EDWIN M. AMIES,* who is recognized as one of the leading members of the Blair
County bar and is a prominent citizen of Altoona, was born in the city of
Philadelphia, October 19, 1859, and is a son of Oswald A. and Elizabeth C.
(Mather) Amies.
     The Amies family is of French extraction but for many generations has
been purely American. Oswald A. Amies was born at Philadelphia, Pa., a son of
Thomas Amies, a native of Delaware. The latter was a large manufacturer of
paper at Brandywine, Del., and later Oswald A. was concerned in the same line
of business. Oswald A. Amies was one of the first to answer President
Lincoln's first call for troops, in 1861; he served through a first
enlistment and after reenlisting, fell on the battle field of Gettysburg. He
left a young wife with four children. He had married Elizabeth C. Mather, a
native of Philadelphia also, who survived until 1882. She was a woman of
great fortitude and many Christian virtues and was an earnest member of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
     Edwin M. Amies was three years old when he was left fatherless. His
mother returned to Philadelphia with her little children and there he was
educated and with the class of 1876, was graduated from Girard College. In
making a choice of profession he decided upon the bar, for which his natural
talents and inclination seemed to fit him, and after four years of study in
the office of Alexander & Herr, at Altoona, he was admitted to the bar of
Blair County, in December, 1880. He immediately opened his law office in
Altoona and this city has continued to be his field of effort and the scene
of his many legal triumphs. For almost thirty years he has been in the legal
arena and at no time have his actions inspired anything but the highest
esteem and respect, not only for his ability as a lawyer, but also because of
his genial personality and his high standard of manhood. He has served in
political offices, being an active and earnest Republican, but his aims have
been directed to attaining professional eminence rather than political
advancement.
     Mr. Amies was married November 2, 1881, to Miss Laura Bower, a daughter
of Jacob and Mary Bower, prominent old residents of Lancaster County, Pa. Mr.
and Mrs. Amies reside in a pleasant home which is situated at No. 1308
Fourteenth Avenue, Altoona, and he maintains his offices in the Central Trust
Building, Rooms 28-30, an admirable location. He is identified with a number
of fraternal organizations, these including Logan Lodge, No. 490, F.&A.M.;
Mountain Chapter, No. 189, Royal Arch Masons; Camp No. 12, Sons of Veterans;
Blair Lodge, No. 281, Knights of Pythias; and Altoona Lodge, No. 102, Elks.
He is president of the Altoona Republican Club.