USA > New York > The men of New York: a collection of biographies and portraits of citizens of the Empire state prominent in business, professional, social, and political life during the last decade of the nineteenth century, Vol. II > Part 20
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Mr. Foster has written somewhat for publication, more particularly during the last few years. One article, published in the San Antonio ( Tex. ) Chron- icle in 1895, entitled "The Three Voices," and dealing with the political situation, attracted a good deal of attention. He has also occupied the " poets' corner" in several newspapers at dif- ferent times. Aside from his profession and from public affairs, he has interested himself more or less in scientific and educational matters. He is a Mason, and belongs to Mt. Zion Lodge, F. & A M., Apollo Chapter, R. A. M., and Kansas Commandery, No. 10, K. T.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY- Samuel Foster was born at Grafton, N. Y., September 26, 1847 ; attended common schools ; taught school, 1863-69; studied lawy, and was admitted to the bar September 7, 1871 ; married Charlotte A. Irving of Troy, N. Y., April 29, 1874 : was assistant district attorney of Rens- selaer county, 1876-78, and district attor- ney, 1879-81 ; has practiced laws at Tror since 1871, with the exception of a few years spent in business in Kansas City, Mo.
C. D. bammond was born in Alle- gany county, New York, somewhat more than fifty years ago. He received the ordinary education of the day, attending the district school in childhood. and graduating from Friendship Academy in his native county at the age of eighteen. He at once began the connection with the railroads of New York state that has continued ever since, with the single ex- ception of a year spent in the army. Becoming first a telegraph operator on the Erie railroad, he worked thus for two years : when he resigned his position, and enlisted as a private in company K, 136th New York volunteers. Soon after entering the army he was detailed for tele- graph service, and was employed in the war depart- ment at Washington and at different headquarters in Virginia until the close of the war. Returning then to the Erie road, he remained with thein as tele- graph operator and manager for about seven years : and then, in 1872, entered the employ of the New Vork & Oswego Midland railroad at Oswego a- train dispatcher and assistant superintendent.
In January. 1874, Mr. Hammond first became associated with the Delaware & Ihudson Canal Co ..
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going to Troy in the capacity of train dispatcher. The next year he was appointed superintendent of the Susquehanna division of the road, and held the posi- tion for eleven years. At the end of that time he was made superintendent of the lines of the Dela- ware & Hudson company in New York and Ver- mont, known as the Northern railway department : and he has now occupied that important position for an equal period. Since 1876 his headquarters have been in Albany. During the entire thirty-five years of his business life Mr. Hammond has never asked for a position or a promotion, and has never been without enployment ; and his continued advance- ment under these circumstances is sufficient evidence of his able discharge of the duties that have been assigned to him. While connected with the New York & Oswego Midland railroad he established there the system of moving trains by telegraphic orders ; and after he entered the service of the Delaware & Hudson company he introduced the same ar- rangement on the Rensselaer & Saratoga railroad, then a part of the Delaware & Hudson system.
Mr. Hammond has not been too busy to interest himself in various kinds of church work for many years. He was a lay delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1884, 1888, 1892, and 1896 ; and he has been a member of the state executive commit- tee of the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation for a number of years. He is also a Mason and a Knight Templar, and be- longs to the Grand Army of the Republic.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY -- Charles Darius Hammond was born at Rushford, N. Y., March 1, 1844; was educated in district schools and Friendship (N. Y.) Academy ; served in the Union army, 1864-65 ; married Eunice Elnora Babcock of Friendship January 29, 1866 : was in the employ of the Erie railroad, 1862-64 and 1865-12, and of the New York & Oswego Midland railroad, 1872- 73 ; has been in the employ of the Dela- ware & Hudson Canal Co. since 1874, as superintendent of the Northern railway department of that company since 1886.
On his father's side his first American ancestor was John Hathaway, who settled in Taunton, Mass., in 1630 ; and his mother traces her family back to Thomas Flint, one of the founders of Concord, Mass., several of whose descendants were prominent in the war of the Revolution.
Mr. Hathaway was taken to Plattsburgh when he was but five years old, and received his preliminary education in the common schools and academy of the place. He afterward prepared for college under the Rev. Dr. Coit ; and took a business course at Providence, R. 1., and a special course in modern languages at Montreal. Although he has long been connected with the law, Mr. Hathaway did not originally contemplate a professional career. After completing his education, he engaged in the clothing business in Plattsburgh in the firm of E. Hathaway
C. D. HRAIMOND
franklin flint batbaway, well known in Plattsburgh from his prominence in both professional and political life, comes from good old English stock that was planted in the new world in very early days.
& Son for five years, or until compelled by ill health to give up active business life for a while. He then filled the position of assistant assessor of interna! revenue for about two years. In 1872, his health
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being restored, he returned to business as a member of the firm of Vilas & Hathaway, hardware mer- chants, and for several years carried on this enter- prise.
Mr. Hathaway was thirty-two years old when he made up his mind to abandon mercantile life and
FRANKLIN FLINT HAATHAR:I}
become a lawyer. He began his legal studies, accordingly, in the office of his father-in-law, George L. Clark of Plattsburgh ; and in due time was ad- mitted to the bar, and began practice in the firm of Clark & Hathaway. In 1883 he was nominated by the Republicans for district attorney of Clinton county, but shared the defeat of his party, though he ran 1000 votes ahead of his ticket. In Decem- ber, 1883, he was appointed recorder of the village of Plattsburgh, and held the office by successive reappointments until June, 1896. This long term of service indicates unmistakably the esteem in which he is held by his fellow-citizens, and their apprecia- tion of his fitness for the position. In May, 1897, soon after his retirement from this office, Mr.
Hathaway was appointed by President Mckinley postmaster of the village of Plattsburgh. For many years he has been a leader of the Republican party in Plattsburgh and the adjoining territory, and a member of the county committee, which he has served as secretary and chairman. In 1890 he prepared the new charter for the village of Plattsburgh, which is deemed one of the best in the state.
Mr. Hathaway has long been inter- ested in church work, and has acted for twenty-three years as secretary of the board of trustees of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Plattsburgh. In 1883 he was president of the Clinton County Bible Society. He is prominent, also, in the different Masonic bodies, and in 1892-93 was Eminent Com- mander of De Soto Commandery, No. 49, Knights Templar, of Plattsburgh. He is a member of Oriental Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Troy, N. Y., and a charter member of the Society of Founders and Patriots of New York State.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY- Franklin Flint Hathaway was born at Fall River, Mass., May 2, 1845 ; mar- ried Sarah Imogen Clark of Plattsburgh, N. Y., September 28, 1860 ; engaged in business in Plattsburgh, 1865-70 and 1872-T7 ; studied lars, and was admitted to the bar in 1880 : was recorder of Plattsburgh, 1883-96 ; was appointed postmaster of Plattsburgh May 28, 1897 ; has practiced laws in Plattsburgh since 1880.
Arthur Jenkins, president and general manager of the Herald Company of Syra- cuse, owes his successful career in the newspaper world and his present prominence therein solely to his own efforts, and to the fortunate circumstance that he made an early choice of a calling for which he proved to be peculiarly well fitted. Born in Buffalo in 1851, he was taken to Milwaukee in childhood. His education, which ended when he was about fourteen years old, was obtained in the Milwaukee public schools, and his first employment was that of messenger for a firm of commission merchants in the same city. Hle then worked for a short time in the First National Bank of Mil- waukee, and afterwards in the wholesale drug house `of Bosworth & Sons. He was little more than
MEN OF NEW YORK -- EASTERN SECTION
sixteen, however, when he entered the press room of Starr & Sons, printers, and he has ever since been connected with the printing trade. Soon after, he obtained employment in the composing room of the Milwaukee Daily News, and there completed his training as a practical printer, gaining at the same time his first insight into newspaper work.
For the first three or four years of his life as a printer, Mr. Jenkins managed to see a good deal of the world while following his chosen vocation. He worked in Chicago and in Madison, Wis., through Illinois and the Ohio valley to Pittsburg and the oil regions, and finally reached Syracuse in the spring of 1871. He was not yet twenty years old, but he had gratified his youthful desire for change and nov- elty, and felt ready to "settle down." After sev- eral years spent in Syracuse, during which he acquired thorough familiarity with news- paper management and made many friends, he determined to make a bold venture on his own account. Accord- ingly, in January, 1877, he started the Syracuse Evening Herald. He was en- tirely without capital of his own, but borrowed $265 from those who had faith in his ability. In June of the next year he formed the Herald Company, and assumed his present positions of presi- dent and general manager. It was soon evident that the step, though a bold one. was not rash. In addition to a practical knowledge of printing in all its branches, Mr. Jenkins possessed the sound business judgment and executive ability necessary for the conduct of such an enterprise : and the business was successful from the start. In the twenty years of its exist- ence the Evening Herald has become one of the leading dailies of Syracuse, and an active force in molding the pub- lie opinion of central New York. In May, 1880, the Sunday edition of the Herald was started, and is now as pros- perous as the evening paper.
Mr. Jenkins was among the first to recognize the benefits to be derived by newspaper publishers from co-operation. He was a charter member of the National Associated Press, formed about 1875, and one of the directors of the organiza- tion. He was also instrumental in starting the United Press, became one of its directors, and acted as its business manager for a short time in 1882. Outside of his chosen profession he has been some-
what interested in railroad-signal inventions, and in horse and electric railways. He is a member of the Adirondack League Club, of the Citizens' Club of Syracuse, and of several athletic and sport- ing clubs in the same city ; and he belongs to the order of Elks.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY-Arthur Jenk- ins was born at Buffalo July 23, 1851: was edu- cated in Mikoaukce ( Wis. ) public schools ; learned the printer's trade in 1868, and worked at the same in various places, 1868-76 ; married Emma Hogan of Syracuse June 11, 1874; established the Syracuse "Evening Herald " in 1877, and has been president and general manager of the Heraldl Company since 1818.
3essc S. L'Amoreaur is a descendant of old Huguenot stock, his ancestors having left France
ARTHUR. JENKINS
at the beginning of the eighteenth century, and settled in America. He was born in Saratoga county about sixty years ago, and has always made his home there. He attended the common schools of his
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native town, and afterward Fort Edward Collegiate Institute ; and then taught school for a time at Wil- ton and at Schuylerville.
Having chosen the law as a profession, Judge L'Amoreaux began practice at Schuylerville April 1, 1857, when less than twenty years old. The next
JESSE S. L. AMORAAUX
year he moved to Ballston Spa, where he has since resided. For about two years he was associated with C. C. Hill. Afterward, in February, 1861, he formed a partnership with George W. Chapman that lasted until Mr. Chapman's retirement from the bar in October, 1863. For several years thereafter Judge L'Amoreaux practiced alone, but in 1867 he associated himself with Alvah C. Dake. This con- nection lasted about twenty years, and during five years of that time Seth Whalen was a member of the firm, which was then known as L'Amoreaux, Dake & Whalen. Of late Judge l'Amoreaux has practiced alone. He has attained an extensive practice, devoting much of his time for the past ten years to corporate werk. During the carly years of his
practice he gave some attention to criminal law, and has taken part in several famous criminal trials.
Judge L'Amoreaux's standing in his profession and in the community was shown by his election, without opposition, in the fall of 1882, to the office of county judge of Saratoga county. He held the position for the term of six years begin- ning January 1, 1883. In 1887 he re- ceived the nomination for comptroller of the state of New York ; but was defeated with his party at the following clection.
'Aside from his profession, Judge L'Amoreaux has taken great interest in the business and religious life of the community. He has been vice presi- dent of the First National Bank of Balls- ton Spa ever since 1880, and a member of its board of directors for nearly thirty years. He has been a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Ballston Spa for over thirty years, having joined the society soon after taking up his residence there; and he has been a Royal Arch Mason for a quarter of a century.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY -- Jesse S. L' Amoreaux was born at Wil- ton, N. Y .. December 11, 1837; was educated at Fort Edward Collegiate In- stitute ; married Ellen S. Holbrook of Ballston Spa, N. Y., June 8, 1865 ; was county judge of Saratoga county, 188 .;- 88 ; has been vice president of the First National Bank of Ballston Spa since 1880 ; has practiced law at Ballston Spa since 1858.
James Lansing, one of the lead- ing lawyers at the bar of Rensselaer county, was born in Otsego county, New York, sixty-odd years ago. The family, founded origin- ally in 1666 by Gerret Lansing from the neighbor- hood of Zwolle, Holland, lived for many years in the southern part of Rensselaer county : but Mr. Lansing's father, James E. Lansing, moved in early life to the village of Decatur, where our present subject was l'orn.
When he was twelve years old James Lansing became a clerk in his father's store, at the same time working on the home farm. and attending select schools during the winter as he had opportunity. He was anxious to secure a thorough education, and soon became ambitious to become a lawyer ; but `the lack of sufficient means necessitated many
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interruptions and delays in the fulfillment of this pur- pose. For several years he occupied alternately the positions of student and teacher, finally going South in order to pursue this system more advantageously. He was unusually successful as a teacher, acting as assistant in the academy at Byhalia, Miss., and after- ward as principal of a school at Mount Pleasant in the same state. When the war broke out the sec- tional feeling was so strong that Mr. Lansing and his wife, who assisted him in his teaching, were obliged to abandon the work and leave the town.
In 1862 Mr. Lansing returned North, and took up his long-deferred project of entering the legal pro- fession. He had already partially prepared himself by private study ; and he began systematic training in the Albany Law School with a mind excellenthy fitted for the task. Graduating thence in May, 1864, he entered the office of Warren & Banker of Troy in order to familiarize himself with the practical conduct of legal busi- ness. Moses Warren, the senior mem- ber of the firm, was at that time surro- gate of Rensselaer county, and he offered Mr. Lansing the position of clerk of the Surrogate's Court, which he occupied for nearly two years. He then formed a partnership with Robert H. McClel- lan, and began the active practice of his profession. This association lasted for fourteen years. Later Mr. Lansing prac- ticed with William P. Cantwell, Jr. : and upon the death of Mr. Cantwell he formed his present partnership with John B. Holmes, under the style of Lansing & Holmes. Mr. Lansing's practice has been chiefly concerned with court litiga- tion, in which he has gained some nota- ble triumphs. His reputation for legal learning and for painstaking and labori- ous effort in the preparation of his cases is unsurpassed ; and he is an effective speaker before either judge or jury. He is an excellent fighter as well, never willing to acknowledge himself defeated until his cause has been carried to the court of last resort. In 1891, on the occasion of his presentation of an argui- ment in a case then pending in the United States Supreme Court, Mr. Lan- sing was admitted to practice in that court, upon motion of William M. Evarts, at that time United States senator for New York state.
In politics Mr. Lansing is a stanch Democrat, and in 1889 he was elected surrogate of Rensselaer
county for a term of six years. He was a candidate for re-election in 1895 ; but was defeated, though he ran ahead of his ticket by a large number of votes. He presided over the court with admirable dignity, and with a courtesy and fair-mindedness that won the approval of all men irrespective of party. In 1896 he was the Democratic candidate for county judge.
Some results of Mr. Lansing's work as surrogate will long remain as a benefit to the state, and a monument to his industry and learning. He pre- pared and published a large number of opinions in the more important cases that came before him ; and these have been well received by the profes- sion, and cited in such prominent legal publications as Bliss's " Annotated Code of Civil Procedure," and Redfield's " Law and Practice in Surrogates'
JAMES LANSING
Courts." He also secured the passage in the legislature of 1895 of certain amendments to the civil code that are generally recognized as of decided value.
MMEN OF NEW YORK -EASTERN SECTION
In private life Mr. Lansing is deservedly esteemed for his upright character. He is a Presbyterian, and has been for many years president of the board of trustees of the Mt. Ida Memorial Presbyterian Church of Troy. He is also a trustee of the Albany Law School. He was one of the delegates from Rens-
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THOMAS A. MEEGAN
selaer county to assist in organizing the New York State Bar Association in 1876, and for many years was a member of one of its principal committees.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY -James Lans- ing was born at Decatur, Otsego county, N. Y., MMay 9, 1834; became a clerk in his father's store in 1846 : attended school, taught, and read late, 1850-64 ; mar- ried Sarah A. Richardson of Poultney, Vt., July 4, 1857; graduated from the Albany Lars School in 1864, and was admitted to the bar ; was surrogate of Rensselaer county, 1890-95 ; has practiced laws in Troy, N. Y., since 1866.
years ago. He grew up there, received his educa- tion there, and has practiced there ever since his admission to the bar ; and he may therefore be regarded as thoroughly identified with the capital city. IJe began school attendance at an early age, and finished his general education at the Christian Brothers' Academy when he was seven- teen years old.
Mr. Meegan's uncle, Edward J. Mee- gan, was at that time a prominent mem- ber of the Albany-county bar, and had attained distinction as corporation coun- sel of the city during several terms ; and Thomas Meegan determined to follow in his steps in the legal profession, and also to place himself under his able tutelage. He remained in his office, accordingly, for several years, reading Blackstone and Kent and other legal authorities, and making the most of the practical training that a busy lawyer's office supplies ; and in May, 1883, shortly after reaching his twenty-first birthday, he was admitted to the bar at Binghamton, N. Y. From that time on he practiced in Albany with increasing success. Unlike most law- yers, he has not availed himself of part- nership assistance, but has carried on his practice alone ; and he is therefore en- titled to the sole credit for the posi- tion he has attained. He has given his whole attention to his profession, and has not concerned himself with business or other outside enterprises.
Mr. Meegan had long taken an intel- . ligent and active interest in public af- fairs in his native city ; and in April, 1893, both his legal ability and his services to the Democratic party were recognized by his nomination and election to the position of justice of the City Court. His term of office was three years, but before the expiration of that time both the length of term and the date of election were altered ; and in November, 1895, he was again elected, this time for a term of six years beginning January 1, 1896.
Mr. Meegan believes in fraternal organizations, and is an active member of several such bodies. Among these may be mentioned Colonie Council, Catholic Benevolent Legion, Albany ; Albany Coun- cil, Royal Arcanum ; Lodge No. 49, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Albany ; Division No. 9, Ancient Order of Hibernians ; and the Catholic
Thomas A. Meegan, justice of the City Court of Albany, was born in that city thirty-five Union of Albany. He is also judge advocate of the
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Albany Jackson Corps, and a member of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY - Thomas A. Meegan was born at Albany February 3, 1862; was educated at the Christian Brothers' Academy, Albany ; studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1883; has been justice of the City Court of Albany since 18933 ; has practiced laws in Albany since 1883.
frederick Gove Paddock, one of Malone's most successful lawyers, and district attorney of Franklin county, was born in that county less than forty years ago, in the village of Fort Covington. When he was six years old his parents moved to Malone, the county seat, and he has lived there ever since. He attended the public schools of Malone, and graduated from Franklin Academy in 1879. He had prepared himself for college, and entered Cornell, but remained only a year as his health would not permit him to finish the course.
Mr. Paddock's father was a lawyer, and the young man grew up in his office, and imbibed his early knowledge of the profession almost unconsciously. In 1881, however, after returning from Cor- nell, he filed his formal certificate as a law student in the office of Cantwell & Paddock, and began to prepare in earnest for the legal profession. The next year he entered Columbia College Law School, from which he graduated in 1884 with the degree of LL. B. In May of the same year he was admitted to the bar at Binghamton, N. Y., and at once began practice in Malone. After serving as a clerk with the late Judge Hobbs and with Judge Taylor, he formed a partner- ship with Leslie C. Wead in 1886 that lasted four years. At the end of that time Mr. Wead went to Boston, and Mr. Paddock associated himself with M. E. McCleary in the firm of McCleary & Paddock. This partnership was dis- solved in 1895, and since then Mr. Paddock has practiced alone.
In 1891-92, when the new ballot law went into effect, Mr. Paddock was chair- man of the Franklin-county Republican committee, and did some very effective work in instructing voters in the use of the new system. In each election district in the county he erected a voting booth and established an election board, holding a meeting at which he answered all
questions regarding the working of the system, and allowing those present to go through the form of vot- ing in order to familiarize themselves with the pro- cess. The practical result of this work was seen on election day, when Franklin county cast 95 per cent of its regular vote, while the other counties of the state cast from 60 to 70 per cent. In the fall of 1892 Mr. Paddock was nominated and elected dis- trict attorney of Franklin county. He discharged his duties as prosecuting officer so efficiently that at the expiration of his term in 1895, he was re-elected for the years 1896-98. He has always been a firm believer in Republican principles, and an earnest worker in behalf of the Republican party ; and has frequently been a delegate to county, state, and con- gressional conventions, a position he is well qualified to fill.
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