History of Westchester County, New York, Volume 2. Группа авторов
of the best livestock and horses in the county. He early became practically interested in the affairs of the town and took an active interest in local and national politics, considering all public questions from the point of view of a patriotic and conservative Democrat. His influence was fully recognized by his townsmen and he was six times elected supervisor of Ossining and was chosen to fill other important home offices. He represented his district in the assembly in 1882 and 1883, and in 1890 was elected treasurer of Westchester county, the duties of which responsible office he discharged for two years, with the greatest fidelity and credit.
Mr. Hoag has been active in business circles. He was one of the organizers of the Westchester Furniture Company, in 1898. Its officers are James .Hoag, president; C. P. Morden, Jr., secretary; Leslie R. Dickinson, treasurer; and S. T. Kellogg, accountant. He is a trustee of the Sing Sing Savings Bank, director and vice-president of the White Plains Bank and director of the First National Bank of Sing Sing, and has from time to time been prominently identified with other scarcely less important interests.
THOMES, GEORGE E., M. D.
A leading physician and surgeon of Port Chester, New York, Dr. Thomes was born in Portland, Maine, June 12, 1858, and is a worthy representative of one of the honored pioneer families of the Pine Tree state. His father, William H. Thomes, was born at Deering, near Portland, and was a son of Nathaniel and Maria (Day) Thomes, who were natives of the same place and lived upon the old homestead which has been in possession of the family for over one hundred and seventy-five years. The Doctor's great-grandfather Day was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, and valiantly aided the colonies in their successful struggle for independence.
Reared on the old homestead, William H. Thomes spent the greater part of his life in his native state; but in 1849, during the gold excitement in California, he went to the Pacific slope and was quite successful in his mining operations there. After his return to Maine he engaged in the grain and flour business in Portland for several years, and this business also proved quite profitable. He was a very ambitious man, was large and powerful in build, and was a stanch Republican in politics. In early manhood he married Miss Frances E. Goodwin, a native of Buxton, Maine, and a daughter of Joseph and Lucy (Alden) Goodwin, the latter a descendant of the noted John Alden, who came to this country in the Mayflower. Mrs. Thomes died at the age of sixty-two years, and her husband at the age of fifty-eight, leaving four children.
Doctor Thomes made his home under the parental roof until his graduation from Bowdoin College, in June, 1886, when he commenced the practice of medicine at Stoughton, Massachusetts, remaining there for three years. He then opened an office in Port Chester, New York, and was not long in building up the large and lucrative practice which he still enjoys. Doctor Thomes has ever been public-spirited and has lent hearty co-operation in .all enterprises for the benefit of the general welfare. He built the White Plains and Port Chester sewers, the Pemblewort Bolt Works, the Putnam lake dam for the Greenwich Water Company, and the Port Chester Bolt & Nut Company's building.
On the 3rd of September, 1890, Dr. Thomes was united in marriage to Miss Edith Farrington, of Stoughton, Massachusetts, a daughter of Samuel and R. Thedora (Talbot) Farrington, both natives of Stoughton and representatives of prominent old Massachusetts families. Her parents are still living, and the father is engaged in business in his native town. To the Doctor and his wife has been born a daughter, Gladys Edith. They are members of the Congregational church and are quite prominent in the best social circles of Port Chester. Politically the Doctor is an ardent Republican and an advocate of a high protective tariff, while socially he is a member of Mamaro Lodge, No. 653, F. & A. M., of Port Chester. Upright, reliable and honorable, his strict adherence to principle commands the respect of all. The place he has won in the medical profession is accorded him in recognition of his skill and ability, and the place which he occupies in the social world is a tribute to that genuine worth and true nobleness of character which are universally recognized and honored.
PLATT, LEWIS C.
The gentleman whose name forms the caption of this memoir, was one of the most illustrious citizens of White Plains, Westchester county. He was born in North Castle, in March, 1818, a son of Benoni Piatt, who was a farmer in that town. He obtained an education by attending the academy at Bedford village and later Union College, in 1834, in a class that included a number of men since prominent in public life. He studied law under the auspices of Samuel E. Lyon, in White Plains, was admitted to the bar, and in 1843 opened an office for himself and was soon among those of the first rank of the county bar.
In early life Mr. Piatt was a Whig, and by that party he was elected supervisor of the town of White Plains in 1846. The next year he was elected surrogate of this county, and by re-election served two terms of four years each. He was the first surrogate elected in Westchester county, the office having previously been an appointive position. During the last year of his term as surrogate he was selected as the candidate for county clerk on the fusion Whig-Democratic ticket against John P. Jenkins; but the "American" party was then at its crest of popularity in this county — which indeed was a stronghold of " Know-nothingism " — and the ticket was defeated. Following the leaders of the old Whig organization into the new Republican party, Mr. Piatt was a Republican on the issues of the civil war, but disagreed with the "radical " policy after the war and became a " Liberal," supporting Horace Greeley for the presidency of the United States. Both Democratic and Liberal leaders urged upon him the nomination for congress, believing he could redeem the district from the Republicans; but he declined to make the fight. He ever afterward was a thoroughgoing Democrat.
In the early '70s Mr. Piatt was for two terms a trustee of the village of White Plains. In 1883 local Democrats sought the strength of his name on the head of the Democratic ticket, as a candidate for supervisor against Elisha Horton, the popular Republican who had in a Democratic town defeated strong opponents, and Mr. Piatt was elected by the splendid majority of one hundred and sixty-eight; and for nine successive years after he had no opposition for the Democratic nomination for supervisor; and with the exception of one year his election was practically unopposed by the. Republicans. Had he lived a few weeks longer he would again have been placed at the head of the town's affairs. He was one of the best informed members of the board of supervisors, and had for a number of years been chairman of the judiciary committee of that body.
The strength of his popularity as a Democrat was sought in 1883, when he was solicited by many shrewd Democratic leaders to accept the office of county judge, in order to wrest the county court from the Republicans, who had held possession of it for twenty-four years, and who at this time intended to put forward their strongest candidate, Isaac N. Mills. The name of Mr. Piatt, who was evidently the popular candidate, elicited the greatest enthusiasm, and his canvass would have been a " walk-over " had he been nominated.
During the forty years and more that Mr. Piatt practiced law in. White Plains, he transacted a great volume of business, especially in matters connected with real estate and the surrogate's office, his industry being indefatigable and his days of work long and hard to the very last of his life.
When his son, District Attorney William P. Piatt, became of age, he made him his partner, and the firm of L. C. & W. P. Piatt long ranked among the highest at the bar.
In religion Mr. Piatt was a Presbyterian and a regular attendant at the Presbyterian church; and in fraternal relations he was the oldest member of White Plains Lodge, No. 473, F. &. A. M., having joined May 15, 1859.
He was married during his first term as surrogate, to Miss Laura Popham, of Scarsdale, who survives him. His children numbered five daughters and three sons. He died March 13, 1893, and the funeral services, held at the Presbyterian church, were attended by an immense throng; and had the church been twice the size it would have hardly accommodated all who desired to pay a last tribute of respect to his memory. The most prominent men throughout the county were present, as well as many fellow craftsmen of his lodge, who passed hearty resolutions of respect to his memory. Also the courts adopted appropriate resolutions. Rev. Dr. A. R. Macoubrey, his pastor, who could not be present at the funeral on account of illness, wrote the following tribute, which was read on the occasion: