admin REUBEN JOSEPH GETZ. The Getz family came from Holland to America about 1670, settling in Pennsylvania. Joseph Getz, grandfather, migrated to Erie County in 1818. He was a miller and lumberman, and a prominent man in the early days of the county. His son, Jacob Getz, father of the subject of this sketch, after whom Getzville in the town of Amherst is named, was, like his father, a miller and lumberman. He removed to Buffalo in 1861. Jacob Getz, though he never held public office, took an active interest in the politics of his time. He was one of the original members of the Republican party, a strong Union man and an ardent supporter of Abraham Lincoln. His death occurred in 1880. He married Sarah Hoover, who died in 1896. He left three children: Reuben J. Getz, Charlotte (Mrs. Wm. E. Porter) of Detroit, Mich., and Hattie E. (Mrs. Everett E. Buchanan) of Elmira, New York.
Reuben Joseph Getz was born in the town of Amherst, Erie County, N. Y., July 13, 1853. Dis elementary education was obtained in the public schools of Buffalo, where he graduated from grammar school No. 19. He then attended Dr. Reed’s Walnut Hill school at Geneva, N. Y., later entering Clinton Liberal Institute at Clinton, N. Y., from which he graduated in June, 1871-.
Among the solid business men of Buffalo, a prominent place belongs to Reuben J. Getz. Mr. Getz has, at different times, been connected with many kinds of enterprises, including manufacturing, mercantile, the building and contracting industry, and the real estate business. On the organization of the Lake Erie Dredging Company in 1902, Mr. Getz became its Secretary and Treasurer, which office he still holds. This company is one of the foremost enterprises of its kind in Western New York, representing a strong consolidation of capital, and in the personnel of its management comprising some of the best business talent of Buffalo.
Mr. Getz is one of Buffalo’s leading Republicans, and though never a candidate for office, has been for many years a potent influence in his party, having represented the 20th, now the 24th Ward, in the Republican General Committee from 1898 to 1901, inclusively, and having served as Treasurer of the Buffalo Republican League during 1895-96 and ’97.
He is a well-known fraternity man, is connected with various representative organizations, and is held in esteem as a progressive citizen, thoroughly identified with Buffalo and her interests, and actively concerned with aims and movements tending to the general advancement of the community. Mr. Getz is an active member of the Masonic order, being affiliated with the Ancient Landmarks Lodge, F. & A. M., and with the Buffalo Consistory of Scottish Rite Masons. Through his connection with the latter body, he is a Mason of the 32d degree He is also an Odd Fellow and an Elk. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Historical Society and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He belongs to the Buffalo, Ellicott, Press and Park Clubs, and is a member of the North Presbyterian Church.
June 21, 1882, Mr. Getz married Cora E. Williams, daughter of William I. Williams of Buffalo. The only child of the union was a daughter, Geraldine, who died at the age of eighteen months.
SOURCE: Memorial and Family History of Erie County New York; Volume I