USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III > Part 62
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On the 15th of June, 1887, Dr. Kelley was united in marriage to Miss Sadie Thornton, of Bismarck, North Dakota, and following her demise he married Grace Elizabeth Beckley, of Southington, who has also passed away. On April 5, 1927, he married Miss Jessie M. Hoyt, of Danbury, Connecticut, who survives him. Dr. Kelley was a well known and loyal representative of the Masonic order, having membership in Friendship Lodge, No. 33, F. & A. M .; Triune Chapter, No. 40, R. A. M .; Temple Council, No. 32, R. & S. M .; and Harmony Chapter, No. 35, O. E. S He was likewise affiliated with Eureka Lodge, No. 75, I. O. O. F .; William Berry Lodge, No. 50, K. P .; and Union Grange, No. 25, of the Patrons of Husbandry. He had many friends among his fraternal brethren but most of all among his patients, who found him a man of courage, of broad vision, of firm convictions and of kindly, sympathetic nature whose presence in the sickroom always carried with it hope and inspiration. His death, on March 31, 1928, when he was in the sixty-ninth year of his age, was the occasion of deep and widespread regret and his memory will ever be cherished in the hearts of those who loved him.
PHILIP M. FAGAN
Philip M. Fagan, engaged in the insurance and real estate business in New Britain, was born in Kensington, Connecticut, in 1895, and is a representative of one of the oldest families of the state. His grandfather, John Fagan, was a Civil war veteran and was associated with the American Paper Goods Company prior to his retirement. The parents of Philip M. Fagan were James and Hannah (Ringwood)
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DR. CHARLES KELLEY
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Fagan. The father, now deceased, was also long associated with the American Paper Goods Company at Kensington. The mother is still living. In their family were three sons and a daughter, of whom William J. is associated with the American Paper Goods Company, being of the third generation of the family identified there- with. W. W. Fagan was well known in political circles and served as postmaster under the administration of President Wilson. Robert R. Fagan is now a traveling representative of the Travelers Insurance Company. The daughter, Mrs. Rose (Fagan) Corr, is living in the old homestead at Kensington.
Philip M. Fagan obtained a public and high school education at New Britain, completing his course by graduation with the class of 1915. The same year he began work in connection with the insurance business as representative of the Travelers Insurance Company, doing both inside and outside work through a period of six years or until 1921, when he established an independent agency in New Britain, where he has since remained, conducting not only an insurance business but also handling real estate and keeping well informed concerning property values.
The interruption to his business career came in 1917, for on the 18th of April of that year he enlisted as a machinist in the navy and came out as a first-class machinist's mate, receiving an honorable discharge March 9, 1919. He was largely engaged in doing coast duty and had his headquarters in the vicinity of New York. He was one of the first men of New Britain to join the military forces after the United States entered the World war.
Mr. Fagan is a member of St. Paul's Roman Catholic church. In politics he is a democrat and has always been very active in support of the party. He has served as justice of the peace at Berlin since 1923 and in the same year he became a mem- ber of the board of education and is now financial secretary of the school board. He belongs to the Elks lodge of New Britain and to the Knights of Columbus, his mem- bership being in Daly Council, No. 12, Bishop Tierney Assembly of New Britain. He has membership in the Bolton Kasica Post, No. 68, of the American Legion, and the nature of his recreation is indicated in his membership in the Matla Bassett Fishing Association and the Kensington Gun Club. He is yet a young man who has not reached the zenith of his powers but is making steady advancement and is accom- plishing what he undertakes.
FRANK GARFIELD BUSH
Frank Garfield Bush is associated with the office organization of the Aetna Fire Insurance Company in the position of comptroller and fully measures up to the requirements of the office, his capability being based upon previous broad experience and close application. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, September 21, 1881, and is a son of Albert and Julia (Day) Bush, who were natives of Wisconsin. The father, who for an extended period engaged in the insurance business in Chicago, passed away October 12, 1927, having for three years survived his wife, who died on the 30th of October, 1924.
At the usual age Frank G. Bush entered the public schools of his native city, passing through consecutive grades to the high school. Later he attended the Kent College of Law in Chicago and at his graduation in 1915 the LL. B. degree was con- ferred upon him. The same year he was admitted to the Illinois bar and for some time engaged in active practice in Chicago. Later he became associated with the Aetna Fire Insurance Company as a Chicago representative, there remaining until 1923, when he was transferred to the home office in Hartford, being called here to fill the position of auditor. Later he was made assistant secretary and in February, 1928, was elected to his present office-that of comptroller. His association with the company has been mutually beneficial. His promotions have come in the recognition of an ability that has contributed to the success of the corporation. He is likewise comptroller of the World Fire & Marine Insurance Company and the Century Indem- nity Company.
In early manhood Mr. Bush was united in marriage to Winifred Brand, of Wis- consin, and they are the parents of two daughters, Jean and Elizabeth. The family residence is at 74 Bainbridge road in West Hartford.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Bush is a Mason and attained the thirty-second
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degree of the Scottish Rite as a member of Medinah Temple of the Mystic Shrine in Chicago. He belongs to the Hartford Golf Club and through that medium largely finds his recreation, but no outside activities or interests are allowed to interfere with the faithful performance of his duties as a representative of the Aetna Insur- ance Company.
ANTHONY JOSEPH RICH
In a profession which makes heavy demands upon the powers of comprehension and analysis Anthony Joseph Rich has made substantial progress and is regarded as one of the able lawyers of Bristol. He is a son of Joseph and Stella Rich and was born September 12, 1903, in this city. After completing a course in the local high school he matriculated in Trinity College, which he attended from 1920 until 1922, and was next a law student at Georgetown University. He was graduated with the class of 1925 and on July 7 of that year was admitted to the Connecticut bar. Mr. Rich has since maintained an office in Bristol, establishing a lucrative clientele, and is also connected with the firm of Shatz & Shatz, well known lawyers of Hartford. As an attorney he is astute, clear-minded and well trained, and in argument he is felicitous, logical and convincing.
At New Britain, Connecticut, Mr. Rich was married November 22, 1926, to Miss Marion V. O'Neil, a daughter of John and Mary O'Neil and a member of one of the prominent families of that city. Mr. Rich is an adherent of the republican party and since November, 1926, has served as justice of the peace, ably discharging the duties of the office. In religious faith he is a Catholic and closely observes the teachings of the church. He is advocate for the local council of the Knights of Columbus and also belongs to the Improved Order of Red Men, the Sons of Italy, the Hamilton Law Club of Georgetown University, and Phi Beta Gamma, a legal fra- ternity. Studious and diligent, Mr. Rich is rapidly coming to the fore in his pro- fession, and that he is a young man of genuine worth is indicated by the place which he holds in the esteem of Bristol's citizens, with whom his life has been passed.
JOHNSTONE VANCE
Johnstone Vance, managing editor of the New Britain Herald, which association with the journalistic interests of Hartford county dates from 1911, was born at New Britain, December 21, 1890. His father, Hon. Robert J. Vance, was born in New York city March 15, 1854, and died at his winter home in Montreat, North Carolina, June 15, 1902. His early education was acquired in the public schools of New York and later he continued his studies in New Britain, where he was graduated from the high school. Later he secured a position at the Stanley Works and subsequently was appointed to the position of paymaster in the New Britain Knitting Works, there remaining until March, 1876, when in association with J. O. Stivers he founded the New Britain Observer. The following year, however, Mr. Stivers withdrew from the partnership and Mr. Vance continued the publication of the paper alone until 1887, when the Observer was consolidated with the New Britain Herald. While editor of the latter publication Mr. Vance at the same time was a regular contributor of articles to the New York Sun. He traveled extensively in both America and Europe and was a man of most liberal education and culture. His political allegiance was given to the democratic party and he figured prominently in the public life of the state for an extended period. Through fifteen years he was a member of the state central committee and in 1888 he was a delegate to the democratic national conven- tion in St. Louis, while in 1892 he again served in a similar capacity in Chicago. In 1886 he was chosen to represent his district in the Connecticut general assembly and in 1887 and again in 1888 he was a member of congress. From 1893 until 1895 he served as state labor commissioner and in 1896 he was chosen mayor of the city of New Britain. Thus in many positions of public trust he met the highest standards of official service and largely furthered the interests which he represented. In addi- tion to his association with journalistic interests he was treasurer of the New Brit-
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(Photograph by Burrill Studio)
ANTHONY J. RICH
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ain Electric Light Company. On the 24th of January, 1890, he married Matilda O'Connor, of Alabama, and they became parents of a daughter, Agnes, and two sons, Johnstone and Robert.
Johnstone Vance obtained his education in the schools of New Britain and on leaving high school became associated with the New Britain Herald, with which he has remained continuously since 1911. He has worked his way upward steadily step by step and is now managing editor. As such he largely directs the policy of the paper and has made it the equal of the leading newspaper publications of the state. His standing in professional circles is shown in the fact that he has been honored with the presidency of the Connecticut Newspaper Association and he also belongs to the American Society of Newspaper Editors.
On the 21st of August, 1921, at New Britain, Mr. Vance was married to Miss Anne Gauer and they are widely and favorably known here. Mr. Vance is identified with the New Britain, Shuttle Meadow and the New York Newspaper clubs. In politics he is a democrat and was the nominee of the party for congress in 1924. He has membership in Harmony Lodge, A. F. & A. M .; Giddings Chapter, R. A. M .; Washington Commandery, K. T .; and in Sphinx Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Hartford.
WILLIAM F. CURTIN
William F. Curtin, a member of the Connecticut bar since June, 1926, at which date he began practice in New Britain, is a son of James and Mary Curtin and was born in New Britain, December 3, 1895. His early education was acquired here in the public schools and when he had mastered the branches of learning taught in the grades and in the high school he continued his studies in Georgetown University at Washington, D. C., where he completed his course by graduation with the class of 1918. In July of the same year he received appointment to the position of Ameri- can vice consul in Brazil and there remained until February, 1919, when he became associated with the branch of the New York National City Bank in Santos, Brazil, where he remained until October, 1921. It was his desire, however, to become a member of the bar and he utilized his opportunity for preparation for the practice of law, matriculated in the Yale Law School in 1922 and was graduated with the class of 1926. In January of that year he was admitted to the bar of Connecticut and opened an office in New Britain, where he has since remained, giving his undivided attention to the interests of his clients. While advancement at the bar is proverbially slow, he is making steady progress and has already gained a place among New Brit- ain's lawyers that many an older representative of the profession might well envy.
HENRY H. CONLAND
Henry H. Conland is president and treasurer of the Hartford Courant. A native of Vermont, he was born in Brattleboro, May 11, 1882, and is a son of James and Matilda (McGuirk) Conland. When he had put aside his textbooks, having completed the work of the grade and high school at Brattleboro, he started out upon his news- paper career as an employe of the Brattleboro Reformer and was associated there- with from 1901 until 1904, during which time he gained intimate knowledge of the printing business and the methods of newspaper publication. On the 1st of June in the latter year he came to Hartford and obtained a position as reporter on the Courant in the editorial department. Gradually he worked his way upward, con- tributing to the success of the journal, and in 1911 he was called to official position, being elected secretary of the company. In 1913 he became treasurer and continued to act in that capacity uninterruptedly for thirteen years. In September, 1926, he was elected to the presidency and is serving now in the dual capacity of president and treasurer. With the passing years he has also become a director of the Con- necticut Mutual Life Insurance Company and of the Phoenix Insurance Company.
On the 11th of February, 1909, Mr. Conland married Miss Caroline Matilda Henschel, a daughter of Charles S. and Mary E. (Otiwell) Henschel, of New York.
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They now have a family of three sons and a daughter: Henry J., born May 18, 1910; Charles H., March 27, 1912; Stephen, April 22, 1916; and Mary E., Octo- ber 19, 1920.
Mr. Conland is a member of the Hartford Club and the Hartford Golf Club. Politically he is a republican and served on the board of water commissioners from June 1, 1924, until June 1, 1927, acting as president of the board during the last two years of that period. All matters that have to do with civic welfare and with the upbuilding of Hartford receive his earnest attention and cooperation. His worth as a citizen is widely known and he has utilized his opportunities for influence through the field of journalism to promote Hartford's advancement.
JOEL LATHROP ENGLISH
The story of achievement is one which thrills every reader and such a story is expressed in the life record of Joel Lathrop English of Hartford, Connecticut, who in young manhood became identified with the Aetna Life Insurance Company, then a new concern, and who through all the intervening period until his retirement in 1927 contributed in notable measure to the development and growth of this business, making it one of the foremost insurance organizations of the country. Step by step he advanced in this connection until for twenty-two years he occupied the office of senior vice president, adequately meeting every responsibility that devolved upon him. It would be to give only a one-sided view of his character, however, to speak of him merely as a successful business man. His fine character, his liberal culture, his high ideals of citizenship and his unfaltering loyalty made him a constructive factor in the life of his community.
Born in Woodstock, Vermont, on the 1st of October, 1843, he was a son of Henry W. and Eliza A. (Steele) English. He traced his ancestry back to Clement English, who in 1667 established his home in Salem, Massachusetts, and there married Miss Mary Waters. In pioneer times Richard English, the great-grandfather of Joel L. English, became a resident of Woodstock, Vermont, settling there in 1773.
Having attended the public schools of Woodstock, Joel L. English continued his education in the Randolph Academy at Randolph, Vermont, and he was one of the first to take up the study of stenography and practice that art. It was his proficiency in that field that gained him a position with the Aetna Life Insurance Company. On the 1st of July, 1867, he became stenographer and general clerk for Thomas O. Enders, secretary for the company, at which time the entire personnel of the Aetna numbered but fifteen people, under the presidency of Eliphalet A. Bulkeley. Ener- getic, industrious and with a keen mentality that enabled him to readily grasp every situation and the demands made upon him, he gained rapid promotion and after five years was called to fill the office of secretary, at that time vacant. He continued to serve in that capacity until 1905, when he was elected vice president, and following the death of Morgan G. Bulkeley, president, and a son of the late Eliphalet A. Bulkeley, the presidency was offered to Mr. English but because of his age he declined to accept. In this connection it was written of him: "One of the oldest insurance men in the company, he was in truth one of the national builders of this great and civilizing structure. His long service with the Aetna was twice notably honored by his associates. His fiftieth anniversary was recognized by the general agents in the life department with the gift of a colonial desk and arm chair, the presentation occurring December 21, 1917, at the close of a special campaign for new business as a tribute to Mr. English. In the desk was a book of greetings, containing autographed letters from each of the life managers. The eightieth birthday of Mr. English was celebrated in an office filled with flowers and gifts from officers of the company and friends, and with messages and congratulations from all departments and branch offices of the company."
On the 20th of November, 1878, Mr. English was united in marriage to Miss Mabel B. Plimpton, who is yet a resident of Hartford. Their only son, Robert B. English, now deceased, is survived by his widow, Mrs. Emily English, and their son, Robert B. English, Jr., of Hartford.
Joel L. English passed away on April 22, 1927, when he had reached the advanced age of eighty-three years. He was a member of the Hartford Club and
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of the Art Society of Hartford and he was interested in all that pertained to the progress and welfare of his community. He gave generous and effective support for all worth-while civic projects and he measured up to the highest standards of manhood in every particular. The admiration which was accorded him by reason of his successful achievements was matched by the strong friendship that was given him in recognition of his many manly virtues. When he passed away the directors of the Aetna Life Insurance Company prepared a memorial in which it was said: "During his long term of service, Mr. English through faithful, energetic endeavor contributed much to the great growth of the business of the company, and in his work his gentle, kindly manner, his sound judgment and his unusual grasp of the business won him the constant esteem and affection of his associates in the home office and of the representatives of the company in the field. Mr. English served with every president of the company and each found him conscientious in effort, faithful in duty and generous of his counsel and friendship."
JAMES L. DOYLE
It has often been said that no force is as potent in directing the development and promoting the progress of a community as its newspapers, and it is in the jour-, nalistic field that James L. Doyle has exerted his influence for the benefit and improvement of New Britain and the state at large, for he is the president of the New Britain Record, with which he has continuously been identified for about forty years, coming here in 1888. He was born at Norwich, Connecticut, June 24, 1855, and obtained his education in the grade and high schools of that city, after which he learned the printer's trade in the office of the Norwich Advertiser, of which John W. Steadman was then editor. Under his direction Mr. Doyle not only acquainted himself with the mechanical work of publishing a paper, but also learned the art of editing, and continued with the Advertiser for five years, or between the ages of fifteen and twenty. On leaving Norwich he went to Hartford, where he was employed in the printing house of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company from 1875 until 1882. In the latter year he established his home in New York city, where he conducted a printing office until 1884, when he returned to the employ of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company at Hartford, representing that house until 1888. In that year he came to New Britain and purchased the plant of the New Britain Record, which was founded in 1855 and was conducted as a weekly, having in 1888 a circulation of about one thousand copies per week. Mr. Doyle converted the paper into a daily and it now has a circulation of thirteen thousand copies per day. In the conduct of the journal Mr. Doyle has always followed a most progressive course, not only in pre- senting the news to the public but in the mechanical processes of the paper. In 1900 he erected a modern brick building and has since put up two additions, which now constitute the plant of the Record and he also incorporated the business, becoming president of the company. The Record is in keeping with the most modern spirit of progressive journalism and success in substantial measure has rewarded the labors of Mr. Doyle as editor and owner.
On the 10th of October, 1878, Mr. Doyle was married in Hartford to Miss Mary Langdon and they have two children: Edmund J., who married Sarah Hastings; and Walter J., who married Anna Ahern. Since 1888, through four decades, Mr. Doyle has continued as a prominent representative of journalism in New Britain and the state.
GLOVER ELBRIDGE HOWE, M. D.
There are many who accord the medical profession the highest place in the ranks of public service, and among the representatives of the profession in Hartford is numbered Dr. Glover Elbridge Howe, who opened his office here in 1920 after two years of hospital work. Born in Marlboro, Massachusetts, on the 10th of August, 1891, he is a son of Abel and Theresa (Blake) Howe. His youthful days were spent in the state of his nativity and as a public school pupil he mastered the work of the
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grades and of the high school, subsequent to which time he enrolled as a student in the Massachusetts Agricultural College, winning his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1913. Thus upon the broad foundation of literary training he built the superstructure of professional knowledge, pursuing a full course in the Harvard Medical College, which accorded him the M. D. degree in 1918. Following his graduation he became interne in the Hartford Hospital and thus served for two years, gaining broad and valuable experience in that connection. In 1920 he entered upon private practice in Hartford, and while he is well grounded in the general principles of medicine, he has specialized in gynecology and obstetrics, gaining high skill and efficiency in this department of medical science. He is serving on the staff of the Hartford Hospital and of the City Hospital and is rendering important service in those connections as well as in the field of private practice.
On the 11th of June, 1921, Dr. Howe was married to Miss Elizabeth Redfield, a daughter of Edward and Marietta (Griswold) Redfield, of Hartford, and they now have two children: Edward Redfield, born April 11, 1922; and Jane, born July 4, 1926.
Dr. Howe is a member of the Hartford Golf Club and finds recreation and pleas- ure on the links. His membership in the University Club also enables him to main- tain an even balance for his intense professional activity. He has membership in the Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut State and American Medical Associations and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Thus it is that he keeps thor- oughly informed concerning the vital problems before the profession and the results of scientific inquiry and research whereby the proficiency of the profession is being con- stantly augmented. His spirit of cheer ever awakens the courage and confidence of his patients and he is rendering valuable service in that line which he has chosen as his life work.
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