The Hartford Public High School History Series

ix

NOTABLE ALUMNI

Of the thousands of students who have graduated from the school since 1851, many have excelled in their professional careers, locally and nationally.

         There were no diplomas until 1854. Before that, school records do not show who completed the courses of study, but they do give the names of students who probably would have been entitled to a diploma.  Students who attended the Hartford Grammar School, i.e. prior to 1847, are mentioned by Henry Barnard in his written works and in The Hartford Grammar School (History Series XXIII).

In the field of education, many returned to teach at HPHS and city schools.  Others became teachers and college professors in Connecticut, other states, and foreign countries.

In the field of law, an impressive number became well-known attorneys and judges of the lower and superior courts in Connecticut and other states.

There have been numerous local and state politicians who graduated from HPHS:  state senators and representatives, city and town officials, and members of boards of education.

Another group over the years are graduates who served in every war since the Civil War, matched by many others who have performed peaceful missionary work around the globe.

In medicine and science, many have left their mark.  Business and industrial leadership by HPHS graduates is significant in the first half of the Twentieth Century. These businessmen often were active in their communities and were trustees on college boards and other institutions.

Graduates who served in the Civil War are listed in Civil War Alumni (History SeriesVIII).  Graduates who excelled in athletics are enrolled in the HPHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

Information on graduates from the 1930’s forward is incomplete because their careers and successes were not listed in the 1955 Catalogue, whereas this had been the case in the 1941 Catalogue. The occasion of the Tercentenary Celebration in 1938 involved an impressive research effort that produced the 1941 Catalogue.  Credit must be given to the many people who must have had some familiarity with Hartford notables, either personally or due to their local fame.  Certainly, great devotees such as Clarence H. Wickham, renowned member of the Class of 1879, and Principals Clement C. Hyde and Thomas J. Quirk were involved in the research. 

Some of the graduated classes do not profile their colleagues over the years. Consequently, “Notable Alumni” is to be taken as a work in progress, and information will be added as the school receives news about its more recent alumni.

1851                Dr. Edward Minor Gallaudett,  Trinity ’56, President of Gallaudett College,Washington D.C., 

                         1864-1911.

1860                William G. Sumner,  Yale ’63, organized Department of Social Sciences at Yale, 1872-1910, influential professor and author.

1862                Edgar Thaddeus Welles, Yale ’64, Chief Clerk of U.S. Navy Department, director of several railroad companies, son of Gideon Welles.

1863              Sarah M. Glazier, Vassar ’68, first female HPHS graduate to attend college and also first to

                       become a  college professor (Buchtel, Vassar), member of first class to graduate from Vassar.

1864                Charles E. Gross, Yale ’69, director of many corporations in Hartford , President of the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford .

1865                Bernadotte Perrin, Yale ’69, professor at Yale, 1893-1920, translated Plutarch’s Lives.

John M. Holcombe, Yale ’69, President of Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance.

1867                Charles Hopkins Clark, Yale ’71, Editor of The Hartford Courant for 21 years.

1868                Edward C. Terry, Yale ’71, inventor, manufacturer in Hartford .

1870                Dr. William F. Henney, Yale ’74, Mayor of Hartford , 1904-1908.

1872                William Waldo Hyde, Yale ’76, Mayor of Hartford , 1892-1894.

1873                Henry Roberts, Yale ’77, Governor of Connecticut , 1905-1907.

William Gillette, actor, famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, built Gillette Castle, his home in East Haddam , CT.

1874                Admiral Harry S. Knapp, U.S. Naval Academy ’78, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Spanish American War, Commander of all U.S. Naval forces abroad, 1919.

1875                Frank E. Hyde, Yale ’79, CT State representative, U.S. Consul at Lyons, France, 1893-1897.

1876                Charles E. Chase, President of Hartford Fire Insurance.

1877                Arthur W. Cowles, President of Hartford Fire Insurance, Chief of U.S. Patent Office, Washington , D.C.

George P. McLean, CT state representative and senator, U.S. Senator, Governor of Connecticut, 1901-1903.

1878                George Dudley Seymour, George Washington ’80, author of works on American History and Architecture.

                        Tun Yen Liang, Yale ’82, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China .

Archibald A. Welch, Yale ’82, Lecturer at Yale, President of Phoenix Mutual Life Ins. Co.

1879                Kai Kah Wong, Yale ’83, held government positions in Republic of China.  

                        Albert Carr, Yale, ’83, prominent engineer in public transportation, first subway system of New York City, hydroelectric

                        development in Mexico, rebuilding of the street railway system in San Francisco following the April, 1906 earthquake.

                        Shon Kie Tsai, established Tientsin University , China .

George E. Bowman, Yale ’83, author of works on American Colonial History, compiled extensive Mayflower genealogy.

Louis R. Cheney, CT state representative, Mayor of Hartford, 1912-1914.

Mun Yew Chung, Yale ’83, Secretary and Charge d”Affairs of the Chinese Legation, Washington , D.C. and Madrid .

1880                Charles McLean Andrews, Trinity ’84, author of works on American Colonial History, received  Pulitzer Prize, 1935.

1881                Rev. Frank R. Shipman, Yale ’85, President of Atlanta Theological Seminary.

Dr. Thompson C. Elliott, Amherst ’85, author of works on Northwestern history, Fellow of Royal Historical Society of London.

Gertrude O. Lewis, Founder of the Connecticut Humane Society.

1882                Arthur L. Shipman, Yale ’86, author of works on early Connecticut History.  

                        Henry C. White.  He began his painting career by taking private lessons with the landscape artist Dwight Tryon of 

                       Glastonbury, CT and wrote Tryon’s  biography, enrolled in the Art Students League in New York, taught drawing at

                        HPHS, associated with the Old Lyme artists, but spent most of his time in   Waterford. His favorite subjects were

                       Connecticut landscapes and seascapes, and his career extended over sixty years.

1883                William Lyon Phelps, Yale ’87, Professor of English at Yale for 41 years.

1884                Rev. Clarence A. Barbour, Brown ’88, President of Brown University .

1885                Frederick Fitzgerald , U.S. Consul, Cognac , France .

            Robert W. Huntington, Yale ’89, President of Connecticut General

Insurance Co.

            Ethelbert A. Moore, President of Stanley Works, New Britain , CT.

                        Joseph R. Ensign, Yale ’89, President of Ensign-Bickford Company.

Charles W. Stiles, Leipzig ’90, U.S. Medical Director of Public Health Service, author of works on tropical diseases.

                        Ruel C. Tuttle, Trinity ‘89, notable artist.

                        Edward W. Hooker, Mayor of Hartford , 1908-1910.

1886                Horace H. Ensworth, M.I.T. ’91, industrialist.

                        Amasa Day Chafee, Yale ’90, Pictorialist art photographer.

  1887             William R. Corson, Yale ’91, President, Hartford Steam Boiler Insurance Company.

                        Robert C. Glazier, President, Society for Savings.

1888                Eliza L. McCook, teacher and missionary in China for 35 years.

                        Howell Cheney, Yale ’92, silk manufacturer, Manchester , CT.

                        Knight D.Cheney, Jr., Yale ’92, silk manufacturer, Manchester , CT.

                        L.P. Waldo Marvin, Yale ’92, Judge of Connecticut Supreme Court.

1889                Louis F. Butler, President, Travelers Insurance.

                        Fred F. Bennett, Yale ’96 , U.S. Commissioner of the Federal Courts, 1924-1940.

                        Francis Parsons, Yale ’93, author of works on early Hartford history.

1891                Gen. Sherwood A. Cheney, U.S. Military Academy ’97, Military Aide to President Calvin Coolidge, Military Attaché at Peking .

                        Philip J. McCook, Trinity ’95, Judge of the New York Supreme Court, 1919-

                        Dr. Jonathan M. Wainwright, Trinity ’95, President of American Society for Control of Cancer.

1892                Dr. Matilda S. Calder, Mt. Holyoke ’96, President of Ginling College, China .

                        Samuel Ferguson, Trinity ’96, President of Hartford Electric Light Co.

Henry A. Perkins, Yale ’96, professor at Trinity College, President, American School for the Deaf, Hartford, 1913, Acting President of Trinity College, 1915 and 1919.

Charles W. Gross, Harvard ’98, President, Board of Trustees, Hartford Seminary Foundation.

                        Rev. Edward T. Ware, Yale ’97, President, Atlanta University .

                        Edward L. Smith, Yale ’97, Mayor of Hartford , 1910-1912.

1893                Francis P. Garvan, Yale ’97, Dean of Fordham Law School , New York City

1894                Rev. Maurice F. McAuliffe, Mt. St. Mary ’s ’08, Roman Catholic Bishop of Hartford, 1934-

1895                L. Edmund Zacher, President, Travelers Insurance.

                        Allison V. Pattison, first female HPHS graduate in CT State Legislature, 1925-1929.  

                        Morrison Brown Yung, Yale Sheffield Scientific School, '98.  Chief Engineer for reconstruction of city of Hankow,

                        Republic of China, 1912-1914, Head of Coal Bureau, Canton, China, under Sun Yat Sen, 1920-1922.

1896                Morgan B. Brainard, Yale ’00, President, Aetna Life Insurance.

1897                William M. Maltbie, Yale ’01, Chief Justice , Connecticut Supreme Court.

James L. Goodwin, Yale ’02, industrialist.

1898                Newton C. Brainard, Yale ’02, Mayor of Hartford, 1920-1922, President of Case, Lockwood, and Brainard Printers.

                        Edwin C. Dickinson, Yale ’02, Justice of Connecticut Supreme Court, 1941-

W. Brian Hooker, Yale ’02, author, instructor at Yale, dramatist, translated Cyrano de Bergerac.

1899                Russell Cheney, Yale ’04, notable architect.

                        Edward H. Lorenz, Trinity ’02, notable inventor.

                        Elisha E. Hilliard, textile manufacturer.

1900                Annie Fisher, Wesleyan ’04, notable educator in Hartford.  The elementary school was named after her.

1901                Dr. Maude Taylor Griswold, Tufts ’05, notable in field of medicine.

1902                Philip E. Curtiss, Trinity ’06, novelist.

                        Joseph H. Lawler, Georgetown ’06, Mayor of Hartford , 1914-1916.

1903                Dr. Donald B. Welles, Yale ’07, noted for success in treatment of burns.

1905                Montague Flagg, M.I.T. ’09, artist and architect.

                        Thomas J. Molloy, Yale ’08, Justice of Connecticut Supreme Court.

1906                Donald B. Prentice, Yale ’10, President, Rose Polytechnic Institute.

Thomas Hewes, Yale ’10, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, Washington , D.C.

Arthur S. Hildebrand, Yale ’10, author of works on geology, lost at sea while attempting to sail the Viking trail from Norway .

Laura Wheeler Waring, educator and painter known for her portraits of prominent African Americans of her era.

1907                Harold C. Jaquith, Trinity ’12, President, Illinois College .

            Walter E. Batterson, Mayor of Hartford , 1928-1931.

                        Malcolm Davis, Yale ’11, Director, Geneva Research Center, 1925-1927.

1908                Chun Wing Sen Afong, Yale ’12, Commissioner of the Chinese Navy.

1910                Edward J. Daly, Cornell ’14, Attorney General of the State of Connecticut, 1934-1937.

1911                Nicholas F. Rago, Yale ’15, Deputy Attorney General of the State of Connecticut , 1939.

                        John E. Griffith, Trinity ’17, Vice President, Aetna Life Insurance.

1912                Samuel Berkman, Trinity ’16, Director, Hartt School of Music.

1913                Clinton L. Allen, President, Aetna Fire Insurance.

Ethel Donaghue, Vassar ’17, first female HPHS graduate to receive LL.B degree (University of Pennsylvania, 1920).

1914                Frazer B. Wilde, President, Connecticut General Insurance.

1915                Admiral W. Irving Leahy, U.S.Naval Academy ’19, Commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet.

1916                Herbert Stoeckel, historian, reporter.

1917                Barnard Flaxman, Syracuse ’22, Vice President, Hartford Insurance Group.

1919                Edward A. Suisman, Yale ’25, industrialist in Hartford .

Samuel C. Suisman, industrialist in Hartford .

1920                S. Richard Rapport, Middlebury ’25, Vice President, Hartford National Bank.

1921A             Howard L. Warring, Howard ’25, first African American HPHS graduate to earn the M.D., practiced in Hartford for 47 years.

1921B             Philip Kappel, Pratt Institute ’24, well-known artist.

1922B            John M. Bailey, The Catholic University of America, ’26, influential State Democratic

            Party Chairman.

                       William H. Mortensen, Mayor of Hartford , 1943-1945, Director of the Horace Bushnell Memorial.

Lewis Fox, Princeton ’26, prominent member of Hartford Board of Education. The middle school was named after him.

                        Nelson R. Burr, Princeton ’27, author of works on local history.

1924B             Raymond Kennedy, Yale ’28, well-known, progressive professor of Sociology at Yale.

1930B             Lemuel C. Custis, Howard ’38, one of the Tuskegee Airmen, WW II.

1932B             Barnaby C. Keeney, Univ. of N. Carolina ’36, President, Brown University.

1936B             Elsie Kornbrath, aka, Elyse Knox Harmon. Performed in over forty Hollywood films from 1937 to 1999, with her first leading role in The Mummy’s Tomb with Lon Chaney, Jr.  She appeared in morale-booster films made during WWII, and portrayed Anne Howe, the girlfriend of fictional boxer Joe Palooka in the Joe Palooka series.

1937                Robert Killian, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Connecticut .

1939                Mary C.Fitzgerald Aspell, St. Joseph College ’43, first female HPHS Graduate on CT Superior Court.

                        William E. Budds, Fordham ’43, President, Charter Oak Bank.  

                        Herbert E. Abrams.  Norwich Art School, Pratt Institute.  Internationally famous portrait painter whose portraits of

                       Connecticut governors Meskill, Grasso, and Weicker are on display in the CT State Museum in Hartford. General     

                        Westmoreland, Presidents Jimmy Carter and George Bush, Barbara Bush, Arthur Miller, members of Congress

                        and heads of corporations are among the varied subject Abrams is known for.  He re-designed the U.S. Air Force

                        insignia, now one of the best known designs in the world.

1942                Charles S. Stone III, White House Correspondent, Editor of  Washington African American, writer.

1946                George A. Athanson, Mayor of Hartford, 1971-1981.

1949                Lindy J. Remigino, Manhattan ’53, winner of two gold medals in track, 1952 Olympics, teacher, HPHS.

                        Carrie Saxon Perry, Mayor of Hartford, 1989-1994.

1950                Carmen R. Arace, University of Connecticut, prominent educator in Bloomfield, middle 

                        named after him in 1987.

1957                Robert J. Giard, Jr., Yale ’61, professional photographer and teacher of photography.

Richard Don Tulisano,   University of Connecticut , University of CT School of Law, CT state representative for Rocky Hill, chairperson of the judiciary committee, a zealous guardian of individual rights.

1958                Les Payne, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist, New York Editor of Newsday magazine, a 

                        founder of the National Association of Black Journalists.  

1960                James A. Ratches, Trinity, '64, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, PhD., ’69, Chief Scientist Night Vision Optics,                          U.S. Army, developed the U.S. Army’s night vision optics system for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

1961               Donald C. Johanson, Univ. of Illinois ’66, anthropologist, discoverer of  “Lucy,” Director, Institute 

                        of Human Origins, Tempe, AZ.  

                        Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, Central Connecticut State University, ’65, writer with a critically acclaimed body of work.

1962                Herbert Vilakazi, Columbia University, ’66, college professor, South African diplomat, ambassador to Uganda, 2002.

1969                Franklin Chang-Diaz, University of Connecticut, ’73, astronaut.

                         Denise L. Nappier, Virginia State University, ’73, Treasurer of the State of  Connecticut, 1999-

1972                Tony Todd (Anthony T. Todd), African American actor and producer, appeared in more than  

                        100 screen and television films.

1973                Dana Backman, astronomer, professor at Franklin & Marshall, known for his skills in infrared

                       astronomy and discoveries in the formation of planetary systems.

1976                Eddie A. Perez, Trinity ’96, Mayor of Hartford , 2001-2010.

1979                Maria Perez-Brown, Yale ’83, creator and executive producer of television series programs for

                        adults and children.

                                                                                                                                                            R.J. Luke Williams,   2007

                                                                                                                                                            Updated, 2011.