USA > New Jersey > Cyclopedia of New Jersey Biography > Part 43
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1876; his contributions to the newspapers always aroused deep interest, and on several occasions his was the leading spirit to im- portant and greatly needed reforms. As a public speaker, he was fluent and convinc- ing, his high literary attainments and pleas- ing address enabling him to sway his audi- ences at will. But it was not alone in the political field that his services as an orator were in demand. In the service of churches and organizations of varied scope and char- acter, his talents were as freely given, and were the subject grave or gay, it was sure to be attractively handled by Judge Huston. He was particularly impressive and charming as an impromptu speaker, his brilliant ideas and quaint, whimsical and telling turns of speech being inimitable. His professional services were always in demand, and at the time of his death he had been retained on eighteen of the forty-two cases on the dock- et for the April term of court. He was ap- pointed United States Circuit Court Com- missioner for the District of New Jersey in 1879, and was admitted to practice in the United States Circuit and District Courts in 1881; in 1884 he was appointed a Special Master in Chancery by Chancellor Runyon. In April, 1896, Governor Griggs appointed him law judge for Sussex county to fill a vacancy, and in January, 1897, he was reappointed by the Governor, and con- firmed by the Senate for a full term of five years. In 1907 he was appointed Prosecu- tor of Sussex county, was reappointed sub- sequently, and retired in 1912.
Judge Huston married, September 2, 1878, Laura A. Snyder, daughter of Wil- liam and Mary (Kays) Snyder, of Lafay- ette. She survives her husband, as do also children : Henry W., of Newton, and Mrs. Nelson E. Frissell, of Trenton. The fun- eral services of Judge Huston were conduct- ed by the Rev. Milton E. Grant, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he was assisted by the Rev. Clarence Rouse, of the Presbyterian Church. During the funeral services all places of business in the town
were closed in honor to his memory; the Court adjourned at two o'clock, and the members of the Sussex County Bar attend- ed the services in a body, having passed res- olutions in honor of his memory at a meet- ing held on April 20, 1915. Pages could be filled were the words of praise spoken of Judge Huston to be reproduced here, but the limits of this article will not permit their reproduction. Suffice it to say that he brought to the discharge of the duties of his office not only ripe experience and a thor- ough knowledge of professional affairs, but a conscientious desire and intention that, so far as was possible, sound business princi- ples and methods should be applied to the administration of court affairs. He was not hampered by a desire for other or higher of- ficial position and so, with the directness and candor so characteristic of him, he dealt with the problems before him in a way that secured effectual results.
PETTIT, Dr. Alonzo,
Medical Practitioner, Humanitarian.
By the death of Dr. Alonzo Pettit, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, the community lost a distinguished physician, whose connection with the medical profession was one of prominence. Lured by the hope of result, he had carried his investigations beyond those of the average practitioner, and in the field of knowledge had gleaned many val- uable truths whose practical utility to the world he had demonstrated in a successful practice.
Dr. Alonzo Pettit was born in Wilson, Niagara county, New York, January II, 1842, and died at his home in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in November, 1908. He was a son of Samuel and Maria (Armstrong) Pettit, the former a farmer and one of the pioneer settlers of Wilson, New York, where he was deacon in the Baptist church. The American progenitor of the Pettit fam- ily was William Brewster, of Mayflower fame. Dr. Pettit attended the Wilson dis-
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trict school, and after suitable preparation, matriculated at the University of Rochester, from which he was graduated in the class of 1863. He then took up the study of med- icine at the University of Buffalo, from which he was graduated in the class of 1867, the degree of Doctor of Medicine being con- ferred upon him. For a short time he filled the responsible position of house physician at the Buffalo General Hospital, and, in 1867 established himself in the practice of his profession in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The excellent results he achieved in his practice made his rise in this a comparative- ly rapid one, and at the time of his death he was considered one of the leading physicians of the State. In association with several other physicians he founded the Elizabeth General Hospital, in which he was an at- tending surgeon for a period of twenty- seven years, and was chief of the medical staff from 1892 until 1905. He was pres- ident of the Union County Medical Soci- ety ; president of the Clinical Society, Eliz- abeth General Hospital; city physician for Elizabeth ; Union county jail physician ; and physician to the Central Railroad of New Jersey. While he cast his vote for the can- didates of the Republican party, he never took an active part in political affairs, hold- ing the opinion that he was best serving his fellowmen by devoting himself to the duties of his professional life. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and the Elizabeth Town and Country Club. He was a constituent member of the Central Baptist Church, and a deacon in that institution at the time of his death.
Dr. Pettit married, in Elizabeth, August 31, 1869, Ellen Maria Dimock. They had no children. No better estimate can be giv- en of the character of Dr. Pettit than by quoting from what his colleagues and organ- izations with which he was connected, said of him at the time of his death. Dr. Mc- Lean, who had known and associated with Dr. Pettit for many years, said, among other
things : "As a surgeon as well as a physi- cian, Dr. Pettit stood high in his profession. He was a man who made lasting friends of all with whom he came in contact. He was a quiet, unassuming, Christian gentleman, a learned and highly successful physician and surgeon, and a man who, if he could not say a good word regarding a fellow man, would say nothing at all." Dr. Victor Mrav- lag, who was mayor-elect at the time of the death of Dr. Pettit, said: "His ability as a physician could not be questioned. He was always kind and courteous and personally, in my opinion, was one of the sweetest char- acters that ever lived. He surely had no superiors. He was a man of principle, and lived up to it. In his death, not only the medical fraternity, but the city, has lost one of its best and mostly highly prized men." Meetings to take suitable action were held by all the institutions and organizations with which he had been connected, and resolu- tions passed. Following is an extract from the tribute paid to his memory at the special meeting of the Clinical Society of the Eliz- abeth General Hospital: "He truly was a man without the slightest selfishness-the very personification of altruism. His sweet- ness of character, his fortitude in bodily suffering, his patient bearing under the severe dispensation of Providence, which al- most deprived him of the companionship of his faithful wife-his purity of mind, his upright life, placed him upon a level rarely attained and never surpassed by men." In the resolutions adopted by the Dispensary Staff of the Elizabeth General Hospital we find: "It has been the will of the Almighty to take from us our beloved friend and as- . sociate, Dr. Alonzo Pettit, a man of sterling integrity, a skilled physician and an honored colleague ; a man who spoke ill of no one; who gave the best of his natural endow- ments and broad knowledge without stint to the service of his fellow men." He was one of the charter members of the Union Coun- ty Medical Society, and this also regarded him as "A quiet, unobtrusive, Christian
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gentleman and physician, who was held in the highest esteem by all his professional brethren. His scientific attainments were of a high order, and the patient, conscientious, unselfish service which he has rendered to the people of Elizabeth, endeared him to the hearts and homes of a wide circle of those who were so fortunate as to enjoy his pro- fessional service."
The death of Mrs. Ellen (Dimock) Pettit, widow of the late Dr. Alonzo Pettit, depriv- ed the city of Elizabeth, New Jersey, of one of its most earnest and high minded work- ers. A woman who put thoughts of self absolutely in the background, and whose mind was constantly filled with plans for the relief of suffering humanity.
Mrs. Pettit was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, May 13, 1845, and died in July, 1912. She was a daughter of the Rev. Anthony Vaughn and Susan Rathbone (Westcn) Dimock, a descendant in the paternal line from the hereditary champions of England, and in the maternal from Peter Brown, the thirty-third signer of the Mayflower Com- pact. Rev. Anthony Vaughn Dimock was a Baptist minister, as had been a number of his direct ancestors, and was stationed in Nova Scotia, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey, and had at one time been a missionary in Prince Edward's Island. The education of Mrs. Pettit was a very comprehensive one, and was acquired in the district schools of Willington, Connecticut, and Templeton, Massachusetts, and in the Connecticut Literary Institute in Suffield, Connecticut. She became a writer of mis- sionary stories and Sunday school lessons, among them "Around the World," which was published in Boston. She was the able companion and co-worker of her talented husband, and labored earnestly with him in the establishment of the Elizabeth General Hospital. She was the honorary president for life of the Ladies' Aid Society connected with this institution, and as a mark of ap- preciation of her noble character and un- varying interest and aid, the Training
School for Nurses was named in her honor. Mrs. Pettit married, at Elizabeth, August 31, 1869, Dr. Alonzo Pettit, whose memoir also appears in this work. She was a con- stituent member of the Central Baptist Church, and it is largely owing to her efforts that the institution was called into being. After the dissolution of the Broad Street Church, in 1877, Mrs. Pettit, with charac- teristic tenacity of purpose, continued her primary class, thus holding many of the workers together. For many years she was the presiding genius of its missionary enter- prise, assistant superintendent of its Sunday School and superintendent of its primary department, thus almost literally fulfilling the meaning of the old-time expression "I belong to the Church."
That her activities were numerous and di- versified, the following record will show: Assistant superintendent of the Central Baptist Sunday school; superintendent of the primary department of the Central Bap- tist Sunday school ; member of the executive department of the International Sunday School Association ; member of the primary department and officer of the International Sunday School Association ; director in the State Summer School of Primary Methods, at Asbury Park ; president of the State Pri- mary Council of New Jersey ; member of the executive committee of the Union Coun- ty Sunday School Association; founder of the Primary Teachers' Union of Elizabeth, New Jersey ; chairman of the International Conference of Women's Foreign Mission- ary Boards of United States and Canada ; State president of Women's Baptist Foreign Missionary Society of New Jersey; mem- ber of the board of directors of the General Society of the Women's Baptist Foreign Missionary Society ; originator of the Sum- mer School of Missionary Methods at Northfield; founder of Foreign Missionary Cradle Roll; president of Ladies' Aid So- ciety of Elizabeth General Hospital; found- er of the Pettit Home for Nurses; founder of the Training School for Nurses of the
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Elizabeth General Hospital; one of the founders of the Graded System of Sunday School Lessons now in use (Interdenomina- tional) ; president of the Central Association of New Jersey Baptist Women's Foreign Missionary Society ; organizer of the Junior Department of the Women's Baptist Foreign Missionary Society ; one of the in- corporators of the Elizabeth Charity Or- ganization, and of the Society for the Pre- vention of Cruelty to Children ; a member of the Monday Club of Elizabeth, and of the Elizabeth Town and Country Club.
The home of Mrs. Pettit was a center of unbounded hospitality, a haven of rest and refreshment to returning missionaries, and its doors were ever open. Intense in her de- votion to her own family, her friendship was a priceless boon, and those who knew her best, most treasure her memory as a lasting, changeless possession.
TOWNSEND, Zebulon E.,
Veteran Court Official.
send's funeral, many lawyers and court of- ficials attending the last solemn services.
Zebulon E. Townsend was born in Pater- son, New Jersey, in March, 1837, the place of his birth being the house on Main street, standing on the present site of the Van Dyk furniture store. He died October 27, 1912, aged seventy-five years. He was a son of Nathaniel Townsend, born in Sussex county, New Jersey, and a descendant of a family long numbered among the agricultur- ists of that county.
Nathaniel Townsend was born in Ham- burg, Sussex county, in 1813, died in Pater- son, New Jersey, March 17, 1899. He was well educated, and when nineteen years of age came to Paterson, where until his death he was prominent in business and in public life. He established one of the early livery barns in Paterson and prospered ex- ceedingly, always holding a character for honorable dealing and uprightness. He was mayor of Paterson two terms, 1869-70, 1875-77, and sheriff of Passaic county, two terms, 1866-68, and 1872-74. He also serv- ed as city commissioner, and all his life was active in city politics, one of the representa- tive Democrats of his day. He retired from business several years prior to his death, but never surrendered his interest in public af- fairs. His livery barns were on Main street, near Market, and during his first term as sheriff prior to the erection of suitable court rooms, the sessions of the county court were held there. During his second term as sher- iff, the court house on Main street had been erected and court sessions removed there. Children of Nathaniel Townsend: Mrs. James G. Morgan ; Mrs. E. D. Gardner, of Union Hill; Miss Jane Townsend, Mrs. Martha Dufford, of Paterson; and Zebulon E. Townsend.
An unusual scene was enacted in the Pas- saic county court presided over by Judge Black when the business of the court was suspended to pay tributes of respect to one not a lawyer or jurist, but to the oldest of- ficer of the court. Zebulon E. Townsend was for forty-two years connected with the sheriff's office as deputy and court crier. At the time a former Governor of New Jersey and Attorney-General of the United States, John W. Griggs, spoke words of admiration and respect for his old friend, as did Judge Black and other eminent members of the bar. Known to his intimates as "Zeb," Mr. Townsend had a wide acquaintance among the best men in the State and left behind him a record of devotion to duty integrity and faithfulness never excelled. In recogni- Zebulon E. Townsend passed his child- hood at his father's residence, 20 Hamilton street, Paterson, and there resided until his marriage in 1859, at the age of twenty-two tion of his long term of devoted service, on motion of John W. Griggs, seconded by former Prosecutor Eugene Emley, the court adjourned on the afternoon of Mr. Town- years. He then installed his bride in their
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own home at 16 Hamilton street, and there resided for nearly half a century, until death removed the wife, and four years later the husband followed.
Mr. Townsend secured his education in the public schools, and was associated with his father in business until the latter's first election as sheriff, when he appointed Zebulon E. Townsend his assistant, or un- der sheriff. This office he retained under each succeeding sheriff, performing the du- ties of that office and those of court crier, having been first appointed to the latter of- fice by Judge (afterward Governor) Bedle. Although his father was a vigorous cam- paigner of the old school, the son took little active part in political affairs, although in 1878 he was the Democratic nominee for sheriff. He failed of an election by a small plurality, and never again was a candidate. He continued as under sheriff and court crier for forty-two years, and it was his boast that for forty years he had never miss- ed an opening day of any term of the Passaic courts. Since that time he missed one day, but was again on duty at the opening of the September term, but a few weeks prior to his death. He was one of the kindliest hearted of men, modest and unassuming, highly respected, and esteemed by all who knew him, and "their name was legion." He did not appreciate that his end was so near, but planned some work he wanted to attend to only the day preceding his death. But the vital forces were all consumed, and quietly and peacefully the old veteran pass- ed to that land where courts are not called, and only the Great Judge sits in judgment.
Mr. Townsend married, in 1859, Eliza- beth R., daughter of Rev. S. W. Decker, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, belonging to the Newark Conference. Mrs. Townsend died in 1908, her married life covering a period but little short of half a century. Annie, the only child of Zebulon and Elizabeth R. (Decker) Townsend, mar- ried Thomas Drew, and resides in Paterson.
Children : Emmett Townsend, Thomas Kendall, Elizabeth Townsend.
WERTS, George T.,
Distinguished Jurist, Governor.
Distinguished lawyer, jurist and public official, the career of George T. Werts, best known to Jerseymen as an honored gover- nor, was a notable one from whatever point viewed. His standing as a lawyer was best attested by his appointment to the Supreme Bench of New Jersey ; his popularity by the fact that he was never defeated in a politi- cal contest ; his value as a public official by the fact that two of his bills, the Werts bal- lot reform bill and the Werts liquor bill, in- troduced by him as State Senator, became laws that are yet subjects of discussion. His term as governor was marked by strict at- tention to duty and a sincere desire to give the people who elected him, wise, just and impartial legislation. His business career was equally notable, his connection with en- terprises of magnitude continuous until his retirement.
George T. Werts was born at Hacketts- town, New Jersey, March 24, 1846, died at his residence in Jersey City, January 17, 1910, son of Peter Werts ; his mother was a Vanatta. His father, a builder, moved to Bordentown, New Jersey, in 1849, and there the lad attended private and public schools, finishing at the high school, then entering the Model School at Trenton, and continu- ing a student there until he was seventeen years of age. He then began the study of law with his maternal uncle, Jacob Vanatta, at Morristown, New Jersey, a town destined to be the place of his activities for many years. He was admitted to the Morris coun- ty bar at the November term, 1867, and at once began practice in Morristown. He was successful in practice and very popular with his townsmen, was engaged on one side or the other of all important cases that came before the county court, and was chosen for
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many important city and county offices. His legal career continued successfully, inter- rupted only by his office holding, until Feb- ruary, 1892, when he was appointed by Gov- ernor Abbett and unanimously confirmed by the Senate, a justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. This office he accepted, re- signing as State Senator from Morris coun- ty and as mayor of Morristown in order to do so. His term as Justice of the Supreme Court was a short one, although the duties were entirely congenial and in full accord with his private wishes, but the demands of his party that he become its gubernatorial candidate, were reluctantly acceded to, and he served most acceptably as governor of New Jersey during the years 1893-94-95, resigning his seat on the bench after his election. On retiring from the governor's chair, he resumed the practice of law, resid- ing in Jersey City, and also engaging in im- portant business enterprises. His career as a lawyer and jurist was an honorable one, gaining him the entire respect of both bench and bar. During the campaign for govern- or he made no speeches or personal effort of any kind, sitting daily at the Hudson county court house in discharge of his judi- cial duty.
His first public office was that of recorder of Morris county, an office he filled from May, 1883, until May, 1885. In 1886 he was elected mayor of Morristown, and was twice reelected, each time without opposi- tion, although originally nominated by the Democratic party, that having been his polit- ical affiliation from his first vote. He serv- ed as mayor from 1886 until 1892, and dur- ing that period also sat in both houses of the New Jersey legislature from Morris county, and was president of the Senate and was State Senator when appointed by Governor Leon Abbett to the Supreme Bench. He was exceedingly loth to give up his seat on the bench, and even after his nomina- tion by the Democratic State Convention for the high office of governor, did not for some time determine to sacrifice his person-
al preferences to the party will. Finally he yielded, wrote his letter of acceptance, then performed all his judicial duties as usual, leaving his election or rejection entirely to the men who insisted on his candidacy. His opponent was that strong Republican, John Kean Jr., but Judge Werts was successful in defeating Mr. Kean by a plurality of 7265. Following his election, Judge Werts resigned his judgeship, and for the ensuing three years was New Jersey's capable, effi- cient and honored chief executive. At the close of his term in 1896 he returned to the practice of his profession and to his duties as president of the New York-New Jersey Bridge Company. He also served by ap- pointment as member of the Morris Canal Commission, and as a member of the Hud- son-Fulton Commission.
Governor Werts married Emily N. Run- yon, who survived him. The family resi- dence where he died was 275 Union street, Jersey City.
LEWIS, Griffith Walker,
Manufacturer, Man of Affairs.
There are various tests that may be ap- plied to the life of a man in order to deter- mine the value of that life to his community. Success comes to men in many forms and often favors are showered upon a man who absorbs them without realizing his duty to his fellow men. The true value of the life of Griffith Walker Lewis far transcends a sum expressed in figures, for it covered many fields of labor and was one that, re- ceiving much, gave out yet more abundant- ly. There was no interest of the city of Burlington that was ever denied his helping hand, and when he stepped outside of local limits and became a State figure, it was but to enter a larger field of usefulness. The honors and emoluments of a successful busi- ness life were his in abundance ; official hon- ors were richly bestowed upon him by the voters of Burlington county, no successful candidate ever appearing against him at the
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polls in that county ; the fraternal societies gladly welcomed him to their midst, be- stowing their official recognition ; the institu- tions of philanthropy and charity supported by free will offerings looked upon him as a friend in whose fidelity they could ever con- fide ; and men in every walk of life gave him their full confidence and friendship. By these tests his life was one of proven value, and so long as men value honor, uprightness, patriotism, public spirit, charitable impulse, and loyalty, the name of Griffith Walker Lewis will be spoken with deepest rever- ence.
His ancestors were of Pennsylvania resi- dence, his grandfather coming to New Jer- sey from Bucks county. Griffith Walker, son of Charles and Ann (Love) Lewis, was born in New Jersey, located in Burlington, and there founded the shoe manufacturing business now known as G. W. Lewis and Son, which was largely brought to its pres- ent importance under the management of his son, Griffith Walker Lewis.
Griffith Walker Lewis, last named, was born in Burlington, New Jersey, July I, 1862, and died in the city of his birth, Au- gust 28, 1915, son of Griffith Walker and Annie (Kimball) Lewis. He was deprived of a mother's care and love when seven years of age, his life from that period until his sixteenth year being spent on a farm near Jacksonville, in Burlington county. His education, begun in the public schools, was completed with a two years' course at Bur- lington Military College, and at the age of eighteen years he entered business life as his father's assistant in the shoe manufacturing business. He later was admitted to a part- nership, and on the death of the elder Grif- fith Walker Lewis in February, 1899, suc- ceeded him as head of G. W. Lewis & Son, established in January, 1857. He continued the efficient head of the company and after its incorporation became president, an office he filled until his death.
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