Bertram Light1

M, #15121, b. 12 May 1876, d. 2 April 1948

Family: Maude Alice Houghton b. 19 Mar 1878

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthMay 12, 1876ME, USA, age 43 in 1920 census2
Origin1900Sidney, ME, USA
MarriageJan 10, 1900Sidney, ME, USA, Jan 10, 1900 also given1,3,2,4,5
1920 Census1920Waterville, Kennebec Co., ME, USA, age 43, second hand, pulp mill6,7
Gen. Soc.Mayflower Index: #57,329; parent's #70,914;Mayflower Ancestral Index: #18070; parent's 32312; DFPA 28371,3
DeathApr 2, 19482
ParentsSparents born in ME7

Citations

  1. [S108] Neff, Mayflower Index III, p. 398.
  2. [S524] DFPA Lineage Book, Vol. 30, 1955, p. p. 74.
  3. [S109] Terry, Mayflower Ancestral Index, I, p. 323.
  4. [S1076] Rootsweb.Com, online www.rootsweb.com, Oakland ME Area Historical Society, www.rootsweb.com/~mecoakla/documents/vitals/bridesindex.html, Aug. 2, 2002.
  5. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://vitals.rootsweb.com/me/marriage: Maine Marriage Records, 1892-1965, Houghton Surname.
  6. [S235] U.S. Census, 1920 Soundex, Waterville, Kennebec Co., NH, Film 853, Box 27, Vol. 15, E.D. 79, Sh. 10, Ln. 87.
  7. [S1232] 1920 U.S. Federal Census , Waterville Ward 5, Kennebec, Maine; Roll: T625_644; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 79; line 87, dwl 67 1/2-182-229.

Grace Demma Houghton1

F, #15122, b. circa 1866

Family: Charles McKernon b. c 1866

  • Marriage*: Grace Demma Houghton married Charles McKernon on circa 1894 mar 16 y in 1910 census.1,3

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Birthcirca 1866MA, USA, age 4 in 1870 census; age 45 in 1910 census; age 54 in 1920 census2
Marriagecirca 1894mar 16 y in 1910 census1,3
Gen. Soc.Mayflower Ancestral Index: #18068; parent's 175751

Citations

  1. [S109] Terry, Mayflower Ancestral Index, I, p. 323.
  2. [S235] U.S. Census, 1870 US Census, New Marlboroush, Berkshire, MA, Reel 602, p. 475, line 40, dwl 261.
  3. [S1231] 1910 U.S. Federal Census , Pittsfield Ward 4, Berkshire, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_573; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 74; line 68, dwl 77-101-123.

Charles McKernon1

M, #15123, b. circa 1866

Family: Grace Demma Houghton b. c 1866

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
Birthcirca 1866NY, USA, age 44 in 1910 census; age 54 in 1920 census2
Marriagecirca 1894mar 16 y in 1910 census1,2
1910 Census1910Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., MA, USA, age 44, treasurer, Mfg. Co; Mary Jane Houghton, age 72, aunt2
1920 Census1920Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., MA, USA, age 54, president, paper mill; Mary J. Houghton, age 85, single, aunt3,4
Gen. Soc.Mayflower Ancestral Index: #18068; parent's 175751
ParentsSfather born in NY, mother born in WI

Citations

  1. [S109] Terry, Mayflower Ancestral Index, I, p. 323.
  2. [S1231] 1910 U.S. Federal Census , Pittsfield Ward 4, Berkshire, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_573; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 74; line 68, dwl 77-101-123.
  3. [S235] U.S. Census, 1920 Soundex, Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., MA, Box 129, Vol. 4, E.D. 64, Sh. 10, Ln. 2.
  4. [S1232] 1920 U.S. Federal Census , Pittsfield Ward 4, Berkshire, Massachusetts; Roll T625_680; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 64; line 97, dwl 77-162-223.

Lucinda Houghton1,2,3,4

F, #15124, b. 15 September 1792

Family: Paul Smith b. 6 Aug 1781

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthSep 15, 1792Marlboro, Windham Co., VT, USA2,5
MarriageJul 9, 1807Marlboro, Windham Co., VT, USA1,6,5,4
Immigrationcirca 1816Jay, Essex Co., NY, USA5
Gen. Soc.Mayflower Ancestral Index: #18069; parent's 252321

Citations

  1. [S109] Terry, Mayflower Ancestral Index, I, p. 323.
  2. [S551] Rev. Ephraim H. Newton, Marlborough VT Hx, p. 189.
  3. [S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 68 #1847.
  4. [S1074] Town Records: Marlboro, Windham Co., VT; VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30270, VT VRs 1770-1870.
  5. [S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 68.
  6. [S551] Rev. Ephraim H. Newton, Marlborough VT Hx, p. 189, 247.
  7. [S415] E-mail from Jean Sanders, Nov. 12, 2002.

Paul Smith1,2

M, #15125, b. 6 August 1781

Family: Lucinda Houghton b. 15 Sep 1792

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthAug 6, 1781a twin3
Occupationa joiner and carpenter
MarriageJul 9, 1807Marlboro, Windham Co., VT, USA1,4,3,5
ResidenceMarlboro, Windham Co., VT, USA3
Immigrationcirca 1816Jay, Essex Co., NY, USA3
ParentsSIsaiah L. and Susanna Smith3
Gen. Soc.Mayflower Ancestral Index: #18069; parent's 252321

Citations

  1. [S109] Terry, Mayflower Ancestral Index, I, p. 323.
  2. [S551] Rev. Ephraim H. Newton, Marlborough VT Hx, p. 189.
  3. [S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 68.
  4. [S551] Rev. Ephraim H. Newton, Marlborough VT Hx, p. 189, 247.
  5. [S1074] Town Records: Marlboro, Windham Co., VT; VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30270, VT VRs 1770-1870.
  6. [S415] E-mail from Jean Sanders, Nov. 12, 2002.

Dr. Henry Clarke Houghton M.D.1,2

M, #15126, b. 22 January 1837, d. 1 December 1901

Family 1: Mary Ella Pratt b. c 1845, d. 2 Apr 1898

  • Marriage*: Dr. Henry Clarke Houghton M.D. married Mary Ella Pratt on Dec 29, 1868 mar 32 years in 1900 census.2,7

Family 2: Katherine Bolton

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
NotableY
BirthJan 22, 1837Roxbury, MA, USA, age 13 in 1850 census; age 32 & 33 in 1870 census; age 43 in 1880 census; Jan 1837, age 63 in 1900 census2,5,3,6
Educationbetween 1861 and 1863North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, ME, USA3
Graduation1867New York University, New York, New York Co., NY, USA, M.D.5,3
Occupationbetween 1867 and 1869appointed resident physician to the Five Points House of Industry5,3
MarriageDec 29, 1868mar 32 years in 1900 census2,7
1870 Census1870New York, New York Co., NY, USA, age 33, physician; and Dr. Thomas and Julia Allen8
1880 Census1880Manhattan, New York Co., NY, USA, age 43, a doctor, with 2 boarders and 2 servants9
Note1887New York, New York Co., NY, USA, Social Register
NoteHe was individual relief agent in the Christian commission for two years. He was dean and professor in the College of New York ophthalmic hospital professor of clinical otology in New York homopathic medical college, president of the American homopathic ophthalmological and otological society since 1881, and president of the Homopathic medical societies of New York county and New York state. He is the author of "Lectures on Clinical Otology" (Boston, 1885).5
Author1888Lectures on clinical otology, Henry C. Houghton, M.D., New York Homeopathic Medical College, 265 pp
NewspaperApr 4, 1890New York Opthalmic Hospital & College, New York, New York Co., NY, USA, president of faculty10
1900 Census1900Manhattan, New York Co., NY, USA, age 67, physician, widower; with a housekeeper, servant, and butler11
MarriageJul 26, 1901St. Ann's Church, Bayport, Long Island, NY, USA12
DeathDec 1, 1901New York, New York Co., NY, USA1,2,3
ObituaryDec 2, 1901New York, New York Co., NY, USA, NY Times: DR. HENRY C. HOUGHTON DEAD; The Well-Known Physician and Professor Expires Suddenly at His Home.
Dr. Henry Clarke Houghton died suddenly yesterday afternoon at his home, 7 West Thirty-ninth Street. Dr. Houghton was born in Roxbury, Mass., sixty-four years ago. He received his education in the Roxbury public schools and at the Ridgewater Normal School. His medical studies began in the Maine Medical SChool, after which he attended the Portland School of Medical Instruction. Later he received the degree of M. D. from New York University, where he was graduated in the Class of "67.
In 1865 he married Mary Ella Pratt, a daughter of Thomas and Mary Buckram Pratt of Yarmouth, Me. She died in April, 1898.
From 1861 to 1863 Dr. Houghton taught natural science in the North Yarmouth Academy, a fitting school for Bowdoin College. During the last two years of the civil war Dr. Houghton served in the United States Christian Comission. In 1868 he became surgeion to the New York Ophthalmic Hospital.
At the time of his death he was Professor of Physiology in the New York Homeopathic Medical College and of the New York Medical College and of the New York County Homeopathic Meidical Societies.
Dr. Houghton was the author of "Lectures on Clinical Otology" and various other brochures relating to his specialty as an aurist. He was a member of the Congregational and New York Medical Societies and of the New England Society.13
Notablewas a homeopathic medicine physician and professor
BiographyWho Was Who, p. 591: "Houghton, Henry Clarke, physician; b. Roxbury, Mass., Jan. 22, 1837; s. Isaac Smith and Zebral Adams (Hill) H; grad. Bridgewater Normal School, 1859; became instr. North Yarmouth (Me.) Acad; grad. New York Univ., M.D., 1867; m. Mary Ella Pratt, Dec. 29, 1868. Resident physician Five Points House of Industry, 1867-1869; prof. physiology New York Homoepathic Coll., 1868-70; prof. otology to present time; prof. physiology New York Coll. for Women, 1869-72; apptd. surgeon, 1868, New York Ophthalmic Hosp; he later became dean; mem. and officer of many homoepathic med. socs; specialist as oculist and aurist. Died 1901."

Biog Dict. of Notable Amer. V:
Physician, was born in Roxbury, Mass., Jan. 22, 1837; son of Isaac S. and Zebiah (Adams) Houghton, and grandson of Jesse Houghton, of Boston, Mass. He was graduated at Bridgewater Normal school in 1859, was post-graduate student there, 1859-61, and at North Yarmouth academy, Yarmouth, Maine, 1861-63; was relief agent for the U.S. Christian commission, 1863-65, and was graduated at the medical department, university of the City of New York in 1867. He was resident physician at the Five Points House of Industry, 1867-69; professor of physiology in the New York Homeopathic college, 1868-70, and in the New York College for Women, 1869-72; became surgeon of the New York Ophthalmic hospital in 1868; and was also made dean and professor in the New York Ophthalmic hospital; professor of clinical otology in the New York Homeopathic Medical college; president of the American Homoeopathic, Ophthalmological and Otological society, 1881; president of Homoeopathic Medical societies of New York City and state, and a senior of the Institute of Homoeopathy, 1892. He wrote Lectures on Clinical Otology (1885), and articles in medical journals. He died in New York city, Dec. 1, 1901.


Appletons Encyclopedia:

Henry Clark Houghton
HOUGHTON, Henry Clark, physician, born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, 22 January, 1837. He was graduated at Bridgewater normal school in 1859, where he was made instructor. He received his medical degree from the New York university in 1867, and in that year was appointed resident physician to the Five Points house of industry, which place he held till 1869. From 1868 till 1870 he was professor of physiology in the New York homeopathic college, and from 1869 till 1872 professor of physiology in the New York college for women. In 1868 he was appointed surgeon to the New York ophthalmic hospital, which post he now holds (1887). For two years he was individual relief agent in the Christian commission. He is now dean and professor in the College of New York ophthalmic hospital, professor of clinical otology in New York homeopathic medical college, president of the American homeopathic ophthalmological and otological society since 1881, and president of the Homeopathic medical societies of New York county and New York state. He is the author of "Lectures on Clinical Otology" (Boston, 1885).

NY Biog. Directory:

Physician and Aural Surgeon, 7 West 39th street, New York City. Born in Roxbury (now Boston), Mass., Jan 22, 1837. Educated in Roxbury public schools and at Ridgewater (Mass.) Normal School; also at Maine Medical School, Portland School of Medical Instruction and New York University Medical Department (M. D., '67). (Married Mary Ella, daughter of Thomas and Mary Bucknam Pratt of Yarmouth, Me., 1868; she died April 1898.) Taught natural science and physical culture in North Yarmouth (Me.) Academy (the fitting school for Bowdoin College), 1861-3; in service of United States Christian Commission during Civil War, 1863-5; surgeon to New York Ophthalmic Hospital, 1868. Now professor of physiology New York Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital for Women; professor of otology New York Ophthalmic Hospital; also dean of same; president New York State and New York County Homeopathic Medical Societies. Author of lectures on clinical otology and various other brochures relating to a specialty as an aurist. Member Congregational and New York Medical Clubs and New England Society.

Cleave's Biographical Cyclopædia of Homœopathic Physicians and Surgeons By Egbert Cleave
Copyright © Sylvain Cazalet 2002):

HOUGHTON, HENRY CLARK, M. D., of the city of New York, was born on the 22d day of January, 1837, in Roxbury (now Boston Highlands), Mass. He is the son of Isaac Smith Houghton and Zebiah Adams Hill, and traces his family name back to three brothers who settled near Boston in the latter part of 1600, having left their parents in England. He left high school at the age of eighteen years, and was engaged in business for two years ; then studying under the Rev. A. H. Quint, D. D., he entered the Normal School at Bridgewater, Mass., from which he graduated in 1860. He then engaged in teaching in Massachusetts and Maine for three years, studying during the time with private instructors. At the close of his duties as a teacher, he entered the service of the Christian Commission in March, 1863, and had charge of financial and sanitary matters of the Commission for one year in the Army of the Cumberland and one year and a half in the Army of the Potomac. At the close of the war he returned to study, and attended the University Medical College of New York city, under the Presidency of Professor J. W. Draper, M. D., LL. D., during the session of 1865-'66. He then took the spring course at Bowdoin College, the summer course at the Portland Medical School, and, returning to New York, the University for the session of 1866-'67, at the close of which he graduated. During the two sessions in the University Medical College he assisted Professor Roosa, and became interested in aural surgery, which interest has been continued by distinguished service at the Five Points House of Industry as Resident Physician for two years, and at the New York Ophthalmic Hospital, receiving the appointment of Aural Surgeon to the latter institution in December, 1868. He has also held the position of Professor of Physiology in the New York Homœopathic Medical College, and the New York Medical College for Women, which last he still holds ; also Treasurer of the New York Homœopathic Medical Society for three years, and Visiting Physician to the Five Points House of Industry. He was married on the 29th of December, 1869, to Miss M. Ella Pratt, daughter of Thomas Pratt, Esq., of Yarmouth, Me. Pratt, Esq., of Yarmouth, Me. Henry Clarke Houghton was a friend of William Wesselhoeft.

Henry Clarke Houghton wrote Lectures on Clinical Otology: Delivered Before the Senior Class in the New … , The Medical Ehtics of the Use and Abuse of Alcohol: An Address, and he contributed to the following journals Transactions of the … Session of the American Institute of Homœopathy, The American Journal of Homœopathic Materia Medica, American Observer Medical Monthly. Henry Clarke Houghton’s letters are held in the Rockefeller Family Archives and the Benjamin J Austin Collection:
Autograph collection 1885-1894 This small collection of letters was assembled by Benjamin W. Austin, often functioning as secretary of the Trinity Historical Society in Dallas, Texas, 1885-1894. The letters are from physicians, several of them eclectic or homeopathic, accepting honorary or non resident membership in the society and responding to Austin’s request for autographs, photographs, and pamphlets. Some biographical data is included.
Student of H. C. Allen (Yasgur's Homeopathic Dictionary. By Jay Yasgur)

Henry Clarke Houghton** **1837-1901** ** of the city of New York, was born on the 22d day of January, 1837, in Roxbury (now Boston Highlands), Mass. He is the son of Isaac Smith Houghton and Zebiah Adams Hill, and traces his family name back to three brothers who settled near Boston in the latter part of 1600, having left their parents in England. He left high school at the age of eighteen years, and was engaged in business for two years ; then studying under the Rev. A. H. Quint, D. D., he entered the Normal School at Bridgewater, Mass., from which he graduated in 1860 (BSC was founded by Horace Mann as a normal school styled Bridgewater Normal School. One of the first normal schools in the nation, its initial mission was to train school teachers). He then engaged in teaching in Massachusetts and Maine for three years, studying during the time with private instructors. At the close of his duties as a teacher, he entered the service of the Christian Commission in March, 1863, and had charge of financial and sanitary matters of the Commission for one year in the Army of the Cumberland and one year and a half in the Army of the Potomac. At the close of the war he returned to study, and attended the University Medical College of New York city, under the Presidency of Professor J. W. Draper, M. D., LL. D., during the session of 1865-‘66. He then took the spring course at Bowdoin College, the summer course at the Portland Medical School, and, returning to New York, the University for the session of 1866-‘67, at the close of which he graduated. During the two sessions in the University Medical College he assisted Professor Roosa, and became interested in aural surgery, which interest has been continued by distinguished service at the Five Points House of Industry as Resident Physician for two years, and at the New York Ophthalmic Hospital, receiving the appointment of Aural Surgeon to the latter institution in December, 1868.
He has also held the position of Professor of Physiology in the New York Homœopathic Medical College, and the New York Medical College for Women, which last he still holds ; also Treasurer (and President) of the New York Homœopathic Medical Society for three years, and Visiting Physician to the Five Points House of Industry.
He was married on the 29th of December, 1869, to Miss M. Ella Pratt, daughter of Thomas Pratt, Esq., of Yarmouth, Me.
Henry Clarke Houghton was a friend of William Wesselhoeft.
Henry Clarke Houghton wrote Lectures on Clinical Otology: Delivered Before the Senior Class in the New … , The Medical Ehtics of the Use and Abuse of Alcohol: An Address, and he contributed to the following journals Transactions of the … Session of the American Institute of Homœopathy, The American Journal of Homœopathic Materia Medica, American Observer Medical Monthly. Henry Clarke Houghton’s letters are held in the Rockefeller Family Archives and the Benjamin J Austin Collection:
Autograph collection 1885-1894 This small collection of letters was assembled by Benjamin W. Austin, often functioning as secretary of the Trinity Historical Society in Dallas, Texas, 1885-1894.

The letters are from physicians, several of them eclectic or homeopathic, accepting honorary or non resident membership in the society and responding to Austin’s request for autographs, photographs, and pamphlets. Some biographical data is included.

Mary Ella Pratt was born circa 1845 in ME, USA. She married Dr. Henry Clarke Houghton M.D., son of Isaac Smith Houghton and Zebral Adams Hill, in 29 December 1868. Mary Ella Pratt and Dr. Henry Clarke Houghton M.D. appeared in the census of 1870 of New York, New York Co., NY. Mary Ella Pratt and Dr. Henry Clarke Houghton M.D. appeared in the census of 1880 of Manhattan, New York Co., MA, USA. Mary Ella Pratt died in April 1898.2,3,14,15
ResearchAllibone's Critical Dictionary of English Literature: A Supplement. British and American authors. Two volumes. By John Foster Kirk. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1891. (Alli SUP)
Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Six volumes. Edited by James Grant Wilson and John Fiske. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1888- 1889. (ApCAB)
A Dictionary of American Authors. Fifth edition, revised and enlarged. By Oscar Fay Adams. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1904. Biographies are found in the 'Dictionary of American Authors' section which begins on page 1 and in the 'Supplement' which begins on page 441. (DcAmAu)
A Dictionary of North American Authors Deceased before 1950. Compiled by W. Stewart Wallace. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1951. (DcNAA)
The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Brief biographies of authors, administrators, clergymen, commanders, editors, engineers, jurists, merchants, officials, philanthropists, scientists, statesmen, and others who are making American history. 10 volumes. Edited by Rossiter Johnson. Boston: The Biographical Society, 1904. (TwCBDA)
Who Was Who in America. A component volume of Who's Who in American History. Volume 1, 1897-1942. Chicago: A.N. Marquis Co., 1943. (WhAm 1)

Citations

  1. [S110] Marquis, Who's Who in America VI, p. 948.
  2. [S112] Who Was Who I, p. 591.
  3. [S810] Earl Cranston Am. Biog. Libr.: Notable Amer., V, p. 359.
  4. [S1226] 1850 U.S. Federal Census , Dorchester, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: M432_329; Page: 34;
    line 4, del 412-536.
  5. [S768] Unknown author Cyclopaedia of Amer. Biog. III, p. 272.
  6. [S779] Unknown author Encyclopedia of Amer. Biog., Herringshaw's, p. 500.
  7. [S95] Newspaper, New York Times Archives: April 5, 1898.
  8. [S1228] 1870 U.S. Federal Census , New York Ward 21 District 20, New York, New York; Roll: M593_1010; Page: 588; line 27, dwl 192-193.
  9. [S1229] 1880 U.S. Federal Census , New York (Manhattan), New York City-Greater, New York; Roll: T9_880; Family History Film: 1254880; Page: 391D; Enumeration District: 295; sheet 20, line 9, dwl 35-44-106-110.
  10. [S95] Newspaper, New York Times Archives: Apr 4 1890.
  11. [S1230] 1900 U.S. Federal Census , Manhattan, New York Co., New York; Roll: T623; Enumeration District: 320; Sheet: line 9, dwl 7-96-141.
  12. [S95] Newspaper, New York Times Archives: July 26, 1901.
  13. [S95] Newspaper, New York Times Archives: Dec 2, 1901.
  14. [S768] Unknown author Cyclopaedia of Amer. Biog. III.
  15. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://homeopathy.wildfalcon.com/archives/2008/03/12/… Sue Young Homeopathy
    The website of a London based homeopath.

Frederick Lowell Houghton1,2,3,4

M, #15127, b. 24 August 1859, d. 19 December 1927

Family: Rosemarie MacCallum b. c 1871, d. 27 Feb 1899

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthAug 24, 1859Brookline, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, age 9/12 in 1860 census; age 11 in 1860 census; age 20 in 1880 census; Aug. 1859, age 40, in 1900 census; age 49 in 1910 census; Lowell Gen. : b. in Boston, 1861; Putney VRs: E. Boston, MA5,1,6,7,8,4
Notebetween 1880 and 1927He established a herd of Holstein cattle at Putney VT in 1880. He joined the Holstein-Friesian Association in 1881. Holstein-Friesian Register, a journal devoted to that breed of cattle, was established in 1886 and was published and edited by Mr. Houghton from Feb. 15, 1888 to 1927. He won control of the Holstein-Friesian Association in 1894, and was its secretary until Dec. 1927. He was the leading expert in the United States on this breed. He set up office in 1895 on his farm in Putney VT. In 1901 he started the Yearbook of the Holstein breed, publishing it until 1913. As secretary, he was editor of the annual editions of the Holstein-Friesian herd books. In 1903 he established an office in Brattleboro VT. When he became secretary in 1888, the membership was 422 with 76,717 registered animals; when he died in 1927, he had built up the membership to 28,000 and registered animals to 1,755, 187.5
Graduation1884Boston University, Boston, Suffolk Co., MA, USA, Law School, LL.B.
Immigration1894Putney, Windham Co., VT, USA
MarriageJun 20, 18961
Author1897Holstein-Friesian Cattle, a History of the Breed and its Development in America
A complete list of all private and authenticated milk and butter yields; methods of breeding, handling, feeding and showing : Over one hundred illustrations of famous cattle and biographies of leading breeders, etc. etc. / By Frederick L. Houghton.
Imprint:      Brattleboro, Vt. : Press of the Holstein-Friesian register, 1897.
Description:      371 p. : ill., ports., 25 cm.5,9
1900 Census1900Putney, Windham Co., VT, USA, age 40, a lawyer, widower; 2 boarders, 1 nurse, 1 housekeeper10,11
Occupationbetween 1900 and 1904VT. House of Repres.1
ResidencePutney, Windham Co., VT, USA, a lawyer, breeder, farmer12
1910 Census1910Putney, Windham Co., VT, USA, age 49, single, farmer, and a servant13
DeathDec 19, 1927Brattleboro, Windham Co., VT, USA, from heart failure at his Association office; age 68-3-20, of acute cardiac dilitation and chronic myocarditis5,1,14,4
ObituaryDec 20, 1927FREDERICK L. HOUGHTON; Cattle Authority, Publisher, Lawyer and Legislator Dead at 68.

December 20, 1927, Tuesday
Brattleboro, Vt., Dec. 19. --Frederick L. Houghton, Secretary of the Holstein-Friesian Association of America, died suddenly today in his office at the Holstein-Friesian Building here. His age was 68. He was publisher of the Holstein-Friesian Register, a magazine devoted to that breed of cows, and author of a history of the breed and its development in America.
Mr. Houghton practised law in Boston from 1884 to 1895, and thereafter in Brattleboro. He was a director of several light and power companies. He sat in the lower house of the Vermont Legislature from 1900 to 1904.15
ResearchA Dictionary of North American Authors Deceased before 1950. Compiled by W. Stewart Wallace. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1951. (DcNAA)
Who Was Who in America. A component volume of Who's Who in American History. Volume 1, 1897-1942. Chicago: A.N. Marquis Co., 1943. (WhAm 1)
BiographyWho Was Who, p. 591: "Houghton, Frederick Lowell; b. Brookline, Mas., Aug. 24, 1859; s. Charles and Edna Rebecca (Lowell) H; LL.B., Boston U. Sch. of Law, 1884; m. Rosemarie MacCallum, June 20, 1896 (died 1899). Admitted to Suffolk bar, Boston, 1884, and practiced there until 1895; admitted to Vt. Bar, 1896; in addition to law practice has given much attention to farming and breeding Holstein-Friesian cattle; sec. Holstein-Friesian Assn. America; editor Hostein-Friesian Register; trustee Vt. Savings Bank, Brattleboro; dir. Brattleboro Trust Co. Selectman and moderator, Putney, many yrs; mem. Vt. Ho. of Rep., 1900-04. Trustee New England Agrl. Society. Republican. Episcopalian. Mason. Author: Holstein-Friesian Year Book, 1900-12; Holstein-Friesian Herd Book, 1894-1923. Home: Putney, Vt. Died Dec. 19, 1927."

Who Was Who, Vol. 3, p. 1350: "pres. Newport Elec. Light Co., Central N.H. Power Co., Sunapee Electric Light & Power Co., Contoocook Electric Co., Canaan Enfield Electric Light Co., Raymond Electric Co., Central Light & Power Co., Antrine Bennington Electric Light & Power Co...v.p. Valley Fair Assn; trustee Pub. Library, Putney. Mem. Vt. Bar Assn., Brattleboro Bd. of Trade...Odd Fellows. Clubs: Vermont Wheel, Automobile of Vermont, Brattleboro Country. Author: Holstein Friesian Cattle-- a History of the Breed and Its Development in America, 1887...Office American Bldg, Brattleboro, VT."

Holstein-Friesian Register: He was an honorary member of the Canadian Holstein-Friesian Association; vice-president representing the Association at the World's Dairy Congress in 1923 and a delegate to the 5oth anniversary celebration of the Netherlands Herd Book at the Hague in 1925. He was a Republican, and twice represented the town of Putney VT in the VT legislature and served as the town moderator several years. He belonged to the Vermont Bar Association.16,1,2,3

Citations

  1. [S112] Who Was Who I, p. 591.
  2. [S114] Who Was Who, 3, p. 1350.
  3. [S943] Who's Who, Vol. 21, p. 1401.
  4. [S1074] Town Records: Brattleboro, VT; VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30766, VT Vital Records 1909-1941.
  5. [S95] Newspaper, Holstein-Friesian World, June 30, 1928.
  6. [S372] Delmar R. Lowell, Lowell Geenealogy, p. 190.
  7. [S95] Newspaper, Holstein-Friesian Register, Jan. 1, 1928, p. 6.
  8. [S1074] Town Records: Putney, Vt, p. 1546 & 1566: VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30546, VT VRs 1871-1904.
  9. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , American Antiquarian Society Online Catalog: http://catalog.mwa.org/
  10. [S235] U.S. Census, 1900 Soundex Vermont, Box 17, Vol. 12, E.D. 257, Sh. 6, Ln. 72.
  11. [S1230] 1900 U.S. Federal Census , Putney, Windham Co., Vermont; Roll: T623 ; Enumeration District: 257; Sheet 6B; line 70, 145-134.
  12. [S563] Hamilton Child, Windham Co. VT Gazetteer, p. 465.
  13. [S1231] 1910 U.S. Federal Census , Putney, Windham, Vermont; Roll: T624_1618; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 256; line 22, 122-126.
  14. [S95] Newspaper, Holstein-Friesian Register, Jan. 1, 1928.
  15. [S95] Newspaper, New York Times Archives: Dec 20, 1927.
  16. [S47] Grange, Official History of Guilford, p. 446.
  17. [S71] Putney VT VRs, p. 52.
  18. [S1074] Town Records: Putney, VT, p. 1546: VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30546, VT VRs 1871-1904.
  19. [S71] Putney VT VRs, p. 53.
  20. [S1074] Town Records: Putney, Vt., p. 1566: VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30546, VT VRs 1871-1904.

Edna Rebecca Lowell1,2

F, #15128, b. 4 July 1821, d. 5 March 1909

Family: Charles Houghton b. 14 Jan 1821, d. 18 May 1891

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthJul 4, 1821Drewsville, Walpole, NH, USA, age 28, NH, in 1850 census; age 37, VT, in 1860 census; age 48, VT, in 1870 census; age 57 in 1880 census; Brattleboro Phoenix: Jul 4, 18203,4,5
EducationAcademy, Chester, Windsor Co., VT, USA, and the Putney VT schools4
MarriageMay, 1847Chester, Windsor Co., VT, USA, Putney Hx: Edna R. Lovell, 18211,2,4,6,3
1850 Census1850Windsor, Windsor Co., VT, USA, age 28, a clerk; near his father5
1860 Census1860Brookline, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, age 37, lawyer; personal property $50007
1880 Census1880Boston, Suffolk Co., MA, USA, age 57, lawyer; and 2 servants8
ResidencePutney, Windham Co., VT, USA3
ResidenceBoston, Suffolk Co., MA, USA4
DeathMar 5, 1909Jamaica Plain, MA, USA, 88 years, at home of her daughter, Mrs. F. A. Seaverns3
BurialWalnut Hill Cemetery, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA3
BiographyA descendant of the famous Lowell Family of which James Russell Lowell was a member; she was a cousin of Carroll D. Wright of Worcester. She was the dau. of Ziba Wright Lowell and Rhoda (Farnum) Lowell.3

Citations

  1. [S112] Who Was Who I, p. 591.
  2. [S114] Who Was Who, 3, p. 1350.
  3. [S95] Newspaper, Brattleboro VT Phoenix, 3/12/1909.
  4. [S372] Delmar R. Lowell, Lowell Geenealogy, p. 189.
  5. [S1226] 1850 U.S. Federal Census , Windsor, Windsor, Vermont; Roll: M432_931; Page: 352; line 10, dwl 41-43.
  6. [S598] VT The Fortnightly Club of Putney, Putney VT Hx, p. 188.
  7. [S1227] 1860 U.S. Federal Census , Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts; Microfilm: M653; Page: 88, line 37, dwl 433-578.
  8. [S1229] 1880 U.S. Federal Census , Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: 561; Family History Film: 1254561; Page: 489A; Enumeration District: 766; Image: 0039; line 37, dwl 58-92.
  9. [S372] Delmar R. Lowell, Lowell Geenealogy, p. 190.
  10. [S1074] Town Records: Windsor, Windsor Co., VT: VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30270, VT VRs 1770-1870.
  11. [S1074] Town Records: Windsor, Windsor Co., VT; VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30270, VT VRs 1770-1870.
  12. [S1074] Town Records: Windsor, Windsor Co., VT: VT Division of Records, Middelesex, VT, F-30270.
  13. [S1074] Town Records: Putney, VT, p. 1660: VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30546, VT VRs 1871-1904.
  14. [S1074] Town Records: Brattleboro, VT; VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30766, VT Vital Records 1909-1941.

Rosemarie MacCallum1,2

F, #15129, b. circa 1871, d. 27 February 1899

Family: Frederick Lowell Houghton b. 24 Aug 1859, d. 19 Dec 1927

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Birthcirca 1871Putney, VT, USA, dd calc; also Boston MA3
Origin1896Boston, Suffolk Co., MA, USA
MarriageJun 20, 18961
DeathFeb 27, 1899Putney, Windham Co., VT, USA, 28 yrs1,4,5
ParentsDPeter and Margaret MacCallum5

Citations

  1. [S112] Who Was Who I, p. 591.
  2. [S114] Who Was Who, 3, p. 1350.
  3. [S1074] Town Records: Putney, Vt, p. 1566: VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30546, VT VRs 1871-1904.
  4. [S71] Putney VT VRs, p. 301.
  5. [S1074] Town Records: Putney, VT; VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30547, VT VRs 1871-1904.
  6. [S71] Putney VT VRs, p. 52.
  7. [S1074] Town Records: Putney, VT, p. 1546: VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30546, VT VRs 1871-1904.
  8. [S71] Putney VT VRs, p. 53.
  9. [S1074] Town Records: Putney, Vt., p. 1566: VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30546, VT VRs 1871-1904.

Mary Ella Pratt1,2

F, #15130, b. circa 1845, d. 2 April 1898

Family: Dr. Henry Clarke Houghton M.D. b. 22 Jan 1837, d. 1 Dec 1901

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
Birthcirca 1845Yarmouth, ME, USA, age 25 & 26 in 1870 census; age 35 in 1880 census3
Education1868Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, USA
MarriageDec 29, 1868mar 32 years in 1900 census1,4
1870 Census1870New York, New York Co., NY, USA, age 33, physician; and Dr. Thomas and Julia Allen5
1880 Census1880Manhattan, New York Co., NY, USA, age 43, a doctor, with 2 boarders and 2 servants3
Note1887New York, New York Co., NY, USA, Social Register
DeathApr 2, 1898New York, New York Co., NY, USA2,4
ObituaryApr 5, 1898New York, New York Co., NY, USA, NY Times: Mary Ella Pratt, the wife of Prof. Henry C. Houghton, and the President of the American Female Guardian Society and Home for the Friendless, died suddenly of cerebral apoplexy on Sunday night at her home, 7 West Thirty-ninth Street. Mrs. Houghton was born in Yarmouth, Me., fifty-three years ago, and was eduated at Mount Holyoke College. She left college in 1868 and married Dr. Houghton Dec. 29 of that year. Immediately after their marriage, Dr. and Mrs. Houghton settled in this city, and both joined the New England Church, in which Mrs. Houghton was baptized by immersion by the rEv. Henry Ward Beecher.
While in the New England Church, Mrs. Houghton formed a friendship that was lifelong with Helen E. Brown, the poetess, who interested her in the work of the American Female Guardian Society and Home for the Friendless, of which organization Mrs. Houghton soon became one fo the Board of Managers. She was in succession a member of the Executive Committee, Vice President, and President.
After the disbandment of the New England Church, Mrs. Houghton joined the Church of the Disciples, and on the disruption of that church she reverted with her husband to the Broadway Tabernacle, where she was an active member up to the time of her death, and for many years associated with the Society for Women's Work. She was a member and one of the organizers of the New York and brooklyn Alumnae of Mount Holyoke College, and was instrumental in securing some large gifts for the building of the New Mount Holyoke College.
Her husband and a brother and sister survive her. Mrs. Houghton had a severe attack of nervous prostration about eight weeks ago, and was confined to her be up to Sunday night, when the final apoplectic stroke caused her death. The time of the funeral services which will be held in the Broadway Tabernacle has not been decided upon. The body will be shipped to Yarmouth, Me., for interment.4
BurialYarmouth, ME, USA4
ParentsDThomas and Mary Bucknam Pratt of Yarmouth ME; parents born in ME

Citations

  1. [S112] Who Was Who I, p. 591.
  2. [S1347] Unknown compiler, NY Biog. Directory, p. 209.
  3. [S1229] 1880 U.S. Federal Census , New York (Manhattan), New York City-Greater, New York; Roll: T9_880; Family History Film: 1254880; Page: 391D; Enumeration District: 295; sheet 20, line 9, dwl 35-44-106-110.
  4. [S95] Newspaper, New York Times Archives: April 5, 1898.
  5. [S1228] 1870 U.S. Federal Census , New York Ward 21 District 20, New York, New York; Roll: M593_1010; Page: 588; line 27, dwl 192-193.

Rev. Dr. William Henry Houghton1,2

M, #15131, b. 28 June 1887, d. 14 June 1947

Family 1: Adelaide Franks d. 1916

  • Marriage*: Rev. Dr. William Henry Houghton married Adelaide Franks on Jun, 1914.3

Family 2: Elizabeth Andrews b. 20 Mar 1885

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthJun 28, 1887Boston, Suffolk Co., MA, USA, Jun 1887, age 12 in 1900 census; age 32 in 1920 census; age 44 in 1930 census; age 53 in 1940 census5,1,4
MarriageJun, 19143
Residence1917Canton, Bradford Co., PA, USA1
MarriageDec 14, 19186,3
1920 Census1920Bethlehem, Clarion Co., PA, USA, age 32, Baptist minister7
1930 Census1930Manhattan, NY, USA, age 44, Preaching clergyman8
Education1931received an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Award from Wheaton College in 1931 and Bob Jones University awarded him a Doctor of Law Degree in 1942.
OccupationNov 1, 1934Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Cook Co., IL, USA, Dr. Houghton became the fourth president of the Institute.
1940 Census1940Chicago, IL, USA, age 58, Bible School Executive9
Mil. Draft1942Chicago, Cook Co., IL, USA, age 55, Moody Bible Institute10
Living1942Chicago, Cook Co., IL, USA
DeathJun 14, 1947Hollywood Receiving Hospital, Hollywood, Los Angeles Co., CA, USA, age 596,5
ObituaryJun 15, 1947NY Times: Dr. Houghton Dies Suddenly On Coast
Moody Bible Institute Head, 60, Was Pastor Here at Calvary Baptist Church
June 15, 1947, Sunday

LOS ANGELES, June 14 -- The Rev. Will H. Houghton, president of the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, and a former pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in New York City, died early today at the Hollywood Receiving Hospital after collapsing in his suite at the Ambassador Hotel.
Dr. Houghton had been on leave of absence from the institute, one of the world's largest theological schools, for a year because of heart and sinus trouble. After a stay in Arizona, he came to Los Angeles with Mrs. Houghton several weeks ago. He had delivered some talks here and was planning to return to Chicago tomorrow.
A police inquiry was started because of the presence of sedative tablets in his room. Dr. Samuel Benbrook, one of the doctors who had been attending him here, attributed his death to coronary occlusion, and said the sedatives had been prescribed in connection with sinus treatments. The coroner's office reported that an autopsy would be performed Monday.
Under his administration the institute, founded by the evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, grew until today it has 1,000 day students,
night classes and 30,000 correspondence students. It operates two radio stations.
Surviving are his widow, the forer Miss Elizabeth Andrews of New Bethlehem, Pa; two sons, Firman Houghton of Boston, and Everett Houghton, a member of the faculty of Miami University, Ohio, and a daughter, Mrs. R. B. Brown, wife of a Los Angeles minister.
Brief Career as Actor
Dr. Houghton was well known as a pulpit orator, receiving much of his training as an actor for four years between his high school and college years.
Born in Boston, he attended Nazarene College of Rhode Island. He held the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Wheaton College, Ill. Before coming to this city he had been pastor of the Baptist Tabernacle of Atlanta, Ga., one of the largest Baptist congregations in the South.
Dr. Houghton came to Calvary Baptist Church, 123 West Fifty-seventh Street, after the death of The Rev. Dr. John Roach Straton, he was outspoken on many subjects, including atheism, communism and nazism. After a trip to Germany in 1934 he reported that the Nazis were lsoing caste because of their attacks on the Jews.
Church Built Apartment Hotel
While Dr. Houghton was pastor the Calvary Baptist Church erected an apartment hotel on its site, with the church occupying a 1,000-seat auditorium on the ground floor. This move caused much controversy at the time. Some called it irreverent, but Dr. Houghton defended the action, saying that the church and the home were tow institutions bestowed directly by God and that their union was a natural one.
On many occasions Dr. Houghton opened his pulpit to guest preachers among them the famaous revivalist, Billy Sunday, and Walter Bannigan, an ex-convict who turned to religion after his release from prison.
In 1934, Dr. Houghton resigned his pastorate to succeed the Rev. Dr. James M. Gray as president of the Moody Bible Institute. He also was editor of the Moody Monthly, wrote the words and music to several religious songs and was the author of several books, including "The Living Christ" and "Back to the Bible."
11
BurialJun 20, 1947New Bethlehem, PA, USA
NewspaperJun 28, 1947Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., CA, USA, Dr. Houghton's Death Accidental
Los Angeles, June 27 -- The death of Dr. Will H. Houghton, veteran Baptist minister and president of the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, was ruled accidental today by Coroner Ben H. Brown. Dr. Houghton died June 14 after collapsing in his hotel room.2
ResearchObituaries on File. Two volumes. Compiled by Felice Levy. New York: Facts on File, 1979. (ObitOF)
Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 1: January, 1946-July, 1949. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1949. (BioIn 1)
Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 2: August, 1949-August, 1952. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1953. (BioIn 2)
The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Volume 34. New York: James T. White & Co., 1948. Use the Index to locate biographies. (NatCAB 34)
Who Was Who in America. A companion biographical reference work to Who's Who in America. Volume 2, 1943-1950. Chicago: A.N. Marquis Co., 1963. (WhAm 2)
Religious Leaders of America. A biographical guide to founders and leaders of religious bodies, churches, and spiritual groups in North America. By J. Gordon Melton. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. (RelLAm 1)
Religious Leaders of America. A biographical guide to founders and leaders of religious bodies, churches, and spiritual groups in North America. Second edition. By J. Gordon Melton. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. (RelLAm 2)12
BiographyWho Was Who, p. 264: "Houghton, Will H., pres. Moody Bible Inst., ed. in Boston and Providence, R.I; D.D., Wheaton Coll; m. Elizabeth Andrews; children - Adelaide Maude, Everett Arthur, Firman Andrews. Formerly pastor Bapt. Tabernacle, Atlanta, Ga; pastor Calvary Bapt. Ch., N.Y. City, 1930-34; pres. Moody Bible Inst. since Nov. 1934; also editor of Moody Monthly. Author: The Living Christ; Let's Go Back to the Bible, 1939; Back to the Bible 1940. Address: 153 Institute Pl., Chicago, Ill. Died June 14, 1947."

* 1934-1947 Will H. Houghton

Dr. Will H. Houghton succeeded Dr. Gray in 1935. Dr. Houghton's leadership was marked by an expanding ministry that included construction of the 12-story Crowell Hall, a portion of Torrey-Gray Auditorium, and the founding of the Moody Institute of Science. During Houghton's tenure, the Bible Institute Colportage Association, founded by Moody, also merged with MBI and became Moody Publishers.

Elected. Dr. Will H. Houghton, pastor of Manhattan's Calvary Baptist Church: to be president of Chicago's Moody Bible Institute. During his Manhattan pastorate Dr. Houghton completed the $2,000,000 Salisbury Hotel which houses Calvary Church, managed to keep it 97% occupied since last autumn.



William Henry Houghton (28 June 1887 - 14 June 1947) was an evangelist and the fourth president of Moody Bible Institute. Biographer Wilbur Smith said of him: "Two primary passions possessed the soul of Will H. Houghton, from the beginning of his ministry to the end… evangelism, and the study of the word of God." Houghton was known for his fundamentalist Christianity. William was born in South Boston to John William Houghton and Carrie Maude Grant of Nova Scotia. He was converted to Christianity at the age of 14 during at evangelistic meeting in Lynn, Massachusetts. In June 1914, Houghton married Adelaide Franks and they had two children: Adelaide Maude and Everett Arthur. Mrs. Houghton died two years later, and Houghton remarried in December 1918 to Elizabeth Andrew. On 8 December 1919, they had a son: Firman Andrews. Houghton himself died of a heart attack in 1947 while still president of MBI.[1]
Contents
Education

Initially interested in theatre and active in the Vaudeville Circuit, he became convinced in 1909 to give up drama and instead enrolled at the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute in North Scituate, Rhode Island, but soon left without finishing. He was later awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree in 1931 by Wheaton College and an honorary doctor of law degree by Bob Jones University in 1942.[1]

Ministry

Houghton took his first pastorate at the First Baptist Church of Canton, Pennsylvania in 1915. After two years, Houghton left to pursue evangelistic work throughout New York and Pennsylvania. After a series of revivalistic meetings at a Baptist church in New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the spring of 1918, he accepted their offer of the pastorate and stayed until he took a new pastorate at the First Baptist Church of Norristown, Pennsylvania in the fall of 1920. Houghton then pastored at the First Baptist Tabernacle of Atlanta from 1925 to 1928 and the Calvary Baptist Church in New York City, the headquarters of the New York Youth Christian Center, from 1930 to 1934. In 1932 he founded the New York Summer School of Theology.[1]

Presidency

In 1934, James Gray, then-president of Moody Bible Institute, visited Calvary Baptist and, impressed with Houghton, offered him the presidency of the Institute. The Board of Trustees extended an official offer on 16 August 1934, and Houghton succeeded Gray on 1 November 1934. Houghton was president at MBI for twelve years. During his first eleven years, enrollment increased 70%. He also directed the D. L. Moody Centenary Celebration that was held on 5 February 1937 and oversaw construction of a twelve-story administrative building at 820 North LaSalle Street, dedicated on 4 February 1939 (re-named Crowell Hall in 1945). In addition to the start of WMBI broadcasting regularly, Houghton established fundamentalist chain radio broadcasts and the Moody Institute of Science. In 1950, the Institute named a nine-story women's dormitory Houghton Hall after William Henry Houghton.[1]

Published works

* Houghton, William H. Back to the Bible: Let's Go Back to the Bible. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., c1940.
* ____. The Living Christ and Other Gospel Messages. Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1936.
* ____. Problems of Youth: How Shall I Live, Think, Love? New York: Calvary Baptist Church, N.d.
* ____. Rhymes from a City Tower. Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1940.
* ____. Star and Sceptre. Chicago: Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1935.
* Houghton, William H. and Chas. T. Cook. Tell Me about Moody. Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1937.

[edit] Notes and references

1. ^ a b c d "William Henry Houghton". Library at Moody Bible Institute. http://mmm.moody.edu/GenMoody/default.asp?SectionID=1EE3BF9B575D4EFD90857B629BC8D5B0. Retrieved on 2008-11-11.

* Leuschner, Martin. "Meet the President." Baptist Standard (1 July 1935): 195 - 7.
* Smith, Wilbur. "The Man Who Built on the Bible." Moody Monthly 48 (June 1948): 715 - 6, 730, 768 - 9.
* ____. Will H. Houghton: A Watchman on the Wall. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951.
* Stewart, Ralph. "Will H. Houghton: An Appreciation, Voicing the Feelings of the Members of the Baptist Tabernacle." Tabernacle Tidings (16 December 1928): 1 - 2.
* Wertheim, E. L. "Dr. Houghton to Become President of Moody." Western Recorder 108, no. 38 (20 September 1934): 4.
* Whitesell, Faris D. "Will H. Houghton, the Polished Personal Worker." The Sunday School Times (7 August 1954): 643 - 4.

Moody Bible College:

William Henry Houghton, fourth president of the Moody Bible Institute was born on 28 June 1887, in South Boston to John William Houghton and Carrie Maude Grant of Nova Scotia. In 1901 Houghton was converted at the age of fourteen in an evangelistic meeting in Lynn, Massachusetts. His interest in dramatics and theatre initially led him to spend two years with the Keith Vaudeville Circuit as an actor. However, at a 1909 revival service in Brooklyn, New York, he came under the conviction that he was leading a disobedient life. He surrendered himself absolutely to the will of God. This decision turned him away from his theatrical career, and he quickly enrolled in the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute (now known as Eastern Nazarene College) in North Scituate, Rhode Island. His commitment to serving Christ changed the whole course of his life.

After less than a year at Nazarene College, Mr. Houghton joined Mr. Reuben Torrey as a song leader. His relationship to Mr. Torrey greatly deepened Mr. Houghton's devotion to God's Word, a characteristic that he retained and evidenced throughout his ministry. Mr. Houghton, although noted for his pastoral and leadership accomplishments, was also a songwriter and poet. His booklet, Rhymes from a City Tower, contains seventeen poems that are dedicated to the people that he loved and served in four cities - Atlanta, New York, Chicago, and Boston. Elizabeth Houghton

Mr. Houghton married Adelaide Franks in June 1914. Unfortunately, Mrs. Houghton fell suddenly ill and died in 1916, leaving Mr. Houghton a widower and the father of two children, Adelaide Maude and Everett Arthur. However, on 14 December 1918, Mr. Houghton married Elizabeth Andrews and a year later, on 8 December 1919, Firman Andrews Houghton was born to the couple.

Mr. Houghton was called to his first pastorate at the First Baptist Church of Canton, Pennsylvania in 1915. This church also ordained him. He stayed there until the fall of 1917 when he resigned to begin an evangelistic work in New York and Pennsylvania. This brought him to New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the spring of 1918 where he led a month-long series of meetings at the local Baptist Church. The congregation was so impressed by Mr. Houghton's abilities that they extended a call to him. He accepted; and stayed in New Bethlehem for slightly more than two years before moving on to his next pastorate, the First Baptist Church of Norristown, Pennsylvania in the fall of 1920.

Ministry in Norristown flourished under his leadership. The same can be said of his next pastorate at First Baptist Tabernacle of Atlanta, one of the great evangelical churches of the South. During his four-year tenure in Atlanta (1925 - 8), the church there added two thousand people to its rolls. From 1930 - 4 he served as the pastor of the well-known Calvary Baptist Church in New York City. This church was a focal point for youth activities during his pastorate. It also served as the headquarters of the New York Youth Christian Center.

Mr. Houghton was a man full of ideas and energy. In addition to his pastoral responsibilities in Canton, New Bethlehem, Norristown, and Atlanta; he could be found speaking at Bible conferences, establishing Bible institutes, and even leading an evangelistic campaign in Ireland. His innovativeness and ambition are also evidenced through his establishment in 1932 of the New York Summer School of Theology. This school provided pastors of small churches with three weeks of quality theological instruction from eminent scholars and professors from around the country.

Mr. Houghton received an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Award from Wheaton College in 1931 and Bob Jones University awarded him a Doctor of Law Degree in 1942.

Early in 1934, Dr. Houghton's career began again to take a different course. Dr. James Gray, then president of the Moody Bible Institute, held a Moody Bible Institute conference at the Calvary Baptist Church where Dr. Houghton was serving as pastor. During this conference, Dr. Gray heard Dr. Houghton preach and proclaimed of him, "There is the man to follow me at the Institute." Therefore, on 16 August 1934, the Institute's Board of Trustees extended an official offer to Dr. Houghton to be the Institute's next president. He accepted; and with the announcement of his acceptance, it was said that he was the only man in the nation who was qualified for the task.

Succeeding Dr. Gray on 1 November 1934, Dr. Houghton became the fourth president of the Institute. This was a position well suited for Dr. Houghton. First, he was a man who proclaimed and upheld the authority of Scripture. Second, he was a man who believed that soul winning was the real business of the church. Biographer Dr. Wilbur Smith wrote, "Two primary passions possessed the soul of Will H. Houghton, from the beginning of his ministry to the end…evangelism, and the study of the word of God." He brought to the Institute a strong commitment to the Word of God at a time when Neo-Orthodoxy and other liberal trends challenged fundamental doctrines.

President Houghton quickly acted to strengthen the faculty of the Institute. This contributed to it becoming one of the foremost Bible schools in North America. Enrollment swelled 70% during his first eleven years as president and circulation of Moody Monthly more than doubled to 75,000. The late 1930's was a time of significant events for MBI and Dr. Houghton. He directed the great D. L. Moody Centenary Celebration that was held in cities across America and Great Britain on 5 February 1937. He oversaw the construction of the twelve-story Administrative Building at 820 North LaSalle Street. This building was dedicated on 4 February 1939 (it was named Crowell Hall on 5 February 1945).

Dr. Houghton was also interested in expanding MBI into new ventures to promote the Gospel. One such venture was the "Let's Go Back to the Bible" chain radio broadcast. Through this ministry, each Sunday afternoon for twenty weeks in the fall of 1938, Dr. Houghton gave a thirty-minute message that stirred one third of America's radio listeners. In addition, he was responsible for encouraging Irwin A. Moon to join the Institute Extension Staff in 1938. This was the beginning of what would become the Moody Institute of Science and its famous "Sermons from Science" demonstrations. Other ventures included the formation of Moody Press through the merger of the Bible Institute Colportage Association and Moody Bible Institute. Also, radio station WMBI began broadcasting full day schedules on its own frequency. Dr. Houghton's 12-year presidency of MBI was relatively short, but its effects have been fruitful.

Dr. Houghton suffered a severe heart attack on 4 June 1946 and on 14 June 1947 entered the presence of the Lord. The funeral service for Dr. Houghton was held at Moody Memorial Church on 20 June 1947 and he was laid to rest in New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In 1950, Moody Bible Institute named the new nine-story women's dormitory Houghton Hall in his honor, a building that remains to this day.
Houghton at First Baptist Church
The Major Writings of Dr. William H. Houghton

Houghton, William H. Back to the Bible: Let's Go Back to the Bible. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., c1940.

____. The Living Christ and Other Gospel Messages. Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1936.

____. Problems of Youth: How Shall I Live, Think, Love? New York: Calvary Baptist Church, N.d.

____. Rhymes from a City Tower. Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1940.

____. Star and Sceptre. Chicago: Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1935.

Houghton, William H. and Chas. T. Cook. Tell Me about Moody. Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1937.
Synopsis of Houghton's Life

1887, June 28
Born in South Boston to John William Houghton and Carrie Maude Grant Houghton.
1901
Converted in an evangelistic meeting in Lynn, Massachusetts.
1909
Experienced God's conviction on his life, committed himself to serve Christ, and enrolled in the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute (now called Eastern Nazarene College).
1914, June
Married Adelaide Franks who in time gave birth to two children.
1915 - 7
Served as pastor of the First Baptist Church, Canton, Pennsylvania.
1916, Fall
Adelaide became ill and died.
1918, Spring
Began evangelistic campaign in Pennsylvania and New York.
1918 - 20
Served as pastor of First Baptist Church in New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
1918, December 14
Married Elizabeth Andrews.
1919, December 8
Birth of son Firman Andrews Houghton.
1920 - 3
Served as pastor of First Baptist Church in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
1924
Conducted evangelistic campaigns in Europe.
1925 - 8
Served as pastor of First Baptist Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia.
1930 - 4
Served as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in New York City.
1930, September 30
The sixteen-story Hotel Salisbury that housed the church was dedicated.
1931
Inaugurated the New York Summer School of Theology.
1932
Received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Wheaton College.
1933
MBI conference held at Calvary Baptist Church during his pastorate.
1934, August 16
Received the official offer to become MBI's president.
1934, November 1
Became the fourth president of the Moody Bible Institute.
1937, February 5
Directed the Moody Centenary celebration in cities across America.
1938
Initiated Moody Institute of Science.
1939, February 4
The twelve-story MBI Administrative Building was dedicated.
1942
Awarded the Doctorate of Law Degree by Bob Jones University.
1945, February 5
Administrative Building renamed as Crowell Hall.
1946, June 4
Suffered severe heart attack.
1947, June 13
Passed away at the age of 59.
1947, June 20
Funeral service held at Moody Memorial Church, buried in New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
1950
New dormitory named Houghton Hall in his honor.

Sources

Below are some of the major works about Dr. Houghton.

Leuschner, Martin. "Meet the President." Baptist Standard (1 July 1935): 195 - 7.

Smith, Wilbur. "The Man Who Built on the Bible." Moody Monthly 48 (June 1948): 715 - 6, 730, 768 - 9.

____. Will H. Houghton: A Watchman on the Wall. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951.

Stewart, Ralph. "Will H. Houghton: An Appreciation, Voicing the Feelings of the Members of the Baptist Tabernacle." Tabernacle Tidings (16 December 1928): 1 - 2.

Wertheim, E. L. "Dr. Houghton to Become President of Moody." Western Recorder 108, no. 38 (20 September 1934): 4.

Whitesell, Faris D. "Will H. Houghton, the Polished Personal Worker." The Sunday School Times (7 August 1954): 643 - 4.


For any further questions concerning William Houghton or the Moody archives in general, please contact the Moody Archives.


Wikepeidia

William Henry "Will" Houghton (June 28, 1887 - June 14, 1947) was an evangelist and the fourth president of Moody Bible Institute, in Chicago. Biographer Wilbur Smith said of him: "Two primary passions possessed the soul of Will H. Houghton: From the beginning of his ministry to the end… evangelism, and the study of the word of God." Houghton was known for his fundamentalist Christianity.


Biographical details

William was born in South Boston, Massachusetts, to John William Houghton and Carrie Maude Grant of Nova Scotia, Canada. William Houghton was converted to Christianity at age 14, during at evangelistic meeting in Lynn, Massachusetts. In June 1914, Houghton married Adelaide Franks and they had two children, Adelaide Maude and Everett Arthur. Adelaide Franks Houghton died two years later, and William Houghton remarried in December 1918 to Elizabeth Andrews. On December 8, 1919, they had a son, Firman Andrews. William Houghton, himself, died of a heart attack in 1947, while still president of MBI.[1]
Education

Initially interested in theatre and active in the Vaudeville Circuit, Houghton became convinced in 1909 to give up drama and, instead, enrolled at the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute, in North Scituate, Rhode Island, but soon left without finishing. He was later awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree, in 1931, by Wheaton College and an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Bob Jones University, in 1942.[1]
Ministry

Houghton took his first pastorate at the First Baptist Church of Canton, Pennsylvania, in 1915. After two years, Houghton left to pursue evangelistic work throughout New York and Pennsylvania. After a series of revivalistic meetings at a Baptist church in New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1918, he accepted their offer of the pastorate and stayed until he took a new pastorate at the First Baptist Church of Norristown, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1920. Houghton then pastored at the First Baptist Tabernacle of Atlanta, from 1925 to 1928, and the Calvary Baptist Church in New York City, the headquarters of the New York Youth Christian Center, from 1930 to 1934. In 1932 he founded the New York Summer School of Theology.[1]
MBI presidency

In 1934, James M. Gray, then-president of Moody Bible Institute, visited Calvary Baptist and, impressed with Houghton, offered the evangelist the presidency of the Institute. The MBI Board of Trustees extended an official offer on August 16, 1934, and Houghton succeeded Gray on November 1, 1934. Houghton was president at MBI for 12 years. During his first 11 years, enrollment increased 70 percent. He also directed the "D.L. Moody Centenary Celebration" that was held on February 5, 1937 and oversaw construction of a 12-story administrative building at 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, which was dedicated on February 4, 1939 (renamed Crowell Hall in 1945). In addition to having WMBI radio begin broadcasting regularly, Houghton established fundamentalist chain radio broadcasts and the Moody Institute of Science. In 1950, the Institute named a nine-story women's dormitory Houghton Hall after William Henry Houghton.[1]
Published works

Houghton, William H. Back to the Bible: Let's Go Back to the Bible. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., c1940.
____. The Living Christ and Other Gospel Messages. Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1936.
____. Problems of Youth: How Shall I Live, Think, Love? New York: Calvary Baptist Church, N.d.
____. Rhymes from a City Tower. Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1940.
____. Star and Sceptre. Chicago: Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1935.
Houghton, William H. and Chas. T. Cook. Tell Me about Moody. Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, c1937.

Notes

^ Jump up to: a b c d "William Henry Houghton". Library at Moody Bible Institute. Retrieved 2008-11-11.

References

Leuschner, Martin. "Meet the President." Baptist Standard (1 July 1935): 195 - 7.
Smith, Wilbur. "The Man Who Built on the Bible." Moody Monthly 48 (June 1948): 715 - 6, 730, 768 - 9.
____. Will H. Houghton: A Watchman on the Wall. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951.
Stewart, Ralph. "Will H. Houghton: An Appreciation, Voicing the Feelings of the Members of the Baptist Tabernacle." Tabernacle Tidings (16 December 1928): 1 - 2.
Wertheim, E. L. "Dr. Houghton to Become President of Moody." Western Recorder 108, no. 38 (20 September 1934): 4.
Whitesell, Faris D. "Will H. Houghton, the Polished Personal Worker." The Sunday School Times (7 August 1954): 643 - 4.6
ParentsSfather born in MA, mother born in Nova Scotia
Notableminister, author, and 4th President of Moody Bible Institute
ResearchMoody Baptist Seminary, Chicago, Cook Co., IL, USA, Another theologian.

Citations

  1. [S1308] World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, online http://content.ancestry.com, Roll: 1852860.
  2. [S95] Newspaper, NY Times Archives: June 28, 1947.
  3. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Houghton
  4. [S1230] 1900 U.S. Federal Census , Boston, Ward 22, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts; Roll: T623 687; Enumeration District: 1492; Sheet 6B; line 77, dwl 15-56-121.
  5. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , Rootsweb.Com, Houghton Surname, California Death Records, 1940-1997, Feb. 4, 2002.
  6. [S113] Who Was Who, 2, p. 264.
  7. [S1232] 1920 U.S. Federal Census , Bethlehem, Clarion, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1551; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 74; line 33, dwl 294-294-330.
  8. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: 1553; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0392; FHL microfilm: 2341288.
  9. [S1479] 1940 U.S. Federal Census , Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-01009; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 103-2806.
  10. [S1323] "WWII Draft Registration 1942", National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; ; State Headquarters: Illinois; Microfilm Series: M2097; Microfilm Roll: 128.
  11. [S95] Newspaper, NY Times Archives: June 15, 1947.
  12. [S882] Ancestry.Com, online www.ancestry.com, Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI): Houghton Surname.

Elizabeth Andrews1

F, #15132, b. 20 March 1885

Family: Rev. Dr. William Henry Houghton b. 28 Jun 1887, d. 14 Jun 1947

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthMar 20, 1885New Bethlehem, PA, USA, age 34 in 1920 census; age 45 in 1930 census; age 58 in 1940 census2
MarriageDec 14, 19181,3
1920 Census1920Bethlehem, Clarion Co., PA, USA, age 32, Baptist minister4
1930 Census1930Manhattan, NY, USA, age 44, Preaching clergyman5
1940 Census1940Chicago, IL, USA, age 58, Bible School Executive6
Living1942Chicago, Cook Co., IL, USA
ParentsDparents born in PA

Citations

  1. [S113] Who Was Who, 2, p. 264.
  2. [S1232] 1920 U.S. Federal Census , Bethlehem, Clarion, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1551; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 74;
    line.
  3. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Houghton
  4. [S1232] 1920 U.S. Federal Census , Bethlehem, Clarion, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1551; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 74; line 33, dwl 294-294-330.
  5. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: 1553; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0392; FHL microfilm: 2341288.
  6. [S1479] 1940 U.S. Federal Census , Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-01009; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 103-2806.

Adelaide Maude Houghton1

F, #15133, b. 15 March 1915, d. 15 September 1992

Family: Robert Beekman Brown b. 5 Oct 1913, d. 28 Apr 1990

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthMar 15, 1915Brooklyn, NY, USA, age 4 4/10 in 1920 census; age 15 in 1930 census
Marriage
DeathSep 15, 1992Seattle, WA, USA
BurialForest Lawn Cemetery, Seattle, WA, USA

Citations

  1. [S113] Who Was Who, 2, p. 264.
  2. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Houghton

Everett Arthur Houghton1

M, #15134, b. 27 September 1916, d. 18 October 1983

Family: Margaret Louise Meredith b. 12 Dec 1916, d. 4 May 2004

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthSep 27, 1916Canton, PA, USA, age 3 3/10 in 1920 census; age 13 in 1930 census; age 23 in 1940 census1
DeathOct 18, 1983Palm Beach, FL, USA

Citations

  1. [S113] Who Was Who, 2, p. 264.
  2. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Houghton
  3. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/obituaries; Houghton Surname.

Firman Andrews Houghton1

M, #15135, b. 8 December 1919, d. 17 June 1985

Family 1: Nancy Bogardus b. c 1919, d. 1959

Family 2: Ruth Whitman

Family 3: Mimi Nixon b. 1927

  • Marriage*: Firman Andrews Houghton married Mimi Nixon on Jul 23, 1959.
  • Divorce*: Firman Andrews Houghton and Mimi Nixon were divorced in 1964.

Biography

NotableY
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthDec 8, 1919New Bethlehem, PA, USA, age 1/12 in 1920 census; age 10 in 1930 census; age 19 in 1940 census2
Mil. Draft1940New Bethlehem, PA, USA, age 22, unemployed
Graduation1941Harvard University, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, Wi SB 41 cl, G 41-42 CA3
SSNMA, USA, 012-30-5607
Mil. Serv.a Navy dive-bomber pilot in the Pacific during World War II.
Research
MarriageMar 5, 1943Norfolk, VA, USA
Marriage4
MarriageJul 23, 1959
Divorce1964
Addressbetween 1975 and 1985106 Chestnust St., Boston, Suffolk Co., MA, USA3,2
DeathJun 17, 1985Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Suffolk Co., MA, USA, age 65, of cancer5,2,4,6
ObituaryJun 18, 1985Boston, Suffolk Co., MA, USA, Boston Globe, The (MA) - June 18, 1985
Deceased Name: FIRMAN HOUGHTON, BOSTON POET AND PLAYWRIGHT, OF CANCER AT 65
Firman Andrews Houghton of Boston's Beacon Hill, one of New England's best- known poets and playwrights, died of cancer early yesterday in Massachusetts General Hospital. He was 65. According to his wife, the former Mimi Nixon, Mr. Houghton had been ill for several months. David McCord of Cambridge, a noted Harvard poet, will read selections from Mr. Houghton's work at a memorial service on Tuesday, June 25, at Boston's King's Chapel at 1:30 p.m.

Mr. Houghton was known to friends, critics and colleagues not only as a brilliant and prolific poet and playwright, but also as a parodist and editor. For 10 years, Mr. Houghton and his former wife, poet Ruth Whitman, published the former literary magazine "Audience" - forerunner of the magazine "Ploughshares." "Audience was brilliant. It had all sorts of firsts," New England author and poet Frances Minturn Howard of Beacon Hill said yesterday. Like all literary publications, hard to sell, the magazine expired in the mid-1970s.
Mr. Houghton had been the first to recognize and publish Ann Sexton's poetry after she had received a dozen or more rejections from other publishers.
"He saw the brilliance in it. Other poets said that he could tell within three or four seconds whether a poem has any merit," his wife said.
Peter Davison, poetry editor of Atlantic Monthly, called him "a man of considerable learning, of a remarkably original turn of mind." From 1965 until 1975, Mr. Houghton was president of the New England Poetry Club and arranged for many noted speakers. Mr. Houghton also had been invited to recite his work at the White House during the Lyndon Johnson administration. "He was a genius, whose parodies were an absolute delight," said author Herbert Kenny of Manchester, former Book Editor of the Globe. One of his best known parodies was "Mr. Frost Goes to Boston," a spoof on the late poet Robert Frost. Mr. Houghton had been a Navy dive-bomber pilot in the Pacific during World War II. He apparently fulfilled his duty to bomb and kill, but came home to write of the pain and killing in one of literature's best known antiwar poems, "On Bombing a Stranger."

"Friends," Mrs. Howard said, "were always after him to publish his work. He had a feeling about it. His standards were so exacting, he would not send out his poetry, even though several editors asked if they could publish it. If he had sent his work, he would have been very well known. His poems were very good, very honest."
Mr. Houghton's plays, among them one called "Hammer on the Mountain,", were seen at the Loeb Theater in Cambridge; they were both sardonic and funny, critics said. He was once director of the Poets Theater in Cambridge.
A native of New Bethlehem, Pa., Mr. Houghton was the son of Dr. Will and Elizabeth (Andrews) Houghton. He was a graduate of the Riverdale School in New York City.He attended Exeter Academy through the 12th grade and graduated from Harvard University in the Class of 1941. Besides his wife Mimi, he leaves his son, David Will Houghton of Santa Monica, Calif; a stepson, David Gray Hanson of Boston; and a stepsister Adelaide Brown of Seattle, Wash., Burial will be private.

Copyright (c) 1985 Globe Newspaper Company4
ResearchThe Firman Houghton Award annually awards $250 for a lyric poem in honor of the former president of the New England Poetry Club.
Notableone of New England's best- known poets and playwrights

Citations

  1. [S113] Who Was Who, 2, p. 264.
  2. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , Rootsweb.Com, Houghton Surname, Social Security Death Index for Dec. 2001.
  3. [S219] Unknown compiler, Harvard Alumni Directory, 1975, p. 596.
  4. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/obituaries; Houghton Surname.
  5. [S219] Unknown compiler, Harvard Alumni Directory, 1975, 1986, p. 569.
  6. [S882] Ancestry.Com, online www.ancestry.com, Massachusetts Death Index, 1970-2003 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

Kathleen Bagwell1,2

F, #15136, b. 22 February 1886, d. August 1968

Family: Herbert Pierrepont Houghton Ph.D. b. 22 Jan 1880, d. May 1964

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthFeb 22, 1886Onancock, VA, USA, age 24, VA, in 1910 census; age 33, VA, in 1920 census; age 43 in 1930 census; age 54 in 1940 census1,3,4,5
MarriageApr 20, 1908age 28 and 232,1,6,4
1910 Census1910Amherst, Hampshire Co., MA, USA, age 30, professor, Amherst College7
1920 Census1920Waukesha, Waukesha Co., WI, USA3
1930 Census1930Northfield, Rice Co., MN, USA, age 49, professor Carlton College8
NoteJun 16, 1930Southhampton, England, returned on the Westernland to New York, NY
NoteAug 30, 1935Liverpol, England, returned on the America Shipper to New York, NY
1940 Census1940College Dormitory for Faculty, Carlton College, Northfield, Rice Co., MN, USA, age 60, private college professor9
Residence1953Charlottesville, Albemarle Co., VA, USA, 1919 Lewis Mountain Rd.2
DeathAug, 19685
ParentsDfather born in NY, mother born in VA; also parents born in VA

Citations

  1. [S114] Who Was Who, 3, p. 1351.
  2. [S59] Love, Descendants of Capt. William Houghton, p. 33.
  3. [S235] U.S. Census, 1920 Soundex, Waukesha, Waukesha Co., WI, Film 882, Box 64, Vol. 92, E.D. 202, Sh. 5, Ln. 23.
  4. [S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 163.
  5. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , Rootsweb.Com, Houghton Surname, Social Security Death Index for Dec. 2001.
  6. [S937] Who's Who 26, p. 1282.
  7. [S1231] 1910 U.S. Federal Census , Amherst, Hampshire, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_593; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 676; line 92, dwl 21-179-290.
  8. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Northfield, Rice Co., Minnesota; Roll: 1124; Enumeration District: 20; Page 213, Sheet 8A; line 12, dwl 227.
  9. [S1479] 1940 U.S. Federal Census , Northfield, Rice, Minnesota; Roll: T627_1953; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 66-21; line 22.
  10. [S104] Who's Who 22, p. 1114.

Mary Louise Phillips1

F, #15137, b. 11 June 1870, d. 24 September 1954

Family: Dr. Elihu Russell Houghton M.D. b. 26 Mar 1864, d. 19 Feb 1905

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthJun 11, 1870Brooklyn, Kings Co., NY, USA, age 29, NY, in 1900 census; age 39, NY, in 1910 census; 1930 census of son Russell gives NJ2,3,4
Graduation1891Smith College, Northampton, Hampshire Co., MA, USA5
MarriageOct 6, 1891New York, New York Co., NY, USA, at residence of bride's mother2,4,6
1900 Census1900Manhattan, New York Co., NY, USA, age 36, a physician; 2nd enumeration7
Occupation1905began her career as an educator5
1910 Census1910Manhattan, New York Co., NY, USA, age 39, school teacher8
Livingbetween 1911 and 1920Tarrytown-on-Hudson, NY, USA2,9
NewspaperFeb 12, 1912School for girls burned. Mrs. Houghton's Teachers and Pupils at Briarcliff Manor Escape.

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February 12, 1912, Monday

Page 1, 279 words

BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y., Feb. 11. -- Mrs. E. Russell Houghton's school for girls here was destroyed by fire to-night. There were only ten girls in the school when the fire started, the other pupils being away over Lincoln's Birthday. They and the teachers escaped at the first alarm of fire and went to Mrs. Dow's school, half a mile away.10
1920 Census1920Knox School, Tarrytown, Westchester Co., NY, USA, age 44, principal of private school11
1930 Census1930Knox School for Girls, Cooperstown, Otsego Co., NY, USA, age 59, principal of private school12
1940 Census1940Knox School, Cooperstown, Otsego Co., NY, USA, age 69, widow, president head13
ResidenceApr 27, 1942Knox School
Retirement1948after 37 years as principal of the Knox School for Girls, originally in Cooperstown, NY and then St. James, Long Island5
DeathSep 24, 1954St. Barnabas Hospital, New York, New York Co., NY, USA, age 8414,5
BurialGreen-Wood Cmetery, Brooklyn, NY, USA
BiographyWho Was Who, Vol. 3, p. 1351: "Houghton, Louse Phillips, educator; b. Brooklyn, N.Y., June 11, 1870; d. John Francis and Mary Virtue (Cranford) Phillips; grad. Brooklyn Heights Sem., 1887; A.B., Smith Coll., 1891; studied Columbia, 1897, Havre, France, 1892-3; m. E. Russell Houghton (M.D.), of N.Y. City, Oct. 6, 1891 (died 1905). Contbr. articles and book revs. to New York Evangelist, and other periodicals, 1892-1905; asso. prin. Comstock Sch. for Girls, N.Y. City, 1906-11; prin. Knox Sch. for Girls, Tarrytown-on-Hudson, since 1911. Mem. Smith Coll. Alumnae Assn. Episcopalian. Clubs: Women's Univ., Thursday Musical, Meridian, Smith Coll, Club (New York). Address: Knox School, Tarrytown-on-Hudson, N.Y."

Woman's who's who of America: "HOUGHTON, Louise Phillips (Mrs. E. Russell Houghton), The Knox School, Tarrytown-on-Hudson, N.Y.
Principal of private school; b. June 11, 1870; dau. John Francis and Mary Virtue (Cranford) Phillips; ed. Brooklyn Heights Sem., Smith Coll.,
A.B; Columbia Univ; mem. Alpha (Smith Coll.); m. Brooklyn, N.Y., Dr. E. Russell Houghton; children: S. Phillips, A. Sherrill, Russell Le
Roux. Assistant principal and associate with Miss Lydia Day, Comstock School, N.Y. City, 1906-11; principal of the Knox School, Briarcliff
Manor, 1911. Interested in the History Club of N.Y., Woman's Auxiliary of the University Club. Favors woman suffrage. Writer of
book reviews, art and music criticism for a New York weekly paper. Lecturer on literature. Episcopalian. Mem. The Thursday Musical Club
of N.Y., Smith College Club of N.Y., Philipse Manor Country Club. Has lectured on psychology and has given drawing-room talks on Continental
Writers in N.Y. City and elsewhere."2,3,9
ResearchBiography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 3: September, 1952-August, 1955. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1956. (BioIn 3)
Who Was Who in America. Volume 5, 1969-1973. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1973. (WhAm 5)
Woman's Who's Who of America. A biographical dictionary of contemporary women of the United States and Canada, 1914-1915. Edited by John William Leonard. New York: American Commonwealth Co., 1914. 'Addenda and Corrections' and 'Deaths during Printing' sections begin on page 29. (WomWWA A)14
ParentsDJ. Frank Phillips; father born in NJ/NY, mother born in Newfoundland, Canada6

Citations

  1. [S506] Unknown agency, Social Register, Summer 1943, p. 114.
  2. [S114] Who Was Who, 3, p. 1351.
  3. [S938] Who's Who, Vol. 21, p. 1204.
  4. [S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 159.
  5. [S95] Newspaper, NY Times Archives: Sep 26, 1954.
  6. [S95] Newspaper, New York Times Archives: Oct 7, 1891.
  7. [S1230] 1900 U.S. Federal Census , Manhattan, New York Co., New York; Roll: T623 1105; Enumeration District: 521; Sheet 2A; line 28, dwl 103-115-27.
  8. [S1231] 1910 U.S. Federal Census , Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1024; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 624;
    line 34, dwl 404-19-225.
  9. [S943] Who's Who, Vol. 21, p. 1401.
  10. [S95] Newspaper, New York Times Archives: Feb 12, 1912.
  11. [S1232] 1920 U.S. Federal Census , Tarrytown, Westchester, New York; Roll: T625_1276; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 33; line 1, dwl 17-22.
  12. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Cooperstown, Otsego Co., New York; Roll: 1636; Enumeration District: 42; page 52, sheet 19A; line 1, dwl 107-116.
  13. [S1479] 1940 U.S. Federal Census , Cooperstown, Otsego, New York; Roll: T627_2717; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 39-53; line 1.
  14. [S882] Ancestry.Com, online www.ancestry.com, Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI): Houghton Surname.

Lucile W. Caplinger1

F, #15138, b. April 1879

Family: Matthew Henry Houghton b. 6 Oct 1867, d. 23 Jan 1931

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthApr, 1879New Castle, KY, USA, age 21 in 1900 census; age 31 in 1910 census; age 40 in 1920 census; age 51 in 1930 census; age "51" in 1940 census2,3
EducationAnchorage, Jefferson Co., KY, USA, Bellewood Seminary2
MarriageJun 1, 1898age 30 and 191
1900 Census1900Manhattan, New York Co., NY, USA, age 32, religious newspaper manager4
1910 Census1910New Rochelle, Westchester Co., NY, USA, age 42, general contractor; and a servant5
1920 Census1920New Rochelle, Westchester Co., NY, USA, age 52, building contractor6
1930 Census1930Miami, Dade Co., FL, USA, age 62, house builder7
Residence1935Miami, FL, USA
1950 US Census1950Miami, FL, USA, age 70, widow, no occup; living with her is partner Mary C. Moore, 54, WV
AuthorA Venture in Identity; Hour of Noon
BiographyWho's Who and What to See in Florida, 1935 : She was active in the Florida Association of Workers for the Blind. Clubs: Authors League, New York. She authored "A Venture in Identity" and " Hour of Noon." She was a member of the Episcopalian Church.
ParentsDJames N. and Amanthis W. Caplinger, New Castle, KY
ResearchWho Was Who in America. Volume 6, 1974-1976. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1976. (WhAm 6)3

Citations

  1. [S1003] Unknown compiler, Amherst College Biog. Record, Internet, Amherst College Biographical Record, Centennial Edition (1812--1921), http://www.amherst.edu/~rjyanco/genealogy/acbiorecord/…
  2. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://fulltext.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx
  3. [S882] Ancestry.Com, online www.ancestry.com, Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI): Houghton Surname.
  4. [S1230] 1900 U.S. Federal Census , Manhattan, New York Co., New York; Roll: T623; Enumeration District: 545; Sheet: 2A; line 23, dwl 33.
  5. [S1231] 1910 U.S. Federal Census , Rochelle Ward 2, Westchester, New York; Roll: T624_1091; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 87;
    line 90, dwl 41-178-202.
  6. [S1232] 1920 U.S. Federal Census , New Rochelle Ward 2, Westchester, New York; Roll: T625_1277; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 121; line 45, dwl 170-106-130.
  7. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Miami, Dade Co., Florida; Roll: 309; Enumeration District: 17; Sheet 14B; line 78, dwl 45-295-429.

Grace Sherburne1,2

F, #15139

Family: William Hoghton d. 1642

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
Marriage1,2
Biographyde Hoghton Pedigree I: "Grace dau. Sir Richard Sherburne.";
JWH, p. 33: "dau. of Sir William Sherburne, of Stonyhurst."1,2

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33.
  2. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.

Polly Smith1

F, #15140

Family: Sylvester Woods b. 9 Aug 1792, d. 2 Aug 1822

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
Marriagebefore 18221
BiographyNEGHR: "of Rindge, N.H."1

Citations

  1. [S118] Woods, "Woods Family of Groton,", p. 153.

Keziah (?)1

F, #15141, b. 1745, d. 17 December 1791

Family: Sergt. Moses Woods b. 16 Feb 1749/50, d. 3 May 1837

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
Birth17451
Marriagebefore 17721
DeathDec 17, 1791Acton, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, in her 47th year1

Citations

  1. [S118] Woods, "Woods Family of Groton,", p. 147.

Frank Wilbur Houghton1

M, #15142, b. 21 December 1849, d. 4 February 1932

Family: Mary Julia Balch b. 21 Jan 1855, d. 3 Feb 1936

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthDec 21, 1849Adams Basin, Rochester, Monroe Co., NY, USA, age 6/12 in 1850 census; age 20 in 1870 census; Dec 1849, age 50 in 1900 census; age 60 in 1910 census; age 70 in 1920 census; age 80 in 1930 census2,4,5
Immigration1867WI, USA, at age of 185
1870 Census1870Howard, Brown Co., NY, USA, age 20, a farmer, with Enoch and Elvira Brown family6
Graduation1876Lawrence College, Appleton, Outagamie Co., WI, USA, BA5
Association1877Independent Order of Odd-Fellows; Knights of Pythias, 1883; Masons, 19057
MarriageSep 29, 1877Weyauwega, Waupaca Co., WI, USA, at her father's house1,2,7
NoteSep 4, 1879Milwaukee, WI, USA, He became an active member of Wisconsin law bar. Beginning in Apr 1880, he practiced at Oskosh for 20 years. He then lived in Milwaukee. He was the senior member of the firm of Houghton, Neelen, & Houghton.5
ResidenceOshkosh, WI, USA2
OccupationOshkosh, WI, USA, a lawyer2
1900 Census1900Oshkosh, Winnebago Co., WI, USA, age 50, lawyer; 5 children born, 4 living8
OccupationSep, 1909Albert joined his father's law firm.7
1910 Census1910Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 60, general practice lawyer9
1920 Census1920Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 70, general practice lawyer10
1930 Census1930Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 80, none, and a servant11
DeathFeb 4, 1932Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA12
BurialWauwatosa Cemetery, Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA
ResearchNational Cyclopaedia of American Biograph. 1935
BiographyWisconsin by Ellis Baker Usher, p. 1035:
Frank Wilbur Houghton
FRANK W. HOUGHTON. An active member of the Wisconsin bar since 1879, Mr. Houghton was engaged in the practice of his profession at
Oshkosh for twenty years, and since that time has maintained his residence and professional headquarters in the city of Milwaukee, where
he is senior member of the firm of Houghton, Neelen & Houghton. Mr. Houghton has been dependent upon his own resources from the time he
was a lad of eight years, and his life has been one of earnest and constant endeavor. Frank Wilbur Houghton was born at Adams Basin, Monroe county,
New York, on the 21st of December, 1849, and is a son of Reuben B. and Ruth Ann (Ring) Houghton. The father was born in Massachusetts
and the mother was a native of New Hampshire. Both passed the closing years of their lives at Adams Basin, Monroe county, New York, the
father having been a farmer by vocation and also a manufacturer of grain-cradles in the early days when these primitive implements were
in common use. Lieutenant William Ring, an uncle of the mother of Frank W. Houghton, was a valiant soldier in the war of the Revolution,
and served under General Ethan Allen in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. Mr. Houghton's rudimentary education was obtained in a district
school in his native place, and he himself earned the means by which he was enabled to carry forward his intellectual training. He was
eighteen years of age when he came to Wisconsin, and by hard work he earned sufficient money to justify his matriculation in Lawrence
College, at Appleton, this state. In this institution he completed the classical course and was graduated as a member of the class of the
Centennial year, 1876, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. For several years he devoted more or less time to teaching in the public schools, and
thus defrayed a considerable part of his college expenses and also those of the maintenance of himself and his young wife while he was preparing
himself for his chosen profession. Mrs. Houghton had in every possible way aided and encouraged him in his plans. He began reading law in
a private way and while thus engaged was principal of the high school at Wausau. Later he continued his technical studies at Milwaukee, in
the office of Carpenter & Smiths, leading members of the bar of the state. From the office of this firm Mr. Houghton was admitted to the
bar on the 4th of September, 1879. In the following April he opened an office at Oshkosh, where he eventually became one of the leaders at
the bar of that county. On the 1st of July, 1900, Mr. Houghton removed from Oshkosh to Milwaukee, where he formed a partnership with Neele B. Neelen, under the firm name of Houghton & Neelen. In September, 1909, his eldest son, Albert B., was admitted to the firm, the title of which has since
been Houghton, Neelen & Houghton. During his many years of active practice Mr. Houghton has appeared in connection with many important litigations, and has practiced in all of the courts, from that of justice of the peace to the supreme Court of the United States. He is a Republican in politics and has been since casting his first presidential ballot, which was for Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. He has been affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
since 1877; the Knights of Pythias since 1883; and the Masonic Fraternity since 1905. In the last mentioned order he holds membership in Damascus Lodge No. 290, F. & A. M; Kilbourn Chapter No. 9, R. and S. M; Ivanhoe Commandery, Knights Templar; and Wisconsin Consistory, S. P. R. S.
At the home of the bride's parents, at AVeyauwega, Waupaca county, Wisconsin, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Houghton to Miss Mary
Julia Balch, who had been his classmate in Lawrence College. She was born at Weyauwega, Wisconsin, January 21, 1855, and is a daughter of
Albert V. and Sarah (Parmalee) Balch, honored pioneers of Wisconsin. Representatives of both the Balch and Parmalee families were patriot
soldiers in the Continental army in the War of the Revolution. To Mr. and Airs. Houghton were born five children, all of whom are living except
Frank Wilbur, Jr., who passed away on the 13th of November, 1897, at the age of thirteen years; Laura Madg'e remains at the parental home;
Alary Ruth is the wife of George A. Cierry and they reside in Ironwood, Mlichigan; Albert B. is associated with his father in the practice of law,
as previously noted; and Harry Abner is a traveling salesman whose residence is at Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

Citations

  1. [S17] Who's Who, 1958, p. 1338.
  2. [S664] Galusha B. Balch M.D., Balch Families, p. 332.
  3. [S1226] 1850 U.S. Federal Census , Ogden, Monroe, New York; Roll: M432_529; Page: 109; line 11, dwl 419-438.
  4. [S235] U.S. Census, 1850 US Census, Ogden, Monroe Co., NY, p. 109.
  5. [S1383] Ellis Baker Usher, Wisconsin, p. 1035-1036.
  6. [S1228] 1870 U.S. Federal Census , Howard, Brown Co., WI, Reel 1703, p. 275, line 34, dwl 50-51.
  7. [S1383] Ellis Baker Usher, Wisconsin, p. 1036.
  8. [S1230] 1900 U.S. Federal Census , Oshkosh, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin; Roll:T623; Enumeration District: 148; Sheet: 6B; line 88, dwl 365-121-120.
  9. [S1231] 1910 U.S. Federal Census , Milwaukee Ward 15, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T624_1721; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 160;
    line 50, dwl 3428-122-141.
  10. [S1232] 1920 U.S. Federal Census , Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T625_2006; Page: 30B; Enumeration District: 318; line 89, dwl 76-164-190.
  11. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin; Roll: 2599; Enumeration District: 373; Page 120; Sheet: 12A; line 12, dwl 76-259-272.
  12. [S882] Ancestry.Com, online www.ancestry.com, Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI): Houghton Surname.
  13. [S664] Galusha B. Balch M.D., Balch Families, p. 333.

Mary Julia Balch1,2

F, #15143, b. 21 January 1855, d. 3 February 1936

Family: Frank Wilbur Houghton b. 21 Dec 1849, d. 4 Feb 1932

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthJan 21, 1855Weyauwega, Waupaca Co., WI, USA, Jan 1855, age 45 in 1900 census; age 55 in 1910 census; age 65 in 1920 census; age 75 in 1930 census2,3
Educationcirca 1876Lawrence College, Appleton, Outagamie Co., WI, USA3
MarriageSep 29, 1877Weyauwega, Waupaca Co., WI, USA, at her father's house1,2,3
ResidenceOshkosh, WI, USA2
1900 Census1900Oshkosh, Winnebago Co., WI, USA, age 50, lawyer; 5 children born, 4 living4
1910 Census1910Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 60, general practice lawyer5
1920 Census1920Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 70, general practice lawyer6
1930 Census1930Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 80, none, and a servant7
DeathFeb 3, 1936Daytona Beach, FL, USA
BurialWauwatosa Cemetery, Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA
ParentsDAlbert Vestus Balch and Sarah T. Parmelee, both b. NY2

Citations

  1. [S17] Who's Who, 1958, p. 1338.
  2. [S664] Galusha B. Balch M.D., Balch Families, p. 332.
  3. [S1383] Ellis Baker Usher, Wisconsin, p. 1036.
  4. [S1230] 1900 U.S. Federal Census , Oshkosh, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin; Roll:T623; Enumeration District: 148; Sheet: 6B; line 88, dwl 365-121-120.
  5. [S1231] 1910 U.S. Federal Census , Milwaukee Ward 15, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T624_1721; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 160;
    line 50, dwl 3428-122-141.
  6. [S1232] 1920 U.S. Federal Census , Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T625_2006; Page: 30B; Enumeration District: 318; line 89, dwl 76-164-190.
  7. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin; Roll: 2599; Enumeration District: 373; Page 120; Sheet: 12A; line 12, dwl 76-259-272.
  8. [S664] Galusha B. Balch M.D., Balch Families, p. 333.

Albert Balch Houghton1

M, #15144, b. 27 August 1882, d. May 1969

Family: Janet Fox b. c 1884

  • Marriage*: Albert Balch Houghton married Janet Fox on May 18, 1916.1

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthAug 27, 1882Oshkosh, WI, USA, Aug 1882, age 17 in 1900 census; age 27 in 1910 census; age 37 in 1920 census; age 47 in 1930 census; age 58 in 1940 census1,2,3
OccupationSep, 1909Albert joined his father's law firm.4
Occupation1910lawyer
MarriageMay 18, 19161
1920 Census1920Wawatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 37, lawyer5,6
1930 Census1930Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 47, law firm lawyer7
1940 Census1940Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 58, 5 years of college, private practice attorney8
SSNSSN 398-34-8375 Albert Houghton 8-27-1882 Wi 5-1969 zip 53211 WI2
DeathMay, 1969Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA2
BiographyWho's Who, p. 1338: "Houghton, Albert Balch, lawyer; b. Oshkosh Wis., Aug. 27, 1882; s. Frank Wilbur and Mary Julia (Balch) H; Ph.B., U. of Chicago, 1907, J.D., 1909; m. Janet Fox, May 18, 1916; 1 son, Albert F. Admitted to Wis. bar, Sept. 1909; engaged in corp. and probate practice, Milwaukee since 1909. Served as spl. asst. to U.S. atty. gen., World War II. Member American (member ethics committee 1936-47, member board governors 1947-49), Wisconsin, Milwaukee bar assns., Beta Theta, Phi Delta Phi. Republican. Dir. Legal Aid Soc. Methodist (pres. bd. trustees Meth. Ch. Wis. Conf., 1930-56). Mason. Clubs: University, Athletic. Home: 3411 N. Shepard Av., Milwaukee 11, Office: 152 W. Wisconsin Av., Milwaukee 3, Wis."1

Citations

  1. [S17] Who's Who, 1958, p. 1338.
  2. [S98] Social Security Administration.
  3. [S664] Galusha B. Balch M.D., Balch Families, p. 333.
  4. [S1383] Ellis Baker Usher, Wisconsin, p. 1036.
  5. [S235] U.S. Census, 1920 Soundex, Wanwatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, Film 882, Box 64, Vol. 63, E.D. 315, Sh. 5, Ln. 63.
  6. [S1232] 1920 U.S. Federal Census , Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T625_2006; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 318; line 63, dwl 36-103-105.
  7. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin; Roll: 2599; Enumeration District: 371; Page 86, Sheet: 1A; line 28, dwl 36-5-5.
  8. [S1479] 1940 U.S. Federal Census , Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T627_4558; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 72-400.

Albert Fox Houghton1

M, #15145, b. 1920, d. 23 February 1960

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Birth1920WI, USA, age 9 in 1930 census; age 19 in 1940 census2,3
Research1942
Mil. EnlsNov 7, 1942WI, USA, WWII: Branch:      Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA; Grade:      Private; Name: Albert F Houghton Birth Year: 1920 Race: White, citizen Nativity State or Country: Wisconsin State: Wisconsin County or City: Milwaukee Enlistment Date: 7 Nov 1942 Enlistment State: Wisconsin Enlistment City: Milwaukee Branch: Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA Branch Code: Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA Grade: Private Grade Code: Private Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men) Source: Civil Life Education: 4 years of college Civil Occupation: Student Codes 0x, 2x, 4x and 6x as pertain to students will be converted, for machine records purposes, to the code number 992. Marital Status: Single, without dependents Height: 67 Weight: 1623
DeathFeb 23, 1960Milwaukee, WI, USA

Citations

  1. [S17] Who's Who, 1958, p. 1338.
  2. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin; Roll: 2599; Enumeration District: 371; Page 86, Sheet: 1A; line 28, dwl 36-5-5.
  3. [S882] Ancestry.Com, online www.ancestry.com, U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 Record.

Janet Fox1

F, #15146, b. circa 1884

Family: Albert Balch Houghton b. 27 Aug 1882, d. May 1969

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Birthcirca 1884WI, USA, age 36 in 1920 census; age 46 in 1930 census; age 56 in 1940 census2
MarriageMay 18, 19161
1920 Census1920Wawatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 37, lawyer2,3
1930 Census1930Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 47, law firm lawyer4
1940 Census1940Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., WI, USA, age 58, 5 years of college, private practice attorney5
ParentsDfather born in WI, mother born in PA

Citations

  1. [S17] Who's Who, 1958, p. 1338.
  2. [S235] U.S. Census, 1920 Soundex, Wanwatosa, Milwaukee Co., WI, Film 882, Box 64, Vol. 63, E.D. 315, Sh. 5, Ln. 63.
  3. [S1232] 1920 U.S. Federal Census , Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T625_2006; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 318; line 63, dwl 36-103-105.
  4. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin; Roll: 2599; Enumeration District: 371; Page 86, Sheet: 1A; line 28, dwl 36-5-5.
  5. [S1479] 1940 U.S. Federal Census , Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T627_4558; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 72-400.

Laura DeKay Richardson1

F, #15147, b. 2 October 1900, d. 9 April 2003

Family: Amory Houghton Sr b. 27 Jul 1899, d. 21 Feb 1981

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthOct 2, 1900Providence, Providence Co., RI, USA, age 29 in 1930 census; age 39 in 1940 census; age 99 in 19992,3,4
MarriageOct 19, 1921Providence, Providence Co., RI, USA, age 22 and 21; Preziosi: 21 Oct 19211,5,6,7,8
1930 Census1930Corning, Steuben Co., NY, USA, age 30, rental $150; president, glass factory; and 3 servants3
1940 Census1940Corning, Steuben Co., NY, USA, age 40, glass industry manufacturer; and a cook and child's nurse9
1950 US Census1950Corning, NY, USA, age 50, glass mfg, chairman of glass mfg co.
Education1961Geneva, NY, USA, honorary doctorate, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Addressbetween 1984 and 199212 South Rd., Corning, Steuben Co., NY, USA10,11
Note1992social register
DeathApr 9, 2003Corning, Stueben Co., NY, USA, at home, age 10212,4
BurialApr 16, 2003Hope Annex Cemetery, Corning, Steuben Co., NY, USA4
Obituary2003Laura Richardson Houghton, 102, died quietly April 9 at her home in Corning, New York. Wife of Amory Houghton, former Chairman of Corning Glass Works and American Ambassador to France under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mrs. Houghton was born in Providence, R.I. A graduate of Milton Academy in Milton, MA, she moved to Corning with her husband in 1921. Their marriage lasted six months shy of sixty years.

In the late 1950’s, The Herald Tribune bestowed the name “L’Ambassadrice Souriante” (the Smiling Ambassadress) to Mrs. Houghton. The paper also referred to her as “the undisputed First Lady of the Diplomatic Corps and of the American Colony in Paris.”

“I would say she was the most gracious woman I ever knew,” said Thomas Buechner, former Director of the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Corning Museum of Glass.

She served on the Boards of national institutions such as the Girl Scouts of America, Project Hope, and Hobart and William Smith College; and numerous local charities. She received two Honorary Degrees. Once asked to become President of the Girl Scouts of America, she declined citing the need to be near her family. Several years later, she accepted the Vice-Chairmanship.

“She possessed deep personal beliefs which brooked no shoddy behavior,” said her son, Congressman Amory Houghton, Jr. (R-NY). “She had the endearing capacity for laughter -- in happy times, contagious; in times of stress, lightening the load.”

“When someone of her stature passes away, we have to say a generation is going,” said Thomas P. Dimitroff, a noted Corning historian. “She was a lady in the best sense of the word.”

Mrs. Houghton is survived by four children: Elizabeth H. Weinberg, Congressman Amory Houghton, Jr., James R. Houghton, Chairman and CEO of Corning Inc., and the Reverend Alanson R. Houghton II, 18 grandchildren, and 32 great grandchildren. She was predeceased by daughter, Laura H. Beer, on September 22, 2000.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 16 at 10 AM at Christ Episcopal Church in Corning, NY.

In Lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in memory of Mrs. Houghton to: Girl Scouts—Seven Lakes Council, Inc., 300 Route 318, Phelps, NY 14532-9315.4
ParentsDJames Richardson of Providence RI and Elizabeth DeKay parents born in WI
ResearchBiography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 28: September, 2002-August, 2003. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 2003. (BioIn 28)12

Citations

  1. [S17] Who's Who, 1958, p. 1338.
  2. [S415] E-mail from Amory Houghton III, Apr. 1999.
  3. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Corning, Steuben Co., New York; Roll: 1648; Enumeration District: 26; sheet 3B; line 57; dwl 64-69.
  4. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://www.phillipsfuneralhome.com/ecom/sp/;cat=obituaries;obit=03-142-C.
  5. [S146] Downs, Who's Who in New York, p. 602.
  6. [S935] Who's Who, 1958, p. 1560.
  7. [S1304] Davis Dyer and Daniel Gross,, The Generations of Corning: The Life and Times of a Global Corporation, p. 116.
  8. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , Hadley/ Houghton/ Olmsted Family Tree (Owner: Jane Preziosi; JPrez123): http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/person.aspx
  9. [S1479] 1940 U.S. Federal Census , Corning, Steuben, New York; Roll: T627_2781; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 51-31; line 50, dwl 220.
  10. [S506] Unknown agency, Social Register, XCIX [1985]: 443.
  11. [S506] Unknown agency, Social Register, CVII [1993]: 376.
  12. [S882] Ancestry.Com, online www.ancestry.com, Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI): Houghton Surname.

Elizabeth Houghton1,2

F, #15148, b. 13 October 1922

Family 1: James Benny McCord Jr

Family 2: Sidney James Weinberg Jr b. 27 Mar 1923, d. 4 Oct 2010

  • Engagement*: Elizabeth Houghton and Sidney James Weinberg Jr were engaged on May 17, 1951; MRS. M'CORD AFFIANCED; Former Elizabeth Houghton to Be Bride of S.J. Weinberg Jr.
    Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. May 17, 1951, Thursday.
  • Marriage*: Elizabeth Houghton married Sidney James Weinberg Jr on Jun 30, 1951.2

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthOct 13, 1922Corning, Steuben Co., NY, USA, age 7 in 1930 census; age 17 in 1940 census3,4,5
EducationMiss Niepp's School in Lusanne, Switzerland and Foxcroft School in Middleburg VA
MarriageNov 13, 19436,7
EngagementMay 17, 1951MRS. M'CORD AFFIANCED; Former Elizabeth Houghton to Be Bride of S.J. Weinberg Jr.
Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. May 17, 1951, Thursday
MarriageJun 30, 19512
Residence1981Greenwich, CT, USA
Living2016Marion, MA, USA8

Citations

  1. [S17] Who's Who, 1958, p. 1338.
  2. [S146] Downs, Who's Who in New York, p. 602.
  3. [S415] E-mail from Amory Houghton III, April 20, 1999.
  4. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Corning, Steuben Co., New York; Roll: 1648; Enumeration District: 26; sheet 3B; line 57; dwl 64-69.
  5. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , Hadley/ Houghton/ Olmsted Family Tree (Owner: Jane Preziosi; JPrez123):http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/person.aspx
  6. [S95] Newspaper, New York Times, 1951.
  7. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , Hadley/ Houghton/ Olmsted Family Tree (Owner: Jane Preziosi;http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/person.aspx
  8. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://www.phillipsfuneralhome.com/ecom/sp/;cat=obituaries;obit=03-142-C.
  9. [S95] Newspaper, New York Times Archives: 1971.
  10. [S95] Newspaper, NY Times Archives: Houghton.

Hon. Amory Houghton Jr.1,2,3,4

M, #15149, b. 7 August 1926, d. March 2020

Family 1: Ruth Frances West b. 1 Dec 1928

Family 2: Priscilla Badger Blackett b. c 1925, d. 6 Jul 2012

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
NotableY
BirthAug 7, 1926Corning, Steuben Co., NY, USA, age 4 in 1930 census; age 13 in 1940 census2,5,6
Educationbetween 1941 and 1945St. Paul's School, Concord, Merrimack Co., NH, USA6
Milit-Begbetween 1944 and 1946U.S. Marines. He served in the security detachment in the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Macon.

War or Conflict:
World War II, 1939-1946
Status:
Veteran
Dates of Service:
1944-1946
Entrance into Service:
Enlisted
Branch of Service:
Marine Corps
Unit of Service:
USS Macon
Location of Service:
Caribbean; Guantanamo Bay
Highest Rank:
Private First Class2
Graduation1950Harvard College, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, B.A.2,3,7,6
MarriageJun 27, 1950St. James, NY, USA2,8,6
AssociationUniversity Club in New York; Manufacturers Club
Occupationbetween 1964 and 1983Corning, chairman of the board
Address197033 E 3 St., New York, New York Co., NY, USA9
Note1977Forbes.com
The Trials Of Amory Houghton Jr.
09.01.77

Corning Glass Works Chairman Amory Houghton Jr. deserved to be fired. Houghton says so himself: "I really should have been." In the 1974-75 recession, he concedes, Corning's earnings dropped so fast that--again in his words--"the integrity of the company was in danger." From $4 a share in 1973, the parent company's earnings collapsed to $1.76 in 1975; even cyclical growth companies simply were not supposed to behave this way. "It was a bad scene," he says.

Of course, "Amo" Houghton was not fired. The fifth generation of his family to head this Corning, N.Y.-based billion-dollar (sales) maker of sophisticated glass products, he was treated more gently by his board than any hired hand would have been. He and his family and their trusts, after all, still own 16% of the stock. Houghton got the chance to remain on and to clean up the mess he had allowed to develop.

During three frantic months late in 1975, Houghton changed Corning's management style from paternalistic to survival-of-the-fittest. When he was finished, Corning was down to 29,000 employees from its peak of 46,000 worldwide. Among those departing were 1,200 managers; three vice presidents were demoted. A major business, Signetics, was gone. A total of five plants were closed or sold and thousands of products--such main lines as domestic black-and-white TV bulbs, finished Christmas ornaments, and acid waste drain lines--were eliminated. International operations was folded as a separate division. Even Steuben Glass, a commendable family hobby, was squeezed marginally into the black.

Why weren't the cuts made earlier? Why had Corning been allowed to get so overweight? In his own defense, Houghton says: "It was tough making these cuts, particularly when you lived in a small town where you knew a lot of these people." He admits that a generation of prosperity had made the company complacent, and reminds listeners that it's easier to make hard decisions when the pressure is on than when it isn't. Houghton didn't act soon enough, but it's not difficult to understand why he held off, hoping that the economy would pull him through. Where is the businessman who hasn't from time to time put off making these tough choices when things were going relatively well?

Slimmed down, Corning snapped back with a vengeance in the 1976 economic recovery, and parent company profits per share climbed to a record $4.74; this year they could top $5.40 a share, not counting one dollar or so from its investment in Owens-Corning Fiberglas. But as far as the stock market was concerned, the damage was done: Corning recently sold for $65 a share, about ten times estimated total 1977 earnings, vs. as high as 48 times total earnings in the early Seventies.

"Corning used to be a religion for investors," says Otis Bradley, director of research at Hornblower, Weeks, Noyes & Trask, "but judged by their record, when earnings briefly looked out of control, something has changed; Corning is no Procter & Gamble." Another analyst adds: "Corning's relative growth, peak to peak, is not impressive."

And yet, in many ways Corning is a much better company than it was in the mid-Sixties when it was held in such awe by Wall Street. It could well be on the threshold of its greatest growth yet. The key is something called low-loss optical fiber. Pound for pound stronger than steel, lighter than cotton, thin as a human hair, flexible as silk, transparent as air, these fibers, drawn from glass, may revolutionize communications. As a conductor of light beams, a given volume of the fibers can carry many times as many impulses as a similar volume of copper wire, and may eventually obsolete the latter in telephone communications--as well as in computers, aircraft and for many military purposes.

The market could eventually be over a billion dollars annually. What is perhaps even more important, Corning, slimmed and toughened, is now in position to exploit its technical advantages. Pre-1974-75, Corning was a decidedly unbalanced company, looking profitable indeed but highly vulnerable. Corning made huge profits because it dominated the business of making the glass envelopes that house TV picture tubes, first for black and white, later for color. Explains Houghton: "In 1966 we had 125% of the domestic market. The extra 25% was due to the high breakage of our glass bulbs by the set manufacturers. We got half our sales and three-fourths of our profits from this single product line."

Houghton's biggest mistake was his failure to realize how very vulnerable this near-monopoly had made the company. "You look at a big profit base like that and you expect maybe it will level off and mature, but you don't expect to lose it altogether." Yet at one point in 1975, new orders on TV picture tubes were down to zero as the recession was compounded by the Japanese blitz of the U.S. TV market. (Japanese producers buy their tubes from Japanese companies.)

This was not the only blow this proud old company suffered. In his haste to make Corning powerful overseas, and not merely an investor, Houghton had picked up control of Sovirel in France and what became Corning Ltd. in the United Kingdom. In the economic crisis that followed the quadrupling of the price of oil, the British unit sank deeply into the red while the French operation was only marginally profitable.

The worst mess was in Signetics. As a maker of integrated circuits--a business Corning did not understand--its products were sometimes obsolete before they were ever manufactured. In 5 1/2 years, Corning lost $9.5 million pretax. Not only was money lost, but so was valuable executive time. Houghton takes full responsibility for Signetics. Speaking of his vice chairman, William Armistead, Houghton says: "One of the nicest things about Bill is he never mentions Signetics to me these days." Armistead, then dirrector of research, had advised against the Signetics venture. This glass specialist had no research, manufacturing, or marketing expertise in integrated circuits, and so, no base for competing with those who did. But Houghton overruled him.

By the early part of 1975, says Houghton: "I was damned worried because I could see no sign of a bottom." To his credit, Houghton didn't just sit there and pray for recovery. He took decisive and effective action.

In June 1975 Houghton turned around and sold Signetics to U.S. Philips Trust--an affiliate of N.V. Philips--for $28 million.

"In 1975--I mean I was living through a textbook case," says he. "We shrank. We consolidated. We did more than cut payroll; we changed attitudes. Our managers got a perspective on what goes to the bottom line in a way they never had before."

Houghton cites a specific case that shows what he means. Because Corning couldn't get the costs low enough, it couldn't persuade any range manufacturer to incorporate its smoothtop cooking surface into their products. So Corning went out and started making its own ranges. Unfortunately, its high-priced stoves achieved only marginally profitable volume.

In his massive cutbacks, Houghton sold the range operation to Raytheon's Amana division, which is doing fairly well with the line and is now a good customer for Corning. Says Houghton: "Now when you do something like that, you take a helluva lot of people out of the process--125 in this case. You don't have them fabricating and putting in the wiring and packaging and supporting the thing out in the field.

"The missing people are what you notice. What you don't see is the uplifting of the profitability of the things that remain. What remained wouldn't be getting the emphasis if the problems had been retained."

While consolidating international operations with domestic, Houghton changed the kind of executive Corning sent overseas. Before, he says, he and his brother James, who heads international, looked for people fluent in foreign languages, with social graces and who were sometimes less ambitious and hard driving than their domestic counterparts--diplomatic types.

Now he's sending the most hard-driving, bottom-line-oriented SOBs he can find. To turn around Britain, still in the red, trouble-shooter Oakes Ames, ex-Corning controller, among other things, is on the spot. To spruce up all of Europe, super-sales manager Richard Dulude has also gone over.

Drawing on a yellow pad with purple ink, Houghton compares in detail the Corning of 1967-68 with the Corning of 1977-78. The old Corning was TV, scientific glass, Corning Ware and glass for light bulbs. The present Corning is much broader, thanks in good part to its highly respected $50-million-a-year research effort. TV is now a problem area: It will contribute about 10% of 1977's record profits. But now that the Japanese have been arm-twisted into cutting back TV exports to the U.S., profits in that area should improve. Complains Houghton: "The Japanese were just going crazy."

Among Corning's new profit makers, photochromic glass has given it a firm position as a supplier of prescription eyeglasses and nonprescription sunglasses. Scientific glass--for beakers, test tubes and flasks--has led Corning into a small but important base in medical products. Its new blood-gas apparatus analyzes the content of various gases in the blood, and can't yet be produced fast enough to keep up with demand. Corning's close relationship with Detroit, growing from its business of making automobile headlamps, has led to sales of ceramics for auto-emission-control devices. Glassification of nuclear wastes also has great potential in a pollution-conscious world.

Meanwhile, Corning is broadening its base in the kitchen. Besides Corning Ware and Cook Top counters, Corelle dinnerware has been a big success. The glass equivalent of plywood, Corelle now has about 20% of the domestic market, gained after eight consecutive record years. New patterns should help assure a ninth. As microwave cooking continues to catch on, Corning expects the use of Corning glass kitchenware to continue growing; glass alone among the various materials available can be used for cooking, storing and serving.

Houghton also likes to stress that Corning has additional strengths in two old but highly successful joint ventures. Dow Corning, with sales of $354 million, is jointly owned with Dow Chemical and specializes in making silicone products--with properties of both plastic and glass--used for such things as sealants for airplanes and automobiles, and greases and oils for extreme temperature changes (and for making Silly Putty). Corning is a 26% owner of Owens-Corning Fiberglas, a $1-billion company it founded many years ago in partnership with Owens-Illinois. Less successful but still profitable is Pittsburgh Corning, a joint venture with PPG Industries, that makes foam glass insulation and architectural glass blocks.

Corning's OCF investment is carried on the books at $2 million; its market value is $265 million--about $15 for each share of Corning. Its 50% interest of Dow Corning, held on the balance sheets at only $100 million, earned $21 million last year--over one-fifth its value on the books.

Taking the OCF investment at market value, Corning stock would have a book value of around $48 a share vs. a published book value of $33. At present prices the market is putting very little on the company's patents, its knowhow, its powerful proprietary positions. Having become disillusioned with the company, the market has failed to notice how much it has changed.

"What we've got now--and didn't have a decade ago," says Houghton, "is a multiplicity of businesses and profit sources. If ophthalmic disappears because people go to contact lenses or if the government says it's no longer necessary to have emission-control devices on cars or if the Japanese take over completely the TV business or a new plastic supplants Corning Ware, the impact of any one of those things is not nearly as serious as the impact of TV bulbs was on the old Corning Glass."

What kept Corning on a kind of treadmill until this year was that as fast as it was gaining volume and profits from new products, it was losing them in TV tubes. Assuming that the bleeding in TV has been stopped, Corning may well have reached a new plateau of profitability; it certainly is unlikely to experience another 1974-75 collapse, even in a recession. Says Houghton: "We've got everything from flood-disaster plans to economic-disaster plans."

Although Amo Houghton is unwilling to promise any miracles, it is clear that his biggest plans involve fiber optics. Of communication by optical wave fibers, he says: "They may do for us in the future what television or lighting did for us in the past."

Will it? Can Corning make one of those great breakthroughs--like IBM in computers, Xerox in copiers, Corning itself in TV tubes? Fiber optics is the stuff of which businessmen's (and scientists') dreams are made.

To explain what Corning has--or may have in fiber optics--FORBES will have to step out of character for several hundred words and do a bit of science reporting. Even if you've forgotten your high school or college physics, please bear with us. Otherwise you won't be able to understand what is at stake.

Like most great breakthroughs, fiber optics rest on a simple enough idea. A city's sewage system depends on water flowing through iron pipes; its power system depends on electrons flowing through copper pipes (which we call wire). Such copper pipe now connects telephones, cable television, computers and all manner of other information processing gear. That works well enough but it is costly. And it is space-consuming. It limits the amount of communication.

The most common method is plain old copper wire packed in cables. Effective? Sure. But it takes hundreds of thousands of pounds of the stuff to hold together even a small city--most of it laboriously buried beneath the streets.

So why bother with wire if you don't have to? Most widely used today for long-distance communications is the air itself. Instead of jamming electrons through wire, generators convert them to microwave signals and fling these along the surface of the earth, between a system of relays spaced about 20 or 30 miles apart. The odd-shaped boxes on down-town buildings that remind you of air-raid sirens are the antennas. In the late 1960s microwave replaced copper wire as the mainstay of long-distance phone traffic: more volume at lower cost.

Still more volume may be available from microwaves in the third and newest trick: satellite transmission. Microwaves are broadcast from, say, New York, to a satellite orbiting over Omaha, then bounced to Los Angeles. None of those vulnerable relays high atop the Rockies, and suddenly no more need for laying cable on the ocean floor.

Now imagine the light pipe. Like the copper cable, it would be buried in the ground--but a strand the diameter of a human hair could carry thousands of times more information than the copper wire. Economies of scale? It's as though General Motors had suddenly found a way to fit 7 million automobiles in a single box-car. Or, to get back to our earlier metaphor, as if you could compress the entire city's sewage through a single ordinary water pipe.

Here, then, is the immediate promise of fiber optics. Its very long-distance applications are years, perhaps decades off. Microwave is the cheapest--for now. But in the bowels of a particular metropolitan area--where conduits are already becoming choked with thick copper wire--the human-hair-sized glass has almost immediate prospects. Not only is it less bulky and faster than copper; it generates virtually none of the electromagnetic interference that can make a copper wire behave like an antenna instead of a pipe (and create that annoying "cross-talk" often heard on phones).

Likewise, there are great prospects in computers, where light pipes can transmit much more information than copper and without the interference; in instrumentation of all sorts; and in army field cables and navy shore communications. More distant applications: picture telephones, home shopping and airplane avionics. In short, almost anywhere copper wire is used in close quarters or for fine quality--there is a promising opportunity for the light pipe.

The idea of a light pipe is a fairly old one. John Tyndall, an English experimenter, demonstrated one before Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. He put a barrel of water in a dark room, a light at the top of it, and punched a hole in the barrel's side. Streaming out of the puncture, in a curved path with the water, came the light.

But Bell built his telephone to work with copper wire for two reasons: He didn't know how to build a pipe that would hold light; and even if he did, he knew of no efficient way to get the light into the pipe.

The second problem--getting the light in there--was solved by the invention and refinement of the lightemitting diode and the laser in the past 20 years. Getting an incandescent bulb to shine any distance in a glass pipe is like trying to pour water into the wrong end of a funnel--you lose so much, it isn't worth it. But the laser and the light-emitting diode produced wonderfully disciplined light--meaning, it would go where and how you wanted it to. The funnel was reversed.

There are many older optical fibers, but low-light-loss ones are vital for telephone cable. Here Corning has a clear lead. "We proved," Amo Houghton says proudly, "what a lot of people thought was impossible. That we could make the quality of glass fiber necessary to transmit long-distance signals. We have virtually all of the patents as far as the critical materials are concerned."

What about potential competition? Replies Houghton: "There are 12 basic patents in the field and we have all 12 versus none in integrated circuits [referring to the Signetics disaster]. It's our turf with our patents."

In the telephone markets, Houghton plans to sell the fiber to the existing cable makers--Western Electric (American Telephone & Telegraph's manufacturing subsidiary), and General Cable (General Telephone & Electronics' chief supplier).

In the nontelephone market--where cable will be used in such things as aircraft, computers and defense--Houghton is considering a joint venture--a la Dow Corning--with a cable company. "Joint ventures work well for us," he says. "We put in our technology and other people put in their downstream capabilities, marketing savvy. Things we don't have."

Abroad Corning has been busy doing joint development work with foreign cable makers. In Japan the government is using its fibers in experimentally wiring an entire Japanese town, Nara. In Britain, Corning has been supplying optical fiber to BICC--an archrival of an International Telephone & Telegraph subsidiary. In Germany it has a joint venture with Siemens. Corning would like to manufacture fiber to sell to ITT and has quoted ITT prices several times. Says Corning's Dr. David Duke, general manager of telecommunication products, "They listened, and, in effect, replied, 'See you in court.'"

ITT has gone right ahead and made its own fiber optics cable. In England, it has installed a test system in cooperation with the British Post, Telephone & Telegraph. At home its military unit has used fiber optics in some sales to the U.S. government. In Duke's opinion ITT simply ignored Corning's patents, and Corning is suing ITT for patent infringement and the U.S. government for damages stemming from that infringement.

In its turn ITT is doing some suing, arguing that Corning cross-licensed AT&T because it wants to sell to Western Electric. ITT argues the arrangement is monopolistic and should be destroyed. If ITT wins, Corning will be faced with instant competition from a knowledgeable well-financed tough competitor.

Two professors from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. pose a second threat to Corning's potential dominance of the business. The professors, Theodore A. Litovitz and Pedro B. Macedo, claim to have developed a new process for making the fiber, which does not infringe on any Corning patent, at one-tenth Corning's costs. Claims Litovitz, "If our process really comes up with the specifications we hope, then there will be a real chance for a price battle, and Corning's profits in fiber optics could suffer severely. Ours is the only alternative process at the moment."

While the professors have made quite a stir in the press, Corning points out that the fiber produced by the professors has not come up to the quality of the existing Corning fiber--inferior in the important broad band qualities needed for carrying the varied communications of the future. Meanwhile Corning is currently working to obsolete its own current process with an even better one.

While Houghton fully expects Corning to be the dominant company in optic fibers, his recent trials have taught him the key to Corning's future lies more in good management than in wonder products. "The opportunities in so-called mundane areas like this microwave oven business or the opportunity to bring our percentage of the consumer market in Europe up to what it is in this country could be bigger than optical wave guides. You don't think of them in terms of the exciting technological advances, but they're terrific."

Amo Houghton had a rare second chance--the chance to correct his own mistakes. He's a thoughtful man of 51 with a more than routine feeling of responsibility for the onetime family firm that was founded by his great-great grandfather in Somerville, Mass. 126 years ago. Of the rough period Corning has just been through he says: "One thing I've learned about planning is that you can talk about the long term all you want but you also have to produce good short-term results."

And he says it again, more bluntly: "If you don't make a buck today, you're not going to make it tomorrow." Meaning, of course, that fiber optics may very well pan out for Corning, but he's not going to count on it to keep Corning profitable and growing. That's well and good, but the future is going to judge Amo Houghton by how well he exploits Corning's present advantage in fiber optics. If he muffs the opportunity, Corning will remain a profitable company. But it will no longer be a great company.




Address198633 E. Third St., Corning, Steuben Co., NY, USA3,10,8
Officebetween Nov 4, 1986 and 2005U.S. House of Representatives, New York, 31st District, Republican; 100th to 109th Congress;
Committee Membership:
Committee on International Relations-14
Subcommittee on Africa-2
Committee on Ways and Means-5
Subcommittee on Oversight-Chair
Subcommittee on Trade-3
Divorce198811
Marriagecirca 19887,11
ResidenceWashington, DC, USA, for 18 years
Address19933512 P. St. NW, Washington, DC, USA7
NotableAmory Houghton Jr (1926-) was president of Corning, Inc., and a member of the US House of Representatives, 1987-2005.
ObituaryMar, 2020Obituary of Amory Houghton, Jr.



Amory Houghton, Jr. who led Corning Glass Works for nearly twenty years and later served nine terms as a member of Congress, died peacefully of natural causes on March ­­­4, 2020 at his home in Corning, NY. He was 93.



He is the only former Chief Executive of a Fortune 500 Company ever elected to the US House of Representatives.



Mr. Houghton, better known as “Amo”, attended St Paul’s School in Concord, NH, Harvard College and the Harvard Business School. He was a PFC in the US Marine Corps during the final year of WWII.



He joined Corning in 1952 as a Junior Process Engineer, became President in 1961 and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1964. During his tenure, sales and income increased more than five fold and employment grew to over 29,000 worldwide. Passionately committed to research and development, he shepherded such innovations as Corning Ware, Corelle Dinnerware, automotive catalytic converters, specialized flat glass used now on smart phones and panels, and optical fiber – which revolutionized the telecommunications industry and ushered in the creation of the Internet.



He was a member of the Board of Directors of BF Goodrich, Citibank, Genentech, IBM, Owens Corning, New York Telephone and The Procter and Gamble Company. He was a member of The Business Council and co-founded the Labor/Industry Coalition for International Trade. He served as President of the Board of Trustees at St Paul’s School and The Episcopal Theological Seminary and was a two time Overseer of Harvard University. He served as a Trustee of the Brookings Institute and the Corning Museum of Glass. He stepped down as CEO of Corning in 1983 and was elected to Congress three years later.



During his eighteen-year career in Washington, he served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Budget and Ways and Means. A natural consensus builder, he never pretended to be someone he wasn’t and used his patient salesmanship to defuse partisan disagreements in order to tackle problems the only way that made sense to him - cooperatively. He was uniquely popular among members of both parties for his self-deprecating sense of humor and relentless work ethic. His concern about the erosion of civility in government led him to organize numerous retreats for members from both sides of the aisle – and their families – so that they could get to know each other on a human level, beyond the inflexibility of what politics has become.



He was a co-founder and Chairman of The Republican Main Street Partnership, an organization dedicated to supporting members of his party who spoke with a more moderate voice. Together with his great friend and congressional classmate, John L. Lewis, he served as Co-Chairman of the Faith and Politics Institute.



Amo was part of a small handful of Republicans who opposed the impeachment of President Clinton and were in opposition to the authorization of force in Iraq. Those votes elicited considerable anger in some circles and wide support in others.



He was a passionate supporter of the United Nations and the principal force behind Nelson Mandela, a personal hero, being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1998. When he retired from politics in 2004, his achievements were recognized by his many colleagues as well as the nation of France, who bestowed on him its highest civilian honor: La Legion D’Honneur in recognition of his efforts to improve relations between the two countries.



Mr. Houghton was born on August 7th, 1926 to a family of businessmen and public servants. His great, great grandfather founded the predecessor company of Corning Incorporated in Somerville, MA in 1851. In 1868, the company relocated to its present location in upstate New York. His grandfather, Alanson, ran his family’s business and then served two terms in the US House before being appointed in the mid 1920s to be the US Ambassador to Germany and then later to The Court of St. James in London. His father, Amory Sr., also a successful businessman, was the US Ambassador to France under President Eisenhower.



Amo was extraordinarily devoted to his family, and was most at ease in the place he called home his entire life: Corning, NY. He was an iconic, larger than life presence there - enormously proud of his association with the city and the company who adopted its name. He was a member and past President of the Corning Rotary Club and played the drums in a local swing band.



He will likely be best remembered there for his leadership during the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes. The resulting flood that swept through the city in the dead of night on June 23rd, 1972 caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, killing 22 people. Because of the destruction of so many manufacturing facilities there, speculation was rampant that the company would abandon the area. In a stirring speech over the emergency airwaves, Houghton pledged that the company would stay and rebuild even better than before. He delivered on that promise and Corning never forgot.



Amo Houghton was a man of fierce determination, driven to be courageous and compassionate so that he would live up to the standards his family had set for generations. He believed he had a personal obligation to serve. And while naturally an extrovert who could effortlessly connect with anyone – from an hourly worker to a Head of State – he was above all a man of grace, unfailingly polite and generous, always checking in on a friend or neighbor during their time of need.



A man of deep religious conviction, Amo’s favorite prayer summed up a remarkable life:

Grant, Oh Lord, that in all the joys of life, we may never forget to be kind. Help us to be unselfish in friendship, thoughtful of those less happy than ourselves and eager to bear the burden of others. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.



He is survived by his brother Jamie of Boston MA; his children: Amory III of South Salem, NY; Robert of Acton, MA; Sarah of Fairfield, CT; Quincy of New York, NY; nine grandchildren and one great grandson. In 1950, he married the former Ruth West of New York, NY. In 1989, he was remarried to Priscilla Dewey of Cohasset, MA, who predeceased him in 2012.
DeathMar, 2020New York, NY, USA
BiographyWho's Who: "Glass Manufacturer...Corning Glass Works, accountnt's asst., Central Falls, R.I. plant; process engr., Corning, N.Y., plants; production frmn., Corning, N.Y. plant; sales engr; mgr., sales dept; mgr. components dept; v.p., stff divs; dir. Corning Glass Wks., 1955; v.p., 1957-61, pres. 1961-64, chmn., chief exec. officer, 1964-1983. v.p., dir., Corning Glass Wks. of Can., Ltd; v.p., dir., 719 Fifth Ave. Corp; dir., Dow Corning Corp., Pittsburgh Corning Corp., Sylvania-Corning Nuclear Corp., IBM Corp., First National Bank, Empire State C. of C., The B. F. Goodrich Co. Mem. bd. Nat. Indsl. Conf. Bd., Bus. Council; trustee Corning Glass Works Found., Corning Mus. Glass, St. Paul's School, Concord NH; bd. overseers Harvard. 1945-46, U.S. Marine Corps. Tr. Episc. Theol. Sch., Cambridge, Mass., dir., pres. Corning C. of C; dir., Corrning Country Club, Route 17 Assn., United Cerebral Palsy Assn., Steuben Co., N.Y; mem. indus., Natl. Council on Alcoholism. Clubs; Corning Rotary, Corning Jr. C. of C., Harvard, Harvard Bus. Sch. (Rochester, N.Y.), Harvard and Univ. (N.Y.C.), Kittansett (Marion, Mass.), Elmira, N.Y. Country. Res.: 33 E. Third St., Corning, N.Y. Address: Corning Glass Works, Corning, N.Y."
v.p. 1957-1961, pres., mem. exec. com., 1961--; dir. Dow Corning Corp., Corhart Refractories Co., Corning Fibre Box Co., N.Y. Telephone Co., mem. trust adv. bd. First Nat. City Bank. Member of Board National Industrial Conference Board., Trustee Corning Glass Works Found., Corning Mus. Glass, Nat. Secutiry Indsl. Assn. , Episcopal Theol. Sch.


He turned the family's Corning, Inc. over to his brother James Houghton in 1983 to become a New York Republican congressman. On July 12, 1993, he purchased between $250,000 and $500,000 dollars worth of stock in Corning Glass.

He is the fifth-ranking Republican on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, chairs its Oversight Subcommittee and is a member of the Trade Subcommittee. He is also a member of the International Relations Committee and Vice-Chairman of its Subcommittee on Africa.
Politically, Houghton has built a reputation as a results-oriented Congressman who espouses moderate social programs and conservative fiscal policy. He has emerged as a leader of a core of moderate Republicans who have brokered key legislative successes. His bill to regulate secretive "stealth PACs" has been described as the most meaningful campaign finance reform since Watergate. In 1998, the citizens´ group Common Cause named Houghton to its prestigious Public Integrity Honor Roll, citing his leadership in campaign finance reform. He was the founding co-chair, with Democratic Rep. Tim Roemer of Indiana, of the House Centrist Coalition.
"Biography of Rep. Amo Houghton on his website

Hartwick College Announces Commencement Speaker
February 18, 2005 : - Amo Houghton, former chairman and CEO of Corning, Inc., served nine consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from the State of New York

     Amory (Amo) Houghton, former chairman and CEO of Corning, Inc. who served nine consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from the State of New York before his retirement in 2004, will deliver the address at Hartwick's commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 28, 2005. The event will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Elmore Field adjacent to the Binder Physical Education Center on the Hartwick campus.
A Republican, Houghton had served in the House since 1987, representing New York's 29th Congressional District, which covers parts of eight counties in the Southern Tier as well as the southern suburbs of the city of Rochester. He announced in April 2004 that he was retiring and would not seek a tenth term in the November 2004 election.

Houghton's great-great-grandfather founded what is now Corning, Inc. (formerly Corning Glass Works) in 1851. Amo Houghton joined Corning in 1952, after graduating from Harvard University and serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. He became chairman and CEO in 1964 and stepped down to run for Congress in 1986. He was the only CEO of a Fortune 500 company to serve in the House. Corning, which supplied Thomas Edison with the housing for his first light bulb, is a world leader in glass and ceramics technology.

Houghton was the fifth-ranking Republican on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, chaired its Oversight Committee, and was a member of the Trade Subcommittee. He also was a member of the International Relations Committee and vice chairman of its subcommittee on Africa. In addition, Houghton was appointed co-chairman of the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group, chaired the U.S. delegation to the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum, and was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the Congressional Delegate to the 58th General Assembly of the United Nations.

Congressman Houghton's legislative accomplishments include enactment of several laws. The Liberty Zone Act provided $5 billion in tax breaks and incentives to help New Yorkers in lower Manhattan rebuild following the 9/11 terrorist attack. The Clean Diamond Trade Act puts limits on the trade in diamonds imported from Africa. He also led measures to reform the campaign finance system, sponsored several proposals to simplify the tax code, and introduced the bill that awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to then South African President Nelson Mandela.

Houghton initiated the John Quincy Adams Society, an issues forum which brings together moderate officeholders with business leaders, and he is a founding member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, which seeks to strengthen the political center. In addition, Houghton is co-chairman of the Washington-based Faith and Politics Institute. The Almanac of American Politics said of Houghton, "He may well be more what the Founding Fathers had in mind . . . as the ideal Congressman."

Before entering Congress, Houghton served on the boards of such major corporations as Procter & Gamble, IBM, Citicorp, New York Telephone, B.F. Goodrich, and Genentech. He is a former trustee of the Brookings Institution, a former member of the Harvard Board of Overseers, and a past director of the Episcopal Theological Seminary. He has been awarded 14 honorary degrees. He is the recipient of numerous awards and citations, including the Electronic Industries Alliance Medal of Honor, which cited Houghton as the “father of fiber optics” for his support of research at Corning which resulted in creating this revolutionary communications material.

Houghton's father served as Ambassador to France from 1957 to 1961 following his career at the Corning Glass Works. His grandfather, Alanson B. Houghton, was Ambassador to Germany and Ambassador to the Court of St. James (Great Britain) after serving two terms in the House of Representatives, 1918-22.
Date: Friday, May 31, 1996
Rep. Amo Houghton
New York, 31st District

Amo Houghton, 72, has served since 1987 as the Representative of New York's 31st Congressional District, which covers parts of 10 counties from Lake Erie, along the Pennsylvania border to the Finger Lakes. The district's major cities include James
town, Olean, Corning, Elmira, suburban Ithaca and Auburn.

He is the sixth-ranking Republican on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, chairs its Oversight Subcommittee and is a member of the Trade Subcommittee. He is also a member of the International Relations Committee and Vice-Chairman of its Subcommittee on Africa. The posts reflect his longstanding interest and legislative leadership in those fields.

Politically, Houghton has built a reputation as a results-oriented Congressman who espouses moderate social programs and conservative fiscal policy. He has emerged as a leader of a core of moderate Republicans who have brokered key legislative successes. He was a founder of the historic Bipartisan Congressional Retreat, which drew nearly 200 Members of Congress and their families to Hershey, Pa. in March 1997. The retreat, the largest gathering of Congress outside Washington, focused on the role of civility in political life.

Houghton "favors results over posturing," said a Washington Post profile. "For several years he has been trying to promote civility among his colleagues on the theory that members could do a better job if they cooperated instead of pulling
ties or otherwise going for the throat."

He is the founder of the John Quincy Adams Society, an issues forum which brings together moderate officeholders with top business leaders. He is also an active member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, which seeks to strengthen the politi
cal center. In 1998, the citizens' group Common Cause named Houghton to its prestigious Public Integrity Honor Roll, citing his leadership in campaign finance reform.

The only former CEO of a Fortune 500 firm to serve in the House, Houghton joined Corning Glass Works (now Corning, Incorporated) in 1951, after serving as a PFC in the Marine Corps in 1945 and 1946. A graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Bus iness School, he began as an accountant at Corning and retired in 1986 after serving as president, board chairman and chief executive officer.

Corning Inc., founded by the Houghton family in 1851, is a world leader in glass and ceramics technology including fiber optics and photonic components. The firm supplied Thomas Edison with the housing for his first light bulb, and built windshields for NASA's space shuttle fleet.

Almanac of American Politics says of Houghton: " ... he may well be more what the Founding Fathers had in mind ... " as the ideal Congressman. A columnist in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described him as "one of the most thoughtfu
l people on the Hill."

Before entering Congress, Houghton served on the boards of several major companies, including Procter & Gamble, IBM, Citibank, NY Telephone, B.F. Goodrich and Genentech. Appointed by President Reagan to the Grace Commission in 1982, he served as the panel's vice-chairman. He is a former trustee of St. Paul's School, the Brookings Institution, a former member of the Harvard Board of Overseers and a past director of the Episcopal Theological Seminary. He holds 13 honorary degrees.

Houghton's father Amory served as Ambassador to France from 1957 to 1961. His grandfather Alanson B. Houghton was Ambassador to Germany and Ambassador to Great Britain after serving two terms in the House of Representatives.

Houghton is married to the former Priscilla B. Dewey."


HOUGHTON, Amory, Jr., (grandson of Alanson Bigelow Houghton), a Representative from New York; born in Corning, Steuben County, N.Y., August 7, 1926; graduated from St. Paul’s School, Concord, N.H; B.A., Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., 1950; M.B.A., Harvard Business School, Cambridge, Mass., 1952; United States Marine Corps, 1945-1946; elected as a Republican to the One Hundredth and to the seven succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1987-January 3, 2003).


Amo Houghton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amory "Amo" Houghton Jr. (b. August 7, 1926) is a politician from the state of New York and member of the Houghton family.
Houghton was born in Corning, New York and he graduated from Harvard University. Houghton was a business executive, an heir to the Corning Glass fortune.
In 1986, Houghton was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican. He was the richest member of the House, with a wealth of $475 million. Houghton has a moderate voting record and he unsuccessfully sought out a Republican to challenge Tom DeLay for the spot of majority leader. He was one of only four Republicans to vote against all the impeachment articles against President Clinton. In 2001, Houghton was one of only three Republicans to vote against permanently repealing the estate tax. He also voted with the Democratic Party on issues of environmental protection, civil rights, human cloning, and funding for the arts and education. In 2002, he was among the extreme minority of Republicans to vote against approving the use of military force in Iraq. On April 7, 2004, Houghton announced his intentions not to seek a tenth term in Congress. On January 3, 2005, Houghton's term as a congressman expired.
Houghton throughout his career was Upstate New York's most well known Republican member of Congress, but he clashed frequently with the increasingly Southern, socially conservative orientation of the party. For example, Houghton was one of the most vocal Pro-Choice Republicans in Congress.
Houghton achieved national notoriety a number of times in his career, most recently when he was listed as the only government official to be a member of the men-only, ultra-exclusive golf club, Augusta National. The most common response from the Houghton camp came from his spokesman, Bob Van Wicklin: "No comment."
He was succeeded by John R. "Randy" Kuhl, a former State Senator and Bath lawyer.
Preceded by
Stanley N. Lundine     Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 34th congressional district
1987–1993     Succeeded by
District 34 eliminated after the 1990 Census
Preceded by
Bill Paxon     Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 31st congressional district
1993–2003     Succeeded by
District 31 eliminated after the 2000 Census
Preceded by
John J. LaFalce     Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 29th congressional district
2003–2005     Succeeded by
Randy Kuhl
AKA Amory Houghton, Jr.
Born: 7-Aug-1926
Birthplace: Corning, NY
Gender: Male
Religion: Anglican/Episcopalian
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Politician
Party Affiliation: Republican
Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Congressman from New York, 1987-2005
Military service: USMC (1945-46)
Father: Amory Houghton, Sr.
Wife: Priscilla B. Dewey
High School: St. Paul's School, Concord, NH
University: BA, Harvard University (1950)
University: MBA, Harvard Business School (1952)
Administrator: Trustee, St. Paul's School, Concord, NH
Administrator: Board of Overseers, Harvard University
U.S. Congressman, New York 29th (2003-05)
U.S. Congressman, New York 31st (1993-2003)
U.S. Congressman, New York 34th (1987-93)
American Academy of Arts and Sciences 2002
Augusta National Golf Club
Brookings Institution Trustee
Faith and Politics Institute Chairman Emeritus
It's My Party Too National Advisory Board
The Reform Institute Advisory Board Chairman
Republican Main Street Partnership
Ripon Society
Council on Foreign Relations
Member of the Board of Citicorp
Member of the Board of Goodrich
Member of the Board of Genentech
Member of the Board of IBM
Member of the Board of Procter & Gamble
Official Website:
http://houghton.house.gov/

In 1986, Houghton was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Republican. Houghton reportedly was among the richest members of the House, with a wealth of $475 million, however, most of that amount was related to trusts in which he had no beneficial interest. Houghton had a moderate voting record and was founder of the Republican Main Street Coalition, which he formed to encourage a more moderate stance to public issues. He served on the International Relations and Ways and Means Committees. He was frequently called upon to serve as a broker between Democrat and Republican members on critical issues since he was a champion for improving civility between political parties. He unsuccessfully sought out a Republican to challenge Tom DeLay for the spot of majority leader. He was one of only four Republicans to vote against all the impeachment articles against President Clinton, and in 2001, Houghton was one of only three Republicans to vote against permanently repealing the estate tax. While he voted with Republicans on most issues relating to the budget, he also voted with the Democratic Party on issues of environmental protection, civil rights and funding for the arts and education. On October 10, 2002, he was among the six House Republicans who voted against authorizing the invasion of Iraq. On April 7, 2004, Houghton announced his intentions not to seek a tenth term in Congress. On January 3, 2005, Houghton's term as a congressman expired.

Houghton throughout his career was one of Upstate New York's most well known and respected Republican members of Congress; he was usually re-elected with more than 70% of the vote. He clashed occasionally with the increasingly Southern, socially conservative orientation of the party. For example, Houghton was one of the most vocal pro-choice Republicans in Congress.

He was succeeded by John R. "Randy" Kuhl, a former State Senator and Bath lawyer.2,6,4,12,13,14
ResearchThe International Year Book and Statesmen's Who's Who. 2003
The Almanac of American Politics. 1992, 1996, 1999, 2002
Congressional Directory. 100th-106th
Almanac of American Politics. 1987
Biographical Directory of the US Congress. 1989
International Who's Who. 1974-1991
Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives. 1984, 1987.
Who's Who in America. 1974-2003
Who's Who in American Politics. 1989-2000
Who's Who in the East. 1983-2002
Who's Who in Finance and Industry. 1974-1989

Citations

  1. [S17] Who's Who, 1958, p. 1338.
  2. [S146] Downs, Who's Who in New York, p. 602.
  3. [S219] Unknown compiler, Harvard Alumni Directory, 1975, p. 595.
  4. [S935] Who's Who, 1958, p. 1560.
  5. [S415] E-mail from Amory Houghton III, April 20, 1999.
  6. [S934] Who's Who, 1958, p. 960.
  7. [S506] Unknown agency, Social Register, CVII [1993]: 376.
  8. [S506] Unknown agency, Social Register, XCIX [1985]: 443.
  9. [S506] Unknown agency, Social Register, New York, 1970, Vol. LXXXIV #1, Nov. 1969, p. 406.
  10. [S219] Unknown compiler, Harvard Alumni Directory, 1975, 1986, p. 569.
  11. [S415] E-mail from Amory Houghton III, Apr. 1999.
  12. [S936] Who's Who, 1958, Houghtons.
  13. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amo_Houghton
  14. [S1553] Thomas P Dimitroff, Houghtons of Corning, NY.

Rev. Alanson Bigelow Houghton II1,2

M, #15150, b. 30 August 1930, d. 24 January 2016

Family 1: Lyle Bayless Stewart b. 24 Apr 1932, d. 1 Nov 1998

Family 2: Billie Fisher b. 20 Jan 1932, d. 7 Apr 2013

  • Marriage*: Rev. Alanson Bigelow Houghton II married Billie Fisher on Jun 16, 1979.7

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthAug 30, 1930Corning, Steuben Co., NY, USA, age 9 in 1940 census3
Education1941Arizona Desert School, AZ, USA4
Mil. EnlsUS Marines (not WWII list)
Research
Occupation1953Louisville, KY, USA, Corhart Refractories Company
MarriageApr 18, 1953Louisville, KY, USA5
Graduation1959Harvard University, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, MBA, Bus6
Address1975Church of the Heavenly Rest, Two E. 90th St., New York, New York Co., NY, USA, an Episcopalian minister and rector6
MarriageJun 16, 19797
Author1988Be Not Afraid : Words of Hope and Promise
Living2003Pawleys Island, SC, USA8
Note2005an Episcopalian priest for 40 years; retired as the rector of the Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York.
DeathJan 24, 2016Pawleys Island, SC, USA
ObituaryPawleys Island, SC

The Reverend Alanson Bigelow Houghton died peacefully at his home in Pawleys Island, SC on Sunday, January 24th. He was 85 years old.

Alan was born August 3, 1930 in Corning, NY to the late Amory Houghton Sr. and Laura Richardson Houghton. Alan earned multiple degrees including a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University and a Master of Divinity from General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church.

Alan spent the early part of his career in business where he worked for the Corning Glass Works. He then found his true calling and became an ordained Episcopal priest. He served at a number of different churches including Church of the Epiphany (New York City, NY), Christ Episcopal Church (Shaker Heights, OH), Church of The Heavenly Rest (New York City) and St. Stephens Episcopal Church (Charleston, SC).

Alan felt strongly about public service and giving back to his country. One of his proudest accomplishments was becoming a United States Marine. Alan also had a passion for philanthropy, and he particularly enjoyed starting and supporting charitable programs in the communities in which he lived. Lastly, Alan loved to write. He was a published author who enjoyed writing cards, prayer books and letters to the editor.

Alan was preceded in death by his beloved wife Billie Fisher Carr Houghton, his sister Laura Houghton Beer, and stepsons John Thomas Fisher Carr and Oscar C. Carr III.

He is survived by his siblings Elizabeth Weinberg, Amory Houghton Jr., and James Richardson Houghton; his children Alexander Stewart Houghton, Alanson Bigelow Houghton III, Hope Houghton Newell and John Carter Houghton; his stepchildren Blanche Carr Symons, Scott Carr Adams and E'Lane Carr Tipton; and 19 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at Holy Cross Faith Memorial Episcopal Church in Pawleys Island, SC at 10am EST on Saturday, January 30th.
BurialHoly Cross Cemetery, Pawleys Island, SC, USA
ResearchLyle B. Stewart's betrothal; Is Affianced to Alanson; Houghton 2d of Louisville

NY TIMES.

January 1, 1953, Thursday

Page 21, 119 words

Citations

  1. [S17] Who's Who, 1958, p. 1338.
  2. [S146] Downs, Who's Who in New York, p. 602.
  3. [S415] E-mail from Amory Houghton III, April 20, 1999.
  4. [S1304] Davis Dyer and Daniel Gross,, The Generations of Corning: The Life and Times of a Global Corporation, p. 178.
  5. [S95] Newspaper, New York Times, April 19, 1953.
  6. [S219] Unknown compiler, Harvard Alumni Directory, 1975, p. 595.
  7. [S93] Newspaper Obituary, http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/commercialappeal/…
  8. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://www.phillipsfuneralhome.com/ecom/sp/;cat=obituaries;obit=03-142-C.
  9. [S415] E-mail from Jane Preziosi, May 3, 2009.
  10. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html
  11. [S654] Electronic Web Site, , http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html
  12. [S95] Newspaper, NY Times Archives: January 1, 1953.