USA > Massachusetts > Biographical history of Massachussetts; biographies and autobiographies of the leading men in the state, 1911, vol 9 > Part 25
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He accounted for his own success with such phrases as " capacity for, and enjoyment of work, and attention to details." Not a little of the explanation for his place of honor in the educational world was to be found also in his unusually rich mental endow- ment and training. So remarkable was his memory that he could locate almost any picture in the leading galleries, could give the starting time of the principal trains from almost every leading station, and could name practically every Alpine peak from what- ever point seen. The range and accuracy of his information were extraordinary. With a prodigious capacity for hard work, for him, rest meant simply a change of occupation.
As an enthusiastic traveler and mountain climber, Professor Wells explored all the important countries of Europe, where he also devoted a great deal of time to the art galleries of the different cities, at one time satisfying his longing to mount to great heights; at another, spending long hours studying the works of the Old Masters. Not only was he a lover of art, as applied to painting and sculpture, but he possessed also a thorough knowledge of music as written by the best composers. From nature, he learned many valuable lessons, and was a firm believer that music and art had the power to " enable him, enlarge him, and set him free."
Edmund Methelight-
EDMUND MARCH WHEELWRIGHT
E DMUND MARCH WHEELWRIGHT was born in Rox- bury, Massachusetts, on September 14, 1854. He died August 12, 1912. He was the son of George William Wheelwright (1813-1879) and Hannah Giddings (Tyler) Wheel- wright. His grandparents on his father's side were Jeremiah and Mary (Blunt) Wheelwright. His mother was the daughter of John Tyler. His father was a paper manufacturer. Rev. John Wheelwright, who came to New England in 1636, was his emigrant ancestor. Among those of his ancestors who left an impress upon their times, besides the emigrant, were Colonel John Wheel- wright of Wells, Maine, noted in the Indian Wars; Abraham Wheel- wright of Revolutionary times: and Rev. John Tyler of Norwich, Connecticut.
In his early days his special tastes were shown by a fondness for drawing and genealogy. He was fitted for college at the Roxbury Latin School and was graduated at Harvard in the class of 1876, with the degree of A. B. He chose the profession of architecture for his life work. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and secured training as a draftsman in the offices of architects in Boston, in New York and in Albany. He studied some time abroad, notably at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris.
In 1882 he opened an architect's office in Boston. For more than twenty-five years he was in partnership with Parkman Haven. From 1891 to 1895 he was the City Architect of Boston and in that position he set a high standard of civic efficiency by the uncompro- mising honesty of his methods. He performed a public service of great value by reforming the abuses which had crept into that office. In the scholastic year 1905-1906 he delivered a course of lectures on architecture at Harvard University. Besides the many private dwellings which attest the high character of his work he has left examples of his artistic conceptions in various public buildings, among which may be noted the beautiful mortuary chapel of the Boston City Hospital, the Massachusetts Historical Society Building, the Cambridge Bridge across the Charles River and the one at Hartford over the Connecticut, two of the most beautiful bridges in this country, the Art Museum of Cleveland, the restoration of the old brick church at Jamestown, for the Colonial Dames, Randall Hall at Harvard, the New England Conservatory of Music and Horticultural Hall in Boston and the unique and fascinating building of the Harvard Lampoon at Cambridge (of which paper he was one of the founders), besides many school houses in Boston. His advice as an expert was sought on the con-
EDMUND MARCH WHEELWRIGHT
struction of school, hospital and museum buildings in various parts of the country.
In 1901 he published a book entitled "School Architecture." He also wrote and published " A Frontier Family " relative to his ancestors John Wheelwright and his daughter Esther de Sacré Cœour, Mother Superior of the Ursulines at Quebec. "The Mean- ing and Origin of the Cruciform Plan." Until the Cleveland campaign in 1884 his political sympathies had been with the Re- publican party. From that time he was a Cleveland Democrat. His religious sympathies are indicated by his attendance at the services held in King's Chapel. He was a Unitarian.
He was married on June 18, 1887, to Elizabeth Boott Brooks, daughter of Francis and Louise (Winsor) Brooks. She is a de- scendant of Peter Chardon Brooks. Five children were born from this marriage, of whom three, Louise, Edmund March, and John Brooks are living.
Mr. Wheelwright was a fellow of the Boston Society of Archi- tects; and a fellow and for two terms a director of the American Institute of Architecture. He was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and of various clubs and learned societies.
In so far as Boston at all approaches the City Beautiful, a large share of the praise is due to Edmund March Wheelwright, for de- vising structures excellently suited to their purpose and yet fair in line and beautiful in proportions, a joy to all who have occasion to observe them. It would be an interesting journey which should include a study of all the buildings which he left be- hind him as, in some sense, his monuments.
Mr. Wheelwright wisely spent years in his preparation for service. His aim was high and no preliminary discipline was too long or too difficult, if it brought him nearer to his goal. He did not make the mistake of trying a short cut to success nor an easy road to proficiency.
But Edward March Wheelwright the man was greater than Edmund March Wheelwright the architect. He hated shams and false pretense of every kind. He loved honest work and honor in business as well as in art; indeed, his buildings themselves testify to his love of truth. As City Architect of Boston he proved him- self a man of inflexible probity, able to reform a long standing wrong and to inaugurate an era of just and honorable dealing. The noble edifices which had their origin in his bright imagination are characterized by purity and truth, by spaciousness and classic beauty. Dignity and breadth of vision were his, and a soul filled with fair visions. He touched no earthly work that he did not adorn, and his own character was his greatest achievement.
Sherman & whipple
SHERMAN LELAND WHIPPLE
S HERMAN LELAND WHIPPLE, one of the foremost members of the Massachusetts Bar, was born in New London, New Hampshire, on the fourth of March, 1862. His earliest ancestor in this country was Matthew Whipple who emigrated from Bocking, County Essex, England, probably about 1632 and settled in Ipswich Hamlet, now the town of Hamilton, where in 1638 he received a grant of land, and held some of the chief offices. His grandson, Deacon James Whipple, served as captain in the French and Indian War and was captain under Colonel Artemas Ward with the regiment that marched from Grafton on the alarm of Fort William Henry. Military service occupied also his de- scendants in the fourth, fifth and sixth generation: Deacon Whip- ple's son, Jacob, was an alarm soldier in the French and Indian war; his grandson, Moses, was Captain of Croydon Town com- pany in Colonel Jonathan Chase's regiment of New Hampshire Militia commanded by Major Francis Smith which marched to reinforce the garrison at Ticonderoga in 1777. He joined the Con- tinental Army under General Gates near Saratoga and fought in the battle of Bennington. His son, Aaron, was a soldier in the same company.
Solomon Mason Whipple, of the eighth generation from Matthew, married Henrietta Kimball Hersey, whose mother was Dorothy Shaw. He was born in 1820 and became a physician. He was a deep student, devoted to his profession and attained skill beyond that of the ordinary country doctor. Unfortunately, however, his health gave way and though he lived to the age of sixty-four, he was prevented from acquiring a wide practice and providing amply for his family. His wife was a woman of intense ambition and was determined that her children should have as good an education as could be procured. She was ready to make any sacrifice and her devotion was the greatest stimulus to her sons.
Sherman L. Whipple as a boy was fond of the ordinary sports of a lad reared in the country. Speaking of this period of his life Mr. Whipple says, " I did the ordinary chores of a country lad. I had no regular tasks as my health was considered somewhat delicate up to the time I entered college at fifteen years. I think my mother's self-sacrificing devotion and intense ambition did more to bring me through than any other single thing. My family was in limited circumstances and my father an invalid when I was prepared for
SHERMAN LELAND WHIPPLE
college, but through the energy and self-sacrifice of my mother and brother, aided as far as possible by my father in his invalid con- dition, and by self-help in tutoring, I was enabled to complete my college course." Mr. Whipple prepared for college at Colby Academy. He graduated from Yale University in 1881 the young- est man in his class. He helped pay his way by tutoring during his last year. He received his degree of LL.B. from the Yale Law School in 1884, and returning to New Hampshire practiced for a year in Manchester. Since then he has been actively engaged in his profession in Boston. At the first he was alone, but later asso- ciated himself with partners and established the firm of Whipple, Sears and Ogden. He had prepared himself carefully for his pro- fession and rose rapidly into prominence. His legal knowledge and ability were recognized and he almost immediately entered upon a very lucrative practice.
He has been one of the Board of Examiners for the admission of candidates to the Bar of Suffolk County. He is a member of the American, Massachusetts State, Suffolk and Norfolk Bar Asso- ciations, and a Trustee of Colby Academy. He is greatly inter- ested in the development of American life, especially its beginnings; he is a member of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society and of the Bostonian Society. He belongs to the University Club, the Algonquin Club, the Twentieth Century Club, the Country Club and the Yale Clubs of Boston and New York.
Mr. Whipple has always been affiliated with the Democratic Party, and recently has taken part in political campaigns. In 1911 he was nominated by the Legislature as the party candidate for the United States Senate against Senator Lodge, who was can- didate for re-election. Two years later he was again selected as the party candidate against Senator Weeks. Both nominations were entirely unsought. He has never held or aspired to public office.
In 1917 Mr. Whipple had the honor of being chosen as attorney in the famous " Leak Inquiry " at Washington.
Mr. Whipple married Rebecca Louise Clough, daughter of Lucien Bonaparte Clough, in 1893 and they have three children - Dorothy, Katharyn Carleton, and Sherman Leland Whipple, Jr.
The high order of Mr. Whipple's legal attainments is indisputable and his personal popularity is well deserved. He is the type of American citizen to whom Massachusetts may well point with pride as an example for the coming generation.
Charles Soudrich Whiting
CHARLES GOODRICH WHITING
A S literary editor, editorial writer, author and reporter, the experience of Charles Goodrich Whiting, for forty-five years with the Springfield Republican, has had very few cquals among newspaper men. Beginning at the bottom, he has worked his way not only to a commanding position but has contributed not a little as a member of the editorial staff that has made that paper rank with the foremost dailies of the land. Besides this, he has found time for independent literary work of large merit.
He was born in Saint Albans, Vermont, January 30, 1842, of Puritan ancestry. He is descended from Deacon Nathaniel Whiting, who came from England to Dedham, Massachusetts, in the colonial period (about 1640) and from whom most of the Whitings, Whitins and Whitons in America are descended. Mr. Whiting's grandfathers were Enoch Whiting, and Josiah B. Good- rich. His father was Calvin Whiting who in his youth was a tan- ner, but who afterward became a papermaker of note, being super- intendent of mills in Holyoke, Springfield, Philadelphia and other large paper making centres. He was not only a man of ability but of highest integrity.
His mother was a woman of deep spirituality and grace, and in- fluenced her son very largely on the intellectual and moral side of his nature; her personality, indeed, was felt throughout the com- munity wherever she happened to reside.
Mr. Whiting's elementary education was received largely at home, he being of poor health in his childhood and not able to attend the district school more than a single session up to the age of nine years. But he was an omnivorous reader and fortunately had his mind directed to the best in American and English literature. Being a lad of retentive memory, his wide reading reinforced the heritage of a cultivated ancestry, both of the Whitings and Good- riches, which became invaluable to him, when he had taken up literary work. His academic education was received in the Chico- pee Falls High School in 1851-2.
In youth, being much out of doors, he soon became friends with the wild things of the woods, the birds and the flowers. He gar- dened, he farmed, in fact he lived the typical life of a Yankee boy of his day.
In young manhood he became a country merchant in Hunting- ton, Hampshire county, Massachusetts. In 1868 he entered the
CHARLES GOODRICH WHITING
employment of the Springfield Republican as a reporter. Mr. Whiting's rise was rapid and sure. It was not long before he was in charge of one of the editorial departments. For 36 years (1874-1910) he was literary editor and critic of art, and an all- round editorial writer With the Republican he has remained, with the exception of eighteen months (1871-2), when he was the assistant editor of the Albany Evening Times.
Besides his editorial work, Mr. Whiting is the author of a number of works. In 1885 he published his " Ode on the Dedi- cation of the Soldiers' Monument "; in 1886 he put forth his " The Saunterer "; " Walks in New England " followed in 1903; "Arts and Letters in Springfield " (in " Springfield, Present and Pro- spective ") appeared in 1906. He is a member of the Authors Club of New York and in 1908 was elected member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters.
Mr. Whiting married Eliza Rose, the daughter of Isaiah and Eliza Rose Gray, June 13, 1869. Her ancestry was English from about 1640. Her mother was a descendant of Thomas Rose, who settled in Ledyard, Connecticut, buying his farm of the Mohegans and inscribing his initials on a great boulder at " Rose Hill " where they may be seen to this day. Isaiah Gray was of a family of English origin, which settled in this country in the 18th century.
There have been three children of this union two of whom survive. Agnes Mary is the wife of Philip Henry Wynne, a scholar in Physics and other sciences. Edward Elwell is editor of the Boston Evening Record, after some years' service on the staff of the Boston Adver- tiser.
When asked to give from his own experience some suggestions that might be of service to others who seek success in life he re- plied, " Be honest, be true, be loyal, never compromise, never favor, never pretend, never flatter, be sober in mind and in body. Do your work as well as if every bit of it was to be your last. Hold high ideals."
He has been Springfield's poet of occasion for many years, writing odes for singing for public celebrations and a poem in the Spenserian Stanza for the 275th anniversary of the first set- tlement by the Puritans in 1911. While for the musical opening of the Municipal Auditorium in 1913 he produced an ode, "The Temple of Democracy," and wrote the "Springfield Hymn " for the dedication of the magnificent group later in the same year.
2. White Hatay for
LEONARD WHITNEY, JR.
P ROMINENT among the names of those whose enterprise has established the financial prosperity of Massachusetts is that of Leonard Whitney, Junior, who was born in Sudbury, Massachusetts, June 15, 1819, and who died at Watertown, July 5 1882.
The family of Whitney was early prominent in England, the name, Witenie, being mentioned in the Domesday Book (1081- 1089), as that of an estate in Herefordshire which was bestowed by William the Conqueror upon Turstin, son of Rolf the Fleming, of whom nothing further is known beyond the fact that the name of his wife was Agnes, and that his son, Sir Eustatius Miles, was called Lord of Whitney and so founded the family of de Whitney, the particle being dropped in the twelfth century. Agnes, widow of Turstin, and her son, Sir Eustace de Whitney, bestowed upon the church of St. Peter at Gloucester about 120 English acres of land in the parish of Pencombe. In 1306 a Eustacius de Whyteneye was knighted and was a member of parliament for Hereford in 1313 and 1352. Sir Robert de Whitney, son of Sir Eustace, was one of two hundred gentlemen who went to Milan in the retinue of the Duke of Clarence on the occasion of the latter's marriage in 1368. Sir Robert Whitney, son of Sir Robert, was sent abroad to negotiate a treaty with the Count of Flanders in 1388. As Sheriffs of the county and knights of the shire, the name Whitney is men- tioned from the reign of Henry V to that of George III. John Whitney, the progenitor of the Whitneys in America, was the son of Thomas Whitney of Lambeth Marsh, gentleman, and his wife Mary Bray, and was baptized in St. Margaret's Church, West- minster, July 20, 1592. He was educated in the Westminster School, was apprenticed to a merchant tailor at the age of fourteen, and at twenty-one became a freeman of the Merchant Tailors' Company. In April, 1635, he embarked with his wife, Elinor, and his sons, John, Richard, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Jonathan, as a passenger in the ship " Elizabeth and Ann, Roger Cooper, Master," for the new world.
From John and Elinor Whitney, Leonard Whitney was descended in the ninth generation, through John and Ruth (Reynolds) Whit- ney; John and Elizabeth (Harris) Whitney; Benjamin and Abigail (Hagar) Whitney; John and Bethia (Cutter) Whitney; Ezekiel and Catherine (Draper) Whitney; Ezekiel and Lydia Whitney; and Leonard, Senior, and Ruth Richards (Larrabee) Whitney. Benjamin Whitney was born in 1660 and died in 1736; John was born in 1694 and died in 1776; and Ezekiel was born in 1768 and died in 1830. Mr. Whitney's father was born in 1793 and died
LEONARD WHITNEY, JR.
October 4, 1878. He was a man of strict integrity and firm but kindly nature.
Leonard Whitney, Junior, when quite a young man removed to Watertown and there purchased the Whitney mansion, built about 1780 and known as " The Elms," which is still one of the family residences.
Mr. Whitney counted the influence of his mother as of the greatest assistance to him in his moral and spiritual growth; while the influences of home and early companionship, as well as the companionships of his later years, all conduced to his success in life. His favorite reading was history.
At his father's desire, he early began active life as a paper manu- facturer - like his father and grandfather before him. In this business he was eminently successful and founded the well-known firm of Hollingsworth and Whitney. Being possessed of much inventive ability he introduced a number of innovations which were highly serviceable to the trade, and in 1870 obtained several patents for improved devices for the manufacture of paper bags.
He was prominent as a director in many banks and railroads, and was one of the original trustees of Boston University.
In politics he was a staunch Republican; he was a Free Mason and an Odd Fellow; and an active member of " St. Johns " Method- ist Episcopal Church, which was founded by his mother. He found his principal relaxation in riding and driving, being extremely fond of horses.
April 3, 1843, Mr. Whitney married Caroline Isabel, daughter of Elmore and Tryphosa (Eager) Russell, granddaughter of Abner and Sarah (Hayward) Russell, and of Moses and Sarah (Stratton) Eager; and a descendant from Thomas Russell who was the immi- grant ancestor from England to this country. Mrs. Whitney died in 1889.
Mr. and Mrs. Whitney had five children; Emily Frances, who died young; Charles Elmore, who married Alice G. Noah, and whose two children are Emily Frances, wife of Lieutenant-Colonel Allan L. Briggs, U. S. A., and Helen Cole, wife of George C. Bourne, New York City; Emily Frances, who married Andrew S. Brownell, and who died in 1885, and whose only child was Arge Whitney Brownell; Arthur Herbert, who now owns the ancestral residence, The Elms, and Frederick Adelbert, who was educated at Chauncey Hall School and afterwards at the University of Berlin, at Leipsic and at Munich, Germany. Arthur Herbert was educated at Chauncey Hall and both he and Charles Elmore were trained to become paper manufacturers. All three of Mr. Leonard Whitney's sons have now retired from business.
HENRY JOSHUA WINSLOW
H ENRY JOSHUA WINSLOW belongs to a family that has given to the nation many men distinguished in business, literature, and the professions, as well as in public life; and he has contributed his share in maintaining the distinction and prestige of the family name.
Mr. Winslow was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 27, 1880. His father, Henry Hedden Winslow, born May 5, 1847, is a lawyer whose integrity is beyond dispute, and who, in private life as well, wins the confidence and esteem of all with whom he comes in contact. Through his father, Henry Joshua Winslow is de- scended from Joshua Baker Winslow, who was engaged in the whal- ing business at New Bedford, Massachusetts. His mother, who before her marriage was Margaret Ella Givens, was the daughter of Benjamin Givens, a coastwise skipper of Maine. Mr. Winslow comes from the best New England stock, being a descendant from Kenelm Winslow who was born in Droctwich, Worcestershire, England, April 29, 1599, and came to Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1629, where he was admitted a freeman on January 1, 1632.
As a youth Henry Joshua Winslow was always industrious. With every advantage for the attainment of a complete education he prepared for college at the public schools of Cambridge, and subsequently entered Harvard University, graduating in 1902 with the degree of A. B. Personal preference coupled with parental wishes induced Mr. Winslow to follow a legal career. He entered the Harvard Law School and graduated in 1904 with the degree of LL.B. While a student he was manager of the Cambridge Latin High School Review, and of the Harvard Quarterly. He entered upon the general practice of his profession upon graduation, with the firm of Warren and Garfield, and remained there for two years. He then entered into independent practice. Comprehensive knowledge of the law, painstaking accuracy and thoroughness in the preparation of cases, and consummate skill in forensic pro- ceedings, are his chief professional characteristics.
His fellow-citizens have confidence in his character and public spirit. In 1906 he was elected to the Common Council of Cam-
HENRY JOSHUA WINSLOW
bridge, where he rendered invaluable services and was elected for four successive years, serving as president in 1908 and 1909. In 1912 he was representative to the House of Representatives from his district.
Mr. Winslow was formerly a member and officer of the First Corps of Cadets, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, from January, 1902, to April, 1912, and from April 10, 1912, to March, 1914, was major and judge advocate in the judge advocate general's depart- ment of the Massachusetts National Guard.
Mr. Winslow is an incorporator of the Cambridgeport Savings Bank, a member of the Cambridge Board of Trade, the Middlesex County Bar Association, and the Economy Club, of which he is serving as president for 1917 and 1918.
In politics he is a Republican in national and state affairs, while in Cambridge he is a member of the Non-Partisan party. In religion he is identified with the Unitarian Church.
On June 27, 1906, Mr. Winslow was married to Grace Coolidge, daughter of Bennett F. and Annie Emeline Davenport, grand- daughter of John and Martha Coolidge, and a descendant of John and Mary Coolidge, original settlers of Watertown. The Daven- ports are descended from Thomas Davenport, another original settler. One child, Henry Davenport Winslow, was born of this marriage.
To young people who are desirous of success, Mr. Winslow gives the following advice: "Seek education; and be willing to work conscientiously and never get discouraged."
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