USA > Connecticut > Illustrated popular biography of Connecticut > Part 21
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including those of commander of the department of Connecticut and judge-advocate-general on the staff of the commander-in-chief. His religious connections are with the First Congregational church of Hartford, and in politics he is a republi- can. There is not a lawyer in the state who has a more honorable standing before the bar or the public.
JAMES W. HYATT, NORWALK: President Fair- field County National Bank.
The subject of this sketch is among the citizens of Connecticut who are distinguished for their ser- vices both to the commonwealth and the republic, and for the wide range of public honors which have been conferred upon them. Mr. Hyatt was born in Norwalk in 1837. He studied in the common schools until he was thir- teen years of age, when he commenced an active business life. Step by step he rapidly and stead- ily advanced, and we find him from 1860 to 1872 a trusted clerk with the JAMES W. HYATT. banking firm of Le Grand Lockwood & Co. of New York. Since his return to Norwalk, Conn., in 1873, he has had positions of trust placed in his charge. In 1873 he was elected justice of the peace, and also vice-president of the Danbury & Norwalk Railroad Company, which office he held until 1881, when he was elected its , president. In 1874 he was elected president of the Norwalk Horse Railroad Company, and has been re-elected each year since. In 1875 and 1876 he represented the town of Norwalk in the state legis- lature, and was appointed on the house committee on finance, a position of considerable importance, and in 1876 did much excellent work for the com- monwealth. In 1876 Governor Ingersoll appointed him bank commissioner to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of the Hon. George M. Landers, who was returned to congress. This position he held almost continuously until the spring of 1887, when he was appointed United States treasurer by President Cleveland. He was warden of the borough of Norwalk for six years; a selectman of the town; has held the offices both of vice-president and president of the Danbury & Norwalk Railroad; vice-president and director of the National Bank of Norwalk; and president of the Norwalk Club. He was elected to represent the Thirteenth sena- torial district of Connecticut in the legislature of 1884, but resigned his seat on February 26 of that year to accept a re-appointment to the bank com-
missionership by Governor Waller. At the close of his term in the service of the state he was ap- pointed United States bank examiner for Connecti- cut and Rhode Island; and subsequently, as above stated, to the treasuryship of the United States. His present active official connections are with the Fairfield County National Bank and the Norwalk Horse Railroad Company, of both which corpora- tions he is the president.
Mr. Hyatt is a member of the Episcopal church of Norwalk, of the Masonic fraternity, and the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows. He married Miss Jane M. Hoyt of Stamford, and has a family of four children. He is a straightforward demo- crat of the old school, to the principles of which political faith he consistently adheres. He is of a nervous temperament and positive character, quick to decide and prompt to act, a discriminating stu- dent of human nature, strong and loyal in his per- sonal friendships, a useful and honored citizen, and a true patriot.
THOMAS DUNCAN, POQUONOCK (WINDSOR): Pa- per Manufacturer.
Thomas Duncan was born in Scotland, August 13, 1832, and was educated in the Scottish parochial schools. He remained in Scotland until he was twenty years of age, when he removed to this coun- try, where he has since resided. He spent nine months in New Jersey after his arrival from Scotland. For thirty- eight years he has been a resident of Connecticut and has been prominently associated with business, political, and religious in- terests during that time. He has been twice a mem- ber of the legislature from THOMAS DUNCAN. Windsor, serving on the republican side of the house. He is identified with the Congregational church and is an influential representative of that denomination in the state, being a member of the Connecticut Congregational Club. He is connected with the Hartford Paper Company, the Globe Sul- phite Boiler Company, and is treasurer and gen- eral manager of the Hudson River Water Power and Paper Company at Mechanicsville, N. Y. At present he is engaged in the erection of a large paper mill in connection with the pulp works there, which will be one of the largest in the country when finished. Mr. Duncan has been married twice. His first wife, who died in 1867, was Miss Grace Yule prior to her marriage. The second wife, who is still living, was Janet Gillies. There
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were five children by his first marriage, four of whom are living. Mr. Duncan is one of the lead- ing manufacturers in Hartford county, and is widely known as a business manager. He is a gentleman of the most enjoyable personal charac- ter, and has hosts of friends in Hartford county. Mr. Duncan's home is at Poquonock.
SOLOMON LUCAS, NORWICH: Attorney-at-Law.
Solomon Lucas, one of the most successful prac- titioners at the bar of New London county, was born at Norwich, April 1, 1836. His early ed- ucational advantages were somewhat limited, but he acquired a solid education in the pub- lic schools, and proceeded to a preparation for his life work with a determi- nation and spirit which made the undertaking almost an accomplish- ment from the outset. He was a diligent and earnest law student in the office of Hon. John T. SOLOMON LUCAS. Wait of Norwich, and in 1862 was admitted to the bar, since which time he has been in active and continuous practice in that city. He was married in 1864 to Miss Elizabeth A. Crosby, daughter of Hiram Crosby, a prominent woolen manufacturer and dealer of Lyme, Conn., who removed to Norwich and there spent the last years of his life. Mrs. Lucas died in October, 1874, leaving two daughters. Mr. Lucas is a dem- ocrat in politics, and as such represented Preston in the legislature of 1863, of which body he was one of the youngest members. He has since de- clined to run for any political office, being entirely devoted to his profession. He is, however, state's attorney for New London county, to which position he was called on account of his professional fitness rather than for political reasons. His religious con- nections are with the Second Congregational church and society, and he has been first commit- teeman of that society for many years. He holds a directorship in the Norwich Street Railway Com- pany, and sustains semi-official relations with various minor local enterprises. He is an active and useful citizen, always ready to perform any pub- lic service which lies clearly within the line of duty, not incompatible with his professional obligations.
Mr. Lucas enjoys an enviable reputation among his legal contemporaries and with the public. His standing as a lawyer is high, and he is accorded universal credit for the great success which he has conquered. He has been absolutely untiring in working his way upward in his profession, until at
the present time he ranks among the leading prac- titioners of the state. As state's attorney he has discharged his duties ably and faithfully. A dis- tinguished member of the New London county bar says of Mr. Lucas: " He is a bright, keen, success- ful lawyer, earnestly devoted to his profession; one who takes good care of his clients, and is not dis- mayed by any opposition. He has been the archi- tect of his own fortune, and deserves great credit for winning the high position which he occupies as an attorney and advocate."
WILLIAM WALDO HYDE, HARTFORD: Attor- ney-at-Law.
William Waldo Hyde, acting school visitor and president of the street board, was born in 'Tolland, March 25, 1854, and was educated at Yale College, graduating with honor in the class of 1876. His classmates in the univer- sity included Prof. Arthur T. Hadley, John J. Jen- nings of Bristol, and the late Walker Blaine of Washington. Mr. Hyde is a member of the distin- guished law firm of Hyde, Gross & Hyde of this city, and is a lawyer of su- perior attainments. He has been a member of the board of school visitors W. W. HYDE. and the acting school visitor for a number of years, winning especial distinction in that position. The public schools of the city, which must be affected in an important manner by his administration and influence, have not been noted for more thorough or conscientious work during their history than at present. Mr. Hyde is the president of the board of street commissioners, a position of more than ordinary responsibility in the municipal govern- ment, and has discharged the duties of the place with uninterrupted success. He is a member of the South Congregational church, the University Club of New York, the Hartford Club, St. Jolin's Lodge, No. 4, F. and A. M., of this city. and of Washington Commandery, Knights Templar. He is also a member of the Improved Order of Red Men. He is one of the ablest and most influential representatives of the democratic party in Hart- ford, and is widely known as a leader throughout the state. His father, Hon. A. P. Hyde of this city, and his grandfather, the late Judge Loren P. Waldo, have conveyed to him through training and education the purest principles of democracy. Mr. Hyde has a family, consisting of a wife and two children. The former was Miss Helen E. Watson. daugliter of the late George W. Watson.
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JOHN HENRY WOOD, THOMASTON: Superin- tendent Seth Thomas Clock Company; President Thomaston:Knife Company.
J. H. Wood is the oldest son of Henry and Julia (Ford) Wood, and grandson of James and Susan (Elmer) Wood of East Windsor, his mother being a
direct descendant of Barnabas Ford, one of the oldest settlers of Northbury (now Thomas- ton), then part of the town of Waterbury. Mr. Wood was born June 30, 1828, and began early in life to earn his own living, working at farming sum- mers and attending school during the winter months. At the age of fifteen he J. H. WOOD. received from his father his time as a heritage, and immediately contracted with Morse & Blakes- lee (both cousins of his), to serve a three years' ap- prenticeship in learning the trade of making clock movements, remaining in the employ of the firm one year after the expiration of the term. Since 1848, with the exception of about nine months, he has been connected with the Seth Thomas Clock Company as contractor and foreman, and for the past thirty-four years, as superintendent of the clock movement factory of the company. He was married at the age of twenty-one to Mary Ostrom of Torrington, by whom he has had two children, a daughter and son. The daughter, Eliza, married Lieutenant O. B. Sawyer of Com- pany A, Fourteenth regiment, Connecticut Volun- teers, and died Feb. 17, 1872, leaving two sons, Frederick H. and Wilbur J., and one daughter, who died in infancy. Lieutenant Sawyer died Nov. 16, 1874, leaving his two orphaned boys in the care of their grandparents, John H. and Mary Wood; both of them are at present pursuing a collegiate course at Wesleyan University in Middletown. The son, Henry O., is married to Bell Mallory, resides in Thomaston, and is assisting his father by keep- ing the books of the department under his charge.
Mr. Wood is a public-spirited, kind-hearted, affa- ble gentleman, and a man of thorough temperance principles and habits. In politics he is a republi- can, having been connected with that party since its formation. He has been grand juror, school committee, trustee for thirty years (and at present) of the Methodist Episcopal Church, chairman of the building committee which erected the present church in 1866, one of the corporators, and at present a director, vice-president, and one of the loaning committee of the Thomaston Savings Bank, and president of the Thomaston Knife Company.
He was a member of the general assembly of Con- necticut from Thomaston in 1887, having in the election a clear majority over three other candi- dates for the same office; he was assigned by Speaker Hoyt to the committee on banks.
JONATHAN B. BUNCE, HARTFORD: President Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company.
Mr. Bunce is a native and has remained during most of his life a resident of Hartford, where he was born April 4, 1832. His father was a merchant, and the boy's early edu- cational experience in the district and public high school was sandwiched with mercantile apprenti- ship in the paternal estab- lishment. A year and a half in the scientific de- partment of Yale Univer- sity effectually and per- manently disturbed his connection with the home store, and, at the age of twenty-two, the young man embarked in the J. B. BUNCE. commission business in New York city, as a mem- ber of the firm of Dibble & Bunce, which he fol- lowed for nine years, or until called back to Hart- ford by the death of his father in 1860. Here he became a partner -which relation his father had sustained until his death - with Drayton Hillyer, in the wool business, the firm being Hillyer & Bunce. This partnership and business was main- tained for fifteen years, at the expiration of which period he accepted the vice-presidency of the Phœ- nix Mutual Life Insurance Company. From 1875 to 1889 he occupied that position, and on the reor- ganization of the company in 1889 was advanced to the presidency, in which latter position he has re- mained to the present time. At the breaking out of the war he was appointed quartermaster-general of Connecticut, holding the office through the unex- pired term of his predecessor, to complete which he was appointed. He was married May 9, 1860, to Miss Laura Dibble, daughter of Calvin B. Dibble of Granby. They have had eight children, of whom six are now living -three sons and three daughters. Mr. Bunce is a member of the Pearl Street Congregational church and society, of which institution he was one of the original incorporators. In politics he is a republican, and has been such since the birth of the party. Hc has been and still is connected with several of the financial and char- itable organizations of the city, among which may be mentioned his relations as director with the Phoenix National Bank, Hartford Fire Insurance Company, the Society for Savings, Connecticut
BIOGRAPHY OF CONNECTICUT.
Trust and Safe Deposit Company, the American Deaf and Dumb Asylum, and the Hartford Hos- pital. He has been for thirty years secretary of the Hartford Retreat for the Insane, and has sustained various official positions of minor importance not here enumerated.
The Bunce family is one of the ancient and repre- sentative families of Hartford, going back in a direct line to John Bunce, one of the early settlers of the town. The father of the subject of this sketch, James M. Bunce, and his grandfather, Rus- sell Bunce, will be well remembered, either per- sonally or by reputation, by many of the older in- habitants of Hartford of the present day. They were, as are all their descendants, men of stalwart integrity, and of great sagacity in civil and com- mercial affairs, and strict observants of external courtesies in their intercourse with men; conscien- tiously fulfilling to the best of their ability all the duties and obligations of life.
CHARLES E. GROSS, HARTFORD : Attorney-at- Law
. Charles E. Gross, of the Hartford law firm of Hyde, Gross & Hyde, was born in this city August 18, 1847, and educated at the Hartford High School and Vale College, grad- uating with honor from the university in 1869. After graduating he taught for a time in El- lington. He then studied with Waldo, Hubbard & Hyde, and was afterward admitted to partnership. At the death of the senior member, Judge Loren P. Waldo, his name was in- corporated in that of the firm, which was known as Hubbard, Hyde & Gross, C. E. GROSS. until the demise of Governor Hubbard. Mr. Gross is a prominent member of the Hartford county bar and one of the most successful practitioners in the city. He is a democrat in politics. The only office that he has held is that of school visitor. But he has declined numerous nominations, preferring to give his entire attention to business. He is a mem- ber of the Asylum Hill Congregational church and a gentleman of the most exemplary character. He has a wife and two children. The former was Miss Nellie C. Spencer, daughter of the late Calvin Spencer of Hartford, and is a lady of high social prominence. Mr. Gross is a member of the Vale Alumni Association and is one of the ablest repre- sentatives of Yale training and culture in this city. As a lawyer and citizen he is held in the highest personal regard.
GEORGE MAXWELL, ROCKVILLE: President and Treasurer Hockanum Company, Woolen Manu- facturers.
The Maxwell family are of Scotch-Irish descent, and for many years resided in the north of Ireland, Hugh Maxwell, the grandfather of the subject of this biography, having bcen a native of Minter- burn, county Tyrone, where he was born in 1733. His father, who bore the same name, be- ing a Calvinist, and dis- liking the established church of Ireland, deter- mined to remove to Amer- ica with his family. The younger Hugh ardently espoused the cause of the colonists during the war of the revolution, attained GEORGE MAXWELL. the rank of colonel, and was well known as a brave officer and Christian patriot. He died in 1799, at the age of sixty-seven. His son Sylvester, the father of George Maxwell, was born in 1775, grad- uated from Yale in 1797, married Tirzah Taylor, by whom he had four sons and four daughters, settled in Charlemont, Mass., as a lawyer, and died in I858.
George Maxwell, the only surviving brother among Sylvester's eight children, was born July 30, 1817, in Charlemont, where he remained until seventeen years of age, varying the time with such employments as the farm requires, when not en- gaged in his school duties. He then removed to Greenfield, Mass., and for ten years filled the posi- tion of a clerk, making Rockville his residence in 1843. Here he began a mercantile course, which ex- tended over a period of four years, when he became identified with the New England Company, manu- facturers of woolen goods. He remained ten years with this company, and then transferred his rela- tions to the Hockanum Company, first holding the office of treasurer and subsequently that of presi- dent, both of which he now fills. On the re-organ- ization of the New England Company he was made its president. He speedily became an influential factor in the leading financial enterprises of Rock- ville, where his'executive genius and sound busi- ness qualities placed him in many positions of trust. He is treasurer of the Springville Company. president of the Rockville National Bank, president of the Rockville Gas Light Company and of the Rockville Railroad Company, treasurer of the Rockville Water Power Company, president of the Rockville Aqueduct Company, and director of va- rious other enterprises, including the Society of Savings of Hartford, the Hartford Trust Company,
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and the National Fire Insurance Company of the same city. Mr. Maxwell's political affiliations are with the republican party, by whom he was elected to represent the town of Vernon in the general assembly of 1871, and his district in the state sen- ate in 1872. He was an active and influential member, and for many years a deacon in the Sec- ond Congregational church of Rockville, and now sustains the same relations in the Union Congrega- tional church, in which the First and Second churches were recently merged. He is also a trus- tee of Hartford Theological Seminary. In benevo- lent enterprises, and all efforts to advance the cause of Christianity, he has been a leading spirit and a tireless worker. He has during his long resi- dence in Rockville ever been actively enlisted, by personal effort and generous pecuniary aid, in the advancement of all public improvements, and in the widest possible dissemination of intelligence through the medium of the public schools.
Mr. Maxwell was married, November 3, 1846, to Harriet, daughter of the late Hon. George Kellogg, the founder of Rockville and a gentleman whose memory is revered by all who ever knew him. They have five children, three sons and two daugh- ters.
[Mr. Maxwell died at his home in Rockville, April 2, 1891, after the above sketch had been pre- pared. - ED.]
AMOS WHITNEY, HARTFORD: Superintendent The Pratt & Whitney Co.
Amos Whitney, one of the founders of The Pratt & Whitney Co., the largest concern of the kind in the state, was born at Biddeford, Me., Oct. 8, 1833, and was educated in the common schools at Sacca- rappa in that state. At the age of twelve he re- moved to Exeter, N. H., where he remained until he was fourteen years of age. He then entered the employ of the Essex Machine Co. in Lawrence, Mass., and learned the machinist trade. He is one of the most competent AMOS WHITNEY. mechanical workers in New England and has at- tained an enviable reputation not only in this country, but abroad. Mr. Whitney came to Hart- ford forty years ago.
In connection with Mr. Francis A. Pratt, who has been for years at the head of the Pratt & Whitney Company, he organ- ized the business, which was begun in the most un- assuming manner. The most extravagant dreams
of the founders could not have foreshadowed the success that has attended their work and manage- ment. The company is known in every European capital of importance, its productions of machinery and ordnance giving it a world-wide distinction. Mr. Whitney is a gentleman of the most retiring disposition and has declined active participation in public affairs. He is a republican in politics. His religious associations are with the Universalist church. The family of this noted business mana- ger consists of a wife and two children, one son and one daughter. Mrs. Whitney, prior to her mar- riage, was Miss Laura Johnson. His home is one of delightful social attractions and domestic felicity.
JOSEPH B. PIERCE, HARTFORD: Secretary and Treasurer of the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspec- tion and Insurance Company.
Mr. Pierce was born in that part of Plymouth which is now known as the town of Thomaston, Oct. 13, 1835, and received a common school educa- tion, preparing him for a business career that has proved exceptionally suc- cessful. Prior to his re- moval to this city he was connected with the Seth Thomas Clock Company. Most of his business life, however, has been asso- ciated with insurance in- terests. He was in the fire insurance business from 1861 until 1873. In March of the latter year he accepted a responsible J. B. PIERCE. position with the company which he now represents, and has sustained his share in advancing and pro- moting its interests. He is a gentleman of excep- tional ability in the insurance field, and has had an invaluable experience in the special line of insu- rance which his company has developed. He is a prominent member of the Fourth Congregational church in this city, chairman of the society's com- mittee, member of the board of deacons, treasurer of the evangelistic fund, secretary of the Hartford Tract Society, and member of the board of trustees of Warburton chapel. He is also the president of the Hartford Manufacturing Company. In politics Secretary Pierce is a republican. His wife, who is still living, was Miss Sophia A. Boardman, daugh- ter of the late Elizur Boardman, and a descendant of one of Hartford's oldest families. The only daughter, Mrs. Arthur H. Merry, is now residing at Augusta, Ga. Mr. Pierce has been a resident of Hartford since 1854, and is thoroughly esteemed and honored in the community.
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MILES B. PRESTON, HARTFORD : Sheriff of Hartford County.
Miles Barber Preston was born in Simsbury in May, 1850, his parents being Truman W. and Mary Etta Preston of that town, the latter, whose maiden name was Mary E. Brong, was a native of Addison, N. Y. Her death oc- curred a few years ago at Culpeper, Va. The father of Sheriff Preston is still living at Hartford, having returned north after the death of his wife in Virginia. The subject of this sketch was educated in the public schools, completing his studies in the private school of the late Rev. M. B. PRESTON. O. S. Taylor in Simsbury. Mr. Preston's father was, during this period, the town clerk of Simsbury, this fact in itself opening to him the best opportuni- ties for obtaining a satisfactory education. At an early age Mr. Preston exhibited a decided taste for ornamental painting, and his business career has been shaped in the main by that fact. His father was the proprietor and manager of a carriage shop, and the ornamental work in painting offered special attraction to the son. He learned the trade and at the age of nineteen removed to Hartford, engaging in the railroad shops of the New York & Hartford road. In 1870 he accepted a position of responsi- bility in the works of John Markham at Pleasant Valley, in Barkhamsted, being placed in charge of the painting department and remaining there three years. In 1873 he returned to Hartford and entered the employ of the H., P. & F. road as an orna- mental painter. After spending five years in the company's shops, he decided to engage in business for himself, and bought out the place owned by Theodore Thorpe, Jr., at the corner of Pearl and Trumbull streets. Benjamin W. Kenyon was admitted to partnership with him, the firm being Preston & Kenyon. The business was commenced in IS78 and has developed into one of large propor- tions. Messrs. Preston & Kenyon unquestionably have the largest amount of sign work of any house in New England outside of Boston. The presiden- tial campaign of ISSo opened an interesting and profitable field of work, the net campaign banner becoming an indispensable adjunet of the canvass. Mr. Preston caught the idea and developed an admirable specialty in connection with it. In ISSI house painting was added to the firm's business, employing a considerable corps of workmen. The firm of Bonner, Preston & Co., which conducts one of the finest trades in the city in its line, was estab-
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