USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > New Bedford > History of New Bedford and its vicinity, 1620-1892 > Part 80
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In politics Mr. Perry's affiliations were with the Whig party, and in the memorable contest of 1860 voted for Bell and Everett. In 1859 he was elected a member of the Common Council of New Bedford, and was the only one elected to that office by his party. He was again chosen to the same position in 1861, and served on several im- portant committees, and in 1862 was president of the council. He was a member of the Board of Aldermen from Ward Six for the years 1863, '64 and '66. At this period
8.
JOHN H. PERRY.
the question of introducing water into the city of New Bedford came up for discus- sion and action by the city government. Upon the final passage of the act in the Board of Aldermen that instituted this great public benefit, it was Mr. Perry's casting vote that carried the important measure. The criticisms upon this action of Mr. Perry's were severe at the time, but afterward the most vigorous opponents of the introduction of water gave him credit for wisdom and foresight.
In 1865 he was elected mayor of the city without opposition, an event without par- allel in the history of the city. Of the total vote cast, 1178. Mr. Perry received 1167. From his inaugural address, delivered January 1, 1866, is quoted the following as in- dicative of the condition of affairs at this period :
" Having this day assumed the various positions to which we have been called by the almost unanimous voice of our fellow citizens, let us enter upon the work with one and . the same purpose, the welfare and prosperity of our city, performing every duty promptly, conscientiously and fearlessly. Allow me to congratulate you on the happy termination of the War of the Rebellion. The strength and honor of our country have been vindicated. Peace is restored to us. The dark clouds that hung heavily over her destiny are broken and dispersed. The star of liberty again beams forth, cheering and illuminating the hopes of the oppressed of every clime. Amid the roar of cannon, the merry peal of bells, the glorious shouts of victory, came the sad intelligence of the death of the Chief Magistrate of the Union. He whom we had learned to love and reverence -he who so providentially guided our nation through the most terrible struggle the world ever saw-was removed from us by the hand of the assassin. Then again the strength, the glory of our country, the fidelity of her people, shone forth in all their greatness. Suddenly plunged into the depths of grief and mourning, every loyal heart was more firmly resolved to uphold and sustain the government."
At the dedication of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, July 4, 1866, he, as the ex- ecutive officer of the city, laid the corner-stone with the following speech :
" Gentlemen of the City Council and Friends here Assembled :
" I have the honor to report that the corner-stone of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Mon- ument is correctly laid and rests in proper position.
"Let me assure you, this to me is a solemn and interesting occasion. You are not here at this time to celebrate battles fought or victories won ; nor here to rejoice over the achievements of your arms, or to exult over the defeat of your enemies. The duties of the hour are far more noble, holy and impressive. You are here to honor the brave, to take part in the erection of a monument consecrated to the memory and honor of those brave men who went out from among you to battle for their country's cause. They return no more. They went forth by land and by sea to sustain the Declaration of Independence, to the reading of which you have just listened, and of which to-day is tbe ninetieth anniversary. They went forth to perpetuate that glorious independence and freedom so dearly purchased with the lives and fortunes of your fathers. They went forth for the glory and lionor of their country, for the protection of your homes and liberties. They did not live to witness the glorious success of their comrades in arms, or the return of peace and prosperity to their beloved country. They are gone K
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home-passed away. As there is a just God, their names are enrolled on high. They sleep a sweet, an eternal peace. They are dead ; their country lives; may the blessing of peace, independence and liberty be hers forever."
Mr. Perry served the city as mayor for two years, and no better compliment can be paid to his administration than that deduced from the fact that in both elections he had no opposition. Mr. Perry was a frank, generous hearted man, of strong convictions and will, and held the high esteem of his fellow citizens. He was popular with the masses, and especially so with the men in his employ. In his last illness he was grate- fully affected by the tender solicitude of these men, who manifested in a practical man- ner their interest in him. He died October 31, 1883.
Mr. Perry was married to Harriet N., daughter of Jonathan and Cynthia (Howard) Potter. They had one son, John F. Perry, born July 24, 1850.
P RESCOTT, Dr. CHARLES D., son of Charles S. and Lavilla L. Prescott, grandson of Dudley Leavitt and Jeremiah Prescott, was born in Meredith, N. H., February 15, 1845. He attended the village school until fourteen years of age, then was one year at Wolfboro Academy, and three years at New Hampton Institution. He studied medicine at Dartmouth College under the direction of Drs. Dixi and Benjamin Crosby. Received the degree of M. D. in 1886, and was appointed assistant to the professor of Obstetrics. Came to New Bedford in Jannary, 1887, and opened an office in Liberty Hall Building. February 15, 1871, he was married to Martha A., daughter of Thomas Knowles, esq. Their only child, Harry D. Prescott, was born November 30, 1876. In 1874 he removed his office to his residence, corner of Eighth and William streets. He was quarantine physician and physician of the Board of Health during the years 1877, '78 and '79 ; physician of Bristol County House of Correction from 1873 to 1879.
He was in Europe with wife and child during 1879, '80 and '81. Attended the clinics of the Paris hospitals for two years. Returned home in October, 1881, and resumed the practice of medicine. He has been an attending physician and surgeon to St. Luke's Hospital since its establishment in 1884, president of Bristol County Medical Society 1888 and 1889, member Massachusetts Medical Society, New Bedford Medical Improvement Society, New Bedford Clinical Society, New Bedford Medical Library Association, Gynaecological Society of Boston.
Mrs. Prescott died August 28, 1890.
P IERCE, OTIS NORTON, son of Susan Grinnell Cross and Otis Norton Pierce, was born in New Bedford, October 28, 1839. He was educated in the public schools of this city. After leaving the high school he entered the employ of the Wamsutta Mills. For a number or years he held the position of chief clerk of the Wamsutta Mills, and of the New Bedford and Taunton R. R., holding the latter position until the railroad was sold. In 1880 he went to Fall River as treasurer of the Border City Man- ufacturing Co. He was there two years, during which time he built a new mill of forty thousand spindles, doubling its capacity.
In 1882 the Grinnell Manufacturing Corporation was organized, and he was elected treasurer and returned to this city. He has been treasurer of the Grinnell Manufactur-
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SAMUEL RODMAN - GAMES B. CONGDON.
ing Corporation from the date of its organization. This mill has a capacity of seventy- five thousand spindles, and manufactures cotton fabrics of very fine texture of both plain and fancy weaves. It has been one of the most successful corporations in this vicinity, always paying very good dividends and the stock sells at a large premium. In 1890 he was one of the corporators of the City Manufacturing Co., and was its first president. He is a director of the National Bank of Commerce, a trustee and one of the board of investment of the Five Cents Savings Bank.
He married in 1870 Anna Thornton, daughter of Elisha Thornton, jr.
R ODMAN, SAMUEL,' was born in Newport, R. I., November 11, 1753, and died in this city, December 24, 1835. He was a man who combined in his character many rare excellences. As a merchant he was prudent, methodical, diligent and en- lightened. To do business, and to do it properly and uprightly, was with him a work which called for the exercise of high intellectual powers, constant attention and an exalted Christian aim. He looked upon the calling of a merchant as one, at the same time honora- ble and responsible, alike as a whole and in its details. To a late period of his life he was his own book-keeper, perfect in method and execution. It is said that he never gave a note except to the Insurance Company. In form he was tall and erect, in manners refined and courteous, in his dress a model of gentility and neatness. He was owner of the ship Maria, of this port, now about eighty years old, and for thirty years she had no name but his on her register. He was one of the original board of trustees of the Friends' Academy, and contributed two thousand dollars towards its endowment.
C ONGDON, JAMES BUNKER .- The death of James Bunker Congdon, which oo- curred on the 10th of June of the current year, 1880, demands more than a passing notice. Well may his name and worth have honorable mention in the archives of the Free Public Library ; for to him perhaps more than to all others is it indebted, not only for its existence, but for its continued prosperity, and for the measure of usefulness to which it has attained.
Mr. Congdon prepared and headed the petition to the City Council, which resulted in 1852 in the permanent establishment of the Library ; and to his energy and untiring de- votion it is due that the few thousand volumes of the old Social Library became the foundation of an institution of great public benefit, and of which the city has so much reason to be proud.
Elected a member of the first Board of Trustees-a position which he held, except during a brief interval, for more than twenty years-he watched with untiring zeal over its struggling infancy. As its hold on the community grew firmer and its useful- ness broader, his watchful interest kept even pace with its beneficent development ; he was constantly suggesting, and, when authority had been secured, instituting measures for its progressive advantage.
Secretary of the Board of Trustees from its organization in 1852 until near the close of his life, the annual reports of the board to the city government, always scholarly
1 By James B. Congdon (1873).
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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.
and often ardent and glowing in their style, and which tended largely to invite and to hold the good will of the city governments and the public itself, were invariably from his pen. When the corner-stone of the beautiful Library building was laid (which fully symbolized the permanence of the institution, while it opened the way to increased usefulness), Mr. Congdon led in the ceremonies of the occasion, and delivered an ad- dress, in which he gave in detail the history of the enterprise, and foretold its success. He lived long enough to see its prosperity well assured, and to enjoy not only by him- self, but through the public generally, its great and continually increasing benefits. He gave not only his services to the cause, but in 1876, having received from the city five hundred dollars for revising the charter and ordinances, he gave it as a donation to the trust funds of the Library.
Thus did he prove his interest by deeds of unselfish devotion. Yet, though his life was one of varied usefulness; while, as has been truly said of him, "No one ever wrought more continuously, ungrudgingly and unselfishly for the public weal," it is certain that no fruits of his labor were so grateful to himself, as those richly garnered in connection with the Free Public Library.
The history of his private life was not eventful, and is briefly told. He was the son of Caleb Congdon, a native of Rhode Island, who came here and was married to the daughter of Benjamin Taher. Mr. Taber was an early settler, whose house was burned by the British in the Revolutionary War. Mr. Congdon received his early education in our public schools. At the age of eighteen he hecame bookkeeper for Messrs. William H. and Gideon Allen, in whose employ he remained five years. When the Merchants' Bank was chartered and went into operation, he became its cashier, which position he filled with superior ability, securing prosperity and credit for that institution, honor and confidence for himself, until 1858, a period of nearly thirty years, when severe illness caused by overwork compelled him to resign.
On his recovery in the spring of the same year, he was elected city treasurer and collector of taxes. He was annually re-elected, until in 1879 advancing years warned hini to relieve himself of the burden of his public responsibilities, when he resigned his post. He had been a signally faithful and competent officer. Throughout the Civil War, when the labors of the city treasurer were greatly complicated and augmented, he proved himself equal to every emergency. To his other duties-from the time of the establishment of the Acushnet Water Board, to his resignation of his office a few months before his death-he added those of registrar of the board.
The public is always ready to place responsibility on competent, trusted, and willing shoulders. Mr. Congdon did not know himself, when he thought to favor his increas- ing infirmities, and pass the remaining years in repose. The post of member of the Board of Health, then newly created, was offered to him, and he accepted it. He was elected chairman of the Board. He entered upon his duties with enthusiastic appreci- ation of responsibility and opportunity, and that spirit of conscientious fidelity which characterized all his exertions through life, and labored in his new field with intense earnestness and corresponding efficiency. The elaborate report of the board at the close of its first year was from his pen. It was the last monument of his public service.
These efforts were too much for his enfeebled frame. He made them only by force of a will that triumphed over physical suffering. On March 24, 1880, he was compelled
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JAMES B. CONGDON.
to resign, and on the 10th of June he died. He wrought diligently in his unselfish and benevolent work, until the evening shadows fell, and the night came when no man can work. It was fitting that at the funeral of such an officer, the public offices should be closed, and the city government should attend the services in a body ; and that highly complimentary resolutions, unanimously adopted, should have a permanent place in the records of the City Council.
Mr. Congdon's philanthropy was as conspicuous as his fidelity. The kindness of his heart was never appealed to in vain. The leisure which most other men would have devoted to relaxation, he crowded with beneficent labor. He was a warm friend to the New Bedford Lyceum, giving it at all times the support of his voice and pen. He was one of the most active and efficient members of the Port Society, which has accomplished admirable results in behalf of the seamen sailing from this port. He was a trustee of the Institution for Deaf Mutes in Northampton. For eleven years he was a member of the School Committee, and then and ever after a champion of the public schools, a zealous friend of all measures tending to their improvement and to the cause of education. From 1834 to 1841, and from 1842 until the acceptance of the city char- ter in '47, Mr. Congdon was one of the selectmen of the town, and for many years chairman of the board. Indeed, there was no philanthropic movement in the com- munity during his life that he was not its pronounced and active supporter, and for him to support a cause, was to mortgage to its furtherance his time and his powers. He readily responded to every demand made upon his facile pen. He wrote most of the annual reports, historical sketches, and other publications of the institutions with which he was permanently identified. His addresses, essays, and reports would of themselves fill a volume.
His ready pen was busy at times in other important work. He drew up the charter for the city government, which was enacted by the Legislature in 1847. He wrote most of the ordinances which from time to time have been adopted by the City Coun- cil. The historical details in the appendix to the Centennial History of New Bedford, which was published in 1876, were edited by him. He was a frequent contributor to the press in both prose and poetry ; and his productions were often admirable, always creditable.
Ife was a dear lover of books, which he read with avidity, appropriating what was best in them with acute discrimination. It was the valuable service which books had rendered to hin in the moulding of his thought and the enlargement of his culture, which intensified his interest in the Free Public Library. It was the wish of his lov- ing heart that every soul in the community should have, " without money and without price," the same intellectual advantages which he himself had received and so much en- joyed.
His portrait, the gift of grateful friends, hangs in the main hall of the Library. It is in the most fitting place. He seems to be looking approvingly down (as if in realiza- tion of his fondest hopes) upon the Library itself, so much the work of his hands, and the volumes, so much the delight of his heart. As those who avail themselves of the advantages of an institution which he did so much to establish and foster, pass and repass that silent image, may they sometimes remember his example, and be inspired to lead lives of faithful citizenship and disinterested philanthropy. G. H. D.
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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.
G REENE, THOMAS ARNOLD.1 Thomas A. Greene died at his residence on State street, in this city, on Saturday morning last, at one o'clock, aged seventy-four. No injustice is done to the living by the remark, that no man could have been removed from us whose loss would have been more widely and deeply felt ; no one who would have been more universally and sincerely mourned.
As an instructor of youth, revered and beloved by all whose happiness it is to have stood towards him in the relation of pupils; as an enlightened and devoted friend to education, blessed by thousands of those who have been aided and encouraged by him in their efforts for intellectual improvement ; as a conscientious, intelligent, firm and persevering legislator, a pioneer in those reforms in our criminal and educational legis- lation, which are now blessing the whole Commonwealth; as a philanthropist, whose feeling heart never listened unmoved to a story of suffering, whose hand was ever open to relieve, and whose wise counsels were always ready to aid in every effort to extend to the erring and unfortunate the blessings of temperance, purity and a sustaining Christian faith; as a scholar, ardent in his love of learning, aud claiming for all high and healthy intellectual pursuits a value and enjoyment in themselves that made them their own exceeding great reward; as a lover of nature, alive to all her beauties, a skillful and devoted searcher after her secrets, and familiar with the methods by which science aids the inquirer in his labors; and above all, and as the complement of all, as a humble, faithful, self-denying and consistent Christian gentlemen, he has moved among us for half a century, a blessing and a praise to our community, an example of a rare and ele- vated manhood.
Thomas Arnold Greene was a native of East Greenwich, R. I. He took bis name from the father of the venerable James Arnold, of this city, who was his mother's brother.
His labors as an instructor of youth commenced in 1812, when he was appointed as- sistant teacher in the Friends' Academy in this city, then recently opened under the charge of John Brewer, taking the place of James Scott, the first assistant.
In 1817 he became one of the principals of the institution, being associated in its management with Moses Moody. After the first year the latter left, and Mr. Greene took the entire charge, having at one time Joseph Congdon, late of this city, as an as- sistant.
In 1826 he was appointed a trustee of the Academy, a position which he held at the time of his death.
In 1827 he was elected a member of the General Court of Massachusetts, and was returned every year until 1836, when he declined a re-election ; but he was soon called again to the same position, and was one of our representatives from 1838 to 1841, both years inclusive, thus serving in that capacity for thirteen years.
New Bedford was never more faithfully represented; and few men have served the Commonwealth as members of the General Court, whose labors have resulted in more useful and enduring advantages to the people. It was during the period of his mem- bership, that the reforms in the arrangement and management of our prisons were in-
1 New Bedford Mercury of December 16, 1867. Written by James B. Congdon.
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THOMAS A. GREENE.
augurated and carried through, and our prison discipline elevated from an instrument- ality for the infliction of punishment to the dignity of a Christian-like effort for the re- form of the violators of law. He brought to the consideration of this subject a feeling heart and an enlightened understanding As a member of the committee on prisons he labored zealously and effectually, and his name should ever be associated with those who have aided in the great work, not yet completed, of applying the principles of hu- manity and the Christian faith to the moral elevation of the prisoner.
About the same time an effort, and a successful one, was made to raise up the public schools of the Commonwealth, which had fallen into a condition most deplorably ineffi- cient. Mr. Carter, of Lancaster, found in the subject of our notice an able and a willing coadjutor; and the way was made clear for the entrance of Horace Mann upon a field of labor, in which he reaped a harvest of renown, and from which the people gathered the rich fruits of his noble effort for their elevation and advancement.
It was during his term of service in the General Court that the effort was made which proved successful, to make a half shire of the town of New Bedford. The move- ment was strongly opposed, but the measure was carried ; and perhaps nothing did more towards bringing about a successful result than the speech of Mr. Greene. It was published in full in the New Bedford Courier, a newspaper theu published by Benjamin T. Congdon, to whose editorial columns he was a regular contributor.
For several years, he served with much satisfaction to the people, as a county com- missioner for the county of Bristol.
As a director of the New Bedford Social Library, Mr. Greene did a good work in aid of the intellectual, and moral elevation of our community. Of the five thousand volumes of valuable books which were transferred from that association to the New Bedford Free Public Library, the largest part were selected by him ; and prompted by his love of knowledge and literature, he was ever anxious and active to diffuse the means of intellectual culture among the people.
He was a pioneer in the establishment of our Lyceum, one of its managers, and for a time its president. He delivered the address at its opening, which was printed, the only exercise of that character ever thus honored.
Ever ready to labor in the cause of popular education, in 1843 he accepted a place upon the school committee of the town. He served for four years under the old form of government, and when we became a city he was continued for four years longer.
In no position was his services for the public more useful or more highly appreciated. For a portion of the time, in anticipation in fact, if not in form, of the appointment of a superintendent of schools, he held in the school committee and towards the schools, a relation, the duties of which were the same.
Nor were his labors in this direction confined to the children of the public schools. While he was untiring in his efforts to give to all the benefits of a good English edu- cation, his love of a more elevated scholarship led him to lend the aid of his classical tastes and acquirements to many a youth whose aspirations for a higher cultivation had his sympathy and approval. Hundreds are now living who can testify to his zeal- ous and unremunerated labors in their behalf, whose circumstances were adverse to an unaided effort to the attainment of a knowledge for which they were seeking.
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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.
His efforts in the cause of education and his sympathy with the unfortunate and the fallen, led to his appointment, when the Reform School at Westborough was estab- lished, as one of its first board of trustees. For six years he gave much of his time, and his affectionate spirit, his sound judgment and his practical wisdom in aid of that pio- neer effort to save and to elevate the youthful offenders against the law.
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