Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-25
Founded Insurance Company.

John Fairfield Dryden went to Newark
n. J., in 1873. when he was thirty-four
years old, with the purpose of found. Ing
an insurance company to deal in indus
trial risks. He had tried to interest finan
ciers in Massachusetts and had failed. In
New Jersey he interested Noah F. Blanch-
ard, William II. Murphy, Horace All ng
Leslie d. Ward and others The Pruden
tial Insurance Company was started, the
first successful institutio nof its kind
From 1875 to 1881 Mr.. Dryden was its
secretary, and from the last date until
his death he was its president. At a
hearing a year ago in the chancery court
in Newark It was brought out that Mr.
Dryden's family owned 90S shares of the
Prudential stock The company started
with an office in basement of the State
Bank in Newark and grew into world
wide institution. with its home, a. two.
million-dollar stone building. at Broad
and Market streets, Newark
With a fortune amaSsed in the insur-
ance business Mr.. Dryden became inter-
ested in banking and street railways. He
was director in the United Stat - tee
Corporation, vice president of the r.del-
ity Trut Company, and trustee of the
Equitable Trust Company of New York.
When the Public Service Corporation OF
New Jersey took over the control of the
and the Newark and South Orange line
of which he was one of the principal
| owners, Nr. Dryden became g. power in
the affairs of the first named company.
Active in Politics.
Mr.. Dryden had an active part in poll
tics in New Jersey for a number Of years
until 1907, when his health compelled
him to give up his fight for the renomina
ton of the republican party for the
United States Senate. In 1896 and 1870
he was presidential elector. With the
death of Gen. William Sewell. in 1901, Mr.
Dryden was elected to the Senate by the
New Jersey legislature.
In 1907, when he was candidate for
reelection, affidavits were made by men
who had been members of the state leg
islature at the first election swearing that
an agent of the Erie Railroad Company
had promised them sums of $500 and
$4,000 to vote for Mr.. Dryden. The sec
ond fight over the senatorship, in 1907.
was long and bitter At the height of 1t
Senator Dryden announced from wash
ington that he withdrew his name. The
election went to Senator Frank o. Briggs
who had been the leader of the Dryden
forces. The situation was brought about
by eight republican legislators, who re-
fused to vote for Mr.. Dryden, but were
willing to vote for Mr.. Briggs.
Mr.. Dryden was born in Pennington.
Me-, in 1889. He was sent to Yale Univer-
sity, but was obliged to give up his work
there because of his bad health. He
expected to take up law but gave that up
for insurance early as 1865.
Mr.. Dryden was chairman Of the Cleve-
land monumental fund commission, which
recently raised more than 100000 for a
memorial to the late President Cleveland,
to be erected at Princeton. He was also
a member of the Mckinley memorial
commission. He was a member of the
American Economic Association and the
New York University Corporation. and
held membership in the following clubs:
Union League Club, New York Yacht
Club. Railroad Club, Automobile Club of
America, Metropolitan Club of Wash
ington, Essex County Country Club the
Essex Club and Automobile and Motor
Club of New Jersey.