The Somerset reporter., 1905-04-13
The Commission.


winter. The naming of these commis
sioners had been awaited with much
interest all over the State. The appica
tions for the places were numerous bur
they appeared to count little The
places sought the men in this case or
rather the governor appointed the men
he wanted to serve, with regard only to
their fitness for the work In hand, their
high character and standing in the State.
The commission is emphatically Gov
ernor Cobbs commission.
The Commissioners are: Hon. Waldo
Pettlngill of Rumford Falls, Norman l..
Bassett, esq of "insow and Alfred II.
Lang of Skowhegan. It had been quite
generally conceded that Mr.. Lang would
be the Democratic member of the
board, Mr.. Bassett had been named as a
probable member but the appointment
of Hon. Waldo Pettingill as first on the
list of commissioners appears to have
been a genuine surprise, all around
The commission is an exceedingly
strong, we'll balanced one.
WALDO PETT1NGILL
Hon. Waldo Pettingill is q man of
legislative experience, having served in
the House of Representatives, the sen
ate and the Executive Council. be is a
man of extensive business interests, ana
the wonder with many is that he can
spare the time to give to the duties of
the place. His interest in the cause
must account in large measure for his
Willingness to enter upon this official
work and responsibility. Mr.. Pettingill
is Just past his Goth birthday, having
been born in the town of Livermore
Falls, Dec. |, 1874 He went to Rum.
ford as a young man and long before
his fellow citizens awoke to the posi-
bilities of the great water power he was
mentally mapping out the town of the
future. he was married in 1870 to
Sarah Elizabeth Briggs of Poland. Me.
Mrs. Pettngill has been prominent in
state circles, having served as one of the
visiting committee to the insane hos
pitfalls for a number of years.
Mr.. Pettingil is leading member of
the Methodist Episcopal church and has
always been a staunch friend of the
temperance workers.
Mr.. Pettingill was a delegate to the
convention which nominated Theodore
Roosevelt for President.
At the last annual meeting of the
Maine Sons of the American Revolution
he was elected president for the ensuing
year. He is a member of the Masonic
g. Mt linn ant
commandef of Strathglass commandery,
X. T., of Rumford Falls.
NORMAN l.. BAsSETT
of Augusta, is one of the younger at
torneys of the Capital city, but having
begun his career by forming a partner
ship with his brother.in-law, Hon l.. {.
Cornish, he has already won place well
up among the attorneys of the Kennebec
bar He is a lawyer who has shown in
tense application in his work and his
cases always show thorough preparation.
He will show to the commission a well
trained legal mind and a willingness to
work. This should insure the commits
sion against making any mistakes along
legal lines and the standing of the com
mission as a whole makes it very unlike
other direction,
Mr. Bassett was born in the town of
Winslow. being the son of County Com.
missioner Bassett. He was graduated
from Coburn Classical Institute in
WaterVille and later from Colby Uni
versity in the same city. he finished
his college work in 1891 and was then
employed for a year as an instructor in
the college.
He went to Harvard Law school where
he was graduated with honors, and then
returned to Maine, settling at Augusta.
He was married not long ago to a charm
ing young lady from Vermont, and
their colonial home on the corner of
Green and hapel streets is one of the
preitiest in Augusta.
ALFRED h. LANG
Mr.. Lang is one of the best known and
most highly respected citizens of Som
elset County He believes in prohibi.
ton aud enforcement of law. He has
no use for halfway measures. Somerset
county never had better sheriff. Not
on did he enforce the law against the
sale of Intoxicating liquors, but other
laws received his attention, particularly
the nickle-in- the-slot gambling nuisance,
aud case was carried to the law court
in which he won and the scheme was
ouilawed in The State. His every duty
as sheriff of Somerset was done with
vigor, promptness and fidelity. He is
quiet in demeanor but firm in purpose,
man of superior judgment and a
determined and resouIceful fighter
when fighting is necessary
Alfred II. Lang found himself at an
early age practically on his own re.
sources and from the time he was a
dozen years of age he worked his own
way through the schools and academy
and into business. He lived in Palmyra
till 1870, moving to Skowhegan where
he has since made his home. He work
ed for a short time in an oilcloth mill,
then tried farming, for 10 years, and for
the Is years preceding his election az
sheriff was in trade in Skowhegan
He has always been associated with
Democratic politics. being IA member of
the Democratic town committee, a
former member of the Democratic
county committee and was an alternate
to the Kansas City convention that nom
mated William J. Bryan.
He Ia director of the Second Ma
tional bank of Skowhegan aud OF the
Skowhegan Loan and Building associa
ton. He is a member of the Masonic
fratarnitv His wife whom he married