Vermont Marston Finley (1880-1958)

From the Indiana University "Arbutus", 1909.

   A leading attorney based in Kendallville, Indiana, Vermont Marston Finley shares his first name with the Green Mountain State and made his political mark in the Indiana House of Representatives, where he served for one term. The son of Thomas and Effie Lybarger Finley, Vermont Finley was born in Wayne County, Ohio on July 19, 1880. He moved with his family to Indiana during childhood and settled first in Avilla and later in Kendallville.

  A student in schools local to Noble County, Indiana, Finley enrolled at the Tri-State College, where he earned a teaching license, and for several years taught at various schools in the Kendallville vicinity. He later returned to Tri-State College to obtain his A.B. degree and continued study at Indiana University, where he pursued an L.L.B. degree. His time at the school saw him take front rank as a debater, and in December 1908 "won honors" over several other students in an interclass debate on " Centralization, Its Tendencies and Its Evils." Finley graduated in 1909 and shortly after was admitted to the state bar, and began practice in Kendallville.

  Vermont Finley married in Indiana on January 12, 1910, to Carlotta Fisk, to whom he was wed until his death. The couple had two children, Wyman and Sylvia. In the same year as his marriage, Finley entered politics for the first time, gaining the Republican nomination for state representative from Noble County that June. Throughout the election season, Finley conducted "a vigorous campaign" and that November triumphed at the polls, besting incumbent Democrat J.T. Stahl by just 42 votes. Finley's victory was one of the few Republican wins in Noble County that year, with the South Bend Tribune remarking on the overwhelming Democratic wins that year.

  Taking his seat at the start of the 1911-13 session, Finley's committee assignments during his term remain unknown and in November 1912 was defeated for reelection by Democrat Marion Franks, 2,942 votes to 2,738. 

  After leaving the legislature Finley returned to his law practice and around 1923 was named as receiver for the Noble County Bank of Kendallville, where he continued work until the bank's closure in 1930. In 1937 he was joined in practice by his son Wyman, and in the latter portion of his life remained busy in several civic and fraternal groups, holding memberships in the Noble County Bar Association, and the International Order of Odd Fellows. Finley's 1957 obituary also denotes him as a longstanding parishioner at the First Church of Christ, where he was a Sunday School teacher and superintendent.

  Vermont Marston Finley died in Kendallville on February 16, 1957, following a heart attack. He was survived by his wife and children and was interred at the Lakeview Cemetery in Kendallville.

From the Steuben Republican, February 9, 1957.

Montana Wanda Smith (1914-1981)

From the 1945 Year Book of the State of Colorado.

  Our theme of politicians named in honor of states continues with a peek at the life of Montana Wanda Smith, who, while named after the nation's 41st state, achieved political distinction in Colorado. A two-term member of the state house of representatives, the former Montana Wanda French was born, appropriately enough, in Butte, Montana on October 25, 1914, the daughter of F.S. and Thea Plambeck French. Little is known of her early life, except notice of her marriage to Norton Alonza Smith in 1937. The couple had two children, Burton Earle and Byrne C. Smith, and later divorced in 1948.

  Following her removal to Lake City, Colorado, Smith was employed by the Colorado Department of Wildlife. She entered politics in 1946 when she announced her candidacy for the state house of representatives and hoped to represent the counties of Gunnison, Saguache, and Hinsdale. In November she defeated Republican incumbent Robert Tarbell by 242 votes and took her seat in January 1947. 

  During the 1947-49 term Smith was named to the committees on Counties and County Lines, Elections and Appointments, Mines and Mining, and Revision and Engrossment, and won a second term in the legislature in November 1948. She chaired the committee on Fish and Game during this session and held seats on the committees on Constitutional Amendments, Elections and Appointments, Public Buildings, and Roads and Bridges.

From the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, November 25, 1946.

  Following her terms in the legislature, Smith was employed by the Denver Water Board as an engineer and for an indeterminate period worked for Boeing Aircraft Co. of Seattle. Active in several clubs in Colorado, Smith was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, a former worthy priestess in the White Shrine of Jerusalem, and "a conductress of the Columbine Court No. 15 Amaranth of Aurora." Montana Wanda Smith died at a Colorado hospital on May 30, 1981, aged 66. She was survived by her two sons and was interred at the IOOF Cemetery in Lake City, Colorado.

Maryland Bullard Huggins (1870-1951)

From the South Carolina state legislative manual, 1943.

   A three-term member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Maryland Bullard Huggins was a lifelong resident of the Palmetto State and prior to his legislative service served on the Timmonsville city council. Born in Florence County on June 23, 1870, Maryland B. Huggins was the son of James Henry Montgomery Huggins (1835-1900) and the former Louisa E.M Jones (1843-1879). Little is known of Huggins's formative years; by 1900, he had established roots in the ton of Timmonsville. Huggins married in South Carolina in December 1895 to Luella Lee Cox. The couple were married for over fifty years and had 11 children.

  In the years following his resettlement, Huggins became a civic leader in Timmonsville, serving terms on the city council, being a Florence County commissioner, and was a longstanding member of the Southern Methodist Church. He is also recorded as a farmer and livestock dealer in his region. In 1930 he announced his candidacy for the South Carolina House of Representatives and in September of that year detailed the tenets of his campaign in the Florence Morning News, noting:

"My principle platform, as I stated on the stump, is economy. I believe in good roads, good schools, but think that these should be put on an economical and business basis."

    In September 1930 Huggins was one of four Florence County legislative candidates to win in the Democratic primary, polling 4,365 votes. He went on to win the general election that November and would resign his seat on the Timmonsville Board of Aldermen. Taking his seat in January 1931, Huggins served until 1933 and was defeated for reelection in the Republican primary in September 1932. In May 1936 he announced his candidacy for a second term, and in a campaign notice promoting his previous service was remarked as having "fought during his legislative career for strict economy in state government."

From the Florence Morning News, May 24, 1936.

  Elected to a second term in November 1936, Huggins was named as a Lieutenant Colonel on the staff of Governor Olin Johnson early in 1938 and later proved "instrumental in passing the law furnishing free textbooks for students in the public schools of the state." In 1942 he won a third term in the legislature and during the 1943-44 session sat on the committees on Accounts, Agriculture, the Legislative Library, Police Regulations, and Social Security. He announced his candidacy for a fourth term in June 1944 but was defeated in that year's primary.

  Maryland Bullard Huggins continued residence in Timmonsville until his death at age 80 on March 17, 1951. His wife Louisa had died the year previously, and both were interred at the Byrd Cemetery in Timmonsville.

From the Columbia, South Carolina "State", March 18, 1951.

Tennessee Chesmond Brister (1896-1976)

Portrait from the Alexandria Weekly Town Talk, January 8, 1944.

    A leading figure in the political and business life of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Tennessee Chesmond "T.C." Brister was a veteran of WWI who, following his service in France, relocated to Pineville, where he was affiliated with a hardware business for nearly forty years. He entered politics in 1940 with his election to the Louisiana House of Representatives, serving three nonconsecutive terms. In addition to his legislative service, Brister was an aspirant for a state senate seat in 1944 but was defeated. A resident of Louisiana for a good majority of his life, "T.C." Brister was born on May 28, 1896, in Winn Parish, the son of Allen Cicero (1872-1956) and Mary Adams Brister (1869-1944). 

  Recorded by most sources under the initials "T.C.", Brister's full name was discovered via the archives of the United States Veterans Administration's master index, which lists his full name as Tennessee Chesmond Brister. Removing with his family to Mount Lebanon, Louisiana during infancy, Brister resided there until 1906, whereafter he resided and attended school in Grant Parish. A graduate of the parish high school in 1915, Brister moved with his family to Pineville, Rapides parish sometime later and during the First World War was stationed in France with the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

  Honorably discharged in May 1919, Brister returned to Louisiana where he was employed with the Gulf Refining Co. as an agent. His work took him to Brookhaven, Mississippi, and during the 1920s was affiliated with a wholesale oil business at Westpoint. He also worked as a traveling salesman. He married in Mississippi in April 1934 to Mary Louise Blum (1906-1990), to whom he was wed for over forty years. The couple's union produced three daughters, Kathleen (1939-2020), Marleen Marie, and Margaret Louise. 

  Residing in Pineville in the late 1920s, T.C. Brister would join his brother Commodore Webster Brister in the Pineville Hardware Co., serving as its secretary and treasurer. By 1938 the business had grown to such an extent it necessitated removal to a larger building, located in Alexandria. Now serving as company manager, Brister and the store were profiled in the February 2, 1938 edition of the Alexandria Weekly Town Talk, which detailed the store's inventory. In addition to nails, barbed wire fencing, tools, and agricultural implements, the store also carried paints, stoves, and "harness and saddlery." 

  With his name firmly established in Alexandria's business community, Brister entered politics in 1939 when he announced his candidacy for the Louisiana House of Representatives. Running free of political influence, Brister decried the "crookedness, graft, and waste of public funds" in his state, and in a lengthy announcement laid out the principles of his campaign, including:

• Favoring 12 months pay for school teachers and a school teacher's tenure law.
• Favoring repeal of the state sales tax and favoring a tax on Carbon Black and other state minerals.
• The return of power to local sheriffs, mayors, and assessors
• Favoring an old age pension of $30.00 a month to every man or woman over age 60.
• Favoring organized labor, a decent wage, and an eight-hour workday
• Favoring a $3.00 car license
• Coming out against a state and parish-wide No Fence law.

A Brister campaign notice from 1939.

  Running in a field of twenty legislative candidates, Brister faced an uphill battle. On primary election day in January 1940, he emerged victorious. He went on to win the April general election, and after taking his seat was named as vice chairman of the committee on public buildings and sat on the committee on registration and election laws. 

  Towards the end of his first term, Brister announced his candidacy for the state senate, and in a write-up on his candidacy noted his successes during the previous house term, remarking:

"I was one of the co-authors of the bill that would have given eight hour working days and an increase in pay to the unpaid at our state institutions."

  On primary election day in January 1944, T.C. Brister polled second to incumbent senator Grove Stafford, who led by over 1,200 votes. Though he lost that election, Brister went on to win a second term in the state house in February 1948, polling 12,876 votes. During the 1948-52 session, he served on the committees on Appropriations, Contingent Expenses, the Penitentiary, and Printing, and wasn't a candidate for reelection. 

  Following his term Brister was a candidate for the Pineville school board in May 1952 and for the next fourteen years devoted "his time to his Pineville hardware and sporting goods business." He would sell his business in 1966 and in the following year reemerged on the political scene, announcing his candidacy for a third term in the house of representatives. In a June 1967 campaign notice, Brister highlighted his previous terms, remarking:

"The office of representative is becoming more and more important and time demanding...If you see fit to select me as one of your four representatives I will give that office full time. I will not engage in any other employment during my term of office. I will be at your service seven days a week for the next four years. Having previous service in the legislature, I will have the know-how to get things done for our district."

From the Weekly Town Talk, December 6, 1967.

   Brister won his third house term in February 1968, polling 11,850 votes, and in April 1968 was profiled in an extensive write-up in the Alexandria Town Talk. Noting that "education and highways are the biggest problems facing the legislature on a statewide level", Brister made further note of the state needing four-lane highways, and his hopes the Louisiana State University at Alexandria would someday become a four-year college "complete with dormitories." On politics, Brister announced himself as a firm backer of Alabama Governor George Wallace (then running for president) but noted that Hubert Humphrey would be the likely Democratic presidential nominee.

  T.C. Brister's third term concluded in 1972 and for the remainder of his life resided in Pineville. A member of the Fist Baptist Church of Pineville, Brister held memberships in the Solomon Lodge No. 221 and Keystone Chapter No. 44 of Free and Accepted Masons, the Trinity Commandry No.8, Knights Templer, as well as the VFW and American Legion. T.C. Brister died on November 26, 1976, at the Rapides General Hospital, aged 80. He was survived by his wife and children and was interred at the Greenwood Cemetery in Alexandria.

From the Alexandria Town Talk, April 7, 1968.

Desoto Shelton Hollowell (1870-1951)

Portrait courtesy of the Texas Legislative Reference Library. 

  One of a number of oddly named Texas state representatives to be profiled here on the site, Desoto Shelton Hollowell briefly represented Milam County in the state legislature, and prior to his election was affiliated with a Farm Labor Union in his region. Born in Mississippi on January 14, 1870 (or 1871, depending on the source), Desoto "D.S." Hollowell was the son of Henry Harrison and Sarah (Foust) Hollowell. Removing to Texas during his youth, Hollowell resided in Davilla and later settled in Salty in Milam County. Hollowell married there in 1894 to Alice Safronia Williams (1878-1955), who survived him upon his death. The couple had three daughters, Annie (1898-1957), Ruth (1902-1979), and Myrtle (1906-1979).

  After a period in Salty Hollowell and his family relocated to Rockdale, where "D.S." spent the remainder of his life. A longtime farmer in that region, Hollowell was active in forming the Farmer-Labor Union of Milam County in the 1920s. He was elected as the union's secretary in 1922, and was influential in the "building and operating of the Farmer's Union Warehouse."

  Elected from Rockdale to the Texas house of representatives in November 1924, Hollowell took his seat in January 1925 and was named to the committees on Agriculture, Examination of the Comptroller's and Treasurer's Accounts, Labor, and Livestock and Stock Raising. Hollowell served less than a year, having resigned in December 1925, and was later succeeded by Sam Hefley, in a special election to fill the vacancy.

  Hollowell continued to farm in Milam County until health concerns compelled him to retire. He died at his home in Rockdale on March 2, 1951, aged 81, and was survived by his wife and daughters. Hollowell was interred at the Salty Cemetery in Milam County.

Severyn Bruyn Sharpe (1857-1929)

 

From the 1915 Manual of the New York Constitutional Convention.

  A leading lawmaker in Ulster County, New York in the late 19th and early 20th century, Severyn Bruyn Sharp served briefly as Ulster County judge and in 1914 was elected as a delegate to the New York state constitutional convention. The son of George Henry and Caroline (Hasbrouck) Sharp, Severyn Bruyn Sharp was born on New Year's Day 1857 in Kingston. A distinguished figure in his own right, George Henry Sharp (1828-1900) was a Civil War Brigadier General, a former state assemblyman and Speaker of the House from Ulster County,  a U.S. Marshal, Surveyor of Customs of the Port of New York from 1873-78, and from 1884-85 was a U.S. Commissioner to the South American Republic.

  Being the son of a prominent New York family, Sharpe had the benefit of an excellent education, studying at the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He would enroll at Yale University in the late 1870s, and graduated in 1879. Deciding to pursue a law degree, Sharpe enrolled at the Columbia University Law School and was admitted to practice in 1881. He soon returned to Kingston to join his father's law practice, and in 1883 joined the New York City law firm of Alexander and Green. He practiced there several years and later removed back to his hometown of Kingston, where he established his law practice. In addition to private practice, Sharpe served as the attorney for the Ulster County Savings Institution for an indeterminate period.

  Sharpe married in  February 1897 to fellow Kingston native Frances Payntar (1868-1949), to who he was wed until his death. The couple had one daughter, Katherine (born 1901). A former chairman of the Ulster County Republican Committee for three years, Sharpe was selected by Governor Frank S. Black to succeed Alphonso T. Clearwater as Ulster County judge in January 1898. This appointment, occasioned by Clearwater's appointment to the state supreme court, saw Sharpe serve briefly on the bench, and in November 1898 was defeated for reelection by John G. Van Etten, the latter's six-year term beginning in January 1899.

  Returning to his law practice in Kingston, Sharpe resided there until 1904, when he removed his practice back to New York City, where he specialized in "the legal interests of banking and railroad corporations." In 1914 he was elected from the 27th senatorial district as a delegate to the 1915 state constitutional convention, and during the proceedings sat on the committees on Contingent Expenses and Counties, Towns, and Villages.

From the History of the Class of '79, 1906.

  Following his convention service, Sharpe continued with his law practice in New York City, where he died on November 24, 1929, aged 72. He was survived by his wife Frances and was returned to Ulster County for burial at the Wiltwyck Cemetery in Kingston.

Syver Ellefson Brimi (1856-1936)

From the Weekly Wisconsin, October 11, 1890.

   Joining a short list of Norwegian-born political figures featured here, Syver Ellefson Brimi etched his name into Wisconsin history books in 1887 when he introduced legislation that would protect birds in his state, the first bill of its kind to be presented in the Wisconsin legislature. In addition to his one term in the house of representatives Brimi was an unsuccessful candidate for state railroad commissioner and in 1888 served as a Republican presidential elector. Born in Lom, Norway on December 27, 1853, Syver Ellefson Brimi is recorded as having "an excellent education in his native land" prior to immigrating to the United States in 1869.

  Now in the Land of Opportunity alone, Brimi is mentioned as residing in Illinois for fourteen months, his places of residence given as both Chicago and Naperville. Around 187o he removed to Eau Clair, Wisconsin, and after resettling there furthered his education under the tutelage of Prof. Thomas F. Frawley. After becoming proficient in English, Brimi took work in the Northwestern Lumber Company, where he was a bookkeeper, and married in Eau Claire in September 1875 to Lena Larson, to who he was wed until her death in 1896. The couple had nine children: Carl Linne, Louie (1877-1883), Freddie, Marie, Anna (died in infancy in 1886), Anna (died in infancy in 1888), Ella, Louis, and Freda.

  After several years with the Northwestern Lumber Co. Brimi formed a partnership with Christian Larson, dealing in men's clothing, hats, caps, boots, and shoes. Their firm continued until at least 1881, and by 1884 was employed as a clothier in Eau Clair. In that profession Brimi achieved prominence and in November of that year received "the largest stock of seal skin caps ever brought to the city." Later, Brimi would be a partner in the firms of Brimi and Demorest, Brimi and Shervey, the Edsvold Clark and Co, and Jacob Bye and Co. Brimi also entered into publishing in the 1880s, being president of the Arbeideren Publishing Co., which published a newspaper.

  Brimi began his political career at the local level, being elected to the Eau Claire North Side school board, and in 1882-83 served on the city council. In 1886 he received the Republican nomination for the Wisconsin state assembly, and in November defeated Democrat George Daniels by a vote of 2,263 to 1,784. Taking his seat in January 1887, Brimi was named to the committees on Banks and Banking, Insurance, Lumber and Manufactures, and Lumber and Mining.

  Early in his term Brimi achieved lasting distinction when he introduced a piece of legislation that would protect birds in Wisconsin. The first bill of its kind to be introduced in the assembly, Brimi's bill would fine persons between $5 and $100 if they shot, trapped, or netted various state birds for "millinery purposes." Further particulars of his term saw Brimi introduce articles of incorporation for the city of Altoona, Wisconsin, and towards the end of his term was voted a Republican presidential elector in 1888, casting his ballot for the Harrison and Morton ticket.

  Following his assembly term, Brimi was a partner in the firm of Brimi and Demorest, "the Leading Clothier" in Eau Claire. In 1890 he was urged again to seek political office, and that summer was boomed for secretary of state in columns featured in the Eau Claire Press and the Portage Daily Democrat. By the end of July, Brimi's name was no longer considered for that post but was instead bolstered for state railroad commissioner. In August 1890 he was officially nominated at the state republican convention, being acknowledged as:

"A skillful and practical correspondent, a thoroughly self made man of affairs, well skilled in all that goes to make up a useful and valuable citizen."

From the Waukesha Daily Freeman, July 28, 1890.

  When the votes were tallied after the general election it was Syver Brimi who lost out, polling 124,140 votes to winning Democrat Thomas Thompson's total of 158,293. Tragedy struck Brimi in March 1896 when his wife of twenty years, Lena, took her own life while under mental duress. Despite this tragic loss, Brimi persevered and later remarried in 1910 Ellen Hanson (1868-1945), who survived him.

  Following his time in politics, Brimi continued with his clothing business and in 1901 took work as a traveling salesman with the Kahn Bros. clothing firm of Chicago. Around 1919 Brimi settled in Ashland, Wisconsin, where he spent the rest of his life, and died in that city on July 12, 1936, aged 80. He was survived by his wife and children and was interred at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Eau Claire.

Florondo Schweitzer (1877-1953)

From the Sebewaing Blade, October 16, 1953.

  There were few men more prominent in Sebewaing, Michigan in the first half of the 20th century than Florondo Schweitzer, a leading business figure and politician in his region. Mayor of Sebewaing for nine years, Schweitzer was the founder of the Sebewaing Lumber Company, was a village councilman for three decades, and was active in church work and the local Masonic fraternity. A native of Canada, Florondo Schweitzer was born in Crediton, Ontario on September 14, 1877, the son of Charles and Christiana Schweitzer. 

  Removing to Michigan at age five, his early education was obtained in that state, and married on New Year's Day 1903 to Esther Davis (1882-1965), to who he was wed for fifty years. The couple would have one son, Paul. Several years after his marriage he was appointed as a deputy sheriff for Sebewaing, and in 1913 served as a circuit court juror. 

  By 1926 he had established himself in the lumber business, being an owner of the Sebewaing Lumber Co., as well as the manager of the Pigeon Lumber & Supply Co., the latter dealing in "Building Supplies of All Kinds and Paints and Hardware." In 1936 Schweitzer became sole owner of both the Pigeon Lumber and Sebewaing Lumber properties and for two years served as company president. He sold the Pigeon Lumber and Supply Company in 1938 but continued ownership of the Sebewaing Lumber Co. until a few years prior to his death, operating under the name Sebewaing Lumber and Supply Co. In addition to the above, Schweitzer was a member of the board of directors of the Sebewaing Gas and Oil Company, and in 1930 was elected its president.

From the Sebewaing Blade, July 24, 1936.

  Active in the churchwork and in the fraternal life of his community, Florondo Schweitzer was for thirteen years secretary in the local church and was a member of the Wallace Lodge, No. 434 of Free and Accepted Masons. Additionally, both he and his wife held memberships in the Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic-affiliated body. 

  Schweitzer made his first move into local politics with his election as a councilman in 1911, where he held a seat for nearly thirty years. In 1931 he was elected as trustee for a two-year term, and in 1933 was nominated for village president, a post similar to that of mayor. He was elected that March and, all told, served nine years in office, his final term ending in 1942. During his tenure, Sebewaing passed an ordinance in 1936 to "regulate the operation of public dances and public dance halls, in the village of Sebewaing" and in 1939 proclaimed the week of April 24th "Fire Prevention Clean Up Week", which called upon:

"All departments of the city, the Chamber of Commerce, civic clubs, schools, all other clubs or associations, and our people in general to take active part in the constructive program planned to make our city Clean, Healthful, Thrifty, Safe, and Beautiful."

  Refusing to be a candidate for village president in 1942, Schweitzer returned to politics the following year when he was appointed to the village council to fill a vacancy and served for the remainder of 1943. Later he would win election as village supervisor and assessor, serving in the latter post until his death in 1953. Shortly before his passing Sebewaing celebrated its centennial, and in the summer of 1953 Schweitzer and his wife were named Centennial King and Queen, taking part in a Fourth of July float parade. Just months later Schweitzer died unexpectedly at age 76, and following his death on October 8, 1953, was mourned as one of the village's "best-known citizens." He was survived by his wife Esther, and both were interred at the Memorial Cemetery in Sebewaing.

Albae Haywood Nelson (1897-1944)

 

 From the Blair Pilot-Tribune, May 18, 1944.

  The Strangest Names In American Political History make a rare stop in Nebraska to examine the life of Albae Haywood Nelson, who briefly served as Washington County Judge. A lifelong Nebraskan, Nelson was born in Washington County on May 3, 1897, the son of Charles (1868-1948) and Elizabeth Sutton Nelson. His schooling was obtained at Blair High School, and after deciding upon a career in law, enrolled at the University of Nebraska's Law School.

  Following graduation from the university in 1930, Nelson practiced law in Omaha for a number of years and married Jennie Joy Fellows (1909-2006) in the 1930s. The couple had two daughters, Audrey Lee, and Judy Ann. Nelson moved back to Blair in April 1942, having been appointed as Washington County judge, the appointment being occasioned by the enlistment of Judge John Carrigan in the Army Air Corps. Nelson was sworn in as judge and served in that capacity until his death in May 1944. 

  In his final months in office, Nelson entered into the race for district court judge from Nebraska's 4th judicial district, which comprised Burt, Douglass, and Washington counties. In that year's Republican primary Nelson emerged victorious, polling 575 votes to his opponent's 554, and his name went on the ballot for the general election in the fall. Despite his victory, Nelson's health began to fail due to a gallbladder ailment, and in May 1944 was transferred to Fremont for surgery. After his surgery on May 10, Nelson appeared to rally, only for gangrene to set in, and on May 17 died at that hospital, just two weeks after his 47th birthday. He was survived by his wife and children and following funeral arrangements was interred at the Blair Cemetery.

From the Arlington Review Herald, April 6, 1944.

Mintle Emmett Hostetter (1891-1961)

 

From the Napanee Advance News, March 2, 1961.

   A two-term mayor and city councilman in Nappanee, Indiana, Mintle Emmett Hostetter had earlier attained prominence in the American Legion, being the commander of two lodges, and was an active Mason, Kiwanis Club president, and Shriner. The son of Emmett and Jennie Lee Hostetter, Mintle "Mint" Hostetter was born on August 11, 1891, in Indiana. His education occurred in the state of his birth and in 1913 entered into his first business venture, purchasing an interest in the Shirley restaurant in Walkerton, Indiana. 

  Hostetter's residency in Walkerton saw him run for his first political office in 1913, being an unsuccessful candidate for township trustee. A veteran of WWI, the duration and particulars of his service remain largely unknown, except notice of his being a sergeant in the 159th Depot Brigade. After the war's end, Hostetter would be active in the American Legion in Indiana, being the commander of the Elkhart County 40 and 8, commander of the World War I Veteran's Barracks 399 of Nappanee, and was a member of the Napanee American Legion post #154. Hostetter also served as district commander of the state American Legion and was past vice commander for the Northern Indiana district.

  On the business front, Hostetter was a partner in the clothing company Hatfield and Hostetter of Nappanee, which also employed his wife Jane. The company later added a tailoring business, and some years after the death of his partner Hostetter sold the company to Warren and Rosemarie Rosbrugh. Hostetter entered Napanee politics in the 1940s with his election to the city council, where he served for two terms. In 1947 he announced his candidacy for mayor, and that November was elected, besting Citizens Party candidate William Wedmoyer, 591 votes to 479. He served two four-year terms (1948-56) and one year into his term proclaimed "Kids Day" in the city on November 19, 1949. In connection with the Kiwanis Club (of which he was a member), Hostetter's decree saw:

"Duly chosen children of our community shall briefly serve as officials of our city government. That we shall honor our most prized possessions and be ever ready to help those in need."

  In November 1955 Hostetter was defeated in his bid for a third term by Democrat J. Maxwell Close in a close race,  617 votes to 640. In addition to his business and political doings, Hostetter held memberships in a number of fraternal groups in Elkhart County, including the presidency of the Napanee Kiwanis Club, president of the Napanee Chamber of Commerce, Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge of Walkertown, member of the Nappanee Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, the Nappanee Chapter of Royal Arch Masons and was a member of the Shriners of Hammond. 

  Mintle E. Hostetter's final years were marred by ill health, and he died at a veterans hospital in Fort Wayne on February 25, 1961, at age 69. His wife Mary Jane survived him by four years, and following her death in 1965 was interred alongside him at Nappanee's South Union Cemetery.

  

From the Napanee Advance News, October 30, 1947.

Voranus Lathrop Coffin (1831-1917)

 

Portrait from the Kennebec Journal, January 7, 1897.

  Distinguished on the battlefield as well as in the political arena, Voranus Lathrop Coffin rose to the rank of lieutenant during the Civil War, during which he served time at several Confederate prison camps. Following the close of the hostilities, he made his name in shipbuilding, which he followed for four decades, and served two consecutive terms in the Maine state senate from Washington County. Late in life, he returned to politics with his appointment to the governor's council, and in 1904 was a delegate to the Republican National Convention. Born in Addison, Maine on October 3, 1831, Voranus Lathrop Coffin was the son of Simeon and Rebecca (Nash) Coffin.

  Descended on his father's side from Nantucket, Massachusetts pioneer Tristram Coffin (1609-1681), Voranus Coffin attended the public schools of Addison and Harrington, Maine, and also studied at the Waterville Academy. In September 1855 he married Christina Wilson and had three sons, Charles Augustus (1856-1910), Edwin Voranus (1866-1943), and John Alphonso (1869-1903). He followed a career in education for over a decade, teaching at Addison, Harrington, and Millbridge, and resigned his position in 1863 to help organize the 31st Reg., Maine Volunteer Infantry. Enlisting in Co. B., he was soon elected a second lieutenant and saw action at the Battle of Cold Harbor in 1864, where, after "gallant and meritorious conduct", he was promoted to captain.

  Just days after Cold Harbor, Coffin was on picket duty when he was captured by the Confederates and was soon confined to Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. Several weeks later he was transferred to Camp Oglethorpe in Georgia, where he was imprisoned into late 1864. Later he was moved to Savannah and Charleston before being confined to Camp Sorghum in Charleston. In December 1864 he was once more transferred, this time to a prison stockade located at the infamous "Camp Lunacy" Insane Asylum in Charleston. Sometime later he and another Maine prisoner made good their escape from prison, only to be recaptured sixty miles away. After recapture, he was placed in prisons at Raleigh, Goldsboro, and Wilmington, North Carolina, where he was paroled. With his confinement in nine separate Confederate prisons, it was remarked that Coffin had been imprisoned "in more Confederate prisons than any other Union soldier, commissioned or non-commissioned."

   In the last months of the Civil War Coffin rejoined his old unit and in 1865 took part in the "Grand Review" march on Washington. Following his return to Maine Coffin established himself in the shipbuilding trade at Harrington, which he followed for forty years.  A member of the firm Ramsdell, Rumball, and Coffin, he purchased his partner's interest in 1876, and by 1884 the firm was operating under the name V.L. Coffin and Son. This business also saw the development of a general store in Harrington, which continued existence under various owners well into the 20th century.

   Coffin began his political career at the local level, serving Harrington as its town treasurer for thirty-five years. In 1880 he was elected to his first term in the Maine State Senate, and during the 1883-85 session was a member of the committees on Commerce, Ways and Means, and Engrossed Bills. He was also named to the special committee "To Inform the Governor of His Election." Reelected in 1882, Coffin served from 1883-1885 and returned to politics in 1897 with his election to the Maine Governor's Council, a group of seven men who advised the governor on the affairs of state. He served until 1898, and in the next year was appointed as a trustee for the University of Maine, serving until 1906.

Voranus L. Coffin. From Maine, A History, Vol. IV, 1917.

  In 1900 the nearly 70-year-old Coffin was elected as treasurer of his home county of Washington, serving until 1902. In 1904 he served as part of the Maine delegation to the Republican National Convention held in Chicago where Theodore Roosevelt was nominated for the presidency. Active in several Civil War veterans groups, Coffin was a past senior vice commander of the Maine G.A.R. as well as a commander of the Hiram Burnham Post, No. 50, of the G.A.R. As a longstanding Mason, Coffin "held all the degrees of the York Rite, and in the Scottish Rite had attained the 32nd degree." After decades of prominence in Washington County, Voranus Coffin died on November 18, 1917, at age 86. He was preceded in death by his wife in 1914 and was interred at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Harrington. Two years after his passing Coffin was memorialized in volume 4 of Maine, A History, which remembered him as:

"Genial, friendly, and kind, a man to be instinctively liked and trusted. His life was a useful, busy one, and to as great a degree as possible he extended to every man a helping hand."

Rackley Deane Leavitt (1842-1910)

From the Maine Legislature composite photo, 1903.

  Prominent in the workings of the Maine State Grange, Rackley Deane Leavitt was for eight years a member of the Maine Grange executive committee and was a founder of the Norland Grange of East Livermore. Additionally, Leavitt was politically active in his native town of Turner, serving as its first selectman, and in 1902 was a successful candidate for the Maine House of Representatives. The son of Arch and Polly (Deane) Leavitt, Rackley Deane Leavitt was born in Turner on November 7, 1842. In preparation for this article, some confusion arose as to Leavitt's first name, which is given by nearly every source as "Rackley". However, his obituaries from two area newspapers in 1910 denote it as "Rackliffe." After searching through census records dating back to the 1860s, finding his marriage certificate (where the spelling is Rackley), his death certificate, and Leavitt's own gravestone (again, Rackley), I am comfortable in assuming Rackliffe was a mistake on the part of the newspaper editors, as all other period sources give Rackley as his first name. All in all, very confusing!

  A student in schools local to Turner, Leavitt later graduated from Edward Little High School in Auburn. He followed a teaching career during his youth and married in 1867 to Ada Bicknell (1844-1921), to who he was wed until his death. The couple had three children, Arch Deane (born 1869), Warren Rackley (born 1871), and Julia Agnes (born 1877).

  In the years following their marriage, the Leavitts resided in Turner on a 400-acre farm, one of the largest in Androscoggin County. Their farm was noted for its "highly productive land" and provided food and income for the family until its destruction by fire in the early 1900s. 

 Beginning in the late 1890s, Leavitt was named chair of the board of trustees of the Leavitt Institute in Turner, a school endowed and established by his wealthy cousin, James Madison Leavitt, and proved to be "very influential in its management." Other business pursuits included a directorship in the North Turner Cheese Co. in the mid-1870s, as well as being a founder and director of the Patrons Androscoggin Mutual Fire Insurance Co.

  Long active in the Granger movement in his state, Leavitt was a founder of the Noland Grange of East Livermore, an early member of the Turner Grange, and a past master of the Androscoggin Pomona Grange. In the position of state deputy in the Maine State Grange, he was a sought-after public speaker on agricultural topics and later served several years on the executive committee of the Maine Grange, including a term as chairman in 1902-03.

From the Lewiston Daily Sun, August 5, 1902.

  Rackley Leavitt began his political career as first selectman for Turner, and in 1899 was the town agent for the settlement of Howe's Corner, located in Turner. In 1902 he was a delegate from Turner to the Androscoggin County Republican Convention, and in that year was nominated for a seat in the Maine House of Representatives. He won the election and from 1903-05 held seats on the committees on Agriculture and Salaries. Although he served just one term, Leavitt's service was favorably remembered by the Lewiston Sun-Journal, which noted that he:

"Served with conspicuous ability. His unerring judgement was often sought by legislators who were more in the public eye than himself."

  Following his term, Leavitt remained a force in the state grange and with his insurance company. After the fire that destroyed his family's home, he moved to Auburn, where he would be named a city assessor in the early 1900s. He was struck by a lengthy illness during his last years, and on July 1, 1910, was admitted to a Boston, Massachusetts hospital. He underwent an operation shortly after, and although he survived, his health continued to fail. Rackley Dean Leavitt died in Boston on August 7, 1910, aged 68.  He was survived by his wife and children and was returned to Turner for burial at the East Burial Grounds. Months following his death Leavitt was memorialized in the proceedings of the state grange as an "esteemed and honored brother", and as:

" A man of broad ideas, with a concientious regard for call of duty; of fearless courage in standing for and advocating what he believed to be right; a man of kindly heart, whose sympathy was deeply stirred by any real call of distress and whose many good deeds, unrecorded, were known only to himself and the angels above, and we will ever cherish in memory the noble influence upon us and the world."

From the Lewiston Daily Sun, August 9, 1910.

Albanah Harvey Libby (1868-1936)

From the Maine legislative composite photo of 1929.

  We continue our journey through Maine and today examine the life of Albanah Harvey Libby, a one-term state representative from Albion in Kennebec County. The son of former state legislator Llewellyn (1841-1928) and Angie (Drake) Libby, Albanah H. Libby was born in Albion on April 29, 1868. He inherited his unusual name in honor of his paternal uncle, Pvt. Albanah Harvey Libby (1843-1864), who died in a Confederate prison in Salisbury, North Carolina in October 1864. 

   Libby's early life and education passed in his hometown of Albion, and in April 1889 he married Margaret Jeannette "Janette" Stevens (1868-1931), to who he was wed until her death. The couple had one daughter, Dorothea (1896-1947). Following his marriage, Libby moved to Waterville, Maine, and in the early 1900s was a partner in the firm of Clukey and Libby Co., a department store that distributed "wholesale dry goods, boots and shoes, millinery." Libby served as the company's president, with Charles F. Clukey as treasurer. 

  Around 1906 Libby left his firm and joined C.E.B. Walker in the latter's clothing company, operating under the name Walker Clothing Co. After nearly two decades of residence in Waterville Albanah Libby resigned from that business and by 1912 had returned to his old home of Albion, where he became "a prosperous merchant", partnering with his brother in the Libby Bros. firm. In 1928 he announced his candidacy for the Maine House of Representatives and that June won the Republican primary, besting Charles Bessey, 457 votes to 208.

From the Waterville Morning Sentinel, June 19, 1928.

  In September 1928 Albanah Libby won his house seat and at the start of the 1929-31 session was named to the committees on Engrossed Bills and Public Health. Shortly after the conclusion of his term Libby lost his wife of nearly forty years, Janette, who died following a short illness. His final years were spent in Albion, where he was a member of the local Masonic and Odd Fellows chapters, and died in that town on May 16, 1936, aged 67. He was interred alongside his wife at Albion Cemetery #4.

From the Kennebec Journal, May 18, 1936.