Newport County Biographies

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SEABURY, Thomas Mumford, merchant, Newport, was born in Newport, October 4, 1821, the son of Thomas Mumford and Elizabeth Webster (Marsh) Seabury. His paternal grandfather was John Seabury, brother of Samuel Seabury, the first Episcopal Bishop of America; his maternal grandfather was Benjamin Marsh. He received his early education in the public schools, and at the age of fifteen entered the Trader's Bank, now the First National, of Newport, as its first clerk. He remained in that position for four years and then opened a boot and shoe store, which he has continued up to the present time. He has taken an active interest in public affairs. He was a member of the School Board of Newport from 1865 to 1872, and a member of the Board of Aldermen for eight years. He was Senator in the General Assembly from 1877 to 1885. He has been President of the First National Bank since 1865 and was Vice-President in 1864. He is a deacon of the Central Baptist Church, and is Vice-President of the Newport Business Men's Association. In politics he is a Republican. He married, November 15, 1845, Miss Caroline A. Lovie; they had four children : John Cozzens, Caroline, Benjamin Hammett and Thomas Mumford, Jr. He married, March 30, 1879, Miss Mary Seabury Tilley; they have one son, George Tilley Seabury.

Source: Rhode Island Men in Progress - Submitted by Cathy Schultz


SHEFFIELD, William Paine, Jr., City Solicitor of Newport, was born in Newport, January 1, 1857, the son of William Paine and Lilias White (Sanford) Sheffield. He is descended on both sides from the early settlers of New England, and both families have been settled in Rhode Island since the early days of the colony, and have held various positions of trust and responsibility in the colony and state. He received his early education in the private schools of Newport and graduated with honor from Phillips Andover Academy in 1873. He graduated from Brown University in the class of 1877. He studied civil and Roman law in the law school of the University of Paris, France, and prepared for the bar in the office of his father, Hon. Wm. P. Sheffield, and at the Harvard Law school. He was admitted to the Rhode Island bar in March 1880, and located in Newport, where he has since been actively engaged in general practice. He was elected City Solicitor of Newport in 1891 and holds that office at the present time. Since arriving at age he has been actively interested in public affairs. He was a member of the School Committee of Newport from 1885 to 1894, and a portion of the time its Chairman. He was State Commissioner on the affairs of the Narragansett Indians 1880-1884, and aid-decamp on the staff of Governor Wetmore with the rank of Colonel, 1885-87. He was a member of the House of Representatives from Newport, 1885-87, 1889-90, 1894-96. He is a Director of the Redwood Library, and its Secretary for thirteen years ; a Trustee of the Newport Hospital, the People's Library, the Savings Bank of Newport, and connected with other charitable and financial institutions. He has been especially interested in education, and in promoting thorough, progressive and practical methods of instruction. Since 1882 he has been interested in the subject of manual training, and in 1886 in association with others instituted and maintained in Newport private instruction for boys in wood-working. He has also been an advocate for a system of manual training in the public schools. He married, October 16, 1889, Miss Mary Stevens Burdick; they have three children: Margaret Burdick, William Paine and Mary Morse Sheffield.

Source: Rhode Island Men in Progress - Submitted by Cathy Schultz
 



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