The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-15


y the new Senator from New
York, comes of family distin-
gulshed In the public service. Yet none
of his forebears achieved such distinction
rs Senatorship from the Empire State
at the age of 81. Having it in the
family this tradition of public service
may possibly have given him an early
start.
While 1t is >natural to turn to English
families for practical illustrations of
this tradition of public service it is not
necessary TO go abroad for parallel
to the Wadsworth fortunes. There
were Martin Van Buren,, also "A New
Yorker, and his son prince John" and
there are other families of this State
The Livinsstons. the Beekmans and 9TH
rrS whose roots go back to Colonial his
tury-which have furnished several
successive generations Of men to fill i'm
purtant offices in State and nation. Mr..
Wadsworth's election To the United
states Senate makes him decidedly the
most promising of the four generations
broken succession in the public life of
New York State.
The family is one of the oldest in the
country and one Of the biggest land
holders in this State. The deeds of the
Wadsworths for their possessions in
Genesee Valley date back to original
grants by the English Crown.
The first of the family in this State
was James Wadsworth, known as the
American philanthropist," who moved
to Geneseo from Durham, Conn. He
was a Yale graduate of 1887. James
Wadsworth had acquired immense
tracts of land at the time of his death
In 1874 He printed and circulated at
his own expense many publications on
the subject of education and offered
bounties TO the towns that first estab-
lished libraries. re secured the first
dowed the Genesco Library md in deed
ing land always stipulated that 1875
acres in each new township should be
free for a church and 1875 acres free
for a school.
The american phIlanthropist's" son,
James Samuel, helped to found the new
Republican party in New York State.
He was an elector-at-large on the Free
mon; ticket in 1856 and four years later
was a Presidential Elector on the Lin
coin ticket James Samuel Wadsworth
was military Governor of the District Of
in ha aiN In
was the Republican candidate for Gov
ernor of New York. Serving as an
officer in the Union army, he was killed
at the battle of the Wilderness, where
he commanded a division.
James Wolcott Wadsworth, his son,
and father Of the new United States
Senator, was about to enter Yale in
1864, but abandoned the idea of cole ge
10 join the Union army In the field at
the age of IS. He served until the end
of the war. He was twice a New York
Assemblyman, was State Comptroller in
1879 and was elected to Congress in
1881 and served until 1885 and again
from 1891 to 1907.
James w. Wadsworth, Jr,, was born
at Geneseo on August IL, 1877. His
mother was Louise Travers, daughter
Of William r. Travers Of New York.
He was prepared for Yale at st. Marks
School in South Borough Mass, and
entered college in the fall of 1894, being
graduated with the class of 1898.
He was fond of all outdoor sports at
school and college Baseball was the
thing he liked most and played BEST
and in his last two years at Yale he was
on the varsity nine. He played baseball
all summer each year on a team organ
lied in Geneseo by his father-to whom
Yale gave an honorary A. NJ. the year
II graduated his son. and the assresa-
ton of athletes bo came known all over
rho Eastern States for its assembling
of star players from the various college
mines. Ask Yale man of the late '9Os
who Wadsworth Is and he Will probably
tell YOU that Jimmie was the best hrs'
baseman that ever played on fa'e
varsity nine and one of the most popu-
lar men in his class.
"Not a scholar" ran the general YER
diet. "ln the sense of high standing, bu'
a man who knew every member OF ms
class a man who could make goo'
speech offhand and splendid organizer
vradsworth was only fair student pu
he would rather play baseball than eat
Mr.. Wadsworth's chums at Yale IN
cludcd Payne Whitney and Adelner
Hay, son Of Secretary of state JOIN
Hay. Mr. Whitney and Mr.. Wads
worth afterward married Mr.. Hays tw'
sisters. Mrs James w, Wadsworth, Jr
was Miss Alice Hay, and there are wv
children, a boy and girl. They wer
married in 1902.
But to finish with Mr., Wadsworth a
college: He was tapped for Skull an
Bones at the ed Of his junior year an