HOISART. HOBBS. 3'3 entered a boot and shoe store in Boston, at fifty dollars a year. When twenty years old he became a partner in the boot and shoe firm of Holbrook & Arnold, afterwards Holbrook, Hobart & Porter, in which he continued until 1S82, when he retired from active business. FRANCIS A HOBART. January 1, 1855, Mr. Hobart was mar- ried in Boston, to Susan A., daughter of Joel E. and Susan A. Holbrook. Their two children are : Ella S. and John F. Hobart. When only twenty-one years old, Mr. Hobart was taking an active part in poli- tics, and was chosen chairman of the Re- publican town committee, which office he held for thirty years. He has also been a member of the state central committee for eighteen years. He was sent from Brain- tree as representative to the state Legisla- ture in i860 and '61, and was a member of the Senate in 1865, '69 and '70. He was a delegate to the national Republican con- vention at Chicago in 1880, and was one of the famous " 306 " who voted for General Grant. He has been a trustee of the Brain- tree Savings Bank ever since its incorpora- tion, and for two years was president of the Braintree Water Company. Mr. Hobart has always resided in Brain- tree, where he has been moderator of the town meetings for nearly twenty years, having served eighty-two times. He is chairman of the committee which erected the Soldiers' Monument, and delivered the centennial address, by invitation of the town in 1876. He is a highly respected citizen, and has been frequently entrusted with many other local offices of responsi- bility. HOBBS, George Miller, son of Wil- liam and Maria (Miller) Hobbs, was born in Waltham, Middlesex county, April 11, 1827. He attended the common schools of his native place until the age of twelve, when he was placed in a store in Cambridge, where he remained three years. During this time he came in daily contact with many law students, whose superior attain- ments inspired him with an ambition to make himself an equal with them. As a beginning, he took up the study of Latin, without a teacher, the only time attainable for the object being after the shutters were put up at nine o'clock at night. With the small amount of Latin thus obtained, and without knowing a letter of the Greek alphabet, he placed himself under the care of that most excellent scholar and woman, Mrs. Ripley, at Waltham and at Concord for one year, when he presented himself for examination for Harvard. He success- fully passed the same, and was matriculated as a member of the freshman class, gradu- ating in the class of 1850. After graduation he was engaged as a private tutor in Upper Marlborough, Md., and then went to Alexandria, Va., where he remained for some years, teaching. He then returned to Cambridge, entered the law school, receiving his degree therefrom in 1857. While there he acted as proctor, and was librarian of the law school for a year. He was admitted to the bar in Bos- ton in 1858, and immediately after became associated with the Hon. Edward Avery, which connection has ever since con- tinued. Mr. Hobbs was married in Boston, Octo- ber 26, 1859, to Annie M., daughter of Dr. Samuel and Ann (Carter) Morrill. Of this union are two children : Alice Avery and Edith Morrill Hobbs. Mr. Hobbs was a member of the House of Representatives in 1868 ; a member also of the Roxbury and Boston school boards for twenty-three years, serving as president of the Boston board two years. He was one of the water commissioners for the city of Boston two years. In connec- tion with his partner, Mr. Avery, he pub-
