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BIOGRAPHICAL AND PORTRAIT CYCLOPEDIA

for a term of three years. He was nominated by his party for a second term, but dissensions in the party led to the defeat of the entire county ticket, and he failed of election.     He is one of the acknowledged leaders of his party in the county, and as he is young, able and ambitious, there is little doubt that he will yet be called upon to fill high office in the county or state.     During the heated campaign 0f 1894 he became involved in a controversy with Gen. Hastings, then a candidate for governor of the State. The controversy grew out of Gen. Hastings' administration of affairs at Johnstown immediately after the great flood of May 31, 1889, and was taken up, commented upon, and discussed generally pro and con by the press in and without the State. The matter culminated in a suit at law, which was disposed of by agreement in the court of common pleas at Ebensburg, June 20, A. D. 1895, in such a way that it gave great satisfaction to Mr. O'Connor and his friends.     Since the preparation of this work was begun Mr. O'Connor received the unanimous indorsement of the Democratic county convention for congress, and was afterwards tendered the nomination for this high office by the congressional conference of the district, which he declined in favor of R. C. McNamara, of Bedford county. VALENTINE EICHENLAUB, general superintendent of the Glen Helen Colliery and Coke works at Amboy, Gallitzin township, this county, and operated by Taylor Brothers, 21 South Gay street, Baltimore, Maryland, and the Glen White mines of Blair county, this State, is a son of Joseph and Margaret (Sherry) Eichenlaub, and was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, February 9, 1846. His

father and mother were both born in Germany, and after their marriage emigrated to this country, the former in 1832, his wife following in 1836. After a short residence in each of the cities of Pittsburg and Cincinnati, he came to Cambria county, locating at Ashland Furnace and St. Augustine, where he resided until 1859, when he removed to Blair county, this State, locating near Altoona, which was his residence until 1888, when he removed to Elstie, this county, at which place he still resides. Mr. Eichenlaub is a devoted member of the Roman Catholic church, as was also his wife up to the time of her death, which occurred in 1872.     Valentine Eichenlaub had very poor advantages for securing an education so far as schools and textbooks go. His mental training is of a more practical character, and is such as he has been able to gain through general reading and attrition with the business world. Prior to the Civil War he was a day laborer. When the crisis of war was upon us, true to his patriotic instincts he entered the service of his country and, enlisted in company A, Second regiment of Pennsylvania cavalry, and was engaged in some of the most desperate battles of the war, in all fought in twenty-seven separate battles; he served until the close of the war, receiving his discharge at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 1865. He then went to Altoona, where he served an apprenticeship at the carpenter's bench. In 1869 he began working in the mines, where, after working for a period of five years, he was made foreman, which position he filled until November 30, 1895, when he was made general superintendent of the Coal and Coke Works of the Glen Helen colliery, of Gallitzin township, and of the Glen White mines of Blair county, Pennsylvania. From his former

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