USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Bridgeport > History of Bridgeport and vicinity > Part 15
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HON. STILES JUDSON.
Hon. Stiles Judson, the only son of Stiles Judson (III) and his wife, Caroline Elizabeth Peck, was born in the town of Stratford, Connecticut, February 13, 1862. He acquired his education in the Stratford public schools, also under private tuition and in the Stratford Academy, from which he was graduated. In 1883 he entered the law department of Yale College. from which institution he was graduated with honors in 1885 at the head of his class, winning the degree of LL. D. He was then admitted to practice before the Con- necticut bar and received the highest marks of any law student who applied for admission at that time. He then entered the office of Townsend & Watrous, well known lawyers of New Haven, with whom he remained until the fall of 1886, when he located in Bridgeport, establishing offices in the Sturdevant building, where he continued in practice until 1890. He then formed a partnership with Charles Stuart Canfield under the name of Canfield & Judson, which partnership continued for nineteen years. In 1907 John S. Pullman was taken into the firm, which then became Canfield, Judson & Pullman. In 1908 he was appointed state attorney for Fairfield county by Judge William S. Case of the superior court to succeed the late Samuel Fessenden, of Stamford, and six months later he was reappointed by the full court of superior judges, remaining in the office for two years under that appointment. He was then reappointed for the third term and retired from the office on the 30th of March, 1914. In public life he was one of the strong independent men of the state, and while a republican, he was not narrowly partisan but held liberal views and was supported by all classes and by people of all political faith. In 1891 he was elected a member of the state legislature from Stratford and again in 1895 and served as house chair- man of the committee on judiciary at both sessions. In 1892 he was a candidate for secretary of state on the republican ticket, in which year Cleveland carried the state, and while he failed of election, he polled a very large vote. In 1904 he was elected a member of the state senate and again in 1906. and he served as chairman of the judiciary committee. In the session of 1911 he was elected president pro tem. He was a polished speaker and forceful debater and was looked upon as one of the foremost public men of Connecticut. His honesty of purpose was never questioned. His independence was greatly admired, for he was no man's servant and always stood for the right of the people against oppression. In 1911 he was again elected to the state senate for the twenty-fifth district, receiving the democratic endorsement. He filled public office with honor and ability and supported all measures that were for the benefit of the state and its people. He was the father of the public utilities bill, which is now a law, and of the workmen's compensation act, laboring most earnestly to secure its passage in the session of 1911, but although it failed then, it was passed in the session of 1913 and became a law. He was a man of great breadth of mind, strong character, liberal culture and of the highest intelligence. He took a deep interest in Stratford, its people and its institutions and he stood at all times for high ideals.
In 1880 Mr. Judson enlisted as a member of Company K, Fourth Regiment of the Watson Guards, then located in Stratford, and served in the company until 1891, advancing from private to commander. Under his able management the company became one of the foremost organizations of the Guard. Later it became a part of the eleventh company of the Coast Artillery Corps.
Mr. Judson was also a member of the Masonic order, being identified with St. John's Lodge of Stratford and different Masonic bodies of Bridgeport, including Hamilton Com-
HON. STILES JUDSON
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mandery of the Knights Templar. He was also a member of the Seaside and Algonquin Clubs of Bridgeport and the Cupheag and the Housatonic Clubs of Stratford. He is survived by a widow and two sisters, who reside in Stratford. Mr. Judson ranked with the greatest legal minds of the state and as an orator had few equals. He was long regarded as one of the most prominent men of Connecticut and at his death every public man and every newspaper paid tribute to his strong, noble character.
HORACE M. WHITNEY.
Horace M. Whitney, secretary of the H. O. Canfield Company, is a representative of that class of young men who are not only facing, but are evolving, new conditions in the business world that are leading to broader activities and larger results. He was born in Washington, D. C., October 11, 1873, a son of Horace A. and Laura (Magee) Whitney. His father was cashier in the United States treasury at the time of his death, which occurred in 1886. when Horace M. Whitney was a lad of thirteen years. He acquired a public and high school education, and at the outset of his business career entered the field of real estate and banking in connection with the Ohio National Bank in the capital city.
It was in 1898 that Mr. Whitney removed to Bridgeport, where he entered the employ of the American Graphophone Company, with which he continued for about thirteen years or until January, 1911, having charge of the cost department. He severed that connection to go upon the road as a traveling salesman for the H. O. Canfield Company, and his ability and efficiency led to his election to the position of secretary on the 1st of January, 1916.
On the 9th of December, 1911, Mr. Whitney was married to Miss Mary M. Torbert in Portsmouth, Virginia, and they have one child, Elizabeth. Mr. Whitney exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party and keeps in touch with the trend of modern thought concerning vital and significant problems. He has membership in the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and his name is also on the member- ship rolls of the Brooklawn and Algonquin Clubs. His worth is attested in all those circles which recognize the value of modern business enterprise and progressive methods.
MAJOR SAMUEL F. BEARDSLEY.
Major Samuel F. Beardsley, practicing at the Bridgeport bar since 1897, well equipped by the thorough training of Yale, was born April 17, 1874, in the city in which he yet makes his home. a son of Judge Morris B. Beardsley, long a prominent and distinguished representa- tive of the courts of the city. Following his father's professional footsteps Major Beardsley entered Yale after receiving bis preliminary educational training in the Bridgeport high school and in the academic department of Yale. He was graduated from the former in 1891 with salutatorian honors of the class when a youth of seventeen and was graduated from the academic department of Yale in 1895. He received the degree of Bachelor of Arts and in 1897 he was graduated from the Yale Law School, at which time the LL. B. degree was conferred upon him.
In the same year Major Beardsley entered into partnership with his father, following the practice of law under the firm style of Beardsley & Beardsley and has since concentrated his attention upon the duties of a growing practice that is constantly becoming more important as well as more extensive. He belongs to the local bar association of which he is now presi- dent, and be also has membership with the State Bar Association. In his practice he now makes a specialty of probate law.
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Major Beardsley is known in club and social circles, where his popularity is widely acknowledged. He is now president of the University Club of Bridgeport, was former presi- dent of the Brooklawn Country Club and is also an ex-president of the Seaside Outing Club. He belongs to the Comedy Club, of which he served as the first president, and he has member- ship with the Black Rock Yacht Club and the Yale Club and the Army and Navy Club of New York city. He is also identified with several organizations which have to do with historic and patriotic interests. In the Sons of the American Revolution he is a member of the governing board of the state chapter and be belongs to the Society of Colonial Wars and to the Order of Founders and Patriots of America. His religious faith is indicated in his membership in the United Congregational church. In polities he is a republican and he served on the staff of Governor Henry Roberts from 1905 to 1907 with the rank of major. He has traveled extensively, having visited all parts of the United States, while he has gone to Europe on eight different trips and for several years has paid an annual winter visit to New Orleans, where his sister, Mrs. Emile C. Canning, resides. In a word he is a man of broad, liberal culture with whom association means expansion and elevation.
EDWARD WRIGHT HARRAL.
In a history of business enterprises of Bridgeport the name of Edward Wright Harral figures prominently. But more than this his name has become a synonym of philanthropy and public spirit. His interest in the welfare of others and in the progress of the country has been manifest in many tangible ways, and so great is the good that he has accomplished that the most envions cannot grudge him his success.
A native of Bridgeport, Mr. Harral was born December 12, 1845, a son of Henry K. and Sarah Ann (Peet) Harral. The former when but fourteen years of age left the home of his father, Dr. George Harral of Rochester, New York, in order to seek his fortune in New York city, and there became an employe in the saddlery house of William Wright. He evinced deep interest in the business and decided talent in his work and on leaving the metropolis he went to Charlestown, South Carolina, to further acquaint himself with the business in the Wright establishment, and in due course of time was regarded as the most successful of the southern salesmen and collectors. In early manhood he wedded Sarah Ann Peet, the youngest daughter of William Peet, and in 1840 he purchased the home of John Blatchford, D. D., and in 1848 made purchase of the walnut grove adjoining and nine improved lots. Removing the old house upon the place he later erected the mansion after- ward occupied by Hon. Nathaniel Wheeler. During the period of his residence in Bridgeport he became a prominent factor in the financial, social and political interests of the city and of the state. In 1838 he joined the firm of Lyon, Wright & Company, which afterward became the Lyon & Calhoun Company, the other members of the firm being Hanford Lyon, P. C. Calhoun and Willys Lyon. In 1843 he gave up the management of the Charlestown honse and came to Bridgeport to make the city his permanent home. In June of that year he purchased the stock and holdings of Hanford Lyon, who then retired from business, after which Mr. Harral, in connection with his partner, Philo C. Calhoun, devoted his entire time and attention to the improvement and development of the business, which was continued under the firm style of Harral & Calhoun until 1854, when Rowland B. Lacey, who had been connected with the firm for a decade, was admitted to a partnership under the style of Harral, Calhoun & Company. In 1845 a branch was established in New York with Francis Harral, the younger brother of H. K. Harral, and Samuel E. Sproulls in charge. In 1852 the New York business became known as Harral, Sproulls & Company. In 1845 the Bridgeport firm furnished stock for the concern in St. Louis. In 1854 Mr. Harral passed away but the firm name was continued until 1858, when the business was reorganized under the name
6. W. Marral
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of Calhoun, Lacey & Company. From the original house have sprung many branches of note. Mr. Harral was always prominent in public affairs aside from business, and was mayor of this city from 1844 until 1847. again from 1849 until 1851 and for the third time took the office in 1852, serving then for two years.
After mastering the branches of learning taught in the local schools Edward Wright Harral became a student in Marlborough Churchill's military school at Sing Sing, New York, which was then the leading school of the kind in the country. At the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in the Fourteenth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, but was rejected owing to his youth. In early manhood he became associated with Lacey, Meeker & Company, manufacturers of harness and saddlery, with whom he remained for ten years. For a number of years he was general agent for the Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Company at Savannah, Philadelphia and San Francisco. In 1880 he retired from active connection with that business and soon became a factor in the development of the Fairfield Rubber Company, a manufacturing enterprise of Bridgeport which was then in its infancy. He thoroughly studied the business from every standpoint and ultimately became head of the company controlling a trade of mamoth proportions. In fact he developed the rubber works from a small concern to one of great importance, and one of the features of the management which lead to the growth of the undertaking was his fair treatment of employes. He ever mani- fested a fraternal spirit toward those in his service and made their interests his own. At a recent date the business has been sold to the Dupont Fabrikoid Company but Mr. Harral refused to make the sale until he was given a guarantee that the employees would be cared for on the pension system. He divided his profits with those in his employ and he enjoyed the gratitude and utmost loyalty and fidelity of those in his service.
Mr. Harral has been married twice. On the 12th of June, 1867, he wedded Julia, daughter of Hiram and Polly (Pennoyer) Crissey, of New Canaan, Connecticut, who died June 30, 1872, leaving a son, Crissey De Forest. Mr. Harral afterward wedded Ellen B. Wheeler, a daughter of Nathaniel and Huldah R. Wheeler, and to them was born one child, Mary Wheeler Harral.
There are few men who have so fully realized the obligations and responsibilities of wealth as has Edward Wright Harral. Not only has he shown appreciation for the capability and fidelity of his employes but has also manifested a strong eivie spirit and has fought that Bridgeport should not be sacrificed to material interests. He is deeply interested in all those things which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride. Philan- thropy and public spirit are marked traits in his character and democracy, in its broadest sense, dominates his life. In the midst of affluence and wealth he has never lost the common touch but recognizes the brotherhood of mankind.
FRANK T. STAPLES.
Honored and respected by all, there is no man who occupies a more enviable position in the financial and business circles of Bridgeport than Frank T. Staples, not alone by reason of the success he has achieved but also owing to the straightforward and honorable business policy that he has ever followed. It is true that he entered upon a business already estab- lished, but in enlarging and controlling this, many a man of less resolute spirit would have failed. He has advanced the interests of his banking institution in accordance with the progressive methods of the age and, morcover, has made the name of Staples a synonym for the most reliable business methods.
Born in Bridgeport in 1863, Mr. Staples is a son of James and Sarah E. (Trubee) Staples, who are mentioned elsewhere in this work. He acquired a high school education and then entered his father's office in 1881, being admitted to a partnership in 1884. The
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firm of James Staples & Company was organized in the '60s for the conduct of an insurance and real estate business, and the growth of their clientage and the development of their interests led to the establishment of a banking department in 1874. The firm began business under the style of J. and G. A. Staples but the bank was organized under the firm style of Staples & Company, T. R. Cruttenden and Frances H. Crittenden being partners of James Staples, who, following the demise of T. R. Cruttenden, conducted business alone for a time but in 1884 formed the firm of James Staples & Company through the admission of Philip L. Holzer and Frank T. Staples to a partnership. In 1903 James Staples passed away, while the surviving partners have since continued the business. Their business was established on State street, between Main and Water streets, and later they removed to their own building at No. 283 State street. In 1881 they erected a building at 287 State street and in 1892 built the present building, a five-story structure at 189 State street, the upper floors being rented for offices and lodge rooms. A general banking business is conducted together with a real estate and insurance department, and this is regarded as one of the safe and reliable financial institutions of the city.
In 1884 Frank T. Staples was united in marriage to Miss Laura F. Stevens, of Bridge- port, a daughter of William and Mary Stevens, and they no whave one son, Richard T., who is a graduate of Peck's school and is now associated with his father in business.
Mr. Staples is a member of the Brooklawn Country Club and the Algonquin Club and for many years has been president of the Bridgeport Automobile Club. He is also president of the Connecticut Good Roads Association and is greatly interested in the improvement of the highways of the state, recognizing how much it will mean to Connecticut as a factor in the improvement of business conditions and as a factor in the social life. He stands at all times for progress in connection with municipal affairs and strongly endorses and supports those measures which are a matter of civic virtue and of civic pride.
E. W. S. PICKETT.
E. W. S. Pickett, a real estate dealer also conducting a fire insurance agency, has for forty years been a resident of Fairfield. He was born in the town of Ridgefield, Fairfield county, March 9, 1861. His paternal forefather, John Pickett, had located here in 1649 and had served as constable of Stratford, as selectman and as a member of the legislature. In fact he was one of the foremost figures in the early history of Stratford. He was born in England and came to the new world in 1648. settling first at Salem, Massachusetts, whence he removed to this state. Edwin Darling Pickett, father of E. W. S. Pickett. was a member of the Seven- teenth Connecticut Infantry Regiment during the Civil war and was killed in the first day's battle at Gettysburg on the 1st of July, 1863. He was leading a charge when struck down. He had gathered up the colors from the hand of the color sergeant, who had been shot down, and waving the banner rushed on into the fray.
On the 2d of April, 1877, when a youth of sixteen years, E. W. S. Pickett came to Fairfield and secured a clerkship in a general store. He was connected with merchandising for thirty years and engaged in business on his own account in 1891, continuing aetive along that line until 1907. He then turned his attention to the real estate and insurance business, with which he has sinee been prominently identified, having one of the large and thoroughly reliable agencies of the city. Moreover, he has figured in public affairs as postmaster of Fairfield for twelve years, two of his commissions being issued during the Mckinley ad- ministration.
On the 2d of June, 1886, Mr. Pickett was united in marriage to Miss Leonora Kelley, of Hyde Park, New York, by whom he has two daughters, Mabel and Rachel, who are at home.
Mr. Pickett holds membership with the Sons of the American Revolution and his daugh-
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ter Mabel is idenitfied with the Daughters of the American Revolution. Politically Mr. Pickett is a republican and for some years served as town treasurer. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and member of the Mystic Shrine, also a member of the Red Men and the Grange. He became a charter member of the volunteer fire company and he is identified with the Civil Association and the Fairfield Board of Trade. He is also a member of the State Historical Society and he and his family are members of the Congregational church. His interests are broad and have to do with the progress and upbuilding of the community in which he makes his home. His efforts have in many respects been directly beneficial and Fairfield counts him not only one of its old-time, but also one of its most valued citizens.
FRANK L. CURTIS.
Frank L. Curtis, who is engaged in the undertaking business in Stratford, was born in Dalton, Pennsylvania, August 3, 1866, a son of William H. Curtis and a grandson of Leamond Curtis, who were early residents of Fairfield, Connecticut. The former wedded Helen A. Bertine, a daughter of Mrs. Caroline Bertine, who belonged to one of the old families of this section.
It was in 1871 that William H. Curtis removed with his family to West Stratford and there resided for a few years, taking up his abode in Stratford in 1875. Frank L. Curtis was accordingly educated in the public schools of Stratford, pursuing his studies to the age of sixteen years, when he secured employment in the cartridge works in Bridgeport, now the Union Metallic Cartridge Company. He spent two years in that connection and at the age of eighteen years began learning the marble cutter's trade with the firm of Curtis & Hughes of Bridgeport. In 1887 he entered the employ of the undertaking firm of Hubel & Curtis of Bridgeport, and with them learned the business. In 1894 he opened undertaking parlors in Stratford, where he has since remained, and in the intervening period of twenty-three years he has built up a good business and has won substantial success in its conduct.
On the 28th of May, 1889, Mr. Curtis was married to Miss Emma Arline Atwood, whose parents became residents of Stratford many years ago. The children of this marriage are: Arline, Myra and Helen E., all yet under the parental roof.
Mrs. Curtis is a member of the Congregational church and Mr. Curtis holds membership with the Masons, the Odd Fellows and the Junior Order of Red Men. He likewise belongs to the Weatogne Country Club and to the Cupheag Club. His residence in Stratford now covers forty years and with the history of the city along the lines of its material and moral progress he has been long associated.
GEORGE O. LINES.
George O. Lines, prominent among the young business men of Bridgeport, is the vice president of the Peck & Lines Company, conducting a garage and automobile agency. He is a native son of Bridgeport, born in 1886, his parents being George O. and Eleanor M. (Mosher) Lines. The father, also a native of Bridgeport, was a son of Andrew E. Lines, of Rockford, Illinois, who in early life removed to Bridgeport. George O. Lines was for some time repre- sentative of the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Company and afterward established a livery stable on Noble avenue. Later he purchased an interest in the George H. Peck livery business, buying out the interest of the father of George H. Peck, who is now his son's partner. In 1893 they purchased the building now occupied by the Peck & Lines Company and there conducted a livery barn. Ultimately, however, this was converted into
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a garage. Mr. Lines departed this life in 1909, his widow surviving until 1913, when she, too, passed away.
George O. Lines was reared and educated in Bridgeport and in his boyhood days became his father's assistant in business and upon the father's death succeeded to his interest in the company. The business was incorporated in 1906, with George H. Peck as president and treasurer, G. O. Lines, vice president, and W. E. Peck, secretary. Not only do they conduct a well equipped garage for the repair and storage of automobiles but also handle all lines of automobile supplies and accessories and act as agents for the Haynes and Chevrolet cars. Fraternally Mr. Lines is connected with the Elks but his attention is chiefly devoted to bis business affairs, and close application, sound judgment and the spirit of modern enterprise are the qualities that are bringing to him deserved success.
THE LEWIS FAMILY.
The Lewis family, of whom Mrs. James H. Moore and her sister, Miss Margaret Isham Lewis, are descendants, is one of the oldest and best known families of Bridgeport and vicinity. Benjamin Lewis, the founder of the family in Fairfield county, Connecticut, was born in 1648, in Lynn, Massachusetts, and was a son of Edmund and Mary Lewis, of that place. Benjamin Lewis came from Massachusetts to Connecticut, settling first in Wallingford, New Haven county, and afterward removing to Stratford, Fairfield county, about 1677. He was a carpenter by occupation and assisted in building the Congregational church of Stratford, which was completed in 1681. He made his home in Stratford and was living in 1718. He married Hannah Curtis, a daughter of Sergeant John Curtis, and they became the parents of eight children. It was from Benjamin Lewis that the Lewis family of Fairfield and other sections of Connecticut is descended.
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