From: Portrait and Biographical Record of the State of Colorado, 1899

PERCY HAGERMAN, Ph. B., treasurer of LX the Pecos Valley & Northeastern Railway Company, and president of the Mollie Gibson Consolidated Mining and Milling Company of Aspen, also a charter member of the Colorado Springs Mining Stock Association, and a member of the Chamber of Commerce, is a son of J. J. Hagerman, of Colorado Springs. He was born in Milwaukee, Wis., January 24, 1869, and in boyhood attended Markham's Academy in that city. In 1882, when his father went to Europe, he accompanied him, and remained on the continent until 1884, meantime having the excellent advantages offered by the best schools of Europe. After coming to Colorado Springs he entered Colorado College, where he was a student for one year. In 1886 he entered Cornell University, where he took the regular course of study, graduating in 1890, with the degree of Ph. B. During his university course he took a special interest in athletics, particularly in rowing, and during the three years that he was a member of the crew he was victorious in every contest.

For one year Mr. Hagerman was a student in the department of law in Yale University. Returning to the Springs in 1891, he became interested in mining in Cripple Creek. Previous to this he had formed important mining interests with his father at Aspen, and now holds the presidency of one of the most successful mining companies there. In the organization of the Pecos Valley & Northeastern Railway Company he assisted his father, and has been the treasurer of the company from its inception, his father being the president. The road is now completed from Pecos, Tex., through Eddy to Roswell, N. M., and to Amarillo, Tex., a distance of three hundred and seventy-two miles. Its completion will enhance the success of the land companies in the valley, in a number of which he is an officer and director.

The marriage of Mr. Hagerman, in Minneapolis, Minn., united him with Miss Eleanor Lowry, of that city, daughter of Thomas Lowry, whose name has long been intimately connected with the street railways of Minneapolis. Mr. Hagerman has one son, Lowry Hagerman. The various social organizations of this city have found in Mr. Hagerman an active and interested friend. The Alumni Association and Kappa Alpha Society of Cornell number him among their members. He is also identified with the El Paso and Cheyenne Mountain Country Clubs of Colorado Springs, and the University Club of New York City.
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History of Colorado, Vol 2. Edited by Wilbur Fisk Stone

PERCY HAGERMAN

Percy Hagerman, of Colorado Springs, who is largely interested in lands and land development projects, comes of a family which has long been connected with the upbuilding of the state of Colorado and which has played a most important part in its growth along various lines. He was bom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 24, 1869, a son of the late James J. and Anna 0. (Osborne) Hagerman. The father, one of the empire builders of the west and one of the most remarkable figures in the history of the state of Colorado, was born in Port Hope, Canada, in 1837, and passed away in Milan, Italy, in 1909. Mrs. Hagerman, who was a daughter of the Hon. William H. Osborne, a native of New York and a pioneer Michigan farmer, was born in Tecumseh, Michigan, in 1842 and in that city she was married to James J. Hagerman. The latter was a descendant in the third generation of the founder of the American branch of the family, the first American ancestor becoming a farmer of Dutchess county, New York, having emigrated to the United States from Hanover, Germany. He subsequently moved to Ontario, Canada, and there James Parrott Hagerman, grandfather of our subject, was born. Leaving the Dominion, he located in St. Clair, Michigan, where he passed the remainder of his active life, being connected with farming and milling.

His son, James J. Hagerman, father of our subject, after receiving an excellent college education became connected with Captain E. B. Ward, of Detroit, Michigan, one of the prominent and wealthy men of the state and the owner of vessels, iron mines and factories. At first Mr. Hagerman was. a purser on the Ward Line of steamers but on the organization of the Milwaukee Iron Company was made manager of this enterprise, later becoming president of the company. His greatest work in Michigan, however, was the development of the iron mines in the Menominee district, he becoming president of the Menominee Mining Company and principal owner of the Chapin mine, which he discovered. This he developed into the largest producing iron mine in the United States. In 1883 Mr. Hagerman went to Europe to regain his health, which had broken down under the continuous business strain, and in 1884 he came to Colorado Springs, from which place he conducted his great campaign in the development of Colorado and the Pecos valley of New Mexico. Mr. Hagerman was interested in mining in Leadville and Aspen and was chief owner of the Mollie Gibson mine. He was one of the important factors in the organization of the Colorado Midland Railroad, of which he was president for a time, or until he negotiated the sale of the road to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. He was the first to recognize the agricultural and horticultural possibilities, of the Pecos valley in New Mexico if adequate systems of irrigation were established and he therefore developed the largest irrigation companies in that section.
He also was the builder and principal owner of the Pecos Valley & Northeastern Railroad, which is now the property of the Santa Fe system. In this way Mr. Hagerman turned into fertile fields a desert region as by a magic wand. He was president of the First National Bank of Colorado Springs and for many years a trustee of Colorado College, to which he liberally contributed, being always a sincere friend of education. Hagerman Hall, one of the finest structures on the college campus, is named in his honor. This short outline of a most illustrious career only indicates the far-reaching effects of the efforts and labors of Mr. Hagerman in the development of his state. Mr. and Mrs. Hagerman had two sons, Percy and H. J. Hagerman.

The former attended public and private schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while the family was residing there and subsequently was for a year a student in Colorado College. In 1884 Mr. and Mrs. Hagerman and their two sons came to Colorado Springs, which remained their home, but Percy Hagerman and his brother both returned to the east in order to gain a college education. Mr. Hagerman of this review graduated from Cornell University in 1890 and then attended the Yale Law School during 1890 and 1891, returning to Colorado Springs at the end of that period. He has since made his home in this city, directing from here his important business interests. He has followed in the footsteps of his distinguished father and has continued in land development, doing a great deal of good for the sections in which he is interested. His work therefore is not only of benefit to himself but of great value in the further upbuilding of the state.

On the 22d of January, 1896, Mr. Hagerman was united in marriage to Miss Eleanor Lowry, a daughter of Thomas Lowry, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and they have three children: Lowry Hagerman, aged twenty-one, who is serving his country in France as a lieutenant with the Field Artillery of the national army; Elinor Hagerman, who is fifteen years of age; and Anne Hagerman, aged thirteen.

Mr. Hagerman is a republican, sincere in his support of the party, and takes a great interest in matters of public import but is not an active politician. His club connections are with the El Paso Club, the Cooking Club and the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club, of Colorado Springs; the Denver Club: and the University and Cornell Clubs, of New York. Mr. Hagerman is deeply interested in the material and intellectual growth of the city in which he makes his residence and is ever ready to give his support to worthy movements.