USA > Connecticut > History of Connecticut, Volume IV > Part 17
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Born in Cork City on May 31, 1875, he was a son of Michael and Bridget (Minturn) Murphy. In 1891 he came to the United States to work for two uncles in their firm, the Billposting and Distribu- ting Company of Brooklyn, New York. This company later became Murphy and Kenny for a short period, and subsequently became a part of the Fulton Group of about twenty independent billposting com- panies which merged with the Thomas Cusack Company in 1925 to form the General Outdoor Advertising Company, with K. H. Ful- ton as president.
For a number of years, Mr. Murphy was billposting supervisor with the advance advertising cars for Barnum and Bailey, Buffalo Bill Shows, and Sells-Floto Circuses. For a year or so, he was manager of the Star Theater in Brooklyn.
In 1906 he went to Bridgeport and joined in partnership with one of his uncles in the Bridgeport Billposting Company, operating through- out Fairfield County and part of Westchester County, New York. In 1908, he founded the outdoor advertising firm of Murphy, Incor- porated at Bridgeport, of which he was president until his death. He was also president of the Mount Vernon Advertising Service of Mount Vernon, New York, and treasurer of the Murphy Advertising Company of Waterbury. In 1936 he purchased the outdoor advertis- ing facilities of the Waterbury Poster Advertising Company of Waterbury and Meriden from T. Frank Hayes. He also acquired the New Britain Poster Advertising Company of New Britain and Bristol in 1945 from Arthur Parker of New Britain. The Mount Vernon Advertising Service was purchased from Truman C. Whiteman in 1951.
For many years, Mr. Murphy was president of the Outdoor Ad- vertising Association of Connecticut, and he had served as a director of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America.
Interested in civic life and public affairs, he served on many boards and committees throughout the years. He was a charter mem- ber of the Kiwanis Club, a life member of the lodge of Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Algonquin Club, all of Bridgeport. He spent most of his life in that city, only the last three years being spent at Waterbury, where he made his home with his son Richard.
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In 1909, John F. Murphy, Sr., married Catherine A. Fitzpatrick of New York City, daughter of Richard and Hannah (Wolfe) Fitz- patrick. She died in 1940. The couple became the parents of five sons: I. John F., Jr., who was born in Bridgeport on January 31, 1910. 2. Richard B., born on March 4, 1911. 3. Philip M., born on Septem- ber 22, 1913. 4. Robert T., born on March 14, 1915. 5. William M., born December II, 1916, killed on November 3, 1925. The surviving sons are carrying on the business interests which engaged their father's attention. John F., Jr., and Philip manage the offices of Murphy, In- corporated, at Bridgeport, Waterbury, and Mount Vernon, New York, while Richard and Robert are identified with the Waterbury office.
Mr. Murphy's death occurred suddenly in Waterbury on July 2, 1959.
HARLAN H. GRISWOLD
Harlan H. Griswold has been in the banking profession since he joined the staff of a bank in Toronto, Canada, after completing his education. He is now president of the Waterbury National Bank, serves on the boards of several corporations, and has rendered valu- able service to his region in a number of quasi-public posts.
He is a native of Westfield, New Jersey, and was born on De- cember 2, 1910. When he was very young, the family moved to Elmira, New York, where his father, Herman H. Griswold, was president of the Elmira Bank and Trust Company. For many years he was also chairman of the Bank Management Commission of the American Bankers Association. Herman Griswold is now deceased, but his wife, the former Mary Blakesley, survives him.
Harlan H. Griswold attended the public schools of Elmira and graduated from Elmira High School. He also attended Mercersburg Academy before entering Wesleyan University at Middletown, Con- necticut. There he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1932. He took postgraduate work at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is also a graduate of the New York Chapter, American Institute of Banking, and the Graduate School of Banking, Rutgers University.
He remained in the Dominion of Canada following the completion of his courses there to take his first bank position, that of messenger at The Bank of Nova Scotia, in Toronto. He advanced to the position of bookkeeper on checking and savings accounts, which he had to post by hand. Coming to this country in 1935, Mr. Griswold took his
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first position here as teller with the National City Bank of New York. In 1942, he became assistant vice president of the Central National Bank of Yonkers, New York. By the time he had left there in 1953, he heid the position of vice president and member of the board of directors. Coming to Waterbury, he took over duties as vice president of the Waterbury National Bank. He was elected its president in 1954.
Mr. Griswold was formerly active in the New York State Bankers Association, and is currently serving on the executive committee of the Connecticut Bankers Association. He is a director of the Con- necticut Development Credit Corporation; chairman of the Central Naugatuck Valley Regional Planning Association; and commissioner of the State of Connecticut Development Commission and of the State of Connecticut Historical Commission. He is a director of the Water- bury Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the boards of several of the city's important industries : the Hubbard Hall Chemical Company, Mattatuck Manufacturing Company, and Platt Brothers Company.
Mr. Griswold's fraternity is Delta Kappa Epsilon. A communi- cant of the First Congregational Church, he serves at the present time as deacon. He has taken a vital interest in the cause of education, and was chairman of the school board of Woodbury during the 1958 1959 term.
At Elmira, New York, on October 12, 1935, Harlan H. Griswold married Dorothy Kilbourne Rose of that city, daughter of S. Edward and Harriet (Bishop) Rose. They are the parents of three children : I. Harlan Clark, who was born on July 15, 1940. 2. Marion Bishop, born May I, 1943. 3. Sarah Kilbourne, born April 30, 1951.
HADLEIGH H. HOWD
Hadleigh H. Howd has been practicing law in Winsted since his graduation from the Yale Law School in 1920 and for some time has been a partner in the firm of Howd and Lavieri. He was judge of the Winchester Municipal Court from 1924 to 1949, and he has served on the Judges of Minor Connecticut Courts' committee on probation and juvenile delinquency and as chairman of the executive coinmittee of the Assembly of Municipal Judges. Hadleigh H. Howd is a member of the Rotary Club, and the Second Congregational Church, and is on the finance committee of the Winsted Y.M.C.A. He is president and treasurer of the Superior Manufacturing Com- pany.
Born on December 31, 1896, he is a son of Salmon G. Howd,
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M.D., a native of Barkhamsted, Connecticut, and Mabel Bingham. He attended the public schools of Winsted, and completed his second- ary studies at the Gilbert School. He then entered Yale where he re- ceived the Bachlor of Arts degree in 1918, and two years later, having received his Bachelor of Laws from Yale Law School, he was admitted to the bar.
On June 14, 1940, he was married in Hinsdale, Massachusetts, to Helen Keith Griffin Hargrett of Winsted. She is the daughter of Arthur and Merlyn Keith Griffin and she received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Coker College in 1926. They have a son, Hadleigh Hueston, Jr., who was born on February 19, 1942, in Hartford. He is now a senior at the Gilbert School.
STANLEY J. SUMNER
Associated with the general insurance agency of Sumner and Sumner at Willimantic, Stanley J. Sumner is a partner in the firm which has been in continuous existence, under various names, for over a century. He has taken an interest in public affairs and welfare causes in his home area.
Born March 6, 1902, at Eastford, he is a son of Edwin O. and Eva (Jackson) Sumner. He attended the public schools of Willi- mantic, graduating from Windham High School there, and entered Yale University, where he took his degree of Bachelor of Philosophy with the Class of 1924.
His first position in the business world was with an automobile agency in Willimantic, and he remained with that organization through 1926. In 1927 he became associated with George S. Elliott as a partner in a general insurance agency at Willimantic. The two continued their operations on a partnership basis for thirteen years, and in 1940, his brother, Homer H. Sumner, purchased Mr. Elliott's interests. The two brothers then became partners, and the long-established organiza- tion was given a new name, Sumner and Sumner. Its offices are at 670 Main Street.
Mr. Sumner is a former member of the board of education of the Town of Windham, serving on that body for a period of twenty- five years, and as its chairman for six years. He is president of the Windham Community Memorial Hospital at Willimantic.
He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and he attends the Congregational Church. Sailing is his favorite outdoor pastime.
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At Norwich, on July 25, 1925, Stanley J. Sumner married Helen Wyman Peale, daughter of Arthur L. and Mary (Plummer) Peale. Mrs. Summer is a graduate of Norwich Free Academy and of Con- necticut College for Women at New London. The couple are the parents of one son: Jackson Peale Sumner, who was born at Willi- mantic on July 29, 1933. He graduated from Tabor Academy, Marion, Massachusetts, and in 1956 took his degree of Bachelor of Arts at Tufts College, Medford, Massachusetts. In July, 1956, Jackson P. Sumner entered the United States Navy, and he recently completed his tour of duty with a commission as lieutenant junior grade. He is now employed by Sumner and Sumner. On November 9, 1957, he married Sally Tiebout of Scarsdale, New York, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Todd Tiebout. Mrs. Jackson Sumner graduated from Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1956.
WILLIAM EDMUND BUDDS
When the Charter Oak Company, Hartford's newest commercial bank, was organized, William E. Budds was chosen as its president. He brings with him experience as senior bank examiner with the state's banking department.
A native of Hartford, Mr. Budds was born on November 16, 1919, and is a son of Michael J. and Katherine E. (Burns) Budds. Both of his parents are living and reside in Hartford. His father, who is eighty-eight years of age at the time of writing, is retired after forty-five years with the Internal Revenue Department of the United States Treasury. The Hartford banker received his early education in the public schools of his city, and graduated from Hart- ford Public High School in 1939. He then entered Fordham Univer- sity in New York City, and took his degree there in 1943. He then began his career in banking, but has since returned to the classroom for graduate courses in his profession, offered by the Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University. There he completed studies in 1957.
From 1943 to 1958-with the exception of his period of service in World War II-Mr. Budds was with the Connecticut State Bank- ing Department. He began his connection as an examiner, and headed the examining staff during the last eight years of his tenure, with the title of senior examiner. He resigned September 1, 1958, to devote his attention to organizing the Charter Oak Company Bank in Hart- ford, and it began its existence with Mr. Budds in the offices of presi- dent and director. Offices are at 650 Main Street, where the renovated headquarters were opened to the public on January 5, 1959.
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Mr. Budds' World War II experience was as a special agent in the Counterintelligence Corps. He was stationed in Tokyo in 1945- 1946. He is a member of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce, the Young Men's Christian Association, and the Hartford Kiwanis Club. He and his family attend St. Thomas' Roman Catholic Church.
In Hartford, on October 14, 1950, William Edmund Budds mar- ried Sarah Gidley of New Bedford, Massachusetts, daughter of Charles and Susan T. (Delano) Gidley. Her public school education was com- pleted at New Bedford High School, after which she attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she graduated. The couple have two daughters: I. Nancy Jane, born on March 28, 1956. 2. Katherine Ann, born May 5, 1958. Both daughters were born in Hartford.
EDWIN WINTER MEAD
The law practice of Edwin Winter Mead has been centered in the city of Winsted since he was admitted to the bar. A member of the firm of Ells, Quinlan, and Mead, he serves on several boards of directors, and has acquitted himself well in public office in his township.
Born December 23, 1923, at Madison, New Jersey, he is a son of Winter and Grace Hartley (Jenkins) Mead. His father, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, was engaged in the real estate business in New York City, and is now deceased. Mrs. Mead survives liim. She is a native of Morristown, New Jersey. The lawyer completed his preparatory studies at Westminster School in Simsbury, then entered Yale College, where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1945. He took his professional training at Columbia University School of Law, and after receiving his degree of Bachelor of Laws there in 1947, was admitted to the Connecticut bar.
Mr. Mead has practiced in Winsted since that time, and in 1949 he became a member of the firm of Ells, Quinlan and Mead. He is a member of the Litchfield County Bar Association, the State Bar Association of Connecticut, and the American Bar Association.
He is a member of the boards of directors of the Hartley Cor- poration of Norfolk, and of the Hartley Settlement House in New York City, and is a past president of Litchfield County Hospital. A Republican in politics, he serves on the board of finance of the Town of Colebrook, and as alternate trial justice of the township. Mr. Mead also runs The Norchester Travel Agency in Winsted.
Mr. Mead joined the Fence Club at Yale, and the St. Anthony
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Club at Columbia. He is also a Rotarian. He is fond of yachting and travel.
In New York City, on December 23, 1944, Edwin Winter Mead married Louise Hurd of that city, daughter of Ralph A. Hurd, M. D., and his wife, the former Josephine Weaver. Both parents are still living. Mr. and Mrs. Mead have two children: I. Winter, 2nd, who was born on December 29, 1952. 2. Hartley, born November 21, 1957.
H. FREMONT ALDERSON
For the past two decades, H. Fremont Alderson's career in the profession of funeral directing has been centered at New London, where he is head of the firm of Alderson-Prentis. He has served as president of both the National Funeral Directors Association and the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association. He also has a credit- able record of service in public office, having been a member and chairman of the Ocean Beach Park board.
Born at Seymour, on September 20, 1911, he is a son of Idris and Laura A. (Westerman) Alderson. His paternal grandparents, and his father, were born in Wales, and came to this country about 1887, settling in Seymour. Laura (Westerman) Alderson was a de- scendant of the Andrus family, early settlers in Litchfield County.
In 1912 Mr. Alderson's parents brought him to Waterbury, and he attended public schools there, graduating from Crosby High School. Planning on a career as a mortician, he entered Cincinnati College of Embalming at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1931, and graduated there in 1932. He began his professional career with Alderson Funeral Home at Waterbury, and came to New London on January 1, 1939. There he purchased the funeral home which had been established and suc- cessfully operated by Samuel M. Prentis. Mr. Prentis retired at that time, but Mr. Alderson has preserved his name in the present des- ignation of the funeral home. Mr. Alderson served as president of the National Funeral Directors Association from 1951 to 1952, and as president of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association from 1945 to 1946.
He began his record of service in public office with his election to the New London city council in 1943, and served until 1945. In 1947 he took his seat on the Ocean Beach Park board, and served until 1957. From 1949 until the end of his tenure, he was its chairman. Active in the New London Chamber of Commerce, he has served as its president. He is also a member and past president of the New London Rotary Club.
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Affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, he is a member of Euclid Lodge in Waterbury, and also of Brainard Lodge in New London. A member of the higher bodies of the York Rite including the Knights Templar, he is a former commander of his commandery ; and he holds the Thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite. He be- longs to Sphinx Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Hartford, and is Potentate for the year 1960. A founder of the Eastern Connecticut Council of the Navy League of the United States, Mr. Alderson served as its first president. His other memberships include the Thames Club of New London, the New London Country Club, the Shaennecossett Country Club of Groton, and the Skytop Club at Skytop, Pennsylvania. His favorite sports are golf and bowling, and he considers civic affairs to be his hobby. Mr. and Mrs. Alderson attend the Second Congregational Church of New London.
On September 24, 1934, at Ansonia, H. Fremont Alderson mar- ried Althea P. Robertson, daughter of Alton and Pearl (Mueller) Robertson. Mrs. Alderson is a graduate of the Ansonia High School. The couple are the parents of two children: I. William F., who was born on July 23. 1935. He graduated from New London High School and from Cincinnati College of Embalming, and is now associated with his father in the Alderson-Prentis Funeral Home. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1953 to 1956, held the rank of private first class, and was in Korea. William Alderson married Gale P. Ellis of New London and they are the parents of one son, William A., and a daughter, Jill Carol, born on November 28, 1958 at New London. 2. Laura Gay, born July 9, 1938. A graduate of Williams Memorial Institute of New London, she is now a student at Lake Erie College at Painesville, Ohio.
WALDO GERALD BRYANT
President and general manager of the Bead Chain Manufactur- ing Company of Bridgeport, since 1942, and president since 1914, Mr. Bryant is also vice president and a member of the executive committee and trustee of the Peoples Savings Bank and of the Connec- ticut National Bank, and he is also a director of the United Illumina- ting Company and of the Mountain Grove Cemetery Association.
He was born on July 30, 1891, the son of Waldo Bryant and of Ida (Gerald) Bryant. His father was born in Winchendon, Massa- chusetts, in 1864 and died in 1930. His mother, born in New London,
W. S. Bry and
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Connecticut in 1867, died in 1959. Mr. Bryant attended Worcester Academy from 1905 to 1908 and graduated from Hotchkiss School in 1911. He then obtained the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy from Yale University Sheffield Scientific School in 1914. During World War I, he served in the United States Navy from 1917 to 1921 and was commissioned an Ensign.
He became associated with the Bead Chain Manufacturing Com- pany on completing college and he has been president and general manager since 1942. He is active in the community and is a director of the Boy Scout Council of Bridgeport. He also holds directorships in the Public Library and the Bridgeport Hospital. A member of Chi Phi fraternity of Yale, he is active in Masonry and is a Knight Templar and a Shriner. His social connections include membership in the Yale Club of New York, the University Club and the Algon- quin Club of Bridgeport, the Fairfield Country Club, and the Pequot Yacht Club of Southport.
By his first marriage to Ruth McCaskey, who died in 1940, he had three children: I. Ruth Ann, now Mrs. E. W. Morse of Aspen, Colorado; she is the mother of six children. 2. Gerald, who served in the United States Navy during World War II, and now resides in Bridge- port. He has two children. 3. Dexter, who served in the Navy during World War II, and now resides in Fairfield. He is married and has four children. Mr. Bryan was married in 1944 to Sylvia Prosser.
WILLIAM JOHN LARKIN, 2nd
For many years the name of Larkin has been identified promi- nently with Waterbury's professional, industrial, and public life. Wil- liam John Larkin, 2nd, follows the profession of the law, has several corporate connections, and is serving most capably as prosecuting attorney. He is thus measuring up fully to the standards of achieve- ment set by his forebears.
His grandfather, the first William John Larkin, was vice presi- dent of the Waterbury Clock Company, and died in 1929. He mar- ried Mary Dennison, and their son, William James, was born in Waterbury on June 20, 1885. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1909, and practiced at Waterbury, where he was a member of the firm of Carmody, Monagan and Larkin. From 1914 to 1923 he was judge of the City Court of Waterbury, after which he served as pros- ecuting attorney of the Common Pleas Court, Judicial District of Waterbury. He was a director of the American Tube Bending Com-
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pany of New Haven, and was active in his city's civic and organiza- tional life. On June 1, 1910, in New Haven, William James Larkin married Florence B. Treat, daughter of Arthur Barnes and Leona (Weeks) Treat. They became the parents of two sons, William John, 2nd, of whom further, and Robert Treat, who was born on November I, 1918. William James Larkin died on May 17, 1954.
Born in Waterbury on June 29, 1913, William John Larkin, 2nd, began his education in local schools and attended Hotchkiss School, where he graduated in 1931. He then entered Yale College, and there, in 1935, received his degree of Bachelor of Arts. On receiving his Bachelor of Laws degree from Yale Law School in 1938, he was admitted to the bar of his state.
Since that time, Mr. Larkin has practiced at Waterbury. He was first associated with Carmody and Thoms, which later became Car- mody, Larkin and Torrance. In 1954, the firm of Larkin and Pickett was formed, and he has been a partner in this organization since. Conducting a general practice of law, at its offices at III West Main Street, the firm has a heavy schedule of trial work and labor relations practice. Mr. Larkin is a member of the Waterbury Bar Association, the New Haven County Bar Association, the State Bar Association of Connecticut, and the American Bar Association.
On July 1, 1953, he assumed his duties as prosecuting attorney of the court of common pleas in his city. His business connections include membership on the boards of directors of Alcort, Inc., Du- mouchel Paper Company, Waterbury Buckle Company, Highfield, Inc., and Valley Mill Supply Company, Inc.
At the time of World War II, Mr. Larkin was absent, serving in the United States Navy with a commission as ensign. He advanced to the rank of lieutenant commander in the course of his forty-four months in service. Much of that time, he was in the Pacific.
A member of Liberty Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, he also belongs to the higher bodies of the Masonic order, including the Royal Arch Chapter, of which he is past high priest, and Lafayette Consistory of the Scottish Rite. He is likewise a member of Clark Commandery No. 7, Knights Templar, and of Sphinx Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. His other membership. include the Waterbury Club, Highfield Club, Inc., and the First Church in Waterbury, Congregational. He is a Republican in politics. His favorite outdoor sport is fishing.
In his native city of Waterbury on February 13, 1943, William John Larkin, 2nd, married Emily Willetts Wayne of that city, daugh-
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ter of Glenn H. and Edith (Willetts) Wayne. The couple are the parents of one son, William John, 3rd, who was born on July 16, 1954.
WILLIAM G. BOIES
After advancing to the presidency of the Naugatuck National Bank, William G. Boies came to Waterbury a few years ago to assume duties as president of Colonial Trust Company. He also serves on the boards of several local industries, and has taken a constructive interest in organizational and civic life.
Born at Seymour, Connecticut, on August 21, 1902, he is a son of Clayton S. and Louise (Goodspeed) Boies. His father, a native of East Haddam, was also a banker and is now deceased. Mrs. Boies too was born there, and she also is deceased. William G. Boics attended the public schools of Seymour, took one year at Phillips Exeter Acad- emy, and then went to Dartmouth College, where he received his degree of Bachelor of Science in 1925.
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