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 57 6 STEARNS. STEELE. vantages, however, that at the age of twenty he was a successful teacher. One of his duties on the farm at Lin- coln had been to start at two or three o'clock, A. M., with a load of farm pro- duce, which he sold in Boston. His acquaintance thus gained in Boston deter- mined him to take the first opportunity to leave the farm and begin business in the city. At the age of twenty-one he came to Boston, and secured a position with C. C. Burr, at a salary of one hundred and fifty dollars per annum. His energy, and a RICHARD H STEARNS. desire to accomplish more than was de- manded by his employer, earned for him a promotion to the position of salesman the first year. Less than two years from this time he left Mr Burr and went into business for himself without capital, but with credit with some of the merchants of those days, who recognized the qualities which have given Mr. Stearns his uninter- rupted success. At the start he did all the work himself, being buyer, salesman, and porter. His sales, which then were counted by a few hundreds of dollars, have increased steadily until they are high in the hundreds of thousands, and the working force has increased to several hundred. Mr. Stearns started with the idea that he would cater to the best trade, and make a specialty of goods of the highest grade. This plan persistently carried out through so long a term of years has established a reputation for this house second to no other in the United States in its own par- ticular line. His fame is not confined to New England. He has the reputation of being personally known to more buyers who come to Boston than any other mer- chant in his business. Mr. Stearns was married in Boston, Sep- tember 1 8, 1855, to Louisa, daughter of Foster and Charlotte V. Waterman. Of this union were three children : F. W. Stearns, admitted a member of the firm of R. H. Stearns &: Co., June 1, 1881 ; William F., a clergyman ; and R. H. Stearns, Jr., admitted a member of the firm January r, 1887. Mr. Stearns has been called to fill many positions of trust, being a director in the National Hide & Leather Bank ; director in the Massachusetts Loan & Trust Com- pany ; was a member of the Boston school board from 1S67 to '71, and a member of the House of Representatives in 1874 and '75. In religious matters Mr. Stearns has been prominently connected with the Con- gregational denomination. He was one of the early presidents of the Congregational Club of Boston, and is now a deacon of the Old South church of Boston. STEELE, George McKendree, son of Rev. Joel and Jerusha Rich (Higgins) Steele, was born in Strafford, Orange coun- ty, Vermont, April 13, 1823. He attended district schools till eighteen years of age ; prepared for college at New- bury Seminary, Vt.; entered Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., in 1846, and was graduated in the class of 1850. From 1850 to '53 he was teacher of math- ematics and Latin in the Wesleyan Acad- emy, Wilbraham. In 1S53 he entered the ministry of the New England conference of the M. E. church. He was stationed at Warren, i853-'4; Fitchburg, 1855; St. Paul's church, Lowell, i856-'7 ; Watertown, i858-'c); First church, Lynn, i86o-'6i ; Church Street, Boston, i862-'3 ; Fitchburg, 1864 ; and was a delegate to the United States Christian Commission. In 1S66 he received the de- gree of U. D. from the Northwestern Uni- versity, and in 1879 that of LL.D. from the Lawrence University, Appleton, Wis. He has been a trustee of the Boston Uni- versity since 1S80, and was a delegate to