USA > Connecticut > The governors of Connecticut : biographies of the chief executives of the commonwealth that gave to the world the first written constitution known to history > Part 14
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nounced ability. Graduating from the High School in 1877, McLean entered the office of the "Hartford Post" where he became a reporter at a salary of seven dollars a week. He did much good work for that paper and remained on the staff for two years, but finding the life unattractive he turned his attention to the law. McLean then entered the law office of the late lamented Henry C. Robinson at Hartford. While pursuing his studies, he supported himself by keeping books for Trinity College for which he received $300 a year. He was admitted to the bar in Hartford in 1881, thoroughly fitted for the profession as has been demon- strated by his subsequent career. A writer has said of McLean: "Embracing this profession, he made no mistake. It is exactly suited to his temperament. He has the mind of an advocate and of a jurist as well. He is able to get all there is in a case; he prepares his cases thoroughly and is an able cross-examiner."
When he began to practice law, McLean continued in the Robinson law office, but lived in Simsbury where he had always made his home. His law practice grew rapidly and he soon became not only a leading lawyer, but one of the Republican lead- ers. Although very young, he was successful in " holding his own against all comers," as a writer remarked. He was elected a Repub- lican member of the House of Representatives from Simsbury in 1883. His career in the Legislature was uncommonly brilliant for so young a man, and he made a record there that was not soon 366
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forgotten. He was the chairman of the Committee on State's Prison, and was instrumental in making a radical change in the methods of hearing petitions for pardons from the prisoners. He prepared a bill which provided for the present Board of Pardons, consisting of the governor ex-officio, the chief justice of the Supreme Court and certain other members of the bench, a doctor and sundry citizens. Previous to this, all petitions from inmates of the prison were heard by the General Assembly. His bill met with speedy approval and acceptance; the board was organized in the fall of 1884; McLean was made its clerk and remained in that position until he was elected governor. In 1885 Governor Henry B. Harrison, remembering the fine legislative work of McLean, appointed him on a commission to revise the statute law of the state. Although only twenty-nine years of age, he ably performed this delicate task. His associates on the commission were judges : James A. Hovey, Augustus H. Fenn and R. J. Walsh. McLean was induced to enter the field in 1885 for the nomination as senator in the third senatorial district. He was duly nominated, elected by a large majority and took his seat in the Senate in 1886, where he at once became a leader. McLean was a prominent speaker in the presidential campaign of 1888, and to him was due much of the credit for the Republican majority in Connecticut.
In 1890 he became the candidate for secretary of state on the Republican ticket, but as that was the year of the famous "dead-
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lock," McLean was not elected. The entire Connecticut con- gressional delegation recommended McLean for United States attorney in 1892, and President Harrison appointed him to that position. He filled the office for four years and did so well that he won for the government every criminal case that was tried, and every civil case except one. During this period he was also coun- sel for the state comptroller and for the state treasurer, and repre- sented the state in the action brought by the corporation of Yale University in 1893, seeking to enjoin the state treasurer from pay- ing to Storrs Agricultural College any part of the funds accruing to the State of Connecticut under certain congressional enactments of 1862 and 1890. " McLean's professional work in the conduct of these cases," says Joseph L. Barbour, " and in the preparation of the argument before the commission was of the highest order, won for him the commendation of the leading lawyers of the state, and resulted in a substantial victory for the cause." McLean's name was put forward early in 1900 for the Republican nomination for governor and he received the same in the convention which met in New Haven on September 5th. When being informed of his nomi- nation, McLean went to the convention hall and made a short speech, which was pronounced at the time to be "a masterpiece of . tact and eloquence, exactly suited to the somewhat peculiar con- ditions of the moment."
McLean said in part: "The information which I have just 368
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received at the hands of your committee is dearer to me than any- thing else I have ever heard, or shall hear, until I am notified of my election. It would be impossible for me to express to you, and to each and every one of you, my gratitude. I am the candidate of the best party on earth, and for the highest office in the gift of the people of the best state in the Union. You have put your con- fidence in me; you have conferred upon me a great honor and a sacred trust. It is unnecessary for me to say that if elected I shall be elected without pledge or promise to any man save the one I shall make to every citizen of Connecticut, without regard to party, when I take the oath of office. It is unnecessary for me to say that my sole hope and effort will be to keep unspotted before God and man the bright shield of the state I love. I don't pretend to be better than my fellow-man. My life has its blunders and its regrets. There are thousands of men in Connecticut as well qualified, and better than I am, to hold the office that I aspire to, and shining among that number is the distinguished gentleman (Hon. Donald T. Warner) who opposed me in this convention."
During the campaign, McLean was enthusiastically received by audiences in all parts of the state. At the following election he was elected by a large majority, receiving 95,822 votes to 81,421 for Judge Bronson, the Democratic candidate. He was inaugurated governor of Connecticut, before a vast audience, in the House of Representatives, on Wednesday, January 9, 1901. As governor of
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this commonwealth, McLean fulfilled all the predictions his most ardent admirers claimed for him, and he was universally admired in every portion of the state. In "Judge's History of the Republican Party," is this tribute to Governor McLean: "McLean is a young man of sterling character and of amiable disposition. He is always open and above board in dealings with his fellows, and can be relied upon in every particular. His success is the result of application and ability, and when this is truthfully said of any man it is a say- ing of which he may well be proud. No man can succeed who does not have qualification or who does not enjoy to a marked degree the confidence of the community. A man must hew his way to the top, but he cannot succeed even so unless he has a character behind the hewing. McLean is always affable and approachable. These in any one are desirable attributes much more so in any one who strives to be a leader at the bar or in the public life, and to represent the people in important capacities. And then, too, McLean is one of the most eloquent of men. It is a delight to listen to his orations. His words have that sincere ring which must be true of any eloquence, and they are aptly chosen. The strength of fact and argument are these, and so is the beautiful form without which much of the power is lost. If McLean had no further record to leave than the one he has already made, Simsbury and Hartford would have the right to enroll him high on its list of worthies, but it is prophesied by citizens of acute observation that he is certain to be chosen to even higher places of usefulness."
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The FIFTY-SEVENTH GOVERNOR of
CONNECTICUT was
ABIRAM CHAMBERLAIN
A thorough business man, representative of the old New Englander-He was born in Cole- brook, the son of a civil engineer and farmer- For a time he worked for his father, and then learned the trade of rule making-Later he be- came a bank clerk, bank teller, cashier and finally bank president- His first public service was in the Common Council at Meri- den, and later in the General Assembly - As state comptroller he established a business record which led to his election as governor
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ABIRAM
CHAMBERLAIN
A BIRAM Chamberlain is a fine example of the self-made man and his career in business is similar in its results to that of Huntington, the elder Griswold and English, all famous predecessors in the important office of chief executive of this commonwealth. He comes from the best New England stock. On his paternal side he is descended from Jacob Chamberlain, who was born in Newtown, now Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1673, and on the maternal side he is a descendant in the eighth gen- eration from Henry Burt of Roxbury, Massachusetts. His father's name was Deacon Abiram Chamberlain, and he was for many years a resident of Colebrook River, with a reputation for goodness and uprightness that was a byword for many miles in each direction Deacon Chamberlain was a civil engineer and farmer, and his abil- ity in the former profession was marked and well known. Governor Chamberlain was born at Colebrook River on December 7, 1837, and spent his early years in that town where he attended the public schools. Later he studied at Williston Seminary, at Easthampton, Massachusetts, and made a special study of civil engineering. In 1856, Governor Chamberlain's father and the rest of the family
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removed from Colebrook River to New Britain, then a growing vil- lage. The governor took up civil engineering for a time in com- pany with his father. Then he learned the trade of rule making; but his career in life was not destined to be at a factory bench, but in the more important world of finance.
When a young man he entered the New Britain National Bank, commenced in a subordinate position and was soon teller of the institution, an office he held with success for five years. His ability as a banker was such that at the age of thirty, in 1867, he was elected cashier of the Home National Bank of Meriden, and he then removed to the city.
His career in the Meriden bank and his extensive finan- cial experience of many years has made him one of the leading bankers, not only of the state, but of New England as well. Dur- ing the time that he has been connected with the Home National Bank, Governor Chamberlain has also been deeply interested in other financial institutions of Meriden and has been for some time vice-president of the Meriden Savings Bank.
On the death of Eli Butler in 1881, Governor Chamberlain was elected president of the Home National Bank, a position he still holds, and the duties of which he has performed with eminent ability and success.
In all questions that have had the welfare of the city of Meriden at their foundation, Governor Chamberlain has been a
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persistent champion. Those enterprises that have been the means of developing the growth of Meriden have found in him a ready helper. He was one of the promoters and subsequently a director, of the Meriden, Waterbury & Cromwell Railroad, of the Winthrop Hotel Company; is a director of the Meriden Cutlery Company, the Edward Miller Company and the Stanley Works of New Britain
In politics, Governor Chamberlain has always been a staunch Republican, but he never sought public office and all the honors that have come to him were conferred by an admiring public, who saw in him an ideal public official. Governor Chamberlain's first public office was as a member of the City Council of Meriden; later he represented his town in the General Assembly in 1877.
From then until 1900 Governor Chamberlain did not hold public office, nor could he be persuaded to enter the ranks of office holders.
When the Republican State Convention met at New Haven, September 5, 1900, and nominated George P. McLean of Simsbury for governor, Chamberlain was also nominated unani- mously for comptroller of the state. This he accepted and at the subsequent election received a large vote, being elected to the office. His career as comptroller of the state was so successful, and his popularity so great, that on the announcement in 1902 that Governor McLean was not a candidate for re-election, the name of Comptroller Chamberlain was at once decided upon by the party
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managers and the public as the man who could carry his party to victory. He was nominated for governor at the convention which was held in Hartford on September 17, 1902, and at the polls received a vote that not only elected him chief executive of the state, but was of sufficient size to demonstrate beyond any doubt the confidence the people reposed in him.
Governor Chamberlain was inaugurated on the first Monday in January, 1903, and his first address as governor of the state called forth liberal praise from newspapers and citizens of all shades of political belief. His determination to be governor of all the people while in office was abundantly shown when soon after his inauguration he called out the armed forces of the state, and spent a sleepless night, in his efforts to quell the lawless spirit which infested Waterbury during the famous trolley strike of 1903. For this action he received the unqualified praise of all and he set an example for other chief executives to follow when similar occasions arise, and have to be summarily dealt with.
Governor Chamberlain's administration was characterized by a conservative spirit, and he fully justified all that his friends said of him previous to his election.
Wesleyan University conferred upon the governor in 1903 the degree of Doctor of Laws.
Governor Chamberlain is a brother of Mrs. Charles Elliott Mitchell of New York, wife of the former patent commissioner of 376
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the United States under President Harrison. His brother was the late Valentine Chamberlain of New Britain, whose death is still lamented in Connecticut.
A biographer has said of Governor Chamberlain: "He is kind, genial and courteous, and his dignity, fidelity and ability peculiarly fitted him for the high office of chief magistrate of Connecticut. The same proverbial success that has always crowned his efforts in whatever he has undertaken to do for the good of the public has won for him the proud distinction of being a model governor."
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The FIFTY-EIGHTH GOVERNOR of
CONNECTICUT is HENRY ROBERTS
A graduate lawyer and manufacturer, who, born in Brooklyn, New York, came to South Windsor in early childhood-He was gradu- ated from the academic and law departments of Yale University and entered manufacturing - Business integrity in the public service, beginning in the City Council in Hartford, advanced him to the General Assembly, presi- dent pro tem. of the Senate, lieutenant governor and chief executive of the state
HENRY
ROBERTS
F EW men attain high position in public life as quickly as the Hon. Henry Roberts, governor of Connecticut, who, eight years ago, was not known to the public except as a success- ful business man of Hartford, with no apparent ambition to go higher in the public service than that of being an alderman in his city ward.
His rise was rapid and deserved, for the closest friends of Governor Roberts knew his latent ability years ago and predicted he would occupy high offices within the gift of the people.
Henry Roberts was born in Brooklyn, New York, on Janu- ary 22, 1853, son of George Roberts, who, for many years, was one of the leading business men of Hartford, occupying several important offices during his life.
The ancestors of Governor Roberts were of Welsh origin and can be traced to William Roberts who came to this country in 1654. Another ancestor of a later date was George Roberts, an officer of repute in the Revolutionary War. One ancestor on his mother's side had such a career as a soldier in the French and Indian War that after his death his townspeople erected to his memory a
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monument at Deerfield Cross Roads, in honor of his bravery.
The first twelve years of Governor Roberts' life were spent on a farm in South Windsor, and he thus commenced life like many another governor of this commonwealth by tilling the soil. He attended the schools of South Windsor and the Hartford High School where he was graduated in 1873. Then he entered the academical department of Yale University and was graduated from that institution in 1877. After that he was graduated from the Yale Law School but never practiced, as he did not study law for that purpose. The next year after his graduation from the law school, Roberts entered the office of the Hartford Woven Wire & Mattress Company. In 1884 he was made secretary of the company and in 1886 became its president. At this writing, in November, 1905, he is interested in various other business enterprises in Hartford, as was his father, and among some of the offices he holds may be mentioned that of director of the Hartford Trust Company, the State Savings Bank, the Hartford Electric Light Company, the Farmington River Power Company, and a trustee of the Slater Industrial School at Winston, North Carolina.
Governor Roberts takes an active interest in all social affairs and he is a member of the Country Club at Farmington, the Hart- ford Club, and other organizations of a similar character. He is also a member of the Connecticut Society of Colonial Wars, and the Sons of the American Revolution.
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Governor Roberts' record as a public official is of the highest character, and during the eight years he has been in public life no one has any criticism to make of his acts as a public servant. First elected an alderman from the sixth ward in 1897, he served for two years as chairman of the important Ways and Means Committee. In 1898 he was elected a member of the General Assembly from Hartford and during the session of 1899 occupied the important position of chairman of the House Committee of Finance. He took a prominent part in the proceedings of the House and laid the foun- dations for his future success at the hands of the people. Elected senator from his district in 1900, Roberts was senate chairman of the Appropriations Committee and in this position showed his ability as a shrewd business man. In 1902 he was elected lieutenant gov- ernor on the ticket with Governor Chamberlain, and occupied that office two years. In speaking of his record as lieutenant governor a New Haven newspaper said: "The cordial esteem of twenty-four leading men of the state is something an unworthy man never gets. The cordial esteem of all who know him cannot be enjoyed by any man not of high class, morally and intellectually. Lieutenant Governor Roberts has won a high place in the regard and affections of the people of Connecticut, and in our opinion no Senate was ever presided over more successfully than the one of 1903, over which the favorite son of Hartford wielded the gavel."
Roberts was nominated for governor of Connecticut at Hart-
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ford on September 14, 1904, and at the election in November he was elected by a handsome majority over A. Heaton Robertson of New Haven, the Democratic candidate. He was inaugurated on Wednesday, January 4, 1905, and his inaugural message delivered on that occasion was widely commented on by the newspapers of the state.
The following is an estimate of Governor Roberts by Charles Hopkins Clark printed in " The Hartford Courant " the day after he was nominated for governor in September, 1904:
" Being of highest character, experienced in all public affairs, loyal to all that relates to Connecticut's best welfare, and ambitious only to perform every public duty for the greatest good of the state, he is a candidate who commands the respect of all, and the better you know him the better you will like him.
"Sometimes conventions nominate candidates who are like bumble bees, in the fact that they are biggest when first born. Henry Roberts is not such a candidate. He was big enough to get 171 more votes than the total number given to his three popu- lar and powerful rivals. His growth in popularity will increase every day of the campaign. He will win by a big plurality. He will be the next governor of Connecticut, and he will be one of the best governors Connecticut has ever had."
Governor Roberts' public service has fully justified this predic- tion. A study of his record as a public official shows that he is a 384
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man who thinks intelligently, acts conservatively and fearlessly, and whose judgment is sound. His fellow townsmen of Hartford expressed themselves in no ambiguous terms when they passed a set of resolutions in which they spoke of Henry Roberts thus :
" In every public position which he has been called upon to fill, he has known and appreciated his duty, has discharged that duty well. Interested in all that pertains to the public welfare, and earnest in its advocacy, in the prime of life, long familiar with the industries and activities that have made Connecticut prominent, we commend him as one who has illustrated in public and private life, the value to a community of an honest, capable, fearless, loyal and lovable man."
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SONS,
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886 22 1938
CHICAGO
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