1. Richard Sargent, of England.2. William, son of Richard, born in 1602.3. Thomas, son of William, born in April, 1643.4. Thomas, Jr., son of Thomas, born in November, 1676.5. Stephen, son of Thomas. Jr., born in September, 1710.6. Peter, son of Stephen, born about 1740.7. Ebenezer, son of Peter, born in April, 1768.
1. Richard Sargent, of England.2. William, son of Richard, born in 1602.3. Thomas, son of William, born in April, 1643.4. Thomas, Jr., son of Thomas, born in November, 1676.5. Stephen, son of Thomas. Jr., born in September, 1710.6. Peter, son of Stephen, born about 1740.7. Ebenezer, son of Peter, born in April, 1768.
8.Jonathan Everett Sargent, was born at New London, October 23, 1816. He lived at home, working upon the farm until he was seventeen years of age, and, being the youngest child, his father had arranged for him to live at home and take care of his parents, and have the farm at their decease. The son, however, had little love for the farm, and, as soon as the care and support of his parents could be provided for in another way, he arranged with his father that he was to have the remaining four years of his time till twenty-one, was to clothe himself, and pay his own bills, and call for nothing more from his father. He fitted for college at Hopkinton Academy, and at Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, and in 1836 entered Dartmouth College, having paid his way by teaching school winters and laboring in vacations. By teaching school every winter and two fall terms in Canaan Academy during his college course, he earned enough to pay all his expenses in college with the exception of $200, which he borrowed of his father, and repaid the same, with interest, within two years. Though out of college two terms, besides winters in teaching, and another term on account of sickness, yet he was always ready at each examination to be examined with his class. He was elected a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, and graduated, in 1840, among the first in his class.
Mr. Sargent had long before this made up his mind to turn his attention to the law as a profession, and he accordingly began the study of the law at once with Hon. William P. Weeks, of Canaan, and remained with him till the spring of 1841, when he was advised by his physician to go South for his health. He went first to Washington, soon after to Alexandria, D. C., where he taught a high school, then to Maryland, where he remained a year in a family school, when, having regained his health, he returned to New Hampshire in September, 1842. He had, upon his arrival in Washington, entered his name as a law student in the office of Hon. David A. Hall of that city, and continued the study of the law under his direction, while engaged in teaching, and he was admitted to the bar in the courts of the District of Columbia in April, 1842, only about twenty months after leaving college. By the rule of that court any one might be admitted upon examination, without regard to the length of time he had studied; and he was examined in open court by Chief-Justice Cranch and his associates upon the bench, and was admitted.
After returning home, he continued his legal studies with Mr. Weeks until the July law term, in Sullivan county, in 1843, when he was admitted to the bar in the superior court of judicature in this state. He then went into company with Mr. Weeks at Canaan, where he remained till 1847, when he removed to Wentworth and opened an office there. He had been appointed solicitor for Grafton county in November, 1844, while at Canaan, and he at once commenced a lucrative business at Wentworth; was re-appointed solicitor in 1849 for five years more, thus holding the office for ten years, to 1854, performing the duties to the entire acceptance of the county and the people. He declined a re-appointment.
In 1851 he was first elected a member of the legislature from Wentworth, and served as chairman of the committee on incorporations. The next year he was re-elected, and was made chairman of the judiciary committee; and in 1853 he was again a member, and was nominated with great unanimity and elected speaker of the house of representatives. He served with ability and impartiality and to the general acceptance of the members. The next winter a new man was to be selected as a candidate for senator in his district, and he was nominated, and was elected in March, in a close district, by about three hundred majority. He was elected president of the senate in 1854. He was renominated in the spring of 1855, but the Know-Nothing movement that year carried everything before it, and he was defeated, with nearly all the other Democratic nominees in the state.
On April 2, 1855, he was appointed a circuit justice of the court of common pleas for the state. But in June of that year the old courts were abolished, mainly upon political grounds, and new ones organized, and new judges appointed. Judge Sargent received a request from Gov. Metcalf that he would accept the second place on the bench of the new court of common pleas. This offer had not been expected, but upon consultation with friends it was accepted, and Judge Sargent was appointed an associate justice of the court of common pleas. He acted as judge of the new court of common pleas for four years, until 1859, when, by a statute of that year, that court was abolished, and one new judge was to be added to the supreme judicial court, making the number of supreme judges six instead of five, as before. Judge Sargent was immediately appointed to that place on the supreme bench. He was then the youngest member of the court in age, as well as in the date of his commission. He remained upon the bench of that court just fifteen years, from 1859 to 1874. In March, 1873, upon the death of Chief-Justice Bellows, Judge Sargent was appointed chief-justice of the state, which place he held until August, 1874, when the court was again overturned to make room for the appointees of the prevailing political party. Chief-Justice Sargent, at the time of his appointment as chief-justice,had become the oldest judge upon the bench, both in age and date of commission. His written opinions are contained in the sixteen volumes of the New Hampshire Reports, from the 39th to the 54th, inclusive, numbering about three hundred in all. Many of these are leading opinions upon various subjects, and show great learning and research.
After the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and the attempt to make Kansas a slave state, Judge Sargent acted with the Republican party.
Upon leaving the bench, in August, 1874, he was solicited to go into the practice of the law in Concord with William M. Chase, Esq., whose late partner, the Hon. Anson S. Marshall, had recently been suddenly removed by death. Judge Sargent accepted this offer, and thus at once stepped into an extensive and lucrative practice. This arrangement was made for five years.
In 1876 he was elected a member of the constitutional convention of this state. In this convention he acted a prominent part. He was made chairman of the judiciary committee, the same place held by Judge Levi Woodbury in the convention of 1850. He took an active part in the debates and discussions of that body, and wielded an influence probably second to no one in the convention. He was also elected, by his ward in Concord, a member of the house of representatives for the years 1877 and 1878.
Early in 1877 steps were taken for a revision of the statutes, and Judge Sargent was appointed chairman of a committee, with Hon. L. W. Barton of Newport, and Judge J. S. Wiggin of Exeter, to revise and codify the statutes of the state. Their work was completed and the statutes enacted by the legislature, to take effect the first of January, 1879. The volume was prepared and printed by the committee before the day appointed. It is the largest volume of statutes ever printed in the state, and it is believed not to be inferior to any other in any important particular.
In the fall of 1878, Judge Sargent was invited by a committee of the citizens of New London to prepare a centennial address, to be delivered on the one hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town. He at once accepted the invitation and set about the work, and on the 25th day of June, 1879, he delivered his address, and the occasion was distinguished by a larger collection of people, probably, than ever met in the town upon any former occasion. The address was published in theGranite Monthly, in the numbers for July, August, and September, 1879, and has been favorably noticed as a work of great labor and research.
Dartmouth College conferred on him the degree of Master of Arts, in course, three years after graduation; also, the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, at its centennial commencement, in 1869. In compliance with a request from a committee of the trustees, he prepared and delivered at the commencement of 1880 at Dartmouth College a memorial address upon the late Hon. Joel Parker, formerly chief-justice of this state and afterwards professor of law in Harvard College. This duty Judge Sargent performed in a manner creditable to himself and satisfactory to the friends of the late Judge Parker. His address has been printed with other similar addresses in memory of other deceased judges, graduates of Dartmouth, by other distinguished sons of the college.
In 1864 he was elected grand master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons for the state of New Hampshire, and was re-elected the next year. After this he declined a re-election. He has for many years been an active member of the New Hampshire Historical Society, and for the last five or six years has been one of its vice-presidents. For some years past he has been connected with the National State Capital Bank as one of its directors. The Loan and Trust Savings Bank at Concord commenced business August 1, 1872,and in the nine years since then its deposits have increased to over a million and a quarter of dollars. Judge Sargent has been president of this bank, and one of its investment committee since its commencement, and has given his personal attention to its affairs. In 1876 the New Hampshire Centennial Home for the Aged was organized and incorporated, and January 1, 1879, a home was opened in Concord. Judge Sargent has been president of this institution four years, and has taken a deep interest in its prosperity and success.
About the 1st of September, 1879, at the end of five years from the commencement of his partnership in business, he retired from the practice of law. Since he commenced the practice of the law, in 1843, his residence has been as follows: In Canaan four years, to 1847; in Wentworth twenty-two years, to 1869; and in Concord since. The judge has acquired a competency, has one of the finest residences in the city, and is enjoying life with his friends and his books.
Judge Sargent married, first, Maria C. Jones, of Enfield, daughter of John Jones, Esq., November 29, 1843, by whom he had two children. John Jones Sargent, the elder, graduated at Dartmouth College in 1866, and died in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, October 3, 1870, just as he was ready to commence the practice of the law. The second, Everett Foster, died young. For his second wife, he married Louisa Jennie Paige, daughter of Dea. James K. Paige, of Wentworth, September 5, 1853, by whom he has had three children,—Maria Louise, Annie Lawrie, and George Lincoln. The second died young; the eldest and youngest survive.
Judge Sargent is a leading member of the South Congregational church in Concord, and, while decided in his own opinions, he is liberal and tolerant in judging of the faith, and charitable in judging of the conduct, of others. As a lawyer, he was always faithful and true to his clients, a wise counselor and an able advocate. As a legislator, he has been conservative and safe. As a judge, he always studied to get at the right of the case, to hold the scales of justice evenly, to rule the law plainly, and to get the questions of fact, and the evidence as it bore upon them, clearly and distinctly before the jury. Any one who attended the courts where he presided as a judge could see at once that he was patient and painstaking, industrious and persevering, vigilant and discriminating, impartial and fearless; and any one who reads his written opinions will see that they exhibit great research, learning, and ability.
The man who makes his way to the front rank at the bar and in politics, and holds his position without dispute for more than a quarter of a century, must be a person of ability, energy, and sagacity. Especially is this true in New Hampshire, which, from the earliest period of our national history, has produced some of the ablest lawyers and the keenest politicians known to the country. Such a man is Col.John Hatch George, of Concord, whose name has long been a household word at every Democratic fireside in the state, and whose eminent legal position is recognized throughout New England.
Born in Concord, where he has ever since resided, November 20, 1824, Col. George is now fifty-seven years of age. His parents were John and Mary (Hatch) George, the former a prominent, respected, and energetic citizen, who, though a native of Hopkinton, located in Concord in early manhood; the latter, a daughter of Samuel Hatch, a leading citizen of the town of Greenland, among whose grandchildren are included the Hon. Albert R. Hatch and John S. H. Frink, Esq., both also known as eminent lawyers and leading Democrats.
Gaining his preliminary education in the excellent public schools of his native town and in the old Concord Academy, Col. George entered Dartmouth College in 1840, being then fifteen years of age, where he diligently pursued his studies for about three years, until the death of his father compelled his return home and the non-completion of his college course. The faculty subsequently conferred upon him his graduating degree, which was followed by that of Master of Arts. Among his classmates at Dartmouth were several who became prominent at the bar and in public life, including the late Hon. Harvey Jewell, and Hons. A. A. Ranney and Horatio G. Parker, of Boston, and the present governor of this state, Hon. Charles H. Bell.
If young George was unfortunate in the loss of his father, and in the failure to complete the college course consequent thereon, he was especially fortunate in being favored with the kindly regard of that brilliant son of New Hampshire, Gen. Franklin Pierce, who, as a friend of the family, had become conversant with his qualities and characteristics, and readily discerned the line of action best calculated for the development and successful exercise of his powers. Fortunate as he was, however, in the enjoyment of the friendship of Gen. Pierce at this time, it may safely be assumed that he never would have been the recipient of such favor had he not given evidence of the possession of abilities above the common order. The really great lawyer has a lofty regard for his profession, and will never be found influencing any one to enter upon its pursuit who is not likely to honor the profession and bring credit to himself. When, therefore, upon the invitation of Gen. Pierce, young George entered upon the study of the law in the office of the former,—as he did soon after leaving college, and at the time when that distinguished man was in active practice,—it was under circumstances every way propitious to that ultimate success creditable alike to each. During his three years of legal study under such tutelage, he made that rapid progress which characterizes the advance of the ambitious and enthusiastic young man, well equipped, mentally and physically, for the work in hand, thoroughly in love therewith, guided by wise counsel and inspired by brilliant example; and when, in 1846, he was admitted to the bar, and entered upon the practice of his profession in his native city, it was with unusual thoroughness of preparation.
John H. GeorgeJohn H. George
At the opening of his professional career, Col. George was again particularly fortunate. Gen. Charles H. Peaslee had long ranked among the most careful lawyers of the state, and had acquired an extensive practice. He was a warm friend of Gen. Pierce, professionally and politically, and, like him, an intimate friend of the George family. Entering largely into public life, its engrossing duties withdrew his attention more and more from professional engagements, rendering desirable a partnership alliance with some active and competent young man. Such alliance was offered to and promptly accepted by young George, who thus auspiciously commenced his professional career.
The limits of this sketch will not permit a detailed account of the progress and success of its subject; but it may be stated, that from his entrance upon legal practice to the present time all his energies and faculties have been heartily devoted to the labors and duties of his profession, in whose performance he has won a high measure of fame, as well as a fair amount of that substantial reward which the world largely regards as the prime object of human effort. His connection with Gen. Peaslee continued about five years, and was followed by a professional alliance of a similar character with Sidney Webster, Esq., then a young lawyer of fine abilities and brilliant promise, who has since become distinguished in legal and diplomatic circles. This partnership continued till Mr. Webster left Concord to become private secretary to Gen. Pierce, upon the accession of the latter to the presidency in 1853. Soon afterward, Col. George formed partnership relations with Hon. William L. Foster, who subsequently became and long remained a judge of the supreme court of the state, and with them Hon. Charles P. Sanborn was also for a time associated. Since the recent resignation of Judge Foster, his connection with Col. George has been resumed.
Not only in behalf of an extensive private clientage have the professional services of Col. George been employed, but for many years, also, in behalf of the public,—he having been appointed solicitor for Merrimack county in 1849, and re-appointed in 1854, discharging the duties of the office until 1856, when he was removed for partisan reasons, the Republican party signalizing its ascendency by a clean sweep of all Democratic officials. From 1853 to 1858, he was U. S. attorney for the district of New Hampshire, appointed by President Pierce.
There are, undoubtedly, many men at the bar, in this and other states, as well grounded in legal principles as Col. George, and even more familiar with the text-books, who have fallen far short of the success he has attained. It is one thing to be able to state abstract legal principles, and quite another correctly to apply those principles to the facts in any given case. It has ever been the habit of Col. George, in the conduct of a cause, to thoroughly familiarize himself with all the facts and circumstances connected therewith. The mastery of the cause itself leaves little difficulty in the determination of the law bearing thereon, and is the strongest guaranty of success in its management before a jury; and it is in the conduct of jury causes that Col. George has won the greater measure of his success. Gifted with great perceptive powers and a ready knowledge of men, and familiar as he ever is with the cause in hand, in all its bearings, he is never taken at a disadvantage, no matter how able or alert the opposing counsel. In handling witnesses, and especially in cross-examination, he has shown unusual tact and ability. He reads the mind of a witness almost intuitively, and understands how to bring out the essential facts even from the most reluctant, and todo so in the manner best calculated to make the desired impression upon the minds of the jury. As an advocate, he is equaled by few and excelled by none of our New Hampshire lawyers; yet his power in this regard consists in the systematic, logical, and intensely earnest presentation of all the facts which go to make up and strengthen his cause, and to destroy or weaken that of his opponents, rather than in the oratory which abounds in eloquently rounded periods and impassioned appeals. In this connection may well be quoted the words of one who, knowing Col. George from youth, has written of him as follows:—
"Intense earnestness, and a faculty of an immediate and powerful concentration of all his mental faculties on any subject which interested him, were the predominant peculiarities of the early manhood of Mr. George. When he came to the bar, he manifested a power of felicitous language, and a largeness of vocabulary, which were rarely to be seen even in the most practiced speakers. He never prepared beforehand the words of his spoken utterances, either at the bar, in the committee-room, or on the stump. Whatever he could see and understand at all, he saw and understood clearly. The strength of his feelings, the enormous power and range of his vocabulary, added to this clearness of vision, made mere verbal preparation unnecessary for him. His speaking was made up of a clear perception of the turning-point of his case, and then of pungent epigram, sparkling paradox, rattling attack, vivid repartee, hearty humor, and, when occasion called for, of a fearlessness of denunciation of what he believed to be wrong or unjust or unfair, which made him, even at the outset of his brilliant career, a dangerous antagonist for the most practiced and powerful members of the New Hampshire bar."
"Intense earnestness, and a faculty of an immediate and powerful concentration of all his mental faculties on any subject which interested him, were the predominant peculiarities of the early manhood of Mr. George. When he came to the bar, he manifested a power of felicitous language, and a largeness of vocabulary, which were rarely to be seen even in the most practiced speakers. He never prepared beforehand the words of his spoken utterances, either at the bar, in the committee-room, or on the stump. Whatever he could see and understand at all, he saw and understood clearly. The strength of his feelings, the enormous power and range of his vocabulary, added to this clearness of vision, made mere verbal preparation unnecessary for him. His speaking was made up of a clear perception of the turning-point of his case, and then of pungent epigram, sparkling paradox, rattling attack, vivid repartee, hearty humor, and, when occasion called for, of a fearlessness of denunciation of what he believed to be wrong or unjust or unfair, which made him, even at the outset of his brilliant career, a dangerous antagonist for the most practiced and powerful members of the New Hampshire bar."
Though not retiring from general practice, Col. George has devoted his attention largely to railroad law for many years past, having accepted, in 1867, the position of solicitor for the Boston & Lowell Railroad, and established an office in Boston for the transaction of business in connection with that position. For nearly twenty years previous to that date he had served as clerk and counsel of the Concord Railroad corporation, and had already become familiar with the law of railways and their general relations to the public. To-day there is no higher living authority upon railroad law in New England than Col. George,—no man who understands more thoroughly or can state more clearly the respective rights, duties, and obligations of railroad corporations and the people, in relation to each other, a general understanding of which is becoming more and more essential to the fullest measure of our national prosperity. His public addresses upon the subject, his arguments before legislative committees, courts, and juries, are models of clearness and cogency, admirable in construction and convincing in effect.
Notwithstanding his uninterrupted devotion to the law, Col. George is no less generally known in politics than at the bar. Well grounded in the faith of the Democratic party in his youthful years, his intimate association with Pierce, Peaslee, and other distinguished leaders of that organization in his early manhood served to intensify his feelings and convictions in that regard, so he has ever been a ready and zealous exponent of Democratic principles and a champion of the Democratic cause, contributing his services without stint in conventions, in committee work, and upon the stump, doing able and brilliant service in the latter direction in all parts of the state, and in almost every campaign for the past thirty-five years. He long since came to be regarded as one of the most powerful and effective political debaters in the state. His efforts upon the stump are characterized by the same earnestness, the same sledge-hammer logic, and the same comprehensive array of facts, as at the bar. His mode of warfare, political aswell as legal, is of the Napoleonic order. He never assumes the defensive, and if placed in such position by any combination of circumstances he soon transforms it into one of active aggression.
From 1851 to 1853, inclusive, Col. George served as chairman of the Democratic state committee, and again in 1856. In 1852 he was also selected as the New Hampshire member of the Democratic national committee, and he was especially active in the campaign, both in the state and the country at large, which resulted in the election of his friend, Gen. Pierce, to the presidency. His service upon the national committee continued until 1860. He was a member of the Democratic national convention in 1856, and chairman of the state delegation in the national convention at Cincinnati, in 1880. At the state convention of his party, in September of that year, he presided, delivering, upon assuming the chair, one of the ablest addresses ever heard upon a similar occasion.
His party having been in the minority in New Hampshire for the past twenty-five years, he has been comparatively little in public office. Aside from the non-partisan positions heretofore mentioned, he was for three years—in 1847, 1848, and again in 1850—clerk of the state senate. In 1853 he was chosen a member of the legislature, but resigned his seat to accept the office of United States attorney. In this connection it may be mentioned that in 1855 he was tendered, by President Pierce, the office of secretary of the territory of Minnesota, which he at first was inclined to accept, but, after deliberation, determined to forego the chances for political promotion ordinarily involved in an appointment of that character, and remain with his friends and his law practice in his own state. In 1850, Col. George received the Democratic nomination for congress in the second district, and again in 1863, when he made a vigorous canvass, and was defeated by a very close vote. In 1866 he received the votes of the Democratic members of the legislature as their candidate for United States senator. Had he deserted his party and allied himself with the majority when the Republicans came into ascendency, he might readily have commanded the highest honors in the gift of the state, as others less able than himself have done; but his position in the honest regard of the people, irrespective of party, is far higher to-day for having remained true to his convictions and steadfast and active in their maintenance.
His military title comes from his service as chief of the staff of Gov. Dinsmoor from 1848 to 1850. He was also for several years commander in the brilliant and popular organization known as the "Governor's Horse-Guards." As a popular orator, outside the domain of law and politics, Col. George also takes high rank. His oration upon Daniel Webster, at the recent centennial celebration of the birth of that most illustrious son of New Hampshire, under the auspices of the Webster club of Concord, is surpassed in power and felicity of expression by none which the event anywhere called forth.
Col. George was united in marriage, in September, 1849, with Miss Susan Ann Brigham, daughter of Capt. Levi Brigham, of Boston, who died May 10, 1862, leaving five children, three sons and two daughters. In July, 1864, he married Miss Salvadora Meade Graham, daughter of Col. James D. Graham of the United States engineers, by whom he has one child, a daughter. His eldest son, John Paul, graduated at Dartmouth College in 1878, entered the Harvard Law School, and is now a student-at-law in the office of George & Foster. His second son, Charles Peaslee, graduated in June, 1881, at the naval school at Annapolis, and is now a midshipman in the U. S. navy. His third son, Benjamin Pierce, is a member of the sophomore class in Dartmouth College. His eldest daughter, Jane Appleton, is the wife of Mr. Henry E. Bacon, and resides in Portland, Me.; his second daughter, Anne Brigham, is at home; while the youngest daughter, Charlotte Graham, is at school in Washington, D. C.
The family residence of Col. George is the old paternal mansion on North Main street, in Concord, wherein he was born. He has also an excellent farm a few miles out of the city, in Hopkinton, where he makes his summer home, and where, in his little leisure from professional labor, he indulges a fondness for rural pursuits, and especially for the breeding and care of domestic animals, which was one of the characteristics of his boyhood. Incidental as this may be, his farm is known as one of the most highly cultivated in the section where it is located, and his horses and Jersey cattle are the admiration of all lovers of good stock.
As a citizen, Col. George is public-spirited, and freely devotes his time and energies to the furtherance of every movement and the advocacy of every measure which he believes calculated to promote the material or educational welfare of the community. No man in Concord has done more than he to advance the prosperity of the city in every essential regard. The efficiency of the public schools has ever been an object of deep interest to him; and as a private citizen, as a member of building committees, and in the board of education, he has given his services freely in perfecting the admirably equipped public-school system, which is far from the least of the attractions which render our capital city one of the most desirable places of residence in New England.
The general extension of the railway system of the state, to which most that has been accomplished in the development of its material resources for the last twenty-five years is due, has ever found an enthusiastic supporter in Col. George, who has been and still is directly connected with several railroad enterprises in different sections, which have proved of great local and general advantage.
Few men have more or warmer friends than Col. George. A man of positive opinions, frankly and honestly declared, he commands the sincere respect of those with whom he comes in contact in all the relations of life, private, social, public, and professional. Formidable as an opponent, he is nevertheless fair and honorable, as he is true and faithful as a friend and ally. He is a prominent member of the Masonic order, having attained the rank of sovereign grand inspector-general of the 33d degree, and a member of the "Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of the Northern Jurisdiction of the United States."
This brief sketch can perhaps be no more appropriately concluded than in the following language of the gentleman (Sidney Webster, Esq.,) heretofore quoted:
"Years of incessant toil, while they have diminished somewhat the energetic temperament and the exuberant animal spirits of Col. George's youth, and have naturally softened his once blunt and almost brusque manner in debate, have not diminished the real force and strength of his genuine character, for character is just what Col. George has always had. As the ripples of his experience spread over a wider and wider area, he may have less and less confidence in the infallibility of any man's opinions, and less belief in the importance to society of any one man's action; but Col. George has reached and passed his half century with his mental faculties and his moral faculties improving and strengthening, year by year. New Hampshire has to-day very few among her living sons better equipped to do triumphant battle for her in the high places of the world."
"Years of incessant toil, while they have diminished somewhat the energetic temperament and the exuberant animal spirits of Col. George's youth, and have naturally softened his once blunt and almost brusque manner in debate, have not diminished the real force and strength of his genuine character, for character is just what Col. George has always had. As the ripples of his experience spread over a wider and wider area, he may have less and less confidence in the infallibility of any man's opinions, and less belief in the importance to society of any one man's action; but Col. George has reached and passed his half century with his mental faculties and his moral faculties improving and strengthening, year by year. New Hampshire has to-day very few among her living sons better equipped to do triumphant battle for her in the high places of the world."
Wm G MeansWm G Means
William Gordon Means, for sixteen years clerk and paymaster of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, and afterwards treasurer of the Manchester Locomotive-Works, was born at Amherst, Hillsborough county, April 27, 1815. He is of the third generation in descent from Col. Robert Means, who came to New Hampshire from Stewartstown, Ireland, in 1766, and commenced business at Merrimack, with Dea. Jacob McGaw, who emigrated to this country about the same year. This partnership, which had prospered, was dissolved when Amherst became the shire town, and Col. Means opened a store there, in which he prosecuted a successful business. A man of great energy, he was prominent in the affairs of the town; elected its representative at the general court three times, also a member of the senate three years, and councilor for Hillsborough county, his name is identified with the most important measures of that period.
Col. Means had a large family. Several of the daughters were married to gentlemen who subsequently attained great distinction in the learned professions. Of the sons, Robert became a lawyer, and David McGregor, who bore the name of his mother (a daughter of Rev. David McGregor of Londonderry), succeeded his father as a merchant. He married Catherine, daughter of Hon. Joshua Atherton, who is described as a woman of vigorous understanding and positive convictions, ready in conversation, and of sprightly and pleasing manners. By this marriage, David McG. Means had three sons and six daughters, of whom the subject of this sketch was the third son and the fourth child, receiving the name of his uncle, Hon. William Gordon, at that time a lawyer of great promise in Amherst.
Among his schoolmates, William G. Means is remembered as a quick-witted boy, fond of adventure, and overflowing with fun. The schools in Amherst at that date did not furnish advantages of a high order. Aside from the training of the household, the youth had no superior privileges, except a few terms at Pinkerton Academy, Derry, then under the care of Abel F. Hildreth, an eminent teacher. For parts of three years he attended this school, in company with his brother James, Edward and Alfred Spalding, E. D. Boylston, and other students from Amherst.
In the autumn of 1830, Mr. Means went to Boston, and entered the store of Daniel McGregor, then a dealer in dry goods,—finding employment, after an apprenticeship of four or five years, in the house of Robert Appleton & Co. By the commercial crisis of 1837, like hundreds of young men similarly situated, he was thrown out of employment, and returned to his home in Amherst. These years of service in Boston were not without their valuable uses, though a new direction was soon to be given to his capacity for business. He saw the perils that beset the career of the tradesman, and learned the wisdom of that conservatism which underlies the avenues of success in mercantile pursuits. While living in Boston, he became interested in the lady who was subsequently to share his fortunes and build his house.
In March, 1838, Mr. Means became clerk of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company at Manchester, taking charge of the books and pay-rolls of the land and water-power department, then under the direction of Robert Read, Esq. The city had no existence except in the plans of the projectors. There was not a mill on the east side of the river, not a building except the scattered farm-houses; the canal had been laid out, a site for a cotton mill set off, but nothing was finished. It was during this constructive period of the city's history that he was occupied with the oversight of workmen, the execution of land sales, and the varied duties of the Amoskeag counting-room, thus gathering the knowledge and experience which qualified him for the important agencies that have since engrossed his time.
In 1854, desiring a more independent position, he resigned his place in the Amoskeag company, and united with O. W. Bailey, Aretas Blood, and Joseph M. Stone in organizing a company for building railway engines. By the act of incorporation, they took the name of "Manchester Locomotive-Works." Without adequate capital, and with adverse times, the projectors of the enterprise had a weary struggle before them. Having no reputation as builders, and with limited capacity for production, it was not easy to obtain patronage; but with the pluck and persistence which deserved success, the proprietors determined to make only first-class engines. At the end of ten years they had gained a position which commanded wide confidence, and they then began to divide profits. Since that time, with occasional interruptions, the business has steadily increased, so that, in the number, size, and weight of the engines now constructed, the product of a month often exceeds in value the entire product of some previous years.
In 1858, Mr. Means was elected treasurer of the Salmon Falls Manufacturing Company. The mills of this company were in the eastern portion of the state, and for convenience of access he removed his family to Andover, Mass., still retaining his place as treasurer of the locomotive-works, and having an office for the business of both companies in Boston. Under his management the condition of the Salmon Falls company was much improved. The capital stock of the company was, by cash payment to its stockholders, reduced from $1,000,000 to $600,000. New mills were erected, and the productive capacity of the concern enlarged by one-fourth, without any assessments or sacrifices on the part of the stockholders,—a result which illustrates beyond dispute the good judgment and skill of the management. Mr. Means resigned the treasurership September 1, 1877.
On the 26th day of February, 1840, Mr. Means was married to Martha Allen, daughter of Bethuel and Martha (Bent) Allen, of Newton, Mass. They have had eight children, of whom six are now living,—four sons and two daughters. The sons, as they have reached manhood, have found employment in the corporations with which the father is connected.
In politics, Mr. Means has been Whig and Republican. Conversant with the affairs of government, and a careful observer of public men, he has manifested a generous appreciation of the good qualities of those with whom he did not agree. Loving justice, and abhorring the wrongs by which any class of his fellow-men suffered injury, he strongly adhered to the principles and steadfastly upheld the policy of the party with which he voted. In 1854 he was elected representative from ward three in Manchester, and served one term in the house at Concord. Having removed from ward three, he was not returned a second time.
In religion, Mr. Means has firmly held to the evangelical system of doctrine. In early manhood he made profession of his faith by uniting with the Congregational church in his native town; transferring his membership to the Hanover-street church in Manchester, and thence to the South church in Andover, withsuccessive chances of residence. In all of these places he has proved a stanch friend of the ministry and a liberal supporter of Christian institutions. A man of clear convictions and of marked independence of character, he has not stood aloof from the community, but, cherishing a hearty respect for human nature, he has taken an active part in the popular movements in behalf of education and local improvements. To the appeals for charitable aid, whether coming from individuals or churches or institutions of learning, the response has been cordial. The establishment of the Means prizes at Phillips Academy illustrates his discriminating beneficence. In times of difficulty and depression he has been helpful in bearing burdens, making good deficiencies, and quietly upholding the cause he had espoused. For a few years past the family have spent the winter season in Boston; but, whether in city or country, the man is unchanged. He is still interested in the welfare of the church and the state, thoughtful of his friends and former associates, considerate of neighbors, and bestowing sympathy and assistance where they are needed, seeks to keep alive the ancient virtues of New England life, and maintain the best standards of service and citizenship.
Frederick Smythwas born March 19, 1819, in Candia, Rockingham county, N. H. His ancestors were farmers, men and women of thrift and intelligence. He was trained in the hardest kind of farm labor, receiving, in addition, such education as the good common schools of that town could give, supplemented by a brief course at Phillips Academy at Andover, Mass. With a view to further education, he taught school several winters, and in 1839 found employment at the store of George Porter, Esq., in Manchester. Elm street was then a sandy and uninviting thoroughfare, with only one other store. At the end of the year Mr. Smyth's employer persuaded him to give up the idea of a college education and adopt a mercantile life. He soon became a partner in the business, which was successfully carried on until 1849, in which year he was elected city clerk,—the beginning of a long official career, local and national.
In 1852, Mr. Smyth was elected mayor, the city then containing a population of fifteen thousand. Mayor Smyth's first message contained many practical suggestions; for instance, that the police or school committee be empowered to take vagrant children from the streets and put them in school; that proper sidewalks be constructed and maintained; and that a special committee be appointed to confer with the corporations in regard to the introduction of pure water. In May of that year he set trees on Elm street, the commons, and about land owned by the city. To this matter the mayor gave his personal attention, and not only at that time but every year since, with few exceptions, has inspected the trees and given notice to the proper authorities of any lack. This thorough attention to detail, and desire for doing the work belonging to his office personally and not by proxy, was characteristic of Mayor Smyth. In March, 1853, he was re-elected by an increased majority, and the year was marked by the annexation of parts of Bedford and Goffstown to Manchester, and by the rebuilding of the Amoskeag Falls bridge.
The subject of lighting the streets with gas was first introduced to the attention of the city councils at that time, and a few lamps experimentally established. The free public library was also urged,—a recommendation then somewhat in advance of the popular sentiment. It was, however, advocated by the late Hon. Samuel D. Bell and some others, and was finally carried through both branches of the city government without serious opposition. It has resulted in the establishment of a library of which any city might be proud, and a building for its accommodation costing, with the recent annex, nearly forty thousand dollars. A special vote of the trustees at that time recorded their appreciation of Mayor Smyth's effective exertions in the matter. Having been a third time elected mayor and with still increased majority, the annual message of 1854 set forth the working plan of the library, proposed a change of city charter to allow the consolidation of school-districts, and again urged the imperative need of a supply of pure water. At the close of this term of office he declined a re-election, but was soon appointed, by the governor, chairman of a committee to locate and build a house of "reformation for juvenile offenders." His associates in this work were the late Hon. Matthew Harvey, ex-governor, and judge of the United States circuit court, and Hon. Hosea Eaton.
Frederick Smyth GOVERNOR OF NEW HAMPSHIRE 1865-66Frederick SmythGOVERNOR OF NEW HAMPSHIRE 1865-66
The first report of the commissioners was a vindication of the humane policy of the state, containing a sketch of what had been done in this and other countries for the reform of young offenders, with a full report of progress made. In May, 1858, the house was dedicated to its purpose with appropriate ceremonies, and the commissioners were complimented by Gov. Haile for the fidelity with which the task was accomplished. While engaged in the supervision of this work, Mr. Smyth represented ward three in Manchester in the legislature of 1857 and 1858. He was made treasurer of the reform school and of the N. H. Agricultural Society, holding the latter office during ten years of its greatest usefulness. It was in this time, Judge Nesmith being president, that Daniel Webster spoke at one of the annual fairs in Manchester to the farmers of his native state, and Edward Everett made one of those matchless speeches which lives in perennial beauty like the landscape it describes. Mr. Smyth was at the same time a director of the U. S. Agricultural Society, manager of the fairs held by that association at Louisville, Richmond, Chicago, and Cincinnati, and vice-president of the American Pomological Society. Such varied activities having brought him favorably to the attention of people throughout the state, he received some votes in the convention which nominated the Hon. Ichabod Goodwin for governor. The next year Mr. Smyth was made president of the convention. In 1860 he was appointed, by Secretary Chase, an agent to receive subscriptions to the national loan, and being cashier and principal business manager of the Merrimack River Bank and of the savings bank, he invested largely for them in government bonds. The bank of discount soon after became known as the "First National Bank."
In 1861, Mr. Smyth was appointed by government a commissioner to the International Exhibition at London, and was then made one of the jurors. The favorable exhibit made by the textile fabrics of Manchester was in no small degree owing to the care with which he looked after their disposal. His appointment gave him unusual facilities for study and observation in the highest circles of London and England, and he was also accredited from the various associated bodies with which he was connected at home to the Royal Agricultural Society. Upon these and kindred topics he wrote some interesting letters, which were published in theN. H. Journal of Agriculture. He also took a trip on the Continent, accompanied by C. L. Flint, Esq., secretary of the Massachusetts board of agriculture. The gathering proportions of the war at home, however, led him to cut short his travels, and he arrived at New York, via London, in September. He now gave his time to the care of the banks, encouraging subscriptions to the national loans, and taking active part in measures calculated to strengthen faith in the administration.
In May, 1863, a fair was held in Smyth's Hall in aid of the sanitary commission, at which nearly four thousand dollars were raised. Mr. Smyth gave the use of the hall and his personal efforts as chairman of the committee, sparing no pains to make the occasion successful; and his enthusiasm and zeal stimulated that of others. After the battle of Gettysburg and of the Wilderness, he went to the front and gave efficient aid in caring for the sick and wounded. One result of exposure to the burning sun and malaria of the battle-field was the first serious illness of his life. In that same year, when the importance of good municipal government was felt to be superior to partisan considerations, at the solicitation of men prominent in both parties, Mr. Smyth allowed his name to be used as a candidate for mayor the fourth time. He was elected practically without opposition, and his election had the desired effect, to give confidence to all classes and stability to the financial standing of the city.
It has been noticed that he was thought of before this as a possible candidate for governor, and the feeling had so strengthened that in 1865 he was nominated for that office, his chief competitor in the convention being the late Hon. Onslow Stearns. The nomination proved a very popular one, and after an active canvass he was elected by a majority of over six thousand, the highest given to any man for twenty-four years. Such support was very gratifying to the governor-elect; but, nevertheless, he felt that he had undertaken no light task. The state debt, which heretofore in times of peace seldom exceeded a few thousands, had now arisen to millions. Moreover, loans must be made in competition with other states and with the general government. State bonds were hard to sell at any price, and all the time expenditures were going on. In less than three months from Governor Smyth's inaugural message he had raised, by personal solicitation, largely from banks at Manchester, over one million of dollars, and the credit of the state, strained but not impaired by its patriotic efforts, was firmly re-established. Much time in this year was occupied in the reception and discharge of returning soldiers, and from June until Christmas day, when the last regiment was mustered out, the state echoed to the tread of the home-coming veterans.
Governor Smyth's correspondence at this time reveals great care taken for the needs of the men, for inmates of military hospitals, or for companies unnecessarily detained in camp. In this busy period he found time to make brief practical speeches at Portsmouth, Milford, and various other places, each of them calculated to draw attention to the resources and credit of New Hampshire, and to foster a healthy confidence in our ability to overcome every difficulty. He also delivered in Concord the annual address before the New England Agricultural Society, the late Govs. Andrew of Massachusetts and Buckingham of Connecticut, with other N. E. governors, being present, and highly commending the address. This year Governor Smyth was made one of the corporators of the national asylums for disabled soldiers, and served on the committee whose duty it was to arrange the working details, with Gen. Grant, Admiral Farragut, Gen. Butler, Surg.-Gen. Barnes, Hon. H. J. Raymond, ex-Gov. Todd, and Admiral Davis.
In 1866 he was unanimously nominated for re-election as governor, and, as before, chosen by a handsome majority. Some events of the second year are of much interest. The appointment of Dr. Bouton as state historian, resulting in the preservation and publication of the Provincial Records, was a peculiarly fitting act; laws in regard to the river fisheries were carried into effect; and initial steps taken toward the foundation of the Agricultural College, of which Gov. Smyth is at this date a trustee and the treasurer. The financial and executive report of the two years' work is very concisely given in the valedictory address of June 6, 1867. On two occasions the governor spoke briefly at the annual dinner of the sons of New England, at Delmonico's in New York, and was very warmly received. Some of the most influential and respectable papers of the state advocated his nomination for a third term; he, however, definitely declined the honor in a letter to theStatesman. He was a delegate at large to the Republican national convention which renominated Gen. Grant, and was also a member of the last constitutional convention of New Hampshire. In 1866 he was chosen, by vote of congress, one of the managers of the military asylums for six years, other members of the board being Hon. R. J. Oglesby of Illinois, Gen. B. F. Butler, Hon. L. B. Gunekel of Ohio, Jay Cooke of Philadelphia, and Gen. Martindale of New York, with the President, Secretary of War, and Chief-Justice,ex officiis, any one of whom had authority to admit to the Homes on application being made in due form. The proper discharge of these duties involved a vast amount of correspondence, much travel, and constant care. Gov. Smyth was re-elected for a second six years' term in 1872, and was vice-president of the board. In 1878,the house being Democratic and the senate nearly a tie, Gen. Shields was proposed as his successor, but failed of an election. Two years later, however, the Democracy were able to unite on a successor.
Since the close of his term as governor, he has delivered addresses on several occasions,—one before the Vermont State Agricultural Society, another at the dedication of a soldiers' monument at Washington, N. H., and, later, the "Oration to the Unknown Dead," delivered on "Decoration Day" before Louis Bell Post No. 3, G. A. R., in 1880; and in 1881, an address on a similar occasion, at Rochester, N. H.
In 1878 he was appointed, by President Hayes, honorary commissioner to the International Exposition at Paris. Accompanied by Mrs. Smyth, he left New York, April 24, in the steamer Russia, for Liverpool. Visiting London and some English cities by the way, they reached Paris at the grand opening. Soon after they left Marseilles for Alexandria, Egypt, and from thence made a tour of the Holy Land,viaCairo, Ismailia, and the Suez canal, afterward journeying to the Levant, stopping at Constantinople, Smyrna, Athens, and other points of interest. They were received with uniform courtesy and attention by officials at the U. S. legations, and particularly spoke of the interest manifested in their welfare by Ministers Noyes at Paris, Maynard in Constantinople, Reed at Athens, Consul-General Fairman at Cairo. Nearly everywhere they seem to have found friends to smooth the roughness of the traveler's path; and on their return to Paris, which they did by way of Rome, Switzerland, and most of the continental cities, it was regarded as an exceptional piece of good fortune to be present at the memorial celebration in honor of M. Thiers. Ex.-Gov. Smyth was there also received as a member of the Stanley club. While thus absent, he wrote a series of interesting letters, which were published in theMirror and American, and read with pleasure by a large circle of acquaintances. Since returning from the East he and Mrs. Smyth have made an extended trip into Mexico, touching at Cuba by the way. Their experience in that land of the sun appears to have been equally pleasant with that in other places.
The ex-governor, frequently if not always accompanied by his wife, has visited almost every nook and corner of our own land except, possibly, Alaska, and is therefore well qualified to make comparisons. This long and varied experience in affairs, in acquaintance with men, and in travel, has made him a very interesting man in conversation whenever he chooses to indulge in the reminiscences of a not distant past. His house abounds in tokens of travel, curious and rare bits from many lands, and he has entertained there, from time to time, many distinguished guests. Before local associations and to personal friends he has given some familiar and delightful talks on what he has seen in these vacations of a busy life. He also pays the penalty of success in other ways, which, if flattering, are not always agreeable. His advice is daily sought, not only, as is natural, in financial and political matters, but on matters more remote from his habits of thought. But, whatever it may be, he gives cheerfully, and no man more readily lends a hand to those who are trying to help themselves.
Offices of trust also flock to one who has proved himself capable of taking good care of his own affairs, and among appointments which he holds at this date, not before named, are: 'director of the Concord, Suncook Valley, and Boston & Acton railroads; director and treasurer of the Manchester Horse-Railroad; vice-president of the New England Agricultural Society; president and director of the Northern Telegraph Company; treasurer of the Elliot hospital; cashier and manager of the First National Bank of Manchester; trustee and treasurer of the Merrimack River Savings Bank: vice-president of the American Pomological Society. In 1866 the faculty of Dartmouth College conferred on him the degree of A. B.
Charles Elliott Tilton, son of Hon. Samuel Tilton, was born in Sanbornton, September 14, 1827, and in that part set off and incorporated as the town of Tilton. He received his early education in the common schools, and at the age of fifteen was put under the instruction of Prof. Dyer H. Sanborn of Sanbornton Academy. Later he was admitted into the Norwich University (a military school), where he remained three years.
When war was declared with Mexico, Gen. Ransom, the president of the university, was commissioned to raise a regiment, and induced nearly every student to enlist, offering young Tilton the command of a company, which honor, through the influence of his father, was declined. About this date he left home, going to New York, where he remained with his brother a short time.
He then sailed for the West Indies and South America in pursuit of a fortune. At this point a business career was inaugurated which for thirty years called for untiring labor. He visited all the islands, prospected the Orinoco and Amazon rivers to their head waters, went overland to Caracas and La Guayra, thence to Maracaybo, St. Martha, Carthagena, and Chagres. Here he heard of gold discoveries in California, and proceeded at once to San FranciscoviaPanama. A hasty survey of the outlook satisfied him that "merchandising" rather than digging for gold afforded better chances for success, and on this foundation determined to build his fortune. In 1850 he went to Oregon, and in the succeeding year formed a copartnership with W. S. Ladd. Esq., for general mercantile pursuits, which continued until 1859. That his operations were diversified and on a large scale, the public prints of that era are ample evidence. He was interested in establishing a line of vessels to run between Oregon and China, one of which, the "C. E. Tilton," had made the quickest passage from New York to Oregon on record to the present time. She was subsequently sold to the Japanese government and by them converted into a man of war, and was finally sunk in an encounter with the U. S. ship "Powhattan." In 1859 the banking-house of Ladd & Tilton, Portland, was organized, so favorably known and generally advertised during the settlement of the presidential vote of that state in 1876. He remained a partner in this institution twenty-one years, retiring in 1880.
In all this period Mr. Tilton was interested in many other enterprises on the Pacific coast and frontier. Among these may be mentioned the navigation of the Columbia and Willamette rivers. He was one of five who controlled what has developed into the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company, with a capital of $24,000,000. He had an interest in the banking firm of Ladd & Bush, Salem, in the First National Bank of Portland, and First National Bank of Walla Walla, W. T. At the same time he was largely engaged in transportation across the plains. He fully understood the requirements for merchandise in Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. He furnished and dispatched large trains from San Bernardino, Cal., to Utah, and from St. Joseph, Mo., to Colorado, and from there to Montana, giving his personal attention to them all. This was no pastime twenty years ago. A country largely held by hostile Indians had to be traversed, and few trains reached their destination unmolested. Desperate encounters frequently occurred, resulting in more or less loss to life and property, and once ending in the capture of an entire train by the "Red Devils." Other obstacles had to be met, incident to such undertakings, like storms, swollen rivers, and break-downs, which would have seemed insuperable to any one of less force of character. Realizing what the great West might be, he purchased land in all the territories, which investments have proved advantageous. He engaged in many other transactions which his keen perceptions led him to believe would be remunerative, so that, in fact, there were but few enterprises of importance connected with the growth and development of the Pacific slope, whether pertaining to its finance, internal improvements, or its foreign and domestic commerce, in which the cool and sagacious subject of this sketch was not a participator.