USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > New Haven > A modern history of New Haven and eastern New Haven County, Vol. II > Part 17
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EDGAR S. DOWE.
One of New Haven's valued citizens, president of the New Haven Towing Company and a widely known authority on maritime affairs, was the late Edgar S. Dowe, whose death on February 7, 1912, after a residenee of thirty-three years in the city of New Haven, removed from that place one of the most conspicuous figures connected with its shipping and harbor interests.
Mr. Dowe's family is southern in its origin, his grandfather, William Dowe, being the owner of very valuable property on Roanoke island, North Carolina. He was one of the best known and most prosperous planters in that whole region and lived his entire life on his estate, which he managed in a most successful manner. Like all large landowners of that time and place he owned many slaves, and it speaks well for the mildness and inherent jus- tice of the man that, after the Civil war, they all returned to their old master. A son of William Dowe and the father of Edgar S. Dowe, was Walter Dowe, who set an example to his son by becoming a sailor and eventually became captain of a vessel trading with the West Indies. After the war, however, he retired from this life and once more made his abode on Roanoke island, in due time inheriting his father's estate. To his wife, who had been Miss Margaret Meekins of that place, and him, were born three children: Blanche, who became Mrs. William Forbes; Edgar S .; and Thomas A.
Edgar S. Dowe was born on Roanoke island, December 12, 1858, and there passed his childhood and youth up to the age of twenty years, gaining, in the meantime, an excellent education at the local schools. In 1879 he removed from his early home to New Haven. where he resided during the remainder of his life. The following year he began the long
EDGAR S. DOWE
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association with the New Haven Towing Company, which was to close only with his death. After a few years service as an employe he bought a half interest in the company and in course of time was made its president, an office he held until his death. The affairs of the concern were never so prosperous as under the long and able management of Mr. Dowe, who interested himself not only with its immediate business but with the improvement of docking and harbor conditions generally, and doing most valuable work for the maritime interests and the port generally.
It was not only as president of the great company that Mr. Dowe devoted himself to this work. As time went on he became a prominent figure in many departments of activity in New Haven. Especially was this the case in local politics, which he entered while still a very young man, allying himself with the city organization of the democratic party, of whose principles and policies he was an ardent supporter. Later he was made harbor master, acting with so much vigor and sense in that office that he was appointed by the gov ernor of Connecticut a member of the board of harbor commissioners. Here again he proved himself extremely energetic and effective, doing much for the cause of harbormen generally and proving himself so greatly interested in the subject that his fellow members of the board elected him harbor inspector. In this most important and responsible position Mr. Dowe proved himself more valuable than ever. and gained the approval of the community gener- ally, and especially of those whose business made them interested in the harbor facilities. But it was not, by any means. only that aspect of city affairs connected with his own busi- ness that Mr. Dowe concerned himself with. On the contrary public affairs generally inter- ested him and he gave a large amount of his time and attention to the welfare of the com- munity from a general point of view. In 1890 he was elected to the New Haven city coun- eil. serving on that body until 1898, and was then twice consecutively elected an alderman. In these several offices Mr. Dowe displayed his customary good sense and energy, and was appointed the aldermanie member of the board of finance, one of the most difficult and re- sponsible positions in the whole city government.
Besides these public and private activities, Mr. Dowe was conspicuous in social and fra- ternal circles in New Haven and was a member of many important organizations. Mr. Dowe took great interest in Masonic circles; he was a thirty-second degree Mason, member of Wooster Lodge, No. 79, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Franklin Chapter. No. 2, Royal Arcb Masons; Harmony Council, No. 8, Royal and Select Masters; and New Haven Com- mandery, No. 2, Knights Templar. In the Scottish Rite he affiliated with E. G. Storer Lodge of Perfection, Elm City Council. Princes of Jerusalem, New Haven Chapter Rose Croix. and Lafayette Consistory, Sovereign Princes of the Royal Secret, the latter of Bridgeport; he was a Noble of Pyramid Temple, Ancient Arabie Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. of Bridgeport. He was a member of the American Economic Association, the New Haven Chamber of Commerce, the New Haven Masonic Club. the New Haven Knights Templar Club, the New Haven Publicity Club and the New England Order of Protection.
He and his wife were members of the Congregational church at East Haven and were very active in its work, at one time being connected with the Christian Endeavor Society, and he was a supporter of the church interests, giving generously alike of his effort and money.
Mr. Dowe married June 29. 1881. at New Britain, Connecticut, Edith Augusta Church, a native of East Haven, Connecticut, a daughter of Daniel M. and Sarah Eliza (Hill) Church. both of whom are deceased. Mr. Church was a well known buikter of steeples in his time, having ereeted as many as fourteen in various parts of the state. Mrs. Dowe resides on Sherman avenue in New Haven.
The influence of such a life as Mr. Dowe's does not cease with death and is often not adequately felt until some time after that sad event. The results of his efforts are cumulative, at it were, and will doubtless in the future be enjoyed by many who are un- aware of its source. Ile was a practical man of the world who sought diligently his own interests, but in that search he never for an instant forgot the rights of his fellows nor the pertinent fact that the interests of all men are in the highest sense inseparable. His duties as a citizen and a neighbor he discharged, not merely well, but in a manner that dis- played an unusually keen sense of the social obligations existing between man and man and a highly altruistic impulse to aid in furthering the welfare of the community. It was not alone in his conduct in public office that this was shown, although this well exemplified it,
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but quite as much in his personal relations with men wherein he acted with a charity and tolerance born of the true democracy of his spirit. It was doubtless this attitude to his fellows that gave him the wide-spread popularity which he enjoyed and made him one of the best known figures in New Haven. It was this also that made the sense of loss occa- sioned by his death seem so personal a one to such large numbers of his fellow citizens.
HENRY JOHNSON PRUDDEN.
Henry Johnson Prudden was identified with the business interests of the city of New Haven through his connection with the Bowditch and Prudden Company, which at one time held a leading position in the furniture trade of the state. having branch stores at Mer- iden and Waterbury.
Mr. Prudden was born in Medina, Orleans county, New York, but was a lineal de- scendant of the Rev. Peter Prudden, one of the original members of the New Haven colony. Henry J. Prudden's father, the Reverend George Peter Prudden, graduated from Yale in the class of 1835, and three years later from the Yale Theological Seminary. Except for a few years in Medina. New York, his pastorates were all in western Connecticut, at Middlebury, Southbury and Watertown. Ill health compelled him to relinquish active service in the ministry during his later years, which were largely spent in New Haven. The wife of Rev. George Prudden was Eliza Johnson, of Southbury, Connecticut, and beside Henry, four other children were born to them. One died in infancy, leaving Henry as the oldest son. One brother. Theodore P. Prudden. D. D., maintained the family traditions as a Congregational clergyman with honor and ability. Another, Dr. T. Mitchell Prud- den, distinguished for his studies in medical science and prominently identified with the health interests of both the city and state of New York, resides there. Miss Lillian E. Prudden, the only sister, still lives in New Haven.
There was high thinking but very simple living in the country parsonages where Henry Johnson Prudden spent his boyhood days. The father of the family was a strong anti-slavery partisan when to be so meant unpopularity. Henry was more than once a helper in the midnight harnessing of the horse for service in the underground railway. At one time the family lived on a farm for two years for the sake of the father's health. Farm life was varied for Henry by teaching in the district school in the winter, but a capacity for hard work and a love of outdoor life revealed themselves as a part of his equip- ment for life. Save for a year at the preparatory department of Oberlin and a shorter time at Fort Edward Institute, he fitted for college in Connecticut schools, as up to the age of eighteen his hope was to become a lawyer.
With this ambition, the influence of the home on this thoughtful and conscientious boy had developed other ideals that were fundamental. One was that he, as the oldest son, must be the mainstay and dependence of his mother, and another was that whatever might be a man's occupation, the best use he could make of life was to serve his fellowmen. To fulfill the first of these ideals he sought the immediate financial returns of a business career rather than the profession that would have been more congenial and for which he was intellectually adapted. Having made this decision, it was characteristic of him to take the best business college course available. It was equally characteristic that he began his life in New Haven by holding the position of bookkeeper in two concerns, one taking his time by day and the other in the evening.
However, he soon entered the employ of Bowditch and Son, a long established furniture firm. His conscientious devotion to his employers' interests made him an untiring worker. He gave many evening hours voluntarily to the business, and rapidly developed a rare business ability which soon brought him advancement. He was but twenty-four years of age when he became a member of the firm. After the retirement of E. B. Bowditch, the firm was reorganized as a joint stock company under the name of the Bowditch and Prudden Company, of which Mr. Prudden was president until his death. Absolute integrity. good judgment and hard work won his business success, but his friendly spirit, his keen sense of humor and his progressive interest in everything that concerned the interests of New Haven won the respect and affection of all his associates.
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On September 18, 1889, Mr. Prudden married Miss Mary Jennett Bassett, daughter of Aaron and Adeline (Blakeslee) Bassett of North Haven, descendant of another prominent old New England family. In July, 1890, Mr. Prudden died at his home soon after his return from an extensive trip abroad.
Wbile pursuing his business career with fidelity Mr. Prudden never forgot the higher values of culture and usefulness to others. His minutes of leisure were always utilized for good reading. A well selected library was one of the few indulgences of a man who spent little upon himself. He early connected himself with the Chapel Street Congregational church which later became the Church of the Redeemer. He gave enthusiastic service to its Sunday school for fifteen years, putting himself in touch with all the advanced and im- proved methods of Sunday school work in order to increase its efficiency. He also served the church as deacon for many years. There was nothing sanctimonious or conventional about the religion he lived and taught, but it was vital. ITis Sunday school work brought him into active connection with the State Sunday School Association which soon felt the influence of his earnest spirit and business mind. He was the president of that association from 1886 until his death and gave personal attention to every detail of the position. He made large sacrifices of time, money and strength in going about the state, where the "thoughtfulness, suggestiveness and value of his addresses" gave impetus to Bible study. A practical outcome of this Sunday school interest was the planting of a Sunday school at his own expense in a part of the city where he had found a large number of children untouched by any church influence. This experience led him to a farreaching plan for com- munity betterment which he presented to the church so enthusiastically that "Welcome Hall" was established the following spring. His plans for it embodied the best ideals of practical Christianity and were so wise that they are still the underlying principles of the enterprise. Mr. Prudden's widow resides in New Haven and has always held the place of her honored husband as the leading spirit of the Welcome Hall work.
Mr. Prudden's numerous and varied legacies showed his keen interest in whatever helps men to better living and his desire to make even his business life count for the good of others.
FRANK A. WALLACE.
Frank A. Wallace, president of the R. Wallace & Sons Manufacturing Company of Wal- lingford, was born September 23, 1857, in the city where he still resides, and after attending its public schools he hecame the associate of his father in business, the father having estab- lished the enterprise which, under the name of the R. Wallace & Sons Manufacturing Com- pany, has developed into one of the most important interests of the kind in the world. Under his father's direction Frank A. Wallace learned the business. His promotion came to him not through the exercise of parental influence or authority but was won by merit. He in time became superintendent of the plant and later was elected secretary and eventually became the president of the company. He was admitted to the firm in 1874 and succeeded his father in the presidency in 1892. He also became president of the Wallace Purchas- ing Company in 1894 and so continued until the business was closed out. Moreover, he figures prominently in financial circles as the president of the First National Bank of Wallingford and he is a director of the Wallingford Company. His plans are well formulated and carefully executed. He thoroughly understands every phase of the business with which he is associated and the development of the trade relations of the house is attribut- able in no small measure to his efforts and understanding.
Mr. Wallace has been married twice. On the 14th of January, 1884, he wedded Zela Curtis and they became the parents of two children: Robert, who passed away; and Floyd Wallace. For his second wife Mr. Wallace chose Sarah Rose Manning, whom he wedded De- cember 7, 1898, and they have become parents of two daughters, Barbara Manning and Jean Atwater. The family residence is at No. 68 South Main street, in Wallingford.
Mr. Wallace belongs to the Union League Club of New Haven and is a member of the New Haven Anti-Tuberculosis Society. He belongs to the Congregational church and in matters of citizenship he is deeply and helpfully interested. Recognizing the duties
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as well as the obligations that devolve upon him in a public relation, he stanchly advocates every cause or movement that he believes will be helpful to the community. In politics he is a republican and in 1908 he was a member of the Connecticut house of representatives. He finds his chief recreations in fly fishing and in motoring. His activities are those which touch the general interests of society and work for publie improvement and progress, and in all matters of general concern he keeps abreast with the best thinking men of the age.
CHARLES WELLS BLAKESLEE, JR.
Seldom do we find a more conspicuous case of the inheritance of virtues and abilities from one generation to another than that of the well known Blakeslee family of New Haven, Connecticut, the record of which for two generations, both in business and the general life of the community, is such as to place the name high among those which are honored for services done to the city. One of the most conspicuous for talent and merit among the members of this most able family was the late Charles Wells Blakeslee, Jr., whose career deserves long to be remembered by his fellow citizens for the example that he set for business probity and the maintenance of the highest standards of life. His death. which occurred April 28, 1915, was considered untimely despite the fact that he was approaching the completion of his seventieth year, for his faculties and power for usefulness were entirely unimpaired, and was mourned as a public loss by a large proportion of the community.
Charles Wells Blakeslee, Jr., was born June 9, 1844, in New Haven, Connecticut, the city that was to remain his home and the scene of his notable activities throughout his life, the oldest son of Charles and Eliza (Clark) Blakeslee, both of whom are deceased. On both sides of the house he was descended from splendid old Connecticut stock, although his father was born in Massachusetts. His mother was a native of Milford, Connecticut.
Charles W. Blakeslee, Jr., gained his education in his native city, attending the excellent public schools there and proving himself an apt and intelligent scholar. His father, a man of unusual business ability, had engaged in the contracting business in New Haven at about the time of the birth of our subject and had succeeded admirably in build- ing np a farge establishment. Charles W. Blakeslee, Jr., was not a member of the firm but was associated with the firm and had charge of the quarries. From the time of its foundation by the eller Blakeslee the firm had earned an enviable reputation for the completeness and ability with which it carried out its contracts. abiding by the spirit as well as the letter of them, a reputation that, combined with the masterly policy of the father and sons, was the foundation of the immense business that developed. The character of this business was as satisfactory as its size and included the construction of . many of the largest and most important edifices in and about New Haven and many other parts of the state. Much of their work was through public contract and often involved the expenditure of millions of dollars. As an example of the magnitude and importance of their work it should be mentioned that they were among the contractors to whom the city of New York awarded the building of the huge Ashokan aqueduct which conveys the great new water supply of the city from its origin among the Catskill moun- tains. A section of this monumental work, four miles in length, was awarded to C. W. Blakeslee & Sons on the east side of the Hudson river which, according to the contract, they were to complete in four years' time. So energetie were they, however, in carrying out the work that they were able to finish it some ten months before the agreed period, while the character of the material and workmanship were such as to win for them the unreserved commendation of the city government and the admiration of even their rival contractors.
Mr. Blakeslee was active in many other departments of the city's life besides the business referred to above, and in every movement in which he took part earned the approbation of his fellows. As a young man he had enlisted on the 1st of April, 1862, in Company G. 1st Regiment of Connecticut Volunteer Heavy Artillery, at the outbreak of the Civil war, but. through no lack of willingness on his part, his participation in that momentous struggle was very brief. He was mustered in in the early part of the year
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Charles H. Blakeslu Jo .
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1862, saw active service at once. but a few months later was seized with typhoid fever, which incapacitated him for further service, and he was honorably discharged on the 15th of August following. He became later a private in the Second Company, Governor's Horse Guard, and served in that celebrated body twelve years. rising in that time to the rank of major. A stanch republican, he took an active part in local politics and served a number of terms both as councilman and alderman in New Haven, doing efficient service for the community in both capacities. He was also extremely prominent in social and club circles in the city and belonged to many important organizations, in all of which he was active. Among these should be mentioned the New Haven Chamber of Commerce, the New Haven Colony Historical Society, the Grand Army of the Republic, the Citizens Corps, .the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Founders and Patriots Society. He was an Episcopahan in religious belief and was a conspicuous member of Christ church, New Haven, and a vestryman for a number of years, or until his death.
On October 14, 1868, Mr. Blakeslee was united in marriage with Grace Caroline Fowler, also a native of New Haven, born October 18, 1845, a daughter of Timothy and Mary Eliza (Stevens) Fowler, old and highly esteemed residents of that city. Mrs. Blakeslee survives her husband one of their four children also survives, Edith May, now Mrs. George Clarence Razee, of New Haven, Connecticut.
JUDGE EARNEST C. SIMPSON.
Judge Earnest C. Simpson, who has served since September, 1908, as judge of the court of common pleas of New Haven under appointment of three governors, bears the reputation of being well grounded in the principles of law, while his decisions upon the bench have been notably fair and impartial. Before attaining his majority he bad decided upon the practice of law as a life work. He was born in Jefferson City, Tennessee, April 28, 1872, a son of George and Frances Virginia (Shewalter) Simpson. The father, who was born in Balti- more, Maryland, was a mechanical engineer who resided for many years in Tennessee and there passed away in May, 1899. His wife, a native of Virginia, was born in 1841 and sur- vived her husband for more than a decade, being called to her final rest on Christmas day of 1909. Their family numbered ten children, of whom the Judge was the fifth in order of birth
After attending the public schools of Jefferson City, Tennessee, Earnest C. Simpson con- tinued his education in the Carson Newman College of that place and was graduated with the class of 1893. He matriculated in the Yale Law School and won his professional diploma in June, 1899, on the completion of a three years' course. Before beginning his law studies, however, he had learned the printer's trade, which he followed in various print shops and newspaper offices while attending college, his labor during vacation periods enabling him to continue his studies. Having qualified for the bar, he entered at once upon active practice in New Haven and has won recognition as one of the most successful of the young lawyers of the state. When the New Haven paving commission was created in 1901 he became its clerk and served until 1905. In 1905 he was appointed city attorney of New Haven and served in that position for over three years. In 1907 he was appointed by Governor Rollin S. Woodruff judge of the court of common pleas for New Haven county for a four-year term beginning the 8th of September, 1908. When Governor Baldwin became chief executive of the state he was again called to the position and was reappointed by Governor Holcomb in 1915, so that he has served under three of the chief magistrates of the commonwealth. His political endorsement has always been given to the republican party but when in office or upon the bench he never allows political opinion to influence his performance of duty.
On the 17th of August, 1912, Judge Simpson was married at Bethlehem, New Hampshire, to Miss Mae E. Hodson, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George E. Hodson, of New Haven. They now have two children: Katherine Frances, born June 3, 1913; and George Hodson, born Angust 10, 1914.
Judge Simpson bas had some military training as a member of Company F of the Second Infantry Regiment of the Connecticut National Guard, with which he served from 1904 until July, 1911, attaining the rank of sergeant. In July, 1911, he was appointed battalion quar- termaster, with the rank of second lieutenant, on the staff of Major Tilson, serving until Vol. II-7
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March, 1912, when he resigned, having qualified and been recommended for first lieutenant. In 1906, at Seagirt, New Jersey, he won the military championship of the United States with a rifle, winning what was known as the President's Match. At present he is inspector of small arms practice of the Second Military Distriet, Connecticut Home Guard. He is a mem- ber of the New Haven and Connecticut State Bar Associations, the Connecticut Society of Sons of the American Revolution, the Young Men's Republican Club and various fraternal and social organizations. He is a past master of Hiram Lodge, No. 1, A. F. & A. M., and has attained the Knight Templar degree in the commandery. He also belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and he is connected with the Graduates and the Country Clubs, while the rules which govern his conduct in all life's relations are indicated in the fact that he is a loyal member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His ideals of life are high and he embraces every opportunity that enables him to reach their level.
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