St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1916-03-08
RECENT DEATHS

Henry E. Fletcher, one of the old
time residents of Minneapolis, died
Saturday. Mar 4, at Old Point Com
fort, Va, where he had gone on adj
vice of his physicians to recuperate.
The interment was at st. Johnsbury.
his boyhoOd home and where other
members of his family are buried. on
Tuesday, Mar. s, his body being taken
directly from Old Point Comfort to
st Johnsbury Mr.. Fletcher was born
in Lyndon, July 81, 1S43, being de-
scendant of one of the oldest pioneer
families of New England. Only the
early childhood Of Mr.. Fletcher was
spent in his native town. When he
was lad of IL his father-removed to
ST Johnsbury At the age aof 16 he
entered Dartmouth college but was
obliged to abandon his studies with
out completing the course by reason
of ill health. Upon deciding to lead
business life and finding that of
wholesale -four and grain, in which his
father has been engaged and had most
successfully and ably managed since
1856, most congenial TO his tastes, he
entered the general office, first as
bookkeeper and little later as man
ager of a branch house established in
Newport. After a most successful
business career of a few years Mr..
Fletcher removed to Chicago in 1867,
engaging in milling under the firm
name of MARBLE & Fletcher. A terrible
explosion, a disastrous fire, and his
entire investment was gone. Early in
the spring of 1859 Mr.. Fletcher was
recalled to Vermont by the failing
health of his father. He imm ediately
took charge of the business, thereby
enabling his father to make a change
of climate, when he at once sought
the invigorating air of the Northwest.
During the years Mr.. Fletcher remain
ed at st. Johnsbury he not only ex-
tensively enlarged the business estab-
lished by his father but became more
and more identified with varied in
terests in town and state. He was
vice-president of the Merchants Ma
tionaI bank from it's organization.
June 1875, until he left the state in
1879 Anticipating for Minneapolis
it's rapid ascendency to the largest
milling point in the world he at once
engaged in his favorite pursuit of the
manufacture of flour, and Immediate
ly the firm of Sidle, Fletcher, Holmes
& Co., was organized, erecting one of
the best known mills in the far-famed
Flour City (the Northwestern, now
owned Dy the NhI1lAh6
company. In 1882 he retired from the
active management of the business,
allowing his name and interests to
remain until 1886. During these
years he was also extensively engaged
in the lumber business under the firm
name of Fletcher Brothers. He was
elected president of the Northern Pa
cific Elevator company in 1886, and
upon his retirement one year later left
the business in a most prosperous con-
dition. In 1887 one of the largest and
most important industries to the bust
ness growth of Minneapolis, viz, the
Minneapolis Stock Yards & Packing
Co.. was organized, Mr.. Fletcher be-
ing one of it's projectors and prime
movers: was also elected its first pres
ident, which position he held until
the fall of 1890. When the Minneap
oils, Sault ST. Marie and Atlantic rail-
road was projected in 1888, sMr.
Fletcher was one of the incorporators,
giving much of his time and attention
to it's construction. He was also
treasurer and a director of the Mime
apolis and Pacific, incorporated in
1886. These two roads were supse-
quently consolidated as the Minneap-
oils, St Paul & Sault ST. Marie. and in
10 0S MI. FlGlCIlC1 ASoA5AAO0 AIS NAA ~
torship, severing his connection there
with In 1907 Mr.. Fletcher organized
the Belt Line Brick company and has
remained it's president to the time of
his death. On account of the failing
health of Mrs. Fletcher, who died last
summer, Mr.. Fletcher gradually closed
up all his business interests so far as
possible, and at the time of his death
had no active connection with any
business except that of the Belt Line
Brick company. The career Of Mr..
Fletcher can be summed up in very
few words: 1t was characterized by
great earnestness and an unwavering
determination to succeed, and it at
fords happy illustration OF the power
of perseverance and conscientious ef-
fort in elevating individual character,
and of those virtues and principles en-
bodied in a consistent and well defined
life.