Belknap County New Hampshire

Delegates to the 1918 New Hampshire Constitutional Convention

THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
BELKNAP COUNTY 

BERLIN, WARD ONE.- George W. Gordon, Republican; born in Meredith, November 15, 1847; educated at New Hampton; dealer in paints and wall paper; Universalist; married, one child; member of the I. O. O. F. Mr. Gordon died May 15, 1918.

Henry M. Moffett, Democrat; born in Groveton, January 7, 1874; educated in public and private schools; traveling salesman; Roman Catholic; unmarried; ward clerk; member of the Elks, Catholic Order of Foresters and United Commercial Travelers.

William Robinson Brown, Republican; born at Portland, Me., in 1875; educated at Phillips Andover Academy and Williams College, A. B. 1897; officer of the Brown Company, manufacturing lumber pulp, sulphite fiber, news paper, etc.; Congregationalist; married; member Union League Club, New York; chairman New Hampshire Forestry Commission, director American Forestry Association, president New Hampshire Timberland Owners' Association; member Kappa Alpha college fraternity.

James Clare Curtis, Republican; born in Superior, Nebraska, April 2, 1882; educated at Groveton High School and St. Johnsbury, Vt Academy; hardware dealer; Congregationalist; married, two children Mason, lodge, chapter and commandery; treasurer Berlin Chamber Commerce; member city board of health.

WARD THREE.- Andrew P. Bergquist, Republican; born in Sweden May 8, 1855; educated there; surveyor of timber and lumber; Lutheran; married, seven children; was a sergeant in the Swedish Field Artillery; member of Loyal Orange I. U. N. of America, Scandinavia Fraternal Association; has been supervisor, health officer and member of the Legislatures of 1905, 1911 and 1917.

John A. Burbank, Republican; born at Newry, Me., March 2, 1856; educated in public schools and at Gould Academy; locomotive engineer; married, three children; Protestant; Mason, Eastern Star, Odd Fellow, Knight of Pythias; has served as supervisor, on the board of education and in the Legislatures of 1913 and 1915.

Ernest J. Couture, Democrat; born in Berlin, July 10, 1889; educated at Berlin High School and Victoriaville, P. Q., College; grocer; Catholic; married; member of Eagles, Maccabees and A. C. A.

WARD FOUR.- George E. Hutchins, Democrat; born in Concord, October 16, 1848; public school education; locomotive engineer; Congregationalist; married, one son; Mason, consistory and shrine, Odd Fellow, member of N. E. Association of R. R. Veterans and of B. of L. E.; mayor of Berlin three years; representative to the General Court of 1903.

CARROLL.- William H. Gall, Democrat (post-office address, Fabyans) ; born May 25,1860, at St. Remie, Province of Quebec; educate at Portland, Me.; railroad man; Protestant; married, two children member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen; has served supervisor of the checklist.

CLARKSVILLE.- Charles L. Felton, Republican (post-office address, Pittsburg); highway agent.

COLEBROOK:- John D. Annis, Republican; born at Millsfield, July 1, 1869; educated at Colebrook Academy and Portland Business College; banker; Congregationalist; married, two children; 32d degree Mason and Odd Fellow; town treasurer.

Darwin Lombard, Democrat; born in Colebrook, June 9, 1864; educated at Colebrook and St. Johnsbury Academy; merchant and lumberman; Congregationalist; married, one child; Mason (past D. D. G. M.) and Odd Fellow; president Farmers & Traders National Bank; member of the board of selectmen, served in Legislature of 1905.

COLUMBIA.- John Gray, Republican (post-office address, Colebrook); born in; Lunenburg, Vt., June 29, 1845, and educated there; farmer; married, three children; Methodist; served two years in the Civil War and belongs to the G. A. R.; has been selectman and was a member of the House of Representatives of 1909.

DALTON:- William B. Aldrich, Democrat (post-office address, Lancaster, R. F. D. 2); born in Lisbon, December 25, 1851, and. educated there; farmer; Congregationalist; married, one child; member of the Patrons of Husbandry.

DUMMER.- Fred U. Woodward, Republican (post-office address, Milan); born in Milan, October 9, 1876; town school education; farmer; Methodist; married; Odd Fellow, Knight of Pythias, Patron of Husbandry; has been selectman, tax collector and constable.

ERROL.- Nathaniel R. Leach, Democrat.

GORHAM.-Alfred Randall Evans, Republican; born in Shelburne, March 21, 1849; educated at Lancaster Academy, Nichols Latin School and Dartmouth College, class of 1872; lawyer; Congregationalist; married; served as quartermaster of N. H. N. G. and as quartermaster general on staff of Governor Floyd; 32d degree Mason; president Berlin-Gorham Bar Association; three times member of the Legislature from Shelburne; delegate to Constitutional Conventions of 1902 and 1912 from Gorham; judge of probate since 1895; former president of Berlin National Bank, now of Gorham Savings Bank.

Thomas H. McHugh, Democrat; born in Gorham; public school education; treasurer and superintendent Gorham water and sewer company; Roman Catholic; unmarried; member of the House of Representatives of 1913, serving on the committees on public health and roads, bridges and canals.

JEFFERSON.- George C. Evans, Democrat (post-office address, Starr King); born in Whitefield, January 29, 1853; educated at Jefferson, Lancaster and New Hampton, Bates and Tufts colleges; farmer and hotel keeper; religious belief, Evangelical; married, one daughter;  Mason, Odd Fellow, Red Man, Patron of Husbandry; president Coos County Farm Bureau two years, member of school board twelve years and has held many other offices.

LANCASTER.- John T. Amen, Democrat; born in Pittsburg, October 16, 1858; educated in town schools; lumberman; Liberal in religion belief; married, one son, two daughters; represented the town of Stratford in the Legislature of 1889, member of the present state tax commission since its organization, former chairman Democratic state committee.

Bernard Jacobs, Republican; born in Barton, Vt., April 23, 1879; educated at North Stratford, Berlin and Lewiston, Me.; lawyer; married, two children; Mason, Knight Templar, Knight of Pythias; has been solicitor of Coos county, member of the Legislature of 1915, serving on the judiciary committee.

Merrill Shurtleff, Republican; born in Colebrook, March 10, 1870; educated at Holderness School and Dartmouth College, class of 1892; lawyer; married, two sons; Episcopalian; Mason; member of the state fish and game commission, 1902-08, former judge of Lancaster police court, United States commissioner for district of New Hampshire.

MILAN.- Frank M. Hancock, Democrat; born in Milo Me., June 27, 1861; educated in public schools of Old Town, Me.; lumberman; Protestant; married, five children; member of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs; delegate to Constitutional Convention of 1912, selectman and member of school board; chairman town Liberty Loan and Public Safety committees.

NORTHUMBERLAND.- Arthur C. Aldrich, Republican (post-office address, Groveton); born in Groveton, March 19, 1888; educated at Canaan, Vt., High School, University of Vermont and Boston University Law School; lawyer; Episcopalian; married; Mason, Knight of Pythias, member of Kappa Sigma and Gamma Eta Gamma college fraternities; justice of municipal court of Northumberland; moderator and member of town efficiency committee.

Antipus H. Curtis, Democrat (post-office address, Groveton); born in Stratford, November 14, 1843; educated there; retired merchant; Protestant; married, one child; served four years in the Civil War; member of the G. A. R. and Knights of Pythias.

PITTSBURG.- Charles H. Johnson, Republican (post-office address, Beecher Falls, Vt.); native of Canada; public school education; farmer; Episcopalian; married; member of Grange and Knights of Pythias; has been moderator, supervisor, tax collector, selectman, library trustee, etc.

RANDOLPH.-Laban M. Watson, Democrat; born in Randolph, May, 1850, and educated there; farmer; Universalist; married, four children; Mason, Odd Fellow, Red Man.

SHELBURNE.-Charles E. Philbrook, Republican (post-office address, Gorham); born in Shelburne, June 30, 1842; educated at Gould Academy and Maine State Seminary; former farmer and lumberman, now retired; widower, four children; Protestant; Mason, Knight Templar; has been selectman, county commissioner, twice member of the Legislature and delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1902.

STARK.-Erwin J. Cole, Democrat (post-office address, Crystal); native of Stark and educated there; carpenter by trade; Methodist; unmarried.

STEWARTSTOWN.-Leon D. Ripley, Republican (post-office address, West Stewartstown); born in Canaan, Vt., November 25, 1877; educated at Derby, Vt., Academy; attorney-at-law; Unitarian; married, one child; Knight of Pythias, Red Man, Elk; delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1902, member of the House of Representatives of 1911.

STRATFORD.-John C. Hutchins, Democrat (post-office address, North Stratford); born in Wolcott, Vt., February 3, 1864; educated in town schools and at Hardwick, Vt., Academy; merchant and lumberman; married, two children; has held all town offices, including representative to the General Court; State Senator in 1913; delegate to two Democratic national conventions, Democratic candidate for Governor in 1916.

WENTWORTH'S LOCATION: Lewis G. Coy, Democrat, town clerk, chairman board of selectmen.

WHITEFIELD.- Edgar M. Bowker, Republican; born in Lisbon, April 18, 1876; educated at Whitefield High School and George Washington University Law School; lawyer; Baptist; married, two children; Mason, Knight Templar, Patron of Husbandry, Order of Washington, Independent Order of Foresters (H. C. R.); justice of the municipal court of Whitefield, moderator, member high school committee.

These brief biographical sketches of the Rockingham County delegates to the New Hampshire Constitutional Convention of 1918 are found in The Brown Book of the Constitutional Convention of 1918, The Rumford Press, Concord, N. H., Compiled by Harlan C. Pearson, A. Chester Clark, Publisher, 1918.