This series takes a close look at some of the influential figures in the City of Everett. We explored schools, libraries, parks, and more and provided a brief historical background on the person behind the name. Learn more about some of Everett’s finest!
Edward Everett
The Namesake of the City of Everett
For the inaugural highlight in our “More than a Name” series, the most fitting figure is the namesake of our City, Edward Everett.
Born in 1794 in Dorchester, MA, Edward Everett served many prominent roles throughout his life, including Member of U.S. House of Representatives from MA’s 4th District, U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom, Governor of MA, Secretary of State, U.S. Senator from MA, and President of Harvard University.
Despite his political prominence, Everett was most notable for his skill as an orator. In fact, Everett was the featured orator at the dedication ceremony of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in 1863, where he spoke for over two hours. What happened immediately after Everett’s speech? President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, one of our nation’s most recognizable and most significant speeches.
In 1870, Everett, MA separated from Malden, bearing the name “Everett” in honor of one of the greatest orators in our nation’s history and prominent political figure during a highly divisive time in the United States, Edward Everett.
Frederick Emmons Parlin
Parlin Memorial Library
The first Everett Public Library was opened to the public on May 1, 1879, situated in the Whittier-Dearborn Building at 166 School Street. As the collections of the Everett Public Library expanded, so too did the space requirements and, subsequently, the operating costs. Noting the struggles of the existing library and anticipating the population growth that would occur when Everett was to change from a town to a city, Albert Parlin offered to gift to the then-town of Everett his grandparents’ estate, the Pickering house, as well as a sum of $5,000 to erect a new library in memory of his son. On September 17, 1895, the Frederick E. Parlin Memorial Library was opened to the public.
Frederick E. Parlin was Albert’s only son, who died on August 20, 1890 from Typhoid Fever at the young age of eighteen. Over the course of his short life, Frederick exhibited athletic prowess, high levels of intelligence, and was highly regarded by all who knew him for his personality and character. Frederick won back-to-back gold medals in 1889 and 1890 for finishing in first-place in a one-mile bicycle race. He took and passed the entrance examinations for Harvard University after excelling academically at the Chauncey-Hall School in Boston. He was the object of adoration by his parents, described as “a young man of rare personality and great promise.”
M. Grant Daniell, Frederick’s teacher at Chauncey-Hall, reflected on young Frederick after his untimely death: “Fred Parlin, as a pupil in this school was distinguished first of all for unswerving fidelity to his school duties. He was conscientious to a fault. What he had to do he always did to the best of his ability…His was a very amiable disposition. Teachers and school-mates were fond of him. His conduct was as nearly faultless as one could wish. He did right because it came natural to him to do right. He was thoroughly incapable of doing a mean act…I am aware that the above is a meagre and inadequate estimate of the boy’s character and personality, but such as it is, it comes from one whose heart is still warm with pleasant and tender recollections of one of the best fellows it has ever been his lot to come in contact with.”
Although Frederick was stripped of a full life, it is a privilege to honor his legacy here at the Parlin Memorial Library.
William and Tabitha Shute
Shute Memorial Library
The Shute family traces its history to the early ancestry of Massachusetts. Records show that a Shute house was built before 1700 on land which is in present-day Everett. In 1892, William Shute gifted $10,000 to the City of Everett to build a library in memory of his mother, Tabitha Nichols Shute. After purchasing suitable land from Edward Saunders, hiring a local architect by the name of William Lougee, and having a construction contract awarded to Fessenden & Libby, construction began in 1897 and the Shute Memorial Library was opened to the public on May 24, 1899. In total, the land and the building resulted in a final cost of $11,009.11 (or about $345,000.00 today, adjusting for inflation).
Tabitha Nichols Shute was born on December 26, 1805 in South Malden (present-day Everett). Tabitha lived the entirety of her life in Everett, working as a house cleaner. Tabitha married her husband, Henry Shute, on June 1, 1828, bearing six children, three daughters and three sons. She passed on August 28, 1885.
William Shute was born on May 17, 1831 in Everett, MA, eventually moving to Lynn, MA. He worked throughout his life as a “Morocco Dresser” – Morocco was a type of goat skin leather than was much lighter in weight than the more normal leathers at the time; Dressers were the people who actually tanned and/or softened the leather for the purpose of making them into shoes. In the later 1800s, the City of Lynn positioned themselves as the world capital for leather shoe manufacturing, with its 234 factories churning out over a million pairs of shoes every day.
At the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Shute Memorial Library, the following words were written: “In the United States, the sanctuary of liberty, a natural result of freedom of thought has been the founding of libraries. To preserve the memory of his mother, Tabitha Nichols Shute, a great advocate of freedom, William Shute bequeathed $10,000 to Everett, city of his birth, for the purpose of erecting a library.”
We are forever grateful for the generous gift made by William Shute and constantly strive to uphold the values of Tabitha Shute by providing the necessary tools to ensure that freedom of thought is bestowed to all.
Madeline “Maddy” English
Madeline English School
Maddy English was born on February 22, 1925 in Everett Massachusetts. Maddy was the daughter of Ambrose Tobias English, a longtime Everett city official who served as Everett’s Acting Mayor from July 1947-January 1948, and Anne English. While there were no organized interscholastic sports while she attended Everett High School, Maddy involved herself in pickup games around the Boston area, eventually joining a Massachusetts softball team in 1939, who played their home games on the concrete floor of the Boston Garden when the Bruins and Celtics teams were out of town. Her stand-out athleticism at third-base caught the eye of a professional baseball scout, who invited her to a tryout at Wrigley Field in Chicago in 1943.
With the US entangled in World War II, Philip Wrigley, owner of the Wrigley Company and the Chicago Cubs, founded the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in 1943 to keep the public interested in baseball while many MLB teams had their star-rosters depleted due to the draft. Wrigley sent scouts around the US and Canada to find the proper talent to field teams. 280 women were chosen to tryout in Chicago; of them, 60 were chosen to play in the newly founded AAGPBL. Maddy English was one of the athletes chosen and was assigned to the Racine Belles of Wisconsin, one of the four original teams.
Due in large part to her outstanding abilities both on the field and at the plate, Maddy and the Racine Belles won the AAGPBL’s first Championship Title in 1943. In 1946, the AAGPBL put together their first ever All-Star Team, selecting Maddy as their starting third-baseman, an honor she would enjoy again in 1948 and 1949. She is tied for the league record for stolen bases in a single game, posting seven stolen bases in 1947. Maddy played nine seasons with the Racine Belles before ending her professional baseball career in 1951.
Following retirement from professional sports, Maddy served as the player-manager of an all-star softball team in Lynn, Massachusetts for five years. During this time, she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in education from Boston University in 1957, receiving her Master’s Degree in 1962. Maddy commenced her 27-year career at the Parlin Junior High School in 1960, spending 10 years as a classroom and physical education teacher followed by 17 years as the school’s guidance counselor, advising students on future educational and career paths.
Maddy English has been inducted into the Boston University Athletics Hall of Fame, the Women in Sports Hall of Fame, and the Sports Museum of New England. A permanent display dedicated to the AAGPBL players was introduced in 1988 in the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY. Maddy and the rest of her professional counterparts rose greatly in notoriety following the 1992 film, A League of Their Own, starring Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Madonna, Lori Petty, and Rosie O’Donnell, which focused on the AAGBPL. As a result of the film’s success in bringing professional women’s baseball to the spotlight in America, the National Baseball Hall of Fame hosted an event in 2003 to honor those athletes who made this a reality; in attendance was Maddy English, who gave a speech to an audience of over 200-people, recounting her career as one of the world’s first female professional baseball players.
In 2003, the Madeline English School was dedicated to this trailblazing Everett-native. Maddy passed away on August 21, 2004 in her hometown of Everett at the age of 79.
Sumner Whittier
Sumner Whittier School
Sumner Gage Whittier was born on July 1st, 1911 in Everett, Massachusetts. Sumner attended Everett High School, Class of 1930. During his high school years, Sumner was very well-rounded student, participating in a multitude of school activities, serving as the Senior Class Vice President, involving himself in school plays, broadcasting, debate team, art club, and serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Senior class’s Yearbook. Sumner was also a gifted public speaker and writer, engaging in public speaking contests and winning the American Legion Essay contest, two skills that served him well later in life as a politician. Sumner went on to attend and graduate from Boston University in 1936.
Sumner quickly immersed himself into the world of politics, being elected as an Alderman in Everett, followed shortly thereafter by being elected as a City Councilor for the City of Everett. Sumner shifted his political aspirations to Beacon Hill, successfully running for State Representative and later as a State Senator, a position he held for ten years. He did not seek reelection for his State Senator position, opting instead to serve as Lieutenant Governor under Massachusetts’s Governor Christian Herter from 1953-1957. Following Governor Herter’s one-term tenure, Sumner ran as the Republican Candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 1957, but lost to Democrat Foster Furcolo.
Sumner’s gubernatorial loss did not keep him out of politics for long. In December 1957, he was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to lead the United States Veterans Affairs, serving as the V.A.’s 5th Administrator in its history. Sumner left this post at the end of President Eisenhower’s term in 1961, transitioning to lead the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program at the Social Security Administration in Baltimore, Maryland. Ever the dedicated public servant, Sumner served this role until the age of 80, residing in Baltimore for the remainder of his life where he passed away on January 8th, 2010 at the age of 98. One of Everett’s finest, Sumner is laid to rest at the Woodlawn Cemetery.
George Keverian
George Keverian School and Speaker Keverian Hearing Room
Born in Everett on June 3, 1931, George Keverian was the son of Armenian parents who had immigrated to the U.S. from Turkey in 1915, fleeing a country ravaged by the Armenian Genocide, which saw the mass murder of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. His parents, Nazar and Eliza, settled in Everett on Irving Street, in a house that George called home for the entirety of his life.
Ever the academic, George graduated as the valedictorian of Everett High School, Class of 1949. An exceptionally well-rounded individual, George was also a gifted athlete in his early years, achieving the status of a champion runner for the high school track team. He attended Tufts College for two years before transferring to Harvard, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1953 with a Political Science major. Mr. Keverian continued his pursuit of academia, later attending Harvard Law School.
Shortly after graduating Harvard undergrad, George immersed himself in the world of politics. He successfully ran for the Everett Common Council in 1954, serving four terms, the last of which he was elected as President of the Common Council. Following his fourth term in 1961, George was then elected to the Board of Aldermen in Everett, an office he held until 1967. Setting his sights on the State House, George successfully ran for the Massachusetts House of Representatives 20th Middlesex District seat in 1966.
Beloved and respected among his Beacon Hill colleagues, both for his never-ceasing work ethic and unrivaled sense of humor, George found great success while serving his twenty-four years as State Rep. As a State House politician, he advocated for greater openness in leadership, free speech, and government reform. In 1975, George was elected by his fellow House Representatives to serve as the House Majority Whip, the third-highest leadership position in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In 1978, Keverian climbed up the ladder yet again, being chosen as the House Majority Leader. In 1985, Keverian reached the top-position in the House, serving as the Speaker of the House until 1991. What made this victory even more notable was that it marked the first and only instance that a successful challenge against an incumbent Speaker was made in Massachusetts, with Keverian unseating Thomas McGee of Lynn.
A lifelong Everett resident, Keverian returned to Everett City Hall, the birthplace of his political career, and was appointed as the City’s Chief Assessor, a role he served from 1995 until 2007. George was given one of the highest honors a City could bestow upon one of its residents, having the Keverian School dedicated to him in 2002 as well as having the Speaker George Keverian Hearing Room, located on the third-floor of Everett City Hall, dedicated in his honor in 2000.
George passed away on March 6, 2009. After receiving the honor of Lying in State at the Massachusetts State House, George was laid to rest at Glenwood Cemetery.
One of Everett’s most giving, humble, intelligent, and personable residents, it is truly an honor to be able to provide a bit of history on Speaker George Keverian.
Charles Devens
Devens School
Born on April 4th, 1820 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Charles Devens Jr. was an attorney, politician, judge, and renowned military leader during the American Civil War.
Charles Devens attended Boston Latin School, Harvard College, and Harvard Law School, successfully admitted to the bar in Franklin County, Massachusetts upon his graduation in 1840. Devens practiced law for nine years before entering the political realm. In 1848, Devens was elected to the Massachusetts Senate as a member of the Whig Party. He subsequently served as the United States Marshal for Massachusetts from 1849 to 1853.
One of Devens’s most notable acts as Marshal came as a result of a conflict between his official duties and his personal virtues. He was forced to remand a fugitive slave, Thomas Sims, to slavery in 1851, feeling his hands were tied in this decision. Suffering personally from this decision, Devens attempted, unsuccessfully, to purchase Sims’s freedom with his own money. Although the initial attempt to purchase the man’s freedom was unsuccessful, Devens kept a close eye on Mr. Sims, later appointing him to serve a position in the United States Department of Justice in Washington D.C.
Embroiled in one of America’s worst conflicts, Charles Devens became passionately involved in the Civil War for the Union. In a call to arms on April 16, 1861, Devens urged a group of young men at Mechanics Hall in Worcester to “rise up and go” with him to the “rescue of Washington.” A few days later, Devens was appointed Major of the 3rd Massachusetts Rifle Battalion. Quickly climbing the ranks for his heroism in battle and aptitude for military strategy, Devens was appointed to colonel of the 15th Massachusetts Infantry in July 1861, promoted to Brigadier General of volunteers in April 1862, and Division Commander of multiple divisions throughout the War. Despite several serious injuries during battle, Devens was known not only for fighting valiantly, but for never leaving the side of his men, even when his sustained injuries required urgent medical care. He was highly regarded among both those he led and those he served as a man of utmost honor and respect.
Following the conclusion of the Civil War, Charles Devens was nominated and confirmed in 1866 for the award of the honorary grade of Brevet Major General for the United States Volunteers for his services during the Richmond campaign – Devens and his troops were the first to occupy the Confederate capital after its fall in April 1865, in what marked one of the final and most important Union victories over the Confederacy. Serving his country in a non-military capacity, Devens served as a Judge for the Massachusetts Superior Court from 1867-1873, and then as an Associate Justice for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1873-1877 and again from 1881-1891. During the gap from 1877-1881, Devens was appointed by President Rutherford B. Hayes as the 35th Attorney General of the United States.
Charles Devens passed away from a heart failure in Boston on January 7, 1891 and found his eternal resting place in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Albert N. Parlin
Parlin Junior High School and the Parlin House
Albert Parlin was born on September 16, 1848 in Everett, Massachusetts to Ezra Parlin and Nancy Pickering-Parlin. His father, Ezra, was a native of Weld, Maine who met Nancy while he was teaching. Unfortunately, tragedy struck in the young life of Albert, losing both his parents at a very young age – his mother passed in 1853 at the age of twenty-six and his father passed in 1858 at the age of thirty-seven, both succumbing to “consumption” (tuberculosis). At the age of nine, young Albert had become an orphan, raised by his grandmother, Sarah Howe Edmester Pickering, in the Pickering House where he was born.
Never deterred, Albert pushed forward with his life, gradating from the Schools of Malden and Malden High School in 1864. He found his first job as a floor-sweep and errand boy in a retail cloak store, serving the store for eight months. Come July, 1865, the seventeen-year-old Albert Parlin began working with Magee Furnace Company, a Boston-based company where Mr. Parlin spent twenty-eight years of his professional career. Ten years into his tenure, Mr. Parlin rose through the ranks, taking charge of the company in 1875 and becoming the company’s Treasurer in 1876. While working at Magee, Parlin connected himself to many prominent business enterprises: He served as the President of the Chicago and Ohio River Railroad, Director of the Connotton Valley Railroad, Director of the Hamilton National Bank, and Director of the New England Mortgage Security Company.
In 1892, Albert Parlin donated to the City of Everett the Pickering Estate, his birthplace and familial home, to be torn down and a Library erected on the parcel in memory of his son, Frederick E. Parlin, who died in 1890 at the age of eighteen. Albert Parlin gave to the City an additional $5,000 to aid in the building of the Frederick E. Parlin Memorial Library. Through the years, Mr. Parlin continued to exemplify charitable giving, donating $6,000 in 1911 for an addition to the Library, purchasing the land between the Library and Central Fire Station to serve as an outdoor relaxation area for the residents of Everett, and donating first-edition books and portraits he had amassed over the years. His greatest gift given to the Library came in the form of the Frederick E. Parlin Memorial Fund. Between 1924 and 1927, Albert Parlin donated $100,000 to this fund, the interest from which the Library could use to purchase items not provided to the Library by the City. This fund is still used by the Library Board of Trustees today.
Albert Parlin did not stop his generosity with the Library; it takes more than that to be known as “Everett’s Greatest Benefactor”!
In 1914, Mr. Parlin donated the land on which the Parlin Junior High School currently resides, noting in his donation that he wished for a school and playground to be maintained on the parcel. In Mr. Parlin’s will, Albert Parlin left $300,000 “to purchase or erect and maintain in or near the City of Boston a lodging house…where, at a small expense, poor and worthy young men and boys, who are earning their living, may be offered a healthy, attractive home in good surroundings to enable them to start right in the world, and to afford them a congenial place to spend their evenings…” The Parlin House, as it is now known, stands directly behind Everett City Hall. When it first opened, the Parlin House, which had both a full gymnasium and a swimming pool in addition to its living quarters, charged occupants $4.00 per week (which translates to roughly $60.00/week in today’s currency – not too bad for Everett rent!)
Albert Parlin truly embodied the word “generous” in every sense, creating a legacy that has lasted over a century and will continue to provide for the residents of Everett well into the future. Mr. Parlin passed away on March 15, 1927 at the age of 78 and is buried alongside his wife, Sarah Battelle Emmons Parlin, in Everett’s Woodlawn Cemetery.
Marquis de Lafayette
Lafayette School
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, better known simply as Lafayette, was born on September 6, 1757 in Chavaniac, France. Born into a wealthy family in Chavaniac, France, Lafayette dedicated his life to seeking glory in what he deemed to be noble military causes. Such a life’s quest was no stranger to Lafayette’s family, a lineage regarded as one of the oldest and most distinguished in all of France. Some notable examples of his bloodline include serving as a companion-at-arms of Joan of Arc’s army during the 1429 Siege of Orleans, acquiring the Crown of Thorns during the Sixth Crusade to recapture Jerusalem in 1229, and serving as the personal horse guard to King Louis XV.
In 1771, at the age of 13, the young and ambitious Lafayette was commissioned an officer, albeit mostly of a ceremonial nature, in the Musketeers in France. Ever the man to experience life beyond his years, Lafayette married Marie Adrienne Francoise at 14. By 19, Lafayette, having already earned the rank of major general, decided that he would set off to the New World to aid America in the American Revolution against the British. Despite disapproval from his father-in-law, even in the face of possible arrest by King Louis XVI, Lafayette purchased the ship Victoire with his own personal wealth and set sail for America, landing in Georgetown, South Carolina on June 13, 1777. Voyaging to Philadelphia, Lafayette made friends with many American greats, including Benjamin Franklin and General George Washington, all of whom were impressed by his enthusiasm and desire to aid the fledgling America in armed combat against the British.
Lafayette’s first battle was on September 11, 1777 at Brandywine. Sustaining a shot to the leg, Lafayette stayed on the battlefield with his troops and helped execute an orderly retreat when outflanked by the British. For putting his men’s fate above his own, Washington recommended that he take command of a division immediately. Entangled in multiple battles throughout the Northeast, Lafayette was consistently commended for his valor and bravery on the battlefield and his unrivaled skill at commanding and motivating his troops.
Returning to France for a year, Lafayette was already hailed as a hero by both the Americans and the French. His loyalty to the American cause was so great, he named his first son Georges Washington Lafayette. Showcasing his return home as a tactical move, Lafayette was able to persuade King Louis XVI to send 6,000 French troops, commanded by Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau, to America in furtherance of the ongoing struggle for independence from British rule. Unsatisfied with assisting from afar, Lafayette returned to America, landing in Boston on April 27, 1780. Regarded as the last major land battle of the American Revolution, Lafayette and his forces staved off Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, forcing British surrender.
For his dedication and bravery, Lafayette was regarded as a hero in America and France. He was promoted to marechal de camp, the third in command of the French Army. He was involved in the negotiations of the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War and thus recognized America’s independence. Lafayette joined the Society of the Friends of the Blacks in France and advocated for the end of the slave trade and equal rights for free blacks in France and America. Later in life, Lafayette was invited by then-President James Monroe in 1824 to take part in a grand tour of the United States, which lasted 16 months as he visited all 24 states, each to a hero’s welcome.
Marquis de Lafayette passed away on May 20, 1834 in Paris, France at the age of 76. He will always be remembered not only as an outstanding leader, but as one of the world’s greatest unifiers. He was a noble Frenchman with no ties to America, yet commanded troops in New England, the mid-Atlantic, and the South. He was driven by his morals and always stayed true to his core beliefs of what was right, staking his life on multiple occasions to help achieve his goals. Lafayette is the perfect embodiment of the word “hero” and was vital in crafting America’s identity that we hold dear today. You can see his name throughout the U.S., having counties, cities, towns, squares, streets, and schools dedicated in his honor. One such example is found right here in Everett, with the Lafayette School proudly bearing his name.
We are forever grateful for the generous gift made by William Shute and constantly strive to uphold the values of Tabitha Shute by providing the necessary tools to ensure that freedom of thought is bestowed to all.
Daniel Webster
Webster School
Daniel Webster was born on January 18, 1782 in Salisbury, New Hampshire (now known as Franklin, New Hampshire). The Webster family had long-established roots in the United States, with his first ancestor migrating here in 1636, and his father, Ebenezer Webster, fighting in both the French and Indian War as well as the American Revolutionary War. Riddled with health issues as a youth, young Daniel Webster devoted his time to reading and studying rather than assisting his eight siblings and parents on the family farm. As a result of his devotion to literary and political works, Webster attended Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, before attending Dartmouth College in 1797 at the age of 15. Upon graduation in 1801, Webster apprenticed for two separate attorneys and was eventually admitted to the bar in 1805.
Daniel Webster was an ardent, outspoken supporter of the Federalist Party, known as the nation’s first political party. The Federalist Party, led by Alexander Hamilton, called for a strong national government with a focus on promoting economic growth (by way of establishing a national bank, imposing strong tariffs to fund the Treasury, and supporting industrial development within the fledgling nation) as well as fostering a friendly relationship with Great Britain in opposition to Revolutionary France. Writing in strong opposition to President Thomas Jefferson’s Embargo Act of 1807, which halted trade to both Britain and France, Webster began gaining traction among Federalist supporters. As a result of his writings and speeches advocating Federalist policies and viewpoints, he was elected as a Federalist member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Hampshire in 1813.
While serving in the House, Webster rose to prominence in the legal field. In fact, between 1814-1852, Webster argued at least one case per session of the Supreme Court, serving as counsel in a total of 223 Supreme Court cases, winning approximately half of these cases. He is credited as serving crucial roles in some of America’s most celebrated constitutional cases, including Dartmouth College v. Woodward (strengthened the Contracts Clause of the US Constitution and limited the power of States to interfere with private corporate charters), McCulloch v. Maryland (defined the Legislative Power of the U.S. Congress and how it related to State legislatures), and Gibbons v. Ogden (held that the power of Commerce to regulate interstate commerce under the Commerce Clause also gave them the power to regulate navigation). Recognizing his unrivaled legal skill and knowledge, Webster was appointed as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee by House Speaker Henry Clay in 1823.
Urged by his supporters to seek higher office, Webster successfully ran for a Massachusetts seat in the United State Senate in 1827. He was appointed as the Secretary of State in 1841 by President William Harrison, but served the majority of this appointment under John Tyler, as Harrison died from pneumonia one month after taking office. Following a falling out with Tyler, Webster returned back to his Senator seat from 1845-1850 before being named Secretary of State for the second time by President Millard Fillmore, where he served from 1850-1852. Due to poor health, Webster was forced to leave his position in Fillmore’s cabinet. Who, you might ask, replaced him as Secretary of State? None other than the namesake of our City, Edward Everett!
Webster’s health quickly deteriorated once leaving office and returning to his estate in Marshfield, Massachusetts. He passed away on October 24, 1852 and is buried in the Winslow Cemetery near his estate. Perhaps sensing that his legacy would be one written about for years to come, Webster’s last words were: “I still live.” Daniel Webster’s name lives on not just in history books, but also in Everett, serving as the namesake of the Webster School.
John Adams
Adams School
Born on October 30, 1735 in Braintree, Massachusetts (now Quincy, Massachusetts) to John Adams Sr. and Susanna Boylston, John Adams was the oldest of three sons. His parents were highly involved in their community, his mother a socialite from a leading medical family in Brookline, MA, and his father a deacon, farmer, lieutenant in the militia, and town selectman. The Adams family could trace their American lineage back to 1638, when John Adams’s great-great-grandfather, Henry Adams, immigrated to Massachusetts from Essex, England.
Although Adams encountered some issues with his education at a young age, often skipping classes as a result for his disdain toward his teacher, he changed his tune later on, attending Harvard College in 1751 at the age of 16. While pursuing an education at Harvard, Adams became determined to seek and attain honor and respect. To further this goal, he began studying law at Harvard and was admitted to the bar in 1759. Once admitted, he continued studying and even wrote political publications throughout Boston, ridiculing Colonial elites’ thirst for power.
His rise to national prominence began with his publications opposing the Stamp Act of 1765, which required a payment of a direct tax by the colonies to Britain and was imposed without any consultation of the American legislatures. Two years later, setting aside his disdain for British tyranny, Adams defended the British soldiers responsible for the Boston Massacre. Although his personal interests and national allegiance sided with the massacred citizens, he would not let such views stand in the way of affording these soldiers a fair trial.
Adams solidified his personal stance on the Colonies’ opposition to British rule when he was chosen as one of four delegates from Massachusetts to the First Continental Congress in 1774. Adams was selected to a Grand Committee of 23 members, tasked with drafting a letter of grievances to King George III regarding the Intolerable Acts. During the Second Continental Congress, Adams, now the leader of the Massachusetts delegation, took the stance that independence from Britain was inevitable and that such a declaration of Colonial intentions should be made as soon as possible. As such, Adams organized the Committee of Five, consisting of himself, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman, to draft the Declaration of Independence. Adams was regarded as the busiest man of the Congress, sitting on 90 separate committees and chairing 25 of them.
With independence from British rule now achieved, Adams pivoted his focus toward maintaining positive relationships, particularly economic relationships, abroad. He was named the United States Commissioner to France in 1777, the Ambassador to the Dutch Republic in 1781, and the Ambassador to Great Britain in 1785. Upon his return to the United States, Adams was elected as Vice President in 1789, garnering 34 Electoral College votes to George Washington’s 69. Adams became very involved in matters in front of the Senate, casting 29 tie-breaking votes, which is the most cast by a Vice-President in U.S. history. Unsatisfied by the powers bestowed upon him as Vice President, Adams ran for President in 1796 under the Federalist Party, running against the Republican Thomas Jefferson. Adams emerged victorious in the hotly contested election, receiving 71 electoral votes to Jefferson’s 68.
Adams’s presidency was dominated by conflicts abroad. The British and French were at war with one another, resulting from the French Revolution. Fearing an attack by the French, Adams increased American defenses and attempted to resolve any threat of war with France peacefully. When what became known as the XYZ Affair failed to bring about peace, the French and the U.S. became entangled in an undeclared naval war known as the Quasi-War from 1798-1800. With his own party becoming split over his dealings with France, Adams had lost too much key support to win re-election to the presidency in 1800, losing to Jefferson.
Although still involved with political affairs as an advisor and friend, Adams spent the last years of his life at his home in Quincy, Massachusetts with his family. On July 4, 1826, on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, John Adams passed away in his home. His body resides in a crypt at the United First Parish Church in Quincy, alongside his wife, Abigail, his son and future-President, John Quincy-Adams, and his son’s wife, Louisa Adams.
John Adams, one of the Founding Fathers of our nation, left behind an incredible legacy. He is a Founding Father of the United States. He is hailed as the “father of the American Navy” due to his leadership on naval defense against the French. He established the Library of Congress in 1800. He was the first President to live in the President’s Mansion, now known as the White House. He authored the Massachusetts State Constitution in 1780. His most famous publication, Thoughts on Government, published in 1776, criticized all forms of monarchical governance and serves as the baseline for American government today, advocating for a separation of powers between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, as well as calling for the establishment of a bicameral legislature in order to best represent the interests of all American people.
Our Adams School here in Everett is one of the countless memorials throughout our nation honoring this American great.
Saint Anthony
St. Anthony School
Saint Anthony of Padua, born Fernando Martins de Bulhões, was born on August 15, 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal. His father Vincente Martins and mother Teresa Pais Taveira, raised him in a wealthy, noble family. Given their financial status and their religious views, Anthony’s parents arranged for him to enroll at the local cathedral school. He later transitioned to being educated at the Augustinian community of Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross in Lisbon. However, realizing the importance of education and far too distracted by frequent visits from his family and friends, Anthony transferred to the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Coimbra (the former capital of Portugal) in 1212 to study theology and Latin.
Young Anthony was ordained into the priesthood at the age of 19, being placed in charge of hospitality for the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Coimbra. While there, Anthony met with Franciscan friars and was immediately attracted to their simple, evangelical lifestyle. He sought and was granted permission from his church authorities to leave the Canons Regular and join the Franciscan order. It was then that Anthony actually adopted the name “Anthony”, which he derived from the chapel housed in the hermitage in which he lived.
Anthony was assigned to a Franciscan covenant in Forli, a city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy. Although young and inexperienced, Anthony was charged with delivering sermons. His masterful oration skill coupled with his deep knowledge of Scripture captivated those in attendance. As such, the local minister provincial sent Anthony to the Franciscan provide of Romagna, where he caught the attention of Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan Order. Francis was so thoroughly impressed with Anthony’s skill and knowledge that, in 1224, Francis entrusted in him the task of educating all Franciscan Friars.
Anthony continued educating and preaching for the next two years, even lecturing at two universities in Southern France. By 1226, Anthony, having returned from France to Italy, was appointed as the Provincial Superior of northern Italy, and chose the City of Padua as his location to oversee. In 1228, now being regarded by many esteemed religious authorities as one of the greatest to deliver sermons, he served as envoy to Pope Gregory IX. After listening to Anthony’s sermons, Pope Gregory IX described Anthony as the “Ark of the Testament.”
Anthony fell ill with ergotism, the result of long-term poisoning derived from the ingestion of fungus. He made the decision to live in a woodland retreat in Padua, Italy, electing to reside in a cell under a walnut tree, alongside two other Franciscan friars. His health rapidly deteriorated, and he died mere months after his diagnosis on June 13, 1231 at the age of 35. On May 30, 1231, Pope Gregory IX canonized Anthony. He is venerated as a Doctor of the Church (a title bestowed upon him by Pope Pius XII in 1946) and as the patron saint for the recovery of lost items, lost people, and lost souls.
In 1958, the Saint Anthony School was erected in Everett, dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua.
Matthew W. Bullock
Matthew Washington Bullock was born September 11, 1881 in Dabney, North Carolina to Jesse Bullock and Amanda Sneed, both of whom were born enslaved and could not read or write. In 1889, his parents moved to Boston “with seven children and a ten dollar bill.” After five years in Boston, the Bullocks relocated to Everett. Matthew graduated from the Center Grammar School in 1896 and from Everett High School in 1900. While at EHS, he was captain of the football, baseball, and hockey (“ice polo”) teams, and was the first African American to captain these teams. Playing left tackle, he helped Crimson Tide football win back-to-back state championships in 1896 and 1897. He returned to Everett High in 1921 to deliver a commencement speech to that year’s graduating class.
After graduating from EHS, Matthew went on to study at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1904 with a Bachelor of Arts and with scholastic and athletic distinctions. At Dartmouth, he participated in several extracurriculars, being a member of the varsity football and track-and-field teams and the Glee Club throughout all four years there, as well as being associate editor of the yearbook his senior year. The first African American to play football at Dartmouth, his talent made him popular not only on campus, but nationally.
After graduating from Dartmouth, Matthew attended Harvard Law School, earning an LLB in 1907. To help pay tuition, he coached football at Massachusetts Agricultural and Mechanical College (now UMass Amherst), becoming the first African American football coach at an integrated college. He also coached Malden High School football as the team’s first Black coach, and led the team to an undefeated 1906-1907 season. Both schools credited and commended him for improving the quality and standing of their teams. After Harvard, he worked as a teacher and athletic director at schools in Georgia and Alabama for several years. While in Georgia, he married Katherine H. Wright in 1910. He registered for the Massachusetts State Bar in 1917, but would not begin to regularly practice law until a few years later.
Matthew volunteered for combat service in the first World War, but was rejected due to his age (36) and a slight heart murmur. He instead worked with the YMCA in their war effort, and was appointed secretary of the National War Council of the YMCA. He served for three months as Educational Secretary at Fort Meade in Maryland before working in France as the Physical
Director with the 369th US Infantry (the “Harlem Hellfighters”), coaching sports and teaching French to the troops in each place. Matthew was praised for his “especially valiant service,” serving fifteen months at the front line on the Champagne front and in Alsace: those in the 369th remembered his “infectious smile” even when facing “tremendous shell fire” as he made his way to the troops to deliver critical supplies. He was recommended for the Croix de Guerre, but the white colonel of the regiment would not approve it. He returned home on Memorial Day in 1919, and for his work overseas he was invited to attend the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in 1926. His son, Matthew Washington Bullock Jr., was born in 1920, and his daughter, Julia Amanda Bullock, was born 1921.
Matthew was appointed to be the first Executive Secretary of the Boston chapter of the National Urban League, and served in that position from 1919-1921. He began working in earnest as an attorney in 1921, and soon earned the “esteem and admiration” of those he worked with for his “unusually high humanitarian idealism” and his “pioneering for social justice and human dignity.” In October of 1922, he again attracted national attention for filing a bill with the Massachusetts state legislature to essentially outlaw the Ku Klux Klan in the Commonwealth as a “menace to the public peace” and make it punishable by law to be involved with the Klan.
As if this résumé was not impressive enough, Matthew continued to add to it throughout his life. He was appointed to serve as a special assistant to the Massachusetts Attorney General in 1924; he began serving on the State Parole Board in 1927 and was named Chairman in 1944, making him the first African American head of a department of state government, and in this position he was a staunch advocate of prison reform. He repeatedly spoke out and advocated against segregation and racial discrimination, even criticizing President Hoover directly; he became president of Boston Community Church; he served on various committees that raised money for the betterment of African Americans around the country. Upon his retirement in 1949, he became a Bahá’í pioneer to Haiti and travelled to places like Cuba, Costa Rica, Uganda, the Belgian Congo, Liberia, Jamaica, and the Dutch Caribbean. He was soon elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, and for his work during the Ten Year Crusade he was named a Knight of Baháʼu’lláh. In March of 1955 he was named a lifetime director of the Urban League of Greater Boston. In 1970 he was awarded an honorary degree from Harvard University, and the following year an honorary law degree from Dartmouth, where “he received a standing ovation from the audience of 5,000.”
Matthew died on December 17, 1972, at the age of 91, and is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Mattapan.