USA > New York > Nassau County > Long Island; a history of two great counties, Nassau and Suffolk, Volume III > Part 66
USA > New York > Suffolk County > Long Island; a history of two great counties, Nassau and Suffolk, Volume III > Part 66
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T. EVERETT C. TUTHILL-Identified with a wide variety of interests, including activity in the public life of his community, T. Everett C. Tuthill has served as supervisor of the Town of Shelter Island for many years.
He was born in Shelter Island, Suffolk County, July 9, 1894, son of Alfred T. and Louise (Dickerson) Tuthill, the former of whom, engaged in fishing and farming, passed away in 1911, and the latter in 1935. T. Everett Tuthill attended the district school and the high school of his native town, and, at the death of his father, started while still a boy, to work on the farm. From 1926 to 1929, he was employed as general superintendent of the Ram Island Estates, the island having been owned by his family for over two hundred years, and being sold by them in 1925. Along with his farming interests, Mr. Tuthill operates the Tuthill Boat Yards, and is active in local political circles, having entered that field in 1921 with his election to the office of justice of the peace, for a term of four years. In 1929 he was elected supervisor of the Town of Shelter Island, and has served continuously, with the exception of the years 1934 and '35, being un- opposed in his re-elections since 1941. He belongs tu the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, of which he is chairman of the board of trustees, is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, Peconic Lodge No. 349 of Greenport, the Junior Order of United American Mechanics of Shelter Island, is a trustee of the public library of his town, and serves in the capacity of secretary and treasurer of the town's Light and Power Company, a local institution established in 1922. He is devoted to fishing and hunting as a pleasant relaxa- tion from his many duties.
T. Everett C. Tuthill married Olive Griffin of Rockport, Massachusetts, December 31, 1916, a gradu- ate of Mount Holyoke College, and daughter of Wil- mot and Mary Tufts Griffin. Their children are: I. Alfred W., born December 10, 1917, a graduate of Shelter Island High School and the Brooklyn Insti- tute of Engineering, married Regina Moran of Green- port, daughter of Frank and Ustacia Jackson Moran. During the war, he served as a Diesel engineer for the Greenport Basin Construction, and at present is associated with his father's farm at Shelter Island. 2. Mary L., born May 18, 1919, a graduate of Shelter Island High School, attended Mount Holyoke College, and graduated from Wheelock College in Brookline, Massachusetts, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in education. She married Frank J. Kemp- ton of that city, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank J. Kemp- ton. 3. Geneva G., born October, 1921, attended Shelter Island High School and Howard Seminary. 4. John W., born November, 1924, attended Shelter Island High School, and is now associated with his father in his farming interests, and at the Tuthill Boat Yards.
WILLIAM C. McCOLLOM-Owner of a land- scaping construction business in Islip, and an out- standing authority on all matters pertaining to horti- culture, William C. McCollom, since 1935, has served as sheriff of Suffolk County.
He was born in Paterson, New Jersey, October 7, 1880, son of James and Elizabeth (Miller) McCollom, both natives of that city, the latter's grandfather, John Cable, having been an officer in the Revolu-
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tionary War. After graduating from Public School No. 5, at Paterson, William McCollom's first job was on landscape construction in the public park system of his native city, where his father was super- intendent for many years. Becoming keenly interested in this field of work, he decided to make it a career, and was trained on some of the largest landscape assignments of that time, coming to Islip in 1900 to take charge of the development of the estate of Samuel T. Peters. In 1918, he started the landscaping busi- ness under his own name at Islip, installing some of the show places, not only of that section, but in the entire metropolitan area. Mr. McCollom, an ex- pert on all matters of horticulture and kindred sub- jects, is the author of a book, "Vines and How To Grow Them," published by Doubleday-Page and Company, and is a constant contributor to many magazines including "Country Life in America," "Garden Magazine," "House and Garden," "House Beautiful," and others. He also has lectured before many garden clubs, and has been a most successful exhibitor at numerous flower shows, both locally and in New York City. His political career began in 1933, with the repeal of prohibition, when he was one of the first commissioners of the Suffolk County Control Board, and in 1934, ran, and was elected to the office of sheriff of Suffolk County, with which he has been ever since, with the exception of six months in 1941. He is also vice president and director of the Islip National Bank, trustee of the Union Savings Bank, Patchogue, a member of the New York State Sheriffs Association, and an Exempt Fireman, and served as chairman of the Suffolk County tourna- ment at Islip in 1908. A charter member of the Bay Shore Rotary Club, of which he is past president, life member of Meridian Lodge No. 691, Free and Accepted Masons, Mr. McCollom is a promoter, and enthusiastic member of the Suffolk County Republi- can Club at Timber Point, and of the National Re- publican Club. Always fond of outdoor sports, in- cluding baseball, football, etc., more recently he has become interested in golf, which game has been perfected at the Southampton Golf Club, to which he belongs. His success has been such, that he has won the club championship of the Brentwood Country for five consecutive years, from 1926 to 1930, inclusive, and in 1932, Mr. McCollom won the distinction of club championship at Southward Ho. He is also a col- lector of Currier and Ives prints and early American pressed glass.
William C. McCollom married Sarah M. Calvert of East Islip, in 1904, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Wilson Calvert. The Calverts, natives of England, came to the United States directly after marrying, and all of their children were born here. Thomas, with two other brothers acquired the property now known as Timber Point at Great River, for farming interests. Mr. and Mrs. McCollom's children are : I. Hilda Calvert, a graduate of Islip High School and of Mount Ida College at Boston. She married Thomas R. Farrell and they are the parents of Thomas R., Jr., now attending Colgate University, Sally Ann, a student at St. Agnes Seminary at Baltimore, Gerrod, and William. The family reside at Bay Shore. 2. Robert Cable, a graduate of Islip High School, Masa- nutten Military Academy, and Cornell College. He is at present operating his father's landscaping business. He married Audrey Mitchell, a graduate of Bay Shore High School and Miss Gibb's School in New York City, daughter of George M. and Lillian Sanford Mitchell, and they are the parents of Cynthia San- ford and R. Michael.
GEORGE CUSHMAN-After an early career of unusual diversity in peace and war, George Cushman became associated with the produce and fertilizer business in still-rural Suffolk County, and during the course of approximately a quarter of a century he has become one of the substantial businessmen of that part of Long Island and a well-known figure in the civic and fraternal affairs of his adopted community of Riverhead.
Born at South Edmeston in Ostego County, New York, on October 4, 1893, George Cushman is a son of Charles A. Cushman, a native of Springfield. Massachusetts, and his wife the late Lona L. (Lange- mark) Cushman, who was born in Hamburg, Ger- many. His father was a professional musician of great talent which was matured by study in Europe. He is buried in Sherburne, New York, where the young George Cushman attended school.
From 1913 to 1917 Mr. Cushman was employed as district quartermaster with the Isthmian Land Com- mission of the land zone of Panama. In the latter year he answered the call to the colors in World War I serving until 1919 with the rank of sergeant, and being overseas with the American Expeditionary Forces for twenty-three moths.
From 1919 to 1922 Mr. Cushman was associated with the Harris Brothers Company of Chicago, Illi- nois, in an executive capacity. This concern was engaged in dismantling army camps and purchasing surplus war materials. In 1922 Mr. Cushman became treasurer and general manager of the Long Island Produce and Fertilizer Company, Inc., at Riverhead, Suffolk County, New York, which position he con- tinues to fill to the present time. He has also ac- quired other local business interests, being the secre- tary and treasurer of the Western Suffolk Produce Company, Inc., of Port Jefferson, and a member of the board of directors of the Suffolk County Trust Company.
In civic affairs Mr. Cushman is an active member of the Suffolk Farm Bureau and of the American Legion. He also belongs to the American Pioneer Trails Association. He has long been interested in fraternal affairs, and holds membership in the River- head Lodge No. 645 of the Free and Accepted Masons; in the Knights Templar; in the Com- mandery; and in Kismet Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Kismet Temple is in the Borough of Brooklyn.
SAMUEL SOUTH GILES-Samuel S. Giles has been steadily expanding in the business life of Port Jefferson since he settled here in 1933 to engage in the sale and servicing of automobiles.
Mr. Giles was born in Canarsie, Brooklyn, on De- cember 1, 1906, the son of the late Samuel South Giles and Phoebe Elizabeth (Carman) Giles. His father was the only blacksmith in the village of Canarsie. His mother, born in Brooklyn, is still living, at the age of eighty-four. He was graduated from the public schools of Brooklyn, and for a time he conducted a boat yard and a party fishing busi- ness at Long Beach, New York. In 1933 he estab- lished the Giles Chevrolet Sales organization at Main Street and Barnum Avenue in Port Jefferson, and in 1938 he erected his present modern building. He has recently purchased adjacent property for additional building space. Mr. Giles is a member of the Ro- tary Club of Port Jefferson. His favorite recreation is fishing and golfing.
Mr. Giles was married on April 9, 1932, to Miss
Theo offloppy
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Helen Fruiesen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Fruiesen, of Brooklyn. They are the parents of three children, all born in the South Nassau Community Hospital: I. Bruce, born May 24, 1933. 2. Gary, born April 22, 1935. 3. Linda, born October 14, 1938.
THEODORE BERNHARDT KLAPPER-The activities of Theodore Bernhardt Klapper cover a wide range of interests. They include the railroad- ing and steamship phases of the transportation indus- try, real estate and insurance-as well as such service as village clerk of the village of Garden City and treasurer of the Union Free School District, No. 18, also at Garden City. Through his activities and his public interest, Mr. Klapper has become one of the most prominent figures on Long Island and he heads a group of associations that have played a vital part in developing a large portion of the Island.
Mr. Klapper was born at Hempstead on January II, 1891, the son of William and Frances Klapper, the former a hotel operator. He was educated in the ele- mentary and high schools of Hempstead, and at Heffley Institute, Brooklyn. His first position was with Alfred C. Simonson, a Mineola real estate firm. Later he was with the United States Title Guarantee and Indemnity Company, Mineola; then the Old Dominion Steamship Company, in Manhattan; the Central Railroad of New Jersey, at Jersey City; the Garden City Company, Garden City, and the firm of Hubbell, Klapper and Hubbell, real estate, and Hub- bell, Klapper and Goodell, insurance, at Garden City. Mr. Klapper was president of the Nassau-Suffolk County divisions of the Long Island Real Estate Board; and trustee and chairman of the finance com- mittee of Adelphi College; a director and vice presi- dent of the First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Hempstead; vice president of the Newbridge Pro- perties, Inc., a real estate development company; sec- retary and treasurer of the Cathedral Avenue Realty Company; president of the Nassau County Insurance Agents Association; Mineola-Garden City Rotary Club and of the Chamber of Commerce of Garden City. He likewise served as a member of Hempstead and then later the Garden City Volunteer Fire De- partment, and is now a member of the Volunteer and Exempt Firemen's Association of Garden City; member of the Long Island Association, and mem- ber of the Men's Association of "The Cathedral of Incarnation." During World War II, he served on the Price Panel of the Office of Price Administration. Fraternally Mr. Klapper is affiliated with Lodge No. 1253, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Morton Lodge No. 63, Free and Accepted Masons, and the Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, all of Hemp- stead. Mr. Klapper was the first village clerk of Garden City, and he has been treasurer since 1916 of No. 18 School District. He is a member of the Cherry Valley Club, North Fork Country Club and with his family attends the Cathedral of the Incarna- tion, Protestant Episcopal.
On July 21, 1915, Theodore Bernhardt Klapper mar- ried Lottie Maude Bates, at St. George's Rectory. Hempstead. She is the daughter of William E. and Emma (Sprague) Bates, of Woodmere. Mr. and Mrs. Klapper are the parents of one son: Theodore Pershing, born August 7, 1918.
ARTHUR L. MILLIGAN-When in 1939 the village of Babylon created the office of police justice, Arthur L. Milligan was the first man appointed to the post. Though he is no longer on the bench,
Judge Milligan has achieved even higher influence in the affairs of the community. A prominent attorney, he is on the school board and in World War II was appeal agent for the Selective Service System in the Sayville area.
Judge Milligan was born in Brooklyn on March 16, 1908, the son of Arthur M. and Elise (Baradel) Milli- gan. His father, a native of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and a graduate of the Brooklyn Law School, practices law in that borough.
Arthur L. Milligan received his preliminary educa- tion in Brooklyn, being graduated from Erasmus Hall High School. He continued education at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, from which he received the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy in 1929. In 1932 he was graduated from the Brooklyn Law School with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. The fol- lowing year he was admitted to the New York State bar and since then has been in practice in Babylon. The police justiceship was created by the village in September, 1939, and Judge Milligan served from that time until 1940. He is now a member of the Babylon School Board, District No. I, and has served in other public capacities aside from his duties as appeal agent for the draft board. He was appointed village attorney for the village of Babylon in the spring of 1947. He is a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association; the Babylon Lodge, No. 793, Ancient Free and Ac- cepted Masons; the South Bay Yacht Club and the Timber Point Club of Suffolk. He is a Methodist.
Judge Milligan and Irma Hencke, daughter of A. Dirk and Marie (Van Spall) Hencke, were married in Babylon on February 9, 1934. They are the parents of two daughters: Marie, born April 28, 1940, and Julie, born June 19, 1941.
JAMES E. TOOKER-As farmer and public offi- cial James E. Tooker has served his native Suffolk County since his early youth. He is now both town clerk and town historian of Babylon.
Mr. Tooker was born in Mastic, town of Brook- haven, on December 3, 1876. His family is among the oldest in that section of Long Island. His grand- father was Benjamin Brown Tooker, who was born at Setaucket, also in the town of Brookhaven, and whose trade was ship's carpenter. The parents of James E. Tooker were John T. and Margaret (Egan) Tooker. John T. Tooker, also a native of Mastic, was a farmer who established a homestead at Islip in 1880. Mrs. Tooker was a native of Ireland.
Taken to Islip when he was four years old, James E. Tooker was educated in the East Islip School, from which he was graduated in 1893. For the next three years he continued helping his father on the farm. In 1896 he settled at Babylon and has been active in the life of that town ever since. At first Mr. Tooker worked as a clerk in the law office of the late Judge William Nicoll, who at one time was surrogate of Suffolk County. Subsequently, Mr. Tooker served as a clerk in the law office of Willard Reid. In 1929, he was elected to his first term as town clerk. Since then, he has been repeatedly re-elected. He has served as town historian since first taking office as town clerk. Mr. Tooker is a charter member of the Timber Point Club of Suffolk County and is also a member of the Royal Arcanum at Babylon. In re- ligion, he is an Episcopalian.
Mr. Tooker married Anna Olsson in Babylon on April 12, 1908. Mrs. Tooker, who was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Olsson, natives of Sweden, died in 1915. One son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Tooker: John T., in Babylon on January 7, 1910. He
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is a graduate of Babylon High School. He married Elizabeth Chasas, of Babylon, and they have become the parents of three sons: James E. II; John T., Jr., and Robert William, all born in Babylon.
CHARLES P. DISCH-A native Suffolk Countian, Charles P. Disch began his business career in Sag Harbor where he was born, but came to Shelter Island Heights more than twenty years ago, where by industry, courtesy and ethical dealings with the public, he has built up a highly successful retail establish- ment and has become one of the substantial business- men of his adopted community.
Both of Mr. Disch's parents, the late Adolph and Mary (Carroll) Disch, were settlers of Sag Harbor, where Adolph Disch, a machinist by trade, worked at the torpedo factory which at that time was con- ducted by E. W. Bliss in that village, and also at Faby's Watch Case Company, also located at Sag Harbor. The son of Adolph and Mary (Carroll) Disch whom they named Charles P., was born on May 5, 1902. He attended public school in Sag Harbor, and after graduating from the Pierson High School there, prepared himself for the business he had de- cided to enter, by studying at the Fordham University School of Pharmacy in the city of New York.
Mr. Disch served his apprenticeship in Reiman's Drug Store in his native Sag Harbor, but in 1926 he moved to Shelter Island and became associated with C. Wesley Smith, who then owned the Shelter Island Heights Pharmacy. This association continued until 1937, when Mr. Disch bought out Mr. Smith and became sole owner and manager of the establishment which has continued to prosper in serving the people of Shelter Island Heights.
Mr. Disch and his family are communicants of the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Isles at Shelter Island Heights.
On November 28, 1927, Charles P. Disch married Dorothy Schmitt, of Sag Harbor, a daughter of Eugene and Sarah (Early) Schmitt of that village. Of this marriage there are two children: I. Mary Barbara, who was born at Sag Harbor on May 12, 1930, and attended the Shelter Island High School. 2. Charles Paul, born at Sag Harbor in 1933.
WILLIAM J. MURRAY-An able attorney, suc- cessful for many years at the bar of New York City, William J. Murray's belief that a man should not confine his activities to his profession or business, nor think only of his own advancement, made him a leader in civic affairs and religious activities in the communty where he had taken up his residence, the progressive suburban village of Rockville Centre in Nassau County, and this in turn led to his appoint- ment to the postmastership of that typical Long Island community, a position he has filled for several years with the greatest credit.
William J. Murray was born in New York City, which at that time meant what is now the borough of Manhattan, on May 26, 1882. His parents, the late Mat- thew T. and the late Margaret M. (Morgan) Murray, were natives of New York City, where Matthew T. was in the insurance business for many years before his death in 1942 at the age of eighty-five years. His widow survived him to the year 1944, when she died at the age of eighty-three. William J. Murray, after completing his elementary and intermediate schooling, entered Fordham University, from which
he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts upon gradu- ating with the class of 1903. He was for fifteen years on the reportorial and editorial staff of the old "New York Herald." During his student days he formed the ambition of a career in the law, and to that end he enrolled at the New York Law School, where the degree of Bachelor of Laws was conferred on him in 1908. In the following year he was admitted to the bar. For thirty years he practiced his pro- fession in New York City, representing many im- portant clients and highly esteemed in legal circles. It was in 1939 that Mr. Murray was appointed, by the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt, postmaster of Rockville Centre. This position he continues to fill efficiently and to the satisfaction of the patrons of that constantly growing office.
Mr. Murray has entered deeply into the life of his adopted community both in business and in civic affairs. He is treasurer of the County Federal Sav- ings and Loan Association, with offices in Rockville Centre, and is president of the board of trustees of the public library of that village. He is a member and past president of the Nassau County Postmasters Association, and a member and director of the United States Postmasters Association. In politics he is a Democrat, and has long been active in the affairs of his party.
A Roman Catholic in religion, Mr. Murray has been more than a passive communicant of his church. He and his family are attendants at the Church of St. Agnes, and Mr. Murray has served six terms as presi- dent of the Holy Name Society of that parish. In the field of civic affairs Mr. Murray is also affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce of Rockville Centre. His hobby is one appropriate to a postmaster, namely stamp collecting.
At Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on November II, 1912, William J. Murray was married to Clara Josephine O'Reilly of East Liberty, a district of Pittsburgh. Mrs. Murray is a daughter of the late John J. and Clara Josephine (Frauenheim) O'Reilly. To William J. and Clara Josephine (O'Reilly) Mur- ray, a family of thirteen splendid children has been born, consisting of nine sons and four daughters. Few Americans can boast of a more splendid contri- bution to the defense of the liberties of our country than can Mr. and Mrs. Murray, six of whose sons entered the armed services at the call to the colors during the second World War. The children of William J. and Clara Josephine (O'Reilly) Murray are:
I. William J., who served as an aviator with the Twelfth United States Air Corps, taking part in fifty-five missions and holding the rank of captain. 2. Morgan J., who, as a captain of infantry attached to the Fifth Army, saw service in the Italian war theater. 3. Matthew T., who joined the United States Army and served in a tank corps overseas, including the campaigns in Germany, with the rank of sergeant. 4. John J., who also held the rank of sergeant and fought as a waist gunner in the Fifteenth Air Force. 5. Arthur J., who saw overseas service as a flight officer and navigator attached to the Eighth Air Force. 6. Eugene J., who also served overseas as a sergeant of infantry in the United States Third Army. 7. Paul J., who is now attending school. 8. Thomas M., likewise a schoolboy. 9. Edward P., also a stu- dent at school at this writing. 10. Mary Louise, now a nun and a registered nurse, attached to Mercy Hos- pital. II. Madeleine, the wife of James J. Shelley. 12. Rose Marie. 13. Ann M.
+
Um Murray,
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WILLIAM H. HOUSNER-Although city born and bred, William H. Housner after some years as a bank employee in metropolitan New York, found in fertile agricultural Suffolk County not only the perfect place to live but the opportunity of notable business success in serving the needs of that county's prosperous and progressive farmers.
Mr. Housner's father, the late William H. Housner, a cabinet maker by trade, married Mary Adeline Christian, a native of New York City, where on June 16, 1889, the son whom they named William H. was born. As a boy he attended the public schools of New York City, but while still only a lad he took employment with the Chemical National Bank in that city, and remained with this noted financial institu- tion, in various capacities, until 1918. In the latter year he located in Riverhead, Suffolk County, and became associated with the late Joshua T. Fanning in the farm supply business. In 1929 Mr. Housner became a member of the firm, which then assumed the name of Fanning and Housner.
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