Eben S. Draper Jr.

Eben Sumner Draper (August 30, 1893–April 17, 1959) was an American businessman and politician who served in the Massachusetts General Court, was president of the Milford National Bank & Trust, and was the last member of his family to serve on the board of directors of the Draper Corporation. He was the son of Massachusetts Governor Eben Sumner Draper.

Eben S. Draper
Draper c. 1923
Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the 4th Worcester District
In office
1923–1927
Preceded byCharles Waite Gould
Succeeded byElbert M. Crockett
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 8th Worcester District
In office
1921–1923
Preceded bySamuel V. Crane
Succeeded byGeorge J. Herbert
Personal details
BornAugust 30, 1893
Hopedale, Massachusetts
DiedApril 17, 1959 (aged 65)
Boston
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
Alma materHarvard College

Early life

Draper was born on August 30, 1893 in Hopedale, Massachusetts. He graduated from Noble and Greenough School.[1] In 1913, he was a member of the crew of the power schooner Polar Bear, which took part in a scientific expedition in the Arctic Circle. The Polar Bear froze in the ice near Flaxman Island (halfway between Herschel Island and Point Barrow). The crew disembarked and walked to Circle City. From there, they went to Fairbanks and then to Valdez, where they took a steamer to Seattle.[2] In 1915 he graduated from Harvard College. After college, he spent two years as a mechanic at the Draper Corporation.[3]

World War I

During World War I, Draper was a captain in the American Expeditionary Forces. He entered first officer's training school in Plattsburgh, New York in May 1917. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the heavy artillery on August 15, 1917. He sailed to France on September 12, 1917. Upon arrival, Draper spent three months in a French artillery school. He then serve two months with the British artillery. He took part in the Second Battle of the Marne and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. In October 1918 he received his commission as a captain.[4]

Personal life

While serving in France, Draper met Red Cross worker Ruth Lawrence Carroll. The couple married on August 30, 1919 in Paul Smiths, New York.[5] They resided at The Ledges, the former home of Draper's father, in Hopedale, Massachusetts.[4] The couple had one daughter, Nancy, born on August 28, 1922.[6] On July 24, 1926, Ruth Draper was granted a divorce in Paris on the ground of desertion. She was awarded custody of their daughter.[7]

On November 12, 1926, Draper married Hazel Archibald in Rutherford, New Jersey.[8] After their marriage, Draper tore down "The Ledges" and build a new mansion (also known as "The Ledges") for her. In October 1935, Hazel Draper suffered a mental breakdown following an operation. On April 18, she had left the Four Winds Sanitarium in Katonah, New York, where she had been staying for four months. She was last seen on April 20, 1936, boarding the Georgic.[9] There were concerns that she may have committed suicide by jumping off of the ship, however on April 29, she was found stowed away in a tank room.[10]

Political career

Draper represented the 8th Worcester District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1921 and 1922. He then represented the 4th Worcester District in the Massachusetts Senate from 1923 to 1927. In 1928 he sought the Republican nomination for the United States Senate seat held by Democrat David I. Walsh. He was supported by the Constitutional Liberty League, a "wet" organization that opposed prohibition.[11] He lost the Republican primary to Benjamin Loring Young, receiving 36% of the vote to Young's 41% (Butler Ames received the remaining 23%).[12] Draper ran for a U.S. Senate seat again in 1930. He lost the Republican primary to William M. Butler by 6,591 votes.[13]

Business career

From 1919 to 1934, Draper was a director of the Milford National Bank & Trust. On October 1, 1934 he was elected president of the bank.[14] Draper also served as president of the Milford Hospital.[15]

From 1935 to 1955, Draper was a director of the Draper Corporation. He was the last member of his family to serve on the company's board.[15][16]

Draper died on April 17, 1959 at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he had been staying since undergoing a major surgery the previous month.[3]

References
  1. Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1925-26.
  2. "Draper's Arctic Party Walks Across Alaska". The Boston Daily Globe. December 19, 1913.
  3. "Eben S. Draper Dies". The Milford Daily News. April 18, 1959.
  4. "Capt. E.S. Draper of Hopedale Will Be Candidate for Legislature This Fall". The Milford Daily News. June 18, 1920.
  5. "Eben S. Draper and Miss Ruth L. Carroll Wed". The Boston Daily Globe. August 31, 1919.
  6. "Nancy-Caroll Draper". Cody Enterprise. January 2008.
  7. "Mrs. Theodore Schulze Gets a Paris Divorce". The New York Times. July 25, 1926.
  8. "Eben Draper Weds Hazel Archibald". The New York Times. November 13, 1926.
  9. "Mrs. Draper Traced to Liner". The Boston Daily Globe. April 28, 1936.
  10. "Stowaway on Line". The New York Times. April 30, 1936.
  11. "Draper is League's Wet Candidate for G.O.P Nomination". The Milford Daily News. September 12, 1928.
  12. Office of the Secretary of Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1928). Number of assessed polls, registered voters and persons who voted in each voting precinct in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the state, city and town elections. p. 123.
  13. http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=619473
  14. "Draper Named Bank President As Collier Tenders Resignation". The Milford Daily News. October 1, 1934.
  15. "Eben S. Draper Of Hopedale Dead at 65". The Boston Daily Globe. April 18, 1959.
  16. "Eben Sumner Draper". The New York Times. April 18, 1959.
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