USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > The story of Essex County, Volume III > Part 10
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Charles S. Rea, elected twelfth president of the Salem Savings Bank in 1902, retired in 1929 after a longer service than any of his eleven predecessors. Born in Salem February 22, 1844, he was elected treasurer of the bank in December, 1893, serving in
this capacity and as a trustee, a vice-pres- ident and a member of the finance commit- tee at the time he was elected president, August 19, 1902.
James Young, Jr., the present president (1935) of the Salem Savings Bank, was born in Albany, New York, February 20, 1872, and was graduated from the high school in his native city in 1889. He was employed by William H. Monroe, a Brighton (Massa- chusetts) cattle dealer, until the latter dis- posed of his business in 1909. His next asso- ciation marked his entry on his banking career, becoming teller at the Brighton Five Cents Savings Bank, advancing to vice-pres- ident in 1910 and to president in 1911. In 1912 he accepted the invitation of the Salem Savings Bank to be its treasurer, and, on the retirement, in 1929, of Charles S. Rea he was advanced to president. He is a director of the Naumkeag Trust Company, the Morris Plan Bank, the Holyoke Mutual Fire Insurance Company, the Hotel Haw- thorne Corporation, and the Carpenter Street Home, all of Salem. He is a thirty-third degree Scottish Rite Mason, a member also of all the York Rite bodies, a director of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and the Salem Masonic Temple Association. Mr. Young married, September 14, 1897, Mary G. Sawyer, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, daughter of Edwin F. Sawyer, the oldest employee of the Boston Five Cents Savings Bank, in whose service he has been more than sixty-five years. Mr. and Mrs. Young have two daughters: I. Helen, married Philip F. Norcross, of Salem. 2. Margaret, married Rev. James L. Adams, pastor of the Second Church of Salem.
The growth of the Salem Savings Bank, so much of the history of which has been made by the thirteen presidents who have faithfully served it, has been steady, and an ever-increasing prosperity has added to its prestige. Among its facilities offered de-
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
positors is the School Savings Bank System, which from every standpoint has proved suc- cessful, the school children carrying out the plan with commendable thrift. As an edu- cational experience in practical banking the plan has proved invaluable. In its first year, 2,341 pupils opened accounts (the total en- rollment of pupils in Salem that year was 6,204), a dollar of their savings enabling them to have a bank account.
J(OHN) FRED MANNING -- The elec- tion of Hon. John Fred Manning as mayor of Lynn, was the natural result of a career intelligently planned and persistently fol- lowed. The development of his talents, and subsequent successes, and his capacity for leadership, attracted the support of his fel- low-citizens when he became a candidate for, and was elected to, this high office.
John Fred Manning was born at Lynn, October 17, 1875, a son of Michael and Mar- garet (Nugent) Manning. His father, Michael, was born May 14, 1845, in Ireland, and died at Lynn, October 30, 1929. When he was eight years old, he came with his parents. to America on a sailing vessel, the trip requiring seven weeks, and settled at Boxford, Massachusetts. The family moved to Bradford, and later became residents of Lynn, where Michael Manning was ap- pointed to the police force. He was a mem- ber of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church. His wife, Margaret, was born in Ireland, June 12, 1847, and in her fourth year, was brought to America by her parents, who settled at Lawrence, Massachusetts. She died at Lynn, July 25, 1899.
Mr. Manning was graduated from the English High School, Lynn, in 1893, and then became associated with the W. & E. W. LaCroix Company, manufacturers of shoe soles and counters. After two years he was promoted to foreman of the finish- ing department, which position he resigned
after ten years to become the business agent of the Grain Counter Workers' Union. He served in this capacity for six years, when he returned to the W. & E. W. LaCroix Company, as foreman, continuing there un- til 1918. During this time, Mr. Manning attended the Suffolk Law School of Boston, and was graduated in May, 1918, and ad- mitted to the Massachusetts bar in the same year. He became a candidate for the office of assessor, was elected, and held this office until 1930. While busily engaged in this position, he attended evening classes at Bently School of Accounting and Finance, at Boston, from which he was graduated in 1923.
The excellent record he had made as as- sessor, his thorough knowledge of law, busi- ness and finance, his sympathetic under- standing of the workers' problems, and his upright character, made him an outstanding choice when he announced his candidacy for the mayoralty. He was elected mayor November 7, 1929, and assumed office on January 6, 1930, in which office he still continues. His splendid conduct of the city's affairs has justified the confidence placed in him, and has won the high regard of his fellow-citizens. He maintains an office in association with Attorney James E. Connor, at No. 145 Monroe Street.
He is a member of the Lynn Bar Associa- tion, the Lynn Chamber of Commerce, Lynn Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Father Mathew's Total Abstinence Society of Lynn, the Rotary Club, and St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church. He is president of Father Mathew's Temperance Society Building Association. He is a Dem- ocrat in politics, but is non-partisan in his office as mayor.
NORMAN U. ARMOUR-For the most of his life Norman U. Armour has been con- nected with financial institutions, his pres-
Essex -- 5
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
ent office being that of treasurer of the Salem Cooperative Bank. Born in Lynn, June 16, 1897, Mr. Armour graduated from the high school of his native city in the class of 1917. His first employment on leaving school was with the Lynn branch packing house of Swift & Company. His career in the financial field began at the Wildey Sav- ings Bank in Boston.
When the United States entered the World War, he enlisted for service and was assigned in 1917 to the 319th Supply Com- pany, Quartermaster's Corps. He went over- seas and was in service for thirteen months. On his return home he associated himself with the Massachusetts State Bank Examin- ing Department, this connection lasting one year. He then went to the Lowell Coopera- tive Bank, which elected him assistant treas- urer. Resigning that office in April, 1930, he came to the Salem Cooperative Bank in the capacity of treasurer, which position he has since filled. He is affiliated with the Treas- urers' Club of Cooperative Banks in Boston, the American Legion, and Golden Fleece Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Lynn. He is married and the father of three children.
A brief history of the Salem Cooperative Bank, of which Mr. Armour is treasurer, follows: The bank was organized at a meeting held in Room 10, No. 81 Washing- ton Street, Salem, March 16, 1888. The first officers were: President and director, John M. Raymond; vice-president and di- rector, E. Augustus Mackintire; secretary, treasurer and director, Albert C. Mackin- tire; directors, the officers and George W. Pickering, Frank A. Newell, Henry E. Rey- nolds, Robin Damon, Oliver D. Way, Wil- liam E. Meade, William H. Merrill, Harlan P. Hosley, Reuben Arey, and Wyman D. Richardson. The first security committee elected consisted of John M. Raymond, Frank A. Newell, George W. Pickering.
The first public meeting called for the purpose of selling shares in the bank was held April 13, 1888. F. Augustus Mackin- tire, the vice-president, presiding. Lieuten- ant Governor John Q. A. Brackett and Dan- iel Eldridge were then presented to the meeting and they discussed the principles of cooperative banking. Much interest was shown, and within a short time the full series of 1,000 shares was disposed of. At the close of the sale of shares the money was sold at auction, Stephen Gauss being the first pur- chaser. On April 27, 1888, Edward C. Bat- tis was elected title attorney for the bank.
The first annual meeting was held in Ly- ceum Hall, April 12, 1889, this being a public meeting. The original officers and directors were reelected. The first auditors for the bank were Edward W. Nichols, William F. Perry, and William H. Kendall.
At the seventh annual meeting, held April 12, 1895, Vice-President E. Augustus Mack- intire was elected president, Francis A. Newell elected vice-president, and William D. Dennis elected to the board of directors.
Between April 10 and May 8, 1896, Di- rector Richardson passed away, and, on October 5, 1896, John P. Browning was elected to fill the vacancy. Between Decem- ber II, 1896, and February 12, 1897, Direc- tor Hosley died, and on April 9, 1897, S. Herbert Wilkins was elected to fill the va- cancy. On January 12, 1903, William E. Meade passed away, and on March 13, 1903, William H. Merrill resigned as a director. On April 10, 1903, J. Clifford Entwisle and Robert E. Hill were elected to the board of directors to fill the aforementioned vacan- cies. Between December 8, 1905, and Janu- ary 6, 1906, Vice-President Newell died. On April 13, 1906, George W. Pickering was elected vice-president, and George W. Pit- man to the board of directors. On May 27, 1907, President E. Augustus Mackintire passed away, and on June 14, 1907, Vice-
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
President Pickering was elected president and Reuben W. Arey vice-president. On April 10, 1908, G. Arthur Bodwell was elected to the board of directors, and, on April 9, 1909, Ernest P. Lane was elected to the board. On December 19, 1909, Vice- President Arey died.
It was at about this time that the bank moved to the street floor of the same build- ing. On April 8, 1910, S. Herbert Wilkins was elected vice-president. On February 5, 1913, Director Dennis passed away. In 1913 a new set of by-laws was adopted. In April, 1920, Wallace F. Williams was elected a director. On April 8, 1921, Daniel Chase Fitz was elected title attorney. On March II, 1933, Director Robert E. Hill died, and on April 13, 1923, William E. Curtis was elected a director. On April 9, 1927, Charles C. Tuttle was elected a director. On July 5, 1927, Director George W. Pitman passed away. On July 8, 1927, Frank E. Waite was elected a director. On December 4, 1927, Director Henry E. Reynolds died. On February 10, 1928, Arthur F. Smith was elected a director. On March 28, 1928, Pres- ident George W. Pickering passed away. On April 6, 1928, Vice-President S. H. Wilkins was elected president, Director E. P. Lane elected vice-president, and Frank A. Neff elected a director.
On April II, 1930, Vice-President E. P. Lane was elected president, Director Wal- lace F. Williams elected vice-president, and Norman U. Armour elected treasurer. On June 13, 1930, Treasurer Armour was elected a director. On April 8, 1932, Wilfred W. Brouilette was elected assistant treasurer. On September 24, 1932, Director Bodwell passed away. On January 20, 1933, J. Clarke Brown was elected a director. On April 14, 1933, Director S. H. Wilkins was elected vice-president.
The bank moved into its new and present quarters, June 1, 1933. Wallace F. Williams
resigned as director on May 19, 1933. On June 16, 1933, Harold G. Macomber was elected a director.
ROGER CONANT COOPERATIVE BANK-The Roger Conant Cooperative Bank was organized in Salem in 1894. The original list of incorporators included the names of representative business men, bank- ers and lawyers, and through the succeeding years the management of the bank has been under the direction of well known and re- spected men of Salem. The present board of directors includes several bankers and a number of prominent business men. That the members of the board take their respon- sibilities seriously is shown by the fact that two-thirds of the membership have served for twenty years or longer.
The bank was organized with the object of helping people to acquire ownership of their own homes, and the money deposited in the bank is loaned on first mortgages on dwelling houses, a very large proportion being on single-family houses in Salem and the surrounding cities and towns. Loans are made on dwellings in various amounts, but not exceeding $8,000 on any one prop- erty. The regular monthly payments reduce the amounts of the loans till, at the end of about twelve years, the loan is paid in full.
The deposits in the bank have increased steadily year by year until the statement of August 8, 1933, showed deposits of more than $3,000,000. There are surplus and guarantee funds of over $180,000 to protect depositors against possible losses. These funds, more than six per cent. of the de- posits, are much larger than the average throughout the State.
The board of officers of the bank in 1933 was as follows : President, Vincent S. Pe- terson ; vice-president, Josiah H. Gifford ; treasurer, Joshua Babcock Merrill ; attorney, M. J. Reardon; attorney emeritus, Rob-
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
ert B. Buckham; clerk of the corporation, George B. Farrington. The banking rooms, situated as they are on Washington Street, are in a most convenient location in the cen- ter of the city of Salem.
HUGH A. CREGG-Various offices in the public's gift were held by Hugh A. Cregg, of Methuen, before he was elected district attorney of Essex County. Born in the city of Lawrence, November 25, 1887, a son of Edward and Rose A. (McAllister) Cregg, Mr. Cregg attended the public schools of his native city, graduating from high school and entering Phillips-Exeter Acad- emy, New Hampshire, where he prepared for college. After his graduation from the University of Vermont, he received his pro- fessional training at the Boston University Law School. He was admitted to the Mas- sachusetts bar in September, 1912, and at once became associated with his brother, Matthew A., under the firm name of Cregg and Cregg at Lawrence.
A staunch Republican, he was called early to political office by the voters of Methuen, where he made his residence soon after en- tering the practice of law. He was made a member of the Board of Selectmen, and served four years in the Massachusetts Sen- ate, 1904-05-06-07, during these years being on the Judiciary Committee. For two years he was town counsel of Methuen. In 1930 he was elected district attorney and has since filled the office in a most capable man- ner. Mr. Cregg immediately began the speeding up of criminal court procedure, handling in one year more than nineteen hundred cases, nearly double the number of any previous Essex County prosecutor, and under his able supervision the county has been saved thousands of dollars in wit- ness fees alone. His professional affiliations include the Lawrence Bar Association, Es-
sex County Bar Association, and the Massa- chusetts Bar Association.
Mr. Cregg married, March 1, 1919, Wynni- fred Gerrin, and they have children: I. Hugh A., Jr. 2. Donald J. 3. Natalie. 4. Maurine. The home of the family is in Methuen, and Mr. Cregg has his office as district attorney in the Essex County Court- house at Salem.
JOSHUA BABCOCK MERRILL-A broad experience in various fields of activity was brought by Joshua B. Merrill, of Salem and Danvers, to qualify him for the position of treasurer of the Roger Conant Coopera- tive Bank, with headquarters in the former city. Born in Concord, New Hampshire, October 17, 1881, Mr. Merrill is the son of Lyman and Nellie (Neal) Merrill, the for- mer a native of New Hampshire, who was engaged in the grocery business until his decease, and the mother born in Maine. Joshua B. Merrill received his education in the public schools of Concord and the Moses Brown School, Providence, Rhode Island.
As a young man he made a start in rail- road construction work and the timber busi- ness. This took him to operations in Ala- bama and Mississippi, and for a time he was engaged in the construction of the line now known as the Mobile & Northern Railroad. He was eventually elected assistant treas- urer of this railroad, serving in the office from 1900 to 1915, while stationed at Mo- bile, Alabama. In the latter year he arrived in Boston, where he made an employee con- nection with a real estate firm. Here his earlier training and experience in business was of value to his employers and in better- ing his association. Giving proof of his financial ability, he was sought by the di- rectors for the treasurership of the Roger Conant Cooperative Bank of Salem, and was installed in this office in 1917. He is a direc-
George & Tears
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
tor of the Cooperative Central Bank of Bos- ton, a director of the Masonic Temple As- sociation of Salem, a trustee of the Hunt Memorial Hospital, of Danvers, and a trus- tee of the hospital trust fund, and a member and treasurer of Starr King Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons.
Mr. Merrill married, June 29, 1912, Ethel M. Brownell, of New Bedford, and they have a daughter, Elizabeth S., born in April, 1913. The Merrill family home is in Dan- vers. The official address of Mr. Merrill is the same as that of the Roger Conant Coop- erative Bank, No. 125 Washington Street, Salem.
HON. GEORGE BOWMAN SEARS- During the past twenty-eight years, the Hon. George Bowman Sears has served as judge of the First District Court of Essex County, Massachusetts. His distinguished record at the bar well qualified him for his present of- fice, whose duties he has administered with conspicuous fidelity.
Judge Sears was born at Danvers, Massa- chusetts, on June 5, 1865, a son of John Augustus and Sarah Louise (Simonds) Sears, both of whom were also born in this State. His father was for many years a shoe manufacturer, but in later life retired to his farm, where he resided until his death.
George Bowman Sears received his prelim- inary education in the public schools of Dan- vers, completing the high school course in 1884. He subsequently attended Dummer Academy and from that institution entered Bowdoin College, where he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1890, on completion of the liberal arts course. Judge Sears received his professional train- ing at Boston University School of Law, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1895. In the same year he was admitted to the bar and began the practice of his profession in Boston. For
a period of three years he was associated with General Edgar R. Champlain, and there- after practiced alone. In 1905 he was ap- pointed judge of the First District Court of Essex County, and at that time moved his office to Salem. Judge Sears has now served on the bench for more than a quarter of a century under a life appointment, and in point of service is one of the senior members of the Massachusetts judiciary.
Apart from his professional connections, Judge Sears has been very active in the life of Essex County, and has played a leading part in many civic and benevolent enterprises. He is a trustee of Peabody Institute; vice- president and trustee of Danvers Savings Bank, a member and past president of the Danvers Historical Society, and president of the Putnam Home. He is also president of the Danvers Improvement Society, a member of the board of trustees of the Danvers Home for the Aged, and trustee and secretary of the Robert A. McFadden Educational Fund. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, and in this Order is a mem- ber of all higher bodies of the York and Scottish Rites, including the Commandery of the Knights Templar and the Consistory. He is affiliated, in addition, with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Improved Order of Red Men; is a member of the Rotary Club, the Salem Country Club, and the Congregational Church of Danvers.
George Bowman Sears married Jennie Por- ter White, of Danvers, and they are the parents of three children: I. Ruth Putnam, who was married to Charles Ivan Cromwell, of LeRoy, New York. 2. Miriam White, a teacher in Beverly High School. 3. Clark Simonds, who attended Harvard University, and in 1933 was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws from Northeastern Univer- sity Law School. Following his admission to the bar, he became associated in practice with his father.
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JOHN HUTCHISON-The shoe indus- try, as well as many other kinds of business in New England, owes a great deal to men of English birth or ancestry. Men of this nationality came filled with ambition, a love of freedom, and the capacity for hard work, and injected new life into whatsoever ac- tivities they entered. Of such stock was the father of John Hutchison, for whom the son was named and in whose field the son continued. John Hutchison, of this review, partner of the firm of Brown and Hutchi- son, has been connected with the boot and shoe pattern business for practically all his mature life, and the concern which he helped to organize is recognized as one of the leaders in its line in the United States, and as the oldest and largest company, op- erating in patterns without a change of name in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
John Hutchison was born in Philadel- phia, Pennsylvania, on February 9, 1881, son of John and Mary A. (Kearney) Hutch- ison, both natives of Ireland, although long residents of Massachusetts. Mr. Hutchison also engaged in the shoe busi- ness, and died in 1887. John Hutchison attended public schools, and determined to build a career in the shoe industry. He went to work in a shoe factory and learned the manufacturing of this product thor- oughly. In 1909 he formed a partnership with George W. Brown to form the firm of Brown and Hutchison, specialists in the manufacture of shoe and boot patterns. The business of the firm was expanded gradu- ally, care being taken to make progress only as conditions seemed to warrant. This branch of the industry is difficult of success- ful operation, for every employee must be an expert, and the products are of slow and painstaking manufacture. In 1924 Mr. Brown retired from the partnership, the company being continued by John and Rob- ert Hutchison.
John Hutchison is a member of the Park Board of the city of Haverhill. Fraternally he is affiliated with Merrimack Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and with various bodies of Masonry, in both the York and Scottish Rites, including the thirty-second degree, and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias; the Junior Order, United American Mechanics ; the Pentucket Club, and the Chamber of Commerce. His religious affiliations are with the Episcopal Church, of Haverhill.
John Hutchison married (first), Mary A. Chapman, deceased, and they were the par- ents of five children : Evelyn, Murial, Dor- othy, Beatrice, and Mildred. Three of the daughters are graduates of Wheaton Col- lege, one is a graduate nurse of Hale Hos- pital, and the youngest is a member of the class of 1935, Haverhill High School. Mr. Hutchison married (second), Laura B. Jones, a native of Guysborough, Nova Scotia.
JAMES T. FITZGERALD-An attor- ney and public-spirited citizen of Haverhill, James T. Fitzgerald has attained a promi- nent position within his profession by his many successes and legal ability, and in the community he is well regarded as an active and constructive factor in civic affairs. Mr. Fitzgerald was born on October I, 1884, in Haverhill, son of James H. Fitzgerald, born in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland, and died in 1919, and Mary A. (O'Brien) Fitzgerald, born in Ireland, and died in 1905. James H. Fitzgerald became a manufacturer of heels and other shoe supplies. Later, he was interested in politics and served in the city council of Haverhill, and was elected to the Massachusetts Legislature, serving in that body in the years 1911 and 1912, and was a member of several important com- mittees.
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James T. Fitzgerald was educated in pub- lic and parochial schools and attended Bos- ton University, graduating in 1912 with the Bachelor of Laws degree. In the same year he was admitted to the bar and became asso- ciated with Judge John J. Ryan in the prac- tice of law. During the six years he prac- ticed with Judge Ryan, Mr. Fitzgerald had the guidance and advice of a distinguished member of the bar, and this valuable experi- ence, together with natural abilities, have placed him among the leading lawyers of Essex County. In 1918 he engaged in prac- tice under his own name and has established a lucrative clientele, among which are sev- eral of the important enterprises of Haver- hill. He practices general law and appears in all courts. Mr. Fitzgerald is a member of the Haverhill Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association.
With no political ambitions for himself, he has, nevertheless, taken a strong part in guiding the policies of civic administration through his personal influence and commu- nity organizations. During the World War he was active in promoting various drives and served on many committees of a patri- otic nature. Fraternal organizations receive much of his interest and he is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Massa- chusetts Catholic Order of Foresters. He is also a member of the Pentucket Club and the Haverhill Historical Society. His church membership is with St. James Roman Catholic.
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