Saint Mary's beacon., 1904-09-15
Mr. Duke Sets Good Pace.



perity of Baltimore is at stake and
fts commercial progress is so widely
discussed at home and abroad, il is
encouraging to find q person sc
optimistic as Dir. w. Beruand Duke.
Mr.. Duke believes in Baltimore.
His faith is of the practical kind,
and he backs up his opinion with
his money in business enterprises.
He thinks that Baltimore has "a
greater opportunity than before the
fire, and that people with backbone
win profit by it," He does not see
any possibility of the cities north OF
it getting its trade, but he thinks
she Western trade should be more
thoroughly cultivated. Such are the
expressions OF man who is at the
head Of three large commercial
houses, one of which travels its
statesmen in every State in the Union,
and is interested in a number of
minor concerns bearing on the i'm
portance Of Baltimore as a business
centre.
w. Bernard Duke came here in
1887 from st. Mary's county, Mary
land, to carve his fortune. His fam.
lily has long occupied an excellent
position in Southern Maryland, a
section that possesses many natural
advantages, but one in which wealth
is hard to acquire. Mr.. Duke was
only 20 when hesettled in Baltimore.
He first tackled insurance and then
went with Tip Slee in the bicycle
business. In 1896 he became mem
Der of the firm of Ehrman & Duke
and conducted large bicycle estab
lishment at Cathedral and Chase
streets. He was wise enough tC
embark in this enterprise when the
bicycle fever was at it's height and
everybody was riding over the coun
try q wheel. He also had the fore.
sight to withdraw from the field
three years later, when the bicycle
fad" was on the decline and people
were looking for some other kind o.
diversion. 1t was about this time
that he married the widow of Mr.
George w. Abel, who owned ;
handsome country place on the Jop
pa road, about two miles from Tow
son. Mrs. Abell was a woman o
wealth, but TO the credit of Mr.
Duke it must be said that he has
made his way in the world irres
pective of his wife s fortune. Theirs
is a happy home, but to this day hi
is particular TO refer 70 The Ridge
as Mrs. Dukes property, and he is
perhaps supersensitive on the sub
ject of not claiming the place as his
own.
Mr.. Duke is a man of sentiment
BY his own ability and industry ht
is now regarded as one of the mos
successful young business men in
the city, and he works early and
late. but there are other things tha,
he values more than money. In 1895
he formed, with MIR. James A. Daw
kins, a member OF the last House o.
Delegates, the firm of Dawkius &
Duke. commission merchants and
produce dealers, with Office and
warehouse at 219 South Charles
street. He went into this business
because he was anxious to keep in
touch with the people in his home
section of the State. Most of the
customers and consignors OF Daw
kins & Duke are people living in ST.
Mary's, Charles and Calvert counties
and whenever they come to towr
they are assured OF o warm welcome
from the junior member of the firm
Whenever you see man that
doesn't care anything about hi:
home people," remarked Mr.. Duke
the other day, there is something
wrong about him. He isn't all he
ought to be-
To the advice and encouragement
Of the late William T. Dixon, Mr.
Duke attributes. his own success
although he is extremely modest il
admitting that he has accomplished
anything. MIR. Duke believed i'm
plicitly in the judgment and acumer
OF Mr.. Dixon, and he never made
busines move without consulting tn,
late bank president. No one ad
mired Mr.. Dixon more and no on,
learned OF his death with keener re
gret than did w. Bernard Duke
In 1897 Mr.. Duke formed the firm O
Duke & Thompson. straw hat manu-
facturerss aud in 1900 the concerl
was made q stock company unde
the name Of the Duke. Montague
Gillett Company. It has a larg
warehouse ut 16 South Howar,
street, with q side entrance on Wes
German street, and it's travelin,
men sell goods in every State in tn
Union. The Duke-Peterson Hard
ware Company was organized jus
after the FIRE. in February, and /