The Dunham family came from England originally and settled in the New England state of Connecticut. One of George Earl Dunham's ancestors, one John Dunham, came from Lancashire, England to land with the Mayflower pilgrims in Massachusetts in 1630.
George Dunham's father, Moses Earl, attended Hamilton College in Clinton, graduating in the class of 1847. In 1852, he married his wife, Harriet Hughston, who died in 1859, the same year that their only son, George Earl, was born on April 5, in Clayville. Moses Dunham became the pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Whitesboro in 1864. It was during this time that he purchased the current library property with the idea of building a home, which he did between 1864 and 1874. However, the Dunhams did not occupy this house until after 1881, when Moses accepted an appointment as the Principal of the Whitestown Seminary.
George grew up in this home on Main Street. He attended Whitestown Seminary. During his school years, he excelled in classical scholarship, public speaking and became a very good orator. Due to his great skills as a speaker and orator, Mr Dunham was often called upon to preside at banquets and public events. Upon completing his seminary education in 1875, where he was the youngest in a class of thirty-five students. He went on to attend Hamilton College, where he again graduated as the youngest member of his class in 1879 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
After college, George traveled to Johnstown, NY, where his father now lived. Moses had been a pastor there for two years. It was here that George got his start at what would become his lifelong profession: Journalism. He became a junior reporter for the Johnstown newspaper, the Fulton County Intelligencer. He did such a commendable job that after a few years, he became the editor of another newspaper, The Johnstown Republican. For this post, he was paid the handsome salary of three dollars a week. He worked for the Republican for two years, then accepted a position as a reporter for the Utica Daily Press when the paper was a mere three months old. He advanced through the ranks from junior reporter to senior reporter. In 1882, he became editor-in-chief and President of the Daily Press Publishing Company.
While also in Johnstown, Mr Dunham worked to become a lawyer, studying under local lawyers, Mr William Waite and Mr Edwin Baylies. As a legal student, he also helped his teachers to edit law books. He enrolled in a lecture course at Hamilton College, eventually taking and passing his examinations to be admitted to the New York State Association and became a lawyer.
New York State Governor Hill appointed Mr Dunham as manager of the Utica State Hospital (Marcy State Hospital). In 1905, he was named Chairman of the Board, a position he held for over thirty-five years. In recognition of his length of service, a building on the hospital grounds was named "Dunham Hall".
While living in Utica and editing the newspaper, Mr Dunham was also involved in founding the Utica Trust and Deposit Company, a financial institution; he was appointed Chairman of the Utica Electric Light Commission for three years; was director of the Utica National Bank and of the Utica Mutual Insurance Company. He was also President of the Utica Chamber of Commerce and President of the Board of Trustees of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). He was also involved in many of the area social clubs: The Oriental Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons, The Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, Psi Epsilon Fraternity, Fort Schuyler Club, Arcanum, Rotary, Sadaquada Golf Club, Yahnundasis Golf Club and the University Club of New York.
George married Helen L. Jones of Utica on January 9, 1884.
(George & Helen Dunham)
They only had one child, a daughter who died in infancy in 1888. In addition to their home on Main Street in Whitesboro, they also had a home on Hart's Hill, known as the Hughston Farm, where they spent summers. He also had his own fishing preserve in Remsen. In 1913, he took a three month tour of Europe.
Throughout his life, George Dunham was also involved in working with immigrants and helping them to become United States citizens. Over the space of eleven years, he helped hundreds to become Americanized.
George Earl Dunham died on October 29, 1922. Upon his death, Hamilton College resolved to erect a permanent memorial to Mr Dunham on campus. The Oneida County Bar Association officially recognized him as an outstanding member. The George E. Dunham Club, an organization of naturalized citizens, passed a resolution of sympathy as did many other organizations, such as the Board of Governors of the Rotary Club.
In his will, he left the Whitesboro School District the sum of $7500 plus the property on Main Street. His will stipulated that the money and/or property be used for the purpose of establishing a public library or be transferred into the trust for Hamilton College. With the help of his wife, it was decided to open a library. The plan became a reality on July 25, 1927, when the Dunham Public Library in Whitesboro was opened. When Mrs Dunham died, she left her furniture, personal library and thirty thousand dollars to the library.
A monument is dedicated to George E. Dunham for his philanthropic accomplishments. The monument is located on the Memorial Parkway at the intersection of Holland Avenue in the city of Utica.
