USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Fall River > Centennial history of Fall River, Mass. : comprising a record of its corporate progress from 1656 to 1876, with sketches of its manufacturing industries, local and general characteristics, valuable statistical tables, etc. > Part 26
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The procession bearing his body to its last resting-place, in Oak Grove Cemetery, passed through weeping hosts of his less-honored fellow-citizens, who remembered his care over and provision for them in their time of dire suffering and trial, and thus manifested their respect and regard for one who had proved himself unquestionably their friend in all the pub- lic positions of honor and of influence where, by their suffrages, they had delighted to assist in placing him.
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HON. EDWARD P. BUFFINTON, SECOND MAYOR.
Under a government like ours, where arbitrary and conventional distinctions are unknown, and blood has but little or nothing to do with the advancement of men to positions of respon- sible trusts, and where all the avenues to preferment are open to honorable competition, it is in no wise surprising that so many from the humbler walks of life attain to places of coveted exaltation. Indeed the surprise would be greater were this not the case, for it is patent that, in human affairs, the great majority of persons of this class have come from humble life ; and it is this fact that gives greatest lustre to the spirit and genius of our institutions. With these few words do we preface the brief biographical sketch of one who in life endeared himself to all who knew him.
Edward Purington Buffinton, son of Aaron and Rebecca Buffinton, was born in Westport, Mass., November 16th, 1814. His parents coming to Fall River when he was but a lad, he was almost to the " manor born," and grew up personally interested in all that related to the prosperity of the growing town. Early in life he became satisfied that man was born to labor, and, acting upon the good sense and sound and comprehensive logic conveyed in the lines
" He who by the plough would thrive, Must either hold, himself, or drive,"
applied himself diligently to business, proudly conscious that working for daily bread was as honorable as it was necessary to the development of manly youth and robust, healthy manhood. As a consequence, he was hardly in his teens before he was known as a hard- working, money-saving boy. His school advantages were quite limited ; but, like many other boys similarly situated, he tried to make up, as far as he could, his lack of school-hours, by devoting all his spare minutes to the acquisition of such knowledge as could be made practi- cally available in after-life. His motto was, " Whatever I undertake to do, I will do it the best I know how ;" and his steady, undeviating fidelity to this line of action went very far towards making him the man he was. He was a great reader of the lighter kind of literature, and loved so well to read aloud that he would sit by the winter fireside at home and read for hours, to the comfort of his mother and the edification of the family. His reading, if it did not strengthen and sharpen his habits of thinking, at least gave him a good insight into the workings of the human organization, and developed, to their richest blossoming, those gentler attributes of our natures-love, kindness, affection-which constitute the charm of social intercourse, sweeten home-life, and make it so full of enjoyment.
Mr. Buffinton engaged in business for himself early in life as a market-man, following the occupation of his father. His market was on the corner of Main and Pocasset streets, until the erection of the town-hall and market-building in 1846, when he removed thither, and continued in the same pursuit until the close of his life, being one of the leading merchants in that department. Mr. Buffinton was "as honest as the days are long," regarding sham and pretence with a hatred as strong as was his love and respect for clean, downright, every-day honesty in everything and everywhere. Living and acting upon the grand old proverb that " worth makes the man," and realizing, in its fullest conception, the fact that every honest call- ing is honorable-be it preaching, pleading, or marketing,-he strove to dignify his business to the honorable rank of a profession by honoring it himself.
It is not surprising that one growing up with the growth of the town, interested in all that appertained to its prosperity, and actively participating in most of its earlier organizations, should become popular with all classes, secure the good-will of the people, and be compli- mented with honorable expressions of it. In 1852 Mr. Buffinton was elected to the Massachu- setts House of Representatives, where he showed the same fidelity to his convictions that characterized him in all the business relations of life. Continuing to enjoy the confidence of the people, in 1854, when Fall River changed its form of government and became a city, he
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was honored with an election to the Board of Aldermen, and in November, 1855, was chosen by the city government to the mayoralty, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Hon. James Buffinton, who had been elected to the national House of Representatives. The following year, 1856, he was elected to the same office by the people. The three succeeding years he devoted to his business and private affairs, during which he was free from the cares and responsibilities of official life, and happy in the change. In 1860, however, he was again elected to the mayoralty, and held the office for seven consecutive years-a period during which our country went through the most trying ordeal in its history.
From the inauguration of the rebellion to its close, Mr. Buffinton was at the head of the city government, and had an experience from which a man of weaker nerve and baser metal would have shrunk discouraged. But he bore up under the pressure laid upon him with a fortitude and firmness that astonished even his most ardent admirers. His labors were almost incessant day'and night, in season and out of season, but he never for a moment faltered in the discharge of his duties, and his entire administration was distinguished for judiciousness, care, economy, and humanity. A patriot to the core, he did every thing that one in his position could do to help put down the rebellion and preserve our liberties. He stood the strain upon his patience with a moderation and resoluteness that reflect honor both upon his character as a magistrate and as a man, and, while doing all in his power toward the furtherance of the cause and struggle for freedom, was carefully considerate of those who went from our midst to fight its battles and win its victories, and humanely thoughtful of those they had left behind. With an eye to the economical administration of city affairs, he was uniformly careful in his dealings with those who thronged his office for aid, and if he ever erred in judgment, it was always on the side of humanity. Though a large man, his heart was the largest part of him, and the record of his administration during the years of our civil strife is one of noble heart-service. His love of approbation corresponded with his kindness of heart, and nothing grieved him more than to find that his best-directed efforts in any line of action failed to be properly appreciated. He was sensitive, as is every true man, to the touch even of ingratitude, and nothing wounded him deeper than the indifference of those to whom, some time in life, he had shown generous and timely favors. His sense of justice was remarkably keen, and rarely, if ever, was he at fault in judgment. His readiness to assist others became proverbial, and his gener- ous nature often led him to do for his friends that which ended in serious pecuniary losses to himself. At home he was a devoted husband and a kind, indulgent father.
Not a great man, as the world estimates greatness, he was one who gained the highest respect of his fellow-citizens, and held it to the last.
His death occurred on the morning of October 2d, 1871, and with his burial was laid to rest all that was mortal of one whose life and service must, in the years to come, hold an im- portant place, and constitute one of the brightest chapters in the history of our city.
HON. NATHANIEL B. BORDEN, THIRD MAYOR.
Hon. Nathaniel B. Borden was born April 15th, 1801, and died April 10th, 1865. His birth- place was in a house which stood formerly on the south side of Pocasset Street, a short distance from Main Street. This house had a local celebrity from the fact that two British soldiers were shot and killed at its eastern doorway when the British made their attack upon the village during the Revolutionary War.
To a common country-school tuition he added a few months' attendance at the Plainfield Academy, Connecticut, but having soon abandoned the idea of acquiring a liberal education, he returned home, and, though scarcely twenty years of age, was elected clerk and treasurer of the Pocasset Company, then but just formed. He held this position till 1837, when he resigned on account of the press of public duties. He was a member of the Massachusetts Legislature in 1831, 1834, 1851, and 1864. He was a Representative in the Congress of the United States from
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1837 to 1840 inclusive, and again in 1843-44. To his duties as a legislator he brought extensive practical knowledge, a cool, deliberative judgment, and a firm purpose to do what he believed to be right in itself, regardless of personal or party consequences, ever placing his convictions of public duty above real or supposed personal interests.
At the time of the agitation of Free Masonry and anti-Masonry he took decided grounds against secret institutions in a free country, and, it is said, opened his own house for anti- Masonic meetings when no other place could be obtained for the purpose.
He was among the early and prominent friends of the slave, and assisted niany a fugitive, either directly or indirectly, on his road to freedom. At a time when it was fashionable to mob Abolitionists he opened the Washington School-House, then his private property, in which to form an anti-slavery society.
He was for many years in local public life as town clerk, selectman, highway surveyor, and a sort of general guardian to look after the interests and welfare of the community, thereby contributing largely towards securing the good order, credit, and prosperity of the town and city. He believed it to be a duty for every citizen to serve his country when called upon to occupy any official position for which he was qualified. Under the municipal organization he was an alderman for several years, holding that position at his death. In 1856 he was chosen mayor, and during the trying times of the winter of 1856-7, while the mills were stopped and hundreds were out of employment and destitute, he employed many of the idle laborers having no legal residence here, at a low rate, in necessary work about the city. He believed it to be a . just and wise as well as a humane policy to provide for their wants temporarily, and secure to the city, at the same time, the benefits of their cheap labor. They were thius retained, at com- paratively little additional expense to the city, where their useful services would again soon be required, and the objectionable course avoided of throwing them as a burden upon the State, with all the family disorder and social degradation consequent thereupon.
At various times he held the position of president of the Fall River Savings Bank, the Fall River Union Bank, and Fall River Railroad Company, performing the duties devolving upon him with efficiency and zeal.
He possessed naturally a happy, cheerful disposition, was a pleasant companion, and often manifested a versatile talent and great powers of endurance. With a moral integrity unim- peached and unimpeachable, a large heart, and generous sympathies, he passed through life shedding light upon and assisting, by kindly acts, his fellow-man wherever found, without regard to the color of his skin, the place of his birth, or the nature of his creed. Liberal in his religious faith and upright in his daily walk, he was to oppression an enemy, to the oppressed a friend. By his death the city lost a faithful public servant, and the poor their best benefactor.
HON. JOSIAH C. BLAISDELL, FOURTH MAYOR.
Hon. Josiah C. Blaisdell was born in Campton, New Hampshire, on the 22d of October, 1820. In his boyhood he attended the common district school, and later was a member of the Literary and Scientific Institution at Hancock, N. H. While yet a young man, he removed with his parents to Methuen, Mass., from whence, in 1843, he came to Fall River for the pur- pose of entering the law office of James Ford, Esq. Upon the completion of his studies, he engaged in the practice of his profession, and has continued its active duties to the present day, rising step by step, until he has gained a foremnost position at the bar of his adopted town, and has become generally well known in this section of the State.
His first entrance into public life was in 1858, when he was elected a member of the Massa- chusetts House of Representatives. In 1864 he was appointed, by Governor John A. Andrew, a member of the Board of State Charities, completing an unexpired term of two years. In 1866 he was reappointed to the same office, by Governor Alexander H. Bullock, for a further term of seven years, but resigned after serving two years. He was chosen a member of the State Senate in 1865, and again of the House in 1866.
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In 1858, by the suffrages of his fellow-citizens, he was nominated and elected mayor of the city, and in 1859 was complimented with a re-election to the same prominent and respon- sible office. His administration of public affairs was marked by a rigid attention to economy, and, if distinguished in no other respect, was, at least, peculiar in this, that it lived within its income. The years of his mayoralty coming just after the crisis and business depression of 1856-7, it was the demand and expectation of the citizens that the governinent should be con- ducted judiciously, faithfully, and economically ; that no new enterprises should be entered upon unless imperatively demanded ; that " acts and deeds of retrenchment" should be the watchword throughout the year ; and in accordance with this well-known and positive ex- pression of the people's wishes municipal affairs were administered.
Realizing that the head of the government exerted no inconsiderable influence upon his associates in office, Mr. Blaisdell clearly defined the scope of work demanded by the times, and, by careful and judicious suggestions, provided for such action only as would promote the interest and prosperity of the city. The two years of his administration were distinguished, therefore, by the preservation and continuance of existing public affairs rather than the inau- guration of new and untried enterprises. Attention was chiefly devoted to the ordinary de- partments of municipal life ; " to the public schools, those guide-boards to growth and intelli- gence ; to the police, the conservators of peace and good order ; to the fire department, that the means and facilities for extinguishing fires might be always ready ; and especially to finances, that excessive taxation might not retard the growth of the city, nor parsimony belittle her position." Thus husbanding her resources, the city was placed in a position to enter upon that career of enterprise and expansion which has characterized her progress since the opening of the year 1860.
Since Mr. Blaisdell's terms in the mayoralty and as Representative and Senator, he has been brought by official life more or less continuously before the public, and in 1874, upon the organization of the "Second District Court of Bristol," in recognition of his qualifications as a lawyer and a man of sound and discreet judgment, he was appointed presiding judge. He has since that date filled the position ably and well, to the satisfaction of his brethren of the bar and the public at large.
HON. GEORGE O. FAIRBANKS, FIFTH MAYOR.
George Otis Fairbanks, the oldest child-and only son-of a family of nine children, was born in Medway, Norfolk County, Mass., February 14th, 1815.
His parents lived upon a farm, and during the first ten years of his life he passed the time, as was customary in those days for farmers' sons, in light work about the homestead and in attending school, receiving all the advantages and privileges both of public and private tuition within convenient distance of his home. He left the public school when thirteen years old, but spent some portion of the following four years at a private school, or in study at the Medway Classical Institution.
Being then seventeen, he commenced teaching, and four of the next five years were spent -the autumn and winter months-at this employment in the neighboring towns of Upton and Canton. During these four years-the fifth being one of confinement by sickness-when not teaching or studying, he worked on his father's farm, or was engaged as clerk or assistant in manufacturing establishments within the limits of his native town. At the expiration of this period he commenced teaching as a permanent employment, and for some eight or nine years was thus engaged in the town of Dedham and in the city of Lowell, where he became a pop- ular instructor, and won the esteem and confidence of the community.
Leaving Lowell, he went to the town of Newburyport, where he continued teaching two years more, and then, making one of those changes so common and characteristic of young men in New England communities, set about learning a trade. He commenced studying and
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practising to fit himself for the dental profession, and, after spending several months in pre- paration, chose Fall River as the place for his permanent location. He removed thither in December, 1845, and was for many years the leading member of his profession.
Doctor Fairbanks, on becoming a resident of the town, soon manifested a laudable interest in public affairs. This interest was recognized by his fellow-citizens, who elected him one of the General School Committee, three years after his entrance into the community, compli- menting him with a re-election in 1849 and 1850.
In 1852 and '53 he was chosen a member of the Board of Selectmen ; in 1861, elected to the Common Council, and, upon the organization of the board, chosen its president. In 1866 he was elected one of the General School Committee for the term of three years, and made chairman of the board, on its organization for business. In December, 1867, he was elected mayor of Fall River, and the following year re-elected to the same honorable and responsible office.
At the annual State election in 1869, Dr. Fairbanks was the choice of the city as one of its representatives in General Court, and, from the first, was an efficient and influential member of that body. He was re-elected to this office in 1870, '71, '72 and '73, and again in 1875.
At the second session of the Legislature, of which he was a member, he was appointed on the Committee on Railroads, and continued one of its number during his entire membership of the House, the last two years being second only on the list. His labors were arduous, but his efforts untiring, and fully appreciated by his associates on the committee. As he lias risen step by step in usefulness and in influence in the community, so has his faithfulness to duty, and his promptness in its discharge, in each of these public positions won for him many warm friends among his fellow-citizens and in the State at large.
As a chief magistrate, his strong desire was to see the city give large attention to and take high rank in whatever would bring prosperity and happiness to the mass of the people. It was the aim of his successive administrations to look well after the more common and every- day wants of the people ; to consider not only the important and more prominent features of city care and expenditure, as highways, police and fire departments, schools, the poor, etc., but to have in mind the moral and physical well-being of the citizens, their health, the sources of amusement, entertainment, and culture.
It was to this administration, and more particularly to his own personal interest and influ- ence in the matter, that Fall River is indebted for the public parks in her northern and south- ern sections; for the magnificent roadway over the hills to the north, Highland Avenue ; for the broadening and grading of Pocasset Street, that main thoroughfare from the shore to Main Street ; for the first of the large and substantial as well as ornamental public buildings, the Morgan Street school-house ; and-more than all, holding in view the greatest immediate benefit to the greatest number-that daily recurring blessing to the laboring poor of the com- munity, the free public baths, the first of which was established as an experiment, after repeated and persistent efforts on the part of Mayor Fairbanks.
HON. SAMUEL M. BROWN, SIXTH MAYOR.
Hon. Samuel M. Brown is a native of Swanzey, in this State, and was born on the third day of February, 1825. The house in which he was born is still standing, a short distance directly north of Cole's Station, on the Fall River, Warren and Providence Division of the Old Colony Railroad, and is the same in which his paternal ancestors for three successive gen- erations have lived and died. Here he spent his early years, enjoying the ordinary advan- tages and performing the various duties incident to farm-life.
In February, 1842, being then seventeen years of age, he came to Fall River, and obtained employment in the store of Caleb B. Snow, who was at that time engaged in the grocery busi- ness on Annawan Street.
In 1846, being out of health, he returned to Swanzey, where he remained until the early
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part of the following year, when he again came to Fall River, which has since been his resi- dence. During these years he was engaged as clerk in the wholesale grocery business most of the time. In January, 1869, by the suffrages of his fellow-citizens, he was chosen to the impor- tant and responsible position of mayor, and so satisfactory was his administration of public affairs that once and again was he re-elected, serving four terms in all.
Since 1869, his time has been principally occupied with the duties of the public offices to which he has been called. He was elected to the Common Council in the fall of 1857, and held that office the three succeeding years, as also during the year 1864. He has served one year as clerk of the council, fourteen years as trustee of the Public Library, two years on the General School Committee, two years and an unexpired part of a third as treasurer and collector, and two years as assessor,
His administration as mayor fell within those years shortly following the war of the rebel- lion, noted as a period of unexampled business activity throughout the country. Fall River shared largely in the prevailing prosperity. The manufacturing business of the city was greatly increased, there was an addition of more than fifty per cent to the population, and the valuation of the city was more than doubled within those four years. A corresponding extension of the public works of the city was called for, and accordingly much was done within that period by the city government in the way of public improvements.
Several school buildings were erected, one engine-house was built, and the Fire Alarm Telegraph was established. Extensive improvements were also made in the streets and sewer- age of the city. The water-works and the changes in the City Hall building were projected and work upon them considerably advanced within Mr. Brown's administration, but neither was completed until the following year. Many of the improvements named were recommended by the mayor, and nearly all received his approval.
The frequent elections of Mr. Brown to responsible positions, since his entrance upon public life, mark the high appreciation of the citizens of his integrity and worth, all his acts as a public officer having merited and received the cordial approbation of his constituents.
HON. ROBERT T. DAVIS, SEVENTH MAYOR.
Robert T. Davis, M.D., was born in County Down, North of Ireland, of parents and ances- try Presbyterian on the paternal, and Quaker, or Friend, on the maternal side, August 28th, 1823.
He came to America when three years old, his father having made a previous sojourn in this country, during which two daughters were born. His father, who was a linen manufac- turer, went back to his native land in the interests of his business, but, returning soon to America, settled at Amesbury, Essex County, where the earlier years of our present subject were spent. Dr. Davis' academic education was received at the Friends' boarding-school, in Providence, R. I., and at the Amesbury Academy. He came to Fall River in his youth, and studied for the medical profession with Dr. Thomas Wilbur, on South Main Street, living in his family, and subsequently uniting himself more intimately with them by marriage with the eldest daughter. She died not long after, and some years later he was again united in marriage with a lady of Westchester County, New York, she also being a Friend. Dr. Davis pursued his professional studies for a period at the Tremont Street Medical School, Boston, but gradu- ated from the Harvard Medical School, in 1847. He was Dispensary Physician a short time in Boston, going thence to Waterville, Me., where he spent three years, when he again returned to Fall River, and commenced practice as a physician and surgeon in 1850. With the exception of four years spent in New York City, Fall River has continued to be his place of residence and business. The doctor, soon after his permanent settlement in the city, became an active and prominent member of the Bristol County South Medical Society, and was elected president-at the time, probably the youngest man ever chosen to that position. For several years he likewise held the office of councillor in the association.
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