Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 31

Author: Nelson, John, 1866-1933
Publication date: 1934
Publisher: New York, American historical Society
Number of Pages: 700

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administrations under which he has served and of excellent results to the people whom his work affects most intimately.

Mr. Healey's father, James A. Healey, Sr., was born in Cork, Ireland, where the family of that name had had its seat for many generations. He was an infant when brought to this country by his parents. After attending public schools, he learned the tailor's trade in New York City. He removed to New Bedford, Massachusetts, and eventually located in Worcester, where he passed away in 1901. When living in the Empire State, he enlisted for the Civil War and was assigned to the 69th New York Regiment, Volunteer Infantry, and was transferred to the 2d Regiment of Penn- sylvania Cavalry. He fought through the war, and participated in the battles of Fredericksburg. the siege of Petersburg and in other important engagements. He married Mary A. Ronayne, born in London, England, and brought to this country when a young child by her parents. Of their mar- riage three children were born: I. Daughter, died in infancy. 2. Alice M. Healey, who resides at home with her mother in Worcester. 3. James A., Jr., of whom further.

James A. Healey, Jr., was born in New Bedford, September 6, 1880, and passed through the elemen- tary and grade schools, graduating from the Eng- lish High School. He learned the plumbing busi- ness and was engaged in that line for fourteen years. He had also practiced accountancy to some extent. Taking the civil service examination for the position, he passed the test successfully, and received the appointment of deputy sealer of weights and measures in the city of Worcester in 1914. After holding that position for one year, he was advanced to the full position of sealer or head of the department, and here he has since remained to the eminent satisfaction of his col- leagues and those with whom his office has busi- ness. The office of sealer of weights and measures is as ancient as the New England town meeting, in which it was first established. The department as it is administered in this city is of great impor- tance in regulating the standards of weights and measures, effectually preventing fraudulent meth- ods by unscrupulous merchants in weighing goods and making measurements. Mr. Healey has the assistance of six deputies who cooperate with their superior in maintaining the alertness of the depart- ment and its well known standard for efficiency.

Mr. Healey enjoys the esteem of his fellow- members in the Massachusetts Sealers Associa- tion, in which he has filled the office of vice-pres- ident. He is affiliated with Alhambra Council, Knights of Columbus, and a communicant of the St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church.

James A. Healey, Jr., married, February 6, 1918, Marion I. Creeden, of this city, born in Lewiston, Maine. They have their residence at No. 811 Main Street, Worcester.

ELGAR A. THUNE Since 1925 Elgar A. Thune has been associated with the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, rising within this organization to his present position as district manager of the Worcester County district in Massachusetts. He was born at Albert Lea, Minnesota, on December 8, 1898, a son of Lars K. and Carrie (Boyum) Thune, both natives of Nor- way. His parents came to the United States about

1888 and settled in Wisconsin, later moving to Minnesota. The father, who was a merchant tailor by occupation, died in the fall of 1931.

Elgar A. Thune was educated in the public schools of his birthplace, and following his gradua- tion from the Albert Lea High School, spent two years at St. Olaf's College, Northfield, Minnesota. Later he transferred to South Dakota State Col- lege, from which he was graduated in 1922 with the degree of Bachelor of Science. During his undergraduate years he was active in athletics and other school activities, playing football and basket- ball, and being a member of the track and debat- ing teams. After leaving college, Mr. Thune served as athletic director in the Sioux Falls High School for one year, and occupied a similar position at Morehead High School for another year. Then in 1925, he became associated with the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States at Albert Lea, remaining there until 1931. This agency was the second largest in the United States and is known as the Klingman Agency. Mr.

Thune's energy, ambition and continued record of success soon won him recognition. He was ap- pointed field assistant, organizing and selling, and on January 1, 1931 was appointed district manager at Worcester, Massachusetts, where his activities have since centered. His district covers the en- tire county of Worcester, and he is in charge of a force of twenty-six salesmen, having an increasing business in spite of depressions and hard times. Although he has come to Worcester only compara- tively recently, he has won a secure place in the business life of the city and a wide circle of ac- quaintances.

Mr. Thune enlisted in 1918 for service in the army during the World War, being stationed in camp in Minnesota. He is fond of sports and out- door life and has continued his college interest in athletics. Mr. Thune is a member of the Amer- ican Legion and of the Men's Club.

He married, on January 1, 1924, Ruth L. Torger- son of Adams, Minnesota, and they have two daughters: I. Beverly Carrie, born October 25, 1924. 2. Barbara Ann, born December 29, 1928. The family home is situated in Worcester.

ALFRED ERNEST RANKIN, of Worces- ter, is a native son of the city, and much of his professional career has been in connection with Worcester industries. He was born December 31, 1883, the son of John and Melinda (Wilson) Ran- kin, and received his preliminary schooling in the city grade and English High School, from which he was graduated an honor pupil. Entering Wor- cester Polytechnic Institute, he was graduated in 1904 with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and was one of the six of his class who were awarded the Salisbury Prize.

His technical training over, so far as educational institutions were concerned, Mr. Rankin secured employment on construction work carried on by the city of New York. Then he was with the Lidgerwood Manufacturing Company, of New York, as assistant engineer, engaged in the design- ing and erection of logging machinery. Mr. Ran- kin resigned to accept a post with the Parker Boiler Company, of Philadelphia, in the mechani- cal department. It was from this concern that he came to Worcester to become the assistant mechani-

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cal superintendent of the United States Envelope Company, in its large plant in this city.

Mr. Rankin has never considered himself too busy to fail to take his place in the social, civic, business and welfare activities of the community. He is a director of the Worcester Independent Cooperative Bank; Southern Worcester County Health Association; Worcester Chamber of Com- merce, and the Young Men's Christian Association. Mr. Rankin is a trustee of the Worcester County Mechanics Association ; the Peoples Savings Bank, and the Sinking Fund of Worcester. He is a past president of the University ;Club and the Kiwanis Club of the city; his college fraternity is Phi Gamma Delta, and among his other clubs are numbered the, Appalachian Mountain and Repub- lican. He has been active in the counsels and campaigns of the Republican party, and is a mem- ber of the State Republican Committee. He is active in Masonry, belonging to all bodies, includ- ing Knights Templar, the thirty-second degree, Scottish Rite and Shrine. He is a Past Master of Blue Lodge; District Deputy, Grand Master, and vice-president of the board of trustees of the Masonic Charity and Educational Charity Associa- tion. His religious faith is that of the Episcopal Church.

MILO E. HAMILTON-As treasurer and general manager, Milo E. Hamilton has faithfully served the Wells Chemical Bronze Company, of Worcester, his native city. His labors have been highly useful to his fellow-citizens, and as a busi- ness man and citizen he has come to be widely known and respected.

Mr. Hamilton was born at Worcester, on July 23, 1875, son of Merritt L. and Ella S. (Smith) Hamilton and member of an old family. His father, now deceased, was a native New Yorker, and his mother, still living, is a Massachusetts woman. In the public schools of Worcester, Milo E. Hamil- ton, of this review, received his early education. Early in his career he entered the employ of the Walker Ice Company, thereafter associating him- self from time to time with a number of different business enterprises. He was variously engaged until 1909, when he became associated with the Wells Chemical Bronze Company, of Worcester, of which he has been treasurer and general manager since that time.

No record of Mr. Hamilton's work would be complete without an account of the development of the Wells Chemical Bronze Company itself, with which he has been so prominently associated. This organization came into existence in the early 'sixties, succeeding the Chapin Foundry. It was first situated in Sumner Street, though it subse- quently removed to its own building in Temple Street, Worcester, here remaining down to the present time. The specific purpose of the company is the manufacture of brass and bronze castings ; and it occupies 10,000 square feet of floor space and employs a maximum of twenty-five workers. The company's products are distributed in a territory covering a radius of seventy miles from Worcester. It is the oldest and largest organization of its kind in Worcester County. Mr. Hamilton is, as already noted, treasurer and general manager.

Aside from his work in building up this great company, Mr. Hamilton figures prominently in the affairs of a number of different groups of Wor-

cester people. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, his Masonic affiliation being with Isaiah Thomas Lodge and his Odd Fellows' mem- bership being in Ridgely Lodge. In the Odd Fel- lows Lodge of which he is a member, he has been through all the chairs of the order. He is likewise active in the Rebekahs; the Lions' International, in which he is affiliated with the Worcester branch; and the Methodist Episcopal Church. Each of the groups with which he is connected is in some definite way the gainer from his participation in its affairs, though he is recognized, first of all, as a business man and a director of the destinies of the Wells Chemical Bronze Company. Through his efficient management, this company has been suc- cessful; and his work in the fraternal orders with which he is affiliated has been most useful.

Milo E. Hamilton married, in 1898, V. Blanche Durrell, of Massachusetts. They have two chil- dren: I. Merritt C., who was actively engaged in the military service of his country during the World War, having been connected with the Air Service of the Army ; he married a Miss Haynes. 2. Donald E., who was graduated from Ohio Wes- leyan University.

ELIJAH KENT SWIFT-Among the best known corporation executives and directors in New England is Elijah Kent Swift, president, treasurer, general manager and member of the board of the Whitin Machine Works in the town of Whitinsville. This great concern, of inter- national reputation, was founded in 1831 and has had a continuous and progressive growth. It occupies forty-four acres of floor space and in normal times gives employment to 3,500 men. It builds machinery for the manufacture of cotton, wool, silk, rayon, asbestos and other fabrics and goods. Mr. Swift has numerous other official and advisory associations with important textile, finan- cial and insurance companies in this section of the United States.

Born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, December 10, 1878, E. (Elijah) Kent Swift is the son of Elijah and Myra (Evans) Swift. The family, on either side, is of old American ancestry. His father, who was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts, Novem- ber 19, 1831, and died there July 17, 1906, served in the Civil War as a first lieutenant in the 38th Massachusetts Regiment of Volunteers. After the war he became a prominent lumberman and dealer in pine lands in Wisconsin. Mr. Swift's mother. who was born April 16, 1840, and died February 27, 1881, was the daughter of Jeremiah and Laura (Munn) Evans.

After graduation from Beloit College Academy, Beloit, Wisconsin, in 1896, E. (Elijah) Kent Swift entered Williams College, Williamstown, Massa- chusetts, where he was graduated Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1900. In the capacity of an ordinary mechanic he joined the force of the Whitin Machine Works at Whitinsville in Septem- ber, 1900, and set about learning the business. Through different grades in the plant he worked up to member of the office staff and in 1907 was appointed assistant treasurer. This position he filled with the ability that warranted his election at the end of fourteen years, in 1921, to the dual office of treasurer and general manager, having

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been made a member of the board of directors previously.

His interests and associations have broadened remarkably. In addition to his official affiliations with the Whitin Machine Works, he is president and director of the Crown Manufacturing Com- pany, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island; president and director of Nyanza Mills, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island; president and director of the Paul Whitin Manufacturing Company ; vice-president and direc- tor of the Mumford Securities Company ; and vice- president and trustee of the Whitinsville Savings Bank. He is also a director of the Whitinsville National Bank, of Whitinsville; Second National Bank, of Boston; Massachusetts Mutual Life In- surance Company, of Springfield; Boston Man11- facturers Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of Bos- ton; Mutual Boiler Insurance Company; Linwood Street Railway Company, of Whitinsville; Calhoun Mills, of South Carolina ; Arlington Mills, of Law- rence; Ashworth Brothers, of Fall River ; Dunean Mills, of Greenville, South Carolina; Lawton Mills Corporation, of Plainfield, Connecticut ; Nasha- wena Mills, of New Bedford; and United Lace and Braid Manufacturing Company, of Providence, Rhode Island.

Mr. Swift is a Republican in his political prefer- ence. He is chairman of the finance committee of the town of Northbridge, which municipality he has served as chairman of the board of selectmen. He has also served as president of the Home Mar- ket Club of Boston. His fraternal relations include the Masonic Order and the Knights of Pythias. He has been a member and director of the National Association of Cotton Manufacturers and is a member of Zeta Psi Fraternity. He belongs to numerous clubs, among these being the University Club, Country Club of Brookline, Exchange Club, Tennis and Racquet Club, Boston Madison Square Garden Club, all of Boston; Williams College Club and New York Yacht Club, of New York; Woods Hole Golf Club, of Woods Hole; and Whitinsville Golf Club, of Whitinsville. His religious fellow- ship is with the Congregational Church.

E. Kent Swift married, April 18, 1911, Katharine Leland Whitin, daughter of George Marston Whitin, former treasurer and general manager of the Whitin Machine Works. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Swift are: Elizabeth Robinson, Kath- arine Whitin, Anne Whitin, and Elijah Kent Swift, Jr. The Swift family home is in Whitins- ville.

GERHARD BECKER-When one is found filling the place in his lifework for which nature and taste have adapted him, and for which practice and experience have fitted him, he renders service of a quality not to be expected from another. Gerhard Becker, of Worcester, is said to be such a person in administering the office of Director of Public Welfare in this city.

Mr. Becker's parents, Frans Richard and Matilda (Lawson) Becker came from Sweden to America, the father in 1881 and the mother in the fall of 1882, and settled in Worcester. Both have since died.

Gerhard Becker was born in the province of Nerike, Sweden, January 6, 1882, and was less than one year old when brought by his mother to the United States, being one of eight children. He attended the public schools of Worcester. This

education he supplemented with a course in a business college. When still a lad he had to go to work to aid in support of the large family and was a newsboy for about eleven years. Then he got a job in the plant of the American Steel and Wire Company in this city, and continued in the news- paper business, having other boys carrying routes.

Possessing keen powers of observation, he be- came deeply interested in social work at an early age, and his friends were of the opinion that he was destined to be a charity worker. There was an interim of five years, during which time he was a bookkeeper in the Worcester Water Department.

It was in July, 1913, that he became identified with the Public Welfare Department of the city of Worcester, and with this branch of the city government he has since been continually asso- ciated. He made rapid progress and advancement in the service, and January 27, 1916, was appointed to the position of almoner, the executive head of the department. The title of the office was subse- quently changed to director. He is serving the city well and faithfully and is regarded as one of the most efficient officials of the municipality. Among similar officials of other cities he is well and favorably known, and was president of the Massachusetts Relief Officers Association for a number of years.

He is an earnest Republican, a member of the Worcester County Republican Club. His frater- nal affiliations include Thule Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and John Erickson Lodge of V. O. He is a past president of the Skandia Sick Benefit Society and a member of a number of social organizations. His religious fellowship is with the Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church, where he is superintendent of the Sunday school.

Gerhard Becker married, July 8, 1916, Alfhild Dahlstrom, and they have three children: I. Ed- ward G., born July 1, 1918. 2. Herbert R., born May II, 1923. 3. Jean Marie, born August 3, 1925. The Becker family residence is No. 17 Bellingham Road, Worcester.

JAMES N. HEALD was born in Barre, Mas- sachusetts, September 21, 1864, son of Leander S. and Ann A. Heald. Educated in the public schools of his birthplace he was subsequently graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, taking the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1884. Imme- diately afterwards he entered the family business at Barre, whose history has few counterparts any- where in the United States for unbroken owner- ship and management in a single family. James N. Heald was the third in direct descent to con- trol the Heald enterprise.

This business was established in 1826 by Stephen Heald, who did machine jobbing in his little shop and later produced agricultural and wire drawing machinery. In 1850 an iron foundry was added --- the only one for miles around. Stephen Heald died in 1888. Previously he had taken his son Leander into partnership under the firm name of S. Heald and Son. After the death of the founder of the business the name was subsequently changed to L. S. Heald and Son, as Leander Heald, in turn, took his son James N., into partnership. It was James N. Heald who was largely responsible for the remarkable expansion of the enterprise dur- ing the last three decades. He took over the management of the company just at the beginning

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of this period of growth and in 1903 bought out his father's interest, organizing the Heald Ma- chine Company. It was then that the business was transferred to Worcester, where it has since re- mained. The original shop of the company here was ninety by one hundred feet. Today it occupies a building three hundred by six hundred feet, and at times employs eight hundred men.

At the time of his death on May 6, 1931, James N. Heald was president and general manager of the company. He had built it up into one of Wor- cester's most important industries and had become himself a leading figure in the life of the city. Mr. Heald was a director of the Worcester Bank and Trust Company, director and treasurer of the Na- tional Machine Tool Builders Association for many years, and a trustee of the Peoples Saving Bank. He was also a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a member of the Com- monwealth Club, the Worcester Country Club, Ro- tary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, Worcester County Mechanics Association, Society of Auto- motive Engineers and the Alumni Association of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He was a mem- ber of the Worcester Board of Assessors. On September 19, 1894, James N. Heald married Mabel Allen, daughter of Charles G. Allen, of Barre, and they became the parents of four sons: I. Roger Newton. 2. Richard A. 3. Robert S. 4. Stanley W. Mr. Heald's death removed one of Worcester's ablest and most progressive citizens. He took a keen interest in the public welfare and contributed generously of his time, substance and energy to its promotion. In his relations with his employees, he was always just and considerate, and his hundreds of workers gave him their respect and unswerving loyalty. He was widely mourned among all classes of Worcester people.

Roger Newton Heald, born October 13, 1896, eldest son of James N. and Mabel (Allen) Heald, received his preliminary education in the Worces- ter public schools. In 1916 he was graduated from Worcester Academy and later attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute, preparing for his career in the Heald Machine Company. After the entry of the United States into the World War he was attached to the air service in Pittsburgh, and at the close of war returned to Worcester, entering the Heald factory in 1919 to learn the details of the business by first-hand experience. At his father's death, he was vice-president and works manager and since that time has been president of the company. Other officers of the corporation include : Silas T. Massie, vice-president; and Rich- ard A. Heald, treasurer and secretary. They con- stitute the board of directors with the addition of Paul B. Morgan and John W. Harrington. Mr. Heald is well qualified by native ability and spe- cific experience for the responsibilities of his office, continuing the sound policies of operation which have proved so successful in the past. He is a member of the Worcester Country Club, the Wor- cester Club, the Worcester Academy Alumni As- sociation, and is a trustee of the Peoples Savings Bank.

On June 2, 1923, Roger Newton Heald married Bernice Barrett of Worcester, and they have two children: I. Philip B., born October 13, 1927. 2. Sally, born January 18, 1932.

Richard A. Heald, second son of James N. and Mabel (Allen) Heald, has been treasurer of the

Heald Machine Company since 1929. He is a graduate of Worcester Academy, class of 1916, attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and like his brother was in the Air Service during the war, being stationed on Long Island. He is a mem- ber of the Worcester Club and the Worcester Country Club. Richard A. Heald married Pauline Winter. They have two children: I. James N., 2d, born in December, 1927. 2. Nina, born in May, 1930.

JAMES J. HURLEY-One of the popula: of the younger citizens of Worcester, James J. Hurley, attorney-at-law, has won his way to prom- inence both as a lawyer and a man interested in civic affairs. He is a native of Middletown, Con- necticut, born January 9, 1893, the son of Daniel and Catherine (Ahern) Hurley, who came from Ireland to America during the Civil War and settled in Middletown where the elder Mr. Hur- ley died in 1925. Mrs. Hurley is still a resident of Middletown, Connecticut.

James J. Hurley attended the public schools of his birthplace and later matriculated at the North- eastern University Law School, Boston, Massachu- setts, from which he was graduated June 15, 1921, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He was admitted to the bar of Worcester County, six months earlier, March 21, 1921, and had already become associated with the law firm consisting of Alexander H. Bullock and John M. Thayer. Mr. Hurley practiced his profession with great success with this concern until 1930, since which time he has practiced alone. To Messrs. Bullock and Thayer, he credits much valuable experience which has been helpful in his personal achievements as a lawyer.

Mr. Hurley has been interested in politics since before he cast a vote. He was elected to the City Council from Ward Three, to serve through 1922 and 1923, and was made an alderman in 1925. He was also a candidate for the Democratic nomina- tion for mayor of Worcester, in 1931. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, being Chaplain of the latter in 1931. He is also treas- urer of Worcester Garden City. Over a period of four years Mr. Hurley was president of the Father Mathews Temperance Society ; president of Divi- sion No. 35, Ancient Order of Hibernians for two years ; and president of the United Divisions, An- cient Order of Hibernians. He has done much to help the needy, both in organizations and by private gifts.

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Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 31

Author: Nelson, John, 1866-1933 Publication date: 1934 Publisher: New York, American historical Society Number of Pages: 700

Author: Nelson, John, 1866-1933
Publication date: 1934
Publisher: New York, American historical Society
Number of Pages: 700