USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island : three centuries of democracy, Vol. III > Part 3
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Governor Lippitt was always prominently iden- tified with manufacturing interests of his State, where he was widely known and had many friends, and he was also extensively active in numerous social and civic bodies. He was an organizer of the Providence Commercial Club of which he served successively as secretary, vice- president, and president. He was also a member of the Hope Club, the University Club, the Squantum Association, the Newport Yacht Rac- ing Association of Newport, the University Club of New York City, the New York Athletic Club, and the New York Yacht Club. He also held membership in the Rhode Island Historical So- ciety of Providence, and Newport Reading Room of Newport, as well as in the Order of Cincin- nati, of which he was vice-president, the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Society of Colonial Wars and other patriotic or- ganizations. His ancestry dated back to Revolu- tionary days, many of his ancestors having been prominently connected with the fight of the colo- nies for freedom and independence.
Governor Charles Warren Lippitt married, in 1886, Margaret Barbara Farnum, daughter of the
late Alexander Farnum, of Providence, Rhode Island. To this marriage were born five sons and one daughter. One of the children was Alex- ander Farnum Lippitt, who died of wounds re- ceived while serving in Company I, 166th infan- try, 42d (Rainbow) Division, United States Army. Two other sons also served in the World War with the American Expeditionary Forces and rendered valuable services to their country. Mrs. Lippitt still makes her home in Providence. The former summer residence of the family was the beautiful place known as "The Breakwater" one of the show places of Newport, Rhode Island. This property has recently been sold by the family.
The death of Governor Lippitt occurred on April 4, 1924, and was a cause of great sorrow and regret among the people of Rhode Island, whom he had served so well in public office and in business life. Many of the achievements that were his when he was active in public affairs are still of great value to the people of this State, though they may perhaps no longer be associated with his memory. Nevertheless, those who knew him and who were familiar with his work think affectionately of Governor Lippitt, and remember him as one of the most useful and substantial citizens of this State, and also as a man who was loved and cherished for his genial and pleasant disposition and his companion- able spirit.
EDWIN B. HILL-Having graduated from a well-known business college in Connecticut after he had completed his education in the public schools, Mr. Hill taught commercial branches in that college and in the Woonsocket High School for some sixteen years and then purchased the School of Commercial Sciences in Woonsocket, of which he has been owner and principal for almost twenty years. Under his direction this school en- joys a high reputation and each year is attended by large numbers of young people, not only from Woonsocket, but also from the surrounding towns. Mr. Hill is active also in the affairs of sev- eral financial institutions, as well as in connection with the administration of the public schools of Woonsocket.
Edwin B. Hill was born in Torrington, Con- necticut, on December 9, 1876, a son of Henry W. and Sarah M. (Gibbs) Hill. Both his parents were born in Connecticut, and his father was en- gaged in agricultural pursuits there. Mr. Hill received his early education in the schools of Tor-
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rington, including the high school, after which he became a student at Burdett College, Boston, from which he was graduated. He then taught there for eight years, after which he came to Woon- socket and became a teacher of commercial branches in the Woonsocket High School. This position he occupied for eight years. In 1913 he bought the School of Commercial Sciences, at No. 77 Federal Street, Woonsocket. This well-known educational institution was established in 1897 by Charles W. Jones. It now has an average annual attendance of some two hundred students, many of whom come from various towns within a radius of fifteen miles from Woonsocket. Mr. Hill's busi- ness school has been very successful under his able direction, many of its graduates holding im- portant positions today in the business world. He has taken an active part in business life ever since he became a resident of Woonsocket, and he was a director of the Woonsocket Building & Loan Association, treasurer of the National Equity Com- pany, a member of the board of managers of the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Company, as well as a member of the board of appraisers of the Rhode Island Bond & Mortgage Company. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Night- ingale Home, and formerly was a director of the Woonsocket Chamber of Commerce. He is a mem- ber of the Woonsocket Kiwanis Club, of which at one time he was the president. He is also a mem- ber of the local school board. His religious affilia- tion is with St. James' Protestant Episcopal Church, in which he is a lay reader and junior warden. In politics he is a supporter of the Re- publican party.
Mr. Hill married Maud B. Church, a native of Gill, Massachusetts, and a daughter of James C. and Lucy (Button) Church. Mrs. Hill, a gradu- ate of the Emerson College of Oratory of Boston, is a direct descendant of Captain Benjamin Church, a well-known officer during the Revolutionary War. Mr. Hill's family also was represented in the Revolutionary War. Mr. and Mrs. Hill are the parents of two children : Allen T., and Catherine Hill. The family residence is located at No. 64 Maple Street, Woonsocket.
THOMAS HENRY HANDY-A prominent man in the business and community life of Man- ville, Rhode Island, Thomas Henry Handy is treasurer of the Contrexeville Manufacturing Company, and descendant of a fine old family
long established in that section. The name was originally spelled in various ways, such as Handy, Hendy, and Hendee, which are all to be found in early records of New England. The immediate an- cestor of the branch to which the subject of this record belongs was Stephen Handy, who spent his early days at Burrillville, Rhode Island, where he was a shoemaker, school teacher, and farmer. He built his house on his farm at Herring Pond, and so clever was he that he forged the nails he used. In that primitive day, when living conditions were hard, he showed a veritable genius in meeting diffi- cult situations and triumphing over obstacles. In his early 'thirties he moved with his family to Man- ville, where he spent the rest of his life. Stephen Handy married Deborah Ballou, a native of Gloucester, now Burrillville, and they were the parents of the following children: Sarah; Celinda E .; Esther W .; Amey Ann, born March 5, 1825; George D .; Russell, of further mention; and John.
Russell Handy, son of Stephen and Deborah (Ballou) Handy, was born February 25, 1830, at Burrillville, and was taken as a child to Manville, Rhode Island. He was educated in the schools of his district, and was employed in the mills during his youth. So capable was he that he won rapid promotion, rising to the position of superintendent, and ultimately becoming a shareholder in the Man- ville mills. While in control, he made many im- provements, including the erection of large mills for the company and the enlargement of the dam. His enterprise exceeded the scope allowed by the Manville Company and enabled him to establish a manufacturing business of his own at Kinderhook, New York, but the mills there were soon destroyed by fire. Mr. Handy then resigned from the Man- ville company and, with his sons, organized the manufacturing enterprise now known as Contrexe- ville. Purchasing a large tract of land in 1887, known as the Lapham place, he erected a mill, in- venting much of the machinery put into it. His premature death that same year deprived the plant of his important assistance during the early years of its operation. He was a self-made man of re- markable ability who attained prominence in the community through sheer force of personality and accomplishments. He was a communicant of Emanuel Episcopal Church, and supported it in a liberal manner.
Russell Handy married, December 24, 1857, at Fishkill, Dutchess County, New York, Euphemia Ketcham, born in the metropolis, daughter of Ebenezer and Lydia (Rogers) Ketcham, both natives of Harrison, New York. The children of
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this couple were: Edwin E .; Thomas Henry, of further mention; Russell, Jr., deceased; and Ruth Louise, also deceased.
Thomas Henry Handy was born in Manville, Rhode Island, March 12, 1863, son of Russell and Euphemia (Ketcham) Handy. He was educated at the Mowry & Goff English and Classical School. His first position was in a print cloth mill at Kinderhook, where he remained for about a year.
He then opened an office for the purpose of selling mill engines, and also for introducing some patents of his father. After a year, however, he became interested in the manufacture of plushes and, with his father and elder brother, he organized the Contrexeville Manufacturing Company, which was incorporated in 1887. The company manufac- tures cotton, jute, flax plushes, and velveteens by a process on which it holds the patent, and for many years was unique in its field. Mr. Handy was secretary and treasurer from the start and con- tinues this association with the company of which his nephew, Edwin Rogers Handy, is president. The plant which in 1887 consisted of one large brick building two stories high is now twice its size and has greatly improved equipment. Some two hundred workers are employed in the plant which is situated in a region of great natural charm. Overlooking it is the two-hundred-acre farm of Mr. Handy, to which he devotes his spare time. He is a communicant of the Episcopal Church, which he serves as senior warden and Sunday school superintendent.
Thomas Henry Handy married, November 3, 1889, Susan E. Waterman, born in Manville, daughter of William H. and Abby Green (Sayles) Waterman, the father a blacksmith and farmer of the neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. Handy are the parents of the following children: I. Thomas Handy, Jr., educated at Woonsocket High School and at the Fall River Textile Institute at Fall River, Massachusetts. 2. Abbie, wife of Theron L. Kelly, an artist of Scarsdale, New York. 3. Susan, a student at Wellesley College, living at home. 4. William Russell, now deceased.
RUSSELL H. HANDY, president and general manager of the Contrexeville Manufacturing Com- pany, and a political leader of influence, is well known in Manville.
Since the early seventeenth century, there have been representatives of the Handy family engaged in furthering the history of New England. Details
regarding the early members of the family are given in the sketch of Thomas Henry Handy (q. v.), uncle of the subject of this record. The great-grandfather of Russell H. Handy was typical of the early Americans who faced the difficulties of a more primitive day and proved ingenious and hardworking enough to carve success out of the most difficult circumstances. He finally settled in Manville and was identified with the growth of the town. Russell Handy, son of Stephen Handy, and grandfather of the present subject, who bears his name, was a genius. With meagre educational ad- vantages he rose rapidly to a controlling position with the Manville mills. He then established a manufacturing business of his own at Kinderhook, New York, which was operated by his two sons until its destruction by fire. The father of these sons was the father of the present president of the Contrexeville Manufacturing Company. Father and sons started this business in 1887, and it has since become one of the outstanding plush manu- facturing enterprises in the country.
Edwin E. Handy, son of Russell and Euphemia (Ketcham) Handy, was born in Wilkins Falls, New York, October 2, 1858. He began his education in the Manville public schools and later attended the Mowry and Goff English and Classical School of Providence, after which he became associated with his father in the manufacture of plush. He was in charge of the Kinderhook plant until it was de- stroyed by fire. In 1887 he joined his father in the organization and upbuilding of what is now known as the Contrexeville Manufacturing Com- pany, and after the death of the father a few months later, he became president and general manager. He was largely responsible for the suc- cess and expansion of the business in its early years. Edwin E. Handy married Eliza C. Howard, a native of New York State, and they were the parents of the following children: Ruth Louise, deceased; Russell Howard, of further mention; Edwin Rogers; John Ketcham.
Russell H. Handy, son of Edwin E. and Eliza C. (Howard) Handy, was born in Manville, Rhode Island, December 17, 1882, and was edu- cated in the local schools, in the Moses Brown and the Owen Goff Schools. He attended Brown Uni- versity in Providence for two years, but when his father died he left college to take over the manu- facturing business headed by his father. He is president and general manager and has almost doubled the growth of the plant during his control. The enterprise is now some forty-two years old
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and recognized as one of the solid and prosperous plants of Rhode Island.
In addition to his business, Mr. Handy has found time for active participation in local and State politics. A Republican, he has been on the Town Council for fifteen years, and he has served three terms in the State Senate. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and in this order he is affiliated with all the Scottish Rite bodies, including the Consistory in which he has attained the thirty-second degree. In addition to this he belongs to several clubs, including the Rhode Island Country, the Cumberland Golf, and the Manhattan of New York City. He is also a mem- ber of the Sons of the American Revolution, and of the Providence Chamber of Commerce. He at- tends the Episcopal Church.
Russell H. Handy married Caroline Vose, born in Manville, daughter of Everett and Nellie (Mar- ble) Vose. Her father is a member of the firm Vose Brothers, conducting a general store in Man- ville.
WALTER REID CALLENDER-Mercan- tile advance in Providence and throughout the territory dominated by its influence has been mark- edly aided through the efforts and enterprise of Walter Reid Callender, president and treasurer of the Callender, McAuslan & Troup Company, one of the largest and most important department stores in the State. Mr. Callender is also con- nected officially or in a directorial capacity with other business concerns and with institutions of a philanthropic and educational character. He is a former commissioner of police of the city of Providence.
Born in Providence, February 28, 1872, Walter Reid Callender is the son of Walter and Ann Os- wald (Crow) Callender. As a graduate of the high school of his native city, class of 1890, he . passed to Yale University, from which he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts at graduation in 1894. In 1897 Yale conferred upon him the degree Master of Arts.
Merchandising as a career was elected by Mr. Callender either during his university days or shortly after he had completed his course, since his entry upon it as his life work was made in 1894, in association with Brown, Thomson & Company, of Hartford, Connecticut. Three years later, 1897, he became the senior member of the Callender, McAuslan & Troup Company, of Providence. In 1921 he was elected president and treasurer of the
corporation, a dual position that he has since held. On all sides he is rated as one of the most pro- gressive merchandising executives in the Provi- dence area.
Other interests that have been fortunate in com- manding Mr. Callender's official, advisory and vested connection are the Boston Store Land Com- pany, of which he is secretary and treasurer ; the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Company, Puritan Life Insurance Company, Textile Finishing Ma- chinery Company, New England Power Associa- tion, Denholm & Mckay Company, Pettis Dry Goods Company, Syndicate Trading Company, all of which he serves as director; the Peoples Sav- ings Bank, of Providence, the Rhode Island Hos- pital and the Providence Public Library, of each of which he is a trustee.
Learned and cultural organizations which highly prize Mr. Callender's membership therein include the American Academy of Political and Social Science, American Museum of Natural History, American Civic Association, American Geographical Society, American Forestry Association, Rhode Island His- torical Society, Rhode Island School of Design, and the New York Zoological Society. He is well con- nected with social organizations, being a member of the University Club, Hope Club, Art Club, Commercial Club, Turks Head Club, Agawam Hunt Club, and the Squantum Club, all of Provi- dence; the Rhode Island Country Club, Warwick Country Club, St. George's Golf and Country Club, of Long Island; the University, New York Yacht, and Yale clubs, of New York; the Uni- versity and Yale clubs, of Boston; and the Gradu- ate and Elihu clubs, of New Haven, Connecticut.
Walter Reid Callender married, February 10, 1927, Mrs. Ivy Lee Eddinger, of New York City. They maintain their hospitable residence in the Hope Street section of Providence.
THOMAS FRANCIS COONEY-Members of the Providence bar join with the laity in ad- vancing the favorable professional reputation at- tained by Thomas Francis Cooney in his achieve- ment of success during a period of practice that already approximates thirty years.
Born in Cranston, Rhode Island, October 21, 1873, Thomas Francis Cooney is the son of James and Bridget (Sheil) Cooney, his father deceased, and the mother making her home with her son. From the public schools of Cranston he passed to La Salle Academy in Providence.
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From the academy he went to Boston University Law School. He was graduated, June 6, 1900, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws cum laude, and received an additional honor by election as presi- dent of his class.
In the year of his graduation from law school Mr. Cooney successfully passed the tests given by the Rhode Island Board of Bar Examiners, and he was admitted to practice at Providence, conduct- ing an office as an individual for about a year. He then entered into partnership with James A. Ca- hill, forming the firm of Cooney & Cahill, which continued until the death of Mr. Cahill in 1918, since which time he has been associated with his cousin, John J. Cooney under the firm name of Cooney & Cooney. Mr. Cooney won as one mark of distinction as a lawyer recognition for able handling of the Michael Hand will case, one of the most noted in the legal annals of Rhode Island. This case was on trial for three months, and it constituted a record one in point of time con- sumed in its hearing.
In his politics a Democrat, Mr. Cooney has twice been the Democratic candidate for Congress from his district, in 1908 and 1910.
Mr. Cooney is a member of the Catholic Club, and one time president thereof. He is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, of which he is a fourth degree member, and with the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. His religious connection is with St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church at Cran- ston, of which he is a trustee.
Thomas Francis Cooney married (first), June 30, 1904, Elizabeth A. Reilly, of Providence, who died July 19, 1912, leaving three children : Thomas S., born May 4, 1905; Elizabeth M., born Novem- ber 5, 1906; and Theresa A., born June 9, 1910. Mr. Cooney married (second), November 5, 1913, Elizabeth W. Hayden, of Pascoag, Burrillville.
JOHN REVELSTOKE RATHOM- Equipped with a comprehensive college educa- tion and otherwise intellectually developed by exploration in unusual corners of the earth, by personal contact with internationally prominent personages and broad experience in the publish- ing field, John Revelstoke Rathom was one of the foremost journalists and authors in America. For the last seventeen years of his life he lived in Providence, from whence his literary contribu-
tions to current history emanated and brought him fame throughout the country and even in foreign lands. He was particularly gifted with a power of expression that carried his thoughts directly and effectively to the reader's mind, while his convincing logic won friends for the causes he advocated and brought him the esteem and ad- miration of thousands. Recognition of his abilities came from many sources and he was carried from post to post in journalism and placed in chairs of great responsibility. An idealist, yet practical, he was a brilliant writer, with a rich vein of humor and a mind that could not be swerved from a determination when once he had decided that a course was right. He was a man of intense de- votion to public affairs that affected the happi- ness of the people and his benefactions to worthy causes were many and valuable. His citizenship was clean and wholesome and he took a great pride in its possession, maintaining to the full its responsibilities and its duties. His friends were countless and might be found in nearly every country of the globe, for he had been a wide traveler and wherever he went he attracted peo- ple by his genial personality and convincing sin- cerity. Loyalty might be said to have been a proper motto for a man of his character, for he was loyal in all things, to himself true, to his principles unfaltering. Although of foreign birth, he was an American nationalist of purest quality, his patriotism faultless. His contributions to journalism were of lasting quality and in his death Rhode Island lost a beloved editor and poet and the country a valuable citizen whose niche will long remain empty for want of a worthy successor.
He was born in Melbourne, Australia, July 4, 1868, a son of Harold Revelstoke and Dora Ade- laide (Hamilton) Rathom, his father having been a lawyer by profession, born in London, England, in 1816, deceased in Australia in 1880. He spent the better part of his days in Melbourne, which city he served as mayor, and had been Governor of Victoria. His wife, mother of John R. Rathom, was a native of Maidstone, Kent, England. Their son received his education in London and at Harrow in England and at the Scotch College in Melbourne and Whinham College in Adelaide. In 1886 he became associated with the Melbourne "Argus" and by that newspaper was sent as cor- respondent to Egypt, where he remained for two years. He then joined the Bundury Expedition to New Guinea and left that organization in 1890,
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coming to America and stopping in Seattle, Washington, where he became a reporter on the staff of the "Post-Intelligencer." This journal sent him to Vancouver, British Columbia, as its correspondent there, in which occupation he came into touch with the Schwatka Expedition which was to explore Alaska and joined that body. Re- turning to Canada, he joined the staff of the Victoria "Daily Colonist" and in 1892 went to Astoria, Oregon, where he became associated with the "Daily Astorian" as its editor. Like many members of his profession he was possessed of a spirit that urged him onward and in 1893 he was in Portland, Oregon. There he met Harvey W. Scott, editor of the "Oregonian," who invited him to become his telegraph editor, a post which he accepted and where he remained for a time, then going on to San Francisco, California, where he became a member of the staff of the "Chronicle." He was a correspondent in Cuba during the Span- ish-American War and went to Africa in a simi- lar capacity in the Boer War of 1900-01. There he met General Kitchener, with whom he main- tained a lifelong friendship. Returning to America, he became managing editor of the Chicago "Times-Herald" and later of the "Record- Herald," then owned by H. H. Kohlsaat. In 1906 he came to Providence to accept the post of managing editor of the "Journal and Evening Bulletin," filling this position until 1912, when he was raised to the chair of editor and general manager. During the early years of the World War he became nationally famed for his cour- ageous leadership in editorial writings that formed public opinion and for his remarkable work in exposing the German secret service organization in the United States. He was vigorous in his denunciation of the Germans and from the be- ginning did all in his power to enlist the United States in the cause of the Allies. He was the first American citizen to receive the decoration of the Crown of Italy, and by Albert, King of the Belgians, was created a Chevalier of the Order of Leopold. He was one of the founders of the Boy Scout organization in Rhode Island and in 1910 was made first Scout Commissioner of the State.
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