USA > New York > Encyclopedia of biography of New York, a life record of men and women whose sterling character and energy and industry have made them pre?minent in their own and many other states. V.6 > Part 27
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Willis Smith was a farmer in the town of Cuyler, Cortland county, and later re- moved with his family to Lincklean, Che- nango county. He married Emily Bur- dick, daughter of James and Martha (Maxon) Burdick. The founders of the Burdick and Maxon families were mem-
Ray Burdick Smith was born in Cuy- ler, Cortland county, New York, Decem- ber 11, 1867, and was a young child when his parents removed to the town of Linck- lean, Chenango county, in the same State. There he received his earlier education in the country district school, later becom- ing a pupil at the DeRuyter Academy and Cazenovia Seminary, from which he was graduated in the class of 1886, and was awarded the Wendell Scholarship for having maintained the highest standing in the class. In the fall of that year he matriculated at Syracuse University, re- mained there one year, then entered Yale University, from which he was graduated with distinction in the class of 1891, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and mem- bership in the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He achieved prominence in Yale both as a prize speaker and writer. He was a successful competitor for the John A. Porter Prize Essay, being the second un- dergraduate to win it after its foundation in 1870. The "Yale Literary Magazine" was in excellent standing during the time time he was one of its editors and its manager, and as a member of the Psi Upsilon and Chi Delta Theta fraternities he was held in high esteem.
Mr. Smith commenced the study of law in the latter part of 1891, in the Law School of Cornell University, devoting himself so earnestly to this that he prac- tically completed a two years' course in one year, one of his instructors having been Justice Charles E. Hughes. Taking up his residence in the city of Syracuse,
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he completed his law studies in the office of Waters, McLennan & Waters, was admitted to the bar in 1893, and at once opened offices in association with Thomas Woods under the firm name of Woods & Smith, which was later changed to Thomson, Woods & Smith, which part- nership continued until 1911.
In 1894, when the Constitutional Con- vention opened, Mr. Smith was appointed clerk of the cities committee of that body, and in this capacity drafted and advo- cated the constitutional provision which requires every bill for a special city law passed by the Legislature to be sent to the mayor of the city, and returned to the Legislature or Governor within fifteen days, with a certification as to whether or not the city has accepted it. This was one of the most important publicity pro- visions of the present constitution, giving to cities the right to a voice in measures in which they are directly concerned. In the Legislatures of 1894 and 1895, Mr. Smith was clerk of the committee on general laws of the Senate. He was elected supervisor of the Fourteenth, now the Seventeenth, ward of the city of Syracuse, in 1895, and was the incumbent of this office for a period of four years. He was chairman of the committee which had charge of the construction of the new Onondaga County Penitentiary, a struc- ture which has repeatedly been com- mended by the State Prison Commission, and is regarded as a model of its kind.
Mr. Smith was appointed assistant clerk of the Assembly in 1898, holding this office until his election as clerk in 1908. During his service as assistant clerk, he annually organized the clerical force of the house, and managed that work with consummate ability and suc- cess. For many years he has been recog- nized as one of the foremost parliamen- tarians of the State, and he so shaped the
procedure of the Assembly as to expedite materially the work it is called upon to perform. He drafted an amendment to the legislative law, providing for a system of original journals and documents which have, since their adoption, enabled the courts to save many thousands of dollars to the State. During the sixteen years he spent in Albany, he drafted practically every piece of legislation affecting his own county of Onondaga, and succeeded in getting many laws passed of great benefit to this section and to the State at large. He was counsel for the commit- tees which revised the charter of second class cities and drew a proposed charter for the city of New York and his knowl- edge of constitutional law and wide ac- quaintance with municipal affairs were invaluable in these connections. One of the legislative achievements of which Mr. Smith may well be proud is the Syracuse lighting law, which protects the rights of the consumer of gas and electricity more effectively than any measure of its kind, and which was passed only after a hard fight.
In 1910, when a Democratic Assembly was elected, Mr. Smith retired from active political life, and since that time has devoted himself exclusively to the practice of his profession, except that he was elected and served as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1915, and was a prominent figure in that con- vention, notably in securing the adoption of several amendments proposed by him and in opposing other amendments in- cluding the form of submission which were instrumental in the rejection of the proposed revision of the constitution by the electors.
During the recent years he has won a number of cases which have been of far reaching importance. In one of them- Tomaney against the Humphrey Gas.
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Pump Company-the Appellate Division, VANN, Irving Goodwin, Fourth Department, affirmed a judgment of twenty-five thousand dollars, given Mr. Smith's client by a jury. This was the largest verdict in a negligence action by the Fourth Department up to the present time (1915). In the fight in the courts against the telephone monoply in Syra- cuse, Mr. Smith has been a prominent figure, as he also was in securing legis- lation to relieve the towns of the burden of paying a proportion of the cost of the construction of county highways.
In his own county Mr. Smith has been regarded for many years as influential in public affairs. He was elected a mem- ber of the Republican general committee of Onondaga county in 1895, and became the vice-chairman of this body in 1896. He was elected chairman in 1907, and acted in that capacity through two of the hardest municipal campaigns in the experience of the party, that of 1907, and that of 1909, in the latter of which Ed- ward Schoeneck succeeded in a four- cornered fight against one strong Demo- crat and two Independent Republican candidates.
Mr. Smith is a member of the Citizens' and Masonic clubs of Syracuse; the Al- bany Club of Albany; the Republican Club of New York City; he is a thirty- second degree Mason, and a member of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Utica ; Syracuse Lodge, No. 31, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Westminster Lodge, Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows; De Kanissora Tribe, Improved Order of Red Men; Independent Order of Foresters; the Onondaga County Bar Association, and State Bar Association.
Mr. Smith married, in 1891, Nellie King Reilay, of Syracuse, and they have one child: Willis King, born September 11, 1892.
Lawyer, Jurist.
If "biography is the home aspect of history," it is entirely within the province of true history to accumulate and per- petuate the lives and characters, the achievements and honors of the illus- trious sons of the nation, and when the history of New York and her public men shall have been written its pages will bear few more illustrious names or record few more distinguished careers than that of Judge Irving Goodwin Vann, of Syra- cuse. Whatever else may be said of the legal fraternity, it cannot be denied that members of the bar have been more prominent factors in public affairs than any other class in the community. This is but the natural result of causes which are manifest and require no explanation. The ability and training which qualify one to practice law also qualify him in many respects for duties which lie out- side the strict path of his profession and which touch the general interests of soci- cty. The keen discernment and the habits of logical reasoning and arriving at accur- ate deductions so necessary to the suc- cessful lawyer enable him to view cor- rectly important public questions and to manage intricate business affairs suc- cessfully. Not only has Judge Vann at- tained an eminent position in connection with his chosen calling, but also in public office. His marked intellectuality and fitness for leadership led to his selection again and again for public honors. He is a man remarkable in the breadth of his wisdom, in his indomitable perseverance and his strong individuality.
On both sides of the family his lineage is an ancient one. Samuel Vann, his great-grandfather, was born in New Jer- sey, and served with bravery as a lieuten- ant in the War of the Revolution; his
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son, also Samuel Vann, died in 1878, at the age of one hundred and six years. Samuel R. Vann, son of the second Samuel Vann, was a native of New Jer- sey, and followed agricultural pursuits. The greater part of his life was spent in Ulysses, New York, where he died in 1872. He married Catherine H. Goodwin, a daughter of Joseph Goodwin, who served actively in the War of 1812; a granddaughter of Richard Goodwin, who was born in Pennsylvania, and, early in the nineteenth century, settled at Good- win's Point, near Taughannock Falls, on Cayuga Lake; and great-granddaughter of Richard Goodwin, a native of New England.
Judge Irving Goodwin Vann, son of Samuel R. and Catherine H. (Goodwin) Vann, was born in Ulysses, Tompkins county, New York, January 3, 1842, and his early years were spent on the farm of his father in that town. He was pre- pared for entrance to college at Tru- mansburg and Ithaca academies, matricu- lated at Yale College in September, 1859, entering the freshman class, and was graduated in the class of 1863. He en- gaged in the profession of teaching for a time, and in 1864 was principal of the Pleasant Valley High School, near Owensboro, Kentucky, from which posi- tion he resigned in order to devote him- self to his legal studies. He commenced these studies in the office of Boardman & Finch, of Ithaca, continuing them at the Albany Law School, from which he was graduated early in 1865. Following his graduation he served as a clerk in the Treasury Department at Washington, District of Columbia, for some months, and in October, 1865, took up his resi- dence in Syracuse, New York, with which city his career was identified from that time. A limited period of time was spent as clerk in the office of Raynor &
Butler, and he established himself in independent practice in March, 1866. The firms with which he was successively identified are: Vann & Fiske, Raynor & Vann, Fuller & Vann, and Vann, Mc- Lennan & Dillaye. His reputation as a lawyer of tact, ability and undoubted learning was soon established. His prac- tice was mainly confined to cases in the Appellate Courts, although he was so frequently called upon to act as referee, that he was at last obliged to refuse work of this nature, owing to the mass of other legal work which had accumulated.
The interest displayed by Judge Vann in the public affairs of the community was an unselfish and impartial one, but it was soon recognized and appreciated by the people of the city that he was a man to whom the conduct of public affairs could be safely entrusted. In February, 1879, he was elected mayor of Syracuse by a large Republican ma- jority, declining renomination at the end of his term because of the demands of his private practice. However, the citizens of Syracuse had had an opportunity to judge of his worth as a public official, and in 1881 he was elected a justice of the Supreme Court of the Fifth Judicial District, serving from January 1, 1882, to January 1, 1889, when Governor Hill appointed him a judge of the Court of Appeals, Second Division, as which he served during the entire existence of that tribunal, until October 1, 1892, when he resumed the duties of justice of the Su- preme Court. In November, 1895, he was the nominee of both parties, and was reelected a justice of the Supreme Court, assuming his duties January I, 1896, and resigning them January 7, 1896, in order to assume the duties of a judge of the Court of Appeals, to which Gov- ernor Morton had appointed him on January 6, to succeed Judge Rufus W.
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Peckham, who had resigned in order to take up his work as a judge of the Su- preme Court of the United States. In November, 1896, Judge Vann was elected a judge of the Court of Appeals by the largest majority ever received at a State election in New York, his term to cover from January 1, 1897, to December 31, 1910. In the fall of 1910 he was re- elected, having been nominated by both the leading political parties, for the full term of fourteen years, but on reaching the age of seventy he retired on the first of January, 1913, owing to the age limit of the constitution. In 1882 Hamilton College conferred upon him the honor- ary degree of Doctor of Laws and the same degree was conferred by Syracuse University in 1897, and by Yale Univer- sity in 1898. He has been a law lecturer in Cornell, Syracuse and Albany Law schools. He was the organizer of Wood- lawn Cemetery, and has served continu- ously as its president. He was one of the founders, and for several years president, of the Century Club, and was president of the Onondaga Red Cross Society since its organization. For many years he has visited the Adirondacks, where he owns a handsome, well appointed cottage, which he had erected on Buck Island, in Cran- berry Lake. There he houses his splen- did collection of fire arms and weapons of varied character, many of them of decided historical and scientific interest. Always an enthusiastic hunter and fisherman, Judge Vann in earlier years was also fond of camping. In his beau- tiful city home are collections of another sort, notably that of a fine and extensive library, in which may be found many volumes of almost priceless worth. Phil- anthropic projects of varied character and scope have always received a more than fair share of his time and attention, and his charities are wide and diversified.
Judge Vann married, October 11, 1870, Florence Dillaye, only daughter of the late Henry A. Dillaye, of Syracuse. To this union there have been born: Flor- ence Dillaye, July 31, 1871, who married Albert P. Fowler, a member of the law firm of Fowler, Vann & Paine; Irving Dillaye, a member of the above mentioned firm, who was born September 17, 1875.
BRAYTON, Warren C., Financier, Enterprising Citizen,
When, in the course of a few years, the scope of a business grows from a moder- ate beginning to a large amount annually, it argues that there must be a very cap- able leading spirit in control of its affairs, and it is of such a man, Warren C. Bray- ton, of Syracuse, New York, that this sketch treats. Faithfulness to duty and strict adherence to a fixed purpose in life will do more to advance a man's interests than wealth, influence or advantageous circumstances. The successful men of the day are those who have planned their own advancement and have accomplished it in spite of many obstacles, and at the same time with a certainty that may only be acquired through their own efforts. Of this class of men, Mr. Brayton is an excellent representative.
Eli C. Brayton, his father, was born in Washington county, New York, in 1814, and died in Syracuse, New York, in 1895. He was of English descent, and engaged in agricultural pursuits through- out the active years of his life. He mar- ried Maria Barrell, also a native of Washington county, New York. She died in Syracuse, New York, in 1893. Their two children were Warren C. Brayton and Pierce B. Brayton. Pierce B. Brayton was a resident of Syracuse for many years and well known. Later on, he took up his residence in Geneva, Nebraska. He passed away in 1907.
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Warren C. Brayton was born in Hart- ford, Washington county, New York, February 5, 1840, and there acquired his education in the district schools. Brought up on the farm, he assisted his father in its cultivation, at the same time acquiring a great deal of experience in this line which was to be of assistance to him later on. However, farm labors were not great- ly to the taste of Mr. Brayton, and July 9, 1857, found him in Syracuse, whither he had come in order to find more con- genial employment. He opened a rail- road ticket office as the agent of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Company, and several other lines, and in 1865 was joined in this enterprise by his brother. Their unfailing courtesy and unflagging interest in behalf of the travel- ing public brought them a very large business. They succeeded particularly in obtaining a large share of the western travel. This agency was conducted suc- cessfully for more than a quarter of a century. When the New York Central, Lake Shore & Michigan Southern de- creased the number of emigrant trains, as travel to the west diminished, the receipts of Messrs. Brayton Brothers suffered in proportion and Mr. Warren C. Brayton accepted the position of dis- trict passenger agent of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad. He was also affiliated with the passenger depart- ment of the West Shore road, which was then completed and had just gone into operation. When the West Shore be- came a part of the New York Central system, he became general agent for the passenger department of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad, and was instrumental in building up a large passenger business for this railroad. His previous connections with other lines made him one of the best known men in Central New York.
Mr. Brayton had long cherished cer- tain theories and ideas on farming gen- erally and the breeding of cattle prin- cipally, and in the meantime acquired a farm of two hundred and fifty acres in the town of DeWitt. In 1878 he estab- lished this property as an experimental farm, giving it close attention and con- ducting it on a rather scientific plan, and he achieved a success well known to his neighbors in that vicinity at the time. To this farm came the first students in charge of Professor I. T. Roberts from the new established agricultural depart- ment at Cornell University. Mr. Bray- ton's methods had attracted considerable attention; consequently, there was a great deal of interest when the univer- sity recognized this experimental farm. It might be added that this was chiefly due to the plans made by Mr. Brayton to improve the milk production of the native cattle. Mr. Brayton contended that the Holstein cattle were the best milch cows. This was not admitted at the time but has since been conceded. Mr. Brayton was one of the promoters of the Holstein-Friesian Breeders Asso- ciation. Mr. Brayton was treasurer of this association for a great many years and is still a member and takes an active interest in the work. About this time, the farmers had a great deal of difficulty in disposing of the milk. Mr. Brayton, in conjunction with others, founded the Onondaga County Milk Association, and which was to be a great force in the profitable marketing of milk, the improv- ing of the quality and the establishing of standards.
In 1878, Mr. Brayton, acting with Austin B. Avery, Cyrus D. Avery, John Wells and others, promoted the Onon- daga County Fair. The idea was devel- oped while these gentlemen were return- ing from the Fulton County Fair. They
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encountered considerable difficulty at first, especially in financing the project, and at one time it appeared as if the project might fall through because of the finances. Then Mr. Brayton became treasurer and was actually responsible for the financing of the association that put the idea through. The first fair was a splendid success in spite of the many pre- dictions that it would be a failure. The success of the Onondaga County Fair here made possible the bringing to Syra- cuse of the State Fair as it is known to- day.
In 1902 Mr. Brayton was offered the position of general manager of the Kemp & Burpee Manufacturing Company. He accepted it, and resigned his office with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad, a position which he had held for a long time. In the meanwhile he had retired from farming after achiev- ing a splendid success. The Kemp & Burpee Manufacturing Company was established and incorporated in 1878 on a small scale and commenced the manu- facture of a fertilizer spreader, the first implement of this kind ever put on the market. This company had many re- verses at first and considerable difficulty in protecting their patents. Shortly after Mr. Brayton assumed charge of this com- pany's affairs, they began to prosper. He guided the company through some particularly trying times and later on through a very successful era. In the meanwhile he became president of the company ; put into effect his systematic management and progressive methods, and so increased the demand for the out- put of the concern that the means of supplying the demand were taxed to the fullest extent. New factory buildings were erected and also a large office build- ing. It is the opinion of competent farmers that this machine is one of the
most important ever invented for agri- cultural purposes. It affords a means of rapidly restoring the richness to soil which has become impoverished by the constant production of crops. Thus, through very fine ability, Mr. Brayton achieved one of his greatest successes. Kemp & Burpee Manufacturing Com- pany, together with its foundry and its Canadian plant, finally became part of Deere & Company, Moline, Illinois.
After the purchase of the Kemp & Burpee Manufacturing Company and its kindred interests by the "Deere" syndi- cate, Mr. Brayton retired from active business, giving some time, however, to other corporations on whose board of directors he was serving and devoted himself to the Industrial Building which he built in 1889. This was a six-story building of improved construction and made suitable for light manufacturing. This building has housed a great many industries in their infancy and at the present time is occupied by several who require all of the facilities of a large plant but do not require as much room.
In 1910 Mr. Brayton was impressed with the need in Syracuse, New York, for additional banking facilities. He, to- gether with others, organized the City Bank. Mr. Brayton was the first vice- president and at the present time he is president of the institution. The success of this bank from the start is well known. It is seldom that a new banking institu- tion attains so much success in such a short time. It is not to be wondered at, however, when one considers that a group of men who have been successful in their individual lines of business are behind an undertaking of this kind. The City Bank commenced with a capital of $200,000, rapidly accumulating a surplus, and later the capital stock was increased to half a million. This amount, together with the
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surplus, gives Syracuse a bank with fine discrimination which have brought assets of over three-quarters of a million dollars. As president of this bank, Mr. Brayton has given a great deal of time to the working out of the success of its policies.
In politics, Mr. Brayton has been a life- long Republican, a force in the party, but he has never held public office. He pre- fers the quiet methods and is rarely found in the activities of a political campaign although his advice is sought and his opinion carries a great deal of weight. His religious membership is with the May Memorial Unitarian Church, in whose interest both he and his wife have been most active and helpful workers. Their beautiful home is at No. 509 West Onondaga street, on grounds purchased by Mr. Brayton in 1883.
Mr. Brayton married, February 15, 1865, Harriet Elizabeth Duncan, who died June 17, 1914, after forty-nine years of married life. Their children are: Alice M., who passed away in 1875 ; Lieu- tenant Clarence E., who died in the Span- ish-American War; Mildred E., married to Floyd R. Todd, of Moline, Illinois; and Helen Josephine, married to Harry F. Butler, of Buffalo, New York, now a resident of Syracuse.
Mr. Brayton is filled with civic pride for Syracuse; has worked hard for its success as a manufacturing center and is keenly interested in its beauty and its efficient city government. There are in Syracuse to-day few men better known and who enjoy a greater reputation for judgment, foresight and integrity than Warren C. Brayton.
FRENCH, Edmund Leavenworth, Chemist, Manufacturer.
From various strains of New England ancestry, Mr. French has derived the qualities of perseverance, industry and
to him success in the business world. His American progenitor was Stephen French, who was made a freeman, May 14, 1634, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, was representative in 1638, and died in July, 1679. His wife Mary died April 6, 1655. He had a second wife who died in 1657. His son, Stephen French, resided in Weymouth, Massachusetts, where he married, January 19, 1660, Han- nah Whitman, born August 24, 1641, daughter of Jonathan Whitman. Their second son, Samuel French, was born May 5, 1668, in Weymouth, and settled in Stratford, now Bridgeport, Connec- ticut, about 1694, becoming prominent as a public officer, sergeant in the Colonial militia, received in the church in March, 1698, and died in 1732. He married, about 1696, Abigail, daughter of Richard Hubbell, who came from Wales and re- sided in New Haven and Fairfield, Con- necticut. They were the parents of Samuel (2) French, born about 1697, who married Mary, daughter of Benja- min and Rebecca (Phippeny) Sherman, born February 24, 1697. Their son, Samuel (3) French, born about 1717, married, June 2, 1736, Elizabeth, daugh- ter of Nehemiah Loring, and widow of Samuel Clark. They were the parents of Samuel (4) French, born March 9, 1739, in Stratford, settled in Amenia, Dutchess county, New York, about 1773. With his son, Samuel French, and a con- siderable colony of Stratford people, he was instrumental in establishing the colony of Manchester in Vermont. They were ardent churchmen and officers in the Episcopal church, and although Ben- nington and Manchester furnished many intensely loyal men to the Revolution the Frenches undoubtedly were reluctant to show open hostility to the English cause and church, as none of the line appears to
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