History of Needham, (Norfolk County) Massachusetts United States of America

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Biographies:

Francis Blake, inventor, was born at Needham, Mass., Dec. 25, 1850. He received a pub lic school education, and at the age of sixteen became connected with the government coast survey. Here he acquired scientific knowledge and experience that was of great future service. He made a hydrographic survey of the Susquehanna river in Maryland, and a like survey of portions of the coasts of Florida and Cuba. In 1868 he assisted in the determination of the transcontinental longitude between San Francisco and the observatory of Harvard college. They employed a metallic circuit of seven thousand miles with thirteen repeaters, and the experiment resulted in a signal being sent from Harvard observatory to San Francisco and back again in eight-tenths of a second. Many other interesting and important experiments were made, both in Europe and in all parts of America. In accepting his resignation from the coast survey, April 9, 1878, Supt. C. P. Patterson said: "So loath am I to sever entirely your official connection with the survey, that I must request you to allow me to retain your name upon the list of the survey as an 'extra observer,' under which title Prof. B. Peirce, Professor Lovering, Dr. Gould, Professor Winlock and others, have had their names classed for many years." A few weeks after, Mr. Blake began experiments on a transmitter for the telephone, and in November, 1878, the Blake transmitter was first used by the American Bell telephone company. It was reported in 1896 that more than 215,000 Blake transmitters were in use in America, and at least as large a number in the old world. Previous to 1897, Mr. Blake had been granted twenty patents in the line of electrical improvements, and had been made a member of the National conference of electricians, of the American institute of electrical engineers, of the corporation of the Massachusetts institute of technology, of the Boston society of civil engineers, a Fellow of the American association for the advancement of science, and of the American academy of arts and sciences.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Elisha Slade Converse, manufacturer, was born in Needham, Mass., July 28, 1820; son of Elisha and Betsey (Wheaton) Converse. He received a common school education and in 1839 engaged in the clothing business at Thompson, Conn., soon after changing to the shoe and leather business. In 1849 he removed to Malden, Mass., and in 1853 was appointed treasurer of the Malden manufacturing company, which in 1855 became the Boston rubber shoe company, of which he was chosen treasurer and manager. He held numerous other positions of honor and responsibility, chiefly in connection with financial institutions. He was a member of the lower house of the state legislature, 1878-79, and of the senate, 1880-81. In 1882 he was elected the first mayor of Malden, and did much to promote its prosperity, his most important gift being the public library building. He was a trustee of Wellesley college. He was married Sept. 4, 1843, to Mary D., daughter of Captain Hosea and Ursula Edmunds of Thompson, Conn.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor