18) Daniel Delos Hooker: Elected mayor for the Town of Welland in 1898 & 1899
Vital statistics
Birth: October 7, 1853 near Middleport, Niagara County, N.Y., USA
Death: August 18, 1922 at Welland, Ontario, Canada (age 68)
Burial place: Fonthill Cemetery (Find a Grave)
Parents: Thaddeus W. / Susan Melvina (née Seaman)
Spouse: Anna T. (née Waldron)
Children: Edward D. / Laura / Mrs. S.H.J. Reid / Mrs. William Fletcher
Occupation: Brick Maker
Religion: Presbyterian
Political affiliation: Reform
Community affiliations: Town Councillor / Public School Board / President of Welland Reform Association / Past Master of Merritt Lodge
Profile
Daniel Delos Hooker was born October 7, 1853 near Middleport in New York State, to Thaddeus and Susan (née Seaman) Hooker. Thaddeus was the third reeve of Welland and was previously profiled here. As mentioned in that profile, Thaddeus and Daniel both becoming chief magistrate of Welland was a rare occurrence of a father and son achieving the highest municipal position here in Welland. The only other time it occurred was with Jay Clarke Diffin and his son Harry Wallace Diffin.
In 1855 Thaddeus obtained the contract to manufacture bricks for the new courthouse and jail that was to be erected in Welland (and was finished in 1856). So he moved his family, which included Daniel Delos, to Welland where both Thaddeus and Daniel spent the rest of their lives. Thaddeus established his extremely successful brickyard, which was responsible for producing the bricks that helped construct many of the buildings in Welland over the ensuing decades. It was said that “there is no part of the Niagara Peninsula where the Welland brick has not been used, none of the leading contractors and builders in this entire territory who have not used them in their largest contracts.” They also shipped product to the father parts of Canada and other countries. Daniel eventually took over the business, Thaddeus passing away in 1892. The brickyard/plant was located in the current Hooker St. area (which was named after the Hooker family). It comprised nine acres of rich clay land had two brick kilns and a drain tile kiln. It also had a dozen drying racks with a capacity of eight to ten thousand bricks each. They produced over a million bricks and a hundred thousand drain tiles annually (drain tiles were always popular and in demand by farmers for removing excess subsurface water from agricultural fields, being buried a few feet underground). They usually employed between 12 -15 people. Daniel was in charge of the business for 20 more years after Thaddeus died until 1912, when due to failing health Daniel had to retire for good.
In addition to following in his father’s footsteps in business, Daniel also mirrored Thaddeus’ career in municipal politics. He was elected as a councillor eight times, first in 1889 and last in 1903. He also ran for mayor twice and was elected each time, in 1898 and 1899, becoming Welland’s last 19th century mayor. He was acclaimed on both occasions (unopposed). On his second nomination at the end of 1898, J. H. Crow and Mr. Swayze testified that Daniel “had served the town well and faithfully through a hard year, and that he was fairly entitled to a second term.”
Daniel had health issues through his life. He retired from his brick business when he was 58 years old. In 1914 he underwent an operation and never fully recovered from it, but living another eight years and dying in 1922 at the age of 68. He was survived by his wife Anna and one son and three daughters.
Sources
- “D. D. Hooker & Co.” The Telegraph Special Industrial Number, 1907.
- “D. D. Hooker & Co., Bricks and Tile.” Welland Telegraph, August 22, 1902.
- “D. D. Hooker Died on Friday Last.” The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, August 22, 1922.
- “Hooker for Mayor.” Welland Tribune, December 16, 1898.