Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-04-24
vERMoNTs ABLE REPRESENTATIVE
To the St. Louis Exposition Col. ]. Gray Estey
the Peoples Choice a. Well a. Gov. McCui'
Iovohts

To the St. Louis Exposition Col. ], Gray Estey
the Peoples Choice a. Well a. Gov. MoCui-
lough's.
The Brattleboro correspondent OF the
Springfield Union said Sunday:
"When Gov. John G. Mccullough
designated Col. j. Gray Estey of Brat
tleboro to represent the Green Noun
tain state on the staff of Maj. Gen. H..
c. Corbin, commanding the parade at
the centennial anniversary OF the Lou
isiana purchase in st. Louis, April ~,
he did not only what was eminentiy
fitting for him to do, considering Uoi
Estey's rank as commander OF the Yer
mont regiment, but he did Just what
the people of Vermont would have done
had the choice been left to them ire
spective of military rank. There is no
young man IN Vermont to-day who Is
a better representative OF the sturdy,
progressive, patriotic, New England
type of manhood than Col. j. Gray Es-
tey, and none who could uphold the
dignity of the state to better advantage.
Col. Estey is a native of Brattleboroo
and has been life long resident OF
the town, and while he is less than ~
wears old, he has successfully Shout
dered responsibilities of far greater i'm
portance than those which come to the
average man in lifetime. He was
born Aug. 2, 1871. son of the late
Gen. julius J. Estey and Mrs. Flor
ence &. Estey, and grandson of the
late Deacon Jacob Estey, founder OF
the Estey Organ works. He was grad
uated from Vermont academy in Sax
tons River in June, 1890, and afterward
spent two years in the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
Returning to Brattleboro after the
completion of his school work, he re-
solved to master the details of the or
gan business and entered the Estey fac
tories, beginning at the foot OF the
ladder, the cutting up room. He went
through the successive departments,
and. after the death of his father he
was made president of the company,
which position he now holds, being
ably assisted in the manage ment OF
the business by his brother, Capt. D..
Harry Estey.
Col. Estey entered the military ser
vice of the state Of Vermont as pri-
vate in Co. /, Vt. N. g., of Brattlee-
boro in 1887, and served as corporal,
second lieutenant and captain OF his
company. He afterward was major OF
the battalion composed of the Mont
pelier, Barre, Brattleboro and North
field companies, and on Sept. IA, 1879,
was elected colonel of the regiment
He was mustered into the United States
service as major, May 16, 1898, and
mustered out Nov Z, 1898, serving
meanwhile in Chickamauga.
The rank and file have the greatest
respect for Col. Estey. At a recent
muster of the regiment Col. Estey's
work was such that state newspaper
said: "An influence of progressive
ness, order, system and hard work ra-
dates from the headquarters of Col J..
Gray Estey and permeates the rank
and file There is no more junketing
The officers work and the men work
with them. The entire aim of the or
ganization, the direction in which all
its energies are bent, is to prepare
nearly 800 young Vermonters to take
the field at moments notice IL the
country should ever need them. "
Col. Estey is Republican, Knight
Templar, a member of the society OF
Sons of the Revolution and of the So
ciety of Colonial Wars. He is vice.
president of the Peoples National
bank Of Brattleboro, treasurer of the
Valley Fair, trustee of the Vermont
Soldiers Home in Remington, presi-
dent of the Wantastiquet Golf club,
and holds offices of trust and response
bility in various other ganizations
He married Matte Rowland Poor of
Peabody, Mass, Oct. 20, 1892, aud
they have two sons, Jacob and Joseph