USA > Connecticut > Representative men of Connecticut, 1861-1894 > Part 22
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OODRUFF, GEORGE MORRIS, of Litchfield, for twenty years railroad com- missioner of the state of Connecticut, was born in the town where he now resides, March 3, 1836. Like most of the men who can trace their genealogi- cal line back to the early days of Connecticut, Mr. Woodruff comes of that sturdy English stock which did so much to make the state "the land of steady habits."
Matthew Woodruff, the first of the family in this country, came from Surrey County, England, and was among the early settlers of Hartford, and he subsequently removed to Farmington. His son Nathaniel came to Litchfield soon after its first settlement, he having purchased one sixtieth of the township on the 8th of August, 1721. Jacob, son of Nathaniel, born in Farmington in 1717, came to Litchfield with his father and became one of the leading men of the town, and was a volunteer soldier in the Revolutionary War, as was also his son, James Woodruff. Morris Woodruff, son of James, was a representative man in Litchfield, and actively interested in the military affairs of the state, having been commissioned as a captain, by Gov. Jonathan Trumbull (Brother Jonathan) in 1809 ; as major, by Gov. Roger Wolcott, in 1812; as colonel, by Gov. John Cotton Smith, in 1816; as brigadier-general, in 1818, and as major-general in 1824, both by Gov. Oliver Wolcott; he was for many years a representative in the general assembly and an associate judge of the county court, though not a lawyer.
George C. Woodruff, son of Morris, was born in 1805 and graduated at Yale in 1825, studied law in the famous law school of Judge Gould, and was admitted to the bar of Litch- field County in 1827. From the first he took a leading position, gradually rising till he
Geo No Woodruff
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became its acknowledged head. Of scrupulous integrity, unwavering faithfulness and unweary- ing zeal, he was entrusted by his fellow-citizens with almost every official duty which could be placed upon him, from local town office to member of Congress. In 1873, lie was elected by the State Senate a judge of the superior court, but the selection was not concurred in by the House. Early in life he married Henrietta S. Seymour, a granddaughter of Major Moses Seymour, a soldier of the Revolution, and a sister of the late Chief Justice Origen S. Seymour of Connecticut. Their only son, and only child who survived infancy, is George M. Woodruff.
The early education of young Woodruff was obtained in the local schools, and he was fitted for college at Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass. Entering Yale College, he was graduated in the class of 1857. The legal profession being suited to his tastes and adapted to his bent of mind, he at once commenced the study of law in the Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Mass. In 1859, he was admitted to the bar -of Litchfield County and began practice in his native town, where he has since remained.
Mr. Woodruff was elected town treasurer in 1860, and by successive elections has filled that responsible office to the present time; and his long term of service is simply an expres- sion of the esteem in which he is held by his fellow-citizens. He represented Litchfield in the lower branch of the State Legislature in 1863, and again in 1865, serving each year on the judiciary committee. In 1872, he was again sent to the state capitol as a representative of the town, being chairman of the committee on claims, and took an active part in the legislation of the session. Another office Mr. Woodruff has held for a quarter of a century, and which is by 110 means a sinecure, is that of judge of probate for the district of Litchfield. With the exception of one term he has held this position continuously since 1868. In 1863, he was commissioner for Connecticut to the Universal Exposition at Hamburg, it being among the first of that line of international exhibitions which culminated in the World's Fair at Chicago. From 1865 to 1877, he was a member of the state board of education, when, owing to press of other duties, he resigned the appointment. Always a zealous advo- cate of popular education, in the agitation for its improvement he rendered excellent service, his counsel being of the most practical nature.
From his youth a member of the Congregational Church in Litchfield, and for nearly thirty years superintendent of its Sunday School, his means and services have been devoted to its prosperity.
In all the positions mentioned, Mr. Woodruff has gained an honorable name for himself, and for his faithful work deserves to be remembered by the citizens of Connecticut. But it is not upon his reputation as a lawyer, or as a legislator or as a judge, however clean the record may be, that his name will be handed down to posterity. It will rest upon his labor for a score of years as railroad commissioner of the state of Connecticut. Gov. Charles R. Ingersoll appointed him a member of the board of railroad commissioners in 1874, and by subsequent appointments he has continued in that capacity up to the present time. Gov- ernors R. D. Hubbard, Charles B. Andrews, T. M. Waller, H. B. Harrison, Morgan G. Bulkeley and Luzon B. Morris have deemed it for the best interests of the state to retain him in office. As these comprise four Democratic and three Republican administrations, it will be seen that merit and not political influence accounts for his long continuance in so important and oftentimes trying position. Since his second year of service, Mr. Woodruff has been chairman of the board, and as the legal member the writing of the opinions falls to his lot. In this score of years an extended list of knotty points have come up for settlement, and the decisions of this board have rarely been set aside. A good general lawyer before he was made railroad commissioner, he has gained with the passing years a most intimate knowledge
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of the law pertaining to railroads, and is now so expert in such matters that his counsel is often sought by the leading lawyers of the state. Besides his work as commissioner, he has also served as a member of special committees on railroad affairs.
Financial institutions have claimed a share of Mr. Woodruff's attention. He is now, and since 1885 has been president of the Litchfield Savings Society, and treasurer of the Litchfield Mutual Insurance Company. Faithfulness in the performance of duty and the conscientious carrying out of every trust imposed upon him are among his most prominent characteristics .. Wherever he has been placed he has never disappointed those who elected or appointed him, and he can take a just pride in looking back over the honorable record of the past. On the under side of three score, he has many years of usefulness to his native town and in the broader field of the state still opening out before him.
George M. Woodruff was married June 13, 1860, to Elizabeth F., daughter of James B. Parsons, Esq., of Flushing, Long Island. Three children have been born to thein : George C., a graduate of Amherst and the Union Theological Seminary, now a clergyman in charge of Faith Mission Church, Washington, D. C .; Eliza P., who has become Mrs. Alex. McNiell, and James Parsons, who graduated at Amherst in 1891, and at Yale Law School in 1893, and after taking a post-graduate course is now a practicing lawyer in Litchfield, and is following in the footsteps of his father.
AY, HENRY, of Winsted, president of the Hurlburt National Bank and of other leading corporations, was born in Salisbury, April 5, 1834.
Like many other men who have made their mark in Connecticut affairs, Mr. Gay comes of a sturdy Massachusetts stock. John Gay, the first of the name, crossed the ocean in the ship "Mary and John" in 1630, and was one of the original nineteen settlers of Dedham in 1635. Second in the family line is Samuel Gay, who was selectman of Dedham, and then came a second John, who married Mary Fisher, and their son John was born in Dedham in 1699, and moved to Litchfield, though he was not one of the first settlers. John, Jr., was selectman twice, and lived to the good old age of ninety-four. In the fifth generation was Perez Gay, who married Margaret Fairbanks, and became the father of eleven children. The sixth generation was Edward Gay, and his son Henry San- ford Gay, married Mary, only daughter of Stephen Reed of Salisbury, and of their four children the subject of this sketch was the youngest.
At the age of fourteen, Mr. Gay entered the store of Robert B. Mitchell of Salisbury as clerk, and remained in his employ for four years, gaining a fair knowledge of business transactions. His first experience in banking was with the Iron Bank at Falls Village, where he remained two years. In 1854, he transferred his residence to Winsted, where he has since resided. His first connection here was with the old Winsted Bank, organized on a state basis ; later he was made cashier, and at the end of ten years, in 1864, having proved himself in every way fitted for the office, he was made president of the bank. Three years afterward the affairs of the bank were wound up and the stockholders paid in full.
Mr. Gay then formned a private banking firm with W. L. Gilbert, under the name of Gilbert & Gay, a connection which lasted until 1890. In 1874, Mr. Gilbert was elected president of the Hurlburt National Bank, and Mr. Gay accepted a position as cashier, and on the death of Mr. Gilbert in 1890, he succeeded to the presidency, and is now successfully managing the concerns of the bank. While officers of the bank they continued their private loan business, and at that time the firmn had a capital of $200,000, with a surplus of over $100,000, and a profit and loss account of $30,000.
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The management of financial interests has claimed a large part of Mr. Gay's attention, still he has found time to assist in building up the material welfare of Winsted. He is a director and also president of the Winsted Edge Tool Company, of the New England Knitting Company, and of the Winsted Optical Company. He also holds a directorship in in the Win. L. Gilbert Company, the George Dudley & Son Company, the T. C. Rich- ards Hardware Company, the Clifton Hosiery Company, the Winsted Hosiery Company, tlie Winsted Shoe Company, the Morgan Silver Plate Company, the Music Hall Company and the Winsted Savings Bank.
Men of Mr. Gay's business and executive ability must expect to be called upon to serve their fellow-citizens in an official capacity. Besides holding various other offices, lie was treasurer of the town of Winsted for a dozen years. His Winsted constituents have sent him to the state legislature six different times : in 1875, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1885 and again in 1889. He was chairman of the finance committee one year, and a member of this con11- mittee for three other sessions. He was chairman of the state's prison committee the year the addition was made to the prison, and it was also the last year the prisoners were allowed to come before the committee, and both these facts together gave the committee a year of exceedingly hard work. In 1892, Mr. Gay was the Republican candidate for state treasurer, but though he ran ahead of his ticket, it was not a good year for the Republi- cans, and he failed of election, and the state lost the services of an lionest and competent inan1.
In Winsted, where Mr. Gay is best known, he is mnost highly honored, and in all matters pertaining to the development of the town his advice is sought and valued on account of the long practical experience behind it. Having just reached three score, and in the full possession of all the strength of his later manhood, Mr. Gay has yet many years of usefulness stretching out before him.
Henry Gay was married May 20, 1857, to Charlotte E., daughter of Deacon Thomas Watson of Winsted. One daughter, Mary W., came to bless the home. She is now the wife of Dr. E. L. Pratt of West Winsted, and is the mother of one son, named for his grandfather.
INGSBURY, FREDERICK JOHN, of Waterbury, president of the Citizens' National Bank, and of the Scovill Manufacturing Company, was born in Waterbury, Jan. 1, 1823.
From the Biography of Connecticut it is learned that he descends from the old Puritan settlers of Massachusetts, his ancestor being Henry Kingsbury, a native of England, who came to Boston with Governor Winthrop in 1630. This ancestor settled first at Ipswich, whence he removed to Haverhill, where he died. His son Joseph, a man of family, removed from Haverhill to Norwich, Conn., in 1708. Accompanying the latter was his son, Joseph Kingsbury, Jr., a native of Haverhill, who had married, before leaving that place, Ruth, daughter of John Denison of Ipswich. A grandson of this couple, John Kingsbury by name, was graduated at Yale College in 1786. He settled at Waterbury as a teacher, but afterwards studied law, was admitted to practice and rose to distinction at the bar. He was one of the judges of the New Haven county court for many years. He also sat upon the probate bench of the district of Waterbury, for thirty years. By his wife, Marcia Bronson, daughter of Deacon Stephen Bronson of Waterbury, and a descendant through a long line of deacons of one of the first settlers of
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that town, lic was the father of several children, one of whom, Charles Denison Kingsbury, born at Waterbury in the last century, died there on Jan. 16, 1890, at the great age of ninety-five years. Charles Denison Kingsbury married Eliza, the daughter of Dr. Frederick Leavenworth of Waterbury and great-granddaughter of the Rev. Mark Leavenworth, pastor of the first Congregational Church of Waterbury from 1739 to 1797.
Frederick Jolin Kingsbury, the subject of this biographical sketch, was the eldest child of this union. Educated primarily in the local schools at Waterbury and in part by his maternal municle, the Rev. Abner Johnson Leavenworth, a distinguished educator, then resid- ing in Virginia, with whom, first at Warrenton and afterwards at Petersburg, he spent a year or two of his youth, he prepared for college under Seth Fuller at Waterbury. In 1842, lie matriculated at Yale College, and, after being graduated there in 1846, entercd the Yale Law School, where he enjoyed the advantage of instruction under the late Chief Justice Storrs of Connecticut and the Hon. Isaac H. Townsend, who were then in charge of the latter institutio ... Late in 1847 he went to Boston and finished his preparatory legal studies in the office of the Hon. Chas. G. Loring; and in March, 1848, he was admitted to the bar in that city. For family reasons, the chief being the ill-health of his mother, he returned to Comiccticut before the close of 1848. For several months he held a responsible clerkship in the office of the Hon. Thos. C. Perkins of Hartford, but in the spring of 1849 he opened law offices of his own at Waterbury.
Commende ! by his personal worth and attainments, as well as by his active interest in public affairs, he was chosen in 1850 by the people of Waterbury to represent that town in the Connecticut House of Representatives. While serving this term in the legislature liis attention was drawn to the subject of banks for savings, and believing that the time was opportune for founding an institution of this class in Waterbury, which was then attaining prominence as a manufacturing centre, he laid the matter before a number of his influential townsmen. Their approval of the project being obtained, he secured the necessary charter and in the latter part of 1850 organized the Waterbury Savings Bank, of which he was chosen treasurer. This office he still fills, and the marked success of the institution of which he has all these years been practically the administrative head, is universally admitted to be due chiefly to his unwearied devotion to its interests and his correct methods of in- vestment. Taking a further step in the business of banking, Mr. Kingsbury organized, in 1853, the Citizens' Bank of Waterbury. His esteemed associate in this enterprise was the late Mr. Abram Ives, who was the first president of the bank and whom Mr. Kingsbury succeeded in 1868. This institution, of which Mr. Kingsbury is still the executive head, was re-organized under the national banking law in 1865. It has a capital of $300,000 and is one of the most flourishing banks in the state.
Reelected to the state legislature in 1858 and again in 1865, Mr. Kingsbury served during both terms as chairman of the committee on banks, and during the last terin was also a member of the committee on the revision of the statutes. In 1876, he filled the honorable position of commissioner of the state of Connecticut to the International Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia. In that year also he was offered the Republican nomination for governor of Connecticut. The great extent of his business interests at the time obliged him to decline this high honor, but yielding to the solicitation of inany party friends. he consented to accept the nomination for lieutenant-governor, the Hon. Henry C. Robinson of Hartford having accepted the first place on the ticket, which, however, was defeated.
Besides the two bank positions he holds Mr. Kingsbury has, since 1868, been the president of the Scovill Manufacturing Company, which under his administration has steadily advanced to the front rank among the manufacturing corporations of Connecticut. The dis-
David Gallup
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charge of his official duties in connection with the several corporations named necessarily makes heavy demands upon his time, but he always finds sufficient leisure to take a help- ful part in movements or projects which contain even a promise of public advantage or of material or moral benefit to his native state or city. Many such movements have been greatly indebted to his personal aid and influence, and few have failed to derive some ad- vantages when his broad culture, excellent judgment and large experience have been called to their assistance. A local institution in which he is deeply interested is the Bronson Library of Waterbury; and as a member of its managing board, the chairman of its library committee and its treasurer for nearly a quarter of a century, he has been most active in maintaining its representative character and advancing its material welfare.
In the business and financial world Mr. Kingsbury is respected as a man of great ability, strict integrity and honorable purpose. His success, both as a banker and manu- facturer, has been achieved by reputable means, and the fortune of which he is the master has been acquired by legitimate methods. While his cares and responsibilities have been many and constant they have never been allowed to extinguish his scholarly tastes, whichi have been nourished by the cultivation of historical and philosophical study and by frequent literary effort. A number of interesting articles from his pen have been published in lead- ing American magazines and indicate that this author is the possessor of a well-stored mind, sound reasoning faculties and an unusually felicitous style. Mr. Kingsbury has been happily called "a conspicuous representative of the best American culture, illustrating the practica- bility of combining an intelligent interest in literature, art and science with fidelity to important business trusts and to constantly accumulating duties." He is widely known in the best social circles of the state as a gentleman of high character, cultivated intellect and generous impulses, and is universally respected as one whose aiins, bothi public and private, have always been pure and commendable and whose example is rich in encouragement to all who strive for success with honor.
Mr. Kingsbury married, on April 29, 1851, Miss Alathea Ruth Scovill, eldest daughter of the late William H. Scovill of Waterbury, and great-granddaughter of the Rev. James Scovill, who was graduated at Yale College in 1757, took holy orders in England, and returning to America as a missionary of the venerable society for the propagation of the gospel, became the first rector of the Episcopal Church in Waterbury.
ALLUP, DAVID, was born in Sterling, Conn., July 11, 1808. In early life his father died, leaving a widow and three boys and two girls. John Gallup, formerly cashier of the Brooklyn (Conn.) bank, was the oldest son. Judge Gallup was the second son, and Hon. Amos Gallup was the third son. One sister, Ruby Gallup, married Charles G. Williams, Esq., of Brooklyn, Conn.,
and is living at this writing. The other sister, Esther, married Dr. Henry Campbell of Sterling, Conn. She and her husband died many years ago.
The judge followed the career of the typical and successful New England boy; worked on a farm, taught school, married and settled down, and later on engaged in politics and rendered valuable service in his town, county and state. He married Julia A. Woodward, daughter of Capt. Lemuel Woodward, a leading citizen of Plainfield, in 1834. He then located in Plainfield where he constantly resided until 1865, after which time with his family he spent a portion of each year in Hartford, Conn., though retaining his legal residence in Plainfield.
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The judge carly became interested in town affairs, and largely through his sound and firm management the town of Plainfield kept clear of debt and vexatious entanglements. Never during the period of the war did it allow a debt to accumulate, although every require- ment of the town was promptly and abundantly furnished, and at all times every public interest, the welfare of the schools, internal improvements and the common prosperity were carefully guarded and cherishcd. He was for twenty-thirec years judge of probate for the Plainfield district, and administered with great fairness and justice the business of the office, and being entirely familiar with the circumstances of the various estates lie settled, he rendered very valuable aid to all concerned.
Judge Gallup represented Plainfield in the lower house of the general assembly in the years 1841, 1850, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866 and 1867; was speaker of the house in 1866, was senator in 1869, and was elected lientenant-governor in 1880, and for two years was president of the senate. The five consecutive years of his legislative service were during the war period and the year following, and in this time he served prominently on the finance committee, being conspicuously the author of the financial system which furnished means to carry Connecticut successfully through the war crisis. This service was exceedingly valuable. It was to him also that credit is largely due for legislation in 1877 giving equal protection to the property rights of married women. For these services, in connection with his strong help in Eastern Connecticut in supplying pecuniary aid to equip soldiers during the war, by advancing money in their behalf for their families, as well as supplying money to towns, he is entitled to honorable remembrance. His legislative action was highly useful to the state, as it was influential in the highest degree.
Judge Gallup was prudent in business affairs, and was successful in his many enterprises. He made no publication of his benefactions, yet he was exceedingly kind to deserving men who needed assistance, and his generosities were far greater than was ever known. He was interested in many of the largest business concerns in the state, in banking and other affairs, and left a large property. His wife, Mrs. Gallup, who survived him, died in November, 1884. He had two children who died before the judge. One was a son, William W., a young man of much promise, who died in 1869, and the other was a daughter, Julia Ella, who was the wife of Lieutenant-Governor George G. Sumner. Judge Gallup died at the United States Hotel at Hartford, Aug. 18, 1883. He and his family are buried in the Cedar Hill Cemetery in the latter city.
ROSS, CHARLES EDWARD, of Hartford, senior member of the firm of Gross, Hyde & Shipman, leading lawyers of the city, was born in Hartford, Aug. 18, 1847.
The family line can be traced in direct succession to Isaac Gross, who emigrated from England and settled in Boston previous to 1650. From him the line comes down through three Massachusetts branches and through (5) Freeman, (6) Thomas, (7) Thomas Freeman, to (8) Mason, who was born in Litchfield in 1809. At the age of seventeen he came to Hartford, and entering business life he became a successful wool merchant. Taking an interest in military matters, for several years he served as captain of the Light Infantry. He married Cornelia, daughter of John Barnard, Jr., of Hartford, and of their six children, the subject of this sketch was the youngest. Mrs. Cornelia Gross was the granddaughter of Capt. John Barnard, who was a soldier in the early French wars; he fought sturdily through the entire struggle for American independence, was present at the surrender of Cornwallis, and lived to be one of the founders of the Society of the Cincinnati.
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