USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 1 > Part 55
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longer he carried on the great business with extraordinary skill and good judg- ment, continually adding to the magni- tude of the transactions, and then the in- evitable happened. Fashion pronounced against crinoline, and the whole bottom dropped out of the business. The mill was abandoned and Mr. Dunbar returned to Bristol, after an absence of five years, to engage in his father's other business, that of manufacturing clock springs and similar parts of small mechanisms. At the time this business was conducted on a far smaller scale than the one Mr. Dunbar had received his training in and just aban- doned. There were not more than half a dozen hands employed, and the processes were of a very primitive character, so that the capacity of the mill was very limited. With the advent of Mr. Dunbar, and the initiation of his active and energetic man- agement, conditions were rapidly altered. One of his most important alterations was the introduction of modern machin- ery which quickly revolutionized the in- dustry and at one stroke gave the plant a capacity of from five to eight thousand clock springs a day. In an industry such as that in which Mr. Dunbar was en- gaged, while the demand for the output is one to be depended upon, yet the demand changes in character with the develop- ment of invention. Not long after the installation of the mechanisms insisted upon by Mr. Dunbar, there was nothing short of a revolution in the methods of spring making which required a complete alteration in the arrangements of manu- facturers to meet the new requirements. This necessity was cheerfully met as has been all such changes subsequently, with the result that the business has always been kept in the forefront of the industry and has grown and flourished until it has gained its present great size. To-day the factory has an output of many millions
of small springs yearly. In this great enterprise the three sons of Edward Lu- cius Dunbar have all participated, Edward Butler, Winthrop Warner and William A. Dunbar, under the firm name of Dun- bar Brothers, which is now recognized as one of the most important industrial con- cerns in the region. Edward Butler Dun- bar was during his life the president of the company and in virtue of holding this office became one of the commanding figures in the industrial and financial world of Connecticut. As was natural in so dominant a personality, his sphere of influence was gradually extended and he became identified with many important business concerns and financial institu- tions in that part of the State. He was president of the Bristol National Bank and a member of its board of directors, holding the latter position since the foun- dation of the banks in 1875. He was also vice-president and director of the Bristol Savings Bank, having been elected to these offices in 1889. Among the most important functions which Mr. Dunbar has performed for the business circles of Bristol, is that of president of the Bristol Board of Trade, which under his ener- getic administration was extremely active in furthering the town's welfare.
Mr. Dunbar's activity was not, how- ever, confined to the operation of the great business interests which he con- trolled. On the contrary there was scarcely any aspect of the life of the com- munity of which he was a member, that did not find him an active participant. His public spirit was great and the energy which enabled him to devote himself to the advancement of so many projects not less so. One of his chief interests was politics and he was an intelligent ob- server of the issues agitating the country in his time. A staunch member of the Democratic party he gave much of his
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time to working for the attainment of its aims, and his voice was one of the most influential in the councils of its local organization. While still a young man his fellow Democrats recognized his abil- ities and his qualifications for public office, and it was not long before he ap- peared one of the most available men in the community for political candidacy. He held a number of important and responsi- ble offices and filled them to the great sat- isfaction of his fellow citizens. Particu- larly interested in the cause of public education and the effective training of children, he took a very active part in the advancement of the same in Bristol, and from the founding of the new high school held the office of chairman of its commit- tee, regarding it with pride as one of the best schools in the State. For a number of years he was a member of the board of school visitors, and for more than a quarter of a century was a member of the district committee of the South Side School. In the year 1869 he was elected to the State Assembly to represent Bris- tol, and again to the same office in 1881. In the year 1885 he was elected State Sen- ator, and again in 1887, serving thus for two consecutive terms or until 1889. While a member of this body Mr. Dunbar was very active in the interests of his constituents and exercised a great influ- ence in passing some very important measures for the benefit of workingmen, including the weekly payment act, for which and for the child labor law, he made many effective and eloquent speeches. In the year 1890 his name was mentioned as the most desirable candi- date for Congress, but Mr. Dunbar de- clined to consider any such nomination. For twenty-six years he was the registrar of elections for the First District, and for over twenty years president of the Board of Fire Commissioners of Bristol. In the
latter capacity he has done valuable work for the town, having increased and modernized the equipment to keep pace with the advance of modern invention and the growth of the town. It had been his father years before who first induced the town to purchase a fire engine of the old hand type, and before Mr. Dunbar's re- tirement, this had been replaced by two of the most modern engines driven by steam. In connection with his interest in education, he busied himself actively for the establishment of a public library, and when through his efforts and those of others who allied themselves with him in the matter, the Free Public Library, be- came an accomplished fact, Dr. Dunbar was appointed president of the institu- tion, and held the office until the time of his death. To all these manifold activi- ties which seem more than a sufficient task for any man, Mr. Dunbar added an- other work which he no less ardently strove for, his work in the advancement of the moral regeneration of the town and the cause of the church. He was a life- long member of the Congregational church and for the last seven years of his life served as deacon. He was also active in the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion in Bristol, and was president between 1886 and 1890, during which time he spared no effort to advance the organiza- tion. He was a member of the Reliance Council, No. 753, Royal Arcanum.
Edward Butler Dunbar was married, December 23, 1875, to Alice Giddings, born July 8, 1854. a daughter of Watson Giddings, the well known carriage-maker of Bristol. To Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar were born three children, as follows: I. Mamie Eva, born December 17, 1877, died Janu- ary 18, 1881. 2. Marguerite Louise, born June 28, 1880, educated in the Bristol pub- lic schools, with which her father was so closely connected, and in the two private
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seminaries for young ladies, Hayden Hall, Windsor, Connecticut, and the Gardner School, New York City; she married, June 22, 1904, Rev. Charles Shepard, D. D., professor of Hebrew in the General Theological Seminary of New York; three daughters: Katharine, Alice Emma and Marguerite Dunbar. 3. Edward Gid- dings, born May 20, 1889, who is now president of the Dunbar Brothers Com- pany. Mrs. Dunbar and her son make their home in the beautiful dwelling re- modelled by Mr. Dunbar. The original house was an old one built by Chauncey Jerome, the well-known clock-maker of Bristol, and was bought and converted into a most charming residence by Mr. Dunbar, in which are combined the beau- ties of the older architecture and the con- veniences of modern improvements.
WILLIAMSON, John H., Enterprising Citizen.
It is the progressive, wide-awake men of affairs who make the real history of a community, State or Nation, and their in- fluence as a potential factor of the body politic is difficult to estimate. The ex- amples men furnish of patient purpose and steadfast integrity strongly illustrate what is in the power of each to accom- plish, and there is always a full measure of satisfaction in adverting, even in a casual manner, to their achievements in advancing the interests of their fellow- men and in giving strength and solidity to the institutions which tell so much for the prosperity of the community. John H. Williamson, late of Bethel, Connecti- cut, was a man of this caliber. A public- spirited citizen, he was ready at all times to use his means and influence for the promotion of such public improvements as were conducive to the comfort and happiness of his fellowmen, and there was
probably not another man in the commu- nity so long honored by his residence who was held in higher esteem, regardless of sects, politics or professions. He was one of the most unostentatious of men, open- hearted and candid in manner, always re- taining in his demeanor the simplicity and candor of the oldtime gentleman, and his record stands as an enduring monument.
John H. Williamson was born in Carn- monie, a town in the northern part of Ire- land, December 27, 1851, son of James and Agnes Williamson, members of a Scotch colony which had settled there. He re- ceived his early education in a private school in Belfast. He came to the United States as a boy and completed his educa- tion at Cooper Institute, New York, where he received the degree of mechanical engi- neer. Shortly after his graduation and at the age of nineteen years he entered busi- ness as a contractor and builder, with offices at the corner of Forty-third street and Broadway, and he continued in the same line of business for seventeen years and during that long period of time car- ried out many private and public con- tracts, one of which was the erection of a riding academy on the present site of Pabst Grand Circle, and the Majestic Theatre at Columbus Circle, New York, which was notable as containing the longest span wood truss ever built in the United States. Mr. Williamson was its sole designer as well as builder. Another of his buildings of interest to his fellow townsmen was the Presbyterian church in Brewster, and he also constructed several gas plants about the country, the largest being at Watson, Illinois, and he built several private yachts, the most notable of which was that of Commodore Brown, of the New York Yacht Club. While in charge of tearing down a building in con- nection with a contract for the widening of a street in downtown New York, the
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mistake of a foreman resulted in the col- lapse of the structure, burying him for twenty hours with the splintered end of a joist through his left cheek. After dis- continuing this business in 1887 he en- tered the boiler business as consulting engineer with the Hazleton Boiler Com- pany, of New York, and his business in- terests in connection with this extended to all parts of the country. While con- nected with this firm his inventive genius demonstrated itself, and the five patents taken out by him resulted, on the death of the firm's president in 1903, in his gain- ing the ownership and control of the busi- ness, which he conducted until the time of his death under the name of the Connec- ticut Construction Supply Company. He was an expert in this line and as such was called before the Massachusetts Legisla- ture in March, 1908, and his advice was influential in the making of their revised laws regulating the construction of steam boilers.
The residence of Mr. Williamson in Bethel covered a period of twenty-eight years and during that time he was active in the interests of the town, yet his bene- factions were conducted in such an un- ostentatious manner that his name was not brought forth prominently in connec- tion therewith. He was a man of honest and upright character, lofty ideals and aspirations, thus his advice and opinions were sought and respected, and his politi- cal influence was widely felt. Although brought up in the Presbyterian church he was at the time of his death a member of the Protestant Episcopal church of Bethel. He was a staunch Republican in politics, and always took an active inter- est in State and local affairs, numbering among his friends the most influential men in the State. He stood for progress and the advancement of the people and
for what was honest and right. He served as a member of the Board of Trade, as justice of the peace and as grand juror. His fraternal affiliation was with Eureka Lodge, No. 83, Free and Accepted Ma- sons, of which he had been a member for many years.
Mr. Williamson married, January 27, 1880, Julia Reid, daughter of Hugh and Mary (Parsons) Reid, the ceremony be- ing performed in Bethel. Children : Agnes Belle, a graduate of the New Haven Nor- mal School; John Kennedy, a mining en- gineer, graduate of Cornell University, class of 1906, now superintendent for the Turner Building Company, of New York; Elizabeth, a graduate of the Danbury Normal School, wife of Harry Brownlow, of Danbury, Connecticut; Harry Hugh, graduate of Cornell University, class of 19II; Julia Edna and James Reid, pupils in the Bethel public schools.
Mr. Williamson passed away at his home in Bethel, September 23, 1908. He lived to good purpose and achieved a de- gree of success commensurate with his efforts. By a straightforward and com- mendable course he made his way to a prominent position in the business world, winning the admiration of the people of his town and earning a reputation as an enterprising, progressive man of affairs and a broad-minded, charitable and up- right citizen, which the public was not slow to recognize. His was a life of honor and trust, and no higher eulogy can be passed upon him than to say the simple truth -that his name had never been coupled with anything disreputable and that there was never a shadow of a stain upon his reputation for integrity and un- wavering honesty. He was a consistent man in all he undertook, and his career in all the relations of life was utterly with- out pretense.
Conn-1-25
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HILL, Robert Wakeman,
Architect, Builder.
Robert Wakeman Hill, whose death on July 16, 1909, removed from Waterbury one of the most conspicuous figures in the life of the community, and one of her most prominent and influential citizens, was a member of a well known and highly re- spected family which had resided in that region for a number of generations. The coat-of-arms of the Hill family: Sable. On a fesse between three leopards passant guardant or, spotted of the field, as many escallops, gules. His grandfather, Jared Hill, and his father, Samuel Hill, were both important men in Waterbury, Con- necticut, during their lives, and be- queathed to their descendant, Robert Wakeman Hill, the high standards of honor and worth it has long been New England's privilege and office to preserve, together with the character to maintain them.
Robert Wakeman Hill was born Sep- tember 20, 1828, in Waterbury, Connec- ticut, and there lived the better part of his life, although he made several extended absences during his youth. He received the elementary portion of his education in Waterbury, but later removed to New Haven and attended the Young Men's In- stitute of that place. Upon completing his studies he decided to engage in the pro- fession of architecture, and for this pur- pose entered the office of Mr. Henry Aus- tin at New Haven as a student, to learn the business of architecture. After he had thoroughly mastered the details of this business he went to Milwaukee, Wiscon- sin, where he practiced with success for several years, then came to Waterbury, Connecticut, where he continued to prac- tice with great success. He was the pio- neer architect in this section and did much public work for the State, erecting
many of the public buildings, etc. After a most successful career, Mr. Hill finally retired from business, and spent the later years of his life at his charming home in Waterbury. He had attained the leader- ship of his profession in Connecticut and held it for a number of years before his retirement.
Mr. Hill was a conspicuous figure in the general life of Waterbury, his sym- pathies being of too broad a nature to per- mit him to narrow himself within the limits of his own personal interests. He was a member of the Republican party, and a keen and intelligent observer of the march of political events, both general and local. In the affairs of the community his voice was an influential one, though pure- ly from its persuasive power, for he took no direct part in the game of politics, nor possessed any political authority as it is now conceived. Mr. Hill took a promi- nent part in the Manufacturers' Bank of Waterbury, was on the board of directors and vice-president at the time of his death. He was very fond of social life and was an active participant in a number of im- portant clubs and organizations, having been one of the first members of the Waterbury Club, and a member of the Mason Clark Commandery, at Waterbury. He was a faithful communicant of St. John's Episcopal Church, in Waterbury, aiding materially with the work of the parish and giving generously to the many benevolences connected therewith.
His death occurred about two months before the completion of his eighty-first year, and was a loss not only to the host of personal friends, sincere and devoted, which his lovable and admirable character had gathered about him, but also to the community at large, which collectively had received a legacy of growth and ad- vancement from his busy life. Mr. Hill was unmarried.
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ROOT, John Gilbert,
Soldier, Man of Enterprise.
John Gilbert Root, in whose death on February 14, 1910, the city of Hartford lost one of its most distinguished citizens, though not himself a native of Connecti- cut, was a scion of good old Connecticut stock, tracing his descent in the direct male line from another John Root, one of the early settlers of Farmington in that State. He was the son of Silas and Mer- illa (Chapman) Root, old residents of Westfield, Massachusetts, where he was born April 20, 1835.
Mr. Root passed his childhood and early youth in his native town and gained his education in the local schools. He left these institutions early, however, speedily mastered his studies there, and at the age of sixteen he secured a position in the Westfield Bank, making thus a start in the line of activity in which he was to continue his business career through life. He was already, at this early age, possessed of more than the usual share of intelligence and ambition, and his alertness and readiness for hard work compelled the respect and admira- tion of his employers. As was natural under the circumstances, the young man soon met with advancement, and as it was his purpose in all of the positions filled by him during the course of his pro- motion to gain as complete a mastery of the details of banking as was possible, he soon became unusually well versed in his business, and a valuable adjunct of the bank. At the age of twenty years, after four years of this training, which was the more valuable because it was received in a rural bank, where duties are not so high- ly subdivided as in the larger city institu- tions, and each man has an opportunity to take part in a larger number of depart- ments, Mr. Root received an offer to take
the position of teller in the Hartford County Bank of Hartford, Connecticut. He at once accepted this offer, and in 1855 removed there, to the city which was ever after to remain his home and the scene of the many busy activities of his life. After a short period of employment with this bank, he left to associate himself with the Hartford Trust Company, in the capacity of treasurer. Here he remained for about a year and a half, but in the meantime the bank, unwilling to part with his services, offered him the position of cashier as an inducement for him to re- turn. This he finally determined to do, and in 1871 assumed the duties of this responsible office, filling them in an emi- nently satisfactory manner for a period of twenty years. In the meantime the name of the institution had been changed and it had become the American National Bank, with the late Rowland Swift, who had preceded Mr. Root as cashier, the president. On December 19, 1883, Mr. Root was elected president of the Farmers' and Mechanics' National Bank of Hartford, an office which he held until his death, over a period of above twenty- six years. The Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank has since that time become consoli- dated with the Hartford National Bank. Mr. Root's great knowledge of banking and his general business acumen were in- valuable to the institutions he was asso- ciated with, and gave him, as president of the Farmers' and Mechanics' National Bank, a very prominent and influential position in financial circles, not only in Hartford, but generally throughout the State. This was greatly increased by his connection with many important financial and industrial concerns in the capacity of director. Among these were the Security Company, and the Mechanics' Savings Bank, of which he was a trustee, and the Spring Grove Cemetery Association, of
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which he was at different times a director, treasurer and president.
Mr. Root's activities were very far from being measured by his business interests, however great and important as these were. There was, indeed, scarcely an im- portant movement of any kind going on in the city with which he was not con- nected. While by no means the conven- tional politician, he exerted a strong and wholesome influence upon the political situation in Hartford. He was a strong believer in the principles and policies of the Republican party, and an observer in a large way of the political issues in the country, but he did not identify himself with the local organization of his party to any extent, preferring to remain quite free from partisan influence in his political course. When, however, it became neces- sary in the year 1888 for the Republicans to nominate a strong candidate for mayor of Hartford, Mr. Root's prominence and personal popularity made him easily the most available candidate and he was offered the nomination. Although his aspirations lay by no means in the direc- tion of public office, and though he valued highly his independence as a private citi- zen, yet he would not say no to the obvi- ously popular demand made for him by his fellow citizens. His campaign was a notable one against the Democratic candi- dacy of C. M. Joslyn, whom he defeated by a vote of three thousand, five hundred and sixty-two against three thousand, three hundred and five. Mr. Root suc- ceeded Morgan G. Bulkeley as mayor of Hartford and served his fellow citizens in that capacity for two years, doing much that was eminently for their advancement during that time. He was greatly inter- ested in the cause of public education, and in 1891, after his term as mayor had expired, was elected a member of the high school committee and served thereon for four years. At the time of the agitation
for the bridge across the Connecticut river, John Gilbert Root was one of its strongest advocates, and when the Con- necticut River Bridge and Highway Dis- trict Commission was formed in 1895, he was made a member, attending every meeting of the body which his health per- mitted. At the time of the dedication of the bridge in October, 1908, he took an active part in the ceremonies and the three days festivities, deriving great pleas- ure from them, for he felt a strong civic pride in the possession of the splendid structure and the great improvements which accompanied its opening on the east side of the river.
Mr. Root was all his life intimately identified with the military organizations in Connecticut. He joined the Union army in the Civil War and served through that momentous conflict as captain of Company B, Twenty-second Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers. After the close of the war he returned to his adopted city, and continued his association with the military organizations there. After the death of Colonel George S. Burnham, who had held the office of president of the as- sociation formed by the Twenty-second Regiment, Mr. Root took his place as life president, and, as the title implies, still held the office at the time of his death. He was for a number of years a member, and later a veteran, of the First Company of the Governor's Foot Guard, and chair- man of the Board of Trustees of the Vet- eran Corps. He was a member of the Hartford City Guard and later a veteran of that body. He was a member of the Robert O. Tyler Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and for many years a trustee of its relief fund, and he was also a member of the Army and Navy Club.
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