USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Metropolitan Boston; a modern history; Volume IV > Part 36
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THOMAS LEO HOWLEY, son of Joka W. and Mary (Cohen) Howley, was born a: East Weymouth, Massachusetts, June 17, 1886. His father, who was a native of East Wey- mouth, was a shoemaker by trade, and during the Civil War, when only thirteen years of
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age, he and his four brothers enlisted in the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry, and were all Civil War veterans. He is now de- ceased. Mr. Howley's mother is of Irish de- scent and his brother, Dan Howley, is the well- known St. Louis baseball team manager.
As a young man, Thomas Leo Howley worked at the Fore River Ship Yards at Quin- cy, Massachusetts, after he had received a common school education in the public and high schools of East Weymouth, and after fill- ing various jobs in the ship yards, such as passing rivets, riveting and time-keeper, cover- ing a period of three years. He was then made paymaster for the J. D. Shattuck Engineering Corporation of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he remained for two years. He then took a traveling position for the American Stove Company covering a territory through the Middle and Southwestern States selling stoves. He was on this work for three years when he returned to the East and became a salesman for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in 1914. He was given the Boston and Springfield territory from 1918 until 1920. He then became salesman for the General Tire and Rubber Company of the Boston branch. He later resigned from this position to take charge as district manager for the Mohawk Rubber Company which position he now holds. During the World War Mr. Howley was in military service overseas and received an hon- orable discharge. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, No. 729, of East Wey- month, Massachusetts, and he is a member of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church of East Weymouth. He is unmarried.
CHARLES H. LAWRENCE, M. D .- To the younger group of Boston physicians and surgeons who are making signal contributions to the professional advance belongs Charles H. Lawrence, M. D., scion of an old New
England family, whose lines trace to early American Colonial officers of the English Crown and heroes of the Revolution, while Dr. Lawrence's father was a volunteer soldier in the Civil War. Dr. Lawrence himself has a military record to his credit, having served on camp and hospital assignments in the World War. He has a large and exacting practice both in office and hospital work, and his serv- ices are in frequent demand in the capacity of consultant to a number of large institutions in the Greater Boston area.
The Lawrence family comes rightfully by its patriotic and military strain. In a collateral line Asaph Leavitt was a soldier of the Eng- lish Crown, having been made a commissioned officer by King George III and assigned to service in the Colonial army in America. Charles Burrill, another ancestor in a collater- al line, fought for American liberty in the Revolutionary War. Henry C. Lawrence, grandfather of Dr. Lawrence, was a major in the Army of the Potomac in the Civil War.
Charles H. Lawrence, son of Major Henry C. Lawrence was not to be outdone by his father in the matter of military service. Born in Vergennes, Vermont, he went early, to live in Illinois, and when the Civil War came on, he joined a volunteer regiment from that State. After the war he studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced his profession until his death. He maintained his comradeships and memories of the war through membership in the Grand Army of the Republic. He mar- ried Nellie Cook, born in Elmira, New York (now deceased), and they were the parents of a son, Charles H., named for his father and of whom further.
Charles H. Lawrence, M. D., son of Charles H. and Nellie (Cook) Lawrence, was born in Chicago, Illinois, October 17, 1882. His early schooling was received in Evanston, Illinois, which was followed by three years at the Uni- versity School, Chicago, after he had taken a preliminary course at Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest, Illinois. He entered Harvard University and completed his academic train-
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ing in the class of 1904, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. His professional course was taken at the Harvard Medical School, from which he received his degree of Doctor of Medicine in the class of 1908. Fol- lowing graduation he served as house officer at the Massachusetts General Hospital in this city, from 1908 to 1910. He was senior house officer on the Boston Floating Hospital in the summer of 1910. From the latter part of 1910 and in 1911 he served as a Fellow in Medi- cine at the Henry P. Walcott Trust Fund for Medical Research. From 1911 to 1913 he was assistant visiting physician to the Massachu- setts General Hospital, resigning that position in the latter year to accept the post of assistant visiting physician to the Robert Breck Brig- ham Hospital, where he remained until 1916.
Dr. Lawrence joined the staff of the Evans Memorial Hospital, Boston, in 1920. He has been a member of the staff of the Massachu- setts Women's Hospital since 1924. He is consultant to the Sturdy Memorial Hospital, Attleboro; a member of the consulting staff of Choate Memorial Hospital, Woburn; and consultant to the Chelsea Marine Hospital.
Since 1911, Dr. Lawrence has been estab- lished in his own offices at No. 520 Common- wealth Avenue, where he has built up a large and desirable practice from among the best families of the city and its environs. His hospital work consumes a large part of his professional attention. He enjoys high stand- ing in associational and learned organizations of the medical fraternity, affiliating with the American Medical Association, the Massachu- setts Medical Society, in which he is a mem- ber of the committee on medical education and diplomas; the Society for the Study of Internal Secretions; the American Clinical and Clima- tological Association, the American College of Physicians, and the Aesculapian Club.
In 1916 he was commissioned a first lieu- tenant in the United States Army Reserve Corps. In 1918 he received a commission of the same rank in the United States Army Medical Officers' Reserve Corps, and ordered
to his station at Camp Jackson, North Caro- lina, where he was in service until March, 1919. He then was ordered to Parker Hill Hospital, Massachusetts, where he served until April, 1919, when he received his honorable discharge with the same rank.
Dr. Charles H. Lawrence married, in 1911, Miriam Williams, a native of Plymouth, and their children are: Charles H. (3), Edward W., David B., and George H.
ROBERT BARR KAYSER-Manufactur- ing and merchandising as now carried on are a comparatively modern development; but in all history no other business has shown such growth either in pace or magnitude as the au- tomobile industry. While this may be attrib- uted in a measure to the fact that the automo- bile met a need in a country and age where speed and mobility were at a premium, the tremendous development referred to may be accounted for more largely by the fact that this new industry drew to its every department from the designing-room, through the factory and to every unit of the distributing organiza- tion, the finest brains and the most aggres- sive and progressive personalities the country possessed. It is doubtful if any other kind of business can show such concentration of abil- ity. Some of the best of that ability is to be found here in proud, conservative Boston. Among the leading automobile men of this city, Robert Barr Kayser has taken a prominent place.
He was born in Boston, October 26, 1888, son of Eugene and Elizabeth (Barr) Kayser. The father was for many years a commission merchant in New York City. During the World War he performed military service un- der the French Government. He died in 1913, and is buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery.
After attending the public schools, Robert
Romper .
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Barr Kayser prepared for college at Milton Academy. He then matriculated at Columbia University in the class of 1911. In 1909, he went to Los Angeles, where he was employed in selling Ford cars. In 1914 he became iden- tified with the new Chevrolet organization, at Boston. Starting as a retail salesman, he ad- vanced to executive positions, first as retail sales manager, and from 1920 to 1921 as zone manager for New England. In 1922 and 1923 he held the position of assistant general sales manager of Durant Motors, Incorporated, of New York City. In October, 1926, he joined with Charles H. Pettit in organizing the Com- monwealth Chevrolet Company, Mr. Kayser becoming president of the corporation and Mr. Pettit its treasurer. The company's business is located at Nos. 949 and 983 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston.
Previous to the World War Mr. Kayser was identified with the Boston City Cadets. He is a member of the Vesper, Unicorn, and Bel- mont Springs Country clubs, The Boston Athletic Association, the Chevrolet Dealers' Association, and Belmont Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons.
On August 15, 1915, Robert Barr Kayser married, in Brattleboro, Vermont, Edith Champney, daughter of Henry T. and Amelia K. (Hanson) Champney. The Champney family traces back to an early period in New England history. Mrs. Kayser died February 6, 1925, leaving two children: Emily, born Oc- tober 31, 1916, at Woburn; and Robert Barr, Jr., born November 1, 1918, at Providence. Mr. Kayser is a member of the Congregation- al church.
FREDERICK HOMER HOOVER-Prep- aration, not usual in the automotive field twenty years ago, was made by Frederick Homer Hoover, now vice-president and gen-
eral manager in Boston of the Chandler-Cleve- land Motor Company, of which he also is a director. He made a study of the electric motor end of the business, became proficient in that, and then took up salesmanship, at which he was successful. He has had a wide ex- perience in his profession, is a capable, ener- getic and honorable business man, and is a credit to the industry and to the commercial life of this community.
He was born in Richmond, Indiana, Feb- ruary 8, 1885, a son of Harrison Hoover, a veteran of the Civil War in the Union Army and afterward an editor of note in Richmond; and Anna (Burr) Hoover. His education was acquired in the Indiana public schools and he attended and was graduated from Earlham College in 1907. His first work was with the Western Electric and Manufacturing Com- pany, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he studied in the motor division for one year, then going to the Woods Electric Company, of Chicago, where he became a salesman and filled that position for four years. He was then transferred to New York City, as East- ern sales manager for the company and re- mained there for one year. In 1913 he became associated with E. W. Steinhart, of Indiana- polis, in Cadillac motors, serving as his per- sonal representative. In 1917 Mr. Hoover un- dertook a partnership in the building of air- planes with C. F. Kettering and in 1921 ac- cepted a position as vice-president and gen- eral manager in Pittsburgh of the Chandler- Cleveland Motor Car Company, from which he was elevated to the Boston post in Decem- ber, 1923. Mr. Hoover is also a director of that company. He is a member of the Boston Chamber of Commerce and of the Pittsburgh Athletic Association. He attends the Baptist church. His headquarters are at No. 900 Com- monwealth Avenue; his residence at No. 22 James Street, Brookline.
Frederick Homer Hoover married, in Indi- anapolis, Indiana, May 19, 1917, Elma Stokes, daughter of E. W. Stokes, of Nashville, Ten- nessee, proprietor of the Stokes Chemical Com-
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pany, and of Carolyne La Blanche, of Louis- ville, Kentucky. They have one child, Karolyn Virginia, born February 8, 1918.
RUSSELL TAYLOR GREEN-A descend- ant of Governor Bradford, famous in the an- nals of the Plymouth Colony in the early col- onization of Massachusetts, Russell Taylor Green is one of Boston's most prominent busi- ness men, a partner in the well-known firm of Green & Swett Company, jobbers and distribu- tors of automobile supplies, radio sets and accessories, oils and greases. Mr. Green founded his present organization in associa- tion with Fred R. Swett on May 16, 1911, and today they operate one of the foremost enter- prises in this line of trade, with their main warehouse and store located at No. 1249 Boyls- ton Street, and branches at No. 78 Washington Street, Quincy, No. 176 North Main Street, Brockton, and No. 34 Central Street, Man- chester. Mr. Green rightly deserves the suc- cess which he has achieved for he started his career as a messenger clerk and office boy, working his way upward through his earnest application to the duties entrusted him and centering his ambition on the accomplishment of his aim to succeed.
Mr. Green was born in Duxbury, Decem- ber 11, 1880, son of George A. and Lizzie (Nickerson) Green, both of whom are living in Duxbury. George A. Green, who is now living retired, has had a long and interesting career; a native of England, he came to the United States when he was twenty-one years of age as superintendent of a group of English- men who came to Duxbury to assist in laying the first Atlantic cable to connect the United States and Great Britain. Mr. Green remained in the United States and continued at Duxbury Cable Station for fifty-five years, having ad- vanced steadily until he was appointed super- intendent of the station, in which position he was engaged until his retirement a few years
ago. He has been a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons for fifty years, and for thirty-five years has acted as treasurer of Corner Stone Lodge at Duxbury. Mrs. Lizzie (Nickerson) Green is the daughter of Cap- tain George Francis Nickerson, a well-known sea-captain of Chatham and active for many years in Cape Cod affairs. She is the eighth in direct line of descent from Governor Brad- ford, the famous Pilgrim leader and hero of early Massachusetts.
Russell Taylor Green was educated in the pub- lic schools of Duxbury and, after high school, entered Partridge Academy where he completed his formal education, after which he started. on his business career at the age of eighteen, when he took a position with E. C. Hodges, bankers and brokers of State Street, as messen- ger clerk and general office boy. After spend- ing a short time in that connection, he be- came an apprentice in the leather business and applied himself diligently to mastering this trade, with the result that he later became a salesman for Lucius Beebe & Sons, one of the largest leather manufacturing concerns at that time in Boston, and for six years he traveled in the interests of this firm. He next became associated with Angier Company of Boston, the first auto supply concern in Boston or New England, and in this new enterprise, Mr. Green worked energetically, progressing rap- idly until he became manager of the firm and held this responsible post until he entered the employ of Post & Lester Company, also of Boston, as manager, this organization also dealing in automobile supplies and accessories. He later resigned to become manager of the Bi-Motor Equipment Company and was thus occupied until May 16, 1911, when with Fred R. Swett, he bought out the Angier Company and together they formed the present independ- ent establishment of Green & Swett Com- pany, Inc. This is now one of Boston's most modern and progressive commercial enter- prises, having at first specialized in auto sup- plies, oils and greases, and then with the in- auguration of the radio as a vital part in the
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recreational life of the country, installed a de- partment entirely devoted to radio sets and equipment which is one of the finest in Bos- ton, keeping pace with each new discovery or invention which science has made in the con- tinuous efforts to improve and perfect this twentieth-century marvel. The success of the concern has been due to its excellent policy of giving value for value received, and its reputa- tion is established throughout this city for de- pendable materials and prompt, courteous and efficient service.
Mr. Green is active in every project that con- cerns civiç welfare and advancement and as- sists all municipal movements as a member of the Boston Chamber of Commerce. His hob- bies are fishing and outdoor sports, having always been active in athletics since his school days, when he was an outstanding football player, and he is a popular member of the Boston Athletic Club. In the town of Atlan- tic, where he makes his home, he is prominent in every local activity, and has served as pres- ident of the Atlantic Improvement Society in the village of Atlantic which is part of Dux- bury. His fraternal affiliations are with Wol- laston Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma- sons; St. Stephen's Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- sons, and Taleb Monarch Grotto, Mystic Order Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm, all of Quincy. His religious adherence is given to the Episcopal church. During the World War, Mr. Green's brothers, Howard and Ralph, both served as lieutenants in the United States Navy.
Russell Taylor Green married, March 21, 1907, at Providence, Rhode Island, Minnie A. Brown, of Portland, Maine, and they reside at No. 64 Conant Road, Atlantic. Mr. Green's grandfather, George Green, was the owner of one of the largest glass manufacturing plants of his time in Birmingham, England.
WILLIAM JESSE FOWLER-A broad fi- nancial experience has brought Mr. Fowler to
the office of assistant vice-president of the First National Bank of Boston. He is a native of Ipswich, Massachusetts, born in 1892. He ac- quired his education in the public schools and was graduated from Manning High School in the class of 1911. His scholastic education completed, he started out upon his banking ca- reer as an employee in minor capacity of the First National Bank of Ipswich, continuing with that institution until the United States entered the World War, when he resigned his position and volunteered for military service. After the signing of the Armistice and his hon- orable discharge from the army, Mr. Fowler returned to banking, becoming associated with the firm of F. S. Moseley & Company, bankers and brokers. Here he secured a broadened ex- perience and training not available within the confines of a national bank. After remaining in the employ of the last-named institution for a period of six months, an excellent opportun- ity to serve the Commonwealth of Massachu- setts was made available to Mr. Fowler, with headquarters in the offices of the State Bank examiner in the capitol of Massachusetts, un- der the direction of J. C. Allen. Mr. Fowler assumed his new duties in 1921, and, proving his ability, was appointed in the following year, 1922, as assistant director of the division of trust companies, under the department, and in 1924 received further promotion to the di- rectorship of the division. In 1925 he was advanced to the deputy commissionership of banking for the Commonwealth of Massachu- setts. He left the State Banking Department October 15, 1928, became associated with the First National Bank of Boston, and was ap- pointed on January 8, 1929, assistant vice-pres- ident of this bank.
Mr. Fowler is a staunch believer in the poli- cies of the Republican party, and invariably votes for the candidates endorsed by that par- ty. It is not unfitting to give here a brief account of his military service during the period of the late war. He enlisted on Octo- ber 1, 1917, as a member of the United States Navy Reserve Corps, and was assigned to ac-
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tive duty at the commonwealth pier and, later, at the navy yard. He received his honorable discharge from the service in January, 1919, having been designated with the rank of chief yeoman, and soon afterwards became a mem- ber of the American Legion, in the work of which he is much interested. Mr. Fowler is also active as a member of the various Ma- sonic bodies, affiliated with the local lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights Templar, and the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. The activities of the Young Men's Christian Association likewise are enthusiastically supported by Mr. Fowler, who is a member of the men's club of that organization at Beverly, and is its deputy gov- ernor for the State of Massachusetts.
On November 16, 1921, in Massachusetts, Mr. Fowler married Evelyn P. Teague, daugh- ter of Albert F. and Lena (Prentiss) Teague. To Mr. and Mrs. Fowler have been born two sons: Phillip Teague, born in 1922, and Theo- dore Chaffee, born in 1925. The Fowler fam- ily are members and attendants of the Con- gregational church in the town of Beverly, where they maintain their residence at No. 6 Somerset Avenue.
JOHN HANSON BICKFORD-An archi- tect and engineer of long experience and proved ability, John Hanson Bickford has been well known in the life of Boston and of Massa- chusetts for many years. Although he has given most of his attention to professional work, he is also associated with several im- portant corporations of the State, and his serv- ices in executive capacity have proved of de- cisive value in their progress.
Mr. Bickford was born at Alton, New Hamp- shire, on May 2, 1860, a son of Samuel Evans and Julia Ann (Mooney) Bickford, and a de- scendant of John Bickford who came from
England to New Hampshire as early as 1670. Mr. Bickford received his education in the pub- lic schools of Salem, Massachusetts, including the high school there. He early determined upon an engineering career, and following the completion of his academic training began his professional work with other engineers in the field, serving at first in minor capacities. It was not long, however, before he formed a connection as electrical engineer with the Sprague Electric Railway and Motor Company, of New York, was engaged on con- struction lines at Richmond, Virginia; St. Jo- seph, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; and Nash- ville, Tennessee, discharging with complete efficiency those duties which came to him. Mr .. Bickford spared no effort to master every de- tail of engineering practice and finally, in 1891, established his own offices in Boston, where he continued to engage in his profession, con- structing lines at Scranton and Reading, Penn- sylvania; Long Island City and Flushing, in New York, and Beverly, Salem and Danvers, Massachusetts. In his independent venture he was immediately successful, and through a period of years built his practice to prosperous proportions as the demands on his services constantly increased. In 1913 Mr. Bickford secured the franchise for the Boston and East- ern Electric Railway, of which he is vice-pres- ident, and in connection with his engineering work he has been interested in several other enterprises. In 1914 he entered the architec- tural field, combining it with his engineering experience, and in 1917 organized his profes- sional business into a corporation known as the John H. Bickford Company, which still continues. In this field he has been very suc- cessful, having designed the high school build- ings at Acton, Massachusetts; at Newmarket, New Hampshire; grade school buildings at Peabody, Massachusetts; at Billerica, Massa- chusetts, and the agricultural school building at Hathorne, Massachusetts, for the county of Essex, and later the Essex County Tubercu- losis Hospital at Middleton, Massachusetts, which has been pronounced the best arranged
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and most completely equipped institution of its kind in the United States, by the National Tu- berculosis Association.
Mr. Bickford is affiliated, fraternally, with the Free and Accepted Masons, and the An- cient Order of United Workmen. In politics he supports Republican principles and candi- dates, while with his family he worships in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church. In his leisure, he finds rest and recreation in coun- try life, and in the study of printing-the art and science-possessing a connoisseur's knowl- edge of this field.
On April 23, 1885, John Hanson Bickford married Isabella May French, of Salem, Mass- achusetts. They are the parents of two chil- dren: 1. Mrs. Nana (Bickford) Rollins, an ar- tist of note. 2. John Hanson, Jr. The family residence is maintained in Salem, at No. 34 Buffum Street, while Mr. Bickford's offices are located in Boston.
DANIEL W. WORMWOOD-Although still relatively young, Daniel W. Wormwood has attained a position of considerable promi- nence in the New England insurance world. For almost twenty years he has been active in this field, and is now general manager of the Norwich Union Indemnity Company, with of- fices located at No. 40 Broad Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Wormwood's grasp of all the details of the business, the ease with which he impresses his own personality in all personal relationships, and the fine ability with which he initiates and carries through con- structive policies, have made his invaluable to his company. Aside from his business career, he is active in local social and fraternal circles.
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