USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > History of Fairfield County, Connecticut, 1639-1928 > Part 22
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Soon afterward the Doctor received appointment to the posi- tion of interne at Wards island, where he served until 1895, when he became a ship surgeon, filling that office on several vessels be- longing to the Panama Railroad Company and making trips to various tropical countries. This awakened his keen interest in tropical diseases and accordingly he accepted the position of res- ident physician with the South American Development Company in Ecuador, there continuing for eight years. He next went to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, where he passed the national medical board examination and practiced for twelve years. He
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was also acting secretary of the American Legation for two years. In 1916, however, he returned to North America, settling first in New York city, where he continued until 1918, when he came to Newtown, where he has since followed his profession for more than a decade. He early gave demonstration of his skill and ability in combatting diseases and his practice has steadily grown in volume and importance as the years have gone by.
Dr. Kingman was married in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1894, to Miss Emma Coburn. He is a Mason, having member- ship in Hiram Lodge, No. 1, F. & A. M., of New Haven, and in Hiram Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M., of Newtown. His activity and his interest, however, centers upon his professional duties, which he discharges with a sense of conscientious obligation, and his record is one which reflects credit upon the medical fraternity of Fairfield county.
3/16/19 HARRY MCLACHLAN
Diligence and determination have shaped the career of Harry McLachlan, who owes his prosperity to his own unaided exertions and is a conspicuous member of that select company of enterpris- ing business men who have made Danbury known throughout the world as a center of the hat manufacturing industry. He was born in Wishaw, Scotland, in 1868, a son of John and Annie (McDonell) McLachlan, and attended the public schools of Edin- burgh. When he was thirteen years of age the family left Scot- land and settled in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, where the grandfather became well known as a physician.
Harry Mclachlan completed his education in the public schools of that city and remained at home until 1883, when he came to Danbury, obtaining a position with the old McLean Dry Goods Company, whose store was located on Main street. A year later he severed his connection with the company and in 1884 be- came an apprentice in the hat factory of Nichols & Hine. Mr. McLachlan worked his way steadily upward and in 1890 entered the Byron Dexter hat factory, of which he was foreman for two years. In January, 1892, he ventured in business for himself, becoming the first manufacturer of fine and medium fur hats in the rough in Danbury, and for thirty-six years has specialized in
HARRY MCLACHLAN
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this line. The business is conducted under the style of H. Mc- Lachlan & Company, of which he is president, and the steady growth of the industry is proof of his administrative power and high standards of production. In the field which he covers Mr. McLachlan is an acknowledged leader and the output of his enor- mous factory is shipped to all parts of the country. He is also president of the Danbury Electric Company and the Danbury Building & Loan Association as well as a direteor of the Danbury National Bank, all of which have profited by his keen powers of discernment and rare judgment.
In 1893 Mr. Mclachlan was married in Danbury to Miss Margaret Byron, by whom he has seven children: Lorena, now Mrs. Harry Scanlan, of New York city; Harry, Jr., who is gen- eral superintendent of his father's factory; Mrs. George Sullivan, of Salem, Massachusetts; Jack McLachlan, who is assistant sup- erintendent of his father's factory; Arnold, assistant to the presi- dent; George, who is a student in Dartmouth College at Hanover, New Hampshire; and Donald, who is attending Georgetown Uni- versity in Washington, D. C.
Mr. McLachlan adheres to the Catholic faith and belongs to the local council of the Knights of Columbus. In politics he is a republican. His name appears on the directorates of the Dan- bury Industrial Association, the National Association of Hat Manufacturers and the Ridgewood Country Club. He is also affiliated with the Danbury Club and the Shorehaven Country Club and enjoys the social side of life. Endowed with courage, initiative and business ability of a high order, Mr. McLachlan has left the deep impress of his individuality upon his work, achiev- ing the full measure of success, and at the same time he has won the respect, confidence and good will of his fellowmen, for his integrity has never been open to question.
GERALD BECKWITH CURTIS
Gerald Beckwith Curtis is well known in educational circles in Fairfield county through his active connection with the Curtis School for Boys at Brookfield, a school that has contributed in substantial measure to the development and maintenance of edu-
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cational standards in this part of the state. Mr. Curtis was born in Bethlehem, Connecticut, February 22, 1882, and is a son of Frederick Smillie Curtis, who was born in Stratford, Connecticut, February 8, 1850, a son of Calvin and Elizabeth Augusta (Wicks) Curtis. Liberal educational opportunities were accorded him. The Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University conferred upon him the Ph. B. degree in 1869 and he devoted the year 1870 to postgraduate work. He served as professor of mathematics and natural science in the State Normal School at West Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1871-72 and was assistant professor of chem- istry in Swarthmore College from 1872 until 1875. He was the founder of the Curtis School for Boys, established in 1875. He is still in cooperation with his son as active head of the school, which was first opened in Bethlehem but was removed to Brook- field in 1883 and occupies the old Goodsell property. It is a home school, with an attendance of thirty-one boys. Frederick S. Curtis was a member of the board of education of Brookfield from 1894 until 1915 and he served as moderator of the State Conference of Congregational Churches in 1902. He was a dele- gate to the Third International Congregational Council at Edin- burgh, Scotland, in 1908. He is a member of the alumni advisory board of Yale University, a member of the National Institute of Social Sciences and the Yale Engineering Association. He was married October 29, 1873, to Ida Jewell Whiting, of Stratford, Connecticut, and their children are: Mrs. Chloe Baker, Gerald Beckwith and Lawrence.
In the pursuit of his education Gerald B. Curtis attended the schools of Brookfield until he had completed the high school course. He next entered the Horace Mann school of Columbia University and matriculated in that university, winning his Civil Engineer degree at his graduation with the class of 1906. Until the fall of 1907 he was connected with the De La Vergne Machine Company of New York city and with the Worthington Pump & Machinery Corporation of Harrison, New Jersey. In the fall of 1907 he returned to Brookfield, where he has since remained, entering into partnership with his father in the conduct of the Curtis School for Boys.
On the 23d of June, 1909, at Derby, Connecticut, Mr. Curtis was united in marriage to Miss Martha C. A. Lewis, daughter of Edward and Sarah D. Lewis. They are the parents of four
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children, as follows: Sarah L., born February 25, 1911; Freder- ick Whiting, born August 4, 1912; Florence Elizabeth, who was born October 14, 1915, and died in 1916; and Deborah Atwater, born August 17, 1919.
In his political views Mr. Curtis has always been an earnest republican and has served as chairman of the town central com- mittee of the party. He is president of the Village Improvement Society and in his life he has accomplished the thought of Ben- jamin Franklin, who said that "leisure is the time saved for doing something useful." He has wisely utilized his leisure hours in public service, which has included military activity, and he is now commanding officer of the State Guard unit, with the rank of first lieutenant, having been commissioned with that rank at Plattsburg.
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JUDGE THOMAS G. WARD
Thomas G. Ward, numbered among the public officials of Shel- ton, where he is filling the office of probate judge, is also active in the business life of the community through his conduct of a real estate and insurance business. Born at Shelton on the 7th of January, 1882, he is a son of John F. and Elizabeth E. (Gallo- way) Ward, the former now deceased. He pursued his education in the local schools and when his course was completed began clerking in a grocery store in Shelton. He was afterward associated with the Derby Gas & Electric Company at Shelton Gorge from 1899 until 1918, filling the responsible position of foreman. In 1921 he established the firm of Thomas G. Ward & Son for the conduct of a real estate and insurance business and has since been active in this field. He does with thoroughness everything that he undertakes and he knows the real estate mar- ket, so that he is able to wisely direct the investments of his clients.
Judge Ward has also given much time to public service. He was for four years a member of the board of burgesses, and in 1914 was elected warden of the borough, thus serving until the establishment of city government in 1916. He has been chief of the fire department since 1909 and filled the office of deputy judge of the city court in 1921 and 1922. For four years he has served
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on the board of education and the public school system finds in him a stalwart champion. He has acted as chairman of the republican borough committee and has done everything in his power to further the interests and success of his party. In 1926 he was elected judge of the probate court, to which office he was reelected in 1928, making an excellent official, fair and impartial in his rulings.
On the 19th of February, 1903, at Shelton, Connecticut, Judge Ward was united in marriage to Edna Baum. They are the par- ents of a son, George T., who is associated with his father in the real estate and insurance business.
Judge Ward has membership in the Kiwanis Club, which he joined on its organization and of which he has served as vice president. He belongs to the Derby lodge of Elks, of which he was chaplain in 1918, and his name is on the membership rolls of Ousatonic Lodge, No. 6, I. O. O. F., at Derby and King Hiram Lodge, No. 12, F. & A. M. He belongs to the New England Associ- ation of Fire Engineers and the International Association of Fire Engineers, and his religious faith is manifest in his connection with St. James parish of the Episcopal church at Derby, of which he is clerk. During the World war he acted as chairman of the committee formed to furnish funds for dependents of soldiers. At all times he has been prompt to respond to the call of duty. Wherever there has been an opportunity for public service he has met the opportunity and his work has been faithfully and efficiently performed. He has therefore contributed in substan- tial measure to the public welfare and is widely known as a representative and valued citizen.
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JUDGE GEORGE GORHAM SCOTT
During the years of his activity in business affairs Judge George Gorham Scott demonstrated his capacity to successfully conduct varied and important interests and furthered Ridge- field's development along many lines. As a public servant he has proven equally efficient, establishing an enviable reputation as probate judge, and he has also filled other offices of trust and responsibility in a most acceptable manner.
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A native of Ridgefield, the Judge was born November 5, 1871, son of Hiram Keeler and Lizzie M. (Gorham) Scott, and is a scion of one of the oldest families of this part of the state. In a direct line he is descended from David Scott, his great-great- great-great-grandfather, who was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1679 and settled in Ridgefield in April, 1712. At that time he purchased a twenty-eighth part of the township, and this tract is now known as Scotland district. All of his direct descendants have remained here and including Judge Scott's two grandchil- dren, the sons of Edward P. Scott, the family has lived continu- ously in the same town for a period of two hundred and sixteen years-a most unusual record.
George G. Scott was educated in the public schools of Ridge- field. In 1888 he responded to the call of the west, going to North Dakota, and in the fall of that year he journeyed to California, locating in San Francisco, where he engaged in the decorating business for five years. His adventurous spirit took him to Den- ver, Colorado, in 1893 and to Cripple Creek, in the Rocky moun- tains, during the gold rush of that year.
In the summer of 1893 Judge Scott returned to Ridgefield and entered the drug business in association with his father, Hiram Keeler Scott. He was married two years later and in 1895 resumed his activities as an interior decorator. He con- tinued in that field for about thirty years, and his enterprising spirit and artistic work enabled him to win and retain a position of leadership. From 1895 until 1897 he maintained an insurance office and built up the largest business of the kind in Ridgefield. Energetic, resourceful and systematic, he was able to scatter his energies without lessening their force and manifested keen powers of discernment in the management of his affairs. As senior member of the firm of Scott & Lewis he was a dealer in automobiles at Ridgefield for many years, and his partner, George A. Lewis, is now engaged in the same line of business at Danbury, Connecticut, serving as president of the George A. Lewis Company, of which George G. Scott, Jr., is vice president. From time to time Judge Scott has invested in local real estate and is the owner of three valuable business blocks on Main street.
In the summer of 1893 Mr. Scott married Miss Faustina Jennings and they became the parents of five children: Edward P., George G. Jr., David F., Faustina and Hiram Keeler (II).
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Mr. Scott has been active in local politics for three decades and served on the board of education for eleven years, while for seven years he was registrar and assessor. During 1908-9 he was probate judge for the district of Ridgefield and in 1924 was again elected to that office. At the same time he became town clerk and has served in these capacities for a period of six years in all. He has applied efficient business methods to the dispatch of the court's work, disposing of it expeditiously and yet with just and fair consideration of the cases which have come before him and in accordance with the splendid traditions of the court. His worth is thoroughly appreciated, for judges of this character are not easily found. He is a Mason in high standing and from 1925 to 1927 was district deputy of the first Masonic district of Connecticut. Judge Scott is a life member of Jerusalem Lodge, No. 49, F. & A. M., of Ridgefield; of Crusader Commander, No. 10, K. T .; Eureka Chapter, No. 23, R. A. M., of Danbury; Lafay- ette Consistory, A. A. S. R., in which he holds the thirty-second degree and Pyramid Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Bridgeport. He is treasurer of his local lodge and grand representative of the Grand Lodge of the state of Maine to the Grand Lodge of the state of Connecticut. He is also a member of Pilgrim Lodge, No. 46, I. O. O. F., of Ridgefield, having joined the organization in 1895; and is a member of Lodge No. 20, B. P. O. E., of Danbury, Connecticut. In all of his activities Judge Scott has been impelled by worthy motives and a keen sense of duty and honor, and his life in its various phases will bear the test of intimate knowledge and close association.
RALPH WILLIAM CRANE, M. D.
The medical profession in Stamford has been honored by the earnest life and able services of Dr. Ralph William Crane, who has been actively and successfully engaged in the practice of medicine here for twenty-two years. He was born in Groton, New London county, Connecticut, on the 28th of June, 1881, and is a son of Everett L. and Bertha M. (Chapman) Crane. The family is of Scottish origin, the Doctor's great-grandfather, Ralph Crane, a native of Scotland, having emigrated to this
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country and settled at South Glastonbury, Connecticut, where his death occurred. He was the father of LeRoy D. Crane, who was born at South Glastonbury and died at Groton, this state. He was engaged in the livery stable business and also was inter- ested in other enterprises. He was a democrat in politics and a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. His son, Everett L. Crane, was born in Groton, in which city his death occurred December 22, 1916. He followed farming and was a democrat in his political views, being active in local affairs and holding various public offices. His wife was born at Center Groton, New London county, this state, in March, 1861, and is now living in New London, Connecticut. She is a daughter of Edmund and Susan (Pendleton) Chapman, the former of whom was a miller at Center Groton, and was a democrat in politics.
Ralph W. Crane attended the Bulkeley public school at New London and graduated from the Bulkeley high school. He matric- ulated in the medical school of Yale University, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1905. He served his interneship in the New York City Hospital and then entered upon the practice of his profession in Stamford, in which he has been engaged to the present time. He is a member of the visiting staff of Stamford Hospital; is medical examiner for Stamford and has served as town health officer for the past eighteen years, while during the World war he served on the medical advisory board. He is a member of the City Hospital Alumni Society and the Yale Medical Alumni Association. He belongs to the Stamford Medical Society, the Fairfield County Medical Society, the Connecticut State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.
Dr. Crane has been married twice, first to Miss Margaret Estella Sharp, who was born in Berkeley, California, and died in Stamford. She was a daughter of James and Margaret (Tarp- let) Sharp, of Chicago, Illinois, the latter of whom is deceased. Mr. Sharp is now engaged in the real estate business in Washing- ton, D. C., and is president of the Eastern Viavi Company. To Dr. and Mrs. Crane were born four children, Margaret Louise, James Everett, Jane Pendleton and Ralph William, Jr. On No- vember 7, 1924, the Doctor was married to Miss Annie Cunliffe, of Stamford, who was educated in the public schools here and was for a number of years superintendent of the Stamford Hos-
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pital training school for nurses. She is a member of the board of managers of the Stamford Children's Home and a member of the state board of examination and registration of nurses. She is also a member of the Stamford Woman's Club.
Dr. Crane gives his political support to the republican party and is a member of Union Lodge, No. 5, F. & A. M .; Rittenhouse Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M .; Washington Council, No. 6, R. & S. M .; Stamford Commandery, No. 12, K. T .; Pyramid Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Bridgeport; Puritan Lodge, I. O. O. F .; the Subur- ban Club and the Hubbard Heights Golf Club. He has shown a public-spirited interest in everything relating to the welfare and progress of his city and county and is regarded as one of its pro- gressive and substantial citizens. Because of his worthy life and exemplary character he commands the sincere respect of his fel- lowmen and is deservedly popular among his associates.
3/1/41 JOHN W. GREEN
It is such business enterprises as John W. Green controls as head of John W. Green & Sons, Inc., that have given to Danbury its outstanding position as the center of hat manufacturing in the United States. He is the chief executive of a company that has carried on business here for many decades, the trade of the house being constantly developed and expanded until it is one of the foremost hat manufacturing concerns of New England. Various other business interests have also claimed the time and attention of Mr. Green, who is regarded as a forceful and resourceful man, alert, watchful of every opportunity and directing his efforts along lines which contribute to public progress as well as to indi- vidual success, for not only is he president of John W. Green & Sons, Inc., but is also president of the West Terrace Realty Com- pany and is prominently connected with the Danbury Building & Loan Association.
Mr. Green was born on the 7th of August, 1872, in Newark, New Jersey, a son of John W. and Julia (Snell) Green. The par- ents removed with their family to Danbury, where he acquired a public school education, and later he attended the Cheshire Mili- tary Academy, from which he was graduated with the class of
JOHN W. GREEN
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1890. Immediately after putting aside his textbooks he joined his father in the factory in order to learn the business and has spent thirty-nine years in connection therewith, acquainting him- self with the trade in every particular. He took up the humble tasks connected with hat manufacturing and gradually assumed larger and larger responsibilities as his powers developed and he gained an intimate knowledge of the processes of hat manufacture from the time the raw fur is received until the finished product is placed upon the market. In 1905 he was made secretary and at his father's death in 1907 was elected to the vice presidency. His brother, W. H. Green, was president until his death in 1923. The business was incorporated under the present style in 1905. The plant is thoroughly equipped in every particular for turning out goods of the highest quality and the hats of John W. Green & Sons, Inc., find a ready sale on the market, measuring up to the highest standards of manufacture in this line.
Mr. Green has also contributed in substantial measure to the development of the West Terrace Realty Company, of which he is president. This company owns sixty-five acres of land and began its development three years ago. Concrete roads have been laid, gas, water and electricity installed and already forty residences have been erected and others are in the process of construction. Mr. Green is now building a thirty-thousand-dollar home for sale and every effort is made to make this one of the attractive sections of the city. There is a riding academy on the allotment and the development is being promoted according to the highest standards of modern realty operations and building. Mr. Green is likewise a heavy investor in the Danbury Building & Loan Association, recognizing fully how valuable an organization of this kind can be in enabling people of moderate means to obtain and develop homes when this could not be done if an entire cash expenditure was required at the outset. Another thing that claims his interest is the Bridgeport Air, Inc., of which he is a large stockholder.
Mr. Green and his family reside at 70 West street, in one of the finest residences of Danbury, and his two sons are associated in business with their father. Mr. Green has membership in the First Congregational church and he belongs to the Danbury Club and the Country Club. He has never sought to figure promi- nently in politics but is a man of marked civic spirit, doing every-
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thing in his power to promote the welfare and advancement of his city along lines of municipal improvement. His cooperation can at all times be counted upon to further projects for the general good and his worth as a man and as a citizen is widely acknowl- edged, while his contribution to Danbury's business development can scarcely be overestimated.
HON. JOHN HENRY HILL
Hon. John Henry Hill is a distinguished member of the state legislature and also chairman of the board of county commis- sioners. For many years he has figured conspicuously in political affairs of the county, and his public life has been a succession of triumphs. He was born in Derby, Connecticut, August 7, 1864, a son of Thomas and Maria Hill, natives of England. His early instruction was acquired in a grammar school at Shel- ton, Connecticut, in which he was a pupil until he reached the age of eleven, when he began the struggle for a livelihood, securing work in the factory of Radcliffe Brothers, manufacturers of stockings. There he remained for two years, attending a night school during the winter months, and then obtained a position in the plant of the Shelton Tack Company, a Derby firm, of which his father was also an employe. The son next worked in the plat- ing room of the plant of the Derby Silver Company, now known as the International Silver Company, and there learned the electro-plating business. All of the gold-plating work was intrusted to his charge, owing to his skill and reliability, and for a considerable period he was assistant foreman of the room. Its foreman, William Holmes, was also postmaster and during his absence from the room his place was taken by Mr. Hill, who was in charge most of the time. For thirty-five years he remained with the corporation, closely applying himself to his tasks and becoming recognized as an expert artisan.
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