USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 85
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 85
USA > Massachusetts > Barnstable County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 85
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addition to the central bank in South Weymouth two branch offices are maintained, one at East Weymouth, and another at Weymouth Landing. Mr. Grieves is a Republican in his political sympathies, and though he has never sought or desired public office he is enterprising and very active in all movements planned for the betterment of Weymouth. During the period of the participation of the United States in the World War he was chairman of the Boston District Committee for the collection and tabulation of Liberty Loan receipts, and at the present time (1928) he is a trustee and vice-president of the Wey- mouth Hospital, also vice-president of the Clapp Memorial Men's Club, and vice-president of Wey- mouth Chamber of Commerce. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, in which Order he holds the thirty-second degree, and is a member of Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Or- der Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a mem- ber of the Norfolk Club, and of the South Shore Country Club, and his religious membership is with the Episcopal church.
William W. Grieves was married, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1913, to Edith M. Rice, of Cam- bridge, daughter of James and Ada C. (Curry) Rice. Mr. and Mrs. Grieves are the parents of two chil- dren: 1. Barbara, born August 18, 1914. 2. Edward R., born May 24, 1918.
ELISHA H. COHOON, M. D .- Twenty-five years of active practice of his profession of medi- cine, the whole of which has been devoted to hospital and institutional work in the Psychiatric field, has brought Dr. Cohoon a reputation in the particular field in which he has specialized and has brought him substantial and distinguished success with the respect and admiration of his fellows and colleagues. For the past ten years, he has been su- perintendent of the Medfield State Hospital at Med- field, Massachusetts, and has directed the activities and policies of the institution with marked benefit to all those with whom he daily came in contact. He is a son of John F. and Sarah (Cooke) Cohoon, both of whom were natives of Nova Scotia, but are de- ceased. The father was a prosperous mill owner.
Elisha H. Cohoon was born in Nova Scotia, Can- ada, September 29, 1874. He attended the local dis- trict schools of Nova Scotia, and then went to the Acadia University, Nova Scotia, and was duly grad- uated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts with the class of 1894. Thereafter he matriculated at the Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons at Baltimore, Mary- land, completing his courses and receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine with honors in 1903. Upon his qualification to practice he entered the active work of his profession in the State Hospital at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where he remained for two years. At the end of that time he transferred to the Col- orado State Hospital and after ten months went to the State Hospital for Mental Diseases at Howard, Rhode Island. By this time his ability and medical acumen had become known to the leaders of his profession, and he was recognized as an authority and specialist in his particular branch of the profes- sion. For seven years he was prominently identi- fied with the Rhode Island Hospital and devoted his untiring efforts and energies to the attendance of the health and convalescence of his patients. He was called to the Boston Psychopathic Hospital, as
administrator, and continued there for a year and a half, when he was appointed on April 1, 1917, super- intendent of the Medfield State Hospital at Medfield, Massachusetts, and has been engaged in supervising and directing the affairs of that institution since. Dr. Cohoon is a member of the American Medical As- sociation, the Massachusetts State Medical Society and the Norfolk County Medical Society. He is also president and member of the New England Society of Psychiatry; a member of the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society, and also a member of the Amer- ican Psychiatric Association. In the field of Psychi- atry and mental disorders, Dr. Cohoon is the author of numerous articles published in medical magazines. He was elected to the Phi Beta Phi College Fra- ternity, and is a member of the Blue Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons.
Dr. Elisha H. Cohoon married, on July 2, 1907, Margaret Brown.
JOHN P. HUNT-As treasurer of the Weymouth Savings Bank, John P. Hunt is very well known in Weymouth, which is also the place of his birth. Mr. Hunt was engaged in the wholesale boot and shoe business in Boston for twenty years, as a clerk, prior to accepting the position which he now holds, and in addition to his official responsibilities in connec- tion with the Weymouth Savings Bank, he is serving in public capacity, formerly as town auditor and now as a member of the School Board.
Born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, December 10, 1875, John P. Hunt is a son of John Edward Hunt, who was engaged in the shoe manufacturing busi- ness in Weymouth to the time of his death, as a member of the firm of C. P. Hunt and Company, and of A. Rose (White) Hunt. He received a good, practical education in the public schools of Wey- mouth, and then secured a position as clerk in the employ of Winch Brothers, who were engaged in the wholesale boot and shoe business in Boston. For twenty years he continued to hold that position, giv- ing the faithful and able service which placed him high in the esteem of his associates. After twenty years of service in that connection he was elected clerk of the corporation of the Weymouth Savings Bank, in Weymouth, becoming treasurer in March, 1924, and that official position he has continued to fill to the present time (1928). Politically, he gives his support to the principles and the candidates of the Republican party, and he is bearing his full share of the burdens of public office. For ten years he served as town auditor, and for the past nine years he has also been a member of the School Board of Weymouth. He is a member of the Blue Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and his religious affiliation is with the Universalist church, which he serves as clerk.
John P. Hunt was married, in Weymouth, Massa- chusetts, June 30, 1903, to Addie Brooks, and they are the parents of two children: 1. Phillips B., who was born in August, 1907. 2. John Edward, born in November, 1910.
WILLIAM W. OLLENDORFF, president and treasurer of the Bellingham Woolen Company at North Bellingham and a resident of Medway, has had an extremely valuable career not only in the business world but as a member of the State Legis-
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lature during the last year of the World War and 1919-1920. The woolen industry is so inextricably interwoven in the fabric of New England life that one engaged in it is fortunate indeed when he is privileged to view the whole from political angles, from the harness of a legislator; and by the same token the industry must be benefited when a man brings to it a considerable experience with legisla- tive affairs. Acquaintance with affairs, people and conditions is a prerequisite to understanding and in- telligent action, and Mr. Ollendorff consequently enjoys an unusual equipment.
Mr. Ollendorff was born April 17, 1878, at Med- way, son of Myer Ollendorff, who died in 1881, and Ottillie (Conrad) Ollendorff, who is still living. He received a public school education and began his business career with the Taft Woolen Company, manufacturers of woolen goods, at Caryville, and remained with this concern until 1922, when he re- signed to accept the position of manager of the Waste Department of the American Woolen Com- pany with office in Boston. This position he held until 1912 when he organized the Bellingham Woolen Company, and has remained as its president and treasurer to the present time. He is known as one of the best posted wool men in the country, whether it be grading, tariffs, manufacture or what not. In addition to this principal activity he is president of the Medway Co-operative Bank and vice-president of the Medway Savings Bank. He is a former mem- ber of the Board of Selectmen of Medway, of which body he served as chairman for the period of seven years. He also served as a member of the Gover- nor's Council during 1923-24, and is prominently identified with State Republican politics as a mem- ber of the Republican State Committee. During the World War he was active as chairman of the vari- ous Liberty Loan drives. He is a leading member of Charles River Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, having served as district deputy; a member of the Royal Arch Chapter and Knights Templar; and a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a member of the Boston City Club and many similar organizations. His religious affiliation is with the Second Congregational Church, and in all the relationships of the citizen enjoys a deserved prominence.
Mr. Ollendorff married, in 1902, Alice M. Bullard, of Bellingham,, daughter of Addison E. and Lydia A. (Metcalf) Bullard, and their union has been blessed with three children, Alice M., Marjorie L. and Marion C. Ollendorff.
JOHN SAXTON KENT-It has long been moot question whether the self-made man would have been better off with a college education. Some men in that category will claim their advance might have been faster and more secure, while others will maintain that the theoretical would have been a handicap, whereas the practical they received through their own course put them where they were. John S. Kent, president of the M. A. Packard Company, shoe manufacturers of Brockton, Massachusetts, a typical product of the school of experience, has at- tained a gratifying success through his own efforts, with the aid of a business and high school training, while in the political field he has been elevated to the highest position in the gift of his neighbors, the office of mayor of Brockton, in which he served three
years during 1907, 1908 and 1909. He is a leader in civic and business affairs of the community and en- joys a personal popularity that is unusual.
John Saxton Kent was born in North Bridge- water (now Brockton), April 18, 1860, on the eve of that dreadful conflict between the North and South, which was to absorb the country's attentiion for four long years. He is the only son of Patrick and Susan (Saxton) Kent. Patrick Kent, the father, came to North Bridgewater in 1854, and for about forty years was a valued and respected employee of the furniture firm of Howard and Clark; born in 1830, he retired early in the twentieth century, and passed the balance of his days happily, surrounded by his children and grandchildren. The mother died at Brockton in June, 1905, having become the moth- er of the following children: 1. John Saxton Kent, of whom further. 2. Mary Alice Kent, who married William H. Fitzpatrick, of Brockton. 3. Katherine L. Kent, who married Frank E. Johnston, of Whitman, and they reside at Brockton, where he is employed by the M. A. Packard Company.
The name Kent is English and dates back to the Norman Conquest. Its members have distinguished themselves in the annals of statesmanship, business and education, and from their conquests have long been entitled to bear coats-of-arms and to participate in the royal functions to the extent that is allowed nobles and courtiers. Of arms there are many, and the bearings generally display the eagle on both the crest and the escutcheon. Their landed holdings are considerable. Kent is the name of a county or shire in Southeastern England, and the Kentish coast is known far and wide for its safe anchorages for the vessels of the British merchant marine. In the United States the family of Kent is also a leader in every human activity, and is quite numerous as well, so that its works possess many ramifications that have found their way into the life of the nation.
John Saxton Kent attended the grammar and high schools of North Bridgewater, graduating from the latter in 1877 and soon afterward entered the Bryant & Stratton Business College at Boston. He proved such a splendid student that he graduated from this Boston institution with a percentage of 100, and thus stood with only one other pupil who up to that time had attained such a high average. Necessarily much was expected of a man who could make such marks, nor did he disappoint his admirers, as we shall presently see. At the request of the late Hon. Edward Crocker, then a leading financier and manufacturer, Mr. Kent returned to Brockton and was employed in bookkeeping for the firm of A. S. Porter & Sons, at that period engaged in the car- riage and livery business and whose proprietors had been deputy sheriffs of Plymouth County. For four years he filled this position creditably, during part of which time he assisted the executives with advice on legal procedure. Resigning in 1883, Mr. Kent became a bookkeeper for Moses A. Packard, well- known shoe manufacturer, and continued with him in his merger with the firm of Packard & Grover for about five years. A year after going with Mr. Pack- ard he was transferred from the bookkeeping de- partment to the factory as superintendent, and dem- onstrated his value in the new position. On January 1, 1889, Captain R. B. Grover withdrew from the firm and it was reorganized as M. A. Packard & Company, and on this occasion Mr. Kent and Oliver M. Fisher, another trusted employee, were taken in as
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members of the firm. The company was incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts on March 1, 1898, with a capital stock of $200,000 as the M. A. Packard Company, and at this time Mr. Kent was promoted to the treasurership of the organization, a position he has capably filled ever since. The company manu- factures the medium grade shoe known as the "Pack- ard" and the "John Mitchell," which sell for $3 to $5, and which enjoy a world-wide sale. The firm em- ploys more than one thousand persons, and has a large daily output of pairs of shoes.
Although much absorbed in his business affairs, Mr. Kent finds time to take part in civic affairs and the fortunes of the Republican party. Like a great many New Englanders, he belongs to the Republican camp because of his belief in the country's "infant in- dustries" and their need of protection from the cheap labor and cheaper materials of European manufac- ture. In 1886, 1887. and 1888 he served as a member of the School Committee, and was for nine years a trustee of the public library. Yielding to the en- treaties of many friends in 1906, he became a candi- date for the mayoralty, and was elected, serving through the years 1908 and 1909, at the conclusion of his term in 1907. His administration was em- inently satisfactory to his fellow-citizens, who im- portuned him to offer for reelection, but he declined. Upon his retirement in January, 1910, he was unanimously elected a member of the board of Sink- ing Fund Commissioners for a term of three years, to succeed the late Baalis Sanford. For seven years he served as a member of the executive board of the Brockton Hospital, and for three years as president of the same organization. He is a former president of the New England Shoe and Leather Association of Boston, of which he has also been a director, and is also a member of the Brockton Shoe Manufac- turers' Association, has long served as a member of its executive committee, and as president. He was one of the original founders of the People's Saving Bank, of which he has been a trustee several years and clerk for a decade; he is also a director of the Home National Bank of Brockton. He helped to organize the Morris Plan Company, of Brockton in 1915, and has been its president ever since. A re- cital of these various connections shows that Mr. Kent is a power in the financial, commercial and civic activities of Brockton, and that he possesses a personality and ability that are remarkable. Since he is a gifted orator, he is in demand as a public speaker at political rallies and whenever civic en- thusiasm is needed to be aroused. He often address- es his fellow craftsmen of the shoe manufacturing industry and gives them something to ponder. He is of a free-hearted, charitable disposition, liberal in his gifts to church and community movements, and easy to make friends. He and his family are devout members of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church. He belongs to Seville Council, No. 93, Knights of Columbus, and the Commercial Club of Brockton, which he served three years as president.
Mr. Kent married, September 11, 1889, Mary Agnes Clark, a daughter of Thomas J. and Ellen (Fitzpatrick) Clark, of New Orleans, Louisiana, and this union has been blessed with four children: 1. Helen Clark. 2. Susan Saxton. 3. John S., Jr. (see a following biography). 4. Alfred Thomas. His daughters are graduates of Elmhurst Academy, Providence, Rhode Island, and his sons of Harvard College.
JOHN SAXTON KENT, Jr .- Treasurer and su- perintendent of the M. A. Packard Company, shoe manufacturers, of Brockton, John Saxton Kent, Jr., is counted among the foremost of industrial leaders within this prosperous New England area. His fam- ily bears a distinguished name, it being of English origin, and its members have found honorable dis- tinction in various fields of endeavor, as statesmen, educationalists, business and professional men.
Patrick Kent, who established the family in Bridgewater (now Brockton) in 1854, was the grand- father of John Saxton Kent, Jr. He married Susan Saxton, and they had three children among whom John Saxton, of whom further.
John Saxton Kent, whose biography is found in detail preceding this, is president of the M. A. Pack- ard Company. He married, September 11, 1889, Mary Agnes Clark, daughter of Thomas J. and Ellen (Fitzpatrick) Clark, of New Orleans, Louisiana; and among their children is John Saxton, Jr., of whom follows.
John Saxton Kent, Jr., third child and elder son of John Saxton and Mary Agnes (Clark) Kent, was born in Brockton, July 26, 1895. Here he secured his elementary and secondary academic instruction, graduating from high school with markings signifi- cant of scholastic excellence in 1913. In the fall of that year he matriculated in Harvard College, whence he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in 1917, at the age of but twenty-one years. Meanwhile the United States had been drawn into the World War, and as soon as he could arrange it with the Har- vard faculty and complete his arts course, he joined the Naval Reserves, with whom he served as en- sign, 1917-18. At the termination of the world con- flict he was enabled to begin the proper course of his career, which he did, with the Packard shoe manufacturing organization. As indicated hereto- fore, this firm formed itself around the nucleus- company conducted by Moses A. Packard. Subse- quently, through a merger, it bore the style of Pack- ard and Grover, and in 1889, when Capt. R. B. Grover withdrew from it, it was reorganized under the present style, M. A. Packard 'Company. On March 1, 1898, it was incorporated, with a capital of $200,000, and it was in that year that John Saxton Kent, the father, became the company's treasurer, which office he retained until recent years, when he became president. The elder Mr. Packard at the present time continues to hold this office, while the younger Mr. Packard directs the affairs of the or- ganization in the important posts of treasurer and superintendent. Aside from his connection with the shoe compay he is a director of the Brockton Mor- ris Plan Company, holds other financial interests, fra- ternally is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, is a member of the American Legion, Kiwanis Club, Commercial Club of Brockton and Harvard Club of Boston, and is a communicant of the Roman Cath- olic church.
John Saxton Kent, Jr., married, April 23, 1921, at Paterson, New Jersey, Margaret Agnew, daughter of John P. and Julia S. Agnew. Their children are three: 1. Mary A., born September 24, 1923. 2. John Saxton (3), March 12, 1926. 3. Peter, March 25, 1928. Mr. Kent's residence is at No. 200 Ash Street, Brockton.
WALTER W. CHAMBERS - Prominent among the citizens of Dedham, Massachusetts, whose pub-
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lic service has been a significant contribution toward general welfare and progress is Walter W. Cham- bers, attorney-at-law, for a decade Register of Deeds of Norfolk County. His accuracy, his discrimina- tion, his integrity are qualities which have assured the people of his section that all is well in a depart- ment headed by so thoroughgoing and painstaking' an executive, and have won for Mr. Chambers wide- spread public confidence and esteem. He was born at Boston, Massachusetts, July 23, 1876, son of Henry J. and Elizabeth (Hole) Chambers, both of England, and now deceased. The father, who was in the clothing industry, died in 1908, the mother in 1923.
After completing the local grammar and high school courses, Mr. Chambers was graduated from Northeastern University in 1905, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He was admitted to the bar in 1906 and began to practice that same year, meeting with great success over a period of ten years. In 1916 came his appointment to the Registry office, and the following year his election to an office he so ably filled that he has since continued to occupy it. He is a member of the Constellation Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and the Order of the Eastern Star. His professional affiliation is with the Nor- folk County Bar Association, his social, with the Dedham Boat Club. He is a member of the official board and a trustee of the Methodist church.
In 1909, Walter W. Chambers married Elizabeth S. Smith, of Amherst, Massachusetts. Children: John W., and William H.
CHARLES G. BERGER, M. D .- Since 1925, Dr. Charles G. Berger has practiced medicine in Wol- laston and Atlantic. His studious and very careful preparation for his profession has brought him the complete confidence of his patients. Dr. Berger was born on June 1, 1889, at Fremont, Ohio. His father, George A. Berger, is a retired wagon manufacturer living in Ohio. His mother, who was Nettie Myers, is also living.
Charles G. Berger attended the local schools of Fremont, and later entered Tri-State College, being a member of the class of 1911-1912. During 1912 and 1913 he taught music in Oregon. Some time later he entered the Jenner Medical College, and was graduated in 1925, from the Middlesex Medical School, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. For one year he was an interne at the Lakeside Hospital, Chicago. In 1925 he began the general practice of medicine in Wollaston, and has remained there since that time.
Politically, Dr. Berger is a Republican. He is af- filiated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and attends the Congregational church. During the World War he was a private in the Medical Corps, but saw no service overseas.
On December 24, 1920, Charles G. Berger was united in marriage to Ferne Austin.
JOHN DUNNING WHITNEY BODFISH- To have become a farmer, a teacher, a realtor, a business man and a lawyer in a lifetime is the unique experience of John Dunning Whitney Bodfish, of Hyannis, who at the time this sketch (1928) is writ- ten, is conducting a strong contest for a seat in Con- gress. Persons who are familiar with the remarkable achievements of Miss Helen Keller and the work of
Mrs. Calvin Coolidge as a teacher among the afflicted must admire Mr. Bodfish the more because his eye- sight failed him in 1901, and he has battled brave- ly and successfully against this handicap for more than a quarter of a century.
John Dunning Whitney Bodfish was born Novem- ber 6, 1878, at Fabius, New York, the son of Benja- min Franklin and Abbie Louisa Bodfish. The par- ent was also versatile, having been a farmer, miller, and merchant, and in the Civil War a soldier from Massachusetts. The Bodfish family is a very old one. Robert Bodfish, a Welshman, a trapper, hunter and all-round frontiersman, was one of the proprie- tors of the town of Sandwich and later removed to West Barnstable. This ancestor was the founder of the Bodfish family in America; his great-grandson, Jonathan Bodfish, married Desire Howland, a de- scendant of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilly, who came over on the "Mayflower" in 1620. For a long time, John Bodfish, son of Jonathan Bodfish, was a selectman of Barnstable; his son, Benjamin Bodfish, was also prominent as. a captain in the militia. Ben- jamin Bodfish married Acenath Jones; their son, Ben- jamin Franklin Bodfish, was born November 20, 1832, and became the father of John Dunning Whit- ney Bodfish.
The Bodfish family were mostly farmers, and they acquired large tracts of land in West Barnstable, which caused the removal from New York of the branch to which John Dunning Whitney Bodfish be- longed. Mr. Bodfish spent some of his early years on one of these tracts, and learned how to do hard work. He graduated from the Barnstable High School in 1896, the Hyannis State Normal School in 1899, and the Boston University Law School, with honors, in 1914. For a short time after graduating from normal school he served as principal of the Osterville Grammar School. He lost the use of his eyes at twenty-three years of age, returned to farm- ing, built up a poultry and cranberry business, and acquired all the arts used in social contact and trade by the blind. He became so proficient that he was made director in Delaware of blind student work in 1911. He was one of the incorporators and is a di- rector of the Cape Cod Hospital, one of the incorpora- tors and now a trustee of the Cape Cod Farm Bu- reau, a trustee of the Barnstable County Sanatorium, director of the District Nursing Association, one of the incorporators of the Federated (Protestant) Church of Hyannis. He was chairman of the Hy- annis Open Forum several years, and of the Town Building Committee and the Special Town By-Law Committee. His other honors include vice-president of the 'Cape Cod Hospital and the Hyannis Board of Trade. He served as a delegate to the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention in 1917, 1918 and 1919, and as a member of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind from 1918 to the present time, and the Republican State Committee. He is now counsel for the Town of Barnstable, and in 1924 was elected for a term of four years as Barnstable County Com- missioner. His commission as a member of the Massachusetts Bar dates from 1914, and as an advo- cate before the United States Supreme Court from 1926 and before the United States District Court from 1925.
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