Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

consistent Republican, Mr. Cooley is in
no sense f the word a politician, though
he exerts a considerable influence in the
management of local affairs, an influence
which has always been directed towards
civic betterment and the general advancement
"f the community 's interests. In the
year [915, Mr. Coole) was urged to become
the candidate of his part) for mayor
of Hartford, but such were the demands
made upon hi- time by hi- business in-
terests that he felt it impossible to accede
to this request He is recognized as one
of the most public-spirited citizens of
Hartford, and is identified in many movements
calculated to promote the public
welfare. He did nol feel that he could go
further, and declined to become a candi-
date for an office which must necessarily
consume all the time of its incumbent.
This will be the more easil) realized when
a partial list of the important concerns
with which Mr. Cooley is actively asso-
ciated, appears. He is, among other finan-
cial posts, a director of the First National
Bank; of the Connecticut Fire Insurance
Company ; of the New Britain manufacturing
establishment of Landers, Frary &
Clark; of the Connecticut Mutual Life
Insurance Company ; the Hartford &
Springfield Street Railway Company; the
Broad Brook and American Hosiery Company.
He is also a director of the Hartford
Hospital, and chairman of the hoard
of trustees of the Young Women's Chris-
tian Association of Hartford.
It is natural that one of his patriotic
sentiments should unite with organiza-
tions calculated to promote and perpetu-
ate the American spirit. Among these
are the Connecticut Society Sons of the
American Revolution, and the Society of
Colonial Wars. For eighteen years Mr.
Cooley served as a memher of the Gov-
ernor's Foot Guard. He is allied with
various social organizations beginning
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
407
with his college day-, when he became a
member of the Scroll and Key and the
Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternities of Yale
College. He is a former presidenl of the
Hartford Club, a member of the Hartford
Golf Club, the Country Club of Karniing-
ton. the I [artford Yacht ( Hub, the Dauntless
< luh. the Westchester Fish and < Jame
Club, of which he is president, the White
Hollow Fish and Game Club, of 1 1 art ford,
of which he is treasurer, and the Univer-
sity Club of New York City.
Mr. Cooley married. October [5, [890,
Alice Cleveland Browne, a daughter of
the late John D. Browne, of Hartford, and
they are the parents of two son-: Fran-
cis Browne, born August 4, [891; and
John Cleveland, March 2, 1903.
HART, William Henry,
Manufacturer.
No name holds a more prominent place
in the manufacturing world than that of
the late William H. Hart, of New Britain.
Mr. Hart was horn in New Britain. July
25, [834, and after a long and useful life,
he died there, December 13. [919. He
was a direct descendant of Stephen Hart,
who was born about 1605, in South Braintree,
England. This Stephen Hart came
to New England in 1632. and located at
Newtown, now Cambridge, where he was
one of the fifty-four settlers. In 1639, he
removed to Hartford, and in 1672 was
one of the eighty-four proprietors of
Farmington, Connecticut. His son, Stephen
(2) Hart, was horn in England, and
settled with his father in Farmington.
He was the father of Stephen (3) Hart,
who was born in Farmington, in 1662.
The latter married Sarah Cowles, and had
a son, Daniel Hart, who married Abigail
Thompson. She was the mother of Stephen
(4) Hart. The latter lived in New
Britain, and married Rhoda Stedman.