Henry Benjamin Proctor   Henry Benjamin Proctor.--An enumeration of those men of the present day who have achieved success and won public recognition for themselves, and at the same time have honored the state to which they belong, would be incomplete were there failure to make reference to the one whose name appears at the head of this article--the present popular and efficient treasurer of Kent county. A gentleman of high intelligence, broad-minded and public spirited, he sustains an honorable reputation among his fellow citizens, and as a public servant has proved true to every trust reposed in him. Henry B. Proctor is a son of John T. and Mary J. (Corey) Proctor, both natives of Genesee county, N.Y., a state which has contributed much of its sterling manhood and womanhood to the population of the northwest. John T. Proctor was brought to Michigan in his childhood and grew to maturity in the county of Macomb, where he received his education and learned the trade of milling. He became a resident of Kent county in 1855 and for a number of years thereafter followed agricultural pursuits in Cascade township, departing this life at his home there on the 10th of October, 1883. Much might be written about this excellent citizen, as he was a man of sterling character, successful in the accumulation of this world’s effects and possessed of much more than ordinary powers of mind, which were cultivated and strengthened by literary training. He was a potent factor in the community where he resided; prominent in local affairs of his township and county, and as an active worker in the Methodist church did much to stimulate and advance the moral as well as the material interests of his neighborhood. His wife, a fit helpmate for such a husband, whom she greatly assisted by wise counsel as well as by the untiring labor of her hands, was called from the scenes of the earth on the 5th day of March, 1888. The two children of this worthy couple, Elmer G., of Grand Rapids, and Henry B., possess in a marked degree their strong traits of character and high, noble qualities, a heritage in comparison with which houses and lands, public honors and the applause of men, are insignificant in value. Henry Benjamin Proctor was born in Cascade township, Kent county, February 4, 1860. In early life he attended the district schools of his neighborhood, and subsequently entered the high school of Caledonia, where he pursued the most advanced branches of learning until his twentieth year. He then turned his attention to the time honored calling of a tiller of soil, and in connection there with carried on general trading, by means of which he was enabled to accumulate a handsome property, both real and personal. In 1889 he was elected township supervisor of fifty votes, and discharged the duties of the position until 1896, when he resigned in order to take possession of the county treasurer’s office, to which he had been elected in 1896. The popularity of Mr. Proctor is attested by the fact that, in the election which placed him in office, he carried the county by the handsome majority of 3,329, and so ably did he conduct the affairs of the position, that in 1898 he was chosen his own successor by an increased majority --that of 3,972 votes. In the discharge of his public duties Mr. Proctor has been uniformly kind and obliging, and his manner of conducting the office is proof sufficient of the party’s wisdom in his election. As custodian of the public funds, the people have unbounded confidence in his honesty and integrity of purpose, and so long as he handles the finances the public may rest assured of a strict and accurate rendering of the high trust reposed in him. The domestic life of Mr. Proctor has been most agreeable, and a beautiful home at No. 289 La Grange street is presided over by a lady of culture and refinement, to whom he was united in marriage on the 18th of March, 1882. The maiden name of Mrs. Proctor was Alice Richards, daughter of H.S. and Susanne Richards, and her birth occurred in the city of Kalamazoo, June 5, 1861. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Proctor has been gladdened by the birth of one child, Harry, now a bright lad of sixteen years. Mr. Proctor is one of the leading republicans of Kent county, and has contributed much to his party’s success in many county, state and national campaigns. He is a Mason of high standing, belonging to the lodge at Ada. Measured by a financial standard, Mr. Proctor has met with encouraging success, having already acquired a sufficiency of this world’s goods to put himself beyond the pale of anxiety, owning a fine farm of 110 acres in Cascade township and some valuable city property. In every relation of life he has met the expectation of his many friends, and on the roster of Kent county’s representative men his name is deserving of an honorable and especial mention.

Transcriber: Barb Jones
Created: 21 January 2009