admin HIRAM WALTZ, of the live-stock commission firm of Swope, Hughes, Waltz & Benstead, is known throughout the country as the controller of immense livestock interests in East Buffalo and Cleveland, and not only stands in the foremost rank of Buffalo business men, but is one of the leading business men of the United States. Mr. Waltz is of Swiss ancestry, being descended from an ancient family. In the twelfth century the name Waltzer was applied to a small community of farmers who sought refuge from Gothic dominion in a mountain valley of the Alpine range, near the Rhine Glacier. These people have a well defined place in the annals of Switzerland, being referred to by at least three Swiss historians.
Born at Bluffton, O., in 1850, he early became engaged in the dry-goods, and grain and livestock business, continuing for twelve years. In 1881 Mr. Waltz removed to Buffalo, there becoming connected with the livestock commission business, with which he has remained identified to the present time. The importance and the general relationships to the community of the great livestock commission house of Swope, Hughes, Waltz & Benstead, in which the subject of this sketch is a partner and a leading factor, are matters too well known to require extended comment. The transactions of this firm are on a vast scale, including interests co-extensive with the United States, and whose ramifications include foreign trade in many countries. The firm controls great capital and has unbounded banking credit. The position held by Mr. Waltz in relation to the livestock commission interests which center at East Buffalo is due to his mastery of the details of the business and to his possession of executive ability and grasp of general affairs.
The growing importance of East Buffalo as a business center and the financial requirements of the enterprises in that locality, led to the organization of the Union Stock Yard Bank of Buffalo, November 10, 1904. Of this bank Mr. Waltz was one of the founders, and he is also its President. This, the latest addition to the banking institutions of Buffalo, is also among the strongest.
Mr. Waltz is a Democrat and once received the Democratic nomination for City Comptroller, but declined to become a candidate.
As a citizen of Buffalo, the standing of Mr. Waltz is as high as is his rank in the business world. He is the most prominent man connected with the interests of East Buffalo and wields a strong influence in all movements relating to the development of that section.
SOURCE: Memorial and Family History of Erie County New York; Volume I