THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR. 171 



Board, after that position was created. His services were 

 of such great value to the city, that he had been, on 

 several occasions, besought to accept the nomination of 

 the mayoralty, but steadily declined its acceptance. 



He was president of the Merchants' National Bank, of 

 Salem, vice president of the Salem Savings Bank, a trus- 

 tee of the Saleui Hospital, chairman of the standing 

 committee of the First (Unitarian) Church, one of the 

 original trustees of the Salem Public Library, elected by 

 the city council, Feb. 26, 1888. His was the first death 

 in that Board. He was largely instrumental in the con- 

 summation of the arrangements by which the Bertram 

 estate was deeded to the city, for a public purpose, and 

 manifested great interest in this embryo institution, and 

 his loss was severely felt by his associates ; he also ex- 

 pressed a like degree of interest in the proposed memorial 

 to the patriotic dead of Salem, a few years since, making 

 at the time a munificent offer to share in the expense, but 

 the city council failed to adopt the idea, and the matter 

 was dropped. 



A member of the Finance Committee of the Essex 

 Institute since 1879, he took an active part in the purchase 

 of the Daland house and fitting the same for the arrange- 

 ment of its library and various collections. Mr. Emmer- 

 ton was a man of independence, of great firmness and 

 decision of character, of marked integrity and uprightness 

 as a citizen, and was greatly respected by those associated 

 with him in trusts and business affairs generally. 



Admitted to membership, July 1, 1878. 



JAMES ARTHUR EMMERTON died on Monday evening, De- 

 cember 31, 1888, after a short illness at his home, in Salem. 

 It is a noteworthy circumstance that this is the second some- 

 what sudden death that has occurred in the Board of Trus- 



KSSICX INST. 11ULLETIN, VOL. XXI 12 



