USA > Maryland > Men of mark in Maryland biographies of leading men in the state, Volume I > Part 18
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CHARLES H. STANLEY
he has found most help from law books, and, next to these, from works on mathematics, engineering, etc. He has also enjoyed the writings of the standard poets, such as Shakespeare and Scott, and has been greatly benefited by "the book of all books -- the Bible."
On November 28, 1871, he was married to Ella Lee Hodges of Anne Arundel county. She had no children and died October 1, 1881. Mr. Stanley married, secondly, Margaret, Snowden, on Sep- tember 11, 1SS4, and has had nine children, of whom six are living.
In 1882 he was elected on the Democratic ticket as a member of the house of delegates. From 1883 to 1886, he was one of the state directors of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and from 1890 to 1894 he served the town of Laurel as its mayor. He has been a trustee of the Maryland Agricultural College since 1882, president of the Citizens National Bank of Laurel since March, 1890, and president of the Board of School Commissioners of Prince George's county since 1901. In religious faith, he is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church, and has been chancellor of the Diocese of Washington and a member of the standing committee of the diocese since it was organized. Mr. Stanley is a Mason, being a member of the blue lodge and of the chapter, has held nearly all the subordinate positions, and has been master of the Laurel Wreath Lodge and Grand Inspector of the Grand Lodge. His favorite relaxations are horseback riding, bicycling, driving a good pair of horses and fishing. Mr. Stanley's life has taught him that young men should " 'despise not the day of small things.' 'Whatever you do, do it well and with your might' and 'act well your part, there all the honor lies', are good maxims." - "Be true to your God, your country and yourself. Industry, honesty, and close attention to whatever comes to hand as a business are important and one must never forget that it is the individuals who make up the American people. When a young man starts in life, he had best start alone, bide his time, impress upon people his indi- viduality, rather than make money at larger pay and be under some bigger man or corporation."
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MARTIN BATES STEPHENS
S STEPHENS, MARTIN BATES. There is no public department falling under the supervision of State officials which should have greater care than that of public education. The aver- age State government spends more money for its schools than for any other branch of its activity; and from this outlay it is to reap the largest harvest of strength or weakness, of good or evil that comes to it. Well-conducted and progressive schools produce a well ordered and progressive population; and poorly managed and backward educa- tional institutions are just as sure to reflect, in the course of years. their inefficiency, by sending forth a generation of citizens who are ignorant, lazy and lawless.
The county school system of Maryland for a long time suffered from a serious disadvantage, namely, its lack of unity. There was no bond of cooperation between the different counties. There was no authorized head to the entire system of county schools. It was the recognition of this need of a unifying administrative and execu- tive head that prompted the establishment of a new department in the State of Maryland. In 1900 was created the office of State Superintendent of Public Education.
Early in his administration, Governor John Walter Smith was called upon to make an appointment to this office, and he named Martin Bates Stephens. So successful was the first incumbent of this newly created office, that Governor Warfield without hesitation re- appointed Superintendent Stephens. He has completely revo- lutionized the various county systems, and the schools in littletowns and rural sections have been brought to a standard of efficiency that was hardly expected of the educational institutions in the large- cities a decade or so ago.
Martin Bates Stephens was born in Caroline county, on October 5, 1862. His home was near Denton. William Barker Stephens, his father, was a farmer and a mechanic, who served his section in the office of collector of taxes. The family is descended from John Stevens, who came from England to Andover, Massachusetts, with
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Your very truly, M Bates Suplente
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MARTIN BATES STEPHENS
his brothers, settling there about 1630. The mother of Superintend- ent Stephens is Mrs. Sarah Ann (Wocters) Stephens.
His boyhood was passed amid rural surroundings. He per- formed all the little duties which a lad on the farm fifty years ago was . asked to do, ranging from milking and tending the dairy, to the heavier work of farm life. He also found a certain fascination about the blacksmith shop of his father; and he gained physical strength by laboring at the anvil.
But throughout these years he was developing a taste for duties different from those of the workshop and the farm. Books of biography, travel and political economy, were attracting him to the educational world. Although there were many difficulties in the way of his obtaining a liberal education, he bravely set out to overcome them. He took the full course at Greensborough Academy and was graduated with distinction.
Entering Dickinson College, he was graduated Bachelor of Arts, in 1SS5. Subsequently his alma mater honored him with the degree of Master of Arts; and he has received from Washington College the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
He began his pedagogical career as instructor in a small county school, at Burrsville, and later he taught at Greensborough. In 1SS6 he was chosen superintendent of the public schools of Caroline county; and he then removed to Denton, where he has since resided. His work as county superintendent covered a period of fourteen years, during which time he attracted wide attention by his able adminis- tration-an evidence of which is found in his election, 1894, as presi- dent of the State Teacher's Association.
In May, 1900, Dr. Stephens was appointed State Superintendent of Public Education, an office which he still fills. For this post, (whose duties he has practically defined and established, since he was the first incumbent and had no precedents in Maryland to guide him), he was peculiarly well fitted. He knew the life of young people in the country-the boys and girls who were to be trained at the insti- tutions which he was to control. He had been a country school teacher, and from experience knew the country teacher's life, and he had been for years the superintendent of a county school system, and had become acquainted with the details of school life in rural sections. And, as president of the State Teacher's Association, and one of its most active members, he had become intimately associated with the great body of country school teachers of Maryland.
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The full results of Professor Stephen's administration cannot yet be seen; but he has done several things that stand out very definitely. The scattered energy which for years prior to his appoint- ment was working at isolated centers for the children in attendance at county schools, has been concentrated; and with results of coopera- tion, the more backward schools have made considerable advance; while the more progressive schools have also found the means of forging ahead. Conventionality and fogyism have been eliminated wherever found, and a new life has been given to the school system of the counties. A new and strong feeling of fellowship has been developed among the teachers.
Although in his own appointment politics was a secondary con- sideration, and in his administration the question of politics has been entirely lost sight of, Professor Stephens was in former years an active worker in the Democratic party of his county; and for five years, from 1890 to 1895, he was chairman of the Caroline County Central Committee. He is a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, and also a Mason, holding membership in Temple Lodge No. 12S, A. F. and A. M. Professor Stephens is a member of the Philosophical Society of Dickinson College, and is the author of the "Maryland School Manual," published in 1902, as well as of various educational reports and school pamphlets.
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Yours faithfully
JOHN THEODORE STONE
S TONE, JOHN THEODORE, of Baltimore, bank officer, organ- izer of the American Bonding Company of Baltimore in 1895, and its secretary and treasurer until 1897, organizer of the Maryland Casualty Company in 1898, and president of that company since its organization, was born in Baltimore on the 21st of November 1859. His father, James Harvey Stone, was an accountant remem- bered for his industry, accuracy and geniality of spirit. He had married Miss Harriet Newell Fusselbaugh.
Mr. Stone's family are descended from Gregory Stone, of Hert- ford, England, who came to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1636. His descendants have lived at Watertown, Cambridge, Sudbury, Rutland, and at other places in Massachusetts. Gregory Stone's son, John Stone, was one of the prominent founders of the First Church at Cambridge, Massachusetts, and an officer of the church; and he was also a member of the Cambridge town council.
Both the paternal and maternal grandfathers of John Theodore Stone, Jonas Stone and Caleb Wheeler, were soldiers in the Revolu- tionary War, the latter being one of the minute men in the battle of Lexington. Harvey Stone, son of Jonas Stone, moved from Mas- sachusetts to Maryland in 1821; and until his death he had charge of the estate of "Harewood," in Baltimore County-(the property of an English gentleman, Oliver by name). He established the first Sunday School in that section. His son, James Harvey Stone, was the father of the subject of this sketch.
Passing his boyhood in Baltimore, he had good health, was fond of such amusements and forms of exercise as interest" the average healthy boy, and was perhaps more fond of reading than are most boys. His mother was a woman of exceptionally strong character and of deep though unassuming piety. He counts the unconscious influence of her consistent example, the most potent force for good in his life.
Trained at the public schools of Baltimore, he attended the Balti-
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JOHN THEODORE STONE
more City College, but early in the year in which he was to have graduated, he gave up a course of study, to engage in business.
On August 13, 1874, he began business-life in the office of a flour jobbing house, a position which was offered him without solici- tation by the head of the firm. His parents gave him his choice to continue at school or to work; and he chose business at once. He remained with this firm until 1880. Between 1880 and 1890 he was engaged in the business of packing fruits, vegetables and oysters; first as an employee and later on his own account. He then took a place in a bank, holding it for four years. In 1895 he organized the American Bonding Company of Baltimore, and was at once made the secretary and treasurer of the company, holding that position through 1897. In 1898 he organized the Maryland Casualty Com- pany and becoming at once its president he has managed the affairs of that important corporation until the present time. From 1883 until until 1898 he was secretary of the Clifton Building Association. He is president of the National Board of Casualty and Surety Under- writers and he is treasurer of the Charity Organization Society.
He has never sought political office; but he seeks to discharge the duties of a good citizen by reading and studying public questions and by quiet discussion of political measures and candidates with his friends in the effort to promote the public welfare. He is a mem- ber of the finance committee on public improvement.
On the 5th of January, 1882, he married Clara May Brinton. They have had seven children, all of whom are living in 1907.
From 1879 to 1882 he served in the 5th Maryland regiment of militia. He is identified with the Republican party. He is a mem- ber of the Maryland Historical Society, of the Sons of the American Revolution, of the Merchants Club, and of the Union League Club. He is a Mason.
By religious conviction he is identified with the Methodist Episco- pal Church, and he has served for some fifteen years as a steward in that church. He is now superintendent of the Monument Street Methodist Episcopal Sunday School. Asked for his favorite sport. amusement, form of exercise, or mode of relaxation, he says: "I find my greatest relaxation in my library at home, with my wife and children around me."
To his younger fellow-citizens of the State who wish for true success in life he offers this advice: "Young people everywhere
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JOHN THEODORE STONE
for real success need the old-fashioned principles of earnestness, truth, honor, purity of thought, speech and action, and industry. It is not so much a question of what they should know, but rather it is a question of will they do as well as they know."
Mr. Stone's residence is Yincko Hill, Towson, Maryland.
JOHN TIMOTHY STONE
B RINGING to his strong mental equipment a delivery that is forcible and eloquent, and aiming constantly to elevate men by lifting their burdens, rather than by directing their thoughts to the cares that weigh upon thein, Mr. Stone has carried on with remarkable success the work begun by his predecessor at Brown Memorial Church. He came to a charge which had been led to expect great things of its pastor, a charge which had, in a measure, been "spoiled for the commonplace" by the admirable endowments of its pastor. Mr. Stone was, therefore, placed in an exacting posi- tion. But he soon convinced the community that the characteristics which had made Dr. Babcock so great a favorite, were also part of his natural equipment. His labors in Baltimore have been a con- tinuation of the success begun by Dr. Babcock.
John Timothy Stone was born in the town of Stow, now known as Maynard, Massachusetts, on September 7, 186S. His father, Timothy Dwight Porter Stone, was a Congregational clergyman of note, who had filled pastorates in various parts of Eastern New England, and took a great interest in educational work. His mother was Mrs. Susan Margaret (Dickinson) Stone. He traces his earliest ancestors in the United States to Reverend John Stone of Hartford, Connecticut, who was the son of Reverend Samuel Stone of Herford, England. Reverend John Stone came to this country in 1630 and was associated with Reverend Thomas Hooker in Hartford. John Timothy Stone is the fourth Reverend Timothy Stone in the direct line, and is descended from a long line of ministers on his mother's side as well. All have been either Congregational or Presbyterian clergymen.
Mr. Stone lived in a village, for the first five years of his life : then his parents moved first to Springfield, Massachusetts, and later to Albany, New York. He had a healthy constitution, and was always fond of outdoor sports, and the study of nature. Owing to his father's poor health, he was early forced to assist in tasks about the home, and was always interested in earning something during school days.
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JOHN TIMOTHY STONE
Though not a great reader, he was fond of popular history and fiction. In his boyhood, he developed a passion for reading the Bible, and early home surroundings were conducive to the development of the very best qualities of a boy's nature. His mother was a woman of a strong character, and his father held up to him pure, high ideals. These influences, together with the religious instructions which he had received from the teachers and ministers with whom he came in con- tact, were the strongest forces which spurred him to enter the pro- fession of minister of the Gospel. With particular strength, was felt the Christian influence of Doctor Charles Wood, who was his pastor at Albany, and of President A. V. V. Raymond, now of Union college, who succeeded Doctor Wood.
Mr. Stone received his elementary education in the public schools of Albany, New York, and at the Albany Boys Academy. He then entered Amherst College, from which he was graduated in 1891. He subsequently attended Auburn Theological Seminary until 1894. He was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in Albany, New York, in May, 1894. About this time he was urged by circumstances and natural ability to enter the business world. Through the death of a friend, a lucrative and promising opening was presented; but, when the real test came, the decision was made for the work of the ministry.
Mr. Stone began his ministerial work at Olivet Presbyterian Church, in Utica, New York. In December, 1896, he was invited to fill the pulpit of the Presbyterian church of Cortland, in the same State. He continued here until February, 1900, when he was called by the congregation of Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church to become its pastor. He was inclined to shrink from accepting the call to so large a field of labor, but was convinced by the persuasive words of Doctor Babcock, his predecessor, that it was a service to which the Divine Will had called him.
Mr. Stone has always been interested in the subject of oratory. He was the class orator at Amherst in 1891; and at Auburn Theologi- cal Seminary he was, in 1894, one of the commencement honor speakers. He takes much interest in out-of-door sports, and, while at Amherst, was manager of the football team. His favorite forms of exercise are tennis and golf. He is a swimmer of skill and endurance, and a patron of the piscatorial sports, liking best, trout fishing in mountain streams.
Mr. Stone was married, on November 28, 1895, to Miss Bessie
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JOHN TIMOTHY STONE
Parsons, daughter of Reverend Henry M. Parsons, D.D., of Knox Church, Cottage, Toronto. They have two daughters. Although Mr. Stone, with the duties devolving upon him as a pastor of a large church and as the father of a family, is a very busy man, he manages to snatch sufficient time to write an occasional article, essay, or poem for religious magazines and papers. He is in demand for public addresses in other cities; and particularly before Young Men's Christ- ian Associations.
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Very Truly Yours.
HermanStump
HERMAN STUMP
I T is a mooted question whether the Stump family in Maryland came direct from Prussia or from England. The Crest of the family, a Griffin's head (see Burke's Peerage), was used by the early settlers here; and John Stump's estate in Maryland was called "Stafford," after Stafford, in Staffordshire, England.
William Stump moved from North Nibley, Gloucestershire, to Malmesbury, Wiltshire, prior to the reign of Henry VII. Henry VIII, in 1545 granted all the property of the Benedictine Monks at Malmes- bury, (an ancient monastery, an abbey and several thousand acres of land) to William Stump, who used much of the material of the mon- astery in building houses and improving the town. He erected a house for himself, known as the "Abbey House." Cut in the stone over the arched doorway is the Coat-of-Arms of the Stump family. The abbey he gave to the citizens as a place of worship. A visit to these beautiful ancient ruins, dating from the year A. D. 700, and completed in the twelfth century, amply repays one.
William Stump's eldest son, Sir James Stump, left one daughter, Elizabeth, who marned Sir Henry Knevett. One of their daughters married Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, and by her he acquired Charlton Park, the seat of the present Earl of Suffolk and Berks.
Herman Stump was born August 8, 1836 at "Oakington," an estate on the Chesapeake Bay, in Harford county, inherited from his grandfather, John Stump of Stafford. His ancestors in the fourth degree, John Stump with his wife, Mary, (persons of wealth and cul- ture), came to Maryland about the year 1700, and purchased lands near the present town of Perryville, Cecil county, where he died in 1747. Henry Stump, his son removed to the valley of Deer Creek, now in Harford county; he married Rachel Perkins, and is the ances- tor of the John H. Price, Judge of the Judicial Circuit Court of Balti- może, Cecil and Harford counties; of Henry Stump, Ex-judge of the Criminal Court of Baltimore city; and of Frederick Stump, Ex- judge of the First Judicial Circuit of Maryland. John Stump, the great-grandfather of Herman Stump, married Hannah, daughter of
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HERMAN, STUMP
William Husband; in 1790 he removed to Harford county. He did: in 1797. John Stump, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch: was born April 19, 1753, and married, October 3, 1779, Cassandr ... daughter of Henry Wilson, a Quaker of much influence, noted for his patriotic zeal during the Revolution, a member of the Committee of Observation of his native country, and conspicuous in collecting and forwarding supplies for the relief of the people of Boston during the blockade of the English Squadron. He and John Archer, M.I) .. (several of whose decendents intermarried with the Stump family . were chosen in 1776, by popular vote "Electors of a Senate of Har- ford County." John Stump, after acquiring by his industry and enterprise, an estate which at that time was considered large, died at his residence, "Stafford," near the mouth of Deer Creek, in 1516. leaving each of his eight children wealthy. His son, John Wilson Stump, father of Herman, besides being engaged in agricultural pursuits, was the head of an extensive commercial firm in Baltimore. Mr. Stump, returning from France in 1814, while the British fleet was in the Chesapeake Bay, barely escaped capture; but he reached Balti- more city in time to participate in its defence, acting as aide-de-camp to General Stricker. He married January 14, 1814, Sarah, daughter of Colonel James Biays, a prominent shipping merchant of Baltimore. It is a coincidence that the Honorable Herman Stump recovered by Act of Congress in 1905, for the estates of John Stump and James Fiays, his two grandfathers, compensation for vessels of each cap- tured by the French in 1798-1800, known as the "French Spoliation Claims."
The subject of this sketch, after acquiring a classic education. studied law with his cousin, Honorable Henry W. Archer, in Bel Air, Harford county, Maryland, where he was admitted to the bar in 1856. He rapidly rose in his profession, securing a large practice within a few years. Mr. Stump's sympathies, during the War, were with the South. He has always taken a deep interest in pubhe affairs, and exerted himself in advancing the principles of the Demo- cratic party. Being devoted to his profession, he never aspired to office until he was elected in 1877 a Senator of the State of Maryland. by a large and complimentary vote of the people of his native county. In 1879 he was selected to preside over the Democratic State Con- vention. In 1SSO Mr. Stump was elected president of the Maryland Senate, and for the dignity, ability and fairness which characterized
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HERMAN STUMP
his administration of that office, received the thanks of all parties and a handsome testimonial of their appreciation of the manner in which he had discharged his duties.
In 18SS he was elected to the Fifty-first Congress of the United States, by a majority of over two thousand, and he served on the Committee of Immigration and Naturalization, under a concurrent resolution of the senate and house. With a sub-committee he went (in Novenber, 1890), to the Pacific Coast, for the purpose of investi- gating the immigration of Chinese to this country, and to inquire what further legislation, if any, was desirable on this subject.
During the next congress he prepared and reported the bill for the exclusion of the Chinese immigrants. It was finally reported by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and became the law, known as the "Chinese Exclusion Act." He was reelected to the Fifty-second Congress by a majority of over five thousand, and was appointed chairman of the Committee on Immigration and Naturali- zation. He prepared and secured the enactment of the Act of 1893. regulating foreign immigration to the United States, known as the Stump Act. Upon his retirement from congress, President Cleveland appointed Mr. Stump superintendent of immigration in order to carry into effect the laws he was instrumental in having enacted. He remodeled the bureau of immigration and established stations with inspectors at various sea-ports of the United States, and on the boundaries of Canada and Mexico.
On December 7th, 1893, at Montreal (with the acquiescence of the Canadian government), he entered into an agreement with the foreign steamship lines entering Canadian ports, and with trunk line railways running west by which United States inspectors were allowed to inspect immigrants proceeding to the United States, at Quebec, and all stations along the border between the two countries. He visited the various European ports, making arrangements to prevent the sailing of undesirable immigrants. He established a modus vivendi with the Italian government through Premier Crispi, and subsequently the Marquis Rudeni, and also with Baron Hirst, for the sending of Jews to the Argentine Republic instead of the United States. By act of Congress, the title of his office was changed to "Commissioner General of Immigration."
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