USA > Connecticut > Representative men of Connecticut, 1861-1894 > Part 33
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72
Mr. Clowes is still the active, energetic, persevering manager and partner of this great and prosperous firm. Their extensive and magnificent works, occupying a central portion of the city of Waterbury, covering an area of nearly seven acres, with unlimited and never- failing water supply from the Naugatuck River, which is in close proximity; the size, convenience and neat condition of their buildings ; the immense, powerful, modern and varied character of their machinery,-all go to make of Randolph & Clowes's a grand and unsurpassed manufacturing establishment. This alone is an enduring monument to George H. Clowes. Few business men in the country can point to such stupendous results, accu- mulated in so few years, by their own personal, individual, unaided efforts. No wonder that the city of Waterbury, with its immense manufacturing interests, has been glad to honor Mr. Clowes with the presidency of its Board of Trade, to which position he was elected Jan. 8, 1894.
Although quiet, unobtrusive, affable and ever courteous, he is of a type of business men who possess at bottom sterling honesty, absolute independence and limitless perseverance. In every enterprise, with him "to think is to performn." Inheriting through a long line of ancestors what may be called the severely Saxon qualities,- integrity, determination and clear-headedness- he yet adds to thein the peculiarly American traits of push, pluck and self-reliance. This rare combination in itself is enough to guarantee success in any man. To the possession of this compound of qualities both of mind and heart the present high position of Mr. Clowes in the manufacturing world is largely due.
27
206
REPRESENTATIVE MEN
Let the Examiner voice the sentiments of the citizens :
Last Monday the Waterbury Board of Trade organized for the current year, 1894. New members were admitted, and it looks as if this body would be a more powerful faetor for the welfare of our eity the eoming year than ever before. They began their work well by making the very ereditable and deserved selection of Mr. George II. Clowes as their president. Mr. Clowes is one of Waterbury's most active and enthu- siastic business men. At the head of an immense establishment himself, he has shown by his own endeavors the past eight years just what business pluek and endeavor ean do. He has established an industry among us, giving employment to 400 inen, and has made it suceessful from the beginning. His election, therefore, as president of the Board of Trade shows conclusively that this board means business. We shall indeed be much mistaken if, during his presideney of this Board, it does not have a decided influence in all matters of publie importance to our citizens.
In political life Mr. Clowes has always been a staunch Republican, and takes pride in being a member of that great organization. Besides the official positions he holds in Water- bury, he is also vice-president of the State Board of Trade of Connecticut, and a director in the Cooperative Savings Society of Connecticut, at Hartford.
ORSE, GEORGE MILTON, of Putnam, president of the Powhatan and the Morse Mills Manufacturing Corporations, was born in Central Falls, Rhode Island, Aug. 25, 1830. It was a time prolific in the birth of inen who were prominent in national affairs, as well as in literature and other fields of action: President Chester A. Arthur, James G. Blaine, and a long line of cabinet officers and Union generals, not to mention a goodly array of men who were leaders in their chosen spheres.
Milton S. Morse, father of the subject of this sketch, was largely engaged in manufact- uring and erected the Morse and Nightingale stone mills in Putnam. He contributed in no small degree to the prosperity of the place, and will ever be remembered for his strong character and ability as a manager of corporations.
The education of George M. Morse was obtained principally in the public schools of his native town, and of the city of Providence. After passing a limited period in the West, he returned to Putnam, where he resided, and has been a moving force in the community for over forty years. In 1872, under the supervision of his father and Mr. George C. Nightingale, he built the Powhatan Mill. He is now president of the Powhatan and the Morse Mills Corporations, which are among the leading cotton manufacturing concerns in the Quinnebaug Valley. For over a dozen years his son, Mr. A. I. Morse, has filled the office of superin- tendent, but Mr. Morse still carries the heavy burden of the management with apparent ease.
It was but natural that a man of Mr. Morse's probity of character and knowledge of business affairs should be called upon to accept official honors at the hands of his fellow citizens. He has lield and worthily filled various offices within the gift of his townsmen. In 1890, he was elected to represent Putnam in the General Assembly, and served on several important committees.
Mr. Morse has decided opinions both in regard to politics and religion. In political life he is an ardent Republican, and at each election uses his utinost influence for the success of the party ticket. He is a member and deacon of the Baptist church of Putnam, and deeply interested in Christian work. The camp meeting grounds at Douglass, Mass., are largely owned by hiin, and for many years he has been an active participant at the meetings.
George M. Morse was married to Melora Whitney of Killingly. Nine children were the result of this union, all of whom are now living, two of the sons being associated with the father in business.
1
Massachusetts Publishing Go. Ever ett, Mass.
207
OF CONNECTICUT, 1861-1894.
S KILTON, DEWITT CLINTON, president of the Phoenix (Fire) Insurance Company of Hartford, Conn., was born in that portion of the present town of Thomaston, Conn., which was then known as Plymouth Hollow, Jan. 1I, 1839. He is a descendant of the ancient English family of Skeltons of Yorkshire and Warwickshire, his first American ancestor being Dr. Henry Skilton, who was born in the parish of St. Michael's, Coventry, in 1718. In his seventeenth year Henry Skilton sailed for America in a "gun ship," the day of starting being April 1, 1735, and after living in Roxbury, Mass., for a short time, he transferred his residence to Preston, Conn., where in 174I he married the daughter of Joseph Avery of Norwich. He removed to Southington in 1750, ten years later to Woodbury, and in his old age to Watertown, where he died in 1802, in his eighty-fifth year. Dr. Skilton was the first physician to commence the practice of medicine in Southington, and the house he built in that town is still standing.
Mr. Skilton's ancestors were among the early and most distinguished settlers of Hartford County. On his father's mother's side he is a descendant of Hon. John Steele, the young Englishman who was the close friend and companion of Rev. Thomas Hooker in bringing the party from Massachusetts Bay Colony and founding the city of Hartford, and was prominently active for years in connection with the development of the towns of Hartford and Farmington. In the illustrious list may also be included Hon. John Wadsworth, (the half-brother of Captain Wadsworth, who is said to have removed and concealed the Connecticut charter in the old oak), Sir William Sonthmayd, Hon. Matthew Allyn (one of the original parties to the royal charter), Hon. John Allyn (who is called in the History of Connecticut " the great secretary "), William Pynchon, Esq., Gov. Thomas Welles, Captain William Judd and Timothy Judd, Esq., the last two representatives of Waterbury in the colonial government almost continuously for forty years, and many others of equal prominence in the history of the colony and state.
After receiving a limited education in the district schools, young Skilton removed to Hartford in 1855, and began his mercantile career in the dry goods trade. In October, 1861, he first entered the insurance business as a clerk in the office of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company. Less than a year had elapsed when his patriotic impulses were stirred, and he enlisted in Company B of the Twenty-second Regiment Connecticut Volunteers. He was elected second lieutenant, and served with distinction in the army until he was mustered out July 7, 1863, having been promoted to a first lieutenantcy in the ineantime.
On his return from the army, Mr. Skilton resumed his old position with the insurance company, and continued in that capacity till December, 1867. At this time, as he had gained a reputation for himself in his chosen field of action, he was elected secretary of the Phoenix Insurance Company. This position he held till Aug. 1, 1888, when for six weeks he filled the office of both secretary and vice-president. On Sept. 11, 1888, he resigned his office as secretary and was made vice-president and acting president, and served in this dual capacity till Feb. 2, 1891, when he was elected president of the company, and is now filling that important position. Owing to the ill-health of the late_Henry Kellogg, president of the company for many years, he was relieved of all care and responsibility of its affairs from Aug. 1, 1888, till his death in January, 1891, the duties of the office being performned by the vice-president.
When Mr. Skilton entered the service of the company in December, 1867, the capital was $600,000; the assets were $1, 234, 195, and the surplus, $113,683. On the Ist of January, 1894, the capital of the Phoenix Company had more than trebled, the exact amount being #2,000,000 ; the assets had increased four and one-half times to $5,429,793, and the surplus was more than six times as large, having grown to $713,195. Its premium income for the
208
REPRESENTATIVE MEN
year 1868 was $1,219,211, and for the year 1893 it was nicarly three times as great, $3, 306,- 240. During Mr. Skilton's connection with the company it has paid out for losses alinost a round thirty millions of dollars. The great growth in American underwriting has been made during the last thirty years, and Mr. Skilton's underwriting eareer has been contemporary with this growth, and he has been identified with all work looking to reforms in that busi- ness and broadening its methods. He was a member of the committee that prepared the New York Standard policy, now in use in most of the United States.
The records of the National Board of Fire Underwriters show that in 1860 there were 129 joint stock fire insurance companies doing business in the state of New York, and that they colleeted in premiums that year on all their business in this country, $6,710,412.27, and paid for losses, $3,578,934.15. The same records show that in 1893 there were 127 joint stoek fire insurance companies doing business in that state (two less than in 1860), and that they collected in premiums on their entire business that year $134,984,282.00, and paid out for losses $90,344,075. This great inerease not only shows the wonderful growth in the business of American fire underwriting, but also clearly shows the great growth of the country, and the immense increase in the amount and value of insurable property. It is believed by many, that fire underwriting has been one of the greatest faetors in the develop- ment of the business of the country, for fire insurance protection is the basis of all business eredit. In the last seven years 192 companies have either failed or withdrawn from the business, and sinee 1860, the records show that 797 companies have failed or retired from business, withdrawing $174,864,426.00 in assets from the fire insurance business of the country. Those that have fought the fight and still remain have proved their solidity and strength.
In addition to his official connection with the Phoenix Company, Mr. Skilton is a direetor in the Hartford National Bank, a corporator and trustee of the State Savings Bank, a mem- ber of the military order of the Loyal Legion, of the Grand Army of the Republie and of the Hartford Club. His relations with the National Board of Fire Underwriters have been highly honorable. After serving for three years as secretary, he was vice-president for seven years, and then filled another term of three years as president. He ranks unquestionably among the expert underwriters of the country, and while the credit for all the suceess attained by the Phoenix eaunot be laid at his door, for he has been ably assisted by his official associates, still his serviees have been invaluable, and a large share is acknowledged as being due to his able management. Interested in educational affairs he held the office of committeeman of the west middle school distriet for several years. In politieal matters he acts with the Republican party, and his religious connections are with the Asylumn Avenue Congregational Church.
Aug. 8, 1865, Mr. Skilton was married to Ann Jeannette, daughter of Lyman Andrews of Hartford. Two children were born to thein, neither of whom is now living.
209
OF CONNECTICUT, 1861-1894.
IMONDS, WILLIAM EDGAR, of Collinsville, ex-speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, ex-inember of Congress, and ex-United States coin- missioner of patents, was born in Collinsville, Conn., Nov. 24, 1842. Through his father he was descended from the families of Sinonds and (Daniel) Webster; and through his mother from the families of Weaver and Converse, the latter tracing an unbroken line from Roger de Coigneries, who came to England with William the Conqueror.
His father died in 1845, after a long illness, leaving no means for the support of his widow and three children, of whom William, the subject of this sketch, was the youngest. Mrs. Simonds, a woman of superior intellect and high character, bravely assumed her heavy duties and as bravely discharged them, giving to her children an excellent English education. When he had completed the usual course in the graded and high schools of his native village, William, then a well-grown lad of sixteen, eagerly entered the arena of labor, endeavoring to become self-supporting, and helpful as well to his devoted mother. His first employment was at the works of the Collins Company, manufacturers of cutlery, at Collinsville. Out of the small compensation received for his services, he managed to save enough to enable him to take a course of study at the Connecticut State Normal School at New Britain, which he entered in the fall of 1859, and from which he was graduated in 1860. Obtaining a position as a school teacher he remained thus engaged until the summer of 1862, when he gave up teaching to enter the Union army as a volunteer. Enlisting in August as a private in Company A, of the Twenty-fifth Connecticut regiment, he made such a good impression that he was advanced within a few days to the grade of sergeant-major, and as such was mustered into the United States service. Accompanying his regiment to the seat of war, he served with it in the department of the Gulf, and for distinguished gallantry at the battle of Irish Bend, La., April 14, 1863, was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and assigned to Company I. Twenty- five years later, April 14, 1888, at a reunion of the regiment held in Hartford, on the anniversary of the battle, Col. George P. Bissell, former commander, referring to that inemor- able occasion in his address, said :
I have always regretted that we could not have gone into that fight as a solid regiment, but it was not so ordered, and we went in, half all over the lots and half in reserve, but that gave an opportunity for us later to execute one of the most difficult manœuvres in war, that of forming a regimental line under fire, and sharp fire, too; but we did it, thanks to McManus and Ward, and also to William Edgar Simonds, whom I promoted in the field for his coolness in that act.
Lieutenant Simonds was mustered out with his regiment at the expiration of its term of service, on Aug. 26, 1863. Having already determined upon the law as a life vocation he entered Yale Law School, and was graduated therefrom in 1865, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. After practicing in a general way for nearly two years, Mr. Simmonds became interested in patent law, and since then has devoted himself exclusively to this branch of his profession. He has embodied the results of his researches in this department in several voluminous works, which are conceded to possess high merit, and have been accepted by the legal profession as standards. These works are entitled, "Design Patents," "Digest of Patent Office Decisions," "Summary of Patent Law," and "Digest of Patent Cases," embracing all patent cases decided by the federal and state courts since the foundation of the government. In 1884, Mr. Simonds was called to the faculty of Yale Law School as lecturer on patent law, and still retains that position. He has occupied a similar position in the Columbian University at Washington, D. C., since. 1891. Being widely recognized as an authority on patent law he draws his practice from all parts of the United States, and is counsel for inany
210
REPRESENTATIVE MEN
cases on the dockets of the United States Supreme Court, and a number of the United States Circuit Courts, including those of the district of Massachusetts, Northern and Southern New York, Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Mr. Simonds has always been a Republican in politics, and was elected by that party to the Connecticut legislature in 1883, and immediately took rank as one of the leaders in that body, and was made chairman of the joint standing committee on railroads. In this capacity he was prominent in effecting the passage of wise laws governing the railroads of the state. Commenting upon his labors in connection with the passage of what was known as "the short haul bill," the Hartford Courant of April 12, 1883, said: "Mr. Simonds is a lawyer whose large practice in the specialty of patents has thrown him into familiar relations with our manufacturers. His practical experience has undoubtedly shown him the necessity and justice of such a bill as this, and he is entitled to thie gratitude of the state for having advocated it as he did." Reelected to the House in 1885, he had the honor of being chosen speaker, and " his administration of that office was such as to make every member liis personal and lasting friend." His intelligent advocacy of the bill establishing the Storrs Agricultural College aided materially in securing its passage in 1885. He has been a trustee of this institution since 1886.
On the subject of agriculture generally Mr. Simonds is no mean authority, as his many public addresses bearing on this topic indicate, notably, those delivered at the commencement exercises of the Agricultural College in1 1885, 1887 and 1892, and at the annual meeting of the Connecticut Board of Agriculture in 1888. Mr. Simonds has likewise given close study to the science of political economy, and has published several highly interesting papers upon economic questions, among which may be named one entitled, "Discontent Among the Laboring Classes," in the state labor report for 1888, and one on " Wool and Woollens," given in that year and printed in full in the Hartford Post, and widely copied by the public press. His brief career in the state legislature so clearly proved his capacity for legislative duties that in 1888, he was nominated for Congress by the Republicans of the first district, comprising the counties of Hartford and Tolland. In the ensuing canvass he developed remarkable strength, being successful in defeating the sitting Democratic member. As a member of the Fifty-first Congress of the United States, Mr. Simonds served from March 4, 1889, until March 4, 1891. A writer, speaking of his work in Congress, says :
He signalized his service in the Fifty-first Congress by his successful efforts in connection with international copyright. A bill looking to that end had been decisively defeated in the House, when Mr. Simonds drew and introduced another bill and secured for it, after repeated contests, a victory quite as decisive as its former defeat ; which bill subsequently became a law, it being the first international copyright act of the United States, a measure which has been contended for ever since Henry Clay began the agitation of this subject half a century ago.
Mr. Simonds was unanimously re-nominated for Congress by the Republican congressional convention of his district in 1890, but went down with the political landslide which gave the Democrats a more than two-thirds majority in the House. In 1891, the office of United States commissioner of patents becoming vacant, President Harrison appointed Mr. Simonds to the position, which he held until 1893. The selection proved agreeable to persons of all shades of political belief, and was favorably commented upon throughout the whole Union, Mr. Simonds's special fitness for the office being indisputable. His . administration of the office, including some hundreds of judicial decisions, the introduction of reforms and unequalled reports to Congress, has been pronounced phenomenal, even by political opponents. Possessing great ability as an orator, Mr. Simonds has, on many notable occasions, been chosen to deliver formal addresses. His eulogy on the late Marshall Jewell of Connecticut, delivered in 1883 ; his Gettysburg appropriation speech, delivered in 1885; his Memorial Day oration at
Massachusetts Publishing Co. Everett, Mass.
Markttowards
2II
OF CONNECTICUT, 1861-1894.
Hartford, on May 30, 1887; his historical discourse on the centennial of the first company of the Governor's Horse Guards, in 1889, and his Memorial Day address at Arlington National Cemetery in 1893, are all recognized as masterly efforts. Few citizens of Connecticut are more popular than Mr. Simonds. He is an especial favorite of the veterans of the Civil War, and has been the Memorial Day orator in nearly all the large cities of Connecticut. He is a member of the military orders known as the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Loyal Legion of the United States, and also of several leading organizations of a civic and benevolent character.
Yale gave Mr. Simonds the honorary degree of Master of Arts in 1890, and France made him a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1891. The following are among his published productions: "Law of Design Patents, 1874; " "Historical Address, Canton, Conn., 1876; "' "Digest of Patent Office Decisions, 1880;" "Summary of Patent Law, 1883;" "Grant Memorial Address, Derby, Conn., 1885;" "Proposed Amendment to Constitution of Conn., 1886; " "Discontent Among Laboring Classes, in Annual Labor Report, Conn., 1887; " "Memorial Day Address, Hartford, Conn., 1887;" "Centennial Address, First Company Governor's Horse Guards, Hartford, Conn., 1888; " "Speech in Congress, May 9, 1890, on Tobacco Schedule of Tariff Bill; " "Report to House of Representatives on International Copyright, June 10, 1890," reprinted in Haven's book on samne subject; "Speech in Congress, Dec. 3, 1890, on International Copyright ; " " Speech in Congress, Feb. 19, 1891, on Shipping Bill; "> "Natural Right of Property in Intellectual Productions," in Yale Law Journal, October, 1891 ; "Report to Congress as Commissioner of Patents, January, 1892;" "Report to Congress as Commissioner of Patents, January, 1893 ; " "Memorial Address at Arlington National Cemetery, 1893; " "Are Our Patent Laws Iniquitous?" in North American Review, December, 1893.
William E. Simonds was married Oct. 17, 1877, to Sarah J. Mills, daughter of Hon. Addison O. Mills of Canton, Conn., now deceased.
OWARD, MARK, of Hartford, late president of National Fire Insurance Company, was born in Loose, County of Kent, England, May 27, 1817. His grandfather, Mark Howard, had been a leader in an uprising against the tyranny of George III., in consequence of which the family estates were confiscated. Hatred of oppression drew the studies of Mark Howard, 2d, to the history and government of the United States. In 1831, with his two sons, Mark and John, aged respectively thirteen and eleven, he crossed the ocean to establish his home in America. Four weeks after reaching Ann Arbor, in the territory of Michigan, the father died, leaving directions on his death bed that the boys should not be sent back to England, as he wished them to be brought up under the influence of Republican institutions. Judge Dexter of Ann Arbor was their guardian and friend.
To those who knew Mark Howard in life, his picture will recall the integrity, the force, the fearlessness in pursuit of right, that made him, wherever he was, a trusted leader. Com11- paratively few men in a generation are so fully guided as was he by intellectual and moral convictions. His aims were high, his ideals exalted. In his nature the compliance that coquettes with principle and compromises with wrong, never for a moment found lodginent. He took deep interest in the issues that preceded and followed the war, and, on all the stirring questions that from time to time agitated the public, the community knew in advance just where he would be found. He was absolutely fearless, and never more at home than when battling for justice at the head of a forlorn hope.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.