USA > Connecticut > Representative citizens of Connecticut, biographical memorial > Part 26
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George Maxwell was united in marriage, November 3, 1846, with Harriet Kellogg, a native of Rockville, and a daughter of George Kellogg, a prominent and highly respected citizen of that place. To them were born nine children of whom four are now living, as follows: Francis T., J. Alice, William and Robert. The sons have inherited their father's great business talents as well as his other qualifications for good citizenship, and in their various relations to the life of their community figure among the prominent men in the State of Connecticut.
The death of George Maxwell, which occurred April 2, 1891, removed one of the most striking figures from a society where strong characters and brilliant personalities were the rule rather than the exception. He possessed in a high degree all those personal qualities which mark the best types of his race; a strong moral sense, unimpeachable honesty and integrity of purpose, courage and unlimited capacity for hard work. If, as Carlyle remarks, "genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains," then surely Mr. Maxwell might make a strong plea to be regarded as a genius of high degree. To these sterner virtues he added a genial candor of temperament, the humor that seems an inseparable accompaniment to a due sense of proportion, and a gentleness towards weakness that made men who felt their cause to be just instinctively turn to him, as to a friend, for support and encourage- ment. His was a character that, aside from his great material achievements, could not fail to affect powerfully any environment in which it might have been placed and which, in his death, left a gap which even years have failed entirely to fill.
Edward Williams hooker
STRONG character and the ability to lead others is, doubtless, like other qualities, an inheritable trait so that we need feel no surprise when we see the sons of capable fathers growing up themselves resolute and commanding figures. Yet, when we pause to think of the incalculably complex ancestries of each and all of us, of the myriad diverse elements that enter a family with every marriage so that generation after gen- eration our relationships multiply in some staggering geometric progres- sion, it would appear that no character could remain fixed beyond a couple of generations at the most and that family peculiarities must forever flux and flow, forever shift and change with almost the speed of, and a far greater variety than, any kaleidoscope. Truly we are in a very grave sense at the mercy of our ancestors and our one comfort should be that out of any thousand such, nine hundred and ninety-nine will prove to be the proverbial "good men and true." But however this may be, however appearances seem against it, the fact remains that in many families we see generation after generation displaying the same virile energy, the same capacity for leader- ship that marked the great man their progenitor in a remote past. It would be difficult, perhaps, to find a better illustration of this fact than in the his- tory of the distinguished Hooker family, of Hartford, Connecticut, which, from the time of that man of iron strength, Thomas Hooker, the founder of Hartford, has still continued to produce men who have played brilliant and prominent parts in the affairs of the community upon which they have so peculiar a claim. One of the latest of these was the distinguished gentleman whose name heads this brief notice, Edward Williams Hooker, ex-Mayor, State Senator, and one of the most influential men in Connecticut's capital city, whose death there on the second day of September, 1915, at the untimely age of less than fifty years, was felt as a public loss.
Edward Williams Hooker was born October 19, 1865, in the city of Hart- ford. He traced his descent back to one John Hooker, who dwelt in Devon- shire, England, in the latter part of the fifteenth or the early years of the sixteenth century, two generations prior to the emigration from that coun- try to America. The immigrant ancestor in this country, the Rev. Thomas Hooker, is too well known to need discussion here, founder of the colony of Connecticut and father of its constitution, his story is a part of American history. Besides this great figure, Mr. Hooker numbered among his ances- tors such men as the Rev. Samuel Hooker, Hon. John Hooker and Bryan Hooker who lived from 1763 to 1826 and was one of those who introduced the manufacture of wool in Connecticut. His father, Bryan Edward Hooker, son of the above Bryan Hooker, was also a conspicuous figure in the com- munity, being himself a prominent woolen manufacturer and representing his district in the State Legislature. Edward Williams Hooker passed the years of his childhood and early youth in the house of his father in Hart- ford, attending there the excellent public schools and finally graduating
Edw. W. Hooker,
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from the high school with the class of 1885. He was just twenty years of age at this time and he at once secured a position in the Broad Brook Woolen Manufacturing Company with which his father was connected in the capac- ity of treasurer and general manager for above forty years. Here he had his first taste of business life and applying himself with commendable indus- try to his task, became thoroughly conversant with all the details of the woolen industry and learned to card, sort, spin, weave and design with his own hand as well as to superintend the work of others in all the various operations in the great mills. As it happened, however, he was not destined to engage in the business for any great length of time for in 1895 the con- cern passed out of the hands of his father and his partners, being purchased by its present owners, Messrs. Ogden and Brook. The ten years spent by him in the manner described had made a capable business man of Mr. Hooker, whose ability was generally recognized and he had no difficulty in securing an excellent place with the Perkins Electric Switch Manufacturing Company as its secretary and treasurer. He remained four years with this concern and then resigned the office to engage in business on his own account. In partnership with Hiram C. Nickerson, of New York City, he founded a brokerage firm under the style of Hooker & Nickerson, with offices in the Catlin Building on the corner of Main and Asylum streets, the site now occupied by the Hartford National Bank. This association was severed and later Mr. Hooker engaged in the insurance business in partner- ship with William R. Penrose as Hooker & Penrose, securing the Hartford agency for the New York Underwriters, the Commercial Union and the Palatine Insurance companies, as well as of some less important concerns. The offices of Hooker & Penrose are in the Connecticut Mutual Building, Mr. Hooker continuing actively as its head until his death.
Although his business enterprises were all of them eminently success- ful and he, himself, a prominent figure in the business world, it is not in that connection that Mr. Hooker was best known in Hartford, but rather as a public official and man of affairs. All during his youth he had been keenly interested in political questions, and he was a strong adherent to the prin- ciples and policies of the Republican party. As time went on and he grew to be more and more a familiar figure in the city, and his popularity became wider, his party began to note in him the material for a strong candidate and representations were made to him on their part. For some time, however, Mr. Hooker turned a deaf ear to these proposals, he was busy establishing the firm of Hooker & Penrose on the firmest kind of footing and did not feel that he should suspend that operation until it was complete. At length, however, came a time when he felt justified in relaxing somewhat his atten- tion to business and turning it to something even more interesting to him, the conduct of public affairs. It was two years before his fortieth birthday that he was unanimously nominated by the Republican caucus as a repre- sentative to the Connecticut General Assembly and at the following election he was chosen to that responsible office by a satisfactory majority. For two years he did effective work for the community in that body and gained an enviable reputation, not only with the general public, but with his col- leagues. He was appointed to the chairmanship of the committee on banks
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Comato dalilliams Hooker
and was extremely active in the deliberations of all kinds, leaving a very definite impress of his character and personality on the Assembly. In the spring of the year 1908 Mr. Hooker's name was proposed as candidate for mayor of Hartford and met with immediate favor. That the descendant of Thomas Hooker should occupy the place of chief executive in the city he had founded appealed to men's idea of the appropriate and, indeed, was not without a similar appeal to the mind of Mr. Hooker himself. Once the mat- ter was arranged and he had thoroughly made up his mind to accept the offer, Mr. Hooker threw himself into the campaign heart and soul and won with very satisfactory majorities both in the primaries and the election, the latter against so formidable an opponent as ex-Mayor Ignatius A. Sullivan. In spite of his victory, however, certain political forces which he had very consciously and deliberately antagonized began now to work against his further career and the contest between them developed so far as to very nearly become an open rupture. The local organization of his party in Hart- ford was a powerful one and, as is common in such cases, was much under the influence of certain interests which should always remain outside of politics. To receive directions from these influences was something that Mr. Hooker, who was extremely independent in thought and action, could not and would not brook and this disposition to disregard the mandates of the powers that be never displayed itself more conspicuously than during the time he served in the mayoral capacity. He was very active in the community's affairs and it was due to his efforts that a number of reforms were instituted very much in its interest. All these things were watched by his opponents with a disapproving eye and when the time came for the next mayoral elec- tion, the word had gone forth among the "machine's" henchmen that Hooker should be defeated. The story of the following campaign with these forces arrayed against him is of great interest and certainly great credit to Mayor Hooker. He had won during his term of office the respect and even the affection of the community and this, with its usual perspicacity, the "ma- chine" did not dare openly to oppose. He received, therefore, a unanimous nomination in the party primaries, but at election there was enough dis- affection from the ticket to throw the choice to his Democratic rival, Judge Edward L. Smith. Having accomplished this rather doubtful victory against him, the sinister powers were obliged to withdraw temporarily from action in the face of an awakened popular suspicion regarding the causes of Mr. Hooker's defeat and the result was that in the autumn of the same year -1910-he was nominated and elected to the State Senate from the Second District. It is a remarkable tribute to his ability and popularity that two years later he was again elected Senator, although the elections went almost unbrokenly Democratic that year. The Democrats themselves explained the matter by the remark that Mr. Hooker was more essentially democratic than many who bore the party name, and doubtless this had much to do with it, but though it won for him on that occasion, it was this same sturdy democ- racy that purchased his disfavor with his adversaries. During his office in the State Senate he continued his work for the public interests with the same disinterestedness and courage, the same disregard of results, and at the same time his struggle with the "machine" continued also. What would have
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been the final outcome there is no means of guessing, the power of corrup- tion was great, but it had against it a strong, resourceful and popular man, who might very well have won in the end had his life but been spared him. Of him one of the more independent of the Hartford papers, the "Daily Times," wrote:
There were qualities about the man that would have made him an ideal representa- tive of the people in public life, whether in the State House or in the halls of Congress. But he would not cater to the party machine. He was inclined to be an insurgent, and to preserve itself, of course, the machine must necessarily be against him. People who watched Hooker closely in the Legislature felt that it would be a boon to the State if his party would advance such a man to the Governorship or send him to Congress. But the powers which controlled nominations had other plans. Hooker's independence of dictation was too pronounced. Yet his power was such that no machine could com- pletely sidetrack him. Had he retained his health, there is no assurance that his career would not eventually have been rounded out in public positions of the greatest trust and honor.
That a man who had such large and varied duties in both public and business life should have found time to engage actively in the social life of the city seems remarkable, yet so strong were his social instincts and so great his energy that he managed to do so and was undoubtedly one of the most conspicuous figures in the community. He was a member of many clubs and fraternal orders and he also belonged to the military body known as the Governor's Foot Guard, having the rank of captain, and to the First Regiment of Infantry, afterwards holding the rank of major in the veteran association. He belonged to the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protec- tive Order of Elks and was very prominent in Masonic circles, being a mem- ber of the Lafayette Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Pythagoras Chap- ter, Royal Arch Masons; Wolcott Council, Royal and Select Masters ; Wash- ington Commandery, Knights Templar; Charter Oak Lodge of Perfection; Hartford Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Cyrus Goodell Chapter of Rose Croix. He was also a member of the Charter Oak Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth Branch, Connecticut Society, Sons of the American Revolution; John Hay Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and Sphinx Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was an associate member of the Connecticut Consistory, Sov- ereign Princes of the Royal Secret. He had taken his thirty-second degree in Masonry. He was a man of strong religious beliefs and a devoted mem- ber of the First Church of Christ (Congregational), of Hartford, and for a number of years was chairman of the business committee.
Mayor Hooker was married on November 12, 1889, to Mary Mather Turner, of Philadelphia, where she was born February 26, 1866, a daughter of Dr. Charles P. Turner, and granddaughter of Major Roland Mather, of Hartford. Mrs. Hooker is a woman of charming personality, possessing those innate qualities of mind and heart so necessary to the success and happiness of domestic life, and Mr. Hooker was devoted to his home and family, finding at his own fireside a haven of peace and comfort from the storms and trials of public life. To them were born two children, as fol- lows: Rosalie, September 26, 1892, and Roland Mather, September 10, 1900.
In the final analysis the influence of the things a man does is almost
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Edward Williams Hooker
always outweighed by that other influence of what he is, and the case of Mr. Hooker is no exception to this rule. It is possibly a dangerous speculation to compare such intangible things as influences both of which are so consider- able, and yet large as was the service wrought by Mr. Hooker as mayor, as legislator and in the thousand and one relations of life in which concrete, material things were accomplished by him, there are few who will not agree to the proposition that as an example of true and sterling manhood he did not perform a still larger and higher service. Let some of those who knew him personally and had felt the effect of his strong personality close this brief and of necessity, inadequate notice. Shortly after his death Mayor Lawler, of Hartford, made the following remarks before a committee of which both he and Senator Hooker were members:
The death of ex-Mayor Hooker, a fellow member of our committee, comes to us with a severe shock. The name of Hooker has been honorably associated with the his- tory of Hartford. He filled the chief magistracy of our city with ability and integrity and his public life always found him fearless and independent, and no one ever con- nected with the government of the city had higher-minded ideals of public service, or a keener appreciation of a public trust. The community has suffered a heavy loss in a citizen who was a vigorous type of strong manhood, who was beloved by all who knew him and whose memory will hold an abiding place in the hearts of all our citizens.
His pastor at the Center Church spoke of him as follows:
I was connected with Senator Hooker in the Center Church for a long time. He was elected chairman of the business committee many times and he always executed these affairs as faithfully as if they had been his own and to the entire satisfaction of the members of the church. A word of criticism or complaint concerning his efforts in these directions was never heard.
Judge Edward L. Smith, Senator Hooker's old rival for the office of mayor, said :
Mr. Hooker was genial, sincere, frank and an honorably ambitious political oppo- nent. In health he had a sturdy good fellowship that marked him as a maker of friends. Long continued illness was a stiff test of character. His patience, his endurance, his retention in the time of physical trouble and his generous and unselfish thoughtfulness have shown how successfully he met the test. He died bravely. He leaves a multitude of friends who grieve that his life was so shortened.
His colleague, Senator E. Hart Fenn, spoke of him in the following words :
Fearless for what he believed to be right and having no patience with underhanded- ness and sham, he exerted a strong influence on the Legislature and his counsel was sought for and was highly valued. In private life he was of an exceptionally attractive personality and delighted in the society of friends and held them with strong bonds. He always looked on the brightest side of life and bore his long illness without a murmur.
Daniel Kingsbury, M. D.
T O all who admit that from high example new good springs, and that the more widely known is a noble life, the more far-reaching necessarily must its influence be, it must appear obvious that the preservation for posterity of the records of such a man as that of the distinguished physician, whose name heads this article, subserves the double purpose of sat- isfying the demands of gratitude, which insists upon such poor tribute in return for his good deeds, and of sowing as widely as possible the seeds of encouragement and inspiration which the knowledge of such virtues must bear for all of us. For many years Dr. Kingsbury held a re- markable prestige in a profession which, as much as any, requires for its practice those qualities of self-possession and control, mental vigor and clear-sightedness, and an optimistic view of life without regard for circum- stances, which are of the most admirable and admired possessions of men. Beginning life with no external advantages, in an environment strange to him, he forged his way to a position of fortune and honor in the community, and left behind him a memory which will long survive him as a grateful possession in the minds and hearts of all who came in contact with him.
Daniel Kingsbury, M. D., was a scion of the strong and simple stock of rural New England, his father being Sanford Kingsbury, who for many years followed the life of a farmer in Tolland county, Connecticut, and mar- ried Cynthia Baxter, a daughter of a well known farmer of that region. Of the five children of this worthy couple Daniel was the fourth, his birth occur- ring in Hartford, Connecticut, January 22, 1828, though his youth was passed in the rural district of Tolland, where his father had his farm. It was but a meagre education which he was able to obtain there, the schools being of a primitive type, and his personal circumstances being such that had they been of the best, he could have taken but small advantage of them. His preparation was, indeed, little as compared to what is to-day considered necessary for a man proposing to enter one of the professions, but this lack he more than made up for later through his independent studies, and the spontaneous activity of a mind quick to absorb knowledge from all sources and extract the pith of experience. His formal schooling consisted of a few years at a local grammar school, after which he was obliged, while still a mere lad, to devote himself to making his living. He made his way to Hart- ford, the city of his birth, and there fortune favored him so far as to lead him into the home and the employ of Dr. Sperry, who had an excellent practice, and, as he was soon to show, a still more excellent heart. When young Kingsbury first came to him he employed the lad as office boy to take care of his offices on Main street, but a few doors from the old Center Church. The munificent wages which accompanied this employment amounted to seventy-five cents a week, with board, but this the good doctor soon supple- mented with what was of far more value, his interest, sympathy and friend- ship for one who was obviously earnest and ambitious, as well as industrious
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and sincere. Thus encouraged the lad set about studying medicine at the advice of his friend, and that the more especially as Dr. Sperry offered to oversee his reading on this subject and play the part of tutor to him, insofar as his duties would permit. This pleasant relationship between the two continued for four years, during which time the young man made most notable progress and reflected great credit upon his kind preceptor. He then attended a course of lectures on medicine conducted under the auspices of the Connecticut Botanical Society, and at their conclusion received a diploma which entitled him to the degree of Doctor of Medicine and the right to practice his profession.
This was early in the year 1851, and he at once began active practice in New London. He did not continue in that city, however, but after a winter spent in Hartford with his good friend, Dr. Sperry, went to Glastonbury, Connecticut, where he established himself on June 2, 1852, and which was destined to remain his home and the scene of his great success during the remainder of his life. From the very outset his practice flourished and in course of time he won for himself a reputation as one of the leading physi- cians in that part of the State. He identified himself with the interests of his profession and became a member of the various medical associations and societies, local and general, and was recognized as an authority on many branches of medical knowledge. His active practice Dr. Kingsbury con- tinued with unabated energy and devotion until he was nearly seventy years of age, when he began gradually to retire, turning over as he did so his great practice to his son, Dr. William Sanford Kingsbury, who is now the recog- nized successor to his father throughout the region of Glastonbury. Dr. Kingsbury, in spite of his retirement from practice, continued to live an active and valuable life to the venerable age of eighty-six years, his death occurring in Glastonbury, November 16, 1914. Upon his arrival in Glaston- bury many years ago he first opened his office in the house of Asa Wells, of that place, and twice thereafter moved his quarters, coming in 1858 to the handsome offices he occupied at the time of his decease.
Though his professional duties were very binding and left him but little time for other occupations, whether of business or pleasure, yet Dr. Kings- bury never allowed his interest to die in the other aspects of the busy life of the wide-awake community about him. Though he could not enter local politics in any active manner, he kept himself well abreast of the issues of the day, his clear mind and incisive reasoning leading him always to a defi- nite position as regarded the many questions confronting country, State and town. He was a life-long member of the Republican party with the prin- ciples of which he was strongly in agreement. His religious affiliations were with the Episcopal church, and he was one of the early members of the parish founded in Glastonbury. He gave generously of time and energy to his religious duties, acting as treasurer of the parish almost from its begin- ning, and holding at one time the office of senior warden. He was fond of social intercourse, thoughi the time he could indulge this taste was naturally very limited, which was probably the reason also why he was not a member of more clubs and organizations of a social character. He was a member of Daskam Lodge, No. 86, Free and Accepted Masons, of Glastonbury.
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