USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island : three centuries of democracy, Vol. III > Part 26
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Mr. Pope also had numerous other business interests. He was active in several of the larg- est financial and commercial enterprises in the State, and in many of them held executive posi- tions. He was treasurer of the Pawtuxet Valley Railroad for more than forty years; treasurer and secretary of the Providence and Springfield Rail- road Company from 1892 until its absorption by consolidation ; director of the National Exchange Bank for more than twenty years; at one time the largest stockholder of the Union Railroad Company; director of the Providence Telephone Company from its inception ; director of the Prov- idence Dry Dock Marine Railway Company and for several years of the Windham Manufacturing Company; and secretary of the Providence Press Company for a time after its reorganization in 1880.
Such a diversity of alignments in the business world kept him, of course, from participating a great deal in public affairs ; but he was, neverthe- less, a leader in a number of clubs and fraternal orders. He was a charter member of the Nar- ragansett Bout Club; and, a true sportsman, was keenly interested in yachting. He was one of the first members of the Squantum Association, a member of the Commercial Club, a member of the Home Market Club of Boston, and a member, treasurer for four years, and a governor from
1885 to 1891, of the Hope Club of Providence. His religious faith was that of the Congregational Church. Into all of his many activities he ever put his fullest measure of energy and enthusiasm, with the result that he was a most useful figure in a variety of social circles and in many walks of life.
William Henry Pope married, on September 27, 1888, Catherine Elizabeth Robertson, daughter of Andrew and Maria (Halcro) Robertson, of Mont- real, Province of Quebec, Canada. Mrs. Pope sur- vived her husband, and today makes her home in Providence, Rhode Island.
The death of Mr. Pope, which took place on February 16, 1907, was a cause of widespread sor- row in his city and State. For he had contributed in an outstanding way to the civic and industrial development of a great community, and had ever been known in the business world for the high standard of his business ethics and his honorable spirit in his dealings with others. Perhaps no bet- ter tribute could be penned in his memory than the words of one who was a close friend to Mr. Pope.
"Who of all that went to him for advice," asked this friend, "was ever disappointed in the final outcome? Under an impatient manner and an air of desire of being rid of the whole subject, were hidden a careful listening and interest, and in a few days or so there came from him an opinion vested in cautious language. If it was a recom- mendation, 'twas well to follow it; if a warning, 'twas equally well to heed it. Of his boyish gener- ous nature, how many of us remember his open hand and his heartfelt sympathy?"
SCOTT A. SMITH-A native and lifelong resident of Rhode Island, the late Scott A. Smith was for many years prominently active in various well known and important industrial enterprises in Providence and elsewhere. However, the last twenty years of his life he spent in retirement, giving much of his time during this period to study, the collecting of paintings, and research work in mechanical and electrical engineering. He was also very prominently active throughout his entire life in religious work. These various activities were typical of Mr. Smith's fine intellect, the breadth of his interests, and his public spirit. Throughout the greater part of his life a resident of Providence, he was always regarded one of
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this city's most representative and most substan- tial citizens.
Scott A. Smith was born at North Scituate, December 4, 1833, a son of Scott Smith. His father was for many years a prominent coal dealer of Providence. Mr. Smith was educated in the public grammar and high schools of Providence and early in life became associated with the late George H. Corliss, manufacturer of the well- known Corliss engines. This association continued for many years, and for fourteen years Mr. Smith was treasurer of the Corliss Engine Works. He also founded the Providence Oil Works, of which he was president for thirty-three years, and the Cresson & Smith Shafting Company of Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania. He retired from active business in 1903. Throughout his life he was very much interested in the arts and sciences and in architecture. He made a hobby of collecting paintings and gradually accumulated a very fine art collection of Rhode Island artists. He was a frequent contributor of scientific articles to the Providence "Journal," was noted as a keen art critic and took a friendly interest in the careers of many artists. Maintaining a summer home on Mount Monadnock, New Hampshire, he devoted himself for a number of years to the laying out of over twelve miles of footpaths and trails over this famous mountain. These were mapped during 1894-1907, and large numbers of maps were pub- lished and sold. Mr. Smith himself was an en- thusiastic mountain climber and, with character- istic kindliness, he took great delight in making accessible to others the charms of the New Hamp- shire mountains, which he himself loved so well. He was an honorary member of the Providence Art Club, the Churchman's Club and the Frank- lin Society, of which he served as president at one time, and was a governing member for life of the Rhode Island School of Design and the Amer- ican Society of Mechanical Engineers. His reli- gious affiliations were with the Protestant Epis- copal Church, and more particularly with the Church of the Epiphany, which he helped to found in 1876, and of which he was a vestryman, junior warden, auditor and treasurer, being active in its affairs for almost half a century. During the latter part of his life he was especially active in connection with this church's music.
Mr. Smith married (first) Adelaide Baker Cooke, a daughter of the late Joseph J. Cooke. Mrs. Smith's father was a native of Rhode Island and for a number of years was very successfully engaged in the California emigration business as
the head of the New York firm of Joseph J. Cooke & Company. He amassed a considerable fortune and eventually returned to Rhode Island and settled in Providence. There he bought and developed a large real estate property in the Elm- wood section, becoming known as the "Father of Elmwood." He served as one of the first water commissioners of Providence and for many years was president of the commission. He owned a large and valuable collection of rare books, many of them being de luxe editions, and at his death he left his books to the several Providence libraries, willing them also funds for their endowments. Mr. Smith married (second) Theodora, a daugh- ter of Hon. Walter S. Burges, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. By his first marriage Mr. Smith was the father of four children : George and Mary who died in early life ; Joseph Cooke Smith, now a resident of Switzer- land; and Adelaide M. Smith, who died in 1906.
At his home in Providence, Scott A. Smith died August 2, 1924, in his ninety-first year. His death, of course, was the natural conclusion of a long and busy life. Nevertheless it came as a distinct shock to the community, of which he had been one of the most prominent members for so many years, and it was felt generally as a great loss to his native State. A man of sterling char- acter, a great reader, a deep thinker, a student of and writer on philosophy, art and engineering and a well-known and impressive orator and lecturer, Mr. Smith, during a very long period, had inter- ested himself enthusiastically and helpfully in many phases of the community's life. In a quiet and unostentatious manner he constantly helped to advance the progress and welfare of his home city, its people and its institutions, and all these were the better for having come into contact with him.
CHARLES DENISON DUNLOP-Recog- nized for many years as one of the leading fire in- surance experts of the country, Charles D. Dunlop, of Providence, was long one of the prominent business men of the city and took a leading part in the development of the underwriting business. From 1883 until 1929 he was engaged in fire insur- ance and during this period of almost half a century became as well known on the Pacific slope as he was in the business center here. The name was synonymous with fire adjustment and his reputa- tion as an underwriter expert was second to none
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in the land. Also, he bore a character of stainless record, had a multitude of loyal friends, was a sound and active churchman and a vibrant citizen whose interest in all civic activities was as sincere as that which he gave his private business enter- prises.
Born January 18, 1863, in Lexington, Missouri, he was a son of the late Right Reverend George Kelly Dunlop, Protestant Episcopal Bishop of New Mex- ico and Arizona, whose death occurred March 12, 1888. It was in Denver, Colorado, that Charles D. Dunlop entered business, beginning in insurance in 1883 and later becoming special agent in that city with the Commercial Union Insurance Company. In 1891, he became associated there with the Provi- dence-Washington Insurance Company of Provi- dence, Rhode Island, and in 1895 was appointed western manager, with headquarters at Chicago. In 1904 he became vice-president of the company and president in 1922. He was also president of the Anchor Insurance Company. He took a prominent part in the councils of the Western Union and other insurance companies and was very active on behalf of the National Fire Underwriters and the Eastern Underwriters associations. In 1905 he assisted in the organization of the General Adjust- ment Bureau and for sixteen years was president of that organization, resigning in 1927. He was a director in the Providence-Washington and Anchor Insurance companies and in the Blackstone Canal National Bank, Factory Insurance Association Building Corporation of Hartford, Fire Reassur- ance Company of New York, First Reinsurance Company of Hartford, General Adjustment Bureau, Globe Underwriters' Exchange, Incorporated, of Hartford; Lincoln Fire Insurance Company of New York; and the Rossia Insurance Company of America. For many years he served as a vestryman of St. Stephen's Protestant Church of Providence. He was a member of the Agawam Hunt, Hope, Squantum, Turks Head, and Rhode Island Country clubs, being a charter member, vice-president, and member of the board of governors of the last- named club. He was also a member of the Rhode Island Historical Society and of the Society of Colonial Wars. He died January 4, 1929.
Charles D. Dunlop married Rosemary C. Con- well, of Indiana. Their children were: Dorothy ; Jean C., now Mrs. George Beresford Checkland, Danbury, New Castle on the Tyne, England ; Mil- dred; Marian; and Eleanor, who married Malcolm Leach, of Taunton, Massachusetts, and they are
the parents of Charles Denison Leach and Rose- mary Conwell Leach.
Mr. Dunlop achieved such a high reputation as a business man and citizen and did so much for the progress of the insurance interests, that his name is permanently enrolled on the records of Rhode Island. He had innumerable friends and his loss has been keenly felt and sincerely mourned, for he occupied a place that will be difficult to fill.
WILLIAM BABBITT WESTCOTT-Ex- cepting only the first sixteen years of his life and some four years of military service during the Civil War, the late William B. Westcott spent his entire life in Providence. For many years he was widely known there as the president of one of the largest and most successful paint and hard- ware firms. He enjoyed a very high reputation for probity, was prominently active for many years in religious work and was a member of several patriotic, military, and fraternal organiza- tions. In every respect he was regarded as one of the representative and substantial business men of Rhode Island's capital.
William B. Westcott was born at Pawtuxet, Cranston, March 16, 1841, a son of Harley and Laura (Sheldon) Westcott. He received his edu- cation in the public schools of his native city, whence he removed to Providence, in 1857, at the age of sixteen years. Here he entered the employ of Thomas Merriweather, well known Providence grocer, with whom he continued until the Civil War. On December 2, 1861, Mr. Westcott enlisted in Battery G, Ist Regiment, Rhode Island Light Artillery. He served until June 12, 1865, being promoted through the various ranks and serving successively as second lieutenant of Battery H and as first lieutenant of Battery B, with which latter rank he was mustered out. Upon his return to civilian life he came back to Providence and en- tered the employ of Oliver Johnson, a prominent dealer in drugs, paints and similar materials. He continued in Mr. Johnson's employ for thirty-three years until 1893, when he organized, together with Howard R. Slade and Albert E. Balcolm, the firm's of Westcott, Slade & Balcolm. Mr. Westcott was elected president and served in that capacity until his death in 1912. The firm quickly made for itself an enviable position as a reliable concern han- dling paints, hardware and similar products. Much of its success was due to Mr. Westcott, who pos-
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sessed an exceptionally thorough knowledge of all branches of the business and, as the result of his long business experience, was widely known in the business world. Though the major share of his time and attention was devoted to the management and development of this enterprise, Mr. Westcott, for many years, was very active in religious work. He was a member of the Church of the Mediator, of which he was a deacon and trustee. He was a member of Prescott Post, Grand Army of the Republic, the Providence Marine Corps of Artillery, and Hope Lodge, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows.
Mr. Westcott married, in 1876, Ella B. Sim- mons, a daughter of Addis E. Simmons, a farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Westcott had two children: I. Ethel G., a teacher in the Providence High School. 2. Lena, who married Louia K. Seagrave, of Middletown, Connecticut, and who is the mother of one daughter, Barbara Westcott Seagrave.
At his home in Providence, William B. West- cott died July 9, 1912. Though he was past seventy years of age at the time of his death, his passing away was, nevertheless, a distinct shock to his family and friends, and was felt by them as an irreparable loss. His death was also deeply re- gretted by the community in general for, during his long residence in Providence, Mr. Westcott had made for himself a very definite place in that city's life. He will long be remembered for his sterling character and for his many fine qualities of the mind and heart.
BENJAMIN DYER POTTER-One of the pioneers in the development of Texas, in the vicin- ity of Sabine, and an early Indian trader, the late Benjamin Dyer Potter belonged to one of the most ancient families of Rhode Island, whose descend- ants have done much in shaping the affairs and contributing to the prosperity of the Common- wealth from its earliest Colonial period.
Born in Providence, January 6, 1814, Benjamin Dyer Potter was the son of Joseph Kinnicutt and Abby Pierce (Dyer) Potter, a grandson of William Potter, and a descendant of George Pot- ter, of Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
From the time of its founding in Rhode Island in the seventeenth century to the present time, the Potter family has been one of the foremost of the colony and of the State, ranking prominently among the families which from the earliest days
have held a place of influence in the official, busi- ness, industrial, professional and social life of the Commonwealth. The Potters of the latter genera- tions have not relinquished the place accorded the family in the days prior to the war for the inde- pendence of the Colonies.
Benjamin Dyer Potter received his education in the common schools of his native city. During his young manhood he worked at various trades, and following his marriage went to Sabine, Texas, where he was one of the pioneers in the develop- ment of that region. He built a log house for his dwelling and traded with the Indians, buying furs of them in exchange for supplies.
He married, January 6, 1835, Harriet M. Fear- ing, daughter of Martin and Abby M. Fearing. Following his death, which occurred July 25, 1840, Mrs. Potter returned to Providence and later mar- ried Henry Clay Whitaker, a man of marked liter- ary ability, a frequent contributor to magazines and the Providence "Journal," and who maintained a bookstore in Providence for many years. He died in 1887.
Children of Benjamin Dyer and Harriet M. (Fearing) Potter : I. Augustus W., born in Provi- dence, October 31, 1835; married, September 25, 1858, Harriet Addie Stead, daughter of Thomas J. Stead, and their children were: Frederick A., born August 6, 1859; Harry Stead, born May 2, 1861 ; and Alice Victoria, born June 10, 1864. 2. Elisabeth Dyer Potter, born in Sabine, Texas, July 20, 1840; educated in the schools of Provi- dence, and by her pen and her purity of character has contributed to the Potter reputation and to the good deeds and standing of the community. Miss Potter was one of the founders and for a long time was active in the Girls Friendly Society in Rhode Island. She is now honorary vice-pres- ident of the organization. The parent society was started in England in 1875, and Rhode Island was one of the first States to have an American organ- ization. It is conducted under the auspices of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Miss Potter was baptized in St. John's Church at Providence, in 1849, and has been an active, devout member and worker there since. She was instrumental in the establishment of the "Holiday House" at Plum Beach for the Girls Friendly Society. She is a descendant of Roger Williams, a distant relative of Nathanael Greene, Revolutionary hero, and a cousin of United States Senator Henry Bowen Anthony, member of the Forty-eighth Congress, who died September 2, 1884, and whom she often assisted with secretarial work.
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WINFIELD SCOTT SOLOMON-Colonial ancestry and military traditions are seemingly paramount in the actuating forces that have oper- ated toward the rise in the activities of life in which Winfield Scott Solomon, of Providence, has been engaged since his school days. This is an instance of ability passing down by inheritance from generation to generation, prominent examples of which occur in the Adams family of Massa- chusetts, the Harrison of Indiana, the Choates of New York, and that of Oliver Wendell Holmes, whose son sits on the Supreme Bench of the United States. The Solomons are of pre-Revolu- tionary origin in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as are his ancestors on the maternal side, the Neiferts; and many of them took active part in the Colonial wars preceding the Revolution. The present representative of the family in Rhode Island has been actively engaged in business of this State since he was twenty years of age, for the stock is industrious and filled with commer- cial and professional ambition. Mr. Solomon has not only been active in business, but has been called to public office, in addition to an extensive military career, in which he acquitted himself with credit and to the benefit of the electorate that was responsible for the position he held.
Born in Delano, Schuylkill County, Pennsyl- vania, April 25, 1876, he is a son of Winfield Scott and Sarah Ann (Neifert) Solomon, and was educated in the public schools of Wilkes-Barre, later supplementing this educational training by courses in the Signal Corps School of the army at Fort Myer, Virginia. His father was a coal mining engineer and a veteran of the Civil War, as was his grandfather, Sergeant Silas Solomon, who was wounded six times during the progress of that conflict. Winfield Scott, the first, had the unusual distinction of having enlisted five times in the Union army; the first four times he was sent home on request of his mother, for the reason that he was under sixteen years of age when he entered the service, and had run away from home to enlist. On the fifth attempt he obtained the consent of his parents and was accepted in the 202d Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. His son, Winfield Scott, began life as a paper boy when he was ten years of age, and at the age of twenty was manager of the F. W. Woolworth store in Woonsocket. At twenty-seven he removed to Providence and became assistant superintendent of the Outlet Company, one of the most important organizations of its kind in New England. He ad- ministered this position satisfactorily until 1911,
when he accepted the position of superintendent of the R. A. McWhirr Company of Fall River. He remained in that position until 1914 and then came to Providence and assumed a similar office in the employ of the Diamond Company, continuing until 1917, when he entered the military service and was thus engaged until 1919. He is treasurer and manager of the Wayland Manor, a director in the John A. Gammons Insurance Company, Incorpo- rated, and business manager of the Providence Magazine. He is also financially interested in the Blackstone Canal National Bank and in the Peo- ple's Savings Bank.
In 1921 Mr. Solomon was elected to the Gen- eral Assembly from the Second District of the city of Providence, and served through 1922. He is a member of the Providence Chamber of Com- merce, the Republican Club of Rhode Island, the Acacia Club of Washington, District of Colum- bia, Bonnet Shores Country Club, and the Pales- tine Shrine Club. He attends St. Martin's Prot- estant Episcopal Church. Fraternally, he is affil- iated with the Morning Star Lodge, No. 13, Free and Accepted Masons, of Woonsocket, of which he is Past Master ; is a member and Past Master of Overseas Lodge, No. 40, Free and Accepted Ma- sons, of Providence, and a member of Thomas Smith Webb Lodge, No. 43, Free and Accepted Masons, of Providence; also belongs to Thomas Smith Webb Chapter, No. 16, Royal Arch Masons, of Providence, of which he is Excellent High Priest, and is Past Commander of Thomas Smith Webb Commandery, No. 51, Knights Templar, of Providence; Past Sovereign Prince, Rhode Island Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Rhode Island Con- sistory, thirty-second degree, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masons; Past Grand Master of Ma- sons of Rhode Island; Past Grand Master of the Grand Council, Royal and Select Masters, of Rhode Island; Past Potentate, Palestine Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; Past Patron, Weetamoe Chapter, No. 57, Order of the Eastern Star, of Fall River, Massa- chusetts; Past President of the Masonic Club of the Third American Army, Coblenz, Germany ; Past Masters Association of Rhode Island; Ma- sonic Veterans' Association of Rhode Island ; honorary member of Rising Sun Lodge, No. 30, Free and Accepted Masons, of East Providence, Rhode Island; honorary member of Rhodes Lodge, No. 44, of Cranston, Rhode Island, Free and Accepted Masons; honorary member of Nathanael Greene Lodge, No. 45, Free and Accepted Ma- sons, of Warwick, Rhode Island; honorary mem-
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ber of Major-General Henry Knox Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, Boston, Massachusetts.
In the military service he was a private and corporal in Company F., 9th Pennsylvania Infantry, at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1894-96; private, corporal, sergeant and sergeant first-class, United States Signal Corps, 1899-1902, serving with that contingent in the Third District, Department of Northern Luzon, for two and one-half years dur- ing the Philippine Insurrection. Additional service during the World War and since: First lieutenant, captain, major, 1917-19; commanding officer, 417th Telegraph Battalion Signal Corps, serving at the front lines in France and after the Armistice with the Army of Occupation at Coblenz, Germany ; lieutenant-colonel, Signal Section, Officers' Reserve Corps, 1919-24; colonel, Signal Section, Officers' Reserve Corps, 1924-25; lieutenant-colonel and signal officer, 43d Division, Rhode Island National Guard, since 1925.
Other organizations to which Colonel Solomon belongs include the following memberships and offices : Providence Post, No. I, American Legion ; Spanish-American War Veterans; William J. Byers Council, No. 282, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsyl- vania; past president of Narragansett Bay Chap- ter, National Sojourners; Rhode Island Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution.
Colonel Solomon takes a keen interest in all out- door athletic sports and has been a member of a number of prominent baseball, football and bowling teams. He is also an ardent advocate of golf and tennis.
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