CURTIS, Eugene Judson 1884-1951

CURTIS, LEWIS, JONES, DELASCAILLE, BRACKETT, FENN, LEWIS

Posted By: Michael Kearney (email)
Date: 7/31/2002 at 20:24:22

The Clinton Herald Thursday March 1, 1951 p. 18 Eugene Judson Curtis, 66, president of Curtis Companies Inc. died Wednesday morning in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he and Mrs. Curtis had just arrived for a short vacation. They left Clinton, Feb. 17 and sailed for Hawaii Feb. 22. Mr. Curtis was ill when the boat docked at Honolulu. Death was attributed to a abdominal hemorrhage. The body of Mr. Curtis will be returned to Clinton late Saturday afternoon and will be taken to the Bragonier-Fay chapel. Funeral services are planned for Monday afternoon. Further arrangements will be announced later. A graduate of Yale university, Mr. Curtis had been active in the lumber and woodwork industry during his entire business career. He joined the Curtis firm in 1909 and served in several capacities, including executive vice-president and director from 1921 to 1947. In 1947 he succeeded his brother, George Lewis Curtis, as president. He was a director of the National Woodwork Manufacturers association; chairman of the board and director of McCloud River Railroad company, McCloud,Calif.; director and secretary of Bald Mountain Mining company of near Lead, S.D.; director of the National Door Manufacturers association, and director of the Employers Mutual Insurance company of Wausau,Wis. He was past director of the National Association of Manufacturers. At the time of his death he was a member of the millwork advisory committee, forest products division, of the National Production Authority. In the depression years he served as member and director of the control committee, lumber code authority, under N.R.A., and during World War II was chairman of the stock millwork advisory committee, O.P.A., and member of the millwork advisory commettee of the W.P.B. Mr. Curtis was active in the civic life of Clinton, having served in past years as chairman of the board of trustees of the Y.M.C.A; president and director of the former Clinton Coliseum company; president of the Clinton board of education; trustee of the First Presbyterian church, and member of the Clinton police and fire commission. He helped organize the Clinton A battery of the national guard and served as lieutenant of the unit. He was a 32nd degree Mason, a member of Emulation lodge, 255, A.F. and A.M., the Clinton DeMolay consistory and Kaaba Shrine of Davenport. In addition, he was a member of the University Club of Chicago, the Yale club of New York city and the Clinton Country club. Born in Clinton July 26, 1884, he was the son of George Martin and Ettie Lewis Curtis. He father was one of the founders of the Curtis firm. E.J. Curtis attended the Clinton public schools, Culver military academy in Culver, Ind., and Phillips academy, Andover, Mass. He was graduated from Yale in 1909. He married Ardelle Jones Nov. 16, 1910, in Memphis, Tenn. She died in 1939 and Aug. 14, 1945, he married Margaret DeLascaille. Surviving are his wife; two daughters, Mrs. T.S. (Frances) Brackett of Wayzata, Minn., and Mrs. W.L. (Virginia) Fenn, West Hartford, Conn.; two sons, Eugene J. Curtis, Jr. of Wausau, Wis., and Charles F. Curtis II, Clinton; two step-daughters, Mrs. H.J. (Julie) Louis of Chicago and Mrs. E.J. Curtis Jr.; 13 grandchildren, and the brother, George L. Curtis.