1918 -1921
HISTORY
George Sturgess Buck was born in Chicago, Illinois
on February 10, 1875. When he was one year old the family
moved to Buffalo
where his father worked in the transportation business and was
manager of the Sturgess Elevator.
Buck was a "sickly child" and did not attend
school until he was nine years old. He completed elementary
school in four years, then attended the Central High School
"When I was 20, my political career commenced. I was
in my senior year at old Central and ran for the presidency
of my class.
"I voted for my opponent and so did he, and
the election went to him by one vote."
He graduated from Central in 1892, and entered Yale
University where he received his B. A. degree. While at
Yale he became a well-known orator.
Upon his graduating in 1896, he returned to Buffalo
and enrolled in the Buffalo
Law School where he graduated in 1898. That same year he was
admitted to the bar.
He found employment in the law office of Clinton
& Clark.
From 1899 until 1903 Buck was a member of the Republican
County committee.
He later formed a partnership with Almeron H. Cole,
which lasted until 1905. In 1905 Mr. Cole moved to New York
City and Buck began a private practice which he continued
until his death.
In 1904 Buck was elected to the Erie County Board
of Supervisors
as a representative of the 21st Ward for four years.
From 1904 to 1911 he lectured in the Buffalo
Law school.
In 1907 he was elected a trustee of the Erie County
Bar Association
He was later chosen chairman of the committee, appointed
by the association, to propose a plan to remodel the inferior
courts of Buffalo
From this plan the City court system of the 1930's
was created to succeed the petit courts and the police
court.
In 1908 Buck was elected to the Erie County Board
of Supervisors
as a representative of the 23rd Ward for four years, serving
on its finance committee during that time.
As a member of the finance committee he played a
leading role in the development of the University of Buffalo
In 1909 the board deeded 104 acres of the old county almshouse
property in north Main Street area to the University of
Buffalo
Buck was elected county auditor in 1911 and served
from 1912 through 1914. In 1914 he was re-elected for another
three year term which ended in 1917.
He was one of the committeemen chosen to serve on
the Commission Charter Association, to draw up a new city
charter.
Early in 1917 he was mentioned as a possible mayoral
candidate to go against the seemingly unstoppable Louis
Fuhrmann
At the time it was not taken seriously. But by the time
the primaries rolled around, Buck was definitely involved.
He was considered a good candidate, but not a particularly
strong one, as he won his last election as county auditor
by just over 100 votes.
It was to be considered a non-partisan election,
but it was generally Buck the Republican and Fuhrmann the
Democrat. Fuhrmann's strength as a candidate had waned during
the latter portion of his term, but he attracted a strong
coalition of Democrat and Republican supporters, and his
bid for re-election seemed certain.
Several other candidates joined the race; the two
with the most votes would then run against each other in
the general election. A successful businessman, A. J. Elias
, entered as an independent candidate
, as did Socialist Franklin P. Brill. A last candidate,
Axel Patterson, rounded out the group.
On October 16, 1917 the primary was held. The thoughts
that Fuhrmann was washed up nearly faded, as he handily
won the primary with 18,414 votes. Buck came in second,
but quite far behind, with 14,695 votes, while Franklin
Brill nearly stole the show, with 14,341 votes. Elias, and
Patterson were far off with 6,905, and 103, respectively.
So the stage was set for a Republican/Democratic
battle, Buck vs. Fuhrmann.
There were many happenings at this time in Buffalo
The Nation was in the midst of a world war, and the commission
form of government was taking its beatings.
"During the campaign a man's friends are about
him, offering advice and encouragement, defending him from
attacks," Buck would later say.
Buck's campaign platform was "Civic Patriotism."
He advocated loyalty to the good name of the city in his
campaign speeches. His plea was for more civic consciousness
on the part of the people.
LIFE AS A MAYOR
Election day was November 6, 1917, and although Fuhrmann
appeared to be a shoe-in for the office, some of the voters
must have turned on him in the end. Buck came on strong
at the polls, defeating Mayor Fuhrmann
38,144 to 27,391. Whether it was the 'anti-Catholic' papers
supposedly spread by Fuhrmann's campaign manager, or whether
the people were scared of the war and decided to seek a
new leader is not entirely known. What is known is that
it was a Republican year, as the Republicans were elected
to fill all the offices, except for Councilman John Malone
, who was the only Democrat elected that day.
Buck's comment election night was: "I am pleased
and wish to express my thanks to those who supported me.
"As soon as the votes were counted in the mayoralty
election my home phone began to ring incessantly, and this
kept up day after day. By actual count, during the late
afternoon and evening a call came in every four minutes."
The Mayor-elect chose Charles H. Armitage, political
writer for the Buffalo
Evening News as his secretary.
Buck took the oath of office on January 1, 1918.
"The first shock which comes to a man after he is elected
mayor of a large city is to discover that whatever he does
or says has publicity value and his privacy is gone. The
reporters watch his office door as a cat watches a mouse-hole."
He delivered his Inaugural Message to the Council
on January 3, 1918.
"Let
me assure you at the beginning of our official relations
of my very earnest desire to cooperate with each of you
and to extend my aid to the end that the conduct of your
departments may be a credit to you and that the work may
be done most effectively and with the best results for the
city of Buffalo
As for myself, I hope I may have the benefit of your counsel
and cooperation in the performance of that part of the city's
business which is allotted to me.
"The war has greatly complicated the problems
which always face a city and has added new ones of its own.
Our people will soon feel the burden of federal taxation
levied for its conduct. With the cost of everything going
up, it is impossible to expect that the city can avoid reflecting
this movement in the expense of conducting its business.
There will be a host of requests for salary increases in
the coming fiscal year, and many of them must be met, for
the city must pay a living wage.
"With all these factors combining to increase
the burden of municipal taxation, let me suggest...making
no improvements except such as are absolutely necessary
and postponing all others to a later day when it is to be
expected that more reasonable prices may prevail. We cannot
let the education of our children wait, so that the need
of some new schools is an illustration of a kind of necessary
improvement which cannot be put off.
"Another way in which to handle a large feature
of the city's business more effectively and economically
would be to put the buying of supplies for all departments
in charge of a purchasing agent.
"When each department is doing its own buying
there is the constant tendency to either repay political
friends...or try to make new ones.
"The most difficult and pressing problem which
confronts us is the wretchedly inadequate street car service
from which the people of this city are suffering. This problem
presents two alternatives: either private ownership under
public regulation...or there will be a movement for municipal
ownership which will prove successful. There is one way
in which it appears to me that the public regulation of
privately owned public service corporations has not received
a fair trial. Let us use the case of the traction company
as an illustration.
"Every effort should be made to so organize
our markets and increase their facilities that they may
be of the utmost service to the people. The Buffalo
harbor is also a problem of vast importance.
"We have every reason to be proud of the part
Buffalo
has played in the service of the country. We sent troops to
the Mexican border in numbers far in excess of our share.
Our people have responded splendidly to every call to duty
since the nation took up its share of the burdens of the
great war. We go about our daily routine so peacefully that
it is hard for us to realize that Buffalo
is a strategic point of great importance. Its shipping facilities
by water and by land are arteries for the movement of precious
supplies. There is no harm in speaking of this for the enemy
knows it but it is important that our people realize the
situation and be prepared to cooperate with the federal
government in any measures it may deem necessary to protect
our water from our factories and our railroads from damage
by the enemy.
"While the war has added heavily to our burdens
and our problems, it has brought with it compensation. I
believe there never was such a spirit of helpfulness and
willingness to cooperate as exists among our citizens today.
The growth of this spirit has been most marked, and, combined
with all the wonderful natural advantages which the people
of this city possess, I believe there never was a time when
we could look forward with greater hopefulness to the future
than at present. Let us congratulate ourselves that we are
Buffalonians."
In a story after his term was over, he relayed some
of his thoughts on being a mayor in a large city. "The
day comes when [a man's friends] must be absorbed again
in their usual affairs. The mayor is left alone with his
tasks, and with his responsibilities, and with the pledges
of service to the public which he has made. Then there arrive
on the scene the seekers of special privileges, those who
have something to gain as a result of decisions that are
made in the conduct of the public business. The mayor must
make his decisions. The friends who are not close enough
to know the facts sit back and begin to wonder at the course
that their candidate is taking now that he is in office,
and some of those friends will soon join the ranks of active
critics. The people seem far away and indifferent. It is
passing through this lonely period that tries a man's soul."
Mayor Buck
organized the Citizens' Committee to study the street car dilemma,
but it proved to be pointless, as dissension arose and nothing
ever developed.
In the summer of 1918 the street car employees threatened
to strike if their wages were not increased. Mayor Buck
refused to grant a six cent fare to the International Railway
Company
(I.R.C.) who refused to grant wage increases to its employees.
Buffalo
was a leading supplier of munitions during the war and the strike
would have posed problems getting workers to and from work.
Buck traveled to Washington to see what could be done to
avert the pending strike. A settlement with the I.R.C. was
effected, the Council voting to grant them a six cent fare,
and the employees got their wage increase.
Buck did not take any part in this campaign. He was
a strong advocate of the service at cost plan for the street
railway
system, and had helped pass it through the state Legislature
in 1919. But it was vetoed by Governor Alfred E. Smith.
Buck was active throughout the war in fostering patriotism
and aided the various war organizations in any way he could.
On January 3, 1919 he delivered his annual message
to the Council.
"The business of the City of Buffalo
during the year just closed has been controlled by the necessities
of war. Repairs, improvements and new construction of all
kinds have been put off so that labor, capital and materials
might be set free for the more important work of winning
the war. It has been a hard task to carry on the ordinary
routine of the city in almost every branch of its activities.
The extraordinary wages paid in war plants spread discontent
among municipal employees. Many of them resigned and many
were drafted into various fields of government work. The
signing of the armistice marked an almost immediate change
in this situation and it is a source of relief and satisfaction
to find old and experienced employees returning to take
up their ordinary duties.
"The year 1918 has witnessed an extraordinary
amount of work done by city employees of all departments
outside the range of their usual duties. The police
and fire departments alone sold Liberty bonds
, War Savings stamps
, Smileage books
, and collected subscriptions for the Red Cross
aggregating in the total a few thousand dollars short of $1,500,000.
"In the police
department the year was the most arduous and exacting in its
history. The first of January found the city in the throes
of a coal famine. The applicants for aid were exhausted
by waiting long hours at headquarters of the fuel administrator.
"During the year the police
registered a total of 5,609 aliens enemies, investigated the
cases of 5,275 draft slackers and arrested 1,272 draft delinquents.
They were called upon by the United States government for
cooperation in the creation of a barred zone and in looking
out for the welfare
of the soldiers off duty in the city. In every instance the
department has done its utmost to aid the government in
any way that would contribute to the winning of the war.
"Early in the year a training school was started
in the police
department. Every man in the department must take a course in
this school. He is carefully trained in criminal law, in
the city ordinances, in the methods employed by various
classes of criminals, in boxing, in wrestling tricks to
get the best of an adversary without injuring him, in the
habit of careful observation, in the kind of evidence required
for conviction and how to present it in court, in courtesy
in the discharge of his duties, and in many other things
which a police
officer should know.
"In the fire department 150 men were called
to serve with the colors. The draft law did not protect
the fire department. As fast as these men were drawn to
serve with the colors, under the law, their places could
only be filled from the civil service list and the men who
were on this list were all A-1 men, for no man could qualify
to do work in the fire department unless in every way physically
fit. As fast as men were taken from the list, they were
drawn into the service, and all that was accomplished was
to add the difference in pay between that of the soldier
and the fireman to the pay rolls of the city.
"A progressive fire department, in these days,
has a training school for its men. A beginning has been
made for such a school in Buffalo
"During the year Engine No. 21, located on Best
Street, has been motorized by the acceptance of an engine
built under a contract made before the United States entered
the war. Arrangements have been made for motorization of
Hook and Ladder No. 11, located on Fillmore Avenue, near
Lovejoy; Engine No. 34, located in Main Street, near Woodward
Avenue, and within six months a triple combination chemical
pumper and motor hose wagon will be located at Amherst and
East Streets. With the motorization of these four companies
a greater area can be more easily protected and the efficiency
of the department will be materially increased.
"By far the most important event in the history
of the Buffalo
department of health was the influenza
epidemic, which began in September and reached its height during
October. As illustrating the rapidity with which our commission
government may work in an emergency, it is worth reporting
that the mayor called a conference in his office on a Friday
morning at 10 o'clock; that Dr. Gram was assured of the
support of the council in the measures that he deemed necessary;
that in a few hours he had the aid of employees from both
the department of public works and the department of parks
and public buildings in equipping the old Central High School
as an emergency hospital; that at 4 o'clock of the next day
the first patient was taken in the new hospital.
"The records by the end of the year show a total
of 25,000 cases of influenza
and pneumonia, and an aggregate number of nearly 2,300 deaths.
On the 10th of October, the mayor issued a proclamation
closing all schools, churches, theaters, saloons, and all
kinds of public gatherings. This was the most drastic order
of its kind ever issued in Buffalo
, but it was justified by the results, for while in most
other communities the number of cases of influenza ranged
from 20 to 40 per cent of the population, the inhabitants
of Buffalo
escaped with less than five per cent, and many thousands of
valuable lives were saved.
"The municipal hospitals felt the strain of
the war in the same way as the health department
and it was fortunate that the new city hospital opened early
in the year and was able to aid in the work of caring for
the victims of the influenza
"Our city experienced a large growth in population
in the last five years, and there has been no building of
schools to keep pace with this growth. There is no room
for argument over the proposition that we are badly in need
of better school accommodations. It is, therefore, gratifying
to know that the new superintendent and the school board
have worked out a comprehensive plan for dealing with this
situation. It is fair to all parts of the city. I am satisfied
that a careful study of the plan will show that it is the
most economical that could be devised to meet the needs
of the condition that confronts us. When the cost is divided
up among all the taxpayers, it will not be a large one.
"It will, in fact, be ridiculously small when
one stops to consider that the education of the little children
is the first duty of a democracy, for 'unless a democracy
is educated there will soon be no democracy to educate.'
"The prospect of reaching a settlement of our
street car difficulties satisfactory to the public is better
than at any time in the past. The representatives of the
company have expressed a willingness to enter upon an agreement
based upon principles which everyone must recognize as fair.
"A large piece of work undertaken by the council
as a whole was the standardization of salaries. As the city
has a total of about 7,000 employed, this was a tremendous
task; but there is ample reason to feel that the work was
well and wisely done, as the city has been able to transact
its business with much less friction with its employees
than have occurred in many other municipalities.
"The year just ended has been a wonderful one
for Buffalo
Our boys have made an important name for themselves by their
heroics on the battlefields of Europe. Our people at home
have shown themselves to be Americans through and through
no matter what the ancestral source of the blood in their
veins, by their support of the Liberty loans, the Red Cross
and many kinds of work all directed to the one end of winning
the war. The people of Buffalo
have shown a wonderful unity of spirit. Both abroad and at home
our citizens have proven a capacity for service and sacrifice.
It is not numbers, but responsibilities that make any people
great and judged by that statement, we have the right to
feel that there is no city in the United States greater
than our own."
The influenza
epidemic that hit in 1918 was a world-wide problem, with over
20 million people dying by 1920, 500,000 in the United States
alone.
On January 16, 1919 the 18th amendment to the Constitution
starting liquor prohibition
was ratified by three quarters of the states. It went into effect
on January 16, 1920.
On January 7, 1920 Mayor Buck
delivered his third Annual Address to the Council.
"When our present charter was drawn every effort
was made to simplify the form of city government, and as
a step in this direction the board of police
commissioners and fire commissioners were abolished and their
duties were transferred to the city council. Under the old
charter the mayor and the police
commissioners had entire control over the discipline of the
police
department. Trials for offenses against the rules of the department
were held by the commissioners and their decision was final
except for the right of appeal in the courts.
"During the past year there was a sharp difference
of opinion between the majority of the council and the mayor
as to the proper disposition of certain cases of individuals
charged with offenses against the rules of the police
department, and I am of the opinion that such a situation is
not good for discipline. I, therefore, recommend that the
council request the legislature to amend the charter to
leave to the mayor, or any member of the council whom he
may appoint to act in his stead, the trial and disposition
of all cases for offenses against the rules of the department.
"There has been no trouble in the fire department,
but as it is possible that the same situation might arise
as in the police
department, I would recommend that the same course be pursued
in reference to the fire department.
"Two years ago I went on record before the council
with a recommendation that the buying of supplies for all
departments could be more effectively and economically done
if placed in the charge of a central purchasing
agent. The rest of the council did not agree with
my views and no action was taken in accordance with my recommendation,
but my ideas on this subject have not changed in the meantime.
"The past year has witnessed a long step in
advance toward the solution of our street railway
problem. The foreclosure of the debenture bonds of the International
Traction company has removed the whole financial structure
built upon the stock of the International Railway
company and
changing owners of the International Railway Traction 4%
debenture bonds into owners of International Railway stock
has eliminated from consideration...stock, notes and debenture
bonds.
"Last spring the governor vetoed a bill authorizing
a service-at-cost agreement between the City of Buffalo
and the International Railway Company
, basing his action on objections raised by the public service
commission.
"In attending to the affairs of a great corporation
like the City of Buffalo
it is easy to be absorbed in the many and pressing duties of
each day and lose the proper relation between the various
problems and the perspective in which they should stand.
"To meet the high cost of living the city has
been obliged to raise salaries during the year past, and
while approximately $1,200,000 has been added to the annual
payroll as a kind of bonus, and not a permanent addition,
there is no indication of such a drop in the cost of living
as to justify the withdrawal of this bonus for the coming
year.
"Some new positions have been created in the
current year in the department of public affairs, for example,
and there will be some automatic increases in salary under
the standardization plan.
"It must not be forgotten that increased school
facilities and greater hospital capacity mean more teachers
and nurses, more supplies and maintenance, and the city
must meet the high cost of all commodities just like the
rest of the world.
"As the members of the council are well aware
there is constant pressure to have the city extend the field
of its activity. There is now on my desk the report of a
committee recommending the employment of 90 additional nurses
and 15 doctors for more careful supervision of the health
of school children. This would add considerably to our budget.
"The automobile has vastly increased street
traffic and added to the burdens and difficulties of police
work. There are 105 public and private schools in Buffalo
, and the parents feel that a police
officer should be in front of each school, and in some cases
officers at several crossings to protect the children. The
police
force works in three shifts and must have four-fifths of the
men on night tricks of duty. The force cannot spread itself
out to satisfy all demands, and if this pressure keeps up
a larger force will be absolutely essential.
"My fellow members of the council there is a
limit to what the municipal purse can do. There are many
things which the people must be content to forego. The rise
on the cost of everything, the real needs of the city and
the limitations upon the source and amount of revenue which
it can raise, have combined to force upon us a financial
problem, which in my judgment is the big problem with which
the council will have to struggle.
"Governments are organized by peoples to furnish,
among other things, public safety and a blow at public safety
is an attack upon the people themselves. It is to the enduring
credit of Buffalo
that its officials and its policemen put that principle into
actual practice before it was announced. Probably because
it was done without noise or trouble it attracted little
attention, but that it was done is nonetheless an outstanding
fact.
"In spite of our problems we have every reason
to face the new year with confidence. Our city has come
triumphantly through a most, if not the most trying period
in American history. Our people have shown themselves loyal
and public spirited. With such a citizen force within our
boundaries our municipality is bound to grow and prosper."
On August 26, 1920 the 19th amendment to the Constitution
was signed giving women the freedom to vote.
Peace was declared on July 2, 1921, with the actual
peace treaties signed in August, officially ending World
War I
Buck now faced new problems as the country and the
city of Buffalo
readjusted to post wartime conditions. There was unrest from
returning soldiers and unemployment
now that munitions were no longer needed. Malcontents were parading
the streets with "Red" agitators leading the way. Lives
and property were threatened. Under Buck's direction, the
police
department organized riot squads which carried sawed-off shotguns
and marched at the head of all parades.
Buck permitted all city employees who had been called
into active duty to be re-hired into their former positions.
When Mayor Buck
took office he sought to clean the various departments of "objectionable
influences." Investigations were made of the police
department that produced startling reports. It was recommended
that some officers be dismissed. Buck had to conduct trials
and the Council refused to concur in the findings. In 1920
he had the State Legislature change the law allowing the
mayor to try the case of any police
or fireman without referring to the Council.
His first police
chief was John Martin. Martin resigned and was replaced by Harry
J. Girvin, who also resigned. Buck then appointed James
W. Higgins as chief, with the stipulation that he be returned
to captain after Buck's term expired.
Buck was the first mayor chosen under the commission
system and although he supported the commission form of
government, since he was a member of the committee that
wrote it, he apparently skirted many meetings of the commission.
Only three of five votes were needed to pass any resolutions,
so Buck's absence would not have affected many decisions.
One report claims Buck to have attended council meetings
once in April, 1920, and once in July, 1920, for ten minutes
each, and not again until November, 1920. In the time he
did make the meetings, $1.7 million dollars in contracts
were awarded, including ones for paving and the Scajaquada
Creek
improvements. Whether this is accurate or purely coincidental
or whether Buck was repaying favors is not known.
By July 1921 the primary campaign for mayor was begun.
The Commission Government association sought to endorse
Mayor Buck
for re-election if he consented to run. Part of a letter from
its president, Dr. F. Park Lewis, that was transmitted to
the Mayor: "The overwhelming uprising of the people,
which resulted in an almost unanimous demand on Mayor Buck
to veto the vicious Rowe Ripper Bill
, which was designed to destroy the commission charter,
was equivalent to a referendum in its favor.
"We must have a man we can trust. We must have
a man in whom we have implicit confidence.
"During the last four years we have had a sincere
friend of the charter in the mayor's chair. He has been
faithful, honest and conscientious.
"...I want to express my strong personal views
that Buffalo
, as a city, can ill afford to see George S. Buck
..retire to private life. ...I urge upon you a programme
of vigorous effort to organize the capable, patriotic and
unselfish men and women of this city into a campaign to
have him seek re-election and to re-elect him as mayor."
By early October 1921 the primary campaign was in
full swing. There were ten men competing for the chance
to run for mayor in the general election. Buck, 'wet' candidate
Frank X. Schwab, Charles Bennett Smith
, Conrad E. Wetlaufer, Socialist Frank C. Perkins
, John Sayles, Frank Ehrenfried, and Mr. Wagner, Mr. Quinn,
and Mr. Ken.
At the primary polls Mayor Buck
came out in the lead, but brewer Frank X. Schwab pulled in a
surprising second. Buck received 24,749 votes, carrying
Schwab's ward, to Schwab's 19,306 votes. The next closest
candidate, Charles Bennett Smith
, was 7,000 votes behind.
This race would prove to be bitter. As Buck later
said: "If he be a candidate for re-election, the situation
changes when the time for the campaign draws near; friends
again rally about him and the loneliness is gone."
Although it was a non-partisan election, it turned out to
be a Republican/Democrat race with Schwab as the Democrat
and Buck the Republican.
Schwab campaigned that he was the people's candidate,
and that Mayor Buck
was too far from the people to really know what was going on.
When the ballots were counted on November 8, 1921,
Buck had lost. Schwab won in this close knit race 62,531
to 59,974. This election included the first women voters,
which elevated the number at the polls slightly, as 46%
more ballots were cast for mayor than the previous mayoral
election.
"The voters have spoken and my political fortune
is that of loser. I surely wish Mr. Schwab a successful
term and hope that Buffalo
will go forward. I shall turn over the office with a feeling
that I have no regrets and no apologies, and I will be ready
at all times to assist wherever I can."
Additional comments from Buck: "...As far as
the personal feelings of a defeated candidate for re-election
as mayor are concerned, no one need waste on him the slightest
sympathy. Someone may ask, 'Why did he consent to run?'
The truth is that, once in politics, one is carried along
by the tide of events. A man's friends will say to him,
'We stood by you, now you must stand by us.' Or he may personify
a certain cause, and for its sake he cannot retire. He must
lead. So that the one way in which a man can leave the mayoralty
without explanations to his friends and apologies to the
supporters of the type of administration for he stands is
to be let out by the people."
There were different reasons given for Buck's defeat.
It was claimed that the inclement weather forced many people
in the wards, where his most support was, to stay home.
Or maybe it was a protest vote against the commission form
of government, as both Buck and Malone were defeated. Or
maybe it was a combination of them all.
After his term as mayor was over, Buck returned to
his law practice.
PERSONAL LIFE
George S. Buck
married Ellen Louise Hussey on October 6, 1903, together having
four children. The only known address of the Buck's was
at 599 Ashland Avenue.
Upon Buck's retirement from office he became a director
of the Buffalo
City Planning Association. This organization was created to
direct the development of the city. On December 7, 1927,
Buck was named president.
By January 5, 1928 a committee was appointed to investigate
the possibility of erecting a new city hall on Niagara Square
He was also chairman of the Buffalo
branch of the Foreign Policy Association.
The Ancient Landmarks Lodge, F. & A. M., the
Buffalo
Athletic Club
, the University Club
, and the Buffalo
Canoe Club
were organizations that Buck was a member of. He was an elder
in the First Presbyterian Church, a trustee of the Buffalo
Life Association, a trustee of the Buffalo
Seminary
, and Sunday School superintendent at the Welfare Hall Settlement.
Buck's health started failing early in 1931. About
a week before his death his health deteriorated rapidly,
until he died on July 5, 1931. He is buried in Forest Lawn
Cemetery
