USA > Maryland > Genealogical and memorial encyclopedia of the state of Maryland, a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Volume I > Part 5
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John Cross, immigrant ancestor, and grandfather of Mrs. Sarah P. Trippe, was born in County Antrim, Ireland, 1730, and died in Baltimore, Maryland, September 29, 1807. He settled in Cecil county, Maryland, 1772. He married Jane Young, also an immigrant, born in County Monaghan, Ire- land, 1743, died in Baltimore, Maryland, March 6, 1826. Andrew, son of John and Jane (Young) Cross, and father of Mrs. Trippe, was born in Cecil county, Maryland, October 4, 1772, and died in Baltimore, September 23, 1815. He married Rachel, born December 15, 1780, died March 12, 1843, daughter of Thomas and Esther (Patterson) Wallace.
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(VI) Andrew Cross, son of Joseph Everitt and Sarah Patterson (Cross) Trippe, was born in Baltimore, Mary- land, November 29, 1839. He was educated at private schools, and at Newton University, Baltimore, later becom- ing a student at Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in 1857 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and the same institution conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts in 1860. Having studied law under J. Mason Campbell, of Baltimore, son-in-law of Chief Justice Taney, for three years, he was admitted to the bar at the age of twenty-one years, in 1861.
Very shortly afterward he went to Virginia, there join- ing the famous Maryland company of Captain William H. Murray, Confederate States Army. His military record from the very outset was an honorable, gallant and distinguished one. He was advanced to the rank of lieutenant of artillery and ordnance officer in May, 1863, but entered into the battle of Gettysburg with his old company. On the third day of this struggle, at Culp's Hill, he was severely wounded in the right shoulder, and, with Colonel Herbert, Major William W. Goldsborough and Lieutenant Barber, carried to a vacant house nearby, where they were left for dead. When he returned to Richmond he found that all of his clothes and his equipment had been given away, as he was reported among the dead. He was also an active participant in the second battle of Winchester, and at Fredericksburg, being per- manently disabled by the severe wound received at Gettys- burg, which was caused by a bursting shell, which tore away a part of his right shoulder, from which he took with his own hands a piece of shell three inches in length. He re- turned to Baltimore, where he resumed the law practice in which he had been engaged before the commencement of the Civil War. He served as colonel and aide-de-camp to Gov-
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ernor Robert M. McLane, of Maryland, 1804; colonel and aide-de-camp to Governor Henry Lloyd of Maryland, 1885- 88; major-general commanding Maryland Division of United Confederate Veterans, 1898. His political affiliations were with the Democratic party, but he entertained independent opinions.
In addition to his private legal practice he was counsel for a number of organizations, among which may be men- tioned the following, in which he also held official position : Director of the Hospital for Consumptives and the Lynch- burg Orphanage; member of advisory board of the Young Women's Christian Association; and member of the executive committee of the Merchants' and Manufacturers' Associa- tion and was its legal counsel. He was a member of the Greek letter fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon; past supreme regent of the Royal Arcanum; member of University and Baltimore clubs, Maryland Historical Society, Society of Colonial Wars, United Confederate Veterans, Baltimore Bar Associa- tion, and Maryland Bar Association.
Mr. Trippe married, at Baltimore, November 7, 1872, Caroline Augusta, daughter of James and Mary Dawes (Graf- ton) McConky. Children: 1. James McConky, born March 4, 1874; judge and president of the Appeal Tax Court; mar- ried, December 4, 1906, Mary Hanson Kirby, and has one daughter, Mary Ringgold. 2. Grafton Wallace, born October 13, 1875, died in infancy. 3. Sarah Patterson, born July 17, 1877; died September 10, 1898. 4. Andrew Noel, born November 19, 1878; is engaged in mercantile business.
Mr. Trippe was thoroughly conversant with every detail of his profession, and threw into the conduct of the cases he undertook the same energy and vital force which distinguished him so signally on the field of battle, when he and his com- panions struggled against adverse circumstances and condi-
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tions. A high sense of honor and an innate nobility were among his most noticeable characteristics. He occupied an enviable position among his fellow-citizens, who willingly accorded to him a place in their first ranks, not alone for his many professional and business qualities, but for every trait that marks the true Christian gentleman and the man of honor. His heart was ever in sympathy with the sorrows of the un- fortunate, and his hand ever ready to contribute to the allevia- tion of distress. But, perhaps, the richest traits of his char acter were his strong domestic sentiments and habits, which impelled him to seek his highest happiness in the family circle. He was the last surviving member of the Baltimore bar to be admitted before the Civil War. He died at Baltimore, Maryland, July 17, 1918.
THOMAS GORDON HAYES
IN TRACING the life history of Thomas Gordon Hayes there are many titles found to which he held just claim; student, lawyer, Assemblyman, State Senator, Mayor, but nowhere is he referred to as a politician; for, although he was the storm centre of many a political battle, it was the very fact that he was not a politician which caused those battles. He had political ambitions, it is true, and it is still truer that the people wanted him, but he was of that "old school" citizen and official, believing with Henry Clay that it was better to be right than to be President, and with Grover Cleveland that a public office was a public trust. Such sen- timents and such independence did not please the "powers that rule," and after an experience in attempting to usurp his power as Mayor, they let him severely alone, a more pliable man suiting their purpose better. But his term as Mayor of Baltimore is one of the bright spots in the city's history, and the fact that he was not renominated and allowed to carry his plans through to completion was Baltimore's loss and no discredit to Mayor Hayes.
Contemporaries who have survived him, and are them- selves men of eminence and high in public life, have freely expressed themselves and branded Mr. Hayes as one of the .trongest men the State of Maryland has produced and the best Mayor Baltimore ever had. "A great lawyer, public spirited and patriotic, a factor for good, a man of sterling honor, gifted with intellectual powers and high ideals, splen- didly able, a learned and successful lawyer." To a man pos- sessing such a character and reputation, and his party natural- ly dominant in city and State, there was every temptation to so trim his sails that he might follow a course pleasing to party rulers, State and local, but as the first Mayor of Baltimore,
Monash. Hayes
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under the new charter, which was practically his own child, he placed the city's interest above his own and cast all con- sideration of personal preferment aside.
In the course he pursued as Mayor he knowingly faced the alienation of friends and the desertion of political allies, but he took the "bit in his teeth," grimly carried out his own ideas of his duty to the taxpayers, and walked out of the City Hall at the end of his term with but a remnant of the throng who acclaimed him at his inauguration.
But the fact that he had signed his own political "death warrant" brought him no regrets. Stubbornly and inflexibly honest, his sufficient reward was the knowledge of duty well performed, and the certain knowledge that the future welfare of his city would result and that history would write his ad- ministration as wise, patriotic and just. The tangible results of that administration are many and enduring, while its in- fluence is still felt in the City Hall, as standards were set that enlightened public opinion has indicated to those who have followed him it would be wise to maintain.
Brusque, unyielding and combatative, full of prejudices, brainy and indomitably courageous, with none of the arts and artifices of the man who seeks popularity, he was cordially hated by the professional politician, but as the fine "old school" lawyer, he bore the good will of all. Like all really big lawyers, Mr. Hayes made no pretentious appearance either in his office or in the trial of cases in court. His offices were modest rooms on the second floor of No. 202 North Calvert street, and his nearest approach to an office assistant was a boy to run errands and remain in the office when he was out. He would not tolerate either typewriter or telephone in office or home, and while clients might com- plain of difficulty in reading his manuscript or extol the wirtues of the telephone, he would not employ the aid of
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modern conveniences, but pursued the even tenor of his way. He was very methodical. On his office door was painted "office hours from 10 A. M. until I P. M.," and that sign meant what it said. He always took an early morning ride in his automobile, took regularly an afternoon nap, and before the advent of the automobile, the bicycle was his favorite recreation, a daily ride following the afternoon nap. Prior to either, horseback riding was his favorite exercise. He loved his profession deeply, was eminent in its practice, and was counsel in some of the most remarkable cases in the legal annals of his State.
When the Governor of Maryland made his memorable attack upon the Baltimore police board, he was counsel for the board. As counsel for the defense, he secured the acquit- tal of the four alleged dynamite conspirators, defended ex- Mayor Hooper, when as a member of the school board he was held to answer charges made by the president of the school board, and the record might be indefinitely continued, as the list of celebrated cases is a very long one. He seldom lost a case, and was held in veneration by the legal profes- sion. Frequently he would carry a Bible into the court room, and from its pages read to the jurymen a portion of scripture he deemed appropriate. He was a son of the Rev. Thomas C. and Julia (Gordon) Hayes, of Northumberland county, Virginia.
Thomas Gordon Hayes was born in Anne Arundel county, Maryland, January 5, 1844, died at Mountain Lake Park, while on his summer vacation, August 27, 1915. He was trained under the influences of a Christian home by devout, cultured Christian parents, an influence reflected throughout his entire life. After preparation in private schools, he entered Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia, leaving to enter the Conferedate Army. After the
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war ended, he returned to the Institute and was graduated in the class of 1867. After graduation he was appointed assistant professor of mathematics and continued at the insti- tute in that capacity until offered the chair of natural science at Kentucky Military Institute, when he resigned. He filled that chair at Kentucky Military Institute, located near Frank- fort, for four years, during which period he studied law under Attorney General Rodman, and was admitted to the Ken- tucky bar.
In 1872 Mr. Hayes located in Baltimore, the scene of his legal and political activities for more than forty years. He was then twenty-eight years of age, thoroughly furnished intellectually, and fully equipped for the profession he would follow. He soon demonstrated his ability and in course of time gathered around him a strong, influential clientele. He was an ardent Democrat, and soon made his influence felt in city affairs, receiving his first official recognition in 1880, when elected to the Maryland House of Delegates. In 1886 he was appointed by President Cleveland, United States dis- trict attorney for the Baltimore district, and in 1893-94 was city solicitor under Mayor Latrobe. These purely legal offices added greatly to his professional reputation, and when Baltimore was found in need of a new city charter, Mr. Hayes was one of the men selected to draft it. He is often called the "father" of the new charter, and, in fact, many of the vital features of that document were prepared by him. He knew the charter word by word, and when called to the mayor's chair as the first executive under the new law, he was continually finding in it authority for all the things he wanted to do for the city, no one else seeming to be aware of the clauses he could refer to by chapter and page.
After retiring from the executive chair, Mayor Hayes resumed the practice of law, appearing in several notable
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cases. As a criminal lawyer he was without a peer, and in general practice was very successful, ranking with the best in legal learning. Gifted with intellectual powers of a high order, this great lawyer did not use them basely, but splendid in his upright Christian manhood, used them to promote a higher ideal of citizenship, a more enlightened public spirit, a higher standard of civic righteousness. His own honor as a lawyer and as a citizen he held inviolate, and from his en- trance to the city in 1872 until his death was a factor for good in city and state affairs. His political career, so far as the public is concerned, began in 1880 with his election to the House of Delegates, followed by his choice as State Senator in 1884, 1886, 1892 and 1894. In the House he was chair- man of the committee on militia and chairman of the special committee, insolvent laws. In this latter capacity, in connec- tion with Judge William A. Fisher, chairman of a Senate com- mittee of like importance, he drafted and pressed to final passage the present insolvent laws of the State. His Senate term was interrupted by his appointment by President Cleve- land as United States District Attorney, June 1, 1886, but he was again State Senator in 1892 and the father of the "Hayes" bill for the reassessment of Maryland property, which he vigorously pressed. That bill passed both houses of the Legislature, but was vetoed by Governor Brown. His term expired in 1895 and so valuable had been his public service that he was a prominent candidate for Governor in that year, an office which he had a laudable ambition to fill. He had the promised support of United States Senator Arthur P. Gorman and a banner was prominently displayed across Bal- timore street declaring his candidacy. But he was defeated by the edict sent forth by an organization leader who was not in sympathy with the attitude Senator Hayes had taken in the Senate nor with his spirit of independence. The fiat went
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forth that John E. Hurst should be nominated and he was, only to be defeated at the polls by Lloyd Lowndes. He served as city solicitor under Mayors Latrobe and Hooper, then was out of public office until 1899.
In that year the party leaders saw a great light. They had beaten Senator Hayes for Governor in 1895 and had seen their nominees go down in defeat in that year and in 1897. While ex-Governor Brown was opposed to Mr. Hayes on account of the differences which had arisen between them over the "Hayes" reassessment bill which Governor Brown had vetoed, he withdrew his opposition when the wisdom of nominating a Democrat for Mayor of Baltimore who was not in sympathy with the State machine was shown him. He also had the support of Senator Gorman and the city leader, not for the love they bore him, but that they might return to power in the city through his popularity with the voters.
He was elected Mayor and during his three years as chief executive of the city, 1899-1903, there was never any doubt as to who was Mayor. The new charter of which he was the acknowledged father was adopted, and with vim and enthusiasm Mayor Hayes began reforming the city govern- ment under its provisions. Old departments, rusty with disuse and misuse were abolished ; other departments were merged, and new ones established. Mayor Hayes took the leadership rightfully attached to the office he held, worked early and late, met the many difficulties, solved the unexpected prob- lems, found a way around the many troubles that beset him and in time, to the surprise of those who opposed, had the new governmental machinery smoothly running and doing splendid service. One of the most apparent features of this reorganization was the uplifting of the standard of efficiency in the public schools. J. H. Van Sickle was brought from the West, his appointment resulting in changes most bene- ficial.
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But the crowning achievement of Mayor Hayes' admin- istration was the sale of the Western Maryland Railway, a property long a burden on the taxpayers of Baltimore, a bur- den steadily increasing year after year with no prospect of relief. The Mayor, with characteristic energy and directness, set about to effect a sale, but not until speculative offers had been swept away did a bona fide bid appear. Then an ordi- nance authorizing the sale of the road was introduced by Harry F. Linderman in the second branch of the City Council and passed. And finally, after a period of widest discussion, public meetings and public excitement, a sale was effected, giving Baltimore a net profit of nearly four and one-half million dollars out of its dealings with the Western Maryland. Various uses for this amount were suggested, but Mayor Hayes determined it should be dedicated to a system of sani- tary sewers. He had a committee of the city's engineers make an exhaustive survey and estimate of cost for a complete sew- erage system for the city, but before action could be taken his term expired. At that time Mayor Hayes issued a statement stating he wished a second term in order that he might carry his policies through to successful conclusion. He was opposed by I. Freeman Raisin, the leader of the regular city Demo- cratic organization, who at the primary election elected his delegates, although Mayor Hayes was supported by the Cres- cent Club, led by influential Democrats. This was the ven- geance promised the Mayor by the organization for his loyalty to the people's interest and his refusal to take orders from the "machine" in his government of the city.
After his retirement from office and the laying aside of public duty, Mr. Hayes did not again appear in public affairs, although in 1911 he was urged for nomination for attorney general, and in 1914 flattering offers of support were made him for United States Senator, but he declined. His last years
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were spent in law practice and in greater activity in religious work. In 1909 he became leader of a Bible class, connected with the Central Methodist Episcopal Church, which class became very dear to his heart. The original class of forty men grew to over a hundred, and to its conduct Mr. Hayes devoted himself with all his characteristic force. Every Sat- urday he published in the Baltimore "Sun" an exposition of the lesson to be taught the next day, these attracting wide- spread interest as evidenced by the many complimentary let- ters he received from Bible teachers and students. He pos- sessed a fine library of legal and theological books at his home, No. 2901 St. Paul street, where he resided with his sister, Miss Julia Hayes, the only relative to survive him.
MD .- 5
ARUNAH SHEPHERDSON ABELL
A1 RUNAH SHEPHERDSON ABELL, the second to bear this honored name, was born at Pikesville, Balti- more county, Maryland, eldest son of Edwin Franklin and Margaret (Curley) Abell. From his earliest youth he was of a robust constitution, and exceedingly fond of athletic sports and country life in general. He enjoyed the advantages of an excellent education, being first a student at St. Mary's Col- lege at Emmitsburg, Maryland, and then at Georgetown Uni- versity, Washington, D. C.
Mental activity has always been a distinguishing trait of the members of the Abell family, and Mr. Abell was no exception to the rule. He immediately sought and found occupation in the business department of "The Baltimore Sun," and when this was incorporated as the A. S. Abell Company, he was elected a director, holding the offices of secretary and treasurer, in both of which positions his execu- tive ability is still beneficially felt.
Mr. Abell married, June 22, 1892, Anna T. Schley, and had seven children. He was devoted to his home and family, finding there the greatest pleasures of his life, and the greater part of the year was spent in the country in the vicinity of his city home, as he wished his children to have the benefit of the country life he so richly enjoyed in his own youth. While Mr. Abell took no active part in the political affairs of his country, he was by no means indifferent to the outcome of affairs, and gave his staunch support to the principles of the Democratic party. His religious affiliations were with the Roman Catholic church, of which he was a member. Mr. Abell evinced a decided love of nature and natural objects, but the beauties of art also appealed to him in a very strong manner, as is amply testified by the collection of pictures and
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other works of art which was to be found in his home. Of a high standard of intellectuality, it was but natural that he should have acquired in the course of time an extensive library of the choicest and best selected literature, this being one of the charms that made his home such an attractive one. In the midst of these refined surroundings, the home was an almost ideal one and one which is not frequently found. Mr. Abell was a contributor to numerous benevolent undertak- ings, and his charity was always bestowed in an unostentatious manner. His death occurred July 27, 1914.
WILLIAM GRAHAM BOWDOIN
IN presenting to the public the representative men of the State of Maryland who have by superior force of char- acter and energy, together with a combination of ripe qualities of ability and excellency, made themselves con- spicuous and commanding in private and public life, we have no example more fit to present and none more worthy a place in this volume than the late William Graham Bowdoin. Not only did he rise above the standard of his line of business, but he possessed in a high degree the excellencies of human nature that makes men worthy of regard among their fellows. He was a high-minded and liberal man, one who was keenly alive to all the varying requirements of business. In an ex- tended search it would be difficult to find one who better than Mr. Bowdoin gave substantial proof of the wisdom of Lin- coln when he said, "There is something better than making a living-making a life." With a realization of this truth, Mr. Bowdoin labored persistently and energetically not only to win success, but to make his life a source of benefit to his fellow men.
William Graham Bowdoin was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, July 28, 1842, son of George E. and Mary Ann (Graham) Bowdoin, grandson on the maternal side of Cap- tain William Graham, and a descendant of Huguenot ancestry on the paternal side, the progenitors of the American branch having emigrated from Rochelle, France. George E. Bow- doin was a Virginia planter of Northampton county before his removal to Baltimore.
William Graham Bowdoin received his early education from private tutors, and later attended the Dalrymple School, the knowledge thus obtained being supplemented by attend- ance at the University of Virginia. At once thereafter he commenced the active business career which only terminated
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at his death. He entered the banking house of Alexander Brown & Sons, in Baltimore, of which his uncle, William H. Graham, was a member, and in 1872 he was admitted to partnership, George S. Brown, since deceased, being then the executive head of the concern. Later Alexander Brown and Mr. Bowdoin constituted the firm. This concern is the parent house of Brown Brothers & Company, of Philadelphia, New York and Boston, and of Brown, Shipley & Company, Lon- don, with all of whom they were most intimately connected in business transactions. In many financial matters of great moment this firm was an important factor. The arduous and exacting duties attached to the affairs of his firm did not deter Mr. Bowdoin from assuming other responsi- bilities. He was a director of the Merchants' National Bank, the Eutaw Savings Bank, and was treasurer of the Baltimore and Annapolis Short Line Railroad Com- pany. He was a vestryman of St. Paul's Protestant Epis- copal Church, and one of the trustees of the Church Charities, one of the organizations of the Diocese of Maryland. He was also a trustee of the Johns Hopkins University.
By his own honorable exertions and moral attributes, Mr. Bowdoin carved out for himself friends, affluence and position. By the strength of his own character he overcame obstacles which to others less hopeful and less courageous would seem unsurmountable. He was a business man and a gentleman of the best type, and no man ranked higher than he in qualities of character. He was justly regarded in Baltimore as one of the leading, most representative and pub- lic-spirited citizens of that great city. Scrupulous and honor- able in all his dealings with mankind, he bore a reputation for public and private integrity of which any man might be proud, and he left to his family a heritage of a good name which is more to be desired than great wealth.
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