USA > Maine > Maine; a history, Volume IV > Part 40
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Mr. Davis married (first) in 1884, Mary Alice Stanchfield, whose death occurred in the year 1909. Two children were born of this union: Lena Alice, who is now the wife of J. Harry Daly, who is as- sociated with the firm of F. G. Davis & Com- pany in the capacity of traveling salesman; and Frank Carl, of Auburn, where he engaged in busi- ness as the manager of the out-of-town shipping department of his father's concern. He married (second) in 1910, Etta L. Crooker.
It is always pleasant to witness the achieve- ment of men who have combined their own per- sonal advantage with the advancement of the common weal, and who have labored for ends in which such a combination may be found. It seems to be growing less possible to enjoy this pleasure today, when business ideals are narrowing and the leaders in our financial world are coming to con- sider less and less the effects of their operations upon the fortunes of others. But with such men as Mr. Davis, the spectacle may be seen at its best. With such men as he the altruistic is at least as strong a motive as the personal, and he would have found it difficult to conceive of an ob- jective which did not include the good of his fel- lows at least incidentally. It is the glory of the
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great figure of the period, which is so intimately associated with the origin and development of New England mercantile interests, that this is true of them almost without exception, that the thought of subserving their own interests in op- position to that of their respective communi- ties, or even without reference thereto, never en- ters their heads, but that they always consider the growth of the great enterprises which arise out of their efforts quite as much as a means of increasing the prosperity of these communities as of lining their own purses. Of Mr. Davis it may be said that he seems especially endowed by na- ture for the part he plays, that his mental equip- ment is adapted perfectly to the particular line of work he engages in, and that, above all, he possesses that rather rare faculty of perceiving the quality of his own talents and of putting them to use in the direction in which they would prove most effective. The personality which his associ- ates know is not less endowed with graces than his character with virtues, with the result that there are but few who can boast of a circle of freinds at once as large and devoted as that pos- sessed by him. He is without doubt one of the most popular men in his community, and a model of citizenship and public-spiritedness.
THOMAS EDWARD McDONALD-One of the well known insurance men of Portland, Maine, is Thomas Edward McDonald, who has become most closely identified with its life and at the present time conducts a successful insurance busi- ness there. He is a son of Thomas and Martha (Caddoo) McDonald, his father having been a na- tive of Ireland, where he was born at Temple More, County Tipperary, and his mother was born in Port Neuf, Quebec.
Born December 30, 1862, at Port Neuf, Quebec, Thomas Edward McDonald came with his parents to the United States while still an infant. His father and mother settled at Cleveland, Ohio, and it was in that city and in Ontario, Michigan, that Mr. McDonald formed his earliest association and where he passed his childhood and early youth. His education was gained mainly at the hands of his father, who was a school teacher. Upon completing his studies he secured a position as bookkeeper for the Grand Trunk Railroad at their offices at Port Huron, Michigan. He then be- came connected with the Young Men's Christian Association at Detroit, Michigan. In the year 1899, however, he withdrew from this position and came to Portland, Maine, and has made that city his home and the scene of his active business ca-
reer ever since. It was in 1894 that he took up his present line of business, and on January 1, 1900, became connetced with the Mutual Life Insurance Company, of New York. He was made manager for the State of Maine in 1907 and holds that responsible office at the present time (1917). Mr. McDonald does not confine his attention to his business activities, however, but is prominent in social and fraternal life as well. He is par- ticularly active in the Masonic order and is affili- ated with Portland Lodge, No. I, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is past mas- ter; Greenleaf Chapter, No. 13, Royal Arch Ma- sons, in which he is past high priest; St. Alban Commandery, No. 8, Knights Templar, of which he is past commander; and is now deputy mas- ter of Portland Council, and a member of Kora Temple, Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the Masonic Board of Trustees and of Maine Con- sistory; also a member of the Portland Club, the Portland Athletic Club, the Montjoy Club, the Economic Club, the Davy Crockett Big Game Club and various other organizations.
Mr. McDonald was united in marriage, October 27, 1885, at Kingston, Ontario, with Esther John- ston, a native of that city and a daughter of Oli- ver and Mary (Abernathy) Johnston. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, who are now deceased, were na- tives of New York City. To Mr. and Mrs. Mc- Donald have been born two childern, as follows: Bhima Gertrude, born June 18, 1888, now the wife of Dr. James M. Sturtevant; and Edward Regi- nald, born 1891, at present an agent of the Mutual Life Insurance Company, being associated with his father in business. Mr. and Mrs. McDonald and their children are all members of the Chest- nut Street Methodist Episcopal Church.
HARRY RUSSELL COOLIDGE-The name which stands at the head of this article is that of a member of the Pittsfield bar, who, despite the fact that he has numbered but fourteen years as a resident of that city, has made for himself a leading position in the ranks of the legal fra- ternity. In the sphere of politics Mr. Coolidge is well known, having served as assistant clerk in the House of Representatives, and with the church life of his community he is actively asso- ciated.
John Coolidge, founder of the American branch of the family, came from England in 1639 and settled at Watertown, Masachnusetts.
Thomas Coolidge, great-great-grandfather of Harry Russell Coolidge, was of Watertown and in
Harry P. Coolidge
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1790 migrated to Livermore, Maine. He married Lucy Wythe.
Thomas (2) Coolidge, son of Thomas (1) and Lucy (Wythe) Coolidge, was of Livermore.
Albion Coolidge, son of Thomas (2) Coolidge, was also of Livermore.
Franklin W. Coolidge, son of Albion and Han- nah (Philbrick) Coolidge, was born at Livermore, Maine, where he engaged in mercantile business. He married, at Jay, Maine, Cora H., born at Win- throp, Maine, daughter of Andrew and Angelica (Fuller) Campbell, and they are the parents of two children: Harry Russell, mentioned below, and Emma B. Mr. Coolidge, who has now retired from business, is still living at Pittsfield. Mrs. Coolidge belongs to the Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution, and is a descendant from Dr. Ful- ler, of the Mayflower.
Harry Russell Coolidge, son of Franklin W. and Cora H. (Campbell) Coolidge, was born Decem- ber 15, 1879, at Livermore, Maine, and received his earliest education in the public schools of his native place, passing thence to the high school and then entering Westbrook Seminary. From this instiution he graduated in 1898, and later matriculated in the law department of the Boston University, graduating in 1902 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. In August, 1903, he was ad- mitted to the bar.
Without delay Mr. Coolidge opened an office in Lewiston, but at the end of a year removed, in 1904, to Pittsfield, where he has ever since been engaged in the active practice of his profession. In 1907 he was admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court. During the years which have elapsed since Mr. Coolidge became a resi- dent of Pittseld, he has established an enviable reputation as a general practitioner. He is a mem- ber of the firm of Manson and Coolidge, and holds the position of attorney for the Pittsfield National Bank.
As an adherent of the Republican party Mr. Coolidge is actively identified with matters po- litical, and from 1905 to 1907 filled the office of assistant clerk in the House of Representatives. He belongs to the County Bar Association and affiliates with the Masonic fraternity to the chap- ter degree, and also with the Eastern Star. He is a member of the Universalist parish, serving as chairman of the board of trustees and hav- ing held the office of vice-president of the State Universalist convention.
The career of Harry Russell Coolidge has, al- most from its inception, been associated with Pittsfield, and it is to be hoped, in the interests
of his profession and of the general public, that it will long continue to be so.
WILLIAM WEBSTER ROBERTS - The Roberts family, of which William Webster Rob- erts, the successful business man and progressive citizen of Portland, Maine, is a member, can claim an honorable antiquity in the "Pine Tree State," where for a number of generations it has occupied an enviable position in regard and esteem of the several communities in which it has resided. The Mr. Roberts of this sketch belongs to the Portland branch of this family, and is a son of Reuben D. Roberts, who was a native of that city. Mr. Roberts, Sr., was one of the pio- neer bakers of the city and carried on a suc- cessful business here for a number of years prior to his death, which occurred in 1852. He mar- ried Rachel Webster, a native of Freeport, Maine, and one child was born of this union, namely, William Webster, of whom further.
Born November 14, 1840, at Portland, Maine, William Webster Roberts spent his childhood in his native city, and it was there that he gained his education, attending the local public schools for this purpose. While little more than a youth, however, he went West and spent six years in Ohio, between 1864 and 1870. In the latter year, however, he returned to the East and soon be- came identified with the line of business in which he is still interested. In 1870 he secured a cleri- cal position with the firm of Dresser & Ayer, sta- tioners, and two years later, so great were his services, that he was admitted as a partner, under the firm name of Dresser, Mcclellan & Company. The name of the firm was shortly after changed to that of Mosher, Mcclellan & Company. Not long afterwards Mr. Roberts severed his connec- tion with this company and became clerk for Hall L. Davis, who was engaged in the same line of business and remained until 1902. In that year the present corporation of the William W. Rob- erts Co. was formed, with Mr. Roberts in the office of treasurer. This prospered highly from the ontset and now conducts one of the most successful stationery businesses in Portland and the surrounding country. Mr. Roberts has contin- ued to hold the office of treasurer up to the pres- ent time (1917) and it has been due in a large measure to his capable handling of its affairs that the concern has grown to its present large pro- portions. Mr. Roberts devotes practically his en- tire time and attention to its affairs and has given it a reputation and standing second to no business enterprise in the community. While Mr.
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Roberts is not a politician in any sense of the word, he has taken interest in public affairs and is a staunch supporter of Republican principles and policies. He was for two years a member of the common council of the city and served in that responsible capacity with efficiency and dis- interestedness. Mr. Roberts has always been a prominent figure in the social and fraternal life of Portland and more especially so in his affili- ation with the Masonic order, in which he has taken the thirty-second degree. He is a mem- ber of the Ancient Landmark Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons; Mt. Vernon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Council, Royal and Select Mas- ters; Portland Commandery, Knigts Templar. He is also a member of the local lodges of the Maine Lodge of Odd Fellows; of the Knights of Pythias; and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In his religious belief Mr. Rob- erts is a Universalist and attends the church of that denomination in Portland.
William Webster Roberts was united in mar- riage, September 3, 1862, at Medford, Massachu- setts, with Arabella Waterman, a native of that town and a daughter of Eban and Sarah (Rog- ers) Waterman, old and highly honored members of the community. Both Mr. and Mrs. Water- man are now deceased, their death having occur- red at Medford, Massachusetts, where for many years Mr. Waterman carried on the business of ship building with a high degree of success. To Mr. and Mrs. Roberts three children have been born, as follows: I. Lora Josephine, whose death occurred at the age of nineteen. 2. George Clin- ton, who now resides at North Yarmouth, Maine, where he is engaged in farming; married Nancy G. Kimball and they are the parents of two chil- dren, Pauline Alice and Marion. 3. Alice Mc- Clellan, who is now the wife of Allen O. Goold, of Portland, and they are the parents of one child, Gilbert Goold.
William Webster Roberts is a man in whose character the strong and gentle are very hap- pily blended. In the matter of those fundamen- tal virtues upon which all real character is based, honesty and courage, he is almost a Puritan in his demands and neither himself falls away from the ideal nor can find any use for the man who does. Outside of this, however, he is extremely tolerant in his judgments and the most com- panionable of men. He is perfectly devoted to his home and to the best interests of his family, finding the greatest happiness in that most inti- mate relation. He spends all the time he can by his own hearth in the bosom of his family and
is often heard to remark that he loves his home and his business. His religion is a very vital matter with him and plays an active part in his every day affairs. It is his sincere effort to model himself upon the great precepts that are voiced by his church, and he succeeds beyond the common and is a fine example of good citizenship and virtuous manhood.
BENJAMIN THOMPSON, lawyer, was born at Brunswick, Maine, October 13, 1857. He was educated in the Brunswick schools, with a special business course in Lewiston, Maine He became a resident of Portland in 1871; and on January I, 1878, he entered the law office of Webb & Has- kell, composed of the late Hon. Nathan Webb. afterwards judge of the United States District Court, and Hon. Thomas H. Haskell, afterwards an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Maine. Mr. Thompson was admitted to the Cumberland bar, October 18, 1881, since which time he has been constantly engaged in the prac- tice of law in Portland, Maine, and Boston, Mas- sachusetts. Upon Mr. Haskell's appointment to the Supreme Court, Mr.Thompson became asso- ciated with Edward Woodman, Esq., under the name of Woodman & Thompson, and they so continued until January 1, 1890. Mr. Thompson's practice has been principally in the trial of mat- ters pending in the Federal Courts, and largely pertaining to maritime affairs. He is quite fre- quently engaged in the trial of admiralty cases before the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and in the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. As this branch of the law necessarily relates to matters occurring in nearly every part of the world, it has been necessary for him to be- come familiar with International Law.
HALBERT PAINE GARDNER, whose career is identified with the town of Patten and the city of Portland, Maine, and who, as a man in the prime of life, has made himself prominent in the affairs of the State, is a native of Patten, Maine. He is a type that we associate with the idea of New England and of the wonderful progress that it has made during the century subsequent to our birth as a nation, the type that has brought about the marvelous progress by its undaunted courage, its unfaltering patience and its intelli- gence, skill and enterprise. Mr. Gardner is a member of a very well known Maine family, and a son of Colonel Ira B. Gardner, who was ac- tively identified with large lumber and mercan-
Halbut Sandnes
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tile interests in various locations up to the time of his decease, and who lost his arm at the battle of Winchester in the Civil War.
Halbert Paine Gardner was born February 15, 1867, and passed his childhood and early youth in his native town, Patten. He was a student in the public schools of Patten and Patten Academy, completing his studies at the age of sixteen, when he accepted a position as bookkeeper in the gene- ral lumber and mercantile establishment con- ducted by his father, remaining with him until ! attained his majority, and then removed to the city of Boston, his intention being to secure bet- ter educational advantages. After a period of study in that city, he went West and remained for some time in the State of Colorado, where he be- came interested in mining operations. Eventi- ally, however, he returned to Patten, Maine, an finally came to Portland, Maine, where he at pres- ent makes his home. Mr. Gardner has been ex- tremely active in the public affairs of Portland, and has also played no small part in the politics of the State for a number of years. He was a staunch member of the Republican party until the National Convention of 1912, and was a delegate- at-large from the State of Maine to the Republi- can National Convention at Chicago in the year 1912. He served four terms in the State Legis- lature as representative and senator from Pat- ten and Penobscot county. He also served his party in numerous ways, and is regarded as one of its leaders in the State. On July 31, 1912, he was elected chairman of the meeting of Progres- sive Republicans of the State of Maine, which took place in Portland, and was later elected Na- tional Committeeman of the Progressive party. In 1914 this party did him the honor to make him its candidate for the governorship of Maine, and in 1915 and 1916 he acted as a member of the State and National committees of that party. Mr. Gardner is a remarkable public speaker and a most effective political campaigner, and is always to be found taking an active part in politics in support of the cause in which he believes. Mr. Gardner is also a conspicuous figure in the social and fraternal circles in Portland, is a member of the local lodges of the Masonic Order and the Knights of Pythias, and is also affiliated with the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, United States of America, Maine Division, and of the Sons of Veterans in that State. He was the first man to urge upon Congress the support of recommen- dations made by the army and navy for military preparedness by a resolution unanimously adopted by the Sons of Veterans of Maine.
On October 11, 1893, while residing in Patten, Maine, shortly after his return from the West, Mr. Gardner was united in marriage with Adel- aide Darling, of Ashland, Aroostook county, Maine, a daughter of Hiram and Emma Darling, who have been deceased for a number of years, but who during their lifetime were distinguished residents of that region. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner are the parents of two children: Helen Pauline, born January 20, 1897, attended the Wayneflete School of Portland and Dana Hall School, Wel- lesley, Massachusetts; and Dorothy, born Octo- ber 16, 1900, a student of the Wayneflete School.
There is always something instructive in the record of such men as Halbert P. Gardner, the public spirited and successful citizen of Portland, Maine, because in them we see typified the ear- nest and unwearied effort that inevitably spells success, because the achievements that we dis- cover there are not the result of a brilliant tour de force, but of the quiet, conscientious applica- tion of the talents and abilities with which nature has endowed them to the circumstances at hand, because the position and fortune which they have gained seem almost to be no more than an inci- dent to a by-product of the consistent perform- ance of duty which forms its own end and objec- tive. This is instinctively realized by those who come in contact with Mr. Gardner, who is not so much thought of by the community in the charac- ter of a man of wealth and position, as in that of a wise, philanthropic citizen, whose best advice and counsel in all emergencies may always be had for the asking.
HARTLEY C. BANKS, the popular and effi- cient mayor of Biddeford, Maine, where his birth occurred August 8, 1865, and with the life and affairs of which he has been intimately connected for many years, is a member of a family that has made its home in this State for a long period. He is a son of Cyrus K. and Abigail S. (Works) Banks, and a grandson of John Banks, of North Saco, Maine. The father, Cyrus K. Banks, was born at that place, December 19, 1835, and as a young man en- gaged in the trucking business in Biddeford. Later he became interested in lumber, and for the last forty years had dealt extensively in that commodity. He married Abigail S. Works, and they were the parents of the following children: Otis C., Fred F., Nellie M., Hartley C., Frank E., Hattie E. and Earnest J. The elder Mr. Banks died February 19, 19II.
The early life of Hartley C. Banks was spent in his native city of Biddeford, and as a lad he at-
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tended the local public schools for his education. Upon completing his studies at these institutions he began to work for his father, who had been engaged in the lumber business at Biddeford a number of years, and when the latter died he and his brother, Frank E. Banks, assumed the busi- ness and have continued it to the present time. It has now reached large proportions, and under the name of Banks Brothers, is well known throughout the entire region. Mr. Banks has in- terested himself in the general business welfare of the community, and in his capacity of second vice-president and director of the Business Men's Association has done very effective work in as- sisting and promoting its development. He has always been keenly interested in local affairs, and as a member of the Democratic party, early be- came prominent. In the year 1914 he was elected a member of the Board of Aldermen and served in that capacity during that and the two years fol- lowing. It was in 1917 that he was elected mayor of the city of Biddeford, and is at the present time (1918) giving this place a splendid busi- ness administration and winning the general praise of the community. He is a member of Laconia Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Hartley C. Banks was united in marriage, April 6, 1892, at Biddeford, with Eugenia M. Preble, a daughter of Edward P. and Melissa (Merrill) Preble, of Saco. They are the parents of two children: Merton F., born July 27, 1894, and Carleton H., born May 5, 1900.
HERBERT NATHANIEL PINKHAM, the prominent insurance man of Portland, Maine, comes of old Maine stock, his father having been Nathaniel Pinkham, who was born in 1821 in this State in the town of Harpswell. He was a man who followed the sea and had risen in that roughest and most perilous of callings to the post of master mariner, and for some years com- manded vessels in the foreign trade. Later in life, however, he became a farmer and lived at Fal- mouth, Maine, where eventually he died in the month of January, 1908. He married Sarah Haskel, like himself a native of Harpswell, Maine, who died at Cumberland Center in the year 1886. They were the parents of six children, as fol- lows: Frederick N., who was killed in the year 1879 in an accident on the Pennsylvania Railroad; Frank B., who was lost at sea in 1880; Herbert Nathaniel, whose career forms the subject matter of this brief sketch ; Aulena J., who became the wife of F. W. Hamilton, of Cumberland Center, Maine; Susan E., who became the wife of Charles S.
Wilson, of West Falmouth, Maine; and Georgia A., who died about 1890.
Born June 27, 1857, at Harpswell, Maine, Herbert Nathaniel Pinkham, third child of Na- thaniel and Sarah (Haskell) Pinkham, passed but the first four years of his life in his native place. In 1861 his parents removed to Falmouth, Maine, where he lived until the year 1869 and he then accompanied them to Cumberland. It was in the latter place that his education was received and there that he attended the Greely Institute, from which institution he graduated with the class of 1875. He then studied for a year at Gray's Busi- ness College in Portland, where he took a com- mercial course and was graduated in 1876. From that time on he made his home at Portland, and established himself in the insurance business there, a line which he has followed uninterrupt- edly for forty years. He has carried on this busi- ness in partnership, first with Mr. F. H. Morse un- der the firm name of Morse & Pinkham from 1883 to 1889, when the firm of Dow & Pinkham was or- ganized. His partner, Sterling Dow, died in 1892 after which a corporation was formed under the same title to continue the business and has con- tinued to the present time. The concern has its offices at No. 35 Exchange street, Portland, and transacts a very large business, enjoying the repu- tation of absolute reliability and integrity. Mr. Pinkham is also active in other departments of the community's life, and is affiliated with a num- ber of important organizations there. In 1878 and 1879 he was a member of the Old Portland Cadets and he is a member at present of Portland Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
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