Horace C. Freeman was born at Davison, Michigan on May 4, 1896. In 1900, at the age of 14, he and his brother R.E.  Freeman went to Milwaukee where they found employment in the shoe industry. He worked in the factories and rose to supervisory positions there.

After his marriage to Nell Louise Hermon in 1914, Mr. Freeman went to Tomahawk, Wisconsin where he organized and operated the Tomahawk Shoe Company, until he and his brother came to Beloit in 1921 to establish the Freeman Shoe Manufacturing Company. Mr. Freeman was Vice-President of the company and Director of Sales and Advertising until 1945 when he became Vice-Chairman. Mr. Freeman served as a director of the Beloit State Bank for many years, was Chairman of the Beloit Hospital Board, Director of the National Shoe Manufacturers Association and of several farm organizations.

He operated the Blackhawk Farm east of Beloit and had a prize herd of Brown Swiss cattle. He was interested in the 4-H movement and gave calves to many farm boys. For several years he was treasurer of the Wisconsin Republican party. Horace Freeman served as President of the Beloit Country Club and was a heavy contributor to that and other local organizations. He donated a large section of his Blackhawk farm to the Catholic parishes of Beloit. That land is now the site of Tabor Cemetery and Our Lady of the Assumption Church buildings. Mr. Freeman died at St. Petersburg, Florida on April 7, 1947.