The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-03-10
A VERMONT CARPENTER
Ancestors Of Presidents Secretary
Lived In MoretoWn.

Ancestors Of Presidents Secretary
Lived in MoretoNn.
One day out in Manila something
more than eight years ago. Judge VIII
liam H. Taft. president Of the Philip
pine commission, decided that he
must have the service Of a competent
young American as stenographer. SAYS
a special dispatch 10 the Boston Her
aid. He looked the ground over and
finding no one to meet his require
ments cabled TO a friend in San Fran
cisco TO send a good man to him.
An alert wide-awake young fellow
was then private secretary 10 Charles
S. Wheeler Of the law firm Of Bishop
4 Wheeler. He Was a lawyer him
self To him came the summons TO
80 to the Orient to serve a man Of
whom he knew nothing. and whom he
had never seen He went Judge
Taft found him a jewel. and when he
became governor general of the Phil
ippines a year later he made his stem
Ographer Fred Warner Carpenter, his
private secretary.
From that day to this Mr.. Carpen-
ter has been Mr. Taft's right hand
man. When the one was nominated
for president of the United States the
other accompanied him throughout
the country during the trying cam
paign that followed. Thursday he
took the oath as secretary to the pres
ident.
This successor OF William Loeb Jr
who occupies the place which in for
mer years has been filled by such men
as Lamont and Cortelyou. has already
made good, and brilliant and sue
cessful career at the executive head
of the White House offices is predict
ed for him. OF Yankee stock. he has
been educated In the middle west and
has made his home on the Pacific
coast. He Is an all around American
good fellow, a companionable friend
and keen Judge of human nature
Secretary Carpenter has just pass.
ed his Both birthday He was born
December -, 1872. at Sank Center.
Mimi, and is a descendant Of those
Vermont Carpenters who came from
around Moretown Col. Cephas Car
penter, Secretary Carpenters great
grandfather, was one of the pioneers
OF the Green Mountain state.
When he was 10 years old young
Carpenter went to California where
his father owned a ranch and where
his mother now resides. He remain.
ed there ] years, obtaining his pri-
mary education, living an outdoor life
and acquiring fondness for horses
and exercise.
In 1893 he returned to Minnesota
and entered the university of that
state. He took the degree OF bache-
Tor OF laws and master Of laws. and
was admitted to the bar in Minneso,
Ia. In 1898 he returned to the far
West and entered the Office of Bishop
n Wheeler in San Francisco He had
expected to follow the profession OF
the law until the unexpected call from
Manila carried him to the PHILIPPINES
and threw him into contact with the
man who was destined to be Presi
dent of the United States.
In Manila Mr.. Carpenter lived AT
the governors palace with Gov and
Mrs. TAFT and since that time he has
been more like a member of the Taft
family and a personal friend than a
mere official When Mr. Taft return
ed TO the United States to become sec.
rotary of war, February / 1904. Mr.
Carpenter accompanied him to Wash.
ington TO be private secretary. Pre-.
yiously in 1902. he had accompanied
Taft to Rome for the adjudication OF
the Friars' land claims. Twice after
he became secretary of war Mr. Taft
returned to the Philippines. once in
1905 and again in 1907 when he open.
ed the Philippine Assembly. Both
times MIR. Carpenter was with him.
Secretary Carpenter is studious.
thoughtful man, who deyotes himself
to what he has before him with ire
mendous amount of energy. He is
tireless. That is one characteristic
which has commended him TO his chief
In figure he is slight and boyish. He
is a handsome young fellow and un-
married. He belongs to the Metropol-
itan club, but while he is an enthus-
iastic horseman he doesn't play the
great Taft game-golf, so that the
Chevy Chase and other country clubs
nave so far proved mattractiye to
him.