been for the past two years a member of the County
School Board, the only public office he has ever held. He
has a family and resides in a handsome residence on the
mainland near Solomon's Island.

Carroll County—J. W. HERING.

Dr. J. W. Hering was born near Johnsville, in Fred-
erick county, Maryland, in 1833, and came to Westminster
in 1851. At the age of eighteen, he procured a position
as clerk in the store of Jacob Reese, and later on under-
took the study of medicine and graduated from the Mary-
land University School of Medicine, and began practice
in 1855. In 1867, he was made cashier of the Union
National Bank, whereupon he gave up the practice of
medicine, and has been cashier of that bank ever since.
Dr. Hering has been such a prominent citizen, and so
much trust and reliance has been placed in him, that lie
has had quite a number of large estates to settle up. He
was one of the founders of the Western Maryland Col-
lege and is chairman of the executive committee, and a
member of the board of trustees, and lecturer on hygiene
of that institution. Hering Hall is named in his honor.
He is one of the charter members of the Mutual Fire
Insurance Company of Carroll county, and has been
president of the company since 1873. Dr. Hering has
always been an active member of the Methodist Protes-
tant Church. In May, 1892, he was chosen president of
the General Conference, the highest position in the church,
and was the first layman ever elected to fill the position.
Dr. Hering is also one of the trustees of the Home for
Aged People in Westminster, and to his earnest work the
opening of that charity is due. He has always been a
Democrat, and, although never holding political office,
has been engaged more or less in every campaign for the
past thirty years. His election gave the Democrats con-
trol of the famous Senate of 1896, which they had lost
by the sudden death of Senator Bennett. Dr. Hering has
shown in the Senate the same fidelity to the interests of
the State that had marked his career in every other
phase of his earnest and active life. He was chairman.
committee on contingent expenses of Senate, on com-
mittee on finance, on committee on corporations, on com-
mittee on elections, on committee on education, on
committee on sanitary condition of State, and chairman
of committee on revaluation and assessment of the last
Senate.