USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 11 > Part 49
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of Old Well Lodge, No. 108, Free and Accepted Masons; Butler Chapter, No. 38, Royal Arch Masons; Clinton Com- mandery, No. 3, Knights Templar ; Mon- ker Grotto; Improved Order of Red Men ; Loyal Order of Moose; Olive Branch Lodge, Knights of Pythias, is past grand chancellor of the Grand Lodge of Con- necticut ; and is a member of D. O. K. K. of New Britain. Mr. Candee is a director of the People's Trust Company of South Norwalk.
Mr. Candee married, June 29, 1901, Annie M. Chunn, daughter of Mark B. Chunn, of St. Mary's county, Maryland. Their children : Mark Chunn and Marjorie Dent, twins, born October 22, 1903, in New Haven; Randolph Frederick, born June 29, 1905, died July 10, 1909; and Dorothy Caroline, born April 19, 1911.
GILLESPIE, William Wright, Publisher, Merchant.
To be richly endowed with many and varied talents, to be blessed with abound- ing vitality making possible their devel- opment, to be born of cultivated parents who know how to nurture the human soul, and to possess a personality of such rare charm as to make one universally beloved, falls to the lot of few men. It was the heritage of the late William Wright Gillespie. From the time he be- came a resident of Stamford, Connecticut, until his death, nearly half a century later, there was scarcely a phase of the com- munity's life in which he was not active and always constructively. His graceful, yet forceful, pen, his masterly oratory, and his sound business judgment were ever ready to forward the best interests of Town, State and Nation. Uncompro- mising in his intellectual integrity, he was fearless in denouncing wrong and bold in upholding the right, according to
his light. And he was a man of unusually keen perception. His daily life was an exemplification of the fundamentals of Christianity-he showed his faith by his works; and it is fair to say that in his day and generation no citizen of Stamford wielded a more potent influence for good. The name Gillespie is derived from the Gaelic compound word, Gille-espuaig, and signifies "the servant of the Bishop."
William Wright Gillespie was born in Knockdrin, County Westmeath, Ireland, October 16, 1839, and died in Stamford, Connecticut, December 30, 1907. His ancestors were of that sturdy Scotch stock who suffered so much for their faith, and who have contributed so many substantial citizens to America.
(I) John Gillespie, grandfather of Wil- liam W. Gillespie, was born in County Tyrone, Ireland. He was a linen weaver and farmer. He married Helen Scott, who lived to the great age of one hundred and four years.
(II) John (2) Gillespie, son of John (1) and Helen (Scott) Gillespie, was born in Dunmackmay, County Tyrone, Ireland, May 5, 1805. He was educated in Trin- ity College, Dublin, and after his gradu- ation tutored in some of the leading fam- ilies of the county. Later he became a teacher in the national schools, although, as circumstances permitted, he also con- tinued his work as a tutor. He wooed and won Mary J. Cunningham, who was also a teacher in the national schools. Hus- band and wife, after their marriage, con- tinued in their vocation of teaching. They were the parents of thirteen children, of whom the following grew to maturity : Anna E., now deceased, married James Cunningham ; George, now deceased, be- came a prominent business man and alder- man of Toronto, Canada ; Rev. John, now deceased, was for many years rector of the Church of the Messiah in Toronto; Wil-
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liam Wright, of whom further; Edward Thomas Wright, a sketch of whom fol- lows; Frederick R., now deceased, who became a large importer in New York City, and a prominent manufacturer of Stamford ; Richard H., now deceased, who was prominently identified with the Stamford "Advocate" for many years, and whose biography follows.
The father of these children died in 1854, at the age of forty-nine years. Reared as he had been in the stern old school of religious precept and practice, he brought up his children strictly, but with such loving kindness that they were attracted to the same ideals of godliness and right living as he had espoused. His widow continued in her vocation of school-teacher in the old country until 1857, when, with her young sons, Fred- erick R., Richard H., and Anthony, she crossed the ocean to Canada, where her elder children were already residing. She died in Brooklyn, New York, in 1879, aged sixty-eight years. Like her hus- band, she was an earnest and devoted Christian, ready to make any sacrifice for her children. She was beloved by all who knew her.
(III) William Wright Gillespie, son of John (2) and Mary J. (Cunningham) Gil- lespie, was under the careful and thor- ough tuition of his parents until he was fourteen years old. Then, in a competi- tive examination, he won a scholarship in the Dundalk Institution, an endowed schood of academic grade. In December, 1856, he and his brother, Edward T. W. Gillespie, accompanied their father's brother to Guelph, Canada, and thus ended their formal instruction. But William W. had acquired a thirst for knowledge, and he remained a diligent student to the end of his days. His intellectual interests covered a wide range, including the nat- ural sciences, history and literature. The
following quotation from one who knew him intimately will convey some idea of the extraordinary quality and compre- hensive scope of Mr. Gillespie's mental endowment, his all-round capabilities and untiring industry. Had he devoted him- self to the accumulation of wealth, no doubt he would have become one of the rich men of his time, but he realized as few do the truth so tersely expressed by Abraham Lincoln: "There is something more important than making a living- making a life."
From early boyhood he had shown extraordi- nary capacity for doing things, especially in the lines of mechanical constructiveness and inventive resourcefulness. There was no machine so com- plicated or so novel that he could not almost at a glance understand the principles of its operation and the philosophy of its purpose. Every great invention that appeared in his time, he understood fundamentally, while most people regarded it with incredulity, or even ridicule. The first crude phonograph had scarcely appeared, when he grasped the full meaning of the new discovery of until then hidden facts in the realm of nature which it represented, and he made it the founda- tion and illustration of a series of lectures on the "science of sound," which were heard with rapt attention by many public audiences in this coun- try and in Canada. At the first hint of the power and light to be derived from electricity, he gave public lectures upon this topic, in which he ap- peared to have the whole meaning and philosophy of it at his fingers' ends, so to speak, and in which he confidently prophesied developments, then unknown and unheard of, but which have since been realized in practical, everyday working. Such were the capabilities of a mind, in these di- rections, which, if it had had the advantages of early technical training, such as is now available to thousands of the youth of this country, could scarcely have failed to become, not only merely an eager and intelligent follower of these inven- tions, but in all probability a leader and creator in the same field.
His accomplishments as a writer, whether of newspaper reports, comments, etc., or, more espe- cially, the large and respectable body of original literary material he produced in the form of essays, lectures and addresses for public delivery on special occasions, are marked first of all by
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his manifest mastery of the subjects he chose for exposition. . . Yet it may be remarked as another tribute to the rare versatility of his men- tal endowments, that his writing ability was less the possession of the distinctive literary tempera- ment, inherited or acquired, than it was a demon- stration of that extraordinary all-round capability which could, so to speak, do anything that he at- tempted, and do it well, whether the work was in the domain of mechanical or of literary crafts- manship. But he possessed the poetic and imagi- native faculties in a marked measure. Without these, indeed, he could scarcely have used verse so frequently, and certainly not with such im- pressive effect, in so many of his speeches and addresses.
Mr. Gillespie was much sought after as a speaker for all manner of public oc- casions such as Memorial Day, Christmas, etc. He often delivered formal addresses on anniversary and other important oc- casions before the fraternal bodies with which he was affiliated, and his lectures on scientific and literary topics and travel were largely attended and highly appre- ciated for their educational and inspira- tional value. He was a ready and witty speaker, whose happy manner of phrasing sentiments, and whose keen and hearty sympathies, won his audiences. He made the first speech delivered in the old Stam- ford town hall when he introduced the famous John B. Gough, and he made the last public address in the building at a meeting of the Board of Trade, a few days before the hall was destroyed by fire.
After his arrival in Guelph, Canada, young Gillespie worked for about two years in the store of his elder brother. But he was ambitious to become identi- fied with the printing and publishing business, and when the opportunity of- fered he became an apprentice in the office of a small weekly paper published in Fergus, Ontario, Canada. In less than a year he had learned all that was possi- ble there, and accordingly he sought larger opportunities in New York City.
That was in 1859. Though he had served but a year at the printer's trade, he went to work as a journeyman for Baker & Godwin, and by dint of his native inge- nuity and adaptability he overcame the handicaps of his inexperience and met all the demands made upon him. After a short period in another print-shop, he re- moved, in 1860, to Stamford, Connecticut, and entered the employ of William S. Campbell, proprietor of the "Weekly Ad- vocate," as foreman. It has been said of him in this connection :
There was no detail which his ready adaptabil- ity, his alert, inventive mind, and his tireless industry did not touch with an efficient and help- ful hand. He made up to a large extent for the scant mechanical resources of the place by his extraordinary capacity for getting results out of the most unpromising material. He found valu- able use for things that had been lying for years among discarded odds and ends, and the little establishment began to attract new attention for the brightness and taste of the work it turned out, and for the new and original ideas which began to broaden and lighten up the narrow, stale, conventional and stereotyped aspects of the country printing office.
And he soon added to his duties the work of a reporter and editor. It would seem that these arduous activities would consume the energy of the man, but such was not the case, and as illustrative of the versatility of his talents it is noted that in his evenings he busied himself in con- structing things for his new home, for he had been married soon after his removal to Stamford. The most notable product of his mechanical skill at this period was a pipe organ, which he designed and con- structed without the aid of anyone else, and which he was able to play to the delight of his friends, if not entirely to his own satisfaction. While his native mod- esty made any pretense to musicianship impossible, he possessed no mean talent. When the Civil War overwhelmed the
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country, Mr. Gillespie supported the Union cause with ardour, and but for a slight physical injury received in boy- hood he would have gone to the front as a member of a Connecticut regiment. During these years, and owing quite largely to his ability and efforts, the business with which he was identified grew apace, and in 1866 recognition of his worth came in the form of an interest in the business, the firm name of Camp- bell & Gillespie being adopted. Mr. Campbell died the following year, and after a short time the Rev. J. J. Woolsey became a partner, the firm name being changed to Gillespie & Woolsey. The new partner remained in the firm but a short time, and the firm name was again changed, this time to W. W. Gillespie & Company. The next change was made in 1883, when Mr. Gillespie withdrew from the company, and the business was taken over by his younger brothers, E. T. W. and R. H. Gillespie. In June, 1906, the business was incorporated under the name of Gillespie Brothers, under which it is still conducted.
When William W. Gillespie withdrew from the publishing business, he became a member of the firm of White, Gillespie & Thayer, formed at that time, and which for some years conducted a large lumber business. In 1889 Messrs. White and Thayer retired from the business and a corporation was organized under the name of The Gillespie Lumber Company. This continued until 1897, when the stockholders (who were the Gillespie brothers) closed up the business. From that time until his death, William Wright Gillespie was associated with his broth- er who owned and operated the Water- side Mills.
Mr. Gillespie was always a student of affairs, and from the days of Abraham Lincoln a staunch supporter of the Re-
publican party. With voice and pen he labored zealously for the good of the com- munity. The only elective office he ever held was that of representative in the General Assembly of 1882. At that ses- sion there was much talk of lobbying and bribery. He used to say that no one ever approached him with a proposition of that sort, but perhaps he did not guess the reason. His refusal to serve a second term was readily accepted by the man- aging politicians of the time. He was not the sort of man they preferred. About a year before his death he was appointed as collector of the port of Stamford.
Mr. Gillespie was a man of deeply re- ligious and broadly fraternal instincts. He loved his fellowman without distinc- tion of race or creed. It was therefore natural that he should be attracted to those orders whose fundamental teach- ings are based on the truth expressed in a favorite phrase of his, "the brotherhood of man." He was an active member of Union Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Rippowam Lodge, No. 24, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and the Royal Arcanum. He was elected to honorary membership by Minor Post, Grand Army of the Republic, upon whose records an eloquent tribute was placed upon his decease. Early in boy- hood he became identified with the church and Sunday school. In 1888, owing to certain action in connection with the business policy of the Stamford Baptist Church, with which he had been identified since he came to Stamford, and of whose Sunday school he had for years been su- perintendent, and which change in busi- ness policy he did not approve, Mr. Gillespie transferred his membership to the Presbyterian church.
On March 3, 1861, Mr. Gillespie was married, in New York City, to Elizabeth J. Reilly, of New York. This union was
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blessed with two sons : Edward F. W. and George R., and two daughters: Mary L. and Lillian M.
Mr. Gillespie's creed-and his practice was in accord with it-the message which he sought always and everywhere to pro- claim, and which is universal in its ap- plication, is summed up in the following brief quotation from his lecture on Ire- land :
The promulgation of the gospel of peace and good will, of kindly spirit, and the brotherhood of mankind, is to be the gospel of salvation for Ire- land. If men only understood the true relation- ship there exists between them as children of a Universal Father, and practised the Golden Rule of life as taught by Him "who spake as never man spake," if they only brought to bear on the settlement of all disagreements the all-conquering power of fraternal love, how quickly would the still open wounds of centuries be healed, the transmitted sores and heartburnings of genera- tions, long sleeping in their native clay, be dried up and assuaged by the soothing potency of the truth-practiced and believed-that God is our Father, and all we are brethren.
GILLESPIE, Edward T. W., Journalist.
As editor of the "Stamford Advocate," Mr. Gillespie has for more than half a century wielded an influence which has rendered him one of the political and in- tellectual forces of his community and his State. As president of the widely known firm of Gillespie Brothers, Inc., he is numbered among the leading busi- ness men of the city of Stamford, Con- necticut.
Edward T. W. Gillespie, son of John (2) and Mary J. (Cunningham) Gillespie (q. v.), was born August 27, 1841. He received his preliminary education under the tuition of his parents. In 1856 he and his brother, William W. Gillespie, ac- companied an uncle to Canada, settling in Guelph, Ontario, where their brother
John was already established in business as a merchant. By this elder brother Mr. Gillespie was employed as a clerk until 1859, when he removed to New York City, at which port he had landed upon arriving in the New World. For a time he was employed as a clerk in mercantile estab- lishments, but it was not long before he found an opening into that sphere of action for which Nature had especially designed him. This opening was a hum- ble position in the pressroom of an old paper called "Vanity Fair," but his stay there was of short duration. Early in 1860 his brother, William W. Gillespie, came to Stamford, Connecticut, and en- tered the office of the "Weekly Advocate" as foreman. His fitness for the work quickly became apparent, and in the au- tumn of the same year he induced his mother and his brother Edward T. W. to make Stamford their home.
This removal might be called the turn- ing point in Mr. Gillespie's life. The lit- tle village weekly, which had been established in 1829, was known as the "Stamford Advocate," and was one of the oldest newspapers in the State. In Oc- tober, 1862, Mr. Gillespie wrote his first article for the paper. It was entitled "A Visit to the Seat of War," and from that time forth he assumed the editorial man- agement. During the many years which have since elapsed he has devoted the best that was in him to furthering what appeared to him to be the highest inter- ests of the city. Possessed of natural literary talent and having a strong liking for the work, he cultivated his gift by years of assiduous, practical endeavor in the development of his newspaper. Al- ways a fluent and forceful writer, his evident sincerity of purpose has given weight to his editorials, carrying convic- tion to his readers. With his powers as a reasoner he combines the poetic gift,
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and when he gives ear to its promptings the product of his pen is graceful and in- spiring. Nor is Mr. Gillespie lacking in a sense of humor. His ready wit and his inexhaustible fund of anecdote contribute greatly to the entertainment and happi- ness of every gathering at which he is present, and his keen sympathies make him a friend well worth having in time of need.
With advancing years Mr. Gillespie has gradually permitted the burden of his strenuous duties to fall upon younger shoulders, but with interest unabated and mind as keen and alert as ever he con- tinues to write, as the spirit moves him, virile editorials on topics of current inter- est that attract wide attention. For a number of years Mr. Gillespie has been president of Gillespie Brothers, Inc., who in addition to publishing the "Stamford Advocate" operate one of the best equipped printing plants in Connecticut and carry on a large retail stationery business. His brother, William W. Gil- lespie, was connected with the firm for nearly twenty years, and when he with- drew, in 1883, the business was taken over by Edward T. W. and Richard H. Gilles- pie. In June, 1906, it was incorporated under its present title.
During the half century and more of his residence in Stamford, Mr. Gillespie has witnessed the marvellous growth of every department of the city's life. One instance in his own career forcibly illus- trates this. From 1865 to 1867 he served as Postmaster Daskam's assistant, and by these two all the work of the office was accomplished. There are today seventy- eight men on the payroll of the Stamford Post Office. The only fraternal affilia- tion of Mr. Gillespie is with Rippowam Lodge, No. 24, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and his only club is the Stamford Yacht. He is vice-president of the Stam-
ford Historical Society, and he attends and contributes to the support of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Gillespie married, September 12, 1872, Emma Meudell, daughter of Wil- liam F. and Margaret (Mitchell) Meudell. Mr. Meudell was for many years collector of the port of Toronto. Mr. and Mrs. Gillespie are the parents of the following children: I. Edward Lathrop, graduated from Yale University in the class of 1903, and is also a graduate of the Law School of the New York University ; now a resi- dent of San Francisco, California. 2. Gardner Wynne. 3. May L. 4. Evelyn C. 5. Dorothy R., graduated at the Nor- mal School, New Britain, and is now a teacher in the Stamford public schools.
The memories of Mr. Gillespie, enriched by the experiences of long and wide ac- quaintance with men and affairs, embrace a period of more than three score years, one of the momentous eras in our national history, and throughout this long ex- tended time his attitude toward the great problems presented for solution to three successive generations has been that of a man whose fidelity to high ideals has inspired his pen and determined every action of his daily life.
GILLESPIE, Richard H., Printer, Publisher.
The debt which America owes to its citizens of Scotch-Irish ancestry is widely recognized and is past computation. Characterized by deep piety, thrift, ambi- tion and industry, immigrants of this sturdy race, cherishing the same ideals of freedom, religious and personal, as brought the Pilgrims and Puritans to our shores, have never needed to be assimi- lated ; they are naturally one with us. Of such stock came the late Richard H. Gil- lespie. He was born in Collon, County
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Louth, Ireland, August 13, 1848, son of John (2) and Mary J. (Cunningham) Gil- lespie (q. v.).
Richard H. Gillespie went to Brooklyn with his mother, and was employed in various lines of business for some years. He then returned to Canada and with his brothers established a hay pressing busi- ness in Hespeler. Some years later he removed to Stamford, Connecticut, where members of the family were already resi- dent, and became a clerk in the grocery store of A. G. Weed & Company. Later he became a member of the firm of Gil- lespie Brothers. When the business was incorporated in 1906, he became vice- president, treasurer and general manager. At the time he became a member of the firm, the "Stamford Advocate" was a weekly newspaper, and the job printing business, while satisfactory in volume for those days, would now seem to be a small business. From that time on the enter- prise had a healthy, steady growth until it reached a high position among the lead- ing printing establishments in that part of the State. In 1892 the paper became a daily, and in 1895 the company erected its present commodious three-story build- ing on Atlantic street. Those who are in a position to know credit the develop- ment of the business largely to his energy, enterprise, industry and business sagacity. Among the master printers of Connec- ticut he was recognized as a leader in the industry. His thoughtful solicitude for all in his employ, the kindness and gen- erosity that were part of his nature, his true friendship and his loyalty to all that was right and noble, and above all his cheerfulness and industry, will ever be remembered by those who were associ- ated with him.
Notwithstanding the exacting demands upon his time and attention made by his newspaper and printing business, Mr. Gil-
lespie found time to interest himself in public affairs. He was an active and use- ful leader in numerous movements for the general benefit of the community. His sound business judgment and diplomacy, coupled with unswerving loyalty to what he considered to be the right, made his counsel sought by important business in- terests. He was an active member of the organization of master printers known as The Typothetae, and his death occurred on September 7, 1911, while he was at- tending as a delegate the convention of that organization held in Denver. He was vice-president of the Fidelity Title and Trust Company of Stamford ; presi- dent of the Shippan Point Improvement Association from the date of its organiza- tion, and was identified with numerous other business and social organizations.
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