USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 27
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The last named engaged in butchering and was also numbered among the prosperous agriculturists of the town of Waterbury, in which his life was spent. His wife, Mary A. Warner, was a daughter of Jared Warner, a Waterbury farmer, who fought in the War of 1812, and her grandfather was Justus Warner, a scion of one of the colonial families of New England. Charles J. Pierpont brought his bride to the old homestead and there they
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reared a family of six children : Charles J., Jr .; Austin B .; Ellen C., who was married to George W. Conner; Wilson L .; Merritt E .; and Mary A., who became Mrs. Charles S. Miller. The family were members of the Episcopal Church and Mr. Pierpont cast his ballot for the candidates of the democratic party.
Austin B. Pierpont was reared on the homestead and attended the district schools of that locality. He taught school for one season and then enrolled in the Waterbury high school, in which he was a student for a term. On laying aside his textbooks he entered the employ of his uncle, who was the proprietor of a meat market in Waterbury, and remained with him until his death. The business was then purchased by Austin B. Pierpont, who secured his patronage not only from Waterbury but also made deliveries in the outlying districts, maintaining one of the best markets in this part of the county. Moreover, he was an honest dealer and won a large share of the local meat trade, with which he was prominently identified for forty-one years. In addition to his home near Waterbury, known as East Farms, he acquired an adjoining tract of land and his son, Arthur J., took charge of the cultivation of the two places, which were devoted to market gardening and dairying. The father lived practically retired dur- ing his later years, spending the winter months in Florida, where he had valuable holdings, which included eight cottages and sev- eral orange groves.
Mr. Pierpont's first wife was Emeline E. Todd, of Southing- ton, a daughter of Seth and Lucinda Barnes and the widow of William E. Todd. On the 16th of April, 1874, he was married to Miss Lucy Adeline Welton, a daughter of Joseph and Mary S. (Pierpont) Welton and a descendant of John Welton, who settled in Woodbury in 1679, residing here until his death in 1726. By his second marriage Mr. Pierpont had three children : Arthur J., who was born December 3, 1876, and met an accidental death when a young man of thirty-five years; Herbert Austin, who died in 1883, when five months old; and Morton Elbert, whose sketch is published elsewhere in this work.
Mr. and Mrs. Pierpont were members of Trinity Episcopal Church, which they assisted in organizing, and contributed lib- erally toward its upbuilding and maintenance. Mr. Pierpont voted with the republican party and twice represented New Haven county on the state board of agriculture. He manifested
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deep interest in all matters of public moment and was a strong champion of movements for the general welfare. He was chosen master of the Mad River Grange, vice president of the Wolcott Agricultural Society, president of the East Farms Cemetery As- sociation and a trustee of the Mill Plain Chapel Society. Along fraternal lines he was connected with Nashogan Lodge of the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows and filled nearly all of the offices in Ansantawae Encampment. His standards of life were high and his death in 1919, at the age of seventy years, was mourned by all who enjoyed the privilege of knowing him.
WILLIAM E. KENNEDY
Waterbury owes many of its public improvements to William E. Kennedy, who served for a quarter of a century as superin- tendent of streets and sewers, also having charge of the water department, but he is now living retired at 85 Crescent street. Born in this city on the 10th of September, 1875, he is the eldest son of Matthew and Nora (O'Brien) Kennedy, natives of County Tipperary, Ireland. They became acquainted in Waterbury, where the father engaged in the coal business for many years, remain- ing a resident of the city until his demise. He is survived by a widow and five children: William E .; Joseph, Mrs. Margaret Joyce, Sadie and Henry.
William E. Kennedy acquired his public school education in Waterbury and following the completion of his high school course went to Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he enrolled as a student in Mount St. Mary's College, from which he received the A. B. degree in 1897 and that of M. A. in 1899. In the fall of 1897 he entered the Catholic University at Washington, D. C., where he took a three years' course in electrical engineering, winning the degree of E. E. in June, 1900. He was with the Edison Com- pany in New York city for a year and for a similar period was in the employ of the Waterbury Clock Company, afterward work- ing for the Waterbury Battery Company for two years. It was in 1902 that he entered the service of the city of Waterbury as a clerk in the office of the superintendent of the water department, acting in that capacity until 1906, when he was placed at the head of that department, of which he had charge for four years. From
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1910 until 1912 he was a traveling salesman for the Gamon Meter Company of Newark, New Jersey, and in January of the latter year became superintendent of streets and sewers of Waterbury through appointment of the board of public works. This respon- sible position he filled continuously until January 6, 1930, making his public spirit and his technical knowledge and experience the basis of his effective work, and also had supervision of the water department. He served the city with rare fidelity and during his tenure of office much constructive work was accomplished.
Mr. Kennedy is a communicant of St. Margaret's Roman Catholic Church and votes with the democratic party. He be- long's to the Mattatuck Country Club and the Benevolent Protec- tive Order of Elks. As a member of the Waterbury zoning com- mission he is still active in civic affairs, and for many years he has been a director of the Chamber of Commerce. During the World war period he was connected with the internal revenue de- partment of the United States government and was stationed in the city of Washington. Mr. Kennedy has fulfilled every duty and obligation in life to the best of his ability, measuring up to a high standard of citizenship, and is esteemed and respected by his fel- lowmen.
JAMES PRIOR WOOD
James Prior Wood, a prominent druggist of New Haven, has followed in the footsteps of his father, carrying forward a busi- ness which has been conducted by members of the family for eighty-five years-a record of usefulness and of service equaled by few commercial institutions in New England. He was born in West Haven, September 3, 1864, a son of Alonzo Felton and Rachel (Hodges) Wood. The father, a native of Huntington, Connecticut, removed to New Haven in early life and in 1845 opened a drug store at the corner of Church and George streets. There the establishment is still in operation, and as nearly as can be ascertained this is the oldest business institution in New Haven remaining in the original location and under the same family name throughout the period of its existence. Alonzo F. Wood at first leased the store, paying an annual rental of one hundred and twenty-five dollars, and James P. Wood still has a
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receipt for the quarterly rent paid for the use of the old store by his father. In 1851 the latter purchased the building from the Austin estate. This property had been owned by the Austin family since 1727 and during a period of one hundred and ninety- three years it has been in the hands of but two families, the Austin and Wood families. The original plot owned by the Austin family had a frontage of two hundred and fifty feet on Church street, of which Alonzo F. Wood bought forty-eight feet. Coming to New Haven in 1836, he obtained employment in the drug store of L. K. Dowd, then located on Chapel, near College street, where the Hotel Taft now stands. As previously stated, Mr. Wood founded the present business in 1845 and remained at its head for forty years, or until his death in 1885. He was an experienced pharma- cist and an enterprising merchant of high standing. In 1879 he erected a substantial brick structure four stories in height and in this building the business is still conducted. It occupies the entire ground floor and is thoroughly modern in its appointments.
After the demise of Alonzo F. Wood his sons, Alonzo F., Jr., and James P. Wood, took over the enterprise, operating it on a partnership basis until the death of Alonzo F. Wood, Jr., in 1913, and since that time James P. Wood has been sole proprietor of the business. He was born in West Haven and after attending the Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven became a student in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University, completing his course in 1884. Previous to his graduation he had passed his examination for druggist, having studied and practiced pharmacy while working in his father's store during his spare time when attending school. He made thorough preparation for the line of activity which has constituted his life work and has long been classed with the leading pharmacists of the city. His is one of the largest and best known drug stores in New Haven-an in- stitution which has stood the test of years because of its reliability and high standards of service.
In 1887 Mr. Wood was married in New Haven to Miss Nellie B. Kennedy, and they have two daughters: Ora Winifred, the wife of Rev. Leon Mark Brusstar engaged in pastoral work at the Seamen's Church Institute in New York city; and Gladys, the wife of Rev. Harry R. Pool, rector of Grace Church in Hamden, Connecticut.
Mr. Wood is a member of St. Thomas Church in New Haven
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and has long been an earnest worker in its behalf, serving as a vestrymen of the church, which his father aided in establishing. In Masonry he has attained the thirty-second degree and is iden- tified with both the York and Scottish Rite bodies. He is also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. He has mem- bership in the Kiwanis Club and for the past twenty-five years has been local secretary for the class of 1884 of the Sheffield Scientific School. In recognition of his experience and ability he was chosen a member of the state board of pharmacy, on which he served for two terms. Mr. Wood enjoys traveling but never neglects his busi- ness and is known throughout Connecticut as a pharmacist of high standing and a citizen of substantial worth.
WILLIAM JOHN HICKEY
The name of William John Hickey is well known in com- mercial circles of New Haven in connection with the brokerage business, which has claimed his attention for more than a quarter of a century-a period marked by steady advancement, resulting from his ability and even-paced energy. He was born in New Haven, September 13, 1887, and is of Irish lineage. His father, Dennis Lawrence Hickey, was born in Monmouthshire, England, in 1860, while the mother, who bore the maiden name of Mar- garet Shea, was born in Glamorganshire, South Wales, May 18, 1865.
At the usual age William J. Hickey became a grammar school pupil, passing through consecutive grades until graduated from the New Haven high school with the class of 1900. His identifica- tion with the brokerage business dates from February, 1904, when he became associated with the Charles W. Scranton Company and in this line of activity he has since continued, concentrating his energies upon the attaining of a definite objective. Broad experience and close study have given him a detailed knowledge of the business, and his well developed powers have brought him to a place of prominence in his particular field.
Mr. Hickey was married May 29, 1917, in New Haven to Miss Marion Louise Bradley, who was born July 20, 1892. She is a daughter of Henry L. and Bessie L. (Kent) Bradley, the former
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born July 16, 1862, in New Haven, and the latter in Muscatine, Iowa, September 10, 1862. Mr. and Mrs. Hickey are the parents of two daughters: Jeanne Bridgman, who was born April 7, 1919 ; and Barbara Kent, born March 28, 1921. Mrs. Hickey is related to the Trowbridges and Lees as well as the Bradley and Kent families and is descended from Revolutionary stock. She has membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution and also in the Edgewood Club and the West End Club.
Mr. Hickey has an interesting military chapter in his life record. He joined the Connecticut National Guard and from 1913 until 1916 was a sergeant in Troop A. During the World war he enlisted in the United States Navy, becoming a first class boat- swain in 1918. Fraternally he is a Mason and in 1930 was made master of Hiram Lodge, No. 1, A. F. & A. M. He is also connected with the Knights of St. Patrick, the New Haven Lawn Club, and the Quinnipiack Club.
HENRY SOLON GRAVES
Henry Solon Graves was born in Marietta, Ohio, May 3, 1871, a son of William Blair and Luranah (Copeland) Graves, and pre- pared for college at Phillips Academy, Andover, graduating in 1888. He was graduated from Yale College in 1892. After grad- uation he taught for a year at King's School in Stamford, Con- necticut. During that year he became interested in the possibility of forestry as a career, largely through the influence of Gifford Pinchot, whom he had known at Yale. There were no forest schools in the country at that time so that it was necessary to devise a course of preparation with such educational facilities as existed. Mr. Graves spent the first year of his forestry training in the woods, in order to obtain an understanding of practical conditions in this country. He then took a postgraduate year at Harvard to round out his preparation in the natural sciences and to do special work at the Arnold Arboretum with Dr. Charles Sprague Sargent. The following year he spent in Germany, study- ing at the University of Munich and doing special work in the public forests.
His first professional work was in association with Gifford Pinchot in private consulting work. In 1897 he was employed by
HENRY S. GRAVES
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the United States Geological Survey to make a forest survey of the Black Hills region of South Dakota. During the same year he made a study of the forest fire situation in New Jersey on behalf of the state. In 1898 he was appointed assistant chief of the division of forestry in the United States department of agricul- ture under Gifford Pinchot. In 1900 he was called to Yale to organize the School of Forestry and to serve as its director. He held this post for ten years, when he was appointed chief forester of the forest service of the United States department of agricul -. ture, remaining in this capacity until 1920.
His service in Washington included the period of the World war. In June, 1917, he was commissioned major in the army and sent to France to aid in the procurement of wood supplies needed by the American Expeditionary Forces. His work included the preparation for the forestry regiments which were detailed to obtain material from the French forests and manufacture it for the special needs of the army at the front and in the rear. He was later given a commission of lieutenant colonel in the Corps of Engineers.
After his resignation from the forest service he devoted two years to consulting work in forestry. He was called to Yale in 1922 to resume his former position in charge of the School of Forestry, to fill the newly established professorship of forestry on the John W. Sterling Foundation. He was called upon to act as provost of the university in addition to his other duties in 1923, a position which he held for four years.
Mr. Graves was one of the pioneers in American forestry and has been associated with many of the important undertakings in the advancement of the forestry movement. He was a member of President Roosevelt's Conservation Commission in 1908, has been president of the American Forestry Association, the Society of American Foresters, and the Connecticut Forestry Association. He is a member of the Washington Academy of Sciences, the Society of Military Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and many other organizations interested in the advancement of forestry and conservation.
He is the author of "Forest Mensuration," 1906, "Principles of Handling Woodlots," 1911, and joint author of "The White Pine," 1896; and is the author also of a large number of bulletins and other publications relating to forestry. He has received the
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following honorary degrees: A. M., Yale, 1900; A. M., Harvard, 1911; LL. D., Syracuse, 1924.
Mr. Graves was married in New Haven, December 19, 1903, to Marian Welch, a daughter of Pierce Noble Welch of New Haven.
FRANK P. MCEVOY
Frank P. McEvoy, who was appointed by Governor Trumbull to fill the vacancy on the bench of the superior court caused by the death of Judge Marvin, is a worthy native son and prominent attorney of Waterbury, where for many years he has been suc- cessfully engaged in practice as a member of the firm of Guil- foile & McEvoy. He was born November 12, 1878, a son of Finton B. and Mary (Lawlor) McEvoy, both of whom were natives of County Queens, Ireland. The father came to the United States with his parents in his boyhood days, while the mother was a young girl when her father, John Lawlor, arrived with his family in the new world. The McEvoy family settled first in New York city and removed to Waterbury in 1877, but the Lawlors at once took up their abode in Waterbury on coming to America. Finton B. McEvoy, who was a merchant tailor by trade, died in 1883 and his widow survived only a year, her death occurring in 1884.
Frank P. McEvoy was accorded liberal educational advan- tages in his youth, supplementing a high school course in his native city by study at St. Francis Xavier College. His profes- sional training was acquired in the Yale Law School, from which he was graduated with the LL. B. degree in 1907. He has con- tinued in law practice at Waterbury throughout the interven- ing period of nearly a quarter century and for many years has been associated with Francis P. Guilfoile, former mayor of the city, under the firm style of Guilfoile & McEvoy, with offices at 192 Grand street. Governor Trumbull appointed him a member of the commission for the revision of statutes, while in 1929 he received a three-year appointment as a charter commissioner of the city of Waterbury. He is also a member of the executive com- mittee of the Waterbury Bar Association, of which he formerly served as president.
Commenting on his appointment for judicial service, it was
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said: "Governor Trumbull has acted quickly to fill the vacancy on the bench of the superior court caused by the death of Judge Marvin. He announces the appointment of Francis P. McEvoy, of Waterbury, whose standing at the bar is excellent and whose abilities, we understand, have been under consideration at other times for an appointment of this character. In making the an- nouncement of his decision Governor Trumbull says: 'I have al- ways felt that both political parties should be represented on the bench. The opposite party should be represented, at least in a minority. It seems the logical thing that a democrat should be succeeded by a man of the same party and Mr. McEvoy seems a logical successor.' We can agree heartily with the Gov- ernor in his contention that both parties should be represented on the bench of the state and that the equilibrium between them should be carefully observed, which has not been the case in Con- necticut for a long period. Theoretically, it is not, on the whole, a pleasant reflection that partisanship should enter into a choice for the judiciary, but psychologically we presume it is necessary. The ideal policy would be the appointment of lawyers because of their notable judicial temperaments and scholarly legal attain- ments, but the world of practical relationships has not yet reached that lofty level of understanding. On the other hand, we are not prepared to take literally the Governor's philosophy that it is logical to fill a vacancy caused by the death or retirement of a member of one or the other of the two political parties with a representative of the same party. That rule applied in this state would keep the bench forever from the desired equilibrium. If the rule is to be applied at all, it should be applied after the needed equilibrium has been reached. While it is not altogether pleasant, as in the case of one's partisanship, to have the religion of an appointee taken incidentally into consideration, we find reason for satisfaction in the fact of Judge McEvoy's religion. Since there is no justification for a man's religion excluding him from public service, great care should be exercised, all other things being equal, to avoid even the suspicion of discrimination as between religious beliefs. Judge McEvoy's appointment creditably re- veals the Governor as in sympathy with this view."
On the 29th of June, 1909, Judge McEvoy was united in mar- riage to Miss Gertrude G. Guilfoile, who has taken a helpful part in charitable and church activities and also in the work of St.
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Mary's Hospital. Judge and Mrs. McEvoy are communicants of the Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church. The former took a prominent part in war work during the period of the European conflict, rendering patriotic service as government appeal agent and as a four-minute speaker. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Waterbury and also of the Waterbury Country Club and is an enthusiastic golfer and pedestrian and a lover of horses.
OLIVER V. OBER
Oliver V. Ober was born in Elgin, Illinois, April 7, 1886, a son of Oliver M. and Anna C. (Seested) Ober. The father travel- led from Cambridge, Massachusetts, westward to Illinois, settling in Elgin about 1870. When a youth of sixteen he had enlisted in the Union Army and was assigned to duty with Company K, Fifth Regiment of the Massachusetts Infantry, and served under General Burnside. Following his removal to the west, Mr. Ober became connected with the Elgin National Watch Company, with whom he continued in service for nearly forty years, and in July, 1913, was called to his final rest.
Oliver V. Ober secured his early business training with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, the Felt & Tarrant Man- ufacturing Company, manufacturers of adding machines, and the N. K. Fairbank Company, manufacturers of soaps and food prod- ucts. In 1920 he came to New Haven as general manager for the United Advertising Corporation. In the intervening period he has built up the largest outdoor advertising and sign manu- facturing business in Connecticut. The rapid growth of the business is indicated by the fact that its working force has been increased from approximately twenty employees in 1920 to ap- proximately seventy in 1930, including carpenters, steel workers, electricians, artists, poster hangers, painters, and an extensive sales, real estate and clerical force. In Connecticut, the company's business consists largely of outdoor advertising and sign manu- facturing. Its services are extensively used by many of New Haven's and Connecticut's finest institutions, including banks, department stores, merchants and manufacturers. It also serves extensively many of America's greatest industries, including the
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leading manufacturers of automobiles, electrical products, radios, foods and packing house products, and tobacco.
The business is conducted under very strict standards of prac- tice, including the restriction of its structures to commercial loca- tions, with the result that the company and its business have al- ways met with favorable public acceptance. The Corporation's outdoor advertising medium every year plays an important part in the marketing of many millions of dollars worth of products and services.
On the 21st of April, 1909, Mr. Ober was married in Elgin, Illinois, to Lois Fairchild, a native of Starksboro, Vermont, and a daughter of the Rev. James Fairchild, a Methodist Episcopal minister. The four sons of this marriage are Robert Fairchild, born February 15, 1910; Oliver Maxwell, January 11, 1913; Richard Parkes, June 6, 1921; and David James, December 28, 1923.
Serving as vice president and a director of the New Haven Chamber of Commerce for a period of three years, Mr. Ober has worked conscientiously to promote New Haven's growth, advance- ment, and prosperity. He is a member of Lafayette Consistory, 32nd Degree Masons, New Haven Commandery, Knights Temp- lar, Pyramid Temple, Mystic Knights of the Shrine, and of the Quinnipiack, New Haven Country, Race Brook Country and Kiwanis Clubs.
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