The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-05-21
IRA G. CALEF
DIED TO-DAY
Well-KnoWn Benefactor of
Many Institutions Was
Aged 80
CONTRIBUTED LARGE
LY TO BARRE HOSPITAL
Also Gave Literally to God
dard Seminary-He Was
I'll for a Long Time

! many INSTITUTIONS In vermont, Massaehu
setts and Rhode Island, died at his hom
in Washington this forenoon at 9:4
o'clock. Early in January he was takel
i'll and for time, because of his ad
yanced age, much alarm was felt, but h.
rallied from an attack of the grip ant
seemed to be regaining his health unit
three weeks ago. Latterly he had con
tinued to decline steadily.
The funeral will be held at the Gale
homo in Washington Wednesday after
noon at 2 dock. Rev. Paul Weller
pastor of the Universalist church in that
village. will offieiate, and interment is tc
be made in the village cemetery. 1t ii
requested that flowers be omitted.
The death of Mr. Calef removes a com.
manding figure in the financial life OF
Barre and takes from the town of Wash
Iington its first citizen. Born in that
town March 20, 1928, he was the fourth
child of Cutting s. Calef and Martha III,
| tPainel Calef, there being IL children,
all but one of whom lived to an advanced
age. With the death of Mr. Calef, only
his brother, John Caief of Washington,
survives. There are 20 nephews and
nieces, one of the latter being Miss Emily
g, Calef, who has remained at the Calef
home since the death of the deceased's
sister, Miss Lucy Calef, which occurred
in March, 1918.
Mr.. Calef's biography is the story of
New England boy, who overcame many
obstacles in reaching a position of afilu-
ence among the business men of two gem
erations. When he was l6 years old his
father died and year later Mr.. Calef
began his career in Boston, where he
sought and obtained work of various
sorts until he went to Providence, R. l.,
at the age of 10. There, in a meat shop,
he laid the foundation for a successful
business career. BY dint of his persever.
ance, thrift and native perspicscity,
he was able, in year or two, to purchase
the meat business from his first employ
er in Providence, Five years after en-
barking upon his first venture in the
meat line he admitted to partnership in
the enterprise his two brothers, Stephen
and George Calef. In the years imme-
diately preceding the Civil war he saw
his opportunity in the West and after
disposing OF his interest in the Provi-
denee business he migrated to Cincin-
natl, O.. where he established himself in
the pork packing industry. In that phase
of the meat business MIR. Calef was
probably one of the pioneers. The bust
ness thrived and it was not until his
packing plant was destroyed that he
quit Cincinnati and moved to Des Moines.
la.
ha int nt-tn
business on a scale even larger than in
Cincinnati and prospered accordingly. In
the Middle West he remained a promi- |
nent figure in the business of packing |
pork for the eastern market until 1888, |
when he disposed OF his plant in Des
Moines and transferred his interests to
Chicago. He was not stranger in Chi
cago, however, for during his residence in
Cincinnati and Des Moines, he had fire.
luent dealings with business men in the
larger city and for upward of 35 years
thereafter most of his business interests
were to center in the metropolis of the
Middle West. He became larger buyer
Of meat and the confidence reposed in
lim by business men along the eastern
seaboard enabled him to find a ready
market for hundreds and thousands of
barrels of beef tongues. For 80 years he
returned each spring to pass the sum
ners at the old home in Washington, di-
riding his time in the winter between
his interests in Chicago and on the Pa
ific coast. In that period. too. Mr.. Calef
raveled extensively and came TO know
learly every state in the union. He
made trips to- Europe, visiting England ,
md countries ON the continent.
Although in the later years of his busi- ,
less activity he spent much time in trav ,
], he retained strong grip on his finan !
ial interests. As long ago as 1884 he =
epresented the town of Washington in !,
he general assembly and while his af- :
airs took him away from home much of
he time he retained a deep interest in
'ermont and the welfare of his native Il
own, as has been shown from time to
ime by special benefactions.
In the past four years he had passed
luch of his time in Washington and it
lay be said that many of his larger
enefactions were made in the later
ears of his life. For the past 80 years
e had been a member of the board of Z
-ustees at Goddard seminary, and long 9
efore his official connection with the I
,hool began he was numbered among '
be few men whose activities nursed the I
lstitution along in its infancy. Due e
cry largely to his munifcence, the alum c
of Goddard were enabled TO present S
he school with a new building three s.
ears ago and only within a year his s.
snerosity in the donating of a large sum b
money served to enlarge the opportu- a
ties afforded students from the town p
Washington as well as elsewhere in el
le state. His sane counsel in invest
ent matters made it possible for the 81
hool TO secure strong financial intrench- b
ent for its endowment fund, a fund ol
hich, BY the way. had been frequently d
creased by Mr.. Calef's gifts. 10
In the past two years his benefactions al
I've aggregated S6o0t000. much of the OF
oney going TO deserving institutions ju
u etnducted for profit. In a very real
nse Mr. Calef was the good angel of
e present Barre City hospital. for It
A. his initial gift Of $4,000 in 1914 A
aich furnished the stimulus for a cam
ign resulting in the erection of the
odern building on Washington street
1spitals in particular were ever the al
Of Mr.. Cslef's largess and the nc
e that he found institutions OF the VI