Hon. Elmer J. Rathbun, A. B., LL. B., Justice of the Superior Court of the State of Rhode Island, was born in Coventry, R. I., April 16, 1870. He graduated from the East Greenwich Academy in the class of 1892, from Brown University in the class of 1896, and from the Boston University School of Law in the class of 1898, from the last institution with the highest honors. He was elected Justice of the Fourth Judicial District Court on November 8, 1900, and served until January 22, 1909, when he was elected Justice of the Superior Court of the State of Rhode Island. He was elected a member of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island from the town of West Greenwich May, 1897, and at the time of his election to the position of Justice of the Superior Court was the senior member of the lower branch in continuous service, having been elected representative twelve consecutive times, and was, for several years, chairman of the House Committee on Corporations. Judge Rathbun is the son of James and Melissa Rathbun.
Rigney, Joseph, was born in Dublin, Ireland, May 11, 1847, being the seventh in a family of eleven children of Hugh and Margaret Rigney. The name “Rigney” is that of a French Huguenot who came with William to Ireland and who was credited with the distinction of doing more than the average of his fellows in destroying the good Irishmen who upheld the cause of Shamus (Na Hocha) at the bloody battle of Auchram. He had the award usually given his kind—a gift of the plunder of the vanquished. Many generations of Rigneys lived more or less respected in King’s County, where all traces of the Huguenot’s religion disappeared from amongst them. The writer accompanied his father and mother, two brothers and two sisters, from Ireland to this country in October, 1868, to join four brothers who emigrated from Ireland five years before. His family settled in Bridgeport, Conn., November, 1868, where he lived until July, 1878, working part of the time as a machinist and later as mechanical engineer and superintendent of the Pacific Iron Works of that city. In 1878 he went to Havana, Cuba, where he engaged in engineering and later on in sugar manufacturing. His partners in the ownership of a sugar plantation were Franklin Farrel of Ansonia, Conn., and the late Hugh Kelly of New York. He greatly prizes his associations with these good men and mourns the loss of the best of friends in the untimely end of Hugh Kelly. At present he is associated with the engineering firms of “The Dyer Company” and Allis-Chalmers Company, with office at 71 Broadway, New York. He is a member of the Catholic Club and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of New York City. He married in 1878 and has been supremely happy ever since.
Riordan, Charles F., was born in North Easton, Mass., the first day of April (Easter Sunday) in the year 1866, to John S. and Catherine M. Riordan, both of the best type of Irish people. Has been for many years the New England representative of several large distilleries. During an active business life in Boston has taken a prominent part in politics but has never accepted public office. Is very popular in his native State and many large banquets attended by leading citizens have been tendered him at various times.
Rossiter, William S., publisher, Concord, N. H., was born in Westfield, Mass., September 9, 1861. Educated Columbian University (now George Washington University), Washington, D. C., and Amherst College (Class 1884). Assistant to business superintendent, New York Tribune, 1884–1888; manager circulation, New York Press, 1889; treasurer New York Printing Company, The Republic Press, 1889–1899; in charge publications, U. S. Census, 1900–1903; chief clerk U. S. Census Office, 1903–1909; expert special agent, U. S. Census, for printing and publishing, 12th Census (1900) and Industrial Census, 1905; in editorial charge of all 12th Census Reports; selected by the President upon the recommendation of the Printing Commission of Congress to take charge of the Government Printing Office upon the suspension of Public Printer Stillings and prepare a complete report upon conditions in that office. Twenty-eight days later an exhaustive report was submitted to the President, and upon its findings, he at once requested the Public Printer’s resignation. Author of the Census Reports upon Printing and Publishing, 1900 and 1905, A Century of Population Growth in the United States (U. S. Census office 1909), and many statistical and historical papers in the Atlantic Monthly, North American Review, Review of Reviews, Outlook, World’s Work, the Printing Art, etc.
Seymour, John F., 52 Pierce Street, San Francisco, Cal., born in New York of Irish parents and in 1863 removed to California; in 1872 he started as an apprentice in a brass foundry, learning the trade of brass finisher, and worked at this trade until 1884, when he joined the San Francisco police department as patrolman. He was successively appointed Corporal, Detective Sergeant and Captain of Police, and in April, 1900, Captain of Detectives; served in this capacity about two years, during which time he earned distinction by his strict attention to duty and ability which he displayed in handling criminal cases of national note; in January 1902, he resigned from the police force to take a responsible position with the vast Fair estate; recently he was appointed Chief Special Agent of the Pacific Department of the Wells Fargo Express Company, which position he holds at the present time.