USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 7
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Four years later, or in 1900, Mr. Larson crossed the Atlantic, making his way to New York city, where for several years he followed the construction business in the employ of various con- tractors. He then became associated with the Brunswick-Balke- Collender Company at its New York branch. This company is extensively engaged in the manufacture of bowling alley, pool and billiard equipment and for about twelve years Mr. Larson continued in its service, having charge of the installation of bowling alleys. In 1917, when the United States entered the World war, he became connected with the Sperry Engineering Company as superintendent in charge of the construction of bar- racks, principally in the New London, Connecticut, district. In February, 1919, he established business on his own account in a small shop thirty by fifty feet, where he began manufacturing. The enterprise continued to grow and prosper and in July, 1923, a removal was made to his present location at 105 Front street. Here he had purchased water front property and erected thereon a two-story brick building fifty by eighty feet. Since that time, in order to meet the increasing demands of the business, three additions have been made to the building. He has extended the scope of his output to include the manufacture of pool and billiard
OSCAR LARSON
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tables. He makes sales direct to those who wish to use his prod- ucts and occasionally visits various sections to obtain orders, his business covering New York, New Jersey and the New England states.
On the 1st of December, 1904, Mr. Larson was married to Miss Amelia Johnson, and they have eight children: Eric, who attended the grammar and high schools and is now associated with his father; Edith, who supplemented her high school work by a course in the Stone Business College; Lillian, who after leaving high school took charge of the office work at her father's plant, where she still remains; Ethel, now a pupil in the Com- mercial high school; Paul, a student in the New Haven high school; and Elmer, Kenneth and Irene, who are attending gram- mar school.
Mr. Larson is a member of the Swedish Congregational Church, and his wife takes an active part in church work. When the opportunity offers he enjoys a hunting or fishing trip, but he has never been active in lodge or club circles nor sought publicity of any kind, preferring to concentrate his energies and attention upon his business affairs, with the result that substantial success has rewarded his efforts.
THE R. F. GRIGGS COMPANY
The R. F. Griggs Company, one of the old and reliable finan- cial organizations of Waterbury, has here engaged in business for twenty-seven years, providing investment service, facilities and advice, and its clients are found not only in this district and throughout Connecticut but in almost every section of the United States. The enterprise had its inception in July, 1903, when Robert Foote Griggs established an organization, under his own name, to conduct a general stock and bond brokerage business, specializing in the stocks of the established companies of Con- necticut, particularly those of the corporations in the Naugatuck valley and its vicinity.
Mr. Griggs' first office was located at 108 Bank street, and associated with him from his first day in the business was Pearl Julius Skilton, who is now vice president of The R. F. Griggs Company and whose continuous service of nearly twenty-seven
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years makes him the veteran of the present firm. Mr. Griggs' sterling character, his sound judgment, his popularity and high standing in the community, his steadily increasing knowledge of and expertness in matters of finance and investment, and his tireless energy made the business grow rapidly and by 1906 he found it necessary to seek larger quarters, which he secured in the Waterbury Savings Bank annex building at 63 North Main street. For the next few years the organization occupied only the first floor of the building, but the expansion of the business continued and the second floor was added to the office space, still later several rooms on the second floor of the main bank building being secured.
In 1915 Mr. Griggs decided that the scope of the undertaking had reached a stage whereby it would function better as a firm or corporation than as the business of one individual, and accord- ingly The R. F. Griggs Company was incorporated, with Mr. Griggs as the president, treasurer and general manager; Mr. Skilton as assistant treasurer; Alfred Lucius Hart, who joined the organization in 1907, as vice president; and Rowley Wil- helm Phillips, whose service with the concern began in 1915, as secretary. At a later period Francis Theodore Phillips was elected assistant secretary. These five became the directors and were the actual partners in the firm, holding their respective offices until Mr. Griggs' death on December 18, 1927. A por- tion of his interest in the firm was retained by his family, and the remainder was acquired by his partners. Mrs. Caroline White Griggs was elected to fill her husband's place on the board of directors, and Edward Norton Decker was added to the board. The present officers of the company are: Rowley W. Phillips, chairman of the board and general manager; Alfred L. Hart, president; Pearl J. Skilton, vice president; Francis T. Phillips, vice president, secretary and treasurer; E. Norton Decker, vice president and sales manager; and Edwin H. Angevine and Win- throp P. Buttrick, assistant secretaries.
During the existence of the firm the clerical, accounting, cor- respondence, statistical and selling departments have naturally expanded. The company's new building at 50 Leavenworth street affords larger and better facilities for these departments and con- sequently more convenience and comforts to its clients.
The R. F. Griggs Company operates today on the same basic
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policies as those under which Robert F. Griggs started the busi- ness, namely :
Its business is that of an investment banker and dealer and broker in investment securities. It does not handle margin accounts.
It will handle brokerage orders in any markets, supplying- by means of its private telegraph and telephone wires-as quick and accurate executions of orders and quotations as can be obtained anywhere.
It specializes in the securities of the leading Connecticut industrial and public utility companies and financial institutions.
It will give investment advice and counsel to the best of its ability at all times, and is constantly striving to make such service better and more thorough each year. The R. F. Griggs Company always endeavors to fit its advice and recommenda- tions to the circumstances of each client.
For years The R. F. Griggs Company has acted in the capacity of investment banker, as well as in its capacity of broker and dealer in stocks and bonds. In that capacity it underwrites and finances securities issues, becomes active in the markets for such securities and may become identified to a greater or lesser extent in the conduct of such businesses. Among the large cor- porations with which The R. F. Griggs Company has been asso- ciated in financing relations or distribution and underwriting of securities are The American Brass Company, American Founders Corporation, American Hardware Corporation, The Beardsley & Wolcott Manufacturing Company, The Bigelow Company, The Bridgeport Brass Company, the Bridgeport Gas Light Company, Bridgeport Hydraulic Company, Bullard Ma- chine Company, The Chase Companies, Clark Brothers Bolt Company, Connecticut Coke & Gas Company, Connecticut Elec- tric Service Company, the Connecticut Light & Power Company, the Connecticut Railway & Lighting Company, Eagle Lock Manufacturing Company, Eastern Malleable Iron Company, Farrel-Birmingham Foundry Company, Goldman Sachs Trading Corporation, The Hartford Electric Company, Incorporated In- vestors, International Securities Corporation of America, Inter- national Silver Company, Landers, Frary & Clark, Mallory Hat Company, Mckesson & Robbins, Incorporated, Mckesson & Rob- bins, Limited, New Britain Machine Company, New Haven
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Water Company, North Boston Lighting Properties, Plume & Atwood Manufacturing Company, The Risdon Manufacturing Company, The Rockland Light and Power Company, the Scovill Manufacturing Company, Second International Securities Cor- poration, The Southern New England Telephone Company, Springfield Gas Light Company, The United Illuminating Com- pany, The Waterbury Gas Light Company and Waterbury Far- rel Foundry & Machine Company.
PAUL E. SCHUMACHER
On the roster of public officials in New Haven county appears the name of Paul E. Schumacher, the efficient and popular young city clerk of Ansonia. He was born in Ansonia, Connecticut, March 21, 1898, his parents being John W. and Sarah Blackman (McCarthy) Schumacher, the former a native of Germany, while the latter was born in White Plains, New York. Both are now deceased. John W. Schumacher, who emigrated to the United States when a youth of seventeen years, long figured prominently in public affairs of New Haven county and the state. He served as councilman, fourth ward alderman, police commissioner and for one term as mayor of Ansonia, being elected on the demo- cratic ticket. For two terms he represented his district in the general assembly and made a most creditable record as a legis- lator, giving earnest and thoughtful consideration to the various questions which came up for settlement.
Paul E. Schumacher pursued his education in the public schools and as a high school student took part in amateur the- atricals and dramatics. Immediately following his graduation in June, 1917, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and went over- seas with the Second Division, with which he served for twenty- three months. Afterward he spent some time at the naval avia- tion headquarters in Paris, later acted as orderly to Admiral McAuliffe and subsequently was connected with the American embassy under Major Warburton. Following his return to Ansonia he spent six months in the plant of the Ansonia Novelty Company and then entered the employ of the S. O. & C. Com- pany, a branch of the United Shoe Machinery Company, with which he continued for six years. During that period he was
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connected with various branches of the business, being eventu- ally promoted to the industrial engineering department. Next he was employed for two years by the general agent of the John Hancock Insurance Company. It was in 1928 that he was elected to his present position, being the first democratic city clerk to hold office in Ansonia in thirty-one years. He will be a candidate for city clerk at the coming fall election, as his record in the office has been such that his constituents desire his continuance therein.
On the 30th of December, 1920, Mr. Schumacher was united in marriage to Miss Lillian S. Mayo, of Seymour, Connecticut. They are the parents of five children, namely: Jean Shrieve, John W. (II), Barbara, Paul E., Jr., and Lynne.
Mr. Schumacher is a Roman Catholic in religious faith, being a communicant of the Church of the Assumption, while frater- nally he is affiliated with Ansonia Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in which he has held all of the offices, being exalted ruler in 1927-28. In the latter year he was a member of the national convention of Elks. Mr. Schumacher has membership in the Sons of Hermann, a German society, in the Deutscher Verein and in the Highland Golf Club of Shelton, Connecticut, the last named organization indicating something of the nature of his recreation. He is, moreover, a member of the "Forty and Eight" and also belongs to William H. Gordon Post, No. 50 of the American Legion, of which he was drum major for a time.
HON. RAYMOND J. DEVLIN
Hon. Raymond J. Devlin, devoting his attention to the prac- tice of law in New Haven, is also numbered among the law makers of the state, being now a member of the senate, but whether engaged in framing the statutes of the commonwealth or in interpreting the laws of Connecticut he has proved a loyal and progressive citizen. He was born in Derby, Connecticut, November 23, 1899, a son of Frank and Catharine (Rourke) Devlin, also natives of that city.
The public school education of Raymond J. Devlin was com- pleted by graduation from the New Haven high school in 1916.
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He then entered business life but after working for two years became a student in Holy Cross College at Worcester, Massa- chusetts, where he won his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1922. He next matriculated in Yale University, which conferred upon him the degree of LL. B. in 1925. In January, 1926, he was admitted to the bar and after teaching school in New Haven for two years he entered upon the practice of law, in which he has since con- tinued. He is a member of the New Haven County Bar Asso- ciation and secretary of the New Haven County Bar Library Association. He is an able lawyer, methodical and thorough in the preparation of his cases, and by reason of his ability is rapidly forging to the front.
During the World war Mr. Devlin was in training at Camp Lee, Virginia, for a short time but his military duties were ter- minated by the signing of the armistice just about the time that he attained his nineteenth year. He belongs to the American Legion and to the Knights of Columbus. He has always taken an active interest in local politics and is the present secretary of the democratic town committee. He is an influential factor in political circles of the twenty-seventh ward, where he resides, and he has been called upon for important public service in his election to the state senate in 1929 for a term of two years. As a member of the upper house he was assigned to duty on the state's prison committee and the committee in charge of the sale of lands. During the last session he introduced several impor- tant bills, and at all times he has given his aid and support to those projects which he deems vital to the welfare of community and commonwealth.
EDWARD J. KENNEDY
With textile interests of New England the name of Edward J. Kennedy has long been closely and prominently associated, first as manager of the Dunham Mills, Incorporated, and later as president of its successor, the Naugatuck Mills, Incorporated, which office he is now filling. He was born in Seymour, Con- necticut, August 23, 1866, a son of John and Mary (Powers) Kennedy, who were natives of Ireland. They came to the United States about 1844 and were married in Waterbury, Connecticut.
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The father followed the trade of a blacksmith and also engaged in foundry work. In 1871 he removed to Naugatuck, where members of the family have since resided.
The educational advantages enjoyed by Edward J. Kennedy were those afforded by the public schools of Naugatuck, and his initial training along business lines was obtained in a foundry, where he worked for two years. After spending a short time in the establishment of the Goodyear India Rubber Glove Company he entered the employ of the Dunham Hosiery Company, at first filling a position in the worsted department and gradually work- ing his way upward as he mastered the details of the industry. In 1912 he was promoted to the position of superintendent and later was again advanced, becoming agent and general manager of the Dunham Mills, Incorporated. In those capacities he con- tinued until 1928, when the business was reorganized under the name of The Naugatuck Mills, Incorporated, of which he has since been president and treasurer. The best efforts of his life have been given to the industry, and in administering its affairs he brings to bear the knowledge, experience and wisdom acquired by forty-eight years of continuous activity in the business. The factory manufactured underwear for the government in large quantities during the World war, thus rendering valuable service to the country in its time of need. Mr. Kennedy has a highly specialized knowledge of the textile industry and is also thor- oughly informed on financial matters, with which he is closely associated as vice president and a director of the Naugatuck Bank & Trust Company.
On the 12th of February, 1888, Mr. Kennedy was married in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Miss Ellen Conlon, who was a daugh- ter of Frank and Ellen (Coughlin) Conlon and passed away in September, 1925. She had become the mother of six children, five sons and a daughter. George, the eldest, was born May 20, 1889, and is a graduate of Princeton College and the law school of the University of Michigan. In 1916 he aided in quelling the uprising on the Mexican border, while during the World war he served overseas for two years as a captain in the United States Army, and is now practicing law in New York city. John F., born in 1891, completed a course in the engineering department of Princeton and became connected with the Goodyear Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio. Elizabeth M., born in 1893, was grad-
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uated from the University of Michigan and is now the wife of Dr. Robert E. Haskett, a prominent dentist of Norwalk, Con- necticut. Edward J., Jr., born in 1895, served in the Tanks Corps during the war. He married Miss Margaret Quinn, of Naugatuck, and is now engaged in the manufacture of rayon cloth at New Brunswick, New Jersey. Frank W., born in 1899, devotes his attention to the lumber industry and is living in New London, Connecticut. Charles S., born in 1903, won the M. D. degree from Georgetown University in 1930. He was united in marriage to Miss Mildred Mutty, of Kansas. Mr. Kennedy's second union was with Miss Josephine McMahon, to whom he was married in Naugatuck in October, 1928.
Mr. Kennedy is a member of St. Francis Roman Catholic Church, and in politics he is a democrat. His outlook upon life is broad, and his aid and influence are always on the side of advancement and improvement. Never content with mediocrity, he has risen to the top through the force of his personality and the strength of his mental endowments, and is a man of substan- tial worth, honor and integrity being the keynote of his character.
CHARLES W. BROCK
The agricultural progress of New Haven county has been stimulated by the well directed efforts of Charles W. Brock, who is widely known as president of the Brock-Hall Dairy Company of Whitneyville, in which connection he has developed an exten- sive business. He was born March 18, 1866, in Middletown, Con- necticut, of which his parents, Henry J. and Sarah T. (Roberts) Brock, were also natives. As a young man the father followed the trade of an iron molder but later turned his attention to farming and dairying and was the owner of a fine herd of cows.
Reared on the homestead, Charles W. Brock attended the country schools of the district, receiving a very limited educa- tion, but he has broadened his knowledge by subsequent reading, observation and study. He remained with his father until he reached the age of nineteen years and received thorough train- ing along the line of general agricultural pursuits. His first position was with the Wilcox Lock Company, after which he went to work for D. Walter Patton, with whom he spent a year.
Charles W Brock
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On the 1st of October, 1886, he became associated with H. F. Potter, of Montowese, on a milk route and has since been identi- fied with the dairy industry. That connection was maintained until March 1, 1890, when Mr. Brock entered the dairy business independently at Montowese, purchasing his milk from the Pat- ton farm and selling it to customers on the route. On the 1st of January, 1894, he disposed of the enterprise which he had estab- lished there, removing to New Haven, and has engaged in the dairy business at Hamden since 1895. In 1912 he purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres and began buying milch cows. With the passing years he has added to his herd, which now comprises about sixty head of Ayrshire cows of high grade. Meanwhile he had prospered in his activities at Hamden and in September, 1925, consolidated his business with that of Hon. Henry F. Hall, forming the Brock-Hall Dairy Company. Mr. Brock has since been president of the company and is wisely and successfully administering the affairs of one of the largest organizations of the kind in New England. His intimate knowl- edge of the dairy industry is supplemented by executive force and mature judgment, making his efforts resultant and effective, and the policy which he follows is one which inspires public trust and confidence.
Mr. Brock was married October 23, 1890, to Miss Minnie C. Hurd, and of the children born to them six are now living: Ruth, the wife of George H. Priess; Eva, who is Mrs. John Frederick- son ; Charles Raymond, general manager of the Brock-Hall Dairy Company ; Irma, the wife of Ernest Bornemann; Ethna, at home; and Myron, who is also connected with the Brock-Hall Dairy Company.
Mr. Brock is a member of the Hamden Chamber of Com- merce, while his fraternal affiliations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Day Spring Lodge, A. F. & A. M .; and the Eastern Star. He was a charter member of the Whitney Volunteer Fire Company; has filled the office of second selectman for three years and for fifteen years has been a member of the board of trustees of the Whitneyville Congregational Church. For the past two years he was president of the New Haven County Cow Testing Association but resigned and is now a director. In all matters of citizenship he is loyal and public-spirited and has done much to further the advancement of his community along
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material and moral lines. As a business man he has also attained high standing, and his influence is one of broadening activity and strength in the field in which he is operating.
LEWIS SAGAL
In professional circles of New Haven the name of Lewis Sagal, certified public accountant, of the firm of Lewis Sagal & Company, is well known and he is also the vice president of the Connecticut State Society of Certified Public Accountants. The public schools of New Haven afforded him his early educational opportunities, and he completed his course as a student in the New Haven evening high school, from which he was graduated in 1917. He next entered New York University and is num- bered among its alumni of 1921, in which year he received a certificate of Proficiency in Business, after completing a general four year course in commerce, accountancy and finance. He then passed the Connecticut state examination and received the degree of Certified Public Accountant in May, 1922. While still attend- ing New York University he began practice in New York city and thus gained about three years' experience before coming to New Haven. Having thus thoroughly qualified for his chosen life work, he opened an office in New Haven in the early part of 1922 and has one of the best equipped establishments of the kind in the city. He also maintains an office in New York city. Mr. Sagal is truly a self-educated as well as a self-made man, for his own labors provided the funds necessary for his college courses. In the intervening years since he opened an office here he has gained a large clientele and now employs a staff of well trained accountants. He occupies a suite of five rooms in the Liberty building, and in his professional capacity he represents some of the largest industrial and commercial enterprises of New Haven and vicinity. He also has clients in various parts of the country and likewise has European representation. He has ever held to the highest standards and purposes of his chosen calling and is a valued member of the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants, of which he was auditor for one year, treasurer for two years, secretary one year and is now its vice president. He likewise is a member of the American Society of Certified
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Public Accountants and of the National Association of Cost Accountants. He has made a thorough study of the income tax law and has had considerable experience in the practice of income tax, being recognized as a tax expert and is admitted to practice before the highest departments of the treasury.
Mr. Sagal's fraternal connections are with the Masonic order, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the United Com- mercial Travelers. He largely finds his recreation in golf, tennis and other outdoor sports. His is a creditable record, characterized by marked devotion to duty, by a wise use of his time, talents and opportunities, and he occupies a prominent position among the public accountants of the state.
ALFRED LUCIUS HART
Alfred Lucius Hart is president of the R. F. Griggs Company, brokers and investment bankers of Waterbury, with which he has been continuously connected during the past twenty-two years, becoming its executive head on the death of its founder in December, 1927. He is a native son of Waterbury, Connecti- cut, born December 10, 1880, his parents being Jay Hiscox and Bertha (Platt) Hart. In both the paternal and maternal lines he is descended from families of old New England ancestry promi- nently identified with the development of New England and Waterbury. The record of his forebears was published by The Writers Press Association, as follows: "On the paternal side the ancestry is traced back to Deacon Stephen Hart, who, com- ing from Essex county, England, in 1632, became a resident of the Massachusetts Bay colony and one of the fifty-four original settlers of Cambridge. The line is traced down through Captain John Hart, Deacon John Hart and Solomon Hart, the first settler of Hartsville, Massachusetts, after whom the town is named, Alfred Hart and Jay Hiscox Hart, father of the subject of this sketch.
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