J. Stearns Cushing Dead-November 18, 1913

EX-COUNCILOR CUSHING DEAD

Taken Ill Last Month in New Orleans.

Notable Success Achieved in Publishing Business.

Designer of New Type Faces and Typography.

Hon Josiah Stearns Cushing died at his home on Saunders road this evening at 8 o’clock, his wife and daughter, Mrs James F. Cox, and his son-in-law, Mr Cox, were with him at the last. He lost consciousness which he never regained, yesterday.

Capt Cushing was taken ill with cirrhosis of liver while presiding in New Orleans on Oct 15 at a meeting of the United Typothetae of America. He was able to come home, but grew steadily worse on the way and arrived here Oct 26 a very sick man.

Dr. Henry M. Field, the family physician, called several specialists in consultation, but notwithstanding the best of medical attention Mr. Cushing never rallied.

Josiah Stearns Cushing was born in Bedford, Mass, May 1, 1854. His father was a Unitarian clergyman, a brother of the world-renowned author of “Cushing’s Manual.” Another brother was a Supreme Court judge in New Hampshire.

On his 14th birthday young Cushing celebrated by beginning work as a printer, taking a case on the University Press, Cambridge. Later he set type in the offices of Rockwell & Churchill, Rand, Avery & Co, Alfred Mudge & Son, the Riverside Press and the Boston Herald.

Starts on Capital of $150.

In 1878 he found himself in possession of $150 and concluded to go into business for himself. He thought he saw a chance for improvement in the printing of various textbooks and determined to make this a specialty. So he hired a little room on the corner of Milk and Federal sts and awaited business. Not for long, however. A Harvard professor who believed in him gave him an order for a single book. The excellence with which this was printed brought more orders, and thus it ran until Mr. Cushing, in 1889, took possession of a floor of the Estes Press Building at 192 Summer St. Here he had one of the finest establishments in the world, employing over 150 compositors.

The business continued to grow and Mr Cushing continued to prosper. In 1894. in cooperation with Messrs Berwick and Smith, pressmen, and E. Fleming & Co, bookbinders, he built the Norwood Press, at Norwood, one of the largest bookmaking concerns here or abroad.

He was president of the Boston Typothetae for two terms, 1893-1894 and 1901-1907, nine years in all. He had been either a delegate to or an officer of every convention of the United Typothetae of America, except the first. In 1910 he was chosen National vice president and in 1913 became president. He was chairman of the trustees of Norwood Public Library five years, and chairman of the board of supervisors of the school of printing, North End Union, since its beginning.

From 10 books a day in the little attic on Federal st where he started business, his output grew to 13.000 books a day—the output of the Norwood Press. The capital of J. S. Cushing & Co. $150 in 1878. grew’ to $250,000. the capital of the Norwood Press. J. S. Cushing & Co make the plates for three-quarters of the school and college textbooks used In the United States, besides for a great many of those used in foreign countries. The four men associated with him in J. S. Cushing & Co are men who had been with him almost since Le started in business. “Almost,” but not quite, for he started with but one boy.

Revolutionized Textbooks.

Capt Cushing revolutionized the typography of school and college textbooks. It was his principle of always doing his best.

He designed a number of type faces, which have become standard; notably, the Cushing Old Style, Cushing, Cushing Monotone, Cushing Italic, Cushing Antique, and others.

In Norwood, his home in recent years, he took an active interest in the affairs of the town, although never seeking political preferment for himself. His one office for years was trustee of the Public Library. It has been the same in the affairs of the Republican party. A staunch Republican, he had always been foremost in seeing that its high traditions were upheld in the selection of its nominees for office, but had never sought any office for himself until his first election to the Governor’s Council four years ago. He served three terms. Last year, as a delegate to the Republican National Convention at Chicago, he voted for the re-nomination of his personal friend, William Howard Taft.

The Cushing Family.

A high sense of civic duty and public spirit has been characteristic of the Cushing family in Massachusetts since it settled in Hingham in 1638, its progenitor in America, Matthew Cushing, being a native of Hingham in England. He at once became identified with nubile affairs there and served as a town officer. His son, John Cushing, who came from England with him, served the town as surveyor of highways, receiver of taxes and Selectman, was deputy to the General Court for many years, county magistrate of Plymouth County from 1685 to 1692 and assistant of the Old Colony government of Plymouth from 1689 to 1691.

His son Matthew also served the town of Hingham as Selectman for five years, and Jacob Cushing, a son of Matthew, was Selectman of Hingham for four years deputy to the General Court for 15 years and a member of the Committee of Correspondence and Safety at the beginning of the Revolution.

Charles Cushing, son of Jacob, was a colonel in the Continental Army, a member of the Committee of Correspondence, Representative to the General Court for seven years and senator for one. Col Charles Cushing’s son Edmund, grandfather of Capt J. Stearns Cushing, was a Representative to the General Court in 1804-06-02 member of the Governor’s Council from 1838 to 1828, Senator for three years and a Presidential elector in 1824.

J. Stearn Cushings father, William Cushing was a son of this Edmund Cushing, member of the Governor’s Council, and was born in Lunenburg, where Col Charles Cushing had moved from Hingham. He was the father of 11 children of whom J. Stearns Cushing, born in Bedford, was the seventh. The author of Cushing’s Manual was a a brother of William Cushing.

Capt Cushing’s father, who was a school teacher, and Unitarian clergyman, was preaching in Bedford at the time J. Stearns Cushing was born.

Member of Many Societies.

He was an enthusiastic yachtsman and commodore of the Winthrop Yacht Club. 1891-2-3; commander of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, 1902-3; captain and quartermaster of the Massachusetts Corps of Coast Artillery; president of the Norwood Board of Trade for three years; a Knight Templar and 32d degree Mason; member of the Boston Athletic Association, of the
Club of New York, and of several other clubs, and past president of the Boston Club.

He was a member of the Norfolk and Republican Clubs and took an active part in the primary tight for Col Everett C. Benton this year for the Republican nomination for Governor, serving as chairman of the committee of the Business Men’s Association.

He married, March 30, 1878, Lilias Jean Ross of Cambridge, daughter of William M. and Elizabeth (Metcalf) Ross, who survives him with a daughter. Mrs. James Stuart Cox, who was Miss Lilias Stearns Cushing, and a baby granddaughter, Elizabeth. He also leaves three brothers, George W. Cushing of this town, John E. Cushing of Roxbury, and Charles C. Cushing of East Walpole, and three sisters. Mrs Edwin P. Seaver, wife of the ex-superintendent of schools. Boston; Miss Edith S. Cushing, a teacher at the Dorchester High School, and Mrs C. H. Grandgent, wife of Prof Grandgent of Harvard University.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Boston Globe