USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Metropolitan Boston; a modern history; Volume IV > Part 5
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While still quite young Mr. Bayley removed with his parents from Jamaica Plain to New- bury, Vermont, where his youth was spent. He prepared for college at St. Johnsbury Academy and was graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1885, being selected as one of the speakers at his class commencement. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society, and of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity; he was active in athletics and served as a director of the college athletic association, and also as president and treasurer of his class.
After several years spent in teaching and in the western farm mortgage business, he de- cided to study law, and in the fall of 1889 entered the Law School of Boston University, where he completed the required three years course in two years, and was graduated in the class of 1891, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws, magna cum laude; during his law school course he served as president of his class.
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He was admitted to the practice of law at the Massachusetts (Suffolk) bar in 1891, and has since practiced his profession in Boston; he was admitted to practice in the United States Courts in 1898. In 1892 he formed a partner- ship with John H. Colby, one of his classmates at Dartmouth, which continued until the death of Mr. Colby in 1909.
As a lawyer, Mr. Bayley is thorough and energetic, a strong and convincing advocate and has achieved a well-earned success; during the last decade he has devoted his time largely to estate and investment matters.
Always an active Republican, he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1909, and was returned the following year without an opposing vote, and in that body he was recognized as one of its most effective speakers and strongest debaters. To him more than anyone else is due the credit of the enact- ment of the "Safe and Sane Fourth of July" law, which prohibited the manufacture or sale in Massachusetts of death-dealing toy pistols, cannon crackers and bombs, and in recogni- tion of his leadership in this matter he was presented by Governor Draper with the pen with which the bill was signed. A's a mem- ber of the Committee on Railroads, Mr. Bay- ley made a thorough study of transportation matters affecting the Commonwealth which was the most important question coming be- fore the Legislature during his service in that body, and his speeches were among the ablest heard on that subject; he drafted and urged the passage of the first bill for the construc- tion of a tunnel under the city of Boston to provide a through connection between the North and South Stations, for the large rail- road systems serving New England; while his bill was not enacted a similar plan has since been put into successful operation in the city of New York.
During Mr. Bayley's long residence in Lex- ington he took a leading part in its public af- fairs, serving as a member of the School Com- mittee, as Library Trustee, Moderator of Town Meetings and Town Counsel.
In fields of wider scope he has held and holds positions of trust and responsibility; for the past twenty years he has served as the coun- sel, the clerk and a trustee of the North End Savings Bank (now the Massachusetts Savings Bank) of Boston; for many years he was a trustee of St. Johnsbury Academy (where he prepared for college); he has served as pres- ident of the General Alumni Association of Dartmouth College, and as president and sec- retary of the Baily-Bayley Family Associa- tion. In connection with the latter he has done much valuable genealogical research and writ- ing, including a history of the life of his dis- tinguished ancestor, General Jacob Bayley, and the narrative of the voyage to New England of John Bayley, the founder of his branch of the family in this country. He also secured the erection on the village common in Newbury, Vermont, of a large and impressive granite monument in memory of General Bayley, the dedication of which was one of the principal events of the one hundred and fiftieth anniver- sary of the founding of the town held in 1912, and Mr. Bayley made the dedicatory address.
He has also given numerous historical and memorial addresses; he holds membership in various organizations, including the Middlesex, the Boston and the American Bar Associations, the Massachusetts Conveyancers Association; the Boston City Club, the University Club of Boston and the Vermont Historical Society; and he is the permanent secretary of his college class. His religious affiliations are with the Orthodox Congregational church.
For many years Mr. Bayley has been a great admirer of Daniel Webster, and perhaps his most absorbing hobby has been collecting pictures of all kinds of "The Great Expounder of the Constitution," until today he has the largest collection of Websteriana pictures ever gathered together, and his law offices are also a Webster picture gallery.
Mr. Bayley, on June 15, 1892, married Lucia Anna Watkins, a daughter of the late Dr. Eustace Virgil and Emily (Tenney) Watkins of Newbury, Vermont. She is a descendant
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of Thomas Tenney, who came from England in 1638 and settled in Massachusetts.
Mr. and Mrs. Bayley have one daughter, Marian Vesta, who is the wife of Dr. Edwin Porter Buchanan, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
HENRY F. BEAL-Much of the civic prog- ress of Waltham, Massachusetts, as well as the machinery of municipal government, cen- ters in the office and personality of the head of the city, Mayor Henry F. Beal. A forceful man, highly educated and trained by years of practical engineering to put through construc- tive work, Mayor Beal has a good deal more power than most mayors and uses it with a wisdom and a breadth that commands the ad- miration of the community. He was born in Waltham, on August 12, 1879, son of Ezra W. and Lucretia (Brown) Beal. His father, born in Nelson, New Hampshire, of excellent Amer- ican stock, engaged in the wholesale butter and egg business in Boston until his death in 1921. His mother, born in Waltham, died in 1916. The son grew up in his native city, attending the local public schools and gradua- ting from high school. He then graduated from Harvard College with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1901.
His business life Mr. Beal began as a civil engineer. From 1901 to 1912 he was first engineer of the city of Waltham, where he gained varied practical experience and an in- timate knowledge of local conditions in gen- eral, as well as the workings of the municipal government.
For six years, 1912 to 1918, he engaged in private engineering practice with his office in Waltham. With the inauguration of the city manager form of charter in 1918, he was cho- sen city engineer and superintendent of public works in Waltham. His conduct of his re- sponsible offices won for him the promotion to the office of city manager of Waltham from
1920 to 1923, and with the change to the pres- ent form of charter, to the position of chief executive of the city, that of mayor in 1923, his term to last until the end of 1929. The actual account of his political career is the best evidence of the increasing popular con- fidence in a man who performed well every task assigned to him, and who gave the best of his richly-endowed nature and liberally edu- cated mind to public service.
He takes his inspiration from groups of citi- zens which are non-political, for he is an active member and director of the Chamber of Com- merce, of the Kiwanis Club, and the Waltham Country Club, of which he is one of the gov- erning board. He is a member of the New England Water Works Association, the Mass- achusetts Highway Association, and the In- ternational City Managers' Association. He is affiliated with Masonic bodies, and with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is a member of the Unitarian church. He finds rest and recreation is golf.
In 1904, Henry F. Beal married Marion A. Cushman, a native of Waltham, and they are the parents of three children: Lawrence W., Foster C., and Marjorie W.
LEON M. ABBOTT-Distinguished profes- sionally as a member of the bar of Massachu- setts for nearly forty years, Leon M. Abbott, senior member of the law firm of Abbott, Dane, Buffum and Sanderson, of No. 73 Tremont Street, Boston, is equally eminent as a citizen and in fraternal circles. His career at the bar has been one of distinction, with many cases of great importance to his credit, while his social standing is no less high, and his many affiliations with associations and exclusive or- ganizations have brought within the circle of his friendships an army of those whose names are synonymous with success in many fields of endeavor.
He was born in Richmond, New Hampshire,
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August 28, 1867, a son of Joseph B. and Lydia C. (Martin) Abbott, and acquired his educa- tion in his native State, being graduated from the high school at Keene, New Hampshire. He afterward attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Harvard Law School of Harvard University, and was admitted to the bar of this State in 1891. He is a member of the American and Massachusetts Bar Asso- ciations, and is an officer in various charitable and kindred organizations, a trustee of the North End Savings Bank, and of many large estates. His residence is in Brookline, Massa- chusetts.
He has had an interesting and wide career in the Masonic Order, being now an honorary member of twenty-three Blue Lodges in the State of Massachusetts. Of the York Rite, he is affiliated with Columbian Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Boston, of which he be- came a Master Mason, June 7, 1894, and he is Past Master, trustee and a life member of that lodge, as well as honorary member. He is Past High Priest of St. Paul's Royal Arch Chapter; Right Eminent Grand King of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Massachusetts; life member of the Boston Council of Royal and Select Masters; and a life member of the Bos- ton Commandery, Knights Templar, of which he is also a trustee. Also, he is a Past Grand Warden, Past District Deputy, and Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of Massachusetts. Of the Scottish Rite, he is Past Thrice Potent Master, Lafayette Lodge of Per- fection, of Boston; Giles F. Yates Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Mount Olivet Chapter of Rose Croix, and Massachusetts Consistory, thirty-second degree; Past Commander in Chief of Massachusetts Council of Deliberation; an honorary member of the Supreme Council, thirty-third degree, for the Southern Jurisdic- tion of the United States of America; also of the Supreme Councils, thirty-third degree, of Canada, England, Scotland, and Italy; of Con- necticut Valley Consistory, thirty-second degree, of Springfield, Massachusetts; of Rochester Consistory, thirty-second degree, of Rochester, New York; of Merrimack Valley Lodge of
Perfection, and Council, Princes of Jerusalem, of Greenfield, Massachusetts; of all the Scottish Rite bodies of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and Jamestown, New York; of Harvard University Chapter of Acacia, of Cambridge, Massachu- setts; of the Masonic Veterans' Association, of Central New York; the Masonic Veterans' As- sociation of Illinois, and of the Sojourners' Club at Fort Bayard, New Mexico. On September 18, 1906, Mr. Abbott received his honorary thir- ty-third degree in the Supreme Council, North- ern Masonic Jurisdiction, and was elected Deputy for Massachusetts, September 23, 1909. In September, 1911, he was elected Lieutenant Commander of the Supreme Council, and re- ceived his thirty-third degree, Northern Ma- sonic Jurisdiction. He is also a Past Provincial Grand Master of the Royal Order of Scotland. In Boston, September 21, 1921, Mr. Abbott was elected Sovereign Grand Commander of the Su- preme Council, thirty-third degree, for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America, and was chairman of the delegation from this Supreme Council at the International Conference of the Supreme Coun- cils, thirty-third degree, of the World, held at Lausanne, Switzerland, in May, 1922, and he was also chairman of the delegation for the Northern Jurisdiction at the conference held in Paris, France, in May, 1929.
Leon M. Abbott married, April 19, 1894, Flor- ence May Tallman, daughter of William C. Tall- man, of Boston.
GEORGE W. SIAS-A leading figure in banking and financial circles of the State, George W. Sias has been a life-long resident of Massachusetts, and for many years has oc- cupied a place of genuine importance in Bos- ton business life.
Mr. Sias was born in Boston on March 2, 1866, a son of George B. and Martha H. (Fogg)
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Sias. Following the completion of his early education, he was graduated in 1886 from the Boston Commercial College, and for the fol- lowing four years took up commercial law. Later, however, he established a cigar and newspaper business in the Quincy House, at Boston, and during this period invented a pat- ent street sweeper, which was immediately suc- cessful. Subsequently he disposed of his busi- ness, and became interested in various mining enterprises. In this connection he financed the United Zinc Company, and Peacock Valley Mining Company, at Spring River, Missouri, and later transferred his activities to Alaska, where he became identified with several mine companies. Included among these were the McKinley Gold Placers, Incorporated. He is president of the Gold Circle Consolidated and the Betty O'Neal Mines, of Nevada which are generally conceded to be the most productive and lucrative of any mines discovered in recent years. Gradually Mr. Sias increased his hold- ings, and each new success paid tribute to the value of his services and the soundness of his judgment. He is now the largest mine owner in New England.
Fraternally, Mr. Sias is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, and in this great order he is a member of all bodies of the York Rite, including the Commandery of the Knights Templar, and a member of the Temple, An- cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. In spite of the demands of his busi- ness upon him he has found time for activity in many other phases of Massachusetts life, and although non-partisan in politics, his support may always be counted upon for all worthy movements for advance and progress. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, among other local organizations, and with his wife, worships in the faith of the Baptist church.
On June 5, 1895, at Somerville, Massachu- setts, George W. Sias married Otillie M. Eb- binghouse, of that place. Mr. and Mrs. Sias maintain their residence in West Medford, at No. 15 Pine Ridge Road, while Mr. Sias' of- fices are located at No. 68 Devonshire Street, Boston.
WILBUR A. MAYNARD-Preparation for a commercial life by a university course in general subjects is not necessarily imperative but it is not a handicap to success. In the case of Wilbur A. Maynard, vice-president and general manager for New England of the Mack Motor Truck Company, it has been of distinct advantage, since it has added to a pleasing per- sonality a graceful poise in his associations with men of large affairs, with whom he comes into constant contact in the course of his business dealings. Since his entry into the commercial field of Boston, he has risen steadily to a promi- nent position on the automotive field, due to an unflagging industry, a thorough knowledge of his business and a code of ethics of the highest standard. Men have come to know of his impeccable standards through business in- tercourse that has not failed to be of mutual advantage, for Mr. Maynard makes no state- ments or promises that he does not heed to the letter. It is a dependability that brings business and holds it, fully proven in his case by an ever enlarging clientele. He is a citizen of this community in whom his associates take a just pride, upright, substantial and industri- ous, wholesome and loyal in all his dealings. .
He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, November 5, 1874, a son of Wilbur A., de- ceased, and Martha A. (Coe) Maynard. His father was a hotel keeper at Stony Creek, a suburb of New Haven, until his death. The son was educated in the public schools, was graduated from high school and then attended Cornell University, graduating with the class of 1896. After graduation he returned to New Haven and became assistant bursar of Yale University, remaining in that position until 1904, when he established himself in the automobile business in the city, conducting it until Octo- ber, 1915, when he came to Boston as salesman for motor cars. In 1920 he entered the service of the Mack Truck concern as manager for New England, and in 1924 was promoted to be general manager for this territory as well as vice-president in charge. Since his occupa- tion of the post of manager the output of Mack trucks in this district has been more than 1,100
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through his branch. During his college years he underwent military training and in his busi- ness life is associated by membership with the Newton Chamber of Commerce, the Boston Chamber of Commerce, and is president of the Boston Commercial Motor Vehicle Dealers' As- sociation. He is also a member of the Be- nevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of the Traffic Club, the Motor Truck Company of Massachusetts, the University Club of Boston and Newton Club of Newton. His church is the Congregational.
Wilbur A. Maynard married in Chester, Pennsylvania, Lulu Mabel Bender, daughter of Frank and Sadie (McCartney) Bender. They are the parents of the following children: Wil- bur A., Jr., a graduate of Cornell University in the class of 1928, later in the automobile busi- ness as salesman; Louise Mabel, Virginia, John G.
ARTHUR G. JOHNSON-At the age of fifteen years Arthur G. Johnson, now manager in Boston for the Mack Motor Truck Com- pany, drove into New England what is believed to have been the first one-ton gasoline motor truck ever to enter the district. That was in 1903, when he worked at the motor truck busi- ness during his vacations from school. Begin- ning young, he has had many years of practi- cal experience in the business, all of them pro- ductive of a broader knowledge, and enabling him to cater to the meticulous demands of a large clientele with ability and satisfaction. It is not too much to say that to his personality, ability, knowledge of the motor vehicle business as a practical mechanic, and sturdy code of business morality, has been largely due the great success of the enterprise with which he is associated. Beginning at the bottom, he has steadily risen, because of these qualifications, to his present position of importance in the motor truck field, a man of unusual ability and a citizen of unblemished reputation.
He was born in Canton, Massachusetts, April 13, 1888, a son of Andrew G., a native of Shef- field, England, and Kathryn (Tait) Johnson. His father was a machinist and tool maker in Canton, where he came when he was eighteen years of age, and is still living. Their son acquired his education in the public schools of Canton and was graduated from the high school there, after which he took a business course at the Bryant & Stratton College in Boston. His first work was with the D. P. Nichols Com- pany, carriage builders, of Roxbury, Massa- chusetts, for whom he worked as a salesman when they became agents for the Miller motor trucks. It was at this time that he drove the one-ton commercial truck into New England, hailed as the pioneer here. He became a practi- cal mechanic and remained with the concern until 1911, later becoming affiliated with the Mack company, of which he was made manager of their New England branch in January, 1928. For six years he served as a member of the school board of Needham, where he makes his home, at No. 143 Manning Street. He belongs to the Needham Golf Club, and is a member of the Order, Free and Accepted Masons, affili- ated with Norfolk Lodge. His church is the Baptist.
Arthur G. Johnson married, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1911, Marion L. Judkins, of Maine, daughter of J. C. Judkins. They are the parents of one child: Margaret Louise, born June 18, 1912, in Boston.
THOMAS WALTER PELHAM-A varied and active career has been that of Thomas Walter Pelham, vice-president and a member of the board of directors of the Gillette Sales Company. Mr. Pelham has been identified with this company since 1903. He was born in Brighton, Illinois, in 1861, and received his early preparatory education in the local public schools, later continuing his studies in Brighton Uni-
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versity, from which he was graduated in 1880 with the degree of Master of Arts. Later he entered the banking business for a time in Kansas, but he was not yet quite satisfied with his occupation and began the study of law in an office in Kansas, passed the examinations for admission to the bar in Kansas, in New York, and in other States, and in 1903 became associated with the Gillette Company in pro- fessional capacity. So well did he serve in that relation, that two years later, in 1905, he was made vice-president of the Gillette Sales Company, and afterward a member of its board of directors. His ability as a business man, together with his legal knowledge, have en- abled him to render valuable service to the company, and the connection has been main- tained for a period of more than twenty years. In addition to the business responsibilities al- ready mentioned, Mr. Pelham is a member of the board of directors of other organizations. Politically he gives public spirited support to the principles and candidates of the Republican party.
Three of Mr. Pelham's sons served in the World War, one of them remaining on this side and the other two serving overseas. One of these cante back with the rank of captain, and the other with decorations. Fraternally, Mr. Pelham is identified with the Masonic Or- der, being a member of all the York Rite bodies and of Ismailia Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Boston Chamber of Commerce, and his clubs are the City Club of Boston, Brae Burn Country Club, the University Club, South Shore Country Club, Belmont Country Club, and the Engineers Club. His religious affiliation is with the Episcopal church of Brookline.
RALPH E. THOMPSON-Ralph E. Thompson is vice-president of the greatest
corporation of its character in the world, The Gillette Safety Razor Company, of-Boston, and has numerous other important business con- nections.
Norman F. and Adaline E. (Emerson) Thompson were the parents of Ralph E. Thomp- son, who' was born in Rockford, Illinois, on February 1, 1888. He acquired his preliminary education in the Hotchkiss School, at Lake- ville, Connecticut, subsequently matriculated at Yale-Sheffield College, where he was graduated in the class of 1909 with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. Within a week after leaving college he obtained a position with the Gil- lette Safety Razor Company, at that time a comparatively small company. But the concern developed, and Mr. Thompson assumed capac- ities of increasing responsibilities, and is today its vice-president, member of the board of di- rectors, member of its executive committee, and director of the manufacturing end of the cor- poration. In addition to this he is interested in many other enterprises among which are the following: vice-president and director, William L. Gilbert Clock Company, Winsted, Connecti- cut; director, National Rockland Bank, Boston, Massachusetts; and director of the Vitrified Wheel Company, Westfield, Massachusetts.
A well-known clubman, Mr. Thompson is a member of the Country Club, the Union Club, the Algonquin Club, the Yale Club, the New University Club, and the Exchange Club, all of Boston; the Duxbury Yacht Club; the Tunxis Club of Tolland, Massachusetts; American So- ciety of Mechanical Engineers; and the Ameri- can Institute of Electrical Engineers. He is fond of golf, fishing, sailing, and is interested in art.
On December 27, 1911, at Rockford, Illinois, Ralph E. Thompson married Emily Frances Barnum, daughter of Harris and Emma (Mof- fet) Barnum. They have the following chil- dren: Gretchen A., born October 1, 1912; Ralph E., Jr., born August 22, 1916; and Har- ris B. Thompson, born January 7, 1921. The family are attendants of the Congregational Unitarian church at Brookline.
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y EMickersow
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WILLIAM EMERY NICKERSON-The
career of William E. Nickerson, Boston manu- facturer and widely known inventor, has been such as to rival the pages of fiction. One of his outstanding achievements in industrial lines consisted in his part in the founding of the Gil- lette Safety Razor Company, the largest cor- poration of its kind in the world, Mr. Nickerson having been one of three men who made this now internationally known enterprise a tangible reality.
It has been said that the prowess of one's forebears is sometimes responsible, in part, for the success of many men in life's undertakings. The ancestors of Mr. Nickerson were certainly worthy of emulation, and were furthermore among the early settlers of the American col- onies.
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