USA > Massachusetts > Biographical history of Massachussetts; biographies and autobiographies of the leading men in the state, 1911, vol 9 > Part 21
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
In 1884 Mr. Preston was a fruit merchant of good standing, but with limited resources. He enlisted the support of others in a scheme to further the practical operation of his ideas. He in- duced nine Boston men to join in an organization for the establish- ment of a fruit raising industry with Boston as the American centre of the business. The banana was to be the principal article to be exploited in the venture. Two thousand dollars was invested by each party, making twenty thousand dollars as the capital of the Company, and the Boston Fruit Company was organized and put into active operation with Mr. Preston as Manager.
The West Indian Islands of Cuba, Jamaica and San Domingo were first developed as a field for a great banana industry. Then the Central American countries were developed on a large scale. Success was achieved by the intelligent and broad minded manage- ment of the Boston Fruit Company. In 1899, following the ex- ample of this company in its activities, as many as twenty fruit companies operating in these tropical countries were in existence,
ANDREW W. PRESTON
engaged in an extensive business. In 1899, the Boston Fruit Company was consolidated with the interests of the Central Ameri- can Companies represented by M. C. Keith, of San Jose, Costa Rica. The consolidation was incorporated under the name of the United Fruit Company; and Mr. Preston became its President.
The company is engaged in Freight and Passenger traffic and is a large exporter of general merchandise. It is said to be the largest agricultural organization in the world. Not only is the work of production carried on over vast areas of territory in different countries, but a humane policy has gone hand in hand with the de- velopment of miasmal regions into fertile tracts. Especial atten- tion has been given to sanitation and to work which will minimize the direful effects of tropical diseases. The company has con- verted jungles into productive lands fit for the habitation of man. Disease laden swamps have been developed so that crops are raised and employment given to people who before hardly had the means of sustenance. Homes with healthy surroundings have been provided for their families. No wonder that Mr. Preston's name stands high in all countries bordering upon the Caribbean Sea.
Besides being President, Chairman of the Executive Com- mittee and Director of the United Fruit Company, he is a Director of many other companies; Vice-President and Director of the Abangarez Gold Fields (Costa Rica); President and Director of the Fruit Dispatch Company; Director of the First National Bank, Boston, and the National Bank of Cuba at Havana; of the United States Smelting, Refining and Melting Company; Director of the Boston Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of the Directors of Elders and Fyffes, Limited (London); President and Director of the Fruit Wharf Company; Director of the Inter- national Railways of Central America; Treasurer and Director of the M. D. Cressy Company; President and Director of the Nipe Bay Company; Vice-President and Director of the Northern Railway (Costa Rica); Director of the Pacific Commercial Com- pany; President and Director of the Revere Sugar Refinery, President and Director of the Santa Marta Fruit Company; Director of the Saetia Sugar Company; Director of the Sevilla Banana Company; President and Director of the Simmons Sugar Company, Limited; Chairman of the Directors of the Tropical Radio Company.
Mr. Preston was married August 5, 1869, to Miss Frances E. Gutterson, of Weymouth, Massachusetts. They have living one daughter, Bessie, the wife of Eugene W. Ong, Esq., Vice-President and in charge of the Law Department of the United Fruit Company.
Mr. Preston belongs to the Algonquin and Country Clubs, and to the Tedesco Country Club.
ABEL HARRISON PROCTOR
A BEL HARRISON PROCTOR, a prominent financier and business man of Boston, was born at South Danvers (now Peabody), Massachusetts, September 24, 1858, and died in Salem, Massachusetts, March 6, 1913. His father, Abel Johnson Proctor (June 12, 1836-February 21, 1861), son of Abel Proctor (March 28, 1800-December 30, 1879) and Lydia Porter Emerson, was a member of the firm of Abel Proctor and Son, Leather Mer- chants, a most considerate man, and of a generous disposition. Mr. Proctor's mother was Lucy Howe Harwood, daughter of Mary Robinson and Harrison Harwood (September 24, 1808-September 14, 1843), a woman endowed with many fine qualities and of good influence upon the moral and spiritual life of her son. He was de- scended from most distinguished ancestry, among them being John Proctor, who emigrated from England, 1635, and settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts; Henry Harwood, who emigrated from England in 1630 and settled first in Boston, and in 1631 in Charlestown, Massachusetts; Thomas Dudley, second Governor of the Massa- chusetts Bay Colony; Simon Bradstreet, eighth Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; Anne (Dudley) Bradstreet, first American poetess; and William Bradford, second Governor of the Plymouth Colony.
Mr. Proctor had no particular difficulties to overcome in attain- ing an education. He attended Miss Morgan's School of Salem, Massachusetts, the Salem Grammar School, and the High School of that city.
In 1875, he entered the employ of his uncle, Thomas E. Proctor, engaged in the leather business in Boston. It was by personal preference that he chose this line of endeavor for a business career. From 1875 to 1887 he was in the employ of Thomas E. Proctor; from 1887 to 1893, he was in the employ of the Thomas E. Proctor Leather Company; from 1893 (when the United States Leather Company was formed and took over the Thomas E. Proctor Leather Company) until some time subsequent to December 7, 1894 (when his uncle, Thomas E. Proctor, died), he was with the United States Leather Company; from January 10, 1895, when he was
ABEL HARRISON PROCTOR
appointed by the Probate Court of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, one of the trustees under the will of T. E. Proctor, until March 6, 1913 (when Abel Harrison Proctor died), he gave his entire atten- tion to the management of the trust, and various matters incident thereto. While still a young man, he was elected a director of the Webster National Bank of Boston. From 1899 to 1908 he was a director of the Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company, and in 1904, a member of its Executive Committee. He was also a mem- ber and a director of the Boston Real Estate Exchange.
Mr. Proctor was affiliated with the following societies: the Salem Club of Salem, the Algonquin Club of Boston, the Boston Art Club, and the Boston Athletic Association. Politically he was a Republican. In local affairs, however, he was always more or less independent. During the latter years of his life he on one or two occasions voted for the Democratic Presidential candidate.
In the management of the estate of his uncle, Thomas E. Proctor, he showed marked ability. In Boston real estate matters, he be- came a leader. As a director of the Webster National Bank of Boston, and of the Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company, he showed energy and sagacity. At his death, the Boston Real Estate Exchange adopted the following resolutions: "He was an interested and enthusiastic friend of the Exchange, and, in his service as a Director for seven years, he gave the best of his unfailing energy, and his clear and excellent business judgment, to its affairs. His high character and uprightness and his genial friendliness and generous disposition endeared him to his associates. Fortunate in his temperament, he joined simplicity, kindliness and charity with practical good sense and unusual sagacity."
Few men carried larger business responsibilities than did Mr. Proctor and few men of affairs found more time for interests which concerned the larger life of the community. He had a native capacity for intense and continuous work, a rare power of endur- ance, a rapidity of mental activity and a fine literary taste. He was a man of marked executive ability, of a genial temperament, and one whose personality has been greatly missed among his many friends and associates. For everyone he had a kind word, and to many in need he gave counsel and encouragement.
CHARLES COOLIDGE READ
C HARLES COOLIDGE READ was a lifelong resident of Cambridge. He was born there on March 1, 1843, and died there on January 2, 1918. His parents were William and Sarah (Goodwin) Atkins Read. On the paternal side he was a direct descendant of Christopher Read, an early settler of Cam- bridge. His maternal great-grandfather was Nathaniel Goodwin of Charlestown.
Mr. Read fitted for college at the Private Latin School of Mr. E. S. Dixwell in Boston, and graduated from Harvard College in the class of 1864. The year following his graduation he spent in the office of Messrs. C. T. and T. H. Russell. Deciding upon the law as his vocation in life, Mr. Read entered the Harvard Law School in September, 1865, and studied there until the end of the winter of 1867.
At graduation Mr. Read was First Marshal of his Class, and on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of his graduation he was the Chief Marshal of the Alumni Association. On Commence- ment Day, 1867, he received the degrees of A.M. and LL.B. His sincerity, kindliness, honor, and magnetic personality made him one of the most popular men of his college class.
After leaving the Law School Mr. Read re-entered the office, where he remained one year, where he had begun the study of the law. He was admitted to the Bar in July, 1867, and continued successfully in the practice of his profession in Boston until his death. In September, 1870, he was admitted to the Circuit Court of the United States. In his service of his clients he com- bined extraordinary ingenuity with perfect candor and simplicity. The vigor and interest with which he threw himself into the study of a question of law and the lucidity and fairmindedness with which he presented his arguments always commanded the best attention of the courts. His ready sympathies, his capacity to receive as well as to give pleasure, not only made him a favorite wherever he went, but won for him the affection from his brother
Eng by E & Williams & Bra NY
CHARLES COOLIDGE READ
lawyers and the respect of all the different classes of men with whom his active life brought him into contact.
His love for his profession, his untiring efforts in elevating the standard of practice, his excellent knowledge of human nature, unfailing courtesy and liberality, were among his characteristics. The confidence in his ability and learning was not confined to his legal associates alone, however, for his generous and whole-souled nature commended him to the esteem of the general public.
In his home city Mr. Read showed a deep interest in all move- ments concerning the welfare and happiness of the people. In 1874 he was a member of the Cambridge Common Council, and was counsel for the " Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children " for over 20 years.
He was most unselfish, possessing a genial and affable nature, and a radiant sympathy which animated all his doings. He lived a manly, unblemished life.
Devoted to the best traditions and loyal to the highest standards in the profession of the law, it was the lifelong purpose and con- stant effort of Mr. Read to uphold, in connection with the courts of the Commonwealth, the highest conception of professional honor.
His death is a loss to the legal fraternity and in his community there are many who, as time goes on, will realize that he filled a place in their lives which no one else did, and that both they and the community are better for his having lived.
JAMES CLARENCE ROBERTSON
J AMES CLARENCE ROBERTSON was born in Sudbury, Massachusetts, May 6, 1846, and died in Hudson, August 22, 1916.
His father was Gilbert Robertson. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, April 20, 1820, and died in Hudson, Massachusetts, Feb. 21, 1872. He married Jane Elizabeth Davis, a daughter of Oliver Davis and Jane Whitman Taylor. Oliver Davis was born in Boxboro, Massachusetts, April 10, 1794. He was about nineteen, when he left his home town, and went to Hudson, Massachusetts. He was ambitious and very quickly advanced in his chosen calling, and became a contractor and builder. In 1881, he associated him- self with Edgar P. Larkin, in the lumber and mill business, and was the senior partner in this concern when he died. His reputation in business was enviable, - he was ever noted for his square and honest dealings.
Mr. Robertson did his duty as a citizen and as a resident of the town. He served his state in the Militia, and, for twenty-five years, he was Hook and Ladder Foreman in the Hudson Fire De- partment. In politics, he was, all his life, a Democrat, but he never held any political office.
He was a Mason. When a young man, he had joined the Doric Lodge; later, he was also a member of the Commandery and of Aleppo Temple.
He was a man of simple tastes. He cared nothing for society or show; his home and business claimed all his time and energies. His only recreations were working in his garden, and going on long tramps through the woods. He was charitable, in a very unos- tentatious way; his charities were known only to the recipients and to his intimate friends.
He was married twice. His first wife was Charlotte Burnham Tobey. She died Jan. 2, 1890. On Dec. 2, 1899, he married, for his second wife, Helen Gardner Wilson. She is the daughter of Charles and Mary Elizabeth Bird Gardner, and granddaughter of Charles and Tolman Gardner and of Elijah and Sarah Fuller Bird; she is a direct descendant of that Dr. Samuel Fuller who came from England to Massachusetts in the Mayflower. She survives him.
Mr. Robertson had only one child, - Ralph Arthur, his son by his first wife. This son was associated with his father in business, and survives him.
Mr. Robertson's career is a notable example of what a man may do and be if he has the determination to succeed, and is willing to work hard to attain his ambition.
James Roberton
Ermuss, Rockwill
JAMES ELI ROTHWELL
J AMES ELI ROTHWELL was born at Providence, Rhode Island, August 26, 1852. His father, James Rothwell, born October 3, 1820-died July 6, 1894, son of William Rothwell, 1790-1886, and Sarah (Hargrave) Rothwell, was a merchant. He was a man whose characteristics were ambition and energy, and his sense of justice extended to a liberality which he constantly prac- ticed. His mother, Emily (Aylsworth) Rothwell, daughter of Judge Eli Alysworth, was a woman who exerted a deep moral in- fluence on her son, and who strove to better his interests in every way.
Mr. Rothwell is of English descent on both sides, his father, of a well-to-do English family, coming to America in 1841. His ma- ternal ancestor, Arthur Aylsworth, came from England to Massa- chusetts in 1681.
James Eli Rothwell was surrounded by the influences which are potent in developing honorable character. His education was re- ceived in the public and private schools of Providence. As a boy he was of a studious disposition, and fond of reading, especially along scientific and historical lines. Together with this he had the normal boy's liking for sports and outdoor life, and his parents took precautions to train both his mind and body by a judicious amount of work and play. After leaving primary school he entered Mowry and Goff's Classical High School of Providence, where he com- pleted his schooling with credit to himself and his instructors.
In 1871 he left Providence and came to Boston as a bookkeeper. From 1872 to 1875 he served as accountant and credit manager for Rothwell, Luther Potter and Company, and in three years' time he was made a partner in the firm. From that time on he made steady progress in business, assuming more responsible positions, until today he holds the offices of director, president, and treasurer of several important corporations throughout New England and the West.
Mr. Rothwell is a firm believer in the good effects of military training, having had four years training as a cadet in his school life. He is a member of the Boston Art Club, the Eastern Yacht
JAMES ELI ROTHWELL
Club, the Brae Burn Country Club, and of many scientific societies in America and in England.
In politics he is a loyal member of the Republican party. For years he has devoted a large part of his time to advancing the in- terests of church work in his home town and has served as treasurer of the trustees of the St. Mark's Methodist Episcopal Church in Brookline. At present he is a member of the Christian Science Church. His favorite recreations are yachting, agriculture, horti- culture, and he enjoys art study, and his collection of paintings.
At Mr. Rothwell's country place, "Rosemead " in Cotuit, Massachusetts, there is a remarkable collection of many unusual trees and shrubs. These were grown under most adverse circum- stances, for much of the native soil is almost a desert sand. Mr. Rothwell is a lover of birds, and a student of bird lore, and birds of many varieties from all parts of the world frequent the estate. At his Brookline estate, Mr. Rothwell has indulged in cultivating flowers, particularly orchids, and his collection of them has become known all over America. Many unique hybrids have been raised in his greenhouses.
Another hobby is the development of Guernsey cattle, not merely for the milk and butter produced, but for the beauty of the animals themselves.
On November 16, 1875, Mr. Rothwell was married to Juliene Eleanor, daughter of Thomas and Eleanor Quayle, who came from England to America in 1850. Two children were born of this marriage: Eleanor and Edmund Aylsworth.
Speaking of the principles, methods, and habits that have been essential in his successful career, he says: "As a boy I was taught that what is worth doing at all is worth doing well; and I have been greatly influenced in life by this teaching. I have found that absolute integrity, combined with intelligent activity is necessary to financial success."
Mr. Rothwell is a typical New Englander. He possesses a re- markable executive ability, a genius for organization, untiring energy and notable business foresight. He ranks and deserves to rank conspicuously in that select group of New Englanders who have, by energy and ability, maintained the leadership of this section of the country.
HARVEY GEORGE RUHE
H ARVEY GEORGE RUHE was born in Allentown, Penn- sylvania, June 23, 1860. He died in West Newton, De- cember 5, 1912. His father was George Lehman Ruhe, who was born in Allentown, August 29, 1822, and died there, August 22, 1901. His mother was Mary Stem. His grandfathers were John Frederick Ruhe, who was born in London, April 6, 1781, and who died in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1861, and Jacob Stem. His grandmothers were Elizabeth (Kramer) Ruhe and Hannah (Hartz) Stem.
His great-grandfather was John Frederick Ruhe, who was born November 25, 1745, and died in Allentown, Pennsylvania, July 27, 1841. John Ruhe became a druggist and physician. He emi- grated to England in 1767, and was married in St. George's Church, London, August 14, 1777, to Catherine Maria Henrietta Macken- rod. She was born August 30, 1754, and died in Allentown, July 16, 1840. She was the daughter of John Henry and Margaret Christina (Werner) Mackenrod. In 1790, Dr. Ruhe with his wife and four children came to this country and lived in New York and Philadelphia until 1794, when they moved to Allentown, where Dr. Ruhe opened the first apothecary shop in the town. He was also actively engaged in building in the town.
His son, John Frederick Ruhe, grandfather of Harvey G. Ruhe, was a public-spirited citizen of the country. He was captain of the local company of militia known as the " Northampton Blues " in the War of 1812, and saw active service. His company was a part of the fourteen thousand troops which President Madison req- uisitioned from Pennsylvania. After the war he was the first high constable of the town, was burgess in 1836 and had held at different times practically all of the local offices. He was cashier of the Northampton Bank of Allentown and was for many years an associate judge of the courts. He was also active in business and established the leading tobacco business in the state. George Lehman Ruhe continued the tobacco business established by his father and became a large grower, importer and manufacturer of tobacco. He was also active in political affairs and was internal revenue agent for many years.
Harvey G. Ruhe, his son began his business career when he was thirteen, as evening messenger boy for the Western Union Tele- graph Company. He was the first messenger to wear the company uniform in Allentown. At sixteen years of age he accepted the position of office boy in the Allentown Rolling Mills. He was
HARVEY GEORGE RUHE
faithful and efficient and was promoted step by step until, at the age of twenty, he was the company's paymaster for two or three thousand men. His capacity and love of work and his ambition soon tempted him to enter a larger field of usefulness and at twenty- three he entered the employ of Keck, Mosser and Company, tan- ners and leather merchants. He continued with this company fifteen years, first as bookkeeper and then as salesman and, when the company in 1896 went into the cut sole business, he went to Lynn and established there their cut sole plant.
In 1898 he formed a partnership with William F. Mosser. Mr. Mosser's death in 1908 caused a change in the firm but the business was carried under the same name, the members of the company being Edward Morris of Morris and Company, the Chicago packers, and Harvey G. Ruhe. Mr. Ruhe was president and general manager. March 1, 1910, Mr. Ruhe withdrew from the company and after a short vacation he formed the Cattaraugus Tanning Com- pany. Mr. Ruhe was at one time a director of the National Se- curity Bank of Lynn and of the Lynn Safe-Deposit Trust Company. He was always a Republican and before he was a voter he organized the Young Men's Republican Club of Allentown and was its presi- dent. He was a member of the Republican City Committee of Newton, Massachusetts. As a member of the Congregational Church in Newton Center he gave expression to his religious faith.
Mr. Ruhe was a thirty-second degree Mason. He was a member of the Algonquin Club of Boston, the Brae Burn Country Club of Newton and the Corinthian Yacht Club of Marblehead.
Mr. Ruhe was married March 13, 1884, to Agnes M. Boyer of Allentown, daughter of Solomon Boyer, and granddaughter of John Boyer, and a descendant from Frederick Boyer. They had three children: Willard Lewis Ruhe, with the J. F. Mosser Com- pany of Boston; Carleton Ruhe, Vice-President of the Cattaraugus Tanning Company of Olean and New York; and Miss Helen Ruhe, at home with her mother.
His fellows in business held Mr. Ruhe in high esteem. His in- tegrity, his energy and his confidence that he could accomplish the seemingly impossible, all won for him the respect of men who value spiritual and mental power; and his sweet Christian character and whole hearted kindliness won for him the affection of all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. As a worker he was unusually strong and effective; as a Christian his character was wholesome and just and kindly. He made the world richer and brighter and better by his presence.
George Hemy Jaryar-
GEORGE HENRY SARGENT
G EORGE HENRY SARGENT, the sixth child and third son of Colonel Joseph Denny Sargent, and Mindwell Jones Sargent, was born at his father's farm on Denny Hill in Leicester, Massachusetts on Oct. 29th, 1828.
His ancestors both paternal and maternal, had lived for many generations in this neighborhood, and had been closely identified with its civic and military history.
On the paternal side, his grand-parents were Joseph Sargent (1757-1787) and Mary Denny, and on the maternal side Phineas Jones (1762-1850) and Lucy Baldwin. Among his immigrant ancestors in America were William Sargent, who came from Eng- land to Massachusetts in 1632 and settled in Malden; Thomas Greene, from England in 1648, also domiciled in Malden; Francis Peabody, known as the "founder of New Hampshire," Richard Woodward from England 1634; Daniel Whittemore, from England to Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1637; Lewis Jones, from Wales to Watertown, and Daniel Denny, Esquire, who in 1718 came from England and settled in Leicester.
Colonel Thomas Denny distinguished himself as a member of the First Provincial Congress, while others were prominent in military affairs, among them being Major-general Humphry Atherton, Captain Thomas Bancroft, Major Asa Baldwin, Lieutenant James Trowbridge, and Captain James Draper.
Mr. Sargent's boyhood was spent on the farm where he grew up under the strict discipline of regular work.
His great physical strength and love of nature and the domestic animals made this sort of life congenial to him and all through his later career as a city-dweller and man of affairs, he kept his strong interest and sympathy for country folk and country ways, especially those of his native town.
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.