USA > New Hampshire > Men of progress; biographical sketches and portraits of leaders in business and professional life in and of the state of New Hampshire > Part 14
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port, with which he has been connected since 1869. Mr. Quinby was a member of Governor Straw's Staff in 1872-'73, a member of the Legislature of 1887-'88, State Senator in 1889-'90, member of the Governor's Council in 1891-'92, being Chairman of the State Prison Board, Delegate-at-large to the National Republican Convention at Minneapolis in 1893, and President of the State Republican Con- vention in 1896. In politics he is a Republican. He was appointed a member of the Board of Trus- tees of the New Hampshire Asylum for Insane in 1897. He was made a Mason in 1871 at Laconia, and is Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of New Hampshire,
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Deputy Grand Commander of the Grand Com- mandery, Knights Templar of New Hampshire, and an Active Member of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States. He is Vice-President of the Laconia National and City Savings Banks of Laco- nia. Mr. Quinby married June 22. 1870, Octavia M., daughter of Hon. B. J. Cole of Lakeport. He has two children : Henry Cole Quinby, a lawyer in New York city in the office of Evarts, Choate & Beaman, and Candace Ellen, wife of Hugh N. Camp. Jr., of New York city.
RANLET. JOSEPH, Retired Manufacturer, Laconia, was born in Gilmanton. New Hampshire, November 27. 1811, son of Noah and Rachel (Osgood) Ranlet. He attended the public schools of his native town, and began his business career at the Gilford Manufacturing Company of Meredith Bridge, New Hampshire. In 1829. he went to New- market. where he had charge of the machine shops of the Newmarket Manufacturing Company. a post which he held until November, 1849, when he re-
JOSEPH RANLET.
moved to Laconia. In May, 1850, he formed the partnership with his brother, Charles Ranlet, in the manufacture of railway cars, under the name of Ranlet Car Company, which continued until the death of Charles Ranlet in October, 1861. In
December of the following year, Joseph Ranlet formed a partnership with John C. Moulton. contin- uing the business under the name of Moulton & Ranlet Car Company. In January, 1865, another company was formed under the name of the Ranlet Manufacturing Company. the members being John C. Moulton, Joseph Ranlet, and Perley Putnam, which continued in business until April 20, 1878, when Mr. Ranlet retired from the business. He was married November 6, 1836. to Elizabeth Fra- zier Somerby. They have three children : Sarah Elizabeth, Ella Virginia, and Mary Abbie Somerby Ranlet.
RICHARDSON, CYRUS, D. D., Pastor of the First Congregational Church, Nashua, was born in Dracut, Massachusetts, March 30, 1840. son of Samuel and Hannah (Varnum) Richardson. He is descended in the eighth generation from Ezekiel Richardson, one of the founders of the town of Woburn, Massachusetts, and of its church, a fact which led to the selection of Dr. Richardson to deliver an address at the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Woburn Church in 1892. He received his preparatory edu- cation at the New Hampshire Conference Seminary at Tilton and Phillips Academy, Andover, Massa- chusetts, and was graduated from Dartmouth Col- lege in the class of '64. being selected as one of the commencement speakers. For two years he was an instructor in Latin and Natural Sciences in Cin- cinnati, Ohio, at the same time pursuing special studies. Upon his return to New England he entered Andover Theological Seminary in Septem- ber, 1866, completing the full course and being graduated in July, 1869. He was ordained and installed pastor of the Plymouth (New Hampshire) Congregational Church September 30 of the same year. While here he interested himself in the welfare of the town as well as of the church. He was among the prime movers for a state Normal School, and helped to secure its location in Ply- month. In the spring of 1883 he received and accepted a flattering call to the pastorate of the First Congregational church of Keene, New Hamp- shire, to which he ministered for ten years. Not only did he succeed in making his own church strong and active, but churches of the county looked to him as a leader and advisor. In educa- tional matters his influence was well known, having been elected as a member of the board of educa- tion and for a time retained as its chairman. In
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the summer of 1883, he received a unanimous call from the First Congregational church of Nashua. It was with great reluctance that the Keene people allowed him to leave them. The other Pastors showed their friendship for him and his wife by tendering them a farewell banquet, with fraternal resolutions. His present pastorate has continued fifteen years, and though he has had invitations to other fields his purpose seems fixed to remain in Nashua. He is well known throughout the churches of the state, having taken a leading part in denominational conferences and ecclesiastical councils. His frequent calls to preach installation sermons attest the high esteem in which he is held
CYRUS RICHARDSON.
by Congregationalists. In 1894, his Nashua church under his leadership dedicated one of the finest church buildings in New England, and its growth has been so marked that it is regarded as one of the strongest churches of the state. Doctor Richardson has travelled extensively in our own country and also abroad, and has given many sketches of his travels. In June, 1889, upon the twenty-fifth anniversary of his graduation, Dart- mouth conferred upon him the degree of D. D., and in 1892 he was made one of the trustees of the college. For many years he has been a Trus- tee of the New Hampshire Home Missionary Soci- ety, and for several years a member of its execu-
tive committee. He married January 18, 1871, Miss Annie Dearborn of Plymouth, a graduate from Mount Holyoke Seminary, and for several years one of its teachers. They have six children : Walter Dearborn, born July 10, 1872 ; Pearl, born April 27, 1874; Florence H., born June 6, 1875 ; Elizabeth G., born April 26, 1877 ; Margaret P., born December 4, 1879 ; and Phillip Richardson, born February 25, 1884. A prominent parishioner of Dr. Richardson and one of the best known citi- zens of Nashua, the Hon. V. C. Gilman, says of him : " His pulpit manners are dignified and becom- ing. His voice is full, clear, and musical. His enunciation is distinct and entirely free from affec- tation, and fixes the attention of the young as well as the old. His discourses are marked with care in composition and research in preparation. His choice of subjects falls in the line of practical, every-day religious life, and the language employed is plain and concise. There is no painful attempt to make the drapery of words more important than the ideas they clothe. His type of piety is genuine and true. His labors in Nashua have been emi- nently successful, not only among the people of his own parish, but in the broader sense of the entire community, where he is highly appreciated and honored. Among non-churchgoers no clergy- man in the city has so many calls to attend funeral services and other benevolent and gratuitous ser- vice, and no one responds more freely and gener- ously ; at the same time he maintains a close and cordial relation to his own people, so that he per- forms most faithfully a vast amount of parish and public service. His warm paternal heart goes out in care and solicitude for the young beyond the large and interesting family beneath his own roof, and embraces all the children of the parish and public schools, our young men's associations, and all organi- zations that look to the fitting for the higher and nobler duties of life. The value of such a minister and teacher so well equipped, cannot be weighed or measured, and happy is the church and the com- munity where he has an abiding place." The Rev. F. D. Ayer, D. D., of Concord, who is intimately acquainted with Dr. Richardson, his character and work, gives his estimate in the following language : " The Reverend Dr. Richardson possesses and exhibits some of the best results of the New Eng- land home, school, church, a sound body, mind and heart, obedient to a controlled will. These have made his advance in his profession and his growth of influence in all directions, steady and
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somewhat rapid. As a preacher he is devoted to his profession. His keen relish for his work, his loyalty to its highest obligations, his evident con- viction that a man owes the best he has to his voca- tion and that in it God is to aid him, combine to render his service faithful, untiring, and helpful. He is a strong preacher. His sermons are thought- ful, clear. definite in aim. He has clear convic- tions upon religious and moral subjects which he states decidedly, but yields to all others the rights which he claims for himself. He has common sense, and uses it in his relation to men. He enters into the feelings and necessities of each individual, and is helpful to all classes. As a citizen he identifies himself with all the interests of his people and of the community in which he lives, and easily takes a controlling part in all questions and methods of reforin as a staunch friend of mankind. His good judgment, ready mind, and varied experience fit him for usefulness beyond the limits of his own city. He is a member of the different state organ- izations of the Congregational denomination, and deeply interested in every good work that may elevate and Christianize the whole people. It will be inferred that he wins a high place in the con- fidence and esteem of the people for whom he labors, and in all his pastorates has carried daily the affection of his people and proved himself " a workman that needeth not to be ashamed."
SAWYER, CHARLES HENRY, Manufacturer, Dover, was born in Watertown. New York, March 30. 1840, eldest son of Jonathan and Martha (Per- kins) Sawyer. Ilis ancestry on both the paternal and maternal sides were among the early settlers of Massachusetts. He attended the schools of Water- town until he was ten years of age. when the fam- ily removed to Dover, and he completed his educa- tion in that city. He entered the Sawyer Woolen Mills at the age of seventeen, the plant then being engaged in the manufacture of flannels. He had become thoroughly proficient in the business at the age of twenty-six, and was then appointed Superin- tendent of the mills. In 1881 he became President of the company, and since then the general manage- ment of the mills has been in his hands. Through- ont his business career Mr. Sawyer has been mark- edly successful. He has held many public offices. He served in both branches of the City Council of Dover, was Representative to the Legislature in 1860-70-76-77, a member of the staff of Governor Charles H. Bell in 1881, and in 188 ; he was dele-
gate to the National Republican Convention in Chi- cago. In 1886 he was elected Governor of New Hampshire, and during his term of office, he rep- resented the state in many centennial celebrations that were held during that period, particularly at Philadelphia on the occasion of the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the promulgation of the Constitution of the United States. Another centennial was that in New York of the inaugura- tion of President Washington. Mr. Sawyer is a Director in the Strafford National Bank, a Trustee and Vice-President of the Strafford Savings Bank, and a Director of the Dover Gas Light Company. He has held the positions of President of the Dover
CHARLES H. SAWYER.
Horse Railroad Company, Director and Executive Member of the Granite State Insurance Company, President of the Elliott Bridge Company, a Direc- tor in the Dover & Portsmouth, in the Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway, and in the Wolfboro Branch Railroads. He is a member of the Congregational Society of Dover. He is a Mason, and has been twice chosen Master of the lodge, and for many years the Eminent Commander of the St. Paul Commandery, Knights Templar. Mr. Sawyer was married February 8, 1865. to Susan Ellen, dangh- ter of Dr. James W. and Elizabeth Cowan of Dover. Their children are : William Davis, who married Susan Gertrude, daughter of Hon. Joshua G. Hall
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of Dover; Charles Francis, who married Gertrude Child, daughter of Hon. Henry W. Severance of San Francisco; James Cowan, who married Mary Pepperell, daughter of Judge George Seward Frost of Dover, and Edward and Elizabeth Coffin Sawyer.
SHUTE, HENRY AUGUSTUS, Lawyer, Exeter, was born in that town, November 17, 1856, son of George S. and Joanna (Simpkins) Shute. His fam- ily has been prominent in the development of Rock- ingham county. He was educated in the common schools of his native town, at Phillips Academy and later at Harvard College, where he was graduated in 1879. He studied law with W. W. Stickney of
HENRY A. SHUTE.
Exeter, and was admitted to the Bar in August, 1882. Since that time he has been engaged in the practice of his profession, being Judge of the Police Court since April, 1883. He has been Treasurer of the Farmers' Insurance Company since 1884. In politics he is a Republican. Mr. Shute was married October 18, 1885, to Amelia F. Weeks, who died January 26, 1895, leaving two children : Richard E. and Nathalie. He was a second time married August 12, 1897, to Ella Kent.
SMITH, ISAAC WILLIAM, Lawyer, Manchester, the second child of Isaac and Mary (Clarke) Smith,
was born in Hampstead, New Hampshire, May 18, 1825. His early years were passed in the quiet atmosphere of his native village, and in attendance at brief periods at the academies in Salisbury, Atkinson, Derry, and Sanbornton. At the age of fifteen years, he was sent to pursue his studies pre- paratory for college at Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, then under the care of Samuel H. Taylor, LL. D., one of the most distinguished edu- cators that this country has as yet produced. After completing his preparatory studies he entered Dart- mouth College in 1842. The President of the col- lege, Rev. Nathan Lord, D. D., was then in the full meridian of that remarkable career which se- cured for him a place among the foremost college presidents of the country. Mr. Smith graduated in 1846, and in the spring of 1847 commenced his legal studies in the office of William Smith, at Lowell, Massachusetts. After spending nearly a year in this office he removed to Manchester, New Hampshire, and completed his studies in the office of Hon. Daniel Clark. He was admitted to the Bar July 9, 1850, and at once commenced the prac- tice of his profession in Manchester, which he has continued to the present time (1898), except while holding a position as Judge. He was for five years the law partner of Hon. Daniel Clark. Mr. Smith was early recognized by his fellow-citizens as tak- ing a lively interest in the welfare of his adopted city. He was President of its Common Council in 1851-'52, City Solicitor in 1854-'55, and Mayor in 1869. He also served two years upon the Board of School Committee. In 1855 he was appointed Judge of the Police Court of Manchester, but re- signed the office in 1857 to engage more fully in the practice of his profession. He was elected in 1859 to represent his ward in the Legislature of the state, and re-elected in the following year, and in the latter year was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives. In 1862-'63 he was a member of the State Senate and Chairman of its Judiciary Committee. In 1863 he was appointed by President Lincoln Assessor for the second internal revenue district of New Hampshire, and held the office until 1870. He was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of New Hampshire, February 10, 1874, by Governor Straw. In August of that year the court was re-organized, and he was appointed by Governor Weston, Associate Justice of the new court, and held the office until the court was again re-organized in August, 1876. In July, 1877, a
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vacancy occurring in the Supreme Court. he was appointed by Governor Prescott to fill the position, which he occupied until he retired in May. 1895, having reached the age limitation prescribed by the constitution of the state. As a lawyer. Judge Smith in his practice has been characterized by a clear judgment. unsparing industry, and unbending integrity. Upon the bench. his ability as a law- yer. his conscientious and thorough examination of every case upon which he was called to express an opinion, and the judicial poise and impartiality which he always maintained. secured for his decis- ions the highest degree of confidence and respect. Judge Smith's personal interest in the affairs of his alma mater has suffered no abatement as other cares and interests have multiplied. He was Presi- dent of the Dartmouth Alumni Association in 1881- 'S3. and of the Phi Beta Kappa Society in 1882 'S4. In college he was one of the charter mem- bers of the Dartmouth Chapter of the AAlpha Delta Phi Society. In 1880 he delivered before the Alumni Association an eulogy on the life and character of Hon. William H. Bartlett, late Asso- ciate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Hamp- shire. In March, 1885. he was elected one of the Trustees of the College, and has held that position to the present time. He received the degree of LL. D. from the college in 1889. He has found time in the press of professional duties to indulge his taste for historical investigation, contributing his share to the researches of the New Hampshire Historical Society, of which he has been a member since 1861. As early as 1849 he delivered an address, which was subsequently published, at the centennial celebration of the incorporation of his native town. His tastes in this direction gave a special zest and value to a visit which he made in the summer of 1878 to several scenes of historical interest in the old world. In 1889 he was a delegate from Manchester to the New Hampshire Constitutional Convention. He has been a Trustee of the Manchester Public Li- brary since 1872, and Trustee of the Manchester Savings Bank since 1891. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity, having received all the degrees to and including that of Knights Templar. Politically the sympathies of Judge smith have been with the Republican party since its organization. He was an earnest advocate of the great principles which that party bore in- Scribed upon its banners in our terrible civil war, and in the period of reconstruction which followed,
and which are destined to go down to the future as an inspiring and plastic force in one of the great epochs in history. He was in 1856 a dele- gate to the national convention which nominated Fremont and Dayton as candidates for President and Vice-President. Religiously, by education and conviction, his sympathies are with the Orthodox Congregationalists. He early identified himself with the Franklin-Street Congregational Society in Manchester, and assumed his full share of its burdens and responsibilities, being called at differ- ent times to fill the offices of President. Treasurer. and Director in it. In 1870 he became a member in full communion of the church with which that
ISAAC W. SMITH.
society is connected, and has always taken a warm and lively interest in its prosperity, and in the advancement of the cause which it represents. Judge Smith was united in marriage August 16, 1854. with Amanda W., daughter of Hon. Hiram Brown, the first Mayor of Manchester. Right chil- dren were born to them : Mary A .. wife of V. C. Ferguson, Port Arthur, Texas; William 1., Bustle- ton, Pennsylvania ; AArthur Whitney. deceased March 5. 1866; Julia B., wife of W. B. Cowan, Saratoga, Wyoming ; Edward C., Manchester. New Hampshire: Daniel C., Lawrence, Massachusetts ; Jennie P. wife of Dr. J. F. Bothfeld, Newton, Mas- Sachusetts : Grace I ... Manchester, New Hampshire.
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SHANNON, EDWIN HOWE, Lawyer, Laconia, was born in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, March 8, 1858, son of James C. and Judith W. (Batchelder) Shannon. He traces his descent in the paternal line from an early settler of Portsmouth, his grand- father, George Shannon, having been born in that place. In the maternal line he comes of the family which was related to that of the famous statesman, Daniel Webster, his great-grandmother having been a cousin of the statesman. Mr. Shannon received his education in the common schools of his native town, and at Gilmanton Academy. He studied law with Hon. Thomas Cogswell of Gilmanton, lately the United States Pension Agent at Concord, and
E. H. SHANNON.
was admitted to the Bar in 1881. He then became a partner of Mr. Cogswell, remaining such for about a year, when the partnership was dissolved by mutual consent, Mr. Shannon seeking a wider field for practice than was afforded him in Gilman- ton. He thereafter practiced his profession alone, until 1893, having offices in Farmington and Pitts- field, where he soon acquired more than a local reputation for his ability in the trial of causes, and gained for himself a considerable clientage. In 1893 he went to Laconia and entered into partnership with W. S. Peaslce. the firm subsequently becoming Shannon, Peaslee and Blackstone. In 1894 he with- drew from that firm, since which time he has been
in business alone. He is counsel for several large and prosperous corporations, and for a number of years has devoted considerable time to the special study of that important branch of the law. He is also considered an authority upon the Law of Per- sonal Injuries, and has a large practice in that branch of his profession. Mr. Shannon is a man of strong personality, is quick to determine and prompt to execute. Fearless in thought and action, with strong common sense as a guide, he does not hesitate to carve a way where none appears. Prece- dents have no terrors for him. If they appear to be right, he follows them, but if wrong, he fearlessly attacks them and some, at least, have gone down before the logic of his reasoning. As a counsellor, wise and prudent, in the trial of causes, strong and tactful, and as an advocate, earnest and eloquent, he has acquired a large and lucrative practice. In politics he is a Republican. He was married Octo- ber 18, 1882, to Myra E., daughter of Ira L. and Lavina E. (Drew) Berry, of Barnstead. They have three children : Ella C., Mildred and Edwin H. Shannon, Jr.
SPRAGUE, OBADIAH, Retired Manufacturer, West Swanzey, was born in Richmond, New Hamp- shire, May 21, 1826, son of Samuel and Melinda (Kingman) Sprague. In the paternal line he is of Scotch descent, his great-grandfather having emi- grated from Scotland to Providence, Rhode Island, about 1760. His grandfather, Obadiah Sprague, born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1770, re- moved to Richmond, New Hampshire, in 1792, and resided there until his death in 1858. His father, Samuel Sprague, who was born in Richmond in 1797, died in Winchester in 1881. On the mater- nal side, Mr. Sprague is of good old New England stock, the Kingman family having long resided in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, before their removal to Winchester, New Hampshire. Mr. Sprague attended the district schools of Richmond until he was fifteen years old, and was a pupil for two years at the Winchester High School. At seventeen he was employed as a merchant's clerk, being thus occupied in Winchester and Keene for six years. Then for eight years he was a clerk in a wholesale and retail grocery house in Keene, for six years acting as bookkeeper. He opened a crockery and carpet store in Keene in 1857, but in 1859 sold out his interest to accept the Cashiership of the Win- chester Bank, where he remained five years, resign- ing to purchase, with others, the woolen and wood-
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ware mills at West Swanzey. For twelve years he was Treasurer and Manager of the Stratton Mills Company, and then retired from the management, retaining, however, his interest in the property. Ile built and fitted up a four-sett woolen mill on a water power near Keene, now called Sprague- ville, and another mill for the manufacture of tables and lock-corner boxes, employing about one hundred hands. The mills were destroyed by fire in 1881, but he immediately rebuilt the table and box mill, and in 1883 formed the Cheshire Box Company, Charles L. Howe being the Manager. Mr. Sprague then returned to West Swanzey, and took the management of the mills there, the name of the company being changed to West Swanzey Manufacturing Company. He was Treasurer and Manager until 1895, when he sold out his stock in the concern and retired from active business. He is still a resident of West Swanzey. He was a Representative in the State Legislature in 1870 and 1871, and held the office of Town Treasurer and Moderator for several years. He is a mem- ber of the Lodge of the Temple, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, Keene. In politics he has always
been a Democrat, and at the last Presidential election voted the Palmer and Buckner ticket. Mr. Sprague married, January 3. 1877. Martha F. Mason. They have two children : Bertha E., born in 1880, and Mary M. Sprague, born in 1885.
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