History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 37

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1278

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III > Part 37

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The most influential journals of his time contained many sterling articles from his pen, advocating pub- lic improvements and adapted to guide public opinion upon points involving the financial or educational in- terests of his town, of the city of Boston, and the Commonwealth.

In 1857 Mr. Mason was invited to deliver the ora- tion at New London, Coun., at the celebration of the eighty-first anniversary of American Independence. The papers of that city, without distinction of party, spoke of the oration "as a sound, able and patriotic production, beautifully written and very effectively delivered." On a similar occasion in Boston he was invited to read the Declaration of Independence and he performed the service according to the journals of the day " in a forcible and truthful manner, and the audience warmly evinced their approbation."

In 1859 he was the orator of the day, at the cele- bration of the eighty-third anniversary of indepen- dence at Newton Centre, and his oration gave great satisfaction to his hearers. It was a refreshing ex- ampie of originality, bold in expression as well as conception, and naturally suggested by the time- hallowed history of the scenes and struggles which gave birth to the anniversary. " It was marked by careful research and sound judgment, and replete with noble sentiments and lofty eloquence." On the 14th of July, 1864, Mr. Mason delivered the address at the centennial anniversary of the town of Lancas- ter, N. II., a very interesting production now in print.

While he was a member of the House of Repre- sentatives Mr. Mason attended to the business of the Commonwealth with great fidelity, and won for him- self the reputation of being one of the best debaters of that honorable body. He watched carefully every measure that came before the Legislature, bringing the entire weight of his powerful influence in favor of any worthy project, and by his serupulous adhesion to the right he made himself a power among his asso-

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ciates. His speeches before the Legislature and com- mittees thereof upon the consolidation of the Western and the Boston & Worcester Railroad corporations, on equalizing the bounties of the soldiers, on the adop- tion of the Fourteenth Amendment to the National Constitution, on making the mill-dam free of toll, and his immense contribution to the business facili- ties and prosperity of Boston by the leveling of Fort Hill, are specimens of the noble efforts by which he proved himself pre-eminently a public benefactor. In the course of an extended comment upon the last of these undertakings, one of the daily journals of Boston remarked: "The credit of engineering the matter (the Fort Hill improvement) through the Leg- islature, and reducing the details to a practical work- ing level, is due to D. H. Mason, Esq., whose efforts in bringing to an adjustment the long contested Brighton Bridge case, and the prominent part he has taken as counsel for railroad corporations before the Legislature, has caused him to be regarded as one of the most eminent and successful counsel that appears in that body. This enterprise was entrusted to him and the many difficulties that stood in the way were, by his untiring energy, all removed, and Boston will soon reap the advantage of having wide and well- graded streets in place of narrow lanes leading to crowded tenement-houses."

Of the action of the municipal and State authori- ties in removing the toll gates from the mill-dam road and making the great thoroughfare free to the public, the same journal says : " It is but just that it should be known that the credit of this is due princi- pally to the persistent efforts of David H. Mason, Esq., of Newton, who for several years has given at- tention to this matter, presenting its importance be- fore successive Legislatures until at last the public enjoy the great privilege secured."

In 1860 Mr. Mason was appointed to a position up- on the Massachusetts Board of Education, of which he was for several years a very efficient member, and discharged the duties of that office with exemplary faithfulness. No demands of his business were per- mitted to interfere with his obligations to the State in this department of service. It was to him a labor of love and he loved even the labor itself. Recog- nition of his efforts in behalf of the State Normal School at Framingham were showered upon him in a thousand different ways and added to the pleasures of success in this undertaking.

Mr. Mason was also deeply interested in sustaining the high character of the schools in the town of New- ton. In an account of the dedicatory exercises of the High School building at Newtonville, it was written : " It would not be invidious to the other friends of the enterprise to say that to Mr. Mason, perhaps more than to any one else, is the town indebted for the con- summation of this enterprise. For three years he has devoted to it his time and energies. Through his eloquent appeals and forcible arguments he has over-

come a persistent opposition, and in its darkest hours when its firmest friends were almost tempted to de- spair, his voice was lifted in tones of startling elo- quence, till success crowned his efforts. And the en- thusiasm with which his name and speech were re- ceived showed that this was not the hour of his pride alone but the pride of his friends for him." The " Mason School" at Newton Centre was named for him as an honorary testimonial by his townsmen of his noble interest in the cause of education.

Allusion has been made to Mr. Mason's patriotic spirit. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Governor Andrew chose him from the ranks of the Democrat party and placed him upon the Military Commission- the only civilian in that important selection. He was an ardent War Democrat, threw the full current of his powerful influence in favor of the re-election of Abraham Lincoln, and during the war he was un- wearied in his zeal to preserve the country and its free institutions unharmed, and to stimulate his fel- low-citizens to all right and noble efforts. A notable instance of this occurred in an emergency in the war, when a large and enthusiastic meeting of citizens was held in the town of Newton. The design of the meet- ing was to take measures for equipping one or more companies of volunteer militia, and to take further measures for the support and comfort of the families of such as should be called into service. Mr. Mason offered a series of resolutions which he supported with eloquent and patriotic remarks. He alluded to a previous meeting where the patriotic men of the town expressed themselves as willing to sacrifice everything for the cause of their country ; but the present meeting was one where prudence and calm judgment should rule the hour. The minds of men should not, in their enthusiasm, be carried beyond the proper line of duty ; while they are willing to give of their substance, judgment and discretion should so guide their actions, that, while everything needed should be given unsparingly, nothing should be wasted. " Millions of gold and rivers of blood will not compare with the influence of this question ; for, on its solution hang the hopes of civil liberty and civilization throughout the world for ages to come. Let it not be said that we, of this generation, have been unfaithful to the high and holy trust." The preamble and resolutions, which were unanimously adopted, were as follows :

"WHEREAS, for the first time in the history of our government, the Republic is placed in great peril by an armed rebellion of several of the United States, tineatening the destruction of our National Archives and our National Capitol, and a sudden resort to an armed resistance bas become necessary for the preservation of our lives and liberties, and

" WHEREAS, by solemn proclamation the President of the United States bas called upon the good Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the means of effectunl resistance-

" Now, therefore, we, the inhabitants of the Town of Newton in town- meeting assembled, loyal to the constitution and the laws of the land, do hereby instruct and direct the selectmeu of our said town to take and uppropriate from any moneys at any time in the treasury of said town, during the current year, a sufficient sum, not exceeding $20,000, Lo fully armand equip in the most approved manner one company or

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more of volunteer militia who have enlisted or may bereafter enlist from said town, in the service of the State or General Government, and if any such persons are called into actual service, leaviog their families unprovided for, the selectmen are also directed to take especial care to provide for them all the needed and necessary comforts of life, in sick- ness and in health, during the continuance of said service, and as long as the exigency of the case requires. And if any should perich in said service the town will tenderly care for their remains, and furnish them a suitable burial.

" Resolved, That the people of this town have the most perfect coo- fidence and trust in our present form of Government, that we have faith in the wisdom and patriotism of its founders, and that without distinction of party or recognition of party lines, in our heart of hearty we revere and love their virtues and their memories. The cause of this Union ie our cause, and to ite support, in firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we pledge our lives and our sacred honor."

These resolutions, passed unanimously amid great enthusiasm, are honorable alike to the lofty intellect from which they sprang, to the pen that drew them and to the loyal citizens of the town who found in them the eloquent expression of their sentiments.

When the elevated and lucrative office of United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts be- came vacant by the resignation of Hon. George S. Hillard, a large number of the most famous members of the Suffolk Bar volunteered their influence in sup- port of the appointment of Mr. Mason to that honor- able position. He was nominated by President Grant, confirmed by the Senate, and appointed upon Decem- ber 22, 1870, his elevation being regarded as a strong one for the Government and highly acceptable to the people and the bar of Massachusetts. He was at this time a leading member of the Republicau Party, having joined its ranks at the close of the Civil War.

Mr. Mason's administration of this, his last public office, evinced to the highest degree the attorney's Jegal knowledge and acumen, and was a fitting close of an active and noble professional career. He was counsel for the Government in some very important and celebrated cases during his term of office, securing two of the largest verdicts ever obtained by the Gov- ernment in this district. His methods were marked with dignity and principle, without exception, and won for him the highest public and private commen- dation.

Mr. Mason, in his domestic and social relations, displayed even more decisively the charming dignity and purity of his character. On June 16, 1845, he had married Sarah Wilson (daughter of John Hazen and Roxanna) White, of Rutland, Mass., and he loved to ascribe a greater part of his prosperity and success to the unwavering sympathy and love of his faithful wife. In a letter by Gov. Emory Washburn to Mrs. Mason after her husband's death he says: "I have again and again heard him, almost reverently, express how strongly he was sensible of having what, to a generous-minded man, is the highest element of en- couragement and success-the counsel and sympathy of one whose lot was inseparably cast with his."

Mr. Mason died in Newton on the 29th of May, 1873, after a lingering illness of several months. His

widow, a daughter (Mabel White) and three sons sur- vive him; his sons (Edward Haven, Harry White and Frank Atlee) following the profession of their father.

The lofty moral and intellectual culture that illum- ined every element of his sterling character eminently fitted him for intimate association with the distin- guished men of his time, and through it he enjoyed the sincere friendship and personal intimacy of such men as Henry Wilson, Charles Sumner and Governors Andrew and Washburn.

The eloquent messages of condolence that poured in after his death, the resolutions passed by the courts and by the various associations of which he had been a member, the many distinguished persons high in the Church and State who paid him the last sad honor at his burial, and the thousands of every rank of life that thronged to his final resting-place, bore silent and touching testimony how widely he was mourned and how deeply he had been beloved.1

JOHN WILEY EDMANDS.2

John Wiley Edmands, son of Thomas Edmands, Esq., and Roxa (Sprague) Edmands, daughter of William Sprague, of Leicester, Mass., was born in Boston, Mass., on the 1st of March, 1809. The rec- ord of his life is from first to last a chronicle of great activity and grand achievements; while in enter- prises, more particularly connected with the manu- facturing industry of New England, in which the broad scope of his intellect was most successfully concentrated, he displayed a comprehensive mastery of the economical and administrative principles of business rarely met with.

In his boyhood he was educated in the Boston Grammar School, and upon his graduation therefrom he entered the English High School of Boston when it was founded, in 1821, graduating from this institu- tution in 1823, having been favored with the honor of a Franklin medal.

His tender recollections and rich appreciation of the educational advantages afforded him by this now famous school were touchingly embodied in an ad- dress delivered at its semi-centennial in 1871 before the assembled graduates and scholars. It was a glowing tribute of his love for the institution and for the cause of educational culture, and proved one of the most cherished efforts of his life.

Upon his graduation at the High School he began his business career in the famous house of Amos & Abbott Lawrence. In 1830, during his absence in Europe, he was made a partner in the concern and soon afterward became its acting manager, conduct- ing its involved and multifarious business with re- markable application and success. He retired from the firm in 1843, having acquired at this early age a

1 Re-written from Dr. S. F. Smith's " History of Newton," by Frank A. Mason, Esq.

2 By Frank A. Mason.

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wide-spread reputation of being a most intelligent, able and zealous business manager. As such his ser- vices were eagerly sought by many of the leading railroad and manufacturing corporations throughout New England, but these flattering offers he was for the present compelled to decline that he might fortify his already overtasked strength in preparation for the greater labors to come. During this period he was interested in one of his most profitable enterprises, the Maverick Woolen-Mills, in Dedham, Mass., and carefully acquired a familiarity with the cloth manu- facture.

Mr. Edmands' rare intelligence upon economical questions enabled him to exert a powerful influence upon national financial legislation, and upon his elec- tion to the National House of Representatives in the fall of 1852 he was at once delegated a distinguished position upon the financial committees. His term of service in Congress was brief, for at the next election in his district he resolutely declined a renomination for good and sufficient private reasons, and though afterwards repeatedly urged to accept the nomination, he could not be persuaded to separate himself from his more pressing responsibilities. But he main- tained a searching interest in national and political questions to the very close of his busy life and the wisdom of his consultation was eagerly sought by the legislators from his district and the New England Republican members of Congress. He was chosen Presidential elector from his district in 1868 by the Republican party and was president of the first great convention, that at Boston, which nominated General Grant for the Presidency. Without his request or knowledge he was honored with the enthusiastic en- dorsement and support of influential business men for his appointment to high official position at Wash- ington, including that of Secretary of the Treasury, under the administrations of Presidents Lincoln and Grant, and subsequently by leading men of the West for the position of Minister to England.

In 1855 he took one of the most significant business steps of his life, that of assuming the treasurership of the Pacific Milis, at Lawrence, a position that he re- tained to the very end of his business career. He undertook this tremendous responsibility at the earn- est solicitation of Mr. Abbott Lawrence ; and the firm of A. & A. Lawrence, by their support and sacri- fices, followed the varied vicissitudes of his adminis- tration with implicit and. unwavering confidence in its success.

Through the financial and manufacturing ability of Mr. Edman Is, this most colossal of the manufacturing establishments of New England was resuscitated al- most at the very point of death, and raised from a state of almost hopeless bankruptcy to one of unpar- alleled success and prosperity. He successfully engin - eered his company through the financial crisis of 1857. With his acute insight into the demands and requisitions of the future, he penetrated the cloud-

bank of threatened disaster and calmly put into prac- tical operation his theory of making the Pacific Mills one of the greatest individual manufacturing estab- lishments of the world.

As the organization of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers, Mr. Edmands at once took an active and conspicuous part in its affairs, reluctantly becoming its president in 1871.

At a meeting of this association in the city of New York on the 7th of March, 1877, certain resolutions, of which the following is an extract, were introduced by Mr. Bigelow, of Boston, and were unanimously adopted :

" Resolved, That the National Association of Wool Manufacturers suffers, in the dispeneation of Providence which has removed from hie earthly lahors its respected and beloved associate and President, Hoo. J. Wiley Edmands,-a loss which profoundly affects its interests, and comes home to its members as a private calamity.

" Resolved, That this Association recogoizes the nuremitting devotion of our departed associate during the whole period of our organization, his efficiency as President of our body, both in conosel and action, his wise and temperate views of political economy, his great personal influ- ence with public mea, and the weight of character which gave dignity and power to the body over which he presided."

In the presence of this eloquent testimony, his zeal in the interests of this association needs no further commentary.

At a meeting of the National Wool-Growers' and Sheep-Breeders' Association, held in Columbus, Ohio, on February 15, 1877, the following resolution was unanimously passed ;

" Resolved, That in the death of Hon. J. Wiley Edmande, late Presi- dent of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers, we acknow !- edge the loss of a most intelligent, able und zealous advocate for the advancement and protection of the woolen interests of America."

Mr. Edmands took up his residence at Newton in 1847, and remained one of its foremost citizens for thirty years. He at once identified himself with the chari- table and educational interests of the town of his adoption, offering freely of his means and generous in support of every worthy project with what was to him and them still more valuable-his wise counsel and precious time. Of the Newton Free Library he was the principal benefactor, favoring the institution with pecuniary gifts to the amount of nearly $20,000, and bestowing upon it an untold wealth of valuable counsel and advice. When chairman of a committee for the consideration of a petition from the West Newton Athenæum for a town appropriation towards increasing its usefulness, Mr. Edmands made the sage suggestion that the town lend its assistance to this and similar institutions by appropriating each year a sum equal to that secured by private subscription for the same objects, thereby making private apprecia- tion a test for public liberality. Upon the establish- ment of a humble orphan school in his village, organ- ized with the holy purpose of guarding the helpless orphans from the early encroachments of temptation and vice, Mr. Edmands at once gave his enthusiastic support to the charitable project, and became one of the most liberal contributors toward the establish-

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ment and maintenance of the famous "Newton Home." One of the most tender of his charities was in the direction of his devotion to the Eye and Ear Infirmary in the city of Boston, of which from its foundation he was the treasurer and business manager. Under his generous and skillful administration, as- sisted by the unpaid services of its surgeons, this insti- tution became one of the most admirable of public charities, relieving as many as 7000 patients in a year.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, in 1861, Mr. Edmands promptly declared himself for the defence of his country's institutions and the perpetuity of the Union. He was a constant attendant, and often presided, at the local meetings called in Newton for the enlistment of volunteers. With his worldly goods he strengthened the credit of the Board of Selectmen in their generous promises to care for the sick and wounded ard to provide for the necessities of the fam- ilies of such as might perish in the impending strng- gle. In confident anticipation of a vote of the town sanctioning such expenditure, he advanced a large sum of money at a critical moment to meet certain necessary liabilities. Two of his sons-Joseph Cush- ing Edmands and Thomas Sprague Edmands-enter- ed the army and performed honorable service in the Union cause.

At the close of the war, when it was determined to erect a permanent monument to the memory of those who fell in the service of their country, Mr. Edmands advanced a large sum for this purpose ; at the same time suggesting that a popular subscription be eu- couraged, and amounts, however small, be received and credited, that young and old might be given an opportunity, according to their means, to contribute towards this praiseworthy testimonial, Contributions of one dime each from more than 1100 pupils of the public schools, and of one dollar each from nearly 1200 inhabitants of the town assured the success of the undertaking and resulted in the erection of the monument.

Mr. Edmands, besides being treasurer and director of the Pacific Mills, was vice-president of the Provi- dent Institution for Savings, treasurer of the Eye and Ear Infirmary, president and trustee of the Newton Free Library, a director of the Ogdensburgh Rail- road, of the Suffolk Bank, of the Massachusetts Hos- pital Life Insurance Company, and president of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers. He was also a director of the Arkwright Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and for a time treasurer of the Ogdensburgh Railroad.

Mr. Edmands died on the 31st of January, 1877, at the age of sixty-seven years and eleven months. His last days were spent at his beautiful country-seat at Newton, where he had found such rest and domestic happiness as his busy life permitted.

Thus closed the natural existence of one of the leading characters of this period, a man possessed of

the highest qualifications in our power to achieve, those of personal, intellectual and moral culture; who quitted the responsibilities of this life with an un- spotted name and highly honored reputation, an ex- ample of devotion to business, to public trusts, and to the most refined of private moral obligations. Throughout his life he possessed the greatest distaste for ostentation, and it was his often-expressed desire, that after he had passed away, his memory might be spared all manner of extravagant panegyric. Time has proved his most glowing eulogy to lie in the eloquent testimony from the mourning hearts of all who knew him, of all who had felt his noble in- fluences.

At a meeting of the Newton City Council shortly after his death, Mayor Alden Speare thus referred to him :- " Should I say that Newton has lost the man who stood highest in the esteem of all her citizens, I am sure that I should but echo the sentiments of all ; but a life and mind like that of our late honored fellow-citizen is not confined in its influence and benefits to any single community.

" Should I say that Boston, the metropolis of New England, has lost one of its largest-minded and most honored merchants ; that the largest manufacturing establishment, not only in Massachusetts, but of the world, had lost its controlling mind, and our nation had lost one whose counsels for many years have been sought after in shaping its legislation, the influence of which made them national, I should then come short of the measure of the influence of the life and labors of the Hon. J. Wiley Edmands."

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 37

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co Number of Pages: 1278

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1278