USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > The story of Essex County, Volume III > Part 37
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In the public schools, John Philip Kane, of whom this is primarily a record, received his early education, being graduated from Law- rence High School in 1887. He then became a student at the Bryant and Stratton Busi- ness College, and afterward entered Boston University Law School, from which he was graduated in 1895 with the degree of Bach- elor of Laws. Admitted to practice on July 2, of that year, he began his professional labors in Lawrence, where he has since been independently engaged in legal work.
Adding public service to his other accom- plishments, Mr. Kane served in 1892 as pres- ident of the common council of Lawrence. From 1896 to 1899 he was a member of the local school committee, and from 1899 to 1906, city solicitor. In 1906 he was chosen to the chief executive position in the power of Lawrence citizenry to bestow upon him- that of mayor. So serving through 1906, 1907, and 1908, he was again made mayor in 1914 and 1915.
He is active in many organizations, profes- sional and otherwise, being president of the Lawrence Bar Association and a member of the Essex County Bar Association, the Mas- sachusetts State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. In 1898 he added military service to his record, serving in Com- pany F of the Ninth Massachusetts Infan- try, United States Volunteers, during the Spanish-American War, and holding the rank
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of sergeant. Into all his work and his man- ifold activities Mr. Kane has consistently striven for the best in Massachusetts life, and his record has been one of achievement and distinction.
John Philip Kane married, on May 3, 1898, Josephine L. Dacy, of Lawrence, Massachu- setts. They became the parents of two chil- dren: 1. John H., who is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, served during the World War, and is now stationed at Fort Devens. 2. James P., a graduate of Villanova College and Boston University Law School; he is now associ- ated with his father in legal practice in the city of Lawrence.
WILLIAM RICHARD JOHNSON- Inheriting honorable traditions William Richard Johnson upheld the family name during a long and useful career, and he is remembered today as one of the foremost citizens of Newburyport, where for genera- tions members of this family have resided. His interests included social, civic and business affairs of his surroundings, and through these agencies he contributed sub- stantially to the welfare and advancement of his fellowmen. It was through his cease- less efforts that this city received electric lighting facilities and it was also due to his energy and acumen that many other im- provements came to be enjoyed here. In public life he served in high and responsi- ble office and through his accomplishments and achievements was frequently sought for counsel by many of the leading enterprises of this vicinity.
William Richard Johnson was born at the old family home in Newburyport, Massa- chusetts, on May 16, 1855, the son of Rich- ard and Frances (Bradstreet) Johnson. His father was a master mariner, having gone to sea at the age of sixteen, and followed this career until he was forty. Among the
interesting cargoes he carried during his sea-faring experience was the stone for the foundation of Fort Sumter at Charleston, South Carolina, where later the first hostili- ties of the Civil War took place. His mother, who was a daughter of Dr. Nathan- iel Bradstreet, a physician at Newburyport, who also served two years as ship's doctor on the "Merrimac," was descended from Governor Simon Bradstreet. The Johnson family trace their ancestry in part to Mau- rice Johnson, who, in 1523, served as a member of Parliament for Stamford, Eng- land. The first representatives of this fam- ily to arrive in America were his three sons, Isaac, William, and Edward, who landed here in 1630, and came to play an important part in the development of this section of the country. Edward was the founder of Woburn, a large landowner in Boston, and was the first person to be interred in the King's Chapel Churchyard, which was part of his property in that city. He also wrote a history of New England covering the pe- riod between 1628 and 1652, entitled, "Won- der-Working Providence." William, who was the progenitor of the family in New- buryport, came to this community from Charlestown and established a ship-building business at the foot of Ship Street. The lineage is then carried through to Eleazer, who continued the shipbuilding business and was one of the most ardent patriots at the time of the Revolutionary War, mar- shalling support for the cause and contrib- uting substantially. During the conflict four of his five sons enlisted, one seeing ac- tion at the battle of Bunker Hill and the three others engaging as privateers, among them Nicholas who was the first man to float the "Stars and Stripes" over the Thames in London at the close of the war.
William Richard Johnson, of this review, was educated in the public schools of his native community and later attended the
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Putnam School. Upon the completion of his studies he embarked on his career by enter- ing the shoe manufacturing industry. He was successful in this business and later made use of his experience in the manage- ment of business enterprises. In this con- nection he became a member of the board of directors of the Bayley Hat Company, served as president and director of the Mer- chants National Bank, and through his ef- forts to electrify this city became the first .president of the Newburyport Electric Light Company. In the latter capacity he overcame many cumbersome difficulties and finally succeeded in presenting a facility to this community which was to prove a boon to the residents and for which his name will go down in history. He also was president of the Newburyport Mutual Fire Insurance Company and a trustee of the Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank.
In his social and civic life he was one of the most active citizens of this community. He had served on the Common Council for a term of two years and had been a member of the Board of Aldermen for a like period. Socially he was prominently identified with many of the leading organizations of this section and was widely known in fraternal circles. From 1877 until the time of his de- mise he was a member of St. John's Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons, served as master of that body; was a member of the King Cyrus Chapter and had been high priest and belonged to the Newburyport Commandery of the Knights Templar, of which he had been commander. For many years Mr. Johnson was trustee of the public library and held the post of secretary for the Wheelwright Scientific Fund, an agency which has been responsible for providing a college education to many young men of Newburyport. He also served as treasurer of the Oak Hill Cemetery and for years per- sonally supervised its care and preservation.
In 1892 Mr. Johnson married Lilian L. Richardson, daughter of William H. and Frances (Coffin) Richardson of Jamaica Plain. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were the par- ents of five children: I. Lawrence B., a graduate in 1915, of Harvard University. 2. Frances R., who attended finishing school. 3. Margaret, died in infancy. 4. Richard W., who was graduated in 1926 from the Mas- sachusetts Institute of Technology. 5. Eliza- beth P., a graduate of Simmons College, 1932.
William Richard Johnson died at his home in Newburyport on February 18, 1928. His passing was a distinct shock to this community where for so many years he had contributed unselfishly of his time and talents. His countless deeds for the good of this community establish him as one of its greatest benefactors, and as one of the stanchest representatives of the John- son family, whose idealistic standards have been a dominating factor in the develop- ment of Newburyport.
CLARENCE D. ROBERTS-Among outstanding business executives of Ames- bury is Clarence D. Roberts, who, for the past ten years, has directed the activities of the Amesbury Gas Company as local man- ager. As a resident of this community he has also taken a keen and active interest in social and civic affairs, is identified with many leading organizations and is particu- larly active in youth movements.
Mr. Roberts, a native of Haverhill, Mas- sachusetts, was born January 12, 1891, the son of Benjamin S. and Margaret F. (Pink- ham) Roberts. He was afforded a general education in the public schools of his native city, graduating from high school in 1910. He later took a two-year business admin- istration course at Boston, and, while em- ployed at Woonsocket, took an extension
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course at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. His first experience in the business world was in the shoe industry. For several years while attending school he devoted his outside energies to learning this trade and then determined to abandon it in favor of an attractive offer made by the Haverhill Gas Company.
His ability and aptitude for this work soon won him promotion and in 1915 he was transferred to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, as assistant sales manager and assistant power engineer, and held these positions until the United States entered the World War. At this time he enlisted in the avia- tion corps and was sent to Kelly Field in Texas for training and about a year later was transferred to Houston where he was in the aviation general supply depot and held the rank of sergeant. After the conflict he resumed his affiliations with the Haverhill Gas Company and remained in his native city until 1924. During this year the above mentioned concern purchased the Ames- bury Gas Company and Mr. Roberts was named local manager of the newly acquired branch property, the position he holds to- day.
As a resident of this city he has taken an unusual interest in civic and social activi- ties. He is president (1934-35) of the Ro- tary Club, a member of the American Le- gion, a director of the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce and prominent in Boy Scout work. In his fraternal affiliations he is a member of Warren Lodge of the Masonic Order and in religion adheres to the Epis- copalian faith.
In 1924 Mr. Roberts married Florence I. M. Sargent, a native of Haverhill, and they are the parents of two children: I. Royal V., born March 14, 1927. 2. Joyce, born March 15, 1933.
WALLACE F. HUBLEY-Fifteen years ago Wallace F. Hubley resigned from his post as crew dispatcher for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad at the South Station in Boston to join his brother in a growing automobile accessory business in the city of Haverhill. Under the able di- rection of these two men the enterprise has developed from a modest place to one of the foremost positions in the automotive in- dustry of Essex County, being the largest service and replacement organization in this community. Today Mr. Hubley is the treas- urer and general manager of the firm, while his brother, Fred B. Hubley of Lexington, occupies the position of president. Through- out his career here Mr. Hubley has been one of the leading figures in the social and civic affairs of this community, occupying numerous important and responsible posi- tions and being a member of many of the leading organizations.
Mr. Hubley was born in Seabright, Nova Scotia, March 22, 1879, the son of Judson J. and Emmeline A. Hubley, his father be- ing a blacksmith by trade. He received his education in public schools of his native and went to Boston where he became associated with the New York, New Haven and Hart- ford Railroad, remaining with this system until 1919, as crew dispatcher from the South Station. During his career with the railroad he was presented with a certificate of recognition for the services he rendered in his position during the World War. He severed his connections with the railroad to join his brother who, in 1917, had launched a tire and vulcanizing business at No. 23 Emerson Street in Haverhill. The enter- prise grew with such success that he de- cided to add a line of accessories and it soon became apparent that this new branch would supersede the tire business and he
Harry & Jackson
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would need assistance. It was then he called on Mr. Hubley who joined him. The firm, known as the Motor Car Supply Company, continued to enjoy success and in 1926 the two brothers removed to their present large quarters on Emerson Street. When the ac- cessory business began to diminish, this was succeeded by a complete replacement and equipment service.
Today this concern, which is the largest of its type in Haverhill, and one of the fore- most in Essex County, serves a twenty-five mile radius, supplying materials to the en- tire southern part of the State of New Hampshire and the greater part of north Essex County.
As one of the leading business men of this section Mr. Hubley has taken a keen and active interest in civic affairs and as graphic evidence of his leadership he holds the office of chairman of the Compliance Board of the National Recovery Act and for the work he has performed in this office has received a certificate of appreciation from Mr. Filene of Boston and General Hugh Johnson.
In his social affiliations he is past presi- dent and has served as a member of the governor's council of the Haverhill Rotary Club; is a member of the Pentucket Club, the Haverhill Country Club, and a director of the Haverhill Chamber of Commerce. Prominent in fraternal circles, he is a mem- ber of Merrimack Lodge of the Masonic Order and belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In religion he is a Baptist and worships at the church of that denomination here.
In 1905 Mr. Hubley married Margaret I. McFadden of Toronto, Canada, and they are the parents of one daughter, Margaret E., a graduate of Haverhill High School, Wheaton College and the Katharine Gibbs Finishing School. The Hubley residence is at No. 100 Revere Street, Bradford.
HARRY EBEN JACKSON-Engaged in the practice of law in Danvers and Salem for many years, Harry E. Jackson holds the of- fice of special justice of the Third District Court of Essex County. He was born in Salem, September 7, 1871, a son of Eben and Lupira (Newbegin) Jackson, the father a native of New Hampshire, a retired grocery and provision merchant, died in 1928, and the mother born in Maine. After attending the public grade schools of Salem and Dan- vers, he graduated at the Holton High School in the latter town in 1890. He read law in the office of Raymond & Battis, in Salem, and next entered the law department of Boston University, where he graduated Bachelor of Laws in the class of 1894. Admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1895, he began practice in his own name in Salem in 1895. In 1898 his brother, Oscar Ervin Jackson, was re- ceived as a partner in the formation of the firm of Jackson & Jackson. His appointment as a special justice was made by the late Gov- ernor Samuel W. McCall. He is a member of the Essex County Bar Association and Salem Bar Association.
He served as town counsel for Danvers for several years, and for a number of terms was a member of the Danvers School Board, serv- ing as chairman for a part of the time. Pres- ident of the Danvers Cooperative Bank, he is also a trustee of the Salem Five Cents Sav- ings Bank. He is prominent in fraternal af- fairs, having advanced into the thirty-second degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, and being a Past Master of Amity Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Danvers; a Past District Deputy Grand Master of the Ninth Capitular Masonic District, and a Past Junior Grand Warden of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge of Masons. He is president of the Danvers Masonic Temple Association, and a Past Noble Grand of Danvers Lodge, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows.
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Judge Harry Eben Jackson married, July place until June, 1910, when he came to 12, 1897, Fanny M. Friend, of Danvers, and Amesbury. As pastor of the St .. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church here, he is the third to have directed the activities of this parish since it was founded in October, 1867. they have had two children, Lucie N., and Hilda, both now deceased. Mrs. Jackson, a member of an old and well-known family, is actively connected with the Daughters of the American Revolution. They reside in Dan- vers, and Judge Jackson has his law offices at No. 81 Washington Street, Salem.
REV. DENIS F. LEE-For over two decades Father Lee has ministered to the spiritual needs of the parish of St. Joseph's at Amesbury and in the performance of his professional activities has endeared himself to his congregation and won the deep re- spect and affection of the public at large. As a citizen he has notably supported those measures and causes for the benefit and wel- fare of his fellowmen.
Father Lee was born March 29, 1861, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, the son of Denis F. and Alice (Gildea) Lee. He received his early education in the public schools of his native community and continued his studies at St. Charles' College in Maryland. Later he entered Boston College and was gradu- ated from this institution in 1882, with a degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then entered the Grand Seminary in Montreal, Canada, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Sacred Theology.
On December 19, 1885, in St. John's Semi- nary at Brighton, Massachusetts, he was ordained. His first appointment was as an assistant in St. Mary's Parish, Winchester, Massachusetts, where he remained five years, at the end of which period he was trans- ferred to St. Paul, Minnesota, due to ill health. Two years later he had completely regained his strength and returned to St. James' Church, Boston, where he remained twelve years. In June, 1904, he was ap- pointed the first resident pastor of St. Agnes' Church at Reading, and remained at this
CHARLES I. PETTINGELL-October 14, 1921, Governor David I. Walsh appoint- ed Charles I. Pettingell Justice of the Second District Court of Essex, located at Ames- bury, Massachusetts. Judge Pettingell was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, De- cember 28, 1878. His father, Andrew Has- kell Pettingell, who died in 1898, was a de- scendant of Richard Pettingell, who was in Salem, Massachusetts, as early as 1637 and came to Newbury, Massachusetts, in 1652. Andrew Haskell Pettingell in his early years was a civil engineer, engaged in the con- struction of railroads in Massachusetts, Con- necticut, Vermont, and Canada. In later life, after his return to Newburyport, he was commissioned a branch pilot and was en- gaged for many years in piloting sailing ves- sels in and out of Newburyport Harbor. While he was employed in Canada on what became later the Grand Trunk Railroad, he met and married Mary Nash, a descendant of Massachusetts pioneers, who, after the American Revolution, emigrated from the Connecticut Valley to Ohio, from which State some of their children and grandchil- dren moved to Ontario. Mary (Nash) Pet- tingell came to Newburyport, Massachu- setts, in 1856, and died there at the age of eighty in 1917.
Judge Pettingell was educated in the pub- lic schools of Newburyport and at Harvard College, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1901. In 1904 he was graduated from the Harvard Law School with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. The same year he opened an office for the general practice of the law in Amesbury, remaining in general practice until his judicial appoint-
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ment in 1914. In 1929 he was assigned by Hon. Arthur P. Rugg, Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, to sit in the Appellate Division of the District Courts for the Northern District, and has continued so to sit up to the present time. This division hears law appeals in civil cases from the District Courts in Essex and Mid- dlesex counties and from some of the Dis- trict Courts in Suffolk County.
As a young man, Judge Pettingell was active in municipal matters. He was mod- erator of the town meeting from 1910 to 1916, and was a member of the school com- mittee from 1911 to 1918, being chairman of the board from 1912 to 1918. During these years the town acquired several acres of land on which it built a modern high school with adequate athletic fields and available land for future expansion.
In 1916 Judge Pettingell went to the Citi- zens' Military Training Camps at Platts- burg, New York, serving there from July 12 to August 8. The next spring, when the United States entered the war, he became a member of the Amesbury Public Safety Committee, and in that capacity organized a local company of the Massachusetts State Guard. In May, 1917, he was commissioned its captain and remained in command of this company until June, 1919, when it was dis- banded. In October and November, 1918, during the influenza epidemic, details from this company were on duty at the hospital maintained by the Commonwealth at Camp Kenoza, Haverhill, Massachusetts. Captain Pettingell was in command of the camp from October 31 to November 4, evacuating the last patients and collecting and storing the State property on the grounds.
In addition to his service in the Massachu- setts State Guard during the World War, he was also a member of the Legal Advisory Board, Division Number 20, Massachusetts, under the Selective Service Law; was a
"four-minute" speaker; a member of the committees on the Red Cross, Young Men's Christian Association and United War Work drives, and, at the close of the war, was chairman of the Fifth (Victory) Liberty Loan Committee.
After the war, he was elected trustee of the Soldiers' Memorial. In 1925 the town voted the trustees an appropriation of $25,000, which was used for the erection of a memorial of which the town is justly proud.
During the influenza epidemic in 1918, the citizens of Amesbury, entirely lacking hos- pital accommodations and being unable to care properly for the sick and dying, ap- pointed a committee, of which Judge Pet- tingell was chairman, to provide facilities for the emergency treatment of those in need. Within twenty-four hours of the appoint- ment of this committee, they had secured a building, cleared and cleaned it, and were receiving pneumonia patients. In another twenty-four hours they had wards ready for the reception of influenza patients. For sev- eral weeks, until the epidemic was over, they conducted a regular hospital, admitting eighty patients in all. The total deaths were thirteen; of the patients who died twelve were admitted as pneumonia cases, some of them being moribund at the time of admis- sion. This hospital was entirely a voluntary institution, no one receiving pay. As a part of the hospital, there was maintained a kitchen to feed both the sick and the work- ers, and there was also a canteen which fur- nished food, contributed, collected and dis- tributed, without expense, to those who had sickness at home and were unable to prepare the necessary meals.
The hospital situation in Amesbury, and the experience of the citizens during the influenza epidemic, led to a movement for a permanent hospital. In 1921, Judge Pet- tingell was elected president of the Ames-
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bury Hospital Association, which was organ- ized in 1903, and by 1921 had accumulated less than $1,400. Between 1921 and 1931 the association collected approximately $190,000, acquired a beautiful and spacious site, built, and completely furnished and equipped, a modern thirty-bed fireproof hospital, which was opened to patients in 1927. In 1929 the town, by authority of a special act of the Legislature, acquired it from the hospital association and now operates it as a munici- pal institution, the annual deficit being a part of the town's current expense.
In fraternal matter, Judge Pettingell is an Odd Fellow and a Mason. Since 1906 he has been a member of Powow River Lodge, No. 90, Independent Order of Foresters. He is a member of Warren Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Trinity Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Newburyport Com- mandery, Knights Templar; Amesbury Council, Royal and Select Masters; Merri- mac Valley Lodge of Perfection, fourteenth degree, of Haverhill, and all the other Scot- tish Rite bodies up to and including Massa- chusetts Consistory, thirty-second degree. In addition to having presided over the lodge, chapter, council, and Lodge of Perfection, he has also served in the Grand Lodge of Mas- sachusetts as District Deputy Grand Master, and in the Grand Council of Royal and Se- lect Masters of Massachusetts, as Grand Steward and Deputy Grand Master. He is also a Past Patron of Friendship Chapter, No. 58, Order of the Eastern Star.
In politics Judge Pettingell has been a consistent Democrat. For many years he served on the Democratic town committee. In 1912 and 1913 he was a candidate for the Legislature and in 1914 for the State Senate. In 1921 at a special election, and in 1922, he was the Democratic candidate for Congress in the Sixth Congressional District. In 1924 he was a Democratic candidate for Presi- dential elector.
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