Curtis Noble Douglas (May 28, 1856 in

Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

Jefferson County, New York Jefferson County is a county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,721. Its county seat is Watertown. The county is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United St ...

– February 9, 1919) was an American businessman and Senator from New York.

Early life

He was the son of John Pettit Douglas and Henrietta (Hughson) Douglas. He attended

Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...

from 1864 to 1870, and John C. Overheisus Classical School from 1871 to 1873. He graduated

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from

Rochester University Rochester University (formerly Rochester College) is a private Christian college in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It was founded by members of the Churches of Christ in 1959. Rochester University is primarily undergraduate (though it offers so ...

in 1877. While there, he was a member of the Fraternity of Delta Psi (St. Anthony Hall).

Career

Then he became secretary of his father, an extensive land owner in Jefferson County, and supervised a variety of business operations until 1880. He then pursued a teaching and literary career, becoming headmaster of Betts Academy in Stamford, Connecticut, and then assistant headmaster of J. H. Massis College Preparatory School in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. In 1882, he established his own college preparatory school there. In 1886, he married Nancy Sherman Thomson (1867–1927), and they had three children. Upon his marriage, he abandoned teaching, and instead engaged with his father-in-law in the

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

business in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

. Douglas was a member of the New York State Assembly (Albany Co., 4th D.) in

1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...

. His seat was contested by Republican Amos J. Ablett, and the Committee on Elections shortly before the end of the session reported in favor of Ablett, but no action was taken by the Assembly. Douglas was a member of the New York State Senate (29th D.) in

1899 Events January 1899 * January 1 ** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. ** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City. * January 2 – **Bolivia sets up a c ...

and

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

. Douglas was appointed on November 6, 1912, by his brother-in-law, Gov.

John Alden Dix John Alden Dix (December 25, 1860 – April 9, 1928) was an American businessman and politician who served as 38th Governor of New York from January 1911 to January 1913. A native of Glens Falls, New York, Dix attended Cornell University befo ...

, to the Public Service Commission, and remained in office until March 1914. The office carried an annual salary of $15,000, one of the highest salaries for State officers in New York.

Personal life

He died on February 9, 1919; and was buried at the

Albany Rural Cemetery The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Colonie, New York, United States, just outside the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the U.S., at over . Many historical A ...

in Menands.

References

Sources

Douglas-Thomson genealogy
at Schenectady History
''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''
(1899; pg. 736–760, "Douglas vs Ablett")
''HUPPUCH HAS QUIT SERVICE COMMISSION''
in NYT on November 7, 1912
''DOUGLAS'S SALARY IN PAWN''
in NYT on November 26, 1912
''CHOSEN FOR SERVICE BOARD''
in NYT on March 15, 1914

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Curtis N 1856 births 1919 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Albany, New York Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly University of Rochester alumni Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery 19th-century American legislators Businesspeople from Albany, New York 19th-century American businesspeople St. Anthony Hall