William F. Galle
From a clerical position to the present ownership of a thriving manufacturing and shipping industry is the noteworthy rise accomplished by William F. Galle, of the lumber company operating under the same name. In the opinion of his business associates he is looked upon as a man of scrupulous honesty, possessing that energy and force of character, which are impelled by a wholesome ambition. He was born in Cincinnati in 1873, his parents being August H. and Fredericka (Peters) Galle. His father was a native of Germany and when about seventeen years of age crossed the Atlantic in order to avail himself of larger business opportunities in the new hemisphere. Finding his way west over the Alleghanies, he settled in Cincinnati and here secured a position with Amor Smith & Company, remaining in their employ for more than forty-five years until he at length retired. During the later portion of his connection with this firm he acted in the capacity of superintendent, discharging his duties with utmost fidelity to the advancement of the business interests of his employers.
William F. Galle obtained his education in Hughes High School and thereafter became bookkeeper in the firm of A. Renesch & Company. He remained with them for a time when he found an opportunity to improve his position and in consequence entered the employ of J. Ringeman & Company, where he worked in a similar capacity. Ever mindful of the ideal of economic freedom, which he cherished in his heart, he watched his opportunities with a shrewd eye and a bold spirit. When the time was ripe he severed his connections with the firm in which he was employed and in February 1901, engaged in the lumber business for himself, operating under the firm style of William F. Galle & Company. How fortunate was the result of the step which he then took is evidenced in the increasing prosperity of the business. He is a manufacturer and wholesale dealer of hardwood lumber and began in a small way to supply the local market. The firm, which has increased its business to the present remarkable proportions, is chiefly employed in furnishing the lumber materials for the manufacture of furniture, carriages, automobile trucks and for interior finishing. They have mills in Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana and ship extensively throughout the middle states and the east, handling about twelve million feet of lumber annually.
The marriage of Mr. Galle and Miss Louise Rodman, a daughter of F. K. Rodman, of Cincinnati, occurred January 5, 1911. Mr. Galle is very active and enthusiastic in his fraternal relations. He belongs to the Masonic order, being a member of Harmony Lodge, F. & A. M.; Cincinnati Chapter, R. A. M.; Cincinnati Commandery, K. T.; Cincinnati Council, R. & S. M.; Ohio Consistory, S. P. R. S.; and Syrian Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He also holds membership in the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and in the Hoo Hoo, a lumber organization. Ever a genial companion, he is held in high favor, both in social and commercial circles, in Cincinnati, where he has a host of friends.
From Cincinnati, The Queen City, Volume III by Rev. Charles Fredric Goss, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1912