William Hanson Dodge

William Hanson Dodge (March 5, 1866 – February 1, 1932) was an American photographer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, living in Lowell, Massachusetts. His son, Harold F. Dodge, a noted mathematician, was a pioneer in the field of statistical quality control. William Dodge was employed by the Lowell Manufacturing Company; this firm was later purchased by the Bigelow Carpet Company.[1] His work as a designer and color mixer was augmented by his hobby: photography. Dodge was a skilled photographer: in 1894 he won a bronze medal at a competition in New York City for a composition entitled “Winter.”[2] This photo appears in W. I. Lincoln Adams's book Sunlight and Shadow, where it was included as an example of “successful landscape work”; other photographers whose work is featured in the book include Alfred Stieglitz and H. P. Robinson.[3] Later that year, another of his photographs at an exhibition in New York, “December Morning,” was highly praised by a reviewer in American Amateur Photographer.[4]

Another activity for Dodge was bicycle racing. Winning many ribbons as a racer, he belonged to the Spindle City Club, of Lowell, Massachusetts, taking many long trips with this group.[5] He also served as a referee and official at races throughout the region during the 1890s.[6] During these years, Dodge was also active in the Knights of Pythias, a men's fraternal organization, serving as chancellor and master of works.[7]

In the early twentieth century, William Dodge turned to politics. He was elected to the Lowell Common Council in 1903. In 1905 he was elected president of the council, a year-long position, after which he served on the Board of Aldermen for a year.[8]

Around 1910 William Dodge moved to Detroit, where he opened a business selling X-ray equipment to doctors and hospitals. His sales trips frequently took him to Chicago. He died in Detroit on February 1, 1932.[9]

References

  1. ^ Lowell City Directory, 1890 (Boston: Sampson, Murdock and Co., 1890).
  2. ^ Lowell Daily Sun, April 26, 1894, p. 1.
  3. ^ W. I. Lincoln Adams, Sunlight and Shadow: A Book for Photographers (New York: Baker & Taylor, 1897), p. 24.
  4. ^ “A Lowell Artist’s Success,” Lowell Daily Sun, May 17, 1894, p. 1.
  5. ^ “They Beat the Breeze,” Lowell Daily Sun, July 17, 1894, p. 5; “Champion Rider of the Many Lowell Wheelmen, Lowell Sun, Nov. 14, 1898, p. 3.
  6. ^ “Keegan the Winner,” Lowell Sun, Aug. 22, 1900, p. 7.
  7. ^ Lowell Daily Sun, Jan. 12, 1894, p. 7; “Secret Society Elections,” Lowell Sun, June 29, 1894.
  8. ^ “Democrat May Slip In,” Boston Globe, Dec. 26, 1904, p. 7; “Charming Camp on Merrimack River,” Boston Globe, June 11, 1905, p. 3.
  9. ^ Letter, Dr. M. B. Landers to Mrs. Olive Dodge, Feb. 4, 1932; Dodge Family Archives, Annex B.