Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 10, Part 1

Author:
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 698

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ENCYCLOPEDIA -OF-

CONNECTICUT BIOGRAPHY GENEALOGICAL-MEMORIAL

REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

Compiled with the Assistance of a

Capable Corps of Advisers and Contributors

ILLUSTRATED

THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY (INC.)

NEW YORK PUBLISHERS c S.

CHICAGO

Foreword

E ACH one of us is "the heir of all the ages, in the foremost files of time." We build upon the solid foundations laid by the strenuous efforts of the fathers who have gone before us. Nothing is more fitting, and indeed more important, than that we should familiar- ize ourselves with their work and per- sonality; for it is they who have lifted us up to the lofty positions from which we are working out our separate careers. "Lest we forget," it is important that we gather up the fleeting memories of the past and give them permanent record in well-chosen words of biography, and in such reproduction of the long lost faces as modern science makes possible.

SAMUEL HART.

BIOGRAPHICAL

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

CUMMINGS, Homer Stillé, Lawyer, Orator.

One who knows Homer S. Cummings, of Stamford, intimately has said of him: "By sheer ability, perseverance and hard work, he has risen from a struggling young lawyer to be a leader of the bar of Connecticut. In the higher courts he has been counsel in many of the most impor- tant causes tried in the State and adjoin- ing jurisdictions, involving large mone- tary interests and important questions of law. He has also appeared in the United States Supreme Court and other Federal courts in many parts of the country."

On July 1, 1914, Mr. Cummings was appointed State's Attorney for Fair- field county, an office which he still re- tains, and the duties of which he dis- charges with marked ability.

The following quotation from a tribute paid by Mr. Cummings to one of his pre- decessors in the office of State's Attorney is peculiarly applicable to himself. "As a trial lawyer ... he adhered to the highest traditions. He sought for the truth that justice might be served, and desired no unjustifiable conviction. The rights of the innocent were safe in his hands; only the guilty had reason to fear ... He was eager that every fact and circumstance should be scrutinized, so that the great power of his office should not in the least degree be directed toward oppression."

Mr. Cummings served three terms as mayor of Stamford, being elected upon the Democratic ticket, and could not have been chosen to that office without the support of a large number of Repub-

lican voters. The messages he wrote to the Common Council attracted State- wide attention. The reorganization of the police and fire departments and the acquisition of Halloween Park are among the many constructive accomplishments of his administration. He had vision to see that future citizens of Stamford should have a public park with a frontage on Long Island Sound. With tenacity of purpose he led this movement and did not hesitate to dissolve a tie vote both in the Common Council and in the Board of Appropriation ; and when the succeed- ing administration sought to rescind the vote, he, without remuneration, carried the case to the highest court in the State, which fully sustained his position. (See Bohannan vs. The City of Stamford, 80 Conn. 107). For a number of years (1903-11), Mr. Cummings was president of the Board of Trade, and through his efforts many important enterprises were established in Stamford.

The name Cummings has been variously spelled, and tradition says that Scotland was the original home of the race, one branch of which was known as the "Red" Cummin, and another as the "Black" Cummin. The former is the branch to which the ancestors of Homer Stille Cummings belonged and this fact seems to indicate their possible descent from John Cummin, regent of Scotland, and rival of Robert Bruce for the crown of that kingdom.

Hezekiah Cummings, grandfather of Homer Stillé Cummings, was descended from ancestors who were of Bennington, Vermont. He, himself, lived at Akron, New York, which was, perhaps, his native

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

place. He was a farmer and also the proprietor of a cement and lime kiln, be- ing the first manufacturer of cement in Akron, the forerunner of an industry which grew to large dimensions in the county. In politics Mr. Cummings was a Whig. He married Betsey Bates, and it is a fact worthy of note that on old family silver belonging to Mrs. Cum- mings the name was spelled without the "g." Hezekiah Cummings was seventy years old at the time of his death.

Uriah Cummings, son of Hezekiah and Betsey (Bates) Cummings, was born April 30, 1833, at Akron, New York, and spent the greater part of his active busi- ness life in the manufacture and sale of cement. At the time of his death he was president of the Cummings Cement Com- pany of Akron, a concern which was es- tablished in 1854, and continued opera- tions until about the year 1910.

In matters relating to cement or con- crete, Mr. Cummings was, undoubtedly, the highest authority in the United States. For many years he had charge of the in- vestigations conducted by the United States government on this subject, and wrote the government reports which were published annually. His lecture on the chemistry of cement, originally de- livered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, in 1888, created a profound impression in scientific circles. He frequently contributed articles on sci- entific subjects to technical magazines and other publications. His work on "American Cements," published in 1898, is today the leading authority on that subject. A second edition was issued in 1905, and the book is found in all well equipped technical libraries.

In 1901 Mr. Cummings organized the Chickamauga Cement Company of Ross- ville, Georgia, which has an extensive manufacturing plant and property near

Chattanooga, Tennessee. For several years he was president of this company, but resigned the office about three years before his death. In 1886 he established a cement plant at Mankato, Minnesota, and he was at one time connected with the Artificial Stone Company of San Francisco, as well as various other en- terprises. He was the inventor of more than thirty successful mechanical devices, among the most important of which are: An air compressor, a stone dresser, and a machine for testing pneumatically the tensile strain of cement briquettes.

In addition to his technical works Mr. Cummings wrote many tales dealing chiefly with the Indians of Western New York, in whom he was greatly interested. His study of Indian history, tradition and language was unusually extensive, re- sulting in the discovery of much valuable material, and causing him to be regarded as an authority on these subjects. Among the Tonawanda Indians, who occupy the government reservation near Akron, he was known as Chief Hah-Tah-E-Nah, having been made an honorary member of the tribe. He was recognized as the true friend of the red man, having de- voted much time to attempts to secure for them just and humane treatment at the hands of the government.

In fraternal circles Mr. Cummings af- filiated with Hiram Lodge, No. 1, Free and Accepted Masons, of New Haven, and Clinton Commandery, No. 3, Knights Templar, of Norwalk. He was widely read, and was in constant correspondence on technical and historical subjects with · distinguished men, both in the United States and in Europe.

Mr. Cummings married, March 31, 1869, Audie Schuyler Stillé, daughter of Jacob Schuyler Stillé and Audelia Law- rence (Weekes) Stillé, of Buffalo. The Schuyler, Stillé and Weekes ancestry is

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

traced back to England, France and Hol- land, the American branch of the family having settled in the State of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Cummings were the parents of one son : Homer Stillé Cummings, the subject of this sketch. They were resi- dents of Stamford, "Ruthven," their country home, being situated near Akron, New York. On November 10, 1910, Mr. Cummings passed away, leaving the memory of a man who cherished the highest standards of personal honor and integrity. His widow still resides in Stamford.

Homer Stillé Cummings, son of Uriah and Audie Schuyler (Stillé) Cummings, was born April 30, 1870, at their home on Michigan avenue, in Chicago, Illinois, and received his preparatory education at the Heathcote School, Buffalo, New York, afterward entering Yale University, and graduating from the Sheffield Scientific School in 1891, with the degree of Bach- elor of Philosophy. He was fitted for his profession in the Yale Law School, receiving, in 1893, the degree of Bachelor of Laws.

The same year he was admitted to the Connecticut bar, and in August, 1893, en- tered upon the active practice of his pro- fession at. Stamford, and in that city he has ever since maintained his principal office. On January I, 1895, he became a member of the law firm of Fessenden, Carter & Cummings, the association re- maining unbroken until 1900, when he began practice alone and for the succeed- ing nine years was without a partner. On September 1, 1909, he organized the firm of Cummings & Lockwood, his as- sociate being Charles D. Lockwood, at that time Judge of Probate for the Dis- trict of Stamford. During the years which have since elapsed, the practice of the firm has grown to large proportions, embracing widely differing lines of im-

portant litigation. Mr. Cummings is also a member of the New York bar, having an office in the metropolis, and he is en- rolled in the American Bar Association.

Mr. Cummings became an adherent of the Democratic party in 1896 and has ever since remained firm in his allegiance to its principles. He was elected mayor of Stamford for three terms-1900 to 1901, 1901 to 1902, and 1904 to 1906, and during 1902 and 1903 served as president of the Mayors' Association of Connecti- cut. In 1908 he was chosen Corporation Counsel of Stamford, retaining that office for four years.

In 1896 Mr. Cummings was the Demo- cratic candidate for Secretary of State of Connecticut, and in 1902 was nominated for Congressman-at-large, receiving, in each of these elections, the highest vote on the party ticket. In 1910 he was the unanimous choice of the Democratic members of the General Assembly of Connecticut for United States Senator, and in 1916 was again a candidate, failing of election by a comparatively narrow margin, but again receiving the highest vote on his party ticket. He was dele- gate-at-large to the Democratic National conventions of 1900 and 1904, and alter- nate-at-large to the Democratic National Convention of 1920. Since 1900 he has been, by successive unanimous appoint- ments, a member of the Democratic Na- tional Committee. His last re-appoint- ment was in 1920, for the period of service ending in 1924. In 1913 he was unani- mously elected vice-chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and on February 26, 1919, became its chairman. retaining that office until July 20, 1920. He was temporary chairman of the Dem- ocratic National Convention held at San Francisco, June 28, 1920, and delivered the "keynote" address, which attracted na- tional attention and, because of the man-

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

ner in which it dealt with international relations, was widely quoted in foreign newspapers and magazines. At the San Francisco Convention, Hon. John F. Crosby, Assistant United States Attor- ney, acting for the Connecticut delega- tion, placed the name of Mr. Cummings before the convention as a candidate for President of the United States. In the subsequent balloting, he had the undi- vided support of the Connecticut delega- tion, and with support from various other States and Territories, received a total of 27 votes.

He is widely known as a public speaker of unusual attainments, having delivered many lectures as well as political and lit- erary addresses. His style as a political speaker was felicitously described by the "Cheyenne (Wyoming) State Leader," after an address delivered by Mr. Cum- mings, July 21, 1919, at Cheyenne :

Forceful without being uncouth in his manner ; suave and subtle, yet stingingly sarcastic at times ; a master of chaste English, and at the same time an unusually vibrant prophet of the new day, Mr. Cummings made a tremendous impression on his hearers.

Through it all one saw clearly that he spoke not as a mere wordster, but as one having the confidence of a cause which inspired and em- boldened him. He was seductively logical, pro- ceeding with precision and convincing power from one point to another, and carrying his audience with him.

But what thrilled his hearers was not so much the manner of the delivery of his message as the message itself.

In this last paragraph we find the se- cret of Mr. Cummings' power-vision to discern and strength to make others see what he sees as he sees it. As was most truly said of him, he is "a patriot rather than a partisan; more the prophet than the politician."

Mr. Cummings affiliates with Hiram Lodge, No. I, Free and Accepted Masons ; the Independent Order of Odd Fellows;

the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; the Eagles ; the Knights of Pythias ; the Royal Arcanum, and the Knights of Maccabees. He belongs to the National Democratic Club of New York City, the Metropolitan Club of New York City, the University Club of Bridgeport, the Woodway Country Club, the Stamford Yacht Club and the Suburban Club of Stamford.

On June 28, 1897, Mr. Cummings mar- ried (first) Helen W. Smith, daughter of the late Commodore James D. Smith. There was one child of this marriage, Dickinson Schuyler Cummings.

On December 15, 1909, Mr. Cummings married (second) Marguerite T. Owings, daughter of John and Caroline H. (Lacy) Owings.

FESSENDEN, C. Milton,

Lawyer, Soldier in World War.

The name of Fessenden is an honored one throughout New England, It was first brought to Massachusetts by the immigrant, Nicholas Fessenden, and through the removal of members of the family in Maine, achieved honorable rec- ord there. For several generations it has held a prominent and foremost place among the names of the leading families of Connecticut.

(I) Nicholas Fessenden, the ancestor of the family, was born in England in 1650, and died in Cambridge, Massachu- setts, February 24, 1718-19. As early as 1674 he came to America and settled in Cambridge ; he was a very efficient young man, and through his sagacity and thrift acquired a large estate. The epitaph of himself and of his wife stand opposite Harvard College in Cambridge. By oc- cupation Nicholas Fessenden was a glover. He was a nephew of John Fes- senden, a proprietor in Cambridge as early as 1636. The latter bequeathed to Nicholas considerable property at his

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

death. Nicholas Fessenden married Mar- garet Cheney, who was born November 26, 1656, and died December 10, 1717, daughter of Thomas and Jane (Atkinson) Cheney, of Cambridge.

(II) William Fessenden, son of Nich- olas and Margaret (Cheney) Fessenden, was born in 1693, and lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was a carpen- ter. He died in that city, May 26, 1756. On October 12, 1716, he married Martha Wyeth, a daughter of William and Mar- tha (Brown) Wyeth.

(III) William (2) Fessenden, son of William (1) and Martha (Wyeth) Fes- senden, was born December 7, 1718, and died June 17, 1758. He graduated from Harvard College in 1737, and for several years taught school in Cambridge. He married, March 31, 1740, Mary Palmer, daughter of Stephen Palmer; she died March 22, 1773.

(IV) Rev. William (3) Fessenden, son of William (2) and Mary (Palmer) Fes- senden, was born November 3, 1747, and died March 5, 1805. In 1768 he gradu- ated from Harvard College. For a time he taught school in Topsfield, and in October, 1775, was ordained to the min- istry in Fryeburg, Maine. Rev. Mr. Fes- senden was the first minister of the first church in Fryeburg. The writer, Souther, said of Rev. William Fessenden :

Dignified in bearing, gentle in spirit, hospitable to a fault, fearless and uncompromising in main- taining right, yet eminently courteous, he left his heirs that good name much rather to be chosen than riches.

Rev. Mr. Fessenden married for his second wife, Sarah Clement, of Dunbar- ton, New Hampshire.

(V) General Samuel Fessenden, son of Rev. William (3) Fessenden, was born in Fryeburg, Maine, July 16, 1784. From his youth he was very studious; he grad- uated from Harvard College in due course

of time, and then read law in the office of Judge Dana. In 1809 he was admitted to the bar, and began the practice of his profession in Gloucester, Maine. While still a young man he connected himself with the military activities of his State and rose to the rank of major-general, and for many years was in command of a di- vision of citizen soldiery. From Glouces- ter General Fessenden removed to Wind- ham and in 1822 was settled in Portland. From 1814 to 1819 General Fessenden was a representative to the General Court, and in 1818 served as Senator. For a half century he was engaged in the prac- tice of his profession, and was among the best known lawyers of his day. He was a Federalist and later an Anti-Slavery man; in 1841 he joined the ranks of the Abolitionists and adhered to their princi- ples until the formation of the Republican party. General Fessenden was active in the organization of the latter and worked hard in its interests. In 1813 he mar- ried Deborah Chandler, of New Glou- cester.

(VI) Rev. Samuel Clement Fessenden, son of General Samuel and Deborah (Chandler) Fessenden, was born May 7, 1815, and died April 18, 1882. He gradu- ated from Bowdoin College in 1834, and three years later from the Bangor Theo- logical Seminary. In 1838 he was ordained to the ministry, and became pastor of the first Congregational church in Thomaston, Maine. For twenty years he labored in the interests of his flock, and in 1858 took up the study of law, subsequently being admitted to the bar. Rev. Mr. Fessenden took up the practice of his profession and made a marked success. He was ap- pointed judge of the Municipal Court, and was a member of the Board of Examiners in the Patent Office in 1865. In 1861 Rev. Mr. Fessenden was elected to the Thirty- seventh Congress, which office he filled in

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

a most capable manner. Previous to the formation of the Republican party, he was among the leading Abolitionists, and throughout his lifetime took a very active interest in all matters of public import- ance. On August 30, 1838, he married Mary Abigail Grosvenor Abbe, daughter of Joshua and Marcis (Grosvenor) Abbe, of Bangor, Maine. She was born August 17, 1816, in New Gloucester, and died in Stamford, Connecticut, April 17, 1905. They were the parents of four sons and eight daughters.

(VII) Oliver Griswold Fessenden, son of Rev. Samuel Clement and Mary A. G. (Abbe) Fessenden, was born December 25, 1855. He removed with the family to Stamford, Connecticut. Mr. Fessenden married Virginia Weed, and they were the parents of a son and daughter.

(VIII) C. Milton Fessenden, son of Oliver Griswold and Virginia (Weed) Fessenden, was born in Chicago, Illinois, August 28, 1883, and was reared in Stam- ford, Connecticut. He graduated from the High School there in 1902, and com- pleted his preparation for college at the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut. In 1907 he was graduated from Yale Col- lege with the degree of A. B., after which he spent two years in Yale Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1910. Subsequently he entered the law office of Fessenden & Carter (his uncle, Hon. Samuel Fessenden, being the first named member of the firm), remaining for two years, and for a similar length of time engaged in practice alone. In 1915 his present partnership was formed with Matthew H. Kenealy, under the firm name of Fessenden & Kenealy.

In politics Mr. Fessenden is a Repub- lican, and was an alternate to the Na- tional Convention in Chicago in 1916; he is now serving as chairman of the Fourth Republican Congressional Committee. De-

siring to aid his country, Mr. Fessenden sought service in the United States State Reserve Corps and was appointed major, associated with the Judge Advocate De- partment. He went to France as assist- ant judge advocate of the 33rd Division. He became ill in France, and was hon- orably discharged and returned to Amer- ica, July 1, 1918. Mr. Fessenden is one of the trustees of the Connecticut School for Boys, and is a member of the board of directors of the Associated Charities. His fraternal connections are : Member of Union Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Puritan Lodge, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows; Delta Kappa Epsilon; Corbey Court at Yale ; Woodway Country Club ; Suburban Club.

Mr. Fessenden married Anna M. Bark- lay, daughter of Wallace D. and Mary (Mc William) Barklay, of New York City, and they are active attendants of the Congregational church of Stamford.

FESSENDEN, Hon. Samuel, Lawyer, Soldier, Statesman.

The concrete evidences of public pros- perity rise in dignity and grandeur, in masses of stone, shafts of marble, and statues of bronze; so a city, a common- wealth, a nation, present an impressive front to the casual observer. These are but the habiliments of the body politic, the seemly ornaments, the crown. The spirit lives in those names which are not merely carved on ornate tablets, but abide in the hearts of the people. This force is the impetus of public progress, the essence of public honor. One of these names is Samuel Fessenden, and to the people of Connecticut this is a name which will always be significant of the best in public life.

Hon. Samuel Fessenden was born in Rockland, Maine, April 12, 1847, a

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

son of Rev. Samuel C. and Mary Abigail G. (Abbe) Fessenden. He re- ceived his education in the Lewiston Falls Academy in Auburn, Maine. Although only a lad at the outbreak of hostilities between the North and South, he at- tained manhood at one leap, as did so many youths of that day. He chafed for two years under the restraint of his fam- ily's objections, then at sixteen enlisted as a private in the Seventh Maine Vol- unteer Battery. He made a brilliant rec- ord. He repeatedly displayed great gal- lantry in action, and on December 14, 1864, General Grant recommended him for promotion. He was appointed a first lieutenant of the Second United States Infantry by President Lincoln, who also, before the close of the year, offered him the rank of captain. Meanwhile he had been recommended for a commission in the artillery service of his native State, which he decided to accept. He received his commission as second lieutenant of the First Maine Volunteer Battery, then at the front, January 15, 1865. Not long after, he was transferred to the staff of Major-General Albion P. Howe, where he served as aide until the close of the war. He took part in the battle of the Wilder- ness, also in the battles of Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor and Petersburg. To the rank and file he was a hero, his gallantry in action more than once saving a forlorn · hope, and he won the favorable recogni- tion of his superior officers on many occa- sions.

Upon taking up once more the pursuits of peace, it was perhaps only natural that the young man's mind should turn to a future of public service. The struggle which had racked the whole country had left bitter need of reconstruction in the North, as well as in those districts which felt most heavily the physical devastation

in the wake of battle. Endowed by na- ture with a broad outlook on life, trained among thousands more mature than him- self in the ultimate realties of life and death, the opportunities offered by the legal profession for shaping the public destiny appealed to the young man as worthy of his highest effort. He entered Harvard Law School, and taking the full course was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He located in Stam- ford, Connecticut, and on March 4, 1869, was admitted to the bar of Fairfield county.

From the first he took a keen interest in the political affairs of his adopted State. He was a Republican by choice, and the party organization of Fairfield county was quick to recognize in him the possi- bilities of popularity as a leader. In 1874 he was nominated to the lower branch of the State Legislature, and was elected with the party ticket. During this term he was made a member of the judiciary committee and was an eloquent partici- pant in their debates. On one occasion it was said that he "made one of the ablest speeches of the session on the parallel railroad project, carrying the House by the eloquence and force of his presenta- tion of the case." At the Republican Na- tional Convention in Cincinnati in 1876, Mr. Fessenden represented the State of Connecticut, and after the usual compli- mentary vote cast every other ballot for the nomination of James G. Blaine. Again elected to represent Stamford in the General Assembly in 1879, he achieved great popularity by his championship of the vital issues of the day, and became a leader of his party in that body. He was an active and honored member of every Republican State Convention held in Con- necticut for many years. In all his politi- cal affiliations he was a man who could

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Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 10, Part 1

Author: Publication date: 1923 Publisher: American Historical Society Number of Pages: 698

Author:
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 698