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 S IAPLES. STAPLES. 57: He entered Brown University in 1847, and was graduated therefrom in the class of 1851, taking the Latin salutatory. He studied law in Providence, R. I., in the office of the late Chief Justice Ames, and in Worcester with the late Hon. Peter C. Bacon ; was admitted to the bar at Worcester, 1854, and went into practice in Milford. in partnership with the late Gen- eral A. B. Underwood, in 1855 ; was sub- sequently in partnership with John C. Scammell, Hon. Charles A. Dewey, and William F. Slocum ; in 1869 he removed to Worcester, his present residence, and was engaged in practice in that city, in partner- ship with Hon. Francis P. Goulding, for twelve years, until 1881. HAMILTON 8 STAPLES Mr. Staples was a member of the com- mon council of Worcester and a trustee of the city hospital in 1874; district attorney of the middle district for eight years ; was appointed one of the justices of the supe- rior court, February 16, 1881, and has since been on the bench of that court. Mr. Staples was married in Mendon, in 185S, to Elizabeth A. Godfrey, step-daugh- ter of Hon. Benjamin Davenport. Mrs. Staples died July 1, 1867. Mr. Staples was married the second time, in Northampton, October 8, 1S68. to Mary Clinton, daugh- ter of the late Hon. Charles A. Dewey, judge of the supreme court, and Caroline H. Clinton, daughter of General James Clinton of New York. Of this marriage there have been two children : Charles Dewey Staples, who died in infancy, and Francis Hamilton Staples, born April 22, 1872. He is an honored member of the Ameri- can Antiquarian Society, and has con- tributed to its proceedings the following papers : "A Day at Mt. Vernon in 1797 ;" " The Origin of the Names of the States ; " "The Province Laws;" "The Winthrop Sword," and "The Monument to La Salle at Rouen." In 1884 he received from Brown University the honorary degree of LL. 1). STAPLES, JOHN A., son of James H and Elizabeth (Dudley) Staples, was born in Lyman, York county, Maine, September 5, 1841. His early educational training was re- ceived in the public schools of Biddeford, Me. Encouraged and assisted by his step- father, Judge Abel H. Jelleson, he fitted for college, and entered Dartmouth in 1S58, graduating with his class in 1862. In 1864 he formed business connections with the Union Collar Company of New York City, in whose interest he visited the principal cities in the country. In 1865 he was stationed at Buffalo, N. Y. ; in 1866 and '67 at Chicago, and in 1868 in New- York City. During the winter of 186S he returned to Biddeford, and was elected city clerk, which office he held until 1872. In 1873 he was appointed cashier of the freight department of the Boston & Maine Railroad, which position he now holds. Mr. Staples was married in Biddeford, Me., December 5, 1S67, to Josephine, daughter of William and Lucinda (Tarbox) Goodwin. Of this union were two chil- dren : Walter H. (born in 1870 — deceased), and Philip Clayton Staples (born in 1882). During his residence in Biddeford, in addition to his duties as city clerk, he was chairman of its school board, and has always taken a warm interest in educa- tional affairs. Since becoming a resident of Revere he has been town auditor for two years, and has been a member of the board of select- men for every year since 1882. Mr. Staples is an enthusiastic believer and helper in all the institutions which give character and standing to his town. He is prominent in lodge circles; president of the Sagamore Association, also of the Revere Co-operative Bank, and a director