USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 10 > Part 55
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still has charge of this branch of the busi- ness.
On March 1, 1918, the company opened an office in Stamford, at the railway sta- tion. This has been only a repetition of the success in Greenwich. The company is the most important one in its line in this section of the State. The Stamford end of the business is incorporated under the name of The Stamford Transit Com- pany, with Lawrence Larsen as president. They have eighteen automobiles in daily use in Stamford, and thirty in Greenwich.
Niels Larsen is one of those men who bring to mind the sturdy pioneers of an earlier day, who feared nothing, dared everything, and with their bare hands worked out the civilization it is now our privilege to enjoy. Mr. Larsen is a mem- ber of the Benevolent and Protective Or- der of Elks, of Greenwich. He is too busy a man to take an active interest in politics, but is interested and active in every public movement of the day.
Mr. Larsen married Amanda Johnson, daughter of Neils Johnson. She was born in Cullen, Sweden. They are the parents of two children, Anna Marie, and Lillie Costine. The family are members of the Presbyterian church.
LARSEN, Lawrence,
Business Man.
New blood revives all living organisms. It is the new blood, and the living, vital power which that new blood gives that has kept the United States of America full of youth and life and abounding vi- tality. It comes to us from every nation under the sun, but from no nation do we receive more sturdy, wholesome blood, more upright, energetic men, than from the little corner of Europe called Den- mark. Lawrence Larsen, a member of
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one of the honest-hearted, high-spirited families of Denmark, son of a clear-eyed, fearless old sea captain, brought his heri- tage of fine physique, mental power and dauntless spirit and became one of us.
Lawrence Larsen, son of Captain Chris- tian and Ane Marie (Anderson) Larsen, was born in Denmark, March 22, 1872. In his boyhood he was fond of all active sports, excelling most in those requiring hardihood and holding the spice of dan- ger. He was restless at his studies, and anxious to get out and fill a man's part in life, but was wise enough to study ear- nestly while he had the opportunity, so he laid a practical foundation for a career in the business world. He went to work at the lowest wages as soon as he left school, but being filled with a determina- tion to make something worth while of the future that lay before him practiced the most rigid economy and saved enough money to bring him to America.
It was in 1887 that he landed in this country. The pioneer spirit, through which our nation was established, sus- tained the young man in all the hard- ships of getting a start in a new country. He was ignorant of the language and cus- toms, without capital and without influ- ence, and made his way as best he could with only the money he was able to earn as he went along. He worked faithfully, denying himself all pleasures and luxur- ies, and after a time gained a foothold in the world of industry. His first employer was Henry Held, of Greenwich, Connec- ticut. He was faithful and industrious, but he was also ambitious and would not long be satisfied to work for wages. Only six years from the time he reached this country he began taking contracts for grading and excavating. This was in as- sociation with his brother, and for years they followed this line of work together under the name of Larsen Brothers. In
1900 the young men made a radical change in their line of business. They sold out their contracting interests and went into the livery business in Green- wich, where they still serve the public with the same whole-hearted energy as that upon which their success was built. In 1906, when the automobile was so rap- idly superseding the horse-drawn vehic- les, the brothers saw the trend of the fu- ture in their line of business and gradu- ally disposed of their horses, replacing them with the motor vehicles. A few years ago the business was incorporated under the name of the Greenwich Cab Company, Lawrence Larsen holding the office of president, and his brother Niels that of vice-president. This branch of the business is still in charge of Niels Larsen. On March 1, 1917, Mr. Larsen incorporated a new company and opened an office at the railway station in Stam- ford, under the name of The Stamford Transit Company. This very advanta- geous location made the business an im- mediate success, and they have a very large share of the best trade of the city of Stamford. In fact they do the largest business in this section of the State along their line. The Greenwich end of the business has about thirty automobiles, and the Stamford end eighteen.
As might be expected of a man in any useful line of effort, Lawrence Larsen is one of the solid, dependable men of Stamford. He makes no attempt to do the spectacular thing in public life, but is always ready to bear his full share of responsibility to those about him. He is a man of quiet tastes and takes little part in the social life of the city, but he is a man whose friendship it is good to pos- sess and whose hearty hand-clasp ex- presses the sincerity of a great warm heart. He is a director of the Maher Brothers Coal Company, of Greenwich,
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in addition to his other business inter- ests. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Mr. Larsen married, April 1, 1894, Mar- garet Huggins, daughter of James Hug- gins. She is a native of Ireland, and came to America at the age of fifteen years. Their children are: Lawrence Christian, born March 1, 1895, died August 1, 1912; Anna N., born December 29, 1897, mar- ried John Neilson, of Greenwich; Wil- liam, born December 30, 1899, who is a member of the class of 1921 at the New York University.
HUNT, Louis Whitney, Business Man.
Among the early Saxons it was custo- mary to assume a family name from a trade, calling, profession or name of place. The surname of Hunt is from the Saxon word, "hunti," a wolf. This word used in connection with the wolf came to mean the pursuit of all game. The family prob- ably took the name on account of prow- ess in the hunting field. There are many different spellings of this name found, as in the early days words were written ac- cording to the ear of the writer. Other forms of the name are Huntre, Honties, Hundt. There was an Adam le Hunt in Nottingham, England, as early as 1295.
(I) The earliest known ancestor of Louis W. Hunt was Gilbert Hunt, who was born about 1740. The compiler of the Hunt records states that this Gilbert Hunt was "undoubtedly a son of John Hunt and his wife Filenia." Gilbert Hunt married Hannah Gorham, of Fairfield, and about 1768 settled in North Salem, New York, where he died May 15, 1819. His widow died June 21, 1820, and they are both buried in the cemetery at North Salem.
(II) Timothy Hunt, son of Gilbert
Hunt, was born November 5, 1771, and died January 13, 1835. In 1799 he settled in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Timothy Hunt married Elizabeth Whitney, born in Ridgebury, Connecticut, March 24, 1769, died in Danbury, December 12, 1867, daughter of Richard and Esther (Clark) Whitney, and a descendant of Henry Whitney.
(III) Louis Clark Hunt, son of Tim- othy and Elizabeth (Whitney) Hunt, was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, May 7, 1808, and died in 1884. He learned the trade of mason as a boy and followed it more or less all his life. In addition Mr. Hunt owned an eighty-five acre farm in Ridgefield and thirty-five acres were un- der cultivation. He married (first), June 25, 1832, in North Salem, New York, Maria Cable. He married (second), March 1, 1846, Lucretia Ann Hoyt, daughter of Halstead and Lucretia (Scott) Hoyt, born in South Salem, Au- gust 6, 1821, a descendant of the immi- grant, Simon Hoyt.
(IV) James Louis Hunt, son of Louis Clark and Lucretia Ann (Hoyt) Hunt, was born April 4, 1847, and died January 19, 1917. His boyhood was spent in his native town of Ridgefield and there he attended school. Later he went to Bridgeport and followed a course at the Bryant & Stratton Business College. Thence he went to New York City, where he obtained employment in a wholesale produce house. In 1870 Mr. Hunt went into business as a produce commission merchant on his own account at Harlem river, New York, and for twenty years continued successfully. After the death of his father he returned and assumed charge of the home farm, later removing to Stamford, where he spent his remain- ing years retired from active business. Mr. Hunt was a Democrat in politics, and was several times honored with positions
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of trust and responsibility. He was dep- uty sheriff in Ridgefield for twenty-five years. On October 25, 1871, he married Sarah Hester Mead, daughter of Sher- wood and Harriet (Grumman) Mead. Sherwood Mead was born in George- town, town of Redding, Connecticut, May 26, 1804, and died September 26, 1896. He learned the shoemaker's trade, and af- ter his marriage removed to Ridgefield where he followed his trade. Mr. Mead married Harriet Grumman, daughter of Caleb and Hester Grumman, originally of Philadelphia and then of Ridgefield. At the time of his death, Mr. Mead was un- doubtedly the oldest Mason in the State of Connecticut. He was made a Mason in Jerusalem Lodge, No. 49, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Ridgefield, of which he was a member about seventy years. Mr. Mead was among the mem- bers of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church of Ridgefield. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt were the parents of the following children : Effie Louise, wife of Harry Leslie Bossa, of Stamford; Robert Mead, of Brooklyn; Louis Whitney, of further mention.
(V) Louis Whitney Hunt, son of James Louis and Sarah Hester (Mead) Hunt, was born in Ridgefield, Connecti- cut, November 7, 1880. He was educated in the public schools. Until he was twenty-five years of age he worked on the home farm. In 1905 Mr. Hunt came to Stamford and started in the express business, at first in a small way with one horse and a small wagon. By strict at- tention to his business details it was not long before he had made progress and required assistance to take care of his sur- plus business. At the present time, Mr. Hunt operates four moving vans (auto- mobiles) and has a three-story warehouse on Lockwood avenue. About ten men are employed on an average, and his
trucking covers the field from Washing- ton, D. C., to Boston, Massachusetts.
Mr. Hunt married Charlotte Ann Her- ring, daughter of Stephen Herring, of Brooklyn, New York, and they are the parents of one son, Whitney James, born June 28, 1913. The family attend St. John's Episcopal Church and aid in its support.
(The Whitney Line).
The surname of Whitney was origi- nally a place name. The parish from which the family takes its name is lo- cated in County Hereford, England, upon the extreme western border, adjoining Wales, and is traversed by the lovely Wye river. The name of the place doubt- less came from the appearance of the river, meaning in Saxon, white water, from whit, white, and ey, water.
(I) Henry Whitney, the immigrant, was born in England about 1620. The first mention found of him in America is in 1649 in Southold, Long Island. He was an inhabitant of Huntington, Long Island, in 1659. Thence he removed to Jamaica, Long Island, and in 1665 to Norwalk, Connecticut. For many years he owned and operated a grist mill. His death occurred in 1673, and it is probable that he died in Norwalk.
(II) John Whitney, son of Henry Whitney, was born before his father went to Southold, and died in 1720. In 1665 he was granted land in Norwalk, and was also a miller and millwright, succeeding his father as owner of the Norwalk mill and homestead. On March 17, 1674, he married Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Richard Smith.
(III) Henry (2) Whitney, son of John and Elizabeth (Smith) Whitney, was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, February 12, 1680, and died April 26, 1728. He was a weaver. He married, June 14, 1710,
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in Norwalk, Elizabeth Olmstead, daugh- ter of Lieutenant John and Mary (Ben- edict) Olmstead.
(IV) Richard Whitney, son of Henry (2) and Elizabeth (Olmstead) Whitney, was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, March 29, 1722, and died November 18, 1772. He was a farmer. On December 18, 1745, he married Esther Clark, and she died in April, 1810. They were the parents of Elizabeth Whitney, who be- came the wife of Timothy Hunt, as above mentioned.
PHILLIPS, Albert, Lawyer, Public Official.
The real history of a community or State is made by the wide-awake, pro- gressive man of affairs. The public- spirited citizen who is ready at all times to use his means and influence in the pro- motion of public improvements aids ma- terially. A man of this caliber is Albert Phillips, of Stamford, Connecticut. Mr. Phillips was born March 1, 1887, in New Britain, Connecticut, son of John and Sarah (Gornick) Phillips.
(I) Fischel Phillips, grandfather of Albert Phillips, was a wholesale provi- sion merchant in Odessa, Russia, for many years, and during the Russian- Turkish War he ran the blockade and obtained provisions to supply the Rus- sian Army. He made four visits to Amer- ica, but never became a resident of this country.
(II) John Phillips, son of Fischel Phil- lips, was born April 30, 1864, in Odessa, Russia. As a lad of thirteen years he came to New York City alone and secured employment in a bronze foundry. He had followed this work in his native country. He had had small opportunity for edu- cation, but his natural desires caused him to take up an extensive reading
course in the evenings, and in this man- ner he made himself master of several subjects. He possessed splendid mental capacity, and boundless determination and indefatigable industry. He mastered each detail in the production of brass, bronze and white metal, and the manu- facture of these into various articles of commerce. Mr. Phillips rose rapidly to positions of responsibility. For some years he did laboratory work in the New York plant of the Edison Company, leav- ing in 1886 to go with the P. F. Corbin Company, of New Britain, Connecticut, as a metal expert. He remained there about two years, and then removed to Stamford, Connecticut, where he entered the employ of the Yale & Towne Manu- facturing Company as an expert in the Brass Foundry Department. He had supervision of the casting of the largest bronze castings, such as, immense stair- railings, chandeliers, and so forth, their subsequent finishing and placing in final position. He remained in this position until 1893, in which year he engaged in business for himself in a widely different vocation, that of retail shoe merchant. For more than a quarter of a century Mr. Phillips has been numbered among the successful retail merchants of Stamford. Mr. Phillips married, in New Haven, Connecticut, Sarah Gornick, a native of Odessa. They were the parents of two children : Albert, of whom further; Eva, graduated from Stamford High School, and took the degree of LL. B. from New York University, but has never practised.
(III) Albert Phillips, son of John and Sarah (Gornick) Phillips, was a student in the Stamford public schools, graduat- ing from the High School in 1905, and from the New York University Law School in 1908, with the degree of LL. B. Subsequently he became associated in the practice of his profession with Homer
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S. Cummings in Stamford, continuing for two years, then opened an office of his own. Mr. Phillips' natural inclination, and the appeal which politics makes to nearly every man of legal training, con- spired to draw him into the body politic. In 1910 he became registrar of voters in Stamford, and was elected the following year to represent his city in the Legisla- ture. He was one of two Democrats to receive appointment as chairman of com- mittee. He served as chairman of the State Library Committee. Mr. Phillips took a very active part in this session, which was extra long, and also was ac- tive in the debates in behalf of progres- sive measures. In 1912 he was nomi- nated by the Democratic State Conven- tion in Hartford for Secretary of State, and during the campaign toured the State with Governor Simeon Baldwin. It was through his efforts that the issue known as the MacDonald Issue received such wide attention. This matter became the main issue of the campaign. On January 8, 1913, Mr. Phillips assumed his office as Secretary of State and served until January 7, 1915. During his administra- tion the Motor Vehicle Department was connected with the Secretary of State's office, and the automobile traffic increased tremendously during Mr. Phillips' term of office. As Secretary of State, it was his duty to preside over all hearings held to determine whether or not licenses should be suspended or revoked. He pre- sided at hearings of over seven hundred cases, and thoroughly systematized the Motor Vehicle Department which was making rapid growth. The receipts of the department had increased from $245,- 000 per annum to $450,000, and the ex- pense of operating the department did not exceed nine per cent., thereby leav- ing ninety-one per cent. of the revenue to be turned over to the State Highway
Department for the building of good roads. Previous to Mr. Phillips's term it had been customary to deposit all money received in a depository that paid no in- terest, and through his influence he made arrangements whereby the State received two and one-half per cent. interest on daily balances. His manner of conduct- ing the affairs of his office were so com- mendable that favorable comments were made in the public press irrespective of party affiliation. He was specially com- mended for the efficient manner in which the automobile traffic was supervised with the aid of the State Police.
Mr. Phillips is now the chairman of the Democratic party of Stamford. In 1914 the Democratic State Convention unanimously renominated Mr. Phillips for the office of Secretary of State, and despite the fact that the Democratic party was defeated in that campaign, Mr. Phillips received the highest vote on the ticket, polling eighty-one more votes than the Democratic candidate for governor. In accordance with the statute creating a State Library Committee, Mr. Phillips became an ex-officio member of that com- mittee as did Governor Baldwin. The other member was the late Hon. William J. Hammersley, Ex-Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Errors. On July I, 1913, Mr. Phillips was appointed pros- ecuting attorney of the City Court of Stamford, and continued in that office until April 1, 1915. He served as a del- egate to the State conventions of his party continuously from 1908 to 1919. He has twice made an extensive tour of speaking throughout the State. He suc- cessfully managed the campaign of Homer S. Cummings, Democratic nominee for United States Senator in 1916, and in 1917 Mr. Phillips contributed his execu- tive talent and ability in the management of the "Four Minute" speakers of Stam-
Conn-9-26
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
ford. He took an active part in many of ALLEN, Harold W.,
the war reliefs, and is a member of the War Thrift Stamp Committee; during the five Liberty Loan drives, Mr. Phil- lips was a tireless worker in the interests of his country. He served as a member of the committee of the United Welfare Drive; member of the Salvation Army Drive Committee, and chairman of the Jewish Welfare Board. He is State coun- sel for A. Mitchell Palmer, Alien Prop- erty Custodian.
As is to be naturally expected of an enterprising citizen of Mr. Phillips' type, he is affiliated with several fraternal or- ders, among them being: Excelsior Lodge, No. 49, Knights of Pythias; Stam- ford Lodge, No. 899, Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks; Stamford Aerie, No. 579, Fraternal Order of Eagles; Onax Tribe, No. 41, Improved Order of Red Men; B'nai Brith, of which he is secretary.
Among other public matters which held his attention was the developing of beach property at Shippan Point. Mr. Phillips organized the Beach Manor Realty Com- pany, and now serves as its president. He is chairman of the Young Men's He- brew Association's drive to erect a build- ing in Stamford in the near future ; mem- ber of the board of directors of The Na- tional Jewish Hospital of Denver; and an executive member of the Jewish Pub- lication Society of Philadelphia ; member of the executive committee of the Zion- ist, an organization of America for the district of Stamford, and is chairman of the committee on Palestine Restoration. Mr. Phillips is a member of the Automo- bile Club of Hartford, of which he is an honorary member; Automobile Club of America ; honorary member of the Touro Club of Hartford; Aaron Club of Hart- ford; the Bridgeport Club.
Business Man.
In the everyday course of life in this practical world the comforts, conven- iences and luxuries that come to hand are made use of, and men go on about their individual interests a without thought of the personality which must, of necessity, stand behind the smoothly ad- justed routine. The automobile, which is now a daily necessity the world over, has demanded its quota of workers, from the drafting room to the garage. And all along the line, more imperatively than in any other industry, perhaps, this beau- tiful leviathan demands skill of hand and power of brain. In the town of Green- wich, Connecticut, the name of Allen stands high in the automobile business.
Descended from the early pioneers of New England, with the blood of con- structive workers in his veins, Harold W. Allen, in company with his brother, Frederick H. Allen, is making his fine executive ability count for more than his own individual wellbeing in one of the principal automobile salesrooms of the town.
Mr. Allen's grandfather was William Allen, and his father was Samuel Allen, who was born in Greenwich, Connecti- cut, and spent his entire life there. He received his education in the public schools of the town, then with the prac- tical problems of the future before him learned the trade of blacksmith. He was ambitious and eager to make a definite place for himself in the world's work, so while still quite a young man he went into business for himself. He was a skill- ful worker and thoroughly understood horses, also did a great deal of general blacksmith work, and the business de- veloped until he had, in busy seasons, as
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many as eight men working under him. He was highly respected in the commu- nity, and bore his share of the responsibil- ities of the town government. At the time of his death he was warden of the Borough of Greenwich, which office he had held for two years. He was a Repub- lican in political affiliation. He died at the early age of forty-eight years. He married Harriet Hamilton, daughter of John Hamilton. She was born in Or- ville, New York, near Syracuse. She came of an old Scotch family, and her father was born in Scotland. Samuel and Harriet (Hamilton) Allen were the parents of two sons: I. Frederick H., born October 31, 1882, and died March 18, 1919; he was educated in the public schools and Merrill's Business College of Stamford ; then he entered the employ of the Connecticut Light & Power Com- pany in Greenwich, as bookkeeper, re- maining for some time; the rapidly in- creasing use of the automobile offered him the opportunity to enter into a prof- itable business for himself, and he lost no time in making his real start in life; he took an agency for the Reo car and opened a garage; the business grew steadily, and soon reached a point where it required more than one responsible per- son at the head, and Mr. Allen's brother, Harold W. Allen, became a partner ; he married Emma Frances Wahl, and they have a son, Frederick H., Jr. 2. Harold W., of further mention.
Harold W. Allen was born August 10, 1887. He received his education in the public schools, then went to New York City and entered the employ of Jacob Stern as chauffeur. He was a natural mechanic, and handled automobiles with the greatest skill. He remained in this position for two years, then his brother's business demanded his assistance and he returned to Greenwich and became his
brother's partner. This was in 1908, and the firm name became Allen Brothers. The business continued to prosper and grow. The automobile was becoming a necessity in circles where heretofore it had been considered an expensive luxury. In 1914 the business was incorporated under the name of Allen Brothers Garage, Inc. They have branched out in various di- rections, have been handling the Loco- mobile since 1908, and the Cadillac since 1913. They have the most up-to-date equipment in their service department, and in all their business dealings their genial personality dominates everything, making the garage a place sought by all classes of people requiring anything in their line. The brothers are men of pub- lic spirit and are prominent in many of the activities of the community. Fred- erick H., Sr. was a member of the Epis- copal church; Harold W. has served for some time as deputy sheriff, and is a member of the Benevolent and Protec- tive Order of Elks.
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