The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-05-12
THE OLDEST BANK CASHIER.
Deacon Edward Gould Died Yesterday
Close of Life of Sterling Integrity and
Inspiring Morality-A Brief Account of


Deacon Edward Gould died at his home on
Pearl Street at one O'clock P. NJ, yester-
day. after an illness and general decline
of his vitality that began soon after his
leaving his post at the bank about year
ago. He was possessed of such strong will
power that otherwise his death would have
occurred before. 1t was thought Wednesday,
that he could not live through the day, but
he fingered on day longer and only gave
up his hold on life in this last and only Sc
we're Illness, with long struggle of the
splendid physical manhood that had been
his for nearly four score years and ten.
Edward Gould was born in Gorham Jan.
9th 1905, and was therefore SO years of age
last January. His father kept harness
shop and cultivated small farm, and the
sons early life was one of hard manual
labor He worked in the shop and learned
to bind books with leather for the students
of the academy at which che received his
education. He prepared for Bowdoin col
lege. but was obliged to abandon the idea
and became clerk in a general store iu
Gorham. at a salary of $50 year and board.
1t was while in this store that he became
thoroughly impressed with the evils of the
rum traffic, and an uncompromising tenn
perance man. During his clerkship his
principal work from a. m. to p. M was
retailing New England rum at one cent a
glass and West India rum at three cents.
In 1923 at the age of eighteen years he
came to Portland and entered as a clerk in
Atwood & Quinn's wholesale commission
store. He soon after entered the employ of
wholesale grocery firm and in 1925 when
he was twenty-one years of age, Mr.. Atwood,
his first employer, desired him to become a
partner in the commission business. He had
no money to put into it, and when the firm
failed in two years was obliged to sustain
half of the liabilities, which he did not
finally disposed of for ten years.
After the failure he became bookkeeper
for Dana & Smith at salary of $500 year,
which WAS considered good wages in those
days, when Portland was town of less than
10000 Inhabitants. The Man ufacturers' and
Traders bank was established in 1882 and
located on the corner of Fore and Plum
streets, up stairs. In 1888 the cashiers place
became vacant, and though many bank
clerks applied for it, the merchants recon-
mended Mr.. Gould, and he had been the
cashier of the bank until his retirement a
year ago. period of sixty years, serving
under five different presidents. There is no
bank cashier in the state with
SUCH A RECORD,
and probably none in the country. There
was New Hampshire man who began be-
fore Mr.. Gould, but he has died within few
years. There was very little business in
those first years of the bank, and the
cashier could easily perform the whole of it.
His salary was $500, with no allowance for
clerk or janitor. One day there was but
one check passed in. Depositors then would
draw checks for large amounts at time
stayed there till between four and five in
the afternoon.
years previous to his retirement
simply because he preferred to work
at the bank. During the last year he had
not missed a day and only one day the year
before, SO, of course, he had enjoyed excep-
tional health. His only sickness except the
last was an attack of rheumatism when a
boy on farm in Gorham. He signed the
temperance pledge soons after the Portland
Temperance Society was formed in 1927.
He would allow no liquor served at his
marriage, very cranky proceeding, SO
considered, at that time. He never
used tobacco in any form.
Outside of his business, Mr.. Gould had
been chiefly prominent in religious and be-
nevolent circles. He Joined the Third Con-
gregational church in 1881. and was deacon
for several years. After the fre,the society
bought the Plymouth church on Congress
street, but in a few years disbanded and
Mr.. Gould Joined the Second Parish church,
where he had ever since been prominent in
devotion to it's material and spiritual well
fare.
When the society rebuilt after the fire
they incurred an indebtedness of nearly
Sl5,0O0s The interest upon this was.a heavy
burden, but finally it was all removed in
one day. man named Kimball, who made
it a business to travel about and arouse
enthusiasm among church people to pay
their Indebtedness, was engaged and paid
$3.50 to come here from Boston and address
the society. He ,labored necessarily from
morning till late in the evening and SO
effectually that the money was all sub
scribed and the church was free from debt.
Mr.. Gould gave $500. He had in his possess
sion the correspondence between him and
the agents of the Barring Brothers of Lon
don, which resulted in their presenting to
the church the bell. which now hangs in the
tower, with suitable inscription 1t cost
$500. Many of the members of the church
were prominent merchants, who dealt large
ly with the great London bankers through
Mr.. Gould's bank. The Barings also sent
$1,000 to aid the sufferers from the fire.
Mr.. Gould's C hief employment and enjoy
ment outside of his business and church
was found in his garden of which he took
entire charge. He had the happy faculty of
leaving his business in his Office and enjoy
ing his work on the plants and shrubs as if
nothing else in the world concerned him.
To this was doubtless due his remarkable
vigor and health.
He had been treasurer of the Portland
Benevolent Society for twenty-five years
and belonged to other charitable organiza-
tions.
He was short and stout in figure. His
manner was very straightforward and I'M
affected. His countenance and whole per-
sonality were indicative of the integrity
and principle of which his long life and
and pay their bills with the money them
selves; now great number of small checks
are drawn, making great deal more work
for the bank officials. The bank was burned
out in '66 and afterwards moved to Ex-