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 22
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WESTGATE, TYLER, Judge of Probate, Haver- hill, was born in Enfield, New Hampshire, Decem- ber 2. 1843, son of Nathaniel W. and Louise (Tyler) Westgate. His father was Judge of Pro- bate for Grafton county. His great-grandfather, John Westgate, came from Rhode Island to Plain- field, New Hampshire, about 1778, married Grace Church, lineal descendant of Captain Benjamin Church, who was distinguished in King Phillip's War. They had eleven children, of whom Earl Westgate, grandfather of Tyler, was one. Nathan- iel W. Westgate was educated at Kimball Acad- emy, read law with Charles Flanders of Plainfield, was admitted to the Bar at Newport, New Hamp- shire, in 1827, settled at Enfield, where he practiced successfully for thirty years. He was appointed Register of Probate in 1856, at which time he moved to Haverhill. Later he succeeded Nathaniel S. Berry as Judge of Probate when the latter became
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Governor in 1861. Judge Westgate retired from office in 1871 at the age of seventy. He also held many offices in Enfield and Haverhill, and was elected to the Legislature after his retirement from office. He married Louise Tyler, a grand-daughter
TYLER WESTGATE.
of Colonel Benjamin Tyler of Wallingford, Con- necticut. The subject of this sketch received his education at the Haverhill and Kimball Union (Meriden, New Hampshire) Academies, and was graduated from the latter in 1864. He was Assist- ant Clerk of the Supreme Court of Grafton county from April 11, 1865, to April 1, 1871, and was Reg- ister of Probate of the county from August 7, 1871, to July, 1874, and again from August, 1876, to June, 1879. In 1876-'77 he was Clerk of the New Hampshire Senate. He was Postmaster at Haver- hill from 1881 to 1885, and was again made Regis- ter of Probate in July, 1889, holding the office until 1890, when he was made Judge of Probate, which he still holds. He is one of the most popu- lar men ever elected to the office. He has always been most active in all movements for the improve- ment of the town or county. In politics he is an ardent Republican, and is influential in shaping the party's course in the county. Judge Westgate married August 30, 1881, Lucretia M. Sawyer of Malone, New York, who died January 16, 1884, leaving no issue. He was again married to Phobe
J. Bean of Limington, Maine, who died January 28, 1894. He has two daughters : Louise Bean, and Elsie May Westgate.
WOODBURY, LEVI, Hotel Proprietor, Wash- ington, District of Columbia, was born in Salem, New Hampshire, October 17, 1834, son of Israel and Eliza (Graham) Woodbury. He comes of an ancestry of honorable distinction in the state of New Hampshire, his grandfather, Israel, having enlisted in the Revolutionary Army at seventeen years of age, having a military career of seven years, and subsequently serving the state in civil capacity in its Legislature for thirty-one consecu- tive years. He lived to be ninety-nine years and ten months old, with all his senses unimpaired. Mr. Woodbury's early life was passed upon his father's farm, and his education was obtained in the public schools of his native town. In 1860 he entered the employ of the Manchester & Law- rence Railroad, as station agent at Windham, New Hampshire, remaining there eight years. During this time he also engaged in the lumber business, at which he was very successful. In 1869, having
LEVI WOODBURY.
disposed of his New Hampshire business, he went to Washington, District of Columbia, and engaged in the hotel business, since which his fame as a successful hotel man has extended to all parts of the country. Mr. Woodbury is also identified with
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many interests for the benefit of the city. He is President of the new line of steamboats to Old Point Comfort and Norfolk, and is a Director of the Central National Bank, and largely interested in Washington real estate. He is a man of affairs who conducts whatever he undertakes with ability, and to a successful issue. That he has not lost interest in early associations, and in his native state, is evidenced by the fact that he has pur- chased the old homestead at Salem, New Hamp- shire, and makes this one of his outing places during the summer. He is a Mason and a Knights 'T'emplar, a member of Blue Lodge, No. 4, of Derry. In politics he is a Democrat. He married Mary J., daughter of David and Sarah Wheeler of Atkinson, New Hampshire.
ABBOTT, ALFRED WELLS, Physician, Laconia, was born in Concord, New Hampshire, May 7, 1842, son of Alfred C. and Judith (Farnham) Abbott. He studied medicine with S. S. Emery, M. D., at Fisherville, and graduated with honor at Dartmouth Medical College in 1868. He com- menced the practice of his profession at Law- rence, Kansas, and practiced in that state for a short time, when he returned to New Hampshire, locating at Suncook, where he remained until July, 1870, when he removed to Sanbornton, New Hampshire, where he practiced until 1880. Dur- ing his ten years of active practice in that and adjoining towns, he gained a host of friends and acquired a lucrative practice. Runnells's " History of Sanbornton," published while he was residing in that town, says of him : " He has won much esteem for his social qualities, and as a well-read, scientific physician enjoying an extensive practice in this and neighboring towns." In 18So he came to Laconia. Here, preceded by his reputation for his skill and knowledge, he made rapid strides in his profession, and to-day he occupies an assured position among the leading practitioners of this section of New Hampshire. His practice is large and lucrative, he has acquired a competency, and is considered one of Laconia's best financiers. He has long been a Director of the Belknap Savings Bank ; he was the first Vice-President of the Win- nipiseogee Academy of Medicine, and its second President, which position he now holds. He has been President of the Citizens' Telephone Com- pany, of Laconia, since its organization in July, 1896. Besides acquiring an extensive and luera- tive practice, he has won a wide reputation as an
able physician. In his political affiliations Doctor Abbott is a staunch Republican, but has never sought political preferments, having steadfastly refused official positions, though often importuned by his political friends to accept positions of honor and trust. He is distinctively a professional man, and devotes his whole time to the calling which he loves so well. He was married December 30, 1869, to Julia Ann Clay of Manchester, New Hampshire, by whom he has had three children : Clifton Smith, born January 16, 1871, a graduate of the Dartmouth Medical College in the class of 1893. Young Doctor Abbott is in partnership with his father, and has gained an enviable reputa-
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A. W. ABBOTT.
tion as a learned and skilful physician. Like his father, his whole time is given to his profession. He was born and bred, as it were, to the profession in which he is now engaged. Blanche Newall was born April 10, 1872, and is a young lady of many accomplishments, and a teacher in our public schools ; Carl Benning Abbott was born August 29, 1877, and died, March, 1888.
ALBIN, JOHN HENRY, Lawyer, Concord, was born in West Randolph, Vermont, October 17, 1843, son of John and Emily ( White) Albin. He prepared for college in the High School of Con- cord; entered Dartmouth, and was graduated in
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the class of 1864. In October, 1867, he was admitted to the Bar, and in April, 1868, became a partner of Judge Eastman and Samuel B. Page. The firm was a very strong one, and did a very extensive business. It was dissolved, by mutual consent, in 1874. Mr. Albin next formed a part- nership with Mason W. Tappan, who became Attorney-General of New Hampshire, a position which he held with great honor and ability until
J. H. ALBIN.
his death. Afterward, Mr. Albin and Nathaniel E. Martin were in business together. In 1875, Mr. Albin became a resident of Henniker, representing that town in the Legislature of 1876, serving on important committees and being one of the leading and most influential members. He subsequently returned to Concord, as a place of residence, and was a Representative from Ward 5 in that city to the Legislature in 1872 and 1873, being an acknowl- edged leader upon the floor of the House. He is the President of the Sullivan County Railroad, and also of the Concord Street Railway, in which latter corporation he is the principal owner. He is a Director in the Connecticut River Railroad, also in the Vermont Valley Railroad. He is an Odd Fel- low of high rank and wide celebrity, having held all the official positions in the Grand Lodge, being Grand Master in 1879 and 1881 and again in 1882. He represented the state in the Sovereign Grand
Lodge at its sessions in Cincinnati and Baltimore. In politics he is a prominent Republican, closely identified with the organization and management of the party. As a legal adviser and advocate, Mr. Albin is one of the foremost in the state, and in the conduct of important causes in court, fre- quently involving large corporate interests, he has been especially successful, and as a defender in several noted criminal trials he won distinction. His indomitable industry and tireless zeal have made him alınost invaluable in local affairs, and in the shaping of legislation and the conduct of muni- cipal government, his work has been comprehen- sive in detail and important in results. His exten- sive experience, and clean-cut, quiet, and effective way of accomplishing desired ends have made him a conspicuous, honored and respected member of the community in which he makes his home. He was married, September 5, 1872, to Miss Georgia A. Modica, an accomplished lady of prepossessing personality and marked social attainments. They have two children, a son and daughter, Henry A. and Edith G. Albin.
BAKER, HENRY MOORE, Lawyer and Ex-Con- gressman, Bow, was born in that town, January II, 1841, son of Aaron Whittemore and Nancy (Dustin) Baker. He comes of patriotic and heroic ancestry. His great-great-grandfather, Captain Joseph Baker, a colonial surveyor, married Hannah, only daugh- ter of Captain John Lovewell, the famous Indian fighter who was killed in the battle of Pigwacket, May 8, 1725. A few years later the township of Suncook or Lovewell's Town was granted by Mas- sachusetts to the survivors and the heirs of those killed in that battle. This township included much of what is now Pembroke, but as its boun- daries conflicted with those of the town of Bow, chartered May 10, 1727, by Governor Wentworth of New Hampshire, the grantees never received the full benefits intended for them. The contention resulting from these different grants was terminated December 13, 1804, when that part of Bow east of the Merrimack river was annexed to Pembroke and Concord. Captain Baker's son, Joseph, married a descendant of the Scotch Covenanters and set- tled in Bow. The acres he cleared and cultivated are now a part of the family homestead. He was a soldier in the Revolution and a man of energy and influence. His son, James, married a grand- daughter of Reverend Aaron Whittemore, the first clergyman in Pembroke. Their eldest son, Aaron
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Whittemore Baker, married Nancy Dustin. He was only twelve years old when his father died from injuries accidentally received, but notwith- standing his tender years, the boy resolutely met the responsibilities he could not escape, and through his endeavors and his mother's aid, the younger children were well educated and the farm was successfully cultivated. He was of sterling integ- rity, of advanced thought, a bitter opponent of slav- ery, and an ardent advocate of temperance and in everything earnest of purpose. His wife was of high character, sweet disposition, great talent. and generally beloved. She was a descendant of the colonial heroine, Hannah Dustin. Walter Bryant, a relative on the maternal side of the subject of this sketch, was prominent in colonial affairs, and surveyed many of the townships and the eastern boundary of the state. Henry M. Baker was the youngest son of Aaron Whittemore Baker. He at- tended the common schools of his native town, the academies of Pembroke and Hopkinton, the New Hampshire Conference Seminary at Tilton, and was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1863. He received the degree of Master of Arts three years later. Upon his graduation he began the study of law under the direction of Judge Minot of Concord. He was appointed Clerk in the War Department of Washington, District of Columbia, in 1864, and was transferred to the Treasury De- partment, where he remained in different positions of trust and responsibility for several years. Mean- while he had continued his law studies, having en- tered the Law Department of the Columbian Uni- versity, where he was graduated in 1866, and was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. In 1882 he was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States. He practiced law for several years at Washington, where he soon obtained a large clientage and was engaged in many important cases. The sons of the Granite State are noted for their love of home and for attachment to the hills, valleys, lakes and rivers which make that state so picturesque and beautiful. Wherever they roam or however long absent, they turn with loving devotion to the old homesteads and greet with equal joy old friends and accustomed scenes. Mr. Baker, though neces- sarily absent much of the time for several years, has never ceased to be a resident of his native town, and no year has passed without his return to the old home to mingle with his neighbors and friends and enjoy its pure air and beautiful scenery. He
has always been an aggressive Republican, and an active campaigner. No son of New Hampshire is more zealous of her good name and high standing than Mr. Baker. He has been earnest in the advo- cacy of state aid to her institutions of learning and of charity, to her public libraries and the preserva- tion of historical records and objects of patriotic interest. In 1886-'87, Mr. Baker was Judge Advo- cate General of our National Guard with the rank of Brigadier-General. He was nominated in the Merrimack District by acclamation as candidate of his party for the State Senate in 1890, and ran largely ahead of his ticket. While in his district the Republican candidate for Governor had a plu- rality of only seventy-six votes he received a plural- ity of one hundred and fifty and a majority of seventy-five votes. By his energetic and success- ful canvass he contributed greatly to the general success of his party, and its control of the Legisla- ture that year was largely due to him. In the Sen-
11. M. BAKER.
ate he was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and a member of several other important commit- tees as well as Chairman of its joint special com- inittee on the revision, codification and amendment of the Public Statutes. He took an active part in all proceedings of the Senate, and became recog- nized as a Republican leader. He was elected Representative in Congress from the Second Dis- trict by a good plurality in 1892, reversing the
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Democratic victory in the preceding election. In 1894 he was re-elected by a plurality more than fourteen times greater than that of 1892, but was not again a candidate for re-election. In the Fifty- third Congress he was assigned to the Committees on Agriculture and Militia. In the next Congress he was a member of the Committees on Judiciary and Election of President, Vice-President and Rep- resentatives in Congress. He was Chairman of one of the Standing Sub-Committees of the Judi- ciary Committee. His principal speeches in Con- gress were in opposition to the repeal of the Fed- eral Election Laws, on the Methods of Accounting in the Treasury Department, in favor of the pur- chase and distribution to the farmers of the coun- try of rare and valuable agricultural and horticul- tural seeds, on the Tariff, on Protection not Hos- tile to Exportation, on the Necessity of Adequate Coast Defence, on the Criminal Jurisdiction of the United States Supreme Court, and on Civil Service Reform. He is still an active campaigner and is heard frequently upon the stump. He is a mem- ber of the New Hampshire Club, a Mason, a Knights Templar, and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the New Hampshire Historical Society, to which he had made valuable contributions, and has established prizes in Dart- mouth College. In religion he is a Unitarian. Since his retirement from Congress, Mr. Baker has been engaged in the advocacy of public reforms and improvements, and superintending his varied private investments. In these he finds sufficient and congenial occupation. Mr. Baker is unmar- ried. John B. Baker of Bow, a member of the Legislature of 1897, is his only surviving brother.
BAKER, ELEAZER, Grocer, Suncook, was born in Brewster, Massachusetts, November 2, 1838, son of Joshua G. and Margaret (Small) Baker. He is of English descent, tracing his ancestry back to the fourteenth century. He attended the public schools of his native town until he was twelve years of age, when he left home and started out to make his own way in the world. He went to sea and followed this career until the breaking out of the Civil War. In April, 1861, in response to President Lincoln's call for volunteers, he enlisted for a year. He was assigned to duty as a petty officer on the gunboat Massachusetts. Receiving an honorable discharge at the Brooklyn Navy Yard at the expiration of his term of enlistment, he was engaged on the steamer Young America, in transporting troops and provi-
sions from Fortress Monroe up the Pamunkeg river to Whitehouse Landing. In May, 1868, Mr. Baker went to Suncook, in the town of Pembroke, and established a grocery and meat business, and by industry and perseverance has built up a large and
E. BAKER.
lucrative trade. He is one of Pembroke's most influential and public-spirited citizens, and every good work has his hearty and substantial support. Though he never sought public office, he was elected to the Legislature in 1885-'86. He is a Trustee of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he is a strong and most active Republican. Mr. Baker was married November 16, 1862, to Hannah Jane Nickerson of South Dennis, Massachusetts. Six children have been born to them: Eleazer Frank- lin, born September 8, 1863; Josiah Frederick, born December 31, 1866 ; Alice Cleal, born Janu- ary 20, 1870, who died January, 1873 ; Nellie Jane, born December 20, 1875 ; and Edith May and Eva Louise Baker (twins), born September 8, 1880. .
BARTLETT, GEORGE ANSEL, Disbursing Clerk of the United States Treasury Department, Wash- ington, District of Columbia, was born in Kings- ton, New Hampshire, April 23, 1841, son of Richard and Sally (Fellows) Bartlett. His ancestry on the paternal side dates back to William the Conqueror, and on the maternal side his ancestors were prominent in New Hampshire affairs ; his
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uncle, Moses Fellows, being the first Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. His grandmother Bartlett's father, Aaron Young, was an officer in the Revolutionary War. He was educated in the com- mon schools and in Kingston Academy. When he was sixteen years of age, Mr. Bartlett left home to go to Lawrence, Massachusetts, as an apprentice of E. W. Colcord, who had gone there from Kings- ton, and engaged in the manufacture of leather belting. . At the breaking out of the war he enlisted for three years in Company " K." of the Fourteenth Massachusetts Infantry, on May 20, 1861. He participated in all the battles of the Regiment, being recommended for promotion for bravery on two occasions, but declined promotion, preferring, as he expressed it, "to stay with the boys." In 1866, he removed to Washington where he entered the Paymaster General's office. Two years later he resigned, but in 1871 again entered the govern- ment service as a clerk in the Treasury Depart- ment. He was soon appointed to an eighteen hundred dollar clerkship, and in 1881 was ap- pointed by Secretary Windom to the responsible
GEO. A. BARTLETT.
position of Disbursing Clerk in the United States Treasury Department, which position he still holds. Mr. Bartlett is one of the best known New Hamp- shire people in Washington, paying out some six million dollars yearly. He is always actively in- terested in all gatherings of New Hampshire people
in Washington. He is a member of various veteran organizations, and was President of the Union Soldiers' Alliance in 1889. He is a Thirty-second degree Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine, and has always been very prominent in Masonry. He is a member of the Lafayette Lodge, No. 19. Mt. Vernon Chapter, No. 3, Royal Arch Masons, Washington Commandery, No. 1, Knights Templar, and Almas Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He takes a great interest in the District of Columbia Militia, organized the Treasury Guards, and holds the rank of Major of the department battalion.
BATCHELDER, ALFRED TRASK, Ex-Mayor of Keene and successful Lawyer and man of affairs, was born in Sunapee, New Hampshire, February 26, 1844, son of Nathaniel and Sarah (Trask) Batchelder. On the paternal side he is descended in the eighth generation from John Batchelder, who came to this country from England and settled in Beverly, Massachusetts. His great- grandfather in this line was commander of a ship in the '50's of the last century in the days when Beverly was a flourishing seaport, and made many successful voyages. His son Zachariah, the grand- father of the subject of this sketch, settled in Sunapee, where he engaged in business, and where his son Nathaniel became one of the best known farmers of the town and one of its most influen- tial residents. Though not a man of more than moderate means Nathaniel Batchelder gave his children a liberal education. His son attended the district schools of Sunapee and New London Academy, and entering Dartmouth College was graduated in 1871. He studied law in Claremont with Judge W. H. H. Ailen and Ira Colby, being associated in practice with the latter after his admission to the Bar in September, 1873. Upon his removal to Keene in 1877, Mr. Batchelder became a partner of Francis A. Faulkner and his son, Francis C. Faulkner, the firm name being Faulkner & Batchelder. Francis A. Faulkner died May 22, 1879, since which time Mr. Batchel- der and his son have continued the business, which has been highly successful. In spite of his professional duties Mr. Batchelder has found time to engage in many important enterprises. Among the positions of trust he has hekl are President of the Cheshire Provident Institution for Savings; of the Impervious Packing Company ; of the C. B. Lancaster Shoe Company, and of the Stoddard
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Lumber Company, selling out his interest in the last named in 1897 ; and Director in the Emerson Paper Company of Sunapee, in the Ashuelot and Keene National Banks. He succeeded Judge Allen as Register of Bankruptcy under the National Bank-
A. T. BATCHELDER.
rupt law ; and from 1879 till the consolidation of the Cheshire Railroad with the Fitchburg system he was its general attorney. In politics Mr. Batchelder is a Republican; and he has been active in the support of the party, serving as Mayor of Keene in 1885-'86. He was a member of the New Hampshire Legislature in 1897, and Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House. In religion he is an Episcopalian. He is prominent in Masonry, and is a member of the Hugh de Payens Commandery, Knights Templar. Mr. Batchelder married, April 24, 1879, Alice H., daughter of Peter B. and Mary H. Hayward of Keene. He has two sons.
BENEDICT, FRANK LEE, Physician, Portsmouth, was born in New Marlboro, Massachusetts, Septem- ber 13, 1855, son of Benjamin and Ursula (Niver) Benedict. In the paternal line Doctor Benedict traces his descent from French stock, the family in America being descended from Thomas Benedict, who came over from England in 1700, and settled in Huntington, Long Island. Among Thomas Bene- dict's descendants were the founders of Danbury,
Connecticut. Frank Lee Benedict is in the eighth generation from Thomas. On the maternal side he is descended from ancestors who came from Holland and settled in Columbia county, New York. For two or three generations back on both father's and mother's side, the family were engaged in farming. Doctor Benedict attended the common schools in Massachusetts ; the Great Barrington High School, 1870-'72 ; Claverick (New York) College, Hudson River Institute, 1872-'75 ; the New York Homæo- pathic Medical College, New York city, 1876-'79, being graduated in April of the last year. Early in May of 1879 he settled in Portsmouth, and began the practice of his profession, and has since been as busy and successful as a medical man generally is. He was Pension Examiner from 1893 to 1897, but has never sought political offices or taken a very active part in politics. He is a member of St. Andrew's Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, DeWitt Clinton Commandery, and Os- good Lodge of Odd Fellows, all of Portsmouth. He is a member of Warwick Club, of which he was President in 1895 ; the Piscataqua Yacht Club, and
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