Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 2.djvu/346

 3 22

��HON. JAMES A. WESTON.

��Ireland, one hundred and fifty years ago, and settled at the place now known as Wilson's Crossing, in Londonderry. A man of sound judgment and superior business capacity, his services were called into requisition by his townsmen in the direction of public affairs. Be- tween 1 8 20 and 1841 he served five years as town-clerk, fifteen years as selectman, being eleven years chairman of the board, and three years as the representative of the town (then entit- led to but one member) in the General Court. Of his union with Betsy Wil- son (an estimable woman, endowed with the most amiable and exemplary traits of character) five ciiildren were born, but only one survives.

James Adams Weston, the youngest and only surviving child of Amos and Betsy (Wilson) Weston, was born in Manchester, August 27, 1827, being now just fifty-two years of age. He passed his time in early life at home upon the farm, in attendance upon the district school, and the academies at Piscataquog and Manchester, develop- ing a strong taste for mathematics, to which branch of study he applied him- self with much earnestness, and at an early age determined upon civil engi- neering as his avocation in life. Per- sistently continuing his studies in that direction, and in the meantime teach- ing school successfully two winters, in Londonderry and Manchester, he was ^appointed, in 1846, at nineteen years of age, assistant civil engineer of the Concord Railroad, and immediately commenced his labors in that position in attending to the work of laying the second track of the road. Three years after he was promoted to the office of chief engineer of the road, which posi- tion he has holden to the present time. At the time of his promotion, in 1849, he established his residence in Con- cord, where he retained his abode un- til 1856, having married in the mean- time (1854) Miss Anna S., daughter of Mitchel Gilmore, Esq., of Concord. In connection with his duties as chief engineer, he for several years discharg- ed the duties of road master, and mas- ter of transportation of the Concord.

��and Manchester and Lawrence Rail- road. He superintended the construc- tion of the Concord & Portsmouth Rail- road, between Manchester and Candia, and of the Suncook Valley Railroad, from Hooksett to Pittsfield. In 1 856 he removed to Manchester, where he has ever since resided, devoting himself assidously to the duties of his position in connection with the railroad, and the general pursuit of his profession as a civil engineer, together with the respon- sible public duties to which he has been called.

Never a politician in the ordinary sense of the term, taking no part or in- terest in the manipulation of partisan machinery, cherishing no ambition for the distinction of public position, Mr. Weston has always entertained decided political convictions, and has, from youth, been a consistent and persistent supporter of the principles and policy of the Democratic party. Guided in his political action by the conservative influence of reason, allied with the spirit of just liberality instead of the blind partisan zeal and intolerance which too often directs and distinguish- es the conduct of public men and po- litical leaders of either party, Mr. Weston has won and retained the per- sonal respect of his political opponents even, so that whenever yielding to the solicitation of his party friends, and ac- cepting their nomination lor official position, he has never failed to receive more or less support from members of the opposite party, within the circle of his acquaintance. His first nomination for public office was in 1 86 1, when he was persuaded by the Democracy of Man- chester to allow the use of his name as their candidate for mayor. Manches- ter had always been known as a strong Republican or Whig city, and with the exception of two years, when the late Hon. Edward W. Harrington, a man of great personal popularity was the Dem- ocratic candidate and secured the elec- tion by a narrow majority, had never failed to elect an anti-Democratic mayor and city government, and at the election next previous to Mr. Weston's candidacy the Republican nominee had

�� �