Henry K. Oliver

Henry Kemble Oliver (November 24, 1800 – August 12, 1885) was an American who served as the 5th Mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts, the 21st Mayor of Salem, Massachusetts as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, and as the 26th Treasurer of Massachusetts.

Oliver was born to Daniel and Elizabeth (Kemble) Oliver on November 24, 1800 in North Beverly, Massachusetts. Originally named Thomas Henry, Oliver's name was changed, by the legislature, in 1821 to that of his mother's brother who had died in 1802.

Oliver entered Phillips Academy, Andover in 1811 and Harvard College in the fall of 1814, however because Harvard was becoming overly Unitarian in its views and also more expensive, Oliver left Harvard after his sophomore year and transferred to Dartmouth College entering Dartmouth's Junior class in the fall of 1816. Oliver graduated from Dartmouth College. Oliver also received a degree Ad eundem from Harvard.

In 1844 Oliver was appointed the Adjutant General of Massachusetts by Governor George N. Briggs.

Project Gutenberg eBook # 17724 released 2006-02-09 THE BAY STATE MONTHLY VOL. 3, No. 4 by Various

On August 12, General HENRY KEMBLE OLIVER died in Salem, Mass., at the advanced age of eighty-five years. He was born in Beverly, Mass., Nov. 24, 1800, a son of Rev. Daniel Oliver and Elizabeth Kemble; was educated in the Boston Latin School, and Harvard College (for two years) and was graduated from Dartmouth College. After his graduation, he settled in Salem, and as Principal of the High and Latin Schools, and also of a private school, he was virtually at the head of the educational interests of the town for a quarter of a century. In 1848, he moved to Lawrence, Mass., to become agent of the Atlantic Mills. While living in Lawrence, he was appointed superintendent of schools, and in recognition of his services the "Oliver Grammar School" was founded. At an early day General Oliver became interested in military affairs as an officer of the Salem Light Infantry and in 1844 he was made Adjutant General of the Commonwealth, by Gov. Briggs, and held this office for four years. During the war he served with great satisfaction as Treasurer of the Commonwealth, and performed the most arduous duties in a very faithful and acceptable manner. From 1869 to 1873 he was chief of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and ever after that became interested in reducing the hours of labor in factories and in the limitation of factory work by children. From 1876 to 1880 he was mayor of Salem, and displayed almost the same vivacity and energy in discharging the duties of this office, as an octogenarian, that he had shown in his youth. He was master of the theory and history of music, a good bass singer, a good organist, and the author of several popular compositions. Of these "Federal Street" seems likely to become permanent in musical literature. In his youth he sang in the Park street church in Boston and for many years he led the choir of the North church in Salem. "Oliver's Collection of Church Music" is one of the results of his labors in this direction. In conjunction with Dr. Tuckerman, he published the "National Lyre." He was a member of the old Handel and Hayden Society and the Salem Glee Club, both famous musical organizations of his early days. In 1825 General Oliver married Sally, daughter of Captain Samuel Cook, by whom he had two sons and five daughters, as follows: Colonel S.C. Oliver, Dr. H.K. Oliver, Jr., Sarah Elizabeth, who married Mr. Bartlett of Lawrence, and who died about four years ago, Emily Kemble, who is the wife of Colonel Andrews, U.S.A., Mary Evans Oliver, who has been the faithful attendant of the general in his declining years, and Ellen Wendell, who married Augustus Cheever of North Andover.

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