Person Page - 51

Benjamin S. Blake, 82, of 85 Park Rd. Weston, farmer and arboriculturist, died yesterday at Phillips House. A graduate of Harvard University in 1901, Mr. Blake had been interested in farming and arboriculture most of his life. He was formerly a member of the visiting committee of Arnold Arboretum.
For 40 years he was host at his Weston home to members of the Class of 1901 at their annual reunion.
Mr. Blake was born in Weston and resided there all of his life. He was former chairman of the Weston Park Commission. He was a member of the Boston Athletic Association, Somerset Club. Tennis and Racquet Club, Longwood Cricket Club and Weston Golf Club.
Mr. Blake leaves his wife, the former Ruth Amelia Field: three daughters, Mrs. Andrew Oliver of New York, Mrs. Jerome Hunsaker, Jr., of Lincoln and Mrs. Thomas H.P. Whitney of Weston: two sons. Francis of Dover and Benjamin S. Blake, Jr., of Cohasset and a sister, Mrs. Agnes Fitz-Gerald of Weston.⁴     

WESTON, Jan. 19—Francis Blake, one of the pioneers in the telephone business, died here today, aged 62 years. Mr. Blake invented the Blake telephone transmitter, was a director in the American Bell Telephone Company and the American Telephone & Telegraph Company, and was a member of the board of advisory trustees of the Ludlow Manufacturing Associates.
Francis Blake was born on Christmas day, 1850, at Needham, the son of Francis and Caroline Trumbull Blake. In 1873 he married Miss Elizabeth L. Hubbard, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles T. Hubbard of Weston. For nearly 15 years Mr. Blake served on the United States coast survey. He devoted all his leisure to experimental physics and his invention of the Blake transmitter in 1878 played a very important part ln the development of telephony and gave him a prominent place among inventors throughout the world. Later he patented many other electrical devices.⁵