1889, the son of Emma Cox Hunter and John Hunter. He had first gone to Quincy to attend Gem City Business College. He graduated from there, and after working as a bookkeeper for more than a year, attended the University of Illinois and Northwestern University studying accounting and pre-law. He became a C.P.A. in 1915, and later worked for Price Waterhouse where he, with two more employees Arthur Anderson and a man named Dulaney formed the forerunner of one of the nation's largest C.P.A. firms. He left that firm and later co-founded Gray, Hunter, Stenn with, P.H. Gray and Harry M. Stenn in Chicago, later expanding to Quincy and Marion. A West Frankfort office opened around 1982. "He came into the profession when it wasn't a profession,'' his son Robert Hunter has said. In 1974 Mr. Hunter recalled setting up the first "double-entry systems'' in some of the downstate school systems in Illinois. Mr. Hunter was also active in a number of projects and organizations in the Quincy area. His first wife, Florence E. Geib, the mother of his three sons died 1948. His second wife, Elizabeth Kuhlo survives.

Our Society has received a monetary donation from. Emily Stotlar in Clyde's memory. Several years ago he suggested to the widow of one of his cousins, Mrs. Bert Peterson of Johnston City, that she, in her will donate to the Society museum a table which had been constructed by an early citizen of our county and an ancestor of his. That early furniture-maker was Manuel Hunter of Williamson County who, during the cholera epidemic of the 19th century, is said to have made caskets for a number of the victims, and died of cholera himself in that epidemic. The table, a gift of the estate of Hattie Peterson, may be seen in the Museum's parlor.

by Pearl Roberts


The Quincy Herald-Whig, Thursday, February 9, 1989

Quincy accounting pioneer Clyde Hunter dies

By Edward Husar
Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Clyde H. Hunter, 99, a Quincy accounting pioneer who helped establish many local businesses and was an adviser and confidant to numerous industrial and community leaders, died at 11:20 a.m. Wednesday (Feb. 8, 1989) in his home at 2308 Aldo Boulevard.

Mr. Hunter, who was in falling health, would have turned 100 on March 19.

A certified public accountant since 1915, he was the oldest living member of the 23,000-member. Illinois CPA Society.

Mr. Hunter cofounded the Gray Hunter Stenn accounting firm in 1917 and spent his career helping industries, businesses, schools and individuals balance their books. He is credited with playing an Influential role in Quincy's industrial and civic growth in the early part this century.

Mr. Hunter retired in 1967 at age 78, turning over the reins of the accounting firm to Troy Mallory, who continues to run the Quincy office. Gray Hunter Stenn also has offices In Chicago, Marion and West Frankfort.

Mr. Hunter was born in Marion on March 19, 1889, the son of John and Emma Cox Hunter. He first came to Quincy in 1906 to attend Gem City Business College, where he also played football, performed in track and field, and sang bass with the college's quartet.

After graduating In 1907, he worked as a bookkeeper for 1 1/2 years for the C. S. Nichols Co. of Quincy, later known as NollHauworth. He then attended the University of Illinois and Northwestern University, studying accounting and pre-law.

After becoming a CPA in 1915, Mr. Hunter worked for Booth Fisheries Co. and with several accounting firms, including the famed Price Waterhouse Co. in Chicago. After a time, he and two other Price Waterhouse employees a young man named Arthur Anderson and another named Dulaney - formed Anderson-Dulaney & Co., forerunner of one of the nation's largest CPA firms.

"He was the '& Co.,' " said Quincy attorney Robert S. Hunter, one of Mr. Hunter's three sons.

Hunter said a review of his father's notes show he wasn't happy working with Anderson, who taught an accounting class at night and would sometimes come to work in the morning tired and grouchy. "And I was his whipping boy," Mr. Hunter wrote.

He left the firm and co-founded his own with P.H. Gray and Harry M. Stenn Gray Hunter Stenn originally opened in Chicago before expanding to Quincy and Marion. The West Frankfort office opened around 1982, according to Mallory.

Mr. Hunter launched the Quincy office after coming here on an accounting assignment in 1918 and discovering a great demand for CPAs. "He came into the profession when it wasn't a profession," Robert Hunter said.

"I don't think there's any question he was the first CPA in Quincy," added Mallory.

Mr. Hunter's accounting skills were in great demand, and many local businesses, including some of the community's most prominent names, sought his services, such as Excelsior Stove, Moorman Manufacturing, Quincy Paper Box, Dick Brothers Brewery, Knapheide Manufacturing and Comstock Castle Stove.

Mr. Hunter played a role in some of the largest business mergers involving local companies, including the merger of Gardner Governor Co. with Denver Rock Drill Co., forming Gardner-Denver; Gates Radio with Harris-Intertype, forming what has become Harris Corp. division; and Huck Manufacturing with the S.S. Kresge Co., forerunner of K mart.

Mr. Hunter brought modern accounting practices to this area. In a 1974 interview, he recalled setting up the first "double-entry systems" in some downstate Illinois school districts. CPAs were a rare commodity in the early 1900s, and Hunter provided a much-needed service. In addition to his business involvements, he served on the commissions that built the Quincy Municipal Airport, Memorial Bridge across the Mississippi River and the city's sewage disposal plant.

He also served on the St. Mary Hospital board, was a former vice president of the Central Illinois Hospital Association and was a director of the Woodland Home for orphans and the Anna Brown Home for the elderly.

Mallory said Mr. Hunter provided considerable behind-the-scenes help to struggling -businesses, assisting them not only with his financial knowledge and skills but also, from time to time, by loaning or investing his own money.

Mallory recalls Mr. Hunter helping one area village prepare to sell bonds to establish a natural gas distribution system. "He bought them all," Mallory said.

Mr. Hunter - an avid fisherman, gardener, singer, genealogist and book collector - was a member of First Union Congregational Church, the Sons of the American Revolution, Theta Delta Chi fraternity, the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce and, since 1928, the Rotary Club, which bestowed on Mr. Hunter its highest award, the Paul Harris Fellow, in 1985.

Mr. Hunter married Florence E. Geib on May 9, 1914, and they had three sons. She died July 14, 1948. Mr. Hunter, married Elizabeth Kuhlo on Sept. 3, 1949.

Survivors include his wife; sons Robert S. Hunter and James G. Hunter, both of Quincy, and John R. Hunter of Whitewater, Wis.; six grandchildren, James G. Hunter of Palo Alto, Calif., William R. Hunter of, Garland, Texas, Christopher B. Hunter of Alton, Linda Hermann of Champaign, John Hunter of Milwaukee, Wis., and Margaret Paull of Madison, Wis.; and six great-grandchildren.

Services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday at Hansen-Spear Funeral Home by the Rev. James T. Liebnow and the Rev. William Foose. Burial will be in Greenmount Cemetery.

Visitation will be Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturday morning until the time of services.

The family requests no flowers and suggests memorials to the First Union Congregational Church or the Salvation Army of Quincy.





Chicago Tribune, Friday, February 10, 1989

Obituaries

Clyde Hunter, 99, retired accountant

By Kenan Heise

Clyde Hunter, 99, a founding member of the accounting firm of Gray, Hunter, Stenn, was the oldest accountant in the 23,000-member Illinois Society of Certified Public Accountants. He helped establish the Chicago based Arthur Anderson & co., one of the largest accounting and consulting organizations in the world.

Services for Hunter, a resident since 1918 of Quincy, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in Quincy. He died Wednesday in his home.

"He worked in the profession before it was a profession," said his son, Circuit Court Judge Robert S. Hunter. "He was an extremely conscientious man who played a major role in the business and industry of the entire community.

Mr. Hunter, a native of Marion, was born March 19, 1889. He attended Gem City Business College in Quincy, the University of Illinois and Northwestern University.

In Chicago, he went to work for Price Waterhouse and worked with Arthur Anderson and Clarence Delaney. He left in 1913 to help found Anderson, Delaney & Co., later known as Arthur Andersen & Co.

"He was the '& Company,'", his son said.

Mr. Hunter left the firm to start his own with P. H. Gray and Harry M. Stenn. Their company eventually expanded to Quincy, Marion and West Frankfort.

On a visit to Quincy, he had learned there was a great demand for accountants in the area and moved there. He. served as an accountant and consultant for many of the largest businesses and projects in the area. He was on the commission that constructed the Quincy Memorial Bridge across the Mississippi River.

He retired in 1967 at the age of 78.

Survivors, besides his son, include his wife Elizabeth; two other sons, James and John; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

He was married to Florence Elsie Geib (daughter of John Geib and Mary) on 9 May 1914 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Florence Elsie Geib was born on 23 Mar 1889 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. She died on 14 Jul 1948. Clyde Holland Hunter and Florence Elsie Geib had the following children:

+1330 i. James Gordon Hunter.
+1331 ii. Robert Shannon Hunter.
+1332 iii. John Richard Hunter.

He was married to Elizabeth Kuhlo (daughter of Ernst H. Kuhlo and Katherine Marsh) on 3 Sep 1949. Elizabeth Kuhlo was born on 14 Mar 1902 in Quincy, Illinois. She died on 26 Apr 1999.


From the Jacob Hunter Turst Newsletter, Volume 9, No. 1, January 2000:

Elizabeth Kuhlo Hunter

Elizabeth K. Hunter, second wife of Clyde H. Hunter of Quincy, died April 26, 1999. She was 97. Mrs. Hunter has been the Trust's most ardent financial supporter. She provided generous gifts each year to the Trust along with encouraging letters expressing how much Clyde would have appreciated our work. Clyde H. Hunter devoted much of his life to researching Hunter family history. Elizabeth often remarked that the Jacob Hunter Trust was carrying forward the work of her husband. Elizabeth was born on March 14, 1902 in Quincy, a daughter of Ernst H. and Katherine Marsh Kuhlo. She married Clyde H. Hunter September 3, 1949. He died February 8, 1989.

Elizabeth taught in the Quincy Public Schools for many years and established libraries in several Quincy-area schools. She lectured in Central and Southern Illinois on elementary school library procedures and books for children.

She will be missed.