Cumberland County, Maine -- Hon. William W. Cutter
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Biography
Hon. William W. Cutter
Biographical Review
Cumberland County, Maine
Boston
Biographical Review Publishing Company
1896
Page 17-18

Hon. William W. Cutter, Mayor of the city of Westbrook, Me., a leader in
mercantile as well as political circles, was born at Cape Elizabeth, Me., January
11, 1851. His parents, Ephraim P. and Ardelia M. (Warren) Cutter, were both
natives of Cumberland County, Maine.

Richard Cutter, his first progenitor in this country, emigrated from the north of
England and settled in Cambridge, Mass., about the middle of the seventeenth
century; and in Cambridge several generations of the family lived and died. They
were an energetic and long-lived race, and reared large families. Ammi Cutter,
the great-grandfather of Mayor Cutter, fought in the battle of Lexington; and his
death occurred on April 19, 1795, the twentieth anniversary of that fateful
engagement. He was three times married, and was the father of twenty-one
children.

His son Simon, the father of Ephraim P. Cutter, was born in Cambridge, Mass., in
the latter part of the eighteenth century. He was educated at Ipswich Academy,
graduating therefrom, being especially proficient in mathematics. He taught
navigation and surveying for several years, both in Cambridge and in Westbrook,
Me., whither he moved in 1806; but in the latter part of his life he was engaged
in the manufacture of lumber. Injured by an accident in one of his mills, he died
about 1842, when fifty-four years of age. Simon Cutter was a member of the
Commissary Department during the War of 1812, and later was Colonel of the State
militia. He married Mrs. Christiana (Dyer) Simonton, daughter of Captain John
Dyer, of Steuben, Me., a Revolutionary patriot who raised and commanded a company
of Continentals.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mrs. Christiana Cutter died in Westbrook in 1852.

Ephraim P. Cutter was born in 1822 in Westbrook, opening his eyes to the light in
a house which stood where now stands the handsome structure known as Odd Fellows
Block, in which is his son's place of business.&nbsp;&nbsp;Reared to manhood in
Westbrook, he there learned the trade of a millwright, but subsequently worked in
a number of different places. In 1858 he went to California by way of the Isthmus
of Panama, and obtained employment in the ship yards on Mare's Island. In 1862 he
returned home and after a short stay made another visit to California, traveling
overland. Hi died in 1876. His wife, Mrs. Ardelia M. Cutter, who was born in
1822, became the mother of four sons. She now makes her home with her youngest
son, William W., enjoying the peaceful sunset of a useful life. She is a member
of the Universalist church. Her other sons, who are all married and living in
Minnesota, are: Charles P., a practical painter; Oscar L., a bank cashier at
Anoka; and Cassimer W., a retired merchant. Soon after the birth of William W.
Cutter in Cape Elizabeth his parents removed to Portland; and from there they
went to Lovell, from which town in the fall of 1854 they came to
Westbrook.&nbsp;&nbsp;He attended the common schools of the town and Gorham
Academy, and taught school for a while after completing his studies. Possessed,
however, of a natural taste for mercantile life, Mr. Cutter embraced the first
opportunity to enter the world of trade, obtaining employment in the store of Mr.
L. W. Edwards, a dry-goods merchant, who is still in business in Westbrook; and
he was subsequently employed as clerk for one year in the large store of Eastman
Brothers & Bancroft in Portland. Returning to Westbrook, Mr. Cutter started in
business in a comparatively small way in 1882, putting in a stock of dry goods,
boots, and shoes. His enterprise prospered to such an extent that he was soon
obliged to seek more commodious quarters, and he moved into the large store which
he now occupies in Odd Fellows Block. This is situated in the very heart of the
thriving city of Westbrook, and is the centre of an ever-increasing trade.

Mr. Cutter is man of inherent business ability, and has attained his present
eminence through his own unaided efforts. As a Republican of some local
prominence, he has taken an active part in public affairs. He was a member of the
School Board for two years, held the office of Treasurer of the town for several
years, and in 1892, one year after Westbrook was granted a city charter, was
elected to the Common Council. The following year he was re-elected, and chosen
President of that body; and in the spring of 1895 he was elected Mayor of the
city, being reelected in 1896. His administration has been of the progressive
order, and his integrity and tact have won for him a warm place in the hearts of
his fellow-citizens.

Mr. Cutter was married in Westbrook in 1875 to Miss Addie S. Hazleton, a native
of Westbrook, daughter of Ivory and Jane R. Hazleton. One child has blessed their
union, a daughter, Elizabeth E., a young lady of many gifts and accomplishments,
who is still pursuing her studies at the academy at Bradford, Mass.

Mayor Cutter has been a member of Saccarappa Lodge, No. 11, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows of Westbrook for twenty years, and has held all the principal
offices. He is also a member of Temple Lodge, No. 86, A. F. & A. M., of
Westbrook, and a charter member of Wawenock Tribe, No. 35, Improved Order of Red
Men of Westbrook, in which organization he has held the most important positions.
Through his great-grandfathers, Captain John Dyer and Ammi Cutter, he is eligible
to membership in the Sons of the Revolution.