456 



OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (PARSONS PAUL.) 



a director of the Society for the Prevention of 

 Crime. He was treasurer of the New Amsterdam 

 Eye-and-Ear Hospital, a director of the North 

 River Savings-Bank, a member of many clubs, 

 and was actively connected with the American 

 Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan 

 Museum of Art, the New York Botanical Gar- 

 dens, and the Society for the Prevention of Cru- 

 elty to Animals. During his later years almost 

 his entire income was devoted to charitable 

 work. His favorite method was to open an ac- 

 count for a young man in the North River Sav- 

 ings-Bank. admonishing him to deposit something 

 every week or every month. If this w r as done, 

 Mr. Parsell would from time to time send for 

 the bank-book and add to the amount. 



Parsons, Cornelius Bice, legislator, born in 

 York, N. Y., May 22, 1842; died in Rochester, 

 N. Y., Jan. 30, 1901. His father, Thomas Par- 

 sons, who afterward became well known in the 

 politics of the State and was a member of 'the 



Senate at Albany, 

 removed to Roch- 

 ester in 1845. He 

 had a large lum- 

 ber business. The 

 son received the 

 best education 

 that the schools of 

 Rochester could 

 give him, and then 

 took part in his 

 father's business. 

 He was elected 

 a member of* the 

 common council 

 in 1867, 1868, 

 1870, and 1874, 

 and in this serv- 

 ice acquired a 

 popularity that 

 led to his candi- 

 dacy for the mayoralty in 1876. He was elect- 

 ed, and he retained the office, by successive 

 elections, fourteen years, being perhaps the 

 most popular mayor that the city ever had. 

 In 1891 he was elected to the Assembly, and 

 a year later to the State Senate, where he 

 held his seat by successive elections to the 

 end of his life. He served on many important 

 committees, doing a great deal of hard work in 

 the Legislature, but did not often speak there, 

 though he could make a good speech on occa- 

 sions. His popularity was largely due to his 

 genial nature and his approachableness. As 

 mayor he was unfailing in consideration for the 

 poor and ignorant, not simply those who needed 

 help from the city, but those who needed advice 

 and guidance. It is said that all old working 

 men or women who were troubled over water 

 rates, or assessments, or proposed improvements, 

 and called at the mayor's office to ask for in- 

 formation and many of them had a wise impulse 

 to go there were sure of a welcome. Their griev- 

 ances were heard with patience, and Mr. Parsons, 

 not content with advising them what to do, or 

 where to go, would step out with them to the 

 office in -the city hall, where they should lodge 

 their complaint, and recommend instant atten- 

 tion. A Rochester journal opposed to Mr. Par- 

 sons in politics, said of him: "The secret of his 

 great popularity was to be found, not in one but 

 in several admirable characteristics in his un- 

 failing amiability, in his untiring efforts to oblige 

 his political friends, and in his stanch support 

 of the interests which he was chosen to represent. 

 In the mayoralty he demonstrated to the satis- 



faction of the people that he had the city's in- 

 terests at heart and could do most effective work 

 in furthering those interests. Therefore he wa& 

 chosen seven times as the city's chief execu- 

 tive." 



Passavant, William Alfred, philanthropist 

 born in Pittsburg, Pa., Jan. 23, 1857; died near 

 that city, July 1, 1901. He was graduated at 

 Muhlenberg College in 1875, and in 1879 at the 

 Philadelphia Theological Seminary, and was or- 

 dained to the ministry of the Lutheran Church. 

 He was pastor six years of congregations near 

 Pittsburg, and one year of Christ Church, in that 

 city. With his father he established in 1881 a 

 biweekly church paper, The Workman, of which 

 he was manager and associate editor six years, 

 and later owner and editor until it was merged 

 into The Lutheran. He was superintendent of 

 English home missions of the General Council 

 from July 1, 1889, until 1894. In the latter year 

 his father, who had established numerous hos- 

 pitals, orphanages, and other institutions in the 

 United States, died and bequeathed to his son 

 the care and management of these charities. The 

 younger Passavant took up the work, and with 

 ceaseless energy carried it on six years, when he 

 too broke down under the burden. These institu- 

 tions are: Hospitals at Jacksonville and Chicago,. 

 111.; hospital and deaconess institution at Mil- 

 waukee, Wls. ; hospital at Pittsburg, Pa.; orphan- 

 age at Zelienople, Pa.; and home for epileptics at 

 Rochester, Pa., with property valued at $630,000. 

 Both father and son were instrumental in estab- 

 lishing Thiel College, at Greenville, Pa., and the 

 Lutheran Theological Seminary, at Chicago, with 

 property valued at $225,000, besides indirectly as- 

 sisting in the founding of other charitable insti- 

 tutions. 



Paton, John, philanthropist, born in Ancrum, 

 Scotland, May 26, 1831; died in London, England, 

 March 30, 1901. He was graduated at the Uni- 

 versity of Edinburgh, and entered the employ of 

 a firm of Liverpool merchants, and later became 

 a clerk in the Bank of British North America in 

 London.' He was sent to Kingston, Canada, as 

 an agent of the bank, and in 1869 assumed the 

 duties of its agency in New York city. He con- 

 tinued in this capacity till 1872, when with Mor- 

 ris K. Jesup he established the firm of M. K. 

 Jesup, Paton & Co., which name was subsequently 

 changed to Jesup, Paton & Co., and in 1884 to 

 John Paton & Co., on the retirement of Mr. Jesup.. 

 In 1892 Mr. Paton retired and became a partner 

 with Mr. Jesup in the firm of Cuyler, Morgan 

 & Co., from which both gentlemen retired in 1899. 

 Mr. Paton was for many years president of the 

 Society for Improving the Condition of the Poor, 

 and contributed largely to its important philan- 

 thropic enterprises. 



Patterson, Mrs. Martha, daughter of Presi- 

 dent Andrew Johnson, born in Greenville, Tenn., 

 Oct. 25, 1828; died there, July 10, 1901. She was 

 the eldest child of President Johnson, and during 

 his administration was mistress of the White 

 House. She was a woman of remarkable intelli- 

 gence and judgment, and in all his political strug- 

 gles was his confidante and adviser. 



Paul, Charles Rodman, soldier, born in Penn- 

 sylvania, Sept. 11, 1843; died in Philadelphia, 

 Nov. 8, 1901. He enlisted as a private in the 

 7th New Jersey Infantry, Aug. 28, 1861, and 

 served till Aug. 15, 1862. On Aug. 25 he was- 

 made a 2d lieutenant of the 15th New Jersey 

 Infantry; 1st lieutenant, Aug. 10, 1863; captain, 

 Sept. 10, 1864; and was mustered out of the vol- 

 unteer service July 11, 1865. He was brevetted 

 major of volunteers, Oct. 19, 1864, for gallantry 



