Читать книгу History of Westchester County, New York, Volume 3 - Группа авторов - Страница 58

If kindness and geniality count for aught in this world, if a life above reproach, both in the discharge of public and private duties, is deserving of commendation, then John Quincy Underbill has certainly merited the high regard which is uniformly accorded him. In business he is the soul of honor and integrity, and from a humble clerkship has worked his way upward until he now has an important official connection with one of the leading insurance companies of the country. As a leader in Democratic circles he has also won prestige and has been honored with high political preferment.

Mr. Underbill was born in New Rochelle, in 1848, and is a representative in the eighth generation of a family that is descended from Captain John Underbill, who fought with Captain Mason against the Indians in New England. He crossed the Atlantic in 1630 and about 1660 made a permanent location on Long Island. His first wife was a sister of Governor Winthrop, of the Massachusetts colony. Members of the Underbill family, descendants of Captain John Underbill, removed from Long Island to Westchester county, New York, establishing here what is now one of the oldest and most honored families of the locality. Peter Underbill served his .country in the war of 1812 and rose to the rank of colonel. John Bonnett Underbill, grandfather of our subject, was a native of Westchester county, where also occurred the birth of George Washington Lafayette Underbill, father of him whose name introduces this review. He married Julia Ann Barker, also a native of Westchester county and a daughter of Isaac Barker. They are still residents of New Rochelle, and for many years the father was actively connected with the business interests of the city. In early life he was a farmer but afterward engaged in merchandising, which he carried on until his retirement from active business life.

In the district schools near his home John Q. Underbill acquired his early education, and later attended the Free Academy, now the College of New York City. In 1869 he entered the employ of the Westchester Fire Insurance Company, in a clerical capacity, and has since retained his connection with that corporation, steadily advancing step by step as he has demonstrated his mastery of the business and his ability to handle successfully its interests. In 1879 he was made secretary of the company, and in 1892 was elected both secretary and vice-president, but in that year resigned the former position in order to assume the duties of treasurer in addition to those of vice-president. Such is his present connection with the company with which he has been associated for thirty years. Largely owing to his able and sagacious management, a most gratifying success has attended this enterprise during his connection therewith, and the assets have increased from two hundred thousand dollars to two million five hundred thousand dollars during that period. Mr. Underbill is a man of keen discrimination and unabating perseverance, and with a judgment rarely in error he formulates his plans and carries them forward to a prosperous conclusion. In connection with others, he aided in the organization of the New Rochelle Bank, in 1887, and has since been a member of its directorate. He is a man of unswerving loyalty to any interest entrusted to his care, and his honesty in business matters is proverbial.

But it is not alone in the business world that Mr. Underbill is well, known. He is regarded as one of the essential factors in the public life of New Rochelle, was three times elected president of the village, and was a member of the town board for a number of years. For ten years he had the general management of the construction of the sewers of the village, and introduced a system which adds much to the healthfulness of New Rochelle, and is unsurpassed in any town of its size in the Empire state. While serving as trustee and having charge of the sewer system, more than a million dollars of public money passed through his hands, every cent of which was faithfully accounted for. He drafted a bill, which was passed by both houses of the legislature, making New Rochelle a city, and though he met the most stubborn opposition on the part of a number of citizens, he persevered in the pursuit of this commendable purpose until his object was accomplished. He is eminently popular, a fact which was shown in 1898, when he was elected on the Democratic ticket to the fifty-sixth congress from the sixteenth congressional district of New York by a plurality of sixty-three hundred and fifty, over James Irving Burns, the Republican nominee. During the two preceding terms the district had been represented by a Republican, and his immediate predecessor, William L. Ward, had been elected in 1896 by a plurality of seventy-two hundred, a fact which shows that he increased the Democratic vote about fourteen thousand. He was the only candidate on the Democratic ticket elected in Westchester county, in the fall of 1898, and' it will thus be seen that he wields a mighty influence in political affairs in the county, and, indeed, throughout the entire congressional district.

In 1872 Mr. Underbill wedded Miss Minnie B. Price, of Sag Harbor, Long Island, daughter of James H. Price. They now have a daughter, Anna. B., an accomplished young lady and a graduate of the woman's law class of the University Law School, of New York city. They have a pleasant home, in the midst of attractive surroundings, and in social circles their position is enviable. Mr. Underhill is a member of Huguenot Lodge, No. 46, F. & A. M. His cordiality and general worth make him a favorite among his friends, while his strong mentality and marked executive ability have gained him leadership in business circles and in public life.