USA > New York > Nassau County > Long Island; a history of two great counties, Nassau and Suffolk, Volume III > Part 75
USA > New York > Suffolk County > Long Island; a history of two great counties, Nassau and Suffolk, Volume III > Part 75
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many years a member of the board of trustees of that village. The young Edward A. Hamilton was sent to the Brooklyn Preparatory School, from which he graduated prior to enrolling in Holy Cross College at Worcester, Massachusetts, where he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts upon graduating with the class of 1932. Having fixed his ambition on a career in the law, he entered St. John's University, where he took his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1935.
In the following year, 1936, Mr. Hamilton was ad- mitted to the bar of the state of New York. He hung out his shingle in his home town of Babylon, and there he has maintained his office from that time to the present writing, having a lucrative practice and serving many important clients with skill and success.
During World War II Mr. Hamilton enlisted in the United States Army and served from some time in 1943 to November, 1945. With the rank of corporal, he saw action in the European Theater of Operations before receiving his honorable discharge.
Mr. Hamilton is a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association. His politics are revealed by his membership in the National Republican Club, head- quarters of which are in New York City. He is also a member of the Timber Point Club. In religion he is of the Roman Catholic faith, and is a communicant of St. Joseph's Church of that denomination.
On July 6, 1940, Edward A. Hamilton was married at Westbury, Suffolk County, Long Island, to Ver- onica Audet, a daughter of Aimie and Roseanne (La Barge) Audet.
JOHAN M. JOHANNESSEN-The first man to introduce a commercial radio set to Huntington was Johan M. Johannessen. He had, at the time, already been in business as the operator of a music store for several years. Today that business handles the widest possible range of musical instruments, radio sets, records, sheet music and home appliances and maintains as well a piano tuning and radio service. The store is at 255 Main Street, in Huntington.
Mr. Johannessen was born in Hovaag, Norway on June 5, 1884, the son of Ole Tobias, a sea captain. Educated in the Norwegian schools, he worked as a boy in his late teens in various jobs on land. In 1905, he worked his way on an old-time sailing ship from Norway to England and in that country became an employee of Thomas Cook and Sons, the world- famed travel agency. In 1910, he sailed from Eng-
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land for the New World and first set foot on its soil at a New Brunswick port. From there he went to Toronto, where until 1916 he was employed by the Wilson Wholesale Drug Company.
It was in 1917 that Mr. Johannessen came to Long Island and established himself in Huntington. He opened his music store in the Willetts Building on New York Avenue. Six years later, he moved to his present location on Main Street, taking over a store formerly occupied by Woessner and Semon. He is one of Suffolk County's best known music dealers today, and is active in the Masonic order, being a member of Jephtha Lodge, No. 494, of Huntington. He and his family worship at the Central Presbyterian Church, also in that community.
On June 10, 1917, at Toronto, Mr. Johannessen and Matilda Grife, daughter of Charles and Eliza- beth (Kruger) Grife, were married. Mrs. Johan- nessen's parents, natives of Germany, traveled to Canada in their early childhood, settling on a farm. At the time of the marriage, Mrs. Johannessen was assistant chief operator of the Bell Telephone Com- pany in Toronto. They are the parents of two chil- dren: Ralph, born April 4, 1921, who in World War II was an aviation machinist's mate third class, and served as a flight engineer in the United States Navy, and is now with the Republic Aviation Corporation, and Norman Johannessen, born in Huntington on Sep- tember 14, 1919, who in World War II spent three and one-half years in the United States Army Air Forces as a lieutenant and served in the Mediter- ranean Theater of Operations and who is now asso- ciated with his father in the music store. Both sons are graduates of Huntington's public schools. Nor- man Johannessen is, in addition, a graduate of Pace Institute.
DAVID HOLMAN-A lawyer of exceptional ability with a large clientele and a lucrative practice, David Holman is the sort of man who is not content with personal success and its rewards, but is always mindful of the duty lying on all citizens, especially the educated and the professional classes, to render service to the community by civic activities and by engaging in politics in behalf of good government and the efficient administration of justice. In this he resembles hisfather, the late Aaron Holman, who, not in the field of the professions but in his business activities, was a builder and benefactor of the com- munity.
Aaron Holman, a son of the late Jacob and Marjorie Holman, was like his parents a native of Russia. Jacob Holman was born in 1846, his wife in 1845, and their son in 1875. His formal education was obtained in his native land, and there too he began his business career in 1896 as an employee of a dry goods store. But prospects of a satisfactory career in Russia were far from bright. and like so many others, Aaron Holman looked longingly toward America. In 1897 he made the great adventure of crossing the ocean to start anew in the United States, the land of free- dom, tolerance and opportunity. The beginnings of his business career in this land of promise were humble and he had to carry on at first under very discourag- ing circumstances. Beginning in the smallest way he sold dry goods from house to house, carrying his stock with him. For the first six months of this itinerant merchandising he worked in the vicinity of New York City and on Staten Island, which by that time had become part of the metropolis as the borough of Richmond, but was still sparsely settled and pre- dominantly rural. Presently Aaron Holman changed
the scene of his activities to the central part of New York State, selling in such cities as Utica, Ithaca and Binghamton. From the Binghamton vicinity he naturally crossed over into Pennsylvania, concentrat- ing his salesmanship in and about the city of Scranton. In 1898 Mr. Holman returned to New York State, investigated the possibilities of business on Long Island, and fixed upon New Hyde Park, a village of small home owners, as the center of his activities. For about three years he continued his itinerant mer- chandising in the region around New Hyde Park, meanwhile practicing thrift and economy and accumu- lating a small capital, with which in 1901 he built a small store in that Nassau County village. Here he opened up a dry goods business, and his experience, his knowledge of this type of merchandise, his business acumen and his sense of responsible fair dealing with his customers proved their worth. From the start his little business prospered, and before long he opened another store and entered definitely on a policy of business expansion. In 1911 he built a three- story brick structure at the corner of South Fourth Street and Jericho Turnpike. This building he leased, and since that time it has housed important business interests.
In 1918 Mr. Holman demonstrated his business sagacity by establishing a factory for the manufacture of men's trousers and boys' clothing. He did not re- tire from merchandising, but on the contrary con- tinued to operate his dry goods store while expand- ing his manufacturing venture, which also was high- ly successful. At this time the vast development which has turned Nassau County from an area of sleepy villages and placid farms into a belt of popu- lous modern suburbs, was in full swing, and with capital accumulated by his industry and business ability, Aaron Holman in 1922 entered the real estate field by purchasing a large proportion of the shares of the Lakeville Terrace Realty Company. On Jan- uary 22, 1924, Mr. Holman formed a partnership with S. Farber and H. Sheppard, with whom he acquired full ownership of the Lakeville Terrace concern, which then became known as the New Hyde Park Realty Corporation. Under this name they laid out a development comprising four hundred and forty- five plots, on which homes have arisen, constituting a considerable part of modern New Hyde Park. This operation was a great contribution to the growth of that suburb. Mr. Holman, who died on March 4, 1941, was a vice president and director of the Bank of New Hyde Park and also sat on the board of direc- tors of the Loan Association of the First National Bank of Mineola. He was a man who generously helped along all good civic causes.
Aaron Holman married, in August, 1002, the former Lena Fahrman, who survives him. They had two children, Evelyn Marjorie, who was born in 1907, and David, who was born in New York City on July 20, 1904. Reared at New Hyde Park. he attended public school there and high school in Hempstead, graduat- ing in 1921. An ambitious lad, he early formed the determination to be a lawyer, and entering the Law School of New York University in New York City, he achieved his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1925, and was admitted to the bar the following year. He set up in practice in his home village of New Hyde Park. where he remained until 1937, when he moved his office to Hempstead; and in this larger community he has continued to serve an important clientele to the present time.
Mr. Holman's notable abilities led to his selection as attorney for the village of New Hyde Park in 1930,
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a position he holds to this writing, as he does the post of attorney to Union Free School District Number Five, to which he was appointed in 1931. In 1935 Mr. Holman was made assistant district attorney of Nassau County, and this office he continues to fill with ability and integrity. He is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association and of the American Bar Association. A member of the Republican party and active in its affairs, he is executive committeeman of the party for a territory running from the Mineola Village line to the city line in North Hempstead. Mr. Holman was the organizer of the New Hyde Park Republican Club, in 1928, and was its first president and continued to serve in that capacity until 1946, when he declined re-election. He was also the or- ganizer, in 1930, of the Non-Partisan League in New Hyde Park, and of this organization he has remained the leader to the present time. For some years Mr. Holman, in addition to his other official duties, has served as village attorney for the village of Farm- ingdale, Nassau County. He belongs to the Exempt Firemen's Association in New Hyde Park, and also holds membership in the New York State Chiefs of Police Association, the New York State District At- torneys Association, and the Master Bakers Associa- tion of Nassau and Suffolk Counties. He is a well- known figure in Masonic and other fraternal circles, being affiliated with Sunrise Lodge No. 1069 of the Free and Accepted Masons in Freeport, Nassau County; with the Consistory, in which he holds the thirty-second degree; with New York City's famous Mecca Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; and with Lodge No. 1485 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in Hempstead.
On December 30, 1926, David Holman was married to Ethel Katz of Mineola, Nassau County, a daugh- ter of Joseph and Anna (Strauss) Katz. Of this mar- riage there are two children: I. Sandra Mae, who was born on July 14, 1928. A child of great natural histrionic talent, Sandra Mae Holman played the im- portant role of "Fluffy" in the successful play, "Junior Miss," as produced on the stage in New York City and in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from Sewan- haka High School in 1946. 2. Gary, who was born on February 23, 1931, and was a member of class of 1947 of The Milford School at Milford, Connecticut.
PAUL E. SCHAEFER-In his business life, Paul E. Schaefer of Huntington Station occupies a lead- ing position among bankers in Suffolk County and New York State as a whole, for he has distinguished himself as executive vice president and cashier of the Huntington Station Bank. Through his other in- terests, he enjoys leadership in the field of health and fraternal affairs. He won the Purple Heart in World War I.
Mr. Schaefer was born at Stony Brook, on Septem- ber II, 1894, the son of Anton and Margaret (Ha- mann) Schaefer. His father was an estate superinten- dent at Stony Brook. Both he and the mother, who died there, are buried there.
Following graduation from the Stony Brook High School, Mr. Schaefer entered the employ of the Bank of Suffolk County at Stony Brook. This was in 1912, and his first job was that of clerk. In 1920, when the Huntington Station Bank opened for business, Mr. Schaefer was on its staff as assistant cashier. In 1932 he was promoted to cashier and in January, 1945, the title and responsibilities of executive vice presi- dent were added. He is also a member of the board
of directors and on the board of the Huntington Federal Savings and Loan Association.
During the years 1946-47 Mr. Schaefer served as president of the Suffolk County Bankers Association. He is a charter member of the Rotary Club of Hunt- ington Station, past master of Jephtha Lodge, No. 494, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons at Hunting- ton, and a member of the Huntington Post, No. 360, American Legion. His church is the Central Presby- terian of Huntington Station. His hobbies are hunting and fishing.
In World War I, Mr. Schaefer was a private first class in Company C, 325th Infantry, 82nd Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Sent overseas, he was wounded in action in June, 1918, and was awarded the Purple Heart.
Mr. Schaefer married Evelyn Darling, daughter of Charles T. and Harriet (Brown) Darling of Stony Brook, at Camp Upton, Long Island, on April 23, 1918. They are the parents of a daughter, Harriet, born February 4, 1920. She is now Mrs. Ralph Leutz and the mother of Nancy and Suzanne Leutz.
DR. LYLE L. MORRIS-From the ranks of academic life, and remembered kindly by students some thirty years ago as a rural teacher of a one- room school in Iowa, Dr. Lyle L. Morris has come to be a force in educational circles in Suffolk County. Twice-appointed Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Morris was first assigned to Northport, for six- teen years; and recently, since his discharge from the Naval Reserve, he has been given the superinten- dency for Huntington.
Dr. Morris was born at Oakland, Iowa, on March 28, 1897, a son of Christopher and Celestine (Phillips) Morris, and was raised on his father's farm there. Both his parents were natives of the Oakland region. After his graduation from Oakland High School, Dr. Morris secured the position of teacher for the one- room Iowa schoolhouse, and taught there from 1915 to 1916. He served in World War I, as well as in World War II, and despite his career as a teacher and soldier, Dr. Morris found time to enroll at Drake University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1920. He studied for his Master of Arts degree at Columbia University and received it in 1926; four years later he was given his doctorate at the same institution.
After finishing his studies at Drake University, Dr. Morris was appointed head of the Mathematics Department at the Senior High School at Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he remained from 1921 to 1922. The next three years he served as Superinten- dent of Schools at Lewis, Iowa. In 1926 he went to Superior, Wisconsin, where he became Dean of Boys at Superior Senior High School for one year. Then he settled in New York City where he enrolled for courses at Columbia University to obtain his Doctor of Philosophy degree. Following this he was chosen assistant to the superintendent of schools at White Plains, New York, and served also as the purchasing agent there. For the next sixteen years, from 1930 to 1946, Dr. Morris filled the post of superintendent of schools of Northport in Suffolk County. On July I, 1946, he was appointed to the same position in Huntington. During the war years between 1942 and 1945, Dr. Morris served in the United States Naval Reserve as a lieutenant commander.
Prominent in the educational field, Dr. Morris is a former president of the Suffolk County School Execu- tives and of the Long Island Zone of the State Teach- ers Association. A thirty-second degree Mason, he
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belongs to all the various bodies of the Masonic order. In addition he is a member of the Huntington Rotary Club, the Huntington Chamber of Commerce, the Huntington Post of the American Legion and the New York Schoolmasters Club. He worships in the Presbyterian faith, and is generous in his donations to religious and humane causes.
On October 2, 1920, at Burt, Iowa, Dr. Morris married Gladys Dittmer, daughter of Charles and Rose (Morgan) Dittmer. They are the parents of two children: 1. Winifred, born in 1935 at New York City. 2. William, born in 1938, also in New York City.
KENNETH W. ANDERSON-Prominent as a lawyer at Sag Harbor, Kenneth W. Anderson is also active in banking circles and is one of the organizers and president of the Suffolk County Whaling Museum of Sag Harbor.
He was born at Racine, Wisconsin, on May 20, 1902, the son of Cornelius and Caroline (Telleson) Anderson. His mother was a native of Wisconsin. Cornelius Anderson, of Norwegian birth, settled in Wisconsin and was a captain of ships which navi- gated the Great Lakes.
Kenneth W. Anderson began his schooling in Mil- waukee. He was graduated from the South Division High School in that city, after which he took his prelegal work at Middlebury College, in Vermont, from which he was graduated in 1925 with the degree of Bachelor of Science. In 1930 he took his degree of Bachelor of Laws at the Brooklyn Law School. Admitted to the bar of the state of New York in 1931, Mr. Anderson established himself in the gen- eral practice of law at Sag Harbor soon afterward. His success was almost immediate. He is a vice president and director of the Peconic Bank of Sag Harbor and a trustee and attorney of the Sag Harbor Savings Bank. When the Suffolk County Whaling Museum was organized in 1938, he became its presi- dent and has retained this office to the present time. Mr. Anderson is also a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association; the Sag Harbor Lodge, No. 437, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is Past Master, Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity and his church is the Presbyterian. Mr. Anderson's hobby is swim- ming.
Mr. Anderson married Anita M. Shelton in Sag Harbor on April 23, 1932. A native of that com- munity, Mrs. Anderson is the daughter of Frank R. and Mary L. (Miles) Shelton. The Andersons are the parents of a son, Miles Bradley Anderson, who was born in Sag Harbor on February 21, 1945.
THOMAS K. PATTERSON-Representative of the high standard of the legal profession in Nassau County, Thomas K. Patterson has continued the prac- tice of law established by John Lyon, well-known South Shore lawyer. In the business field Mr. Pat- terson is a director of the County Federal Savings and Loan Association in Rockville Centre.
Thomas K. Patterson was born in Brooklyn, Sep- tember 27, 1890, the son of Thomas and Ella (Phelan) Patterson. The elder Mr. Patterson was born in Brooklyn and died January 4, 1901; Mrs. Patterson, also a native of Brooklyn, died in November, 1918. In his lifetime the elder Mr. Patterson became identified with the development of Nassau County. While active in the real estate business in Brooklyn, Mr. Patterson opened one of the early projects at Mineola, Long Island called "Woodnut Farm." He was a
leader in the local Republican party and was one of the men responsible for the separation of Nassau County from Queens and the location of the county seat at Mineola. Later he became the first county clerk of Nassau County.
The early education of Thomas K. Patterson fol- lowed the traditional pattern in the public schools of Mineola and Hempstead. He then entered Boys High School in Brooklyn, transferring to and graduating from the Riverhead High School in Long Island. Further study was accomplished at three colleges: Amherst College, New York Law School, and Brooklyn Law School. In 1919 Mr. Patterson was admitted to the bar. His general practice of law has been conducted at Rockville Centre.
Thomas K. Patterson is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association. Among his fraternal affilia- tions is his membership in the Free and Accepted Masons, where he is a Past Master of Morton Lodge, No. 63.
Politically Mr. Patterson is a Republican and, a member of the Episcopal faith, he attends the Church of the Ascension. In his leisure Mr. Patterson enjoys fishing.
EDGAR F. HAZLETON-In the often connected activities, the law and public service, Edgar F. Hazle- ton, of Huntington, is prominent. He is a native of Brooklyn, New York, born on October 4, 1889, and at- tended Public School No. 46, at Aqueduct, from which he was graduated with the class of 1904. Four years later he received his diploma from the Rich- mond Hill High School, and matriculated at the Brooklyn Law School of St. Lawrence University, where in 1920 he was graduated with the degree Bachelor of Laws.
In 1912, Mr. Hazleton was admitted to the bar of the state of New York, and has since practiced his profession with present offices in Huntington. Mr. Hazleton was chief assistant District Attorney of Queens County, from January 1, 1918, to December 31, 1919, when he resigned because he was elected Justice of the Municipal Court of the City of New York, in November, 1919. After serving as justice from January I, 1920, to October I, 1924, he resigned to return to private practice. Edgar F. Hazelton has been County Attorney of Suffolk County since Janu- ary I, 1936. He was a member of the Selective Service Board of Huntington from its organization in October, 1940.
Fraternally Mr. Hazleton is affiliated with Lodge No. 1565, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, at Huntington, of which he is a Past Exalted Ruler; and member of the Knights of Columbus. Numbered among his clubs are the National Republican, the Suffolk County Republican, and Huntington Crescent. He attends the Roman Catholic Church.
On June 20, 1914, Edgar F. Hazleton married Theresa E. Brust, daughter of Frederick and Anna Brust. Mr. and Mrs. Hazleton are the parents of two sons, both of whom served throughout World War II: I. Edgar F., Jr., born May 30, 1915; served in the United States Navy Air Force, with the rank of lieutenant commander. Married Lorraine Grace of Long Beach, California and they have two children. 2.' Donald F., born January 22, 1919, served on the U.S.S. "West Virginia," at the Battle of Pearl Har- bor, with the rank of lieutenant, United States Naval Reserve Air Force. He married Eileen Doerr of Roslyn and they have one child, Edgar F. Hazleton III, born June 22, 1947.
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D. ORMONDE RITCHIE-The appointment by the Hon. Thomas E. Dewey, Governor of the State of New York, on December 31, 1946, of D. Ormonde Ritchie of Brightwaters, justice of the peace of the town of Islip, to the bench of the county court of Suffolk County, gave widespread satisfaction to the people of Suffolk, won the approval of Judge Ritchie's colleagues in the legal profession throughout Long Island, and was received with great favor by the general membership and the inner circles of the Republican party of the second judicial district. Ad- mitted to the bar of New York State just nineteen years before his elevation to the county bench, D. Ormonde Ritchie had long been held in high esteem as a lawyer, while his services during several years as secretary to a justice of the Supreme Court of New York, and his experience as a justice of the peace, had given him unusual qualifications for res- ponsible judicial office.
D. Ormonde Ritchie is a native of Long Island and of Suffolk County, having been born at Bay Shore on October 23, 1902, a son of Oscar and Laura Belle (Smith) Ritchie, both of whom are long-time residents of Bay Shore. Oscar Ritchie, now retired, was during his active days a carpenter by trade. The young D. Ormonde Ritchie attended local schools, graduating from the Bay Shore High School in 1919. His collegiate studies were pursued at the Washing- ton and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, after which, having chosen the law as his career, he at- tended the Brooklyn Law School, a division of St. Lawrence University, from which institution in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City, he received his degree of Bachelor of Laws, upon graduating with the class of 1926. On December 29, 1927, he became a member of the New York State bar.
From the time of his admission to the bar until 1938, Mr. Ritchie practiced his profession individu- ally, but in the latter year he entered into partner- ship with Roy B. Davis under the firm name of Davis and Ritchie. In addition to their general practice, Messrs. Davis and Ritchie acted as counsel to the South Side Bank of Bay Shore, Suffolk County. On January 1, 1932, Mr. Ritchie had be- come secretary to the late Hon. George H. Furman, justice of the Supreme Court of New York, and this post he filled, acquiring invaluable experience, until December 31, 1938. During the year of 1939 Mr. Ritchie served as secretary to the New York State Senate Finance Committee at the State capital, Al- bany. In January, 1940 he became a justice of the peace of the town of Islip, Suffolk County, and served on that bench until December 31, 1946. With his advancement to the bench of the county court, it be- came necessary for Judge Ritchie to relinquish the post of justice of the peace.
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