334 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[July i, 1904. 



use of inferior rubber, was withstood ; the financial ability and 

 resources of the treasurer carried the corporation safely through 

 the crisis, and it came out of the trial with an established 

 credit, and a manufacturing reputation second to none. For 

 the first time in its history, dividends were paid to stock- 

 holders." 



Under Mr. Converse's active and forceful management the 

 Boston Rubber Shoe Co. made steady and uninterrupted prog- 

 ress until it became the largest establishment in the world of 

 its kind, if not the largest in any department of the rubber in- 

 dustry. In a public address two years ago Colonel Samuel P. 

 Colt mentioned that at one time the ambition of Mr. Converse 

 had been to live to see the time when the daily production of 

 his factory might reach 1000 pairs of rubber boots and shoes a 

 day. The production, he said, had then grown to 55 000 pairs 

 a day, and with an aggregate invested capital of $350,000 the 

 company had divided among the shareholders, under Mr. Con- 

 verse's management, $29,000,000. Mr. Converse remained treas- 

 urer of the company until 1895, when he relinquished the posi- 

 tion to Lester Leland, his son in law. For a long period the 

 office of president was held by his brother, James W. Converse, 

 whose relation to the business, however, was mainly in an ad- 

 visory capacity. After the death of the latter, the office of 

 president was filled by E. S. Converse. Costello C. Converse, 

 a son of James W., has been for some years vice president 

 of the company, and a factor of weight in its management. 

 The ownership of the business long ago passed into the hands 

 of Mr. Converse and members of his family. 



Mr. Converse at various times came to have an important 

 connection with the rubber industry in other departments. 

 He was president at one time of the Boston Belting Co. and 

 had an interest in the Revere Rubber Co., the Easthampton 

 Rubber Thread Co., and other concerns. He was also presi- 

 dent of the Rubber Manufacturers' Mutual Insurance Co. 



Mr. Converse was deeply interested in the growth of the city 

 of Maiden, to which he contributed in many ways. He was 

 first mayor of the city, and donated to the public a liberally en- 

 dowed free library, a hospital, and a park, in addition to his 

 gifts to the Baptist church and the Young Men's Christian As- 

 sociation. He served two terms in each branch of the Mass- 

 achusetts legislature, and was actively connected with various 

 institutions of other than a business nature. 



During the last two or three years Mr. Converse's declining 

 health compelled his retirement from active life, and in Dec- 

 ember, 1903, he suffered a sore bereavement in the loss of his 

 wife, after 61 years of married life. There were four children : 

 Frank Eugene, who died in 1863; Harry Elisha, a director in 

 the Boston Rubber Shoe Co ; Mrs. Costello C Converse, and 



Mrs. Lester Leland. 



» * * 



Funeral services were held from the First Baptist Church 

 of Maiden, on the afternoon of June 8. For two hours during 

 the day the body lay in state in the church, and thousands 

 viewed it. The memory of Mr. Converse was honored through- 

 out the city. Many firms suspended business during the day ; 

 the schools and municipal offices were closed, and the streets 

 in the business section were draped in mourning. The services 

 at the church were conducted by the pastor, the Rev. Charles 

 H. Moss, assisted by a former pastor, the Rev. Dr. Henry O. 

 Hiscox, of Albany, N. Y. ( who delivered the eulogy, and the 

 Rev. Dr. James F. Albion, of Portland, Me., former pastor of 

 another Maiden church, who offered prayer. The present and 

 former city governments were represented, and the various in- 

 stitutions of Maiden and Boston with which Mr. Converse had 

 been identified, while many friends at a distance sent floral 



tributes. Not only was the church crowded, but two thousand 

 people stood in the streets, with bowed heads, while the ser- 

 vices were in progress. The pall bearers were Frank B. Bemis, 

 Boston ; J. Eugene Cochrane, Dedham ; F. H. Darling, Boston ; 

 Major Harry P. Ballard, Maiden ; Frederick T. Ryder, Maiden ; 

 W. T. A. Norris, Melrose; Homer E. Sawyer, New York; and 

 E. F. Smith, Maiden. The interment was in the family lot at 

 Woodlawn cemetery, Maiden. 



■* + * 



At a special meeting of the executive committee of the New 

 England Rubber Club, held on June 8 to take action upon the 

 death of Mr. Converse, the following resolutions were passed : 



Whereas, God in His infinite wisdom has taken from us our friend 

 and highly esteemed Honorary President, Elisha S. Converse, and, be- 

 ing desirous of paying tribute to his memory, we, the committee repre- 

 senting the members of the New England Rubber Club, hereby adopt 

 the following resolutions : 



Resolved. — That in the death of our Honorary President, this associa- 

 tion has lost a valued friend and wise counselor. 



Resolved. — That the rubber industry has been deprived of one of its 

 earliest and most ardent supporters, and one who has been a shining ex- 

 ample of an enlightened and honorable merchant. 



Resolved. — That in the memory of his life, we have wiih us for all 

 time an example of a pure and noble manhood, a firm determined char- 

 acter, a genial nature, always thoughtful and kindly to those about him. 



Resolved. — That we extend to his family our appreciation of his high 

 and noble character, and our sincere sympathy for them in their great 

 loss. 



L. D. Apsley, President. G. P. Whitmore, Treasurer. 



A. W. Stedman, Vice President. E. E. Wadbrook, Acting Secretary. 



The Club was represented at the funeral by the four officers 

 above named, and by Allen L. Comstock and John H. Flint, di- 

 rectors. The Club also sent a beautiful wreath of roses to the 

 church. 



The Boston Belting Co., of which Mr. Converse, at various 

 times, was treasurer and president, attended the funeral in a 

 body, and were represented by a floral tribute. 



* » * 



The will of Mr. Converse, dated October 22, 1902, was filed 

 for probate on June 9 at East Cambridge. The executors 

 named are Colonel Harry E. Converse, his son ; the Hon. John 

 D. Long, late secretary of the navy ; Moorfield Storey, and 

 Frank B. Bemis. The value of the estate is estimated at $10,- 

 000,000. To his wife Mr. Converse left $1,000,000, but as she 

 is deceased this will be added to the residuary estate. To each 

 of the three children is given §350,000. To the Maiden Public 

 Library, $150,000 in trust, for the purchase of art works, First 

 Baptist Church of Maiden, $15,000, in trust, for the poor ; Mai- 

 den Industrial Aid Society, $25,000, in trust, for the day nurs- 

 ery ; to the household servants, $3000; to the Boston Rubber 

 Shoe Co., $10,000, in trust, for the benefit of poor employes; 

 to the employes at the company's Boston store, $4000; to 

 Elisha E. Converse, a grandson, $10,000 ; to various other rela- 

 tives $1000 each, for the purchase of a memorial of his affec- 

 tion ; to Frederick T. Ryder, for many years Mr. Converse's 

 private secretary, $8000 ; to Howard S. Randall, former agent 

 of the Boston Rubber Shoe Co. in New York, $10,000; to 

 Erskine F. Bickford, manufacturing agent of the company, and 

 John Robson, of Melrose, $5000 each, and Thomas Lang, of 

 Maiden, $3000. There were also many bequests of personal be- 

 longings, besides bequests of land to members of the family, 

 eventually to be used for public parks for Maiden and Melrose. 

 Of the residuary estate, one third of the principal is to be di- 

 vided in 1910 among his children and their heirs, and the re- 

 mainder in 1920 among their survivors. 



