Arthur Gaylord Hill (1841 - 1926)

Born 6 Dec 1841 in Florence, Hampshire, Massachusetts

Ancestors

Husband of Catherine Louise (Edwards) Hill — married 7 Jul 1869 in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 21 Feb 1926 at age 84 in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts

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Biography

This biography is a rough draft. It was auto-generated by a GEDCOM import and needs to be edited.

Burial

Burial:

Place: Park Street Cemetery, Florence, Hampshire, Massachusetts

Reference

Reference: 10

User ID

User ID: 36B678D9B561224B83221E230E94B12C2528

Note

Note: Born the winter before the formal organization of The Northampton Association of Education and Industry, Arthur spent his childhood living in that community. An avid writer and historian, Arthur later contributed pieces on the early days of the commune for his nephew, Charles A. Sheffeld, to include in his 1894 History of Florence.

Being able to spell and write well at an early age, Arthur later wrote of having been asked by Sojourner Truth to transcribe her dictation for her first self-published promotional pamphlet.

Arthur later served as Captain, shortstop and historian for the Florence Eagle Base Ball Club, Western Massachusetts champions in 1865 and 1866. He wrote spirited accounts of their winning seasons, copies of which are now deposited with the Historical Committee of the Florence Civic Association, along with photographs of the team in their prime and on the occasion of a fiftieth anniversary reunion in 1916.

In the 1870s, Arthur and his wife were active in the Florence Dramatic Club, with performances at Cosmian Hall. This group is believed to be among the first in North America to stage productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. An 1875 handbill for their production of Sheridan's comedy, "School for Scandal", illustrates Arthur's account of the group in Sheffeld's History of Florence. It shows him in the role of "Crabtree", and he himself notes, "Mrs. Kate E. Hill well portrayed the gossipy Mrs. Candor".

Elected Mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts for the 1887 and 1888 terms, it was during his administration that work was begun on the present Hampshire County Courthouse. His entire cabinet is represented in signatures and mementos enclosed in the time capsule within the cornerstone of that edifice.

He was elected to serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1890, but soon resigned his seat over what he described as a matter of principle involving a disagreement in legislation produced in the committee overseeing the manufacture and transport of alcoholic beverages, of which he was a member.

After the arrival of the 20th century, Arthur was regarded as one of the elder statesmen of the community. He would be visited and courted by many men seeking office or political advancement in the city. Among these was Calvin Coolidge, who had followed some years after Hill as Mayor of Northampton. He became a regular visitor to Hill's home in Florence. Coolidge was running for the Vice-Presidency of the United States at the time of the birth of the fourth of Arthur's six grandsons, and he was given the name Calvin Coolidge McCullough.

The Congressional Globe, published by the US Congress, 1872, p.400

Mr. Sumner [Senator from Massachusetts] presented a petition of the Florence, Massachusetts, "Temperance and Literary Union," signed by A. G. Hill, president, asking for national prohibitory legislation for the suppression of the sale, manufacture, and importation of intoxicating liquors to be used as a beverage; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Daily Hampshire Gazette, February, 1926 (exact date and page not present on clipping)

CITY OFFICIALS ATTEND RITES FOR ARTHUR G. HILL

Rev. J. Harry Hooper Pays Tribute to Second Mayor of City

---Police Escort Body

Impressive funeral services for Arthur G. Hill, second mayor of Northampton, were held at the home on Maple street, Florence, yesterday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock. There was an attendance that filled the house with representative men from Northampton and Florence, including a large number of city officials. The floral tributes fairly concealed the casket. Rev. J. Harry Hooper, minister of the Florence Unitarian Church, paid a fine tribute to Ex-Mayor Hill, calling attention to his many admirable qualities and his sterling worth. He read several poetic selections, and delivered the following remarks:

"A great light has gone out. But it is not an occasion of sadness when a soul that has lived out its life fully and well sinks quietly away from its trouble and striving to a well-earned slumber of rest and peace. Rather it is a time for reflection, perhaps almost with awe, not so much upon the facts of this life so nobly lived, as upon those qualities which cause us to pause at this time and consider it.

"Having been born in Florence his years mark our longest link with the past, a past in this community of high purpose and worthy endeavor. Having a deep loyalty to Florence and an abounding faith in its future, he took over from his father, its chief friend and founder, the legacy of forwarding the interests of its civic life and industry, sometimes even at a great cost to himself.

"In these simple words it would be out of place to relate the many industrial, civic, social and cultural bodies with which he established contact. Not only by their number, but by the active interest he maintained in them to the last, has he come to rank as our foremost citizen. The numbers here present bear silent testimony to these connections.

"A man of convictions was he, not swayed by the mind of the crowd; one to whom the right meant everything and popular opinion very little. A man not sworn slavishly to party or platform, but to what he considered to be right; intensely loyal to those institutions which gained his confidence. Instances crowd themselves upon us, all the way from anti-slavery days and the underground railroad to the more current issues of the present, to show those qualities in him.

"He was a man of exceptionally clean life, of temperate habits, of sane living, and by these he kept the keenness of his faculties to the end. When we think of the good life, manfully lived, we may think of him. One not given to pious ceremonies, he was a constant attendant at church, and an active worker in all it could do for better living, a higher character, and a finer citizenship.

"He was indeed a true 'friend of man,' whose house was 'by the side of the road, where the race of men go by.' Even in his days of greatest prosperity and position, wealth and station were not the highroads to his favor. Human trust and fellowship with him were placed upon a broader plane.

"His was a mind richly stored with treasures from an age of great literature. Good books were his constant companions and a retentive mind, trained in that school where recitation thrived, delighted all who knew him. Small wonder it is, a friend remarks, that a summer evening spent on his porch was better than a good entertainment.

"His magnificent spirit was one which will long be remembered; a spirit which time and again prevailed gloriously against the disabilities of the body; which by very force of will, conquered its handicaps. Master of his soul was he to the last, even in unfortunate moments, bringing to life and to those around him a whimsical note, which lightened many a burden.

"This magnificent spirit still lives on in its influence, leaving for us who are its heritors a faith in the dignity of human nature and a hope for the future of mankind."

The honorary bearers were Judge J. B. McConnell, H. C. Bliss, O. M. Smith, E. E. Graves, F. C. Shearn and J. A. Polmatier. The active bearers were W. H. Hadley and H. C. Chapin, representing Florence council, Royal Arcanum; J. E. Witherell and D. M. Murphy, representing Hampshire lodge, United Workmen, and E. A. Haven and A. E. Friedrich, representing the Unitarian Church. A platoon of police, Sgt. Bartholomew Bresnahan, and Officers John and Roger McGrath, C. W. Mahoney and W. J. Curtin, escorted the body to the tomb in Spring Grove cemetery.

Data Changed

Data Changed:

Date: 15 May 2010

Time: 09:20:16

Prior to import, this record was last changed 09:20:16 15 May 2010.

Sources

• WikiTree profile Hill-2852 created through the import of BDM7-7-11.ged on Jul 8, 2011 by Brian McCullough. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Brian and others.