Having entered the business established by his father in 1886, Mr. Hough has continued to be associated with this well-known dye plant of Woonsocket, and now (1931) is its treasurer and general manager.
M. Leslie Hough was born at Woonsocket, on February 26, 1886, a son of Mark and Mary A. (Wardle) Hough. His father was born in England, but has lived in the United States since he was five years of age. His mother is a native of Rhode Island. Mr. Hough received his early education in the schools of Woonsocket and then attended Worcester Academy, Worcester, Massachusetts, and Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, of which latter he was a student for one year. After leaving college at the end of his freshman year, he entered the Enterprise Dye Works, Inc., of Woonsocket. This business was founded by his father, Mark Hough, in 1884, and was incorporated in 1918. Its plant is now located at No. 229 First Avenue, Woonsocket. Mr. Hough’s mother was president of the company to the time of her death, October 8, 193 °. but the active direction of the company was in the hands of the subject of this article. It is one of the most successful establishments of its type in Woonsocket and its success in recent years must be attributed largely to Mr. Hough’s efforts and ability. Mr. Hough is also a member of the board of directors of the Woonsocket Branch of the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Company and of the Rathbun Knitting Company, of Woonsocket, as well as a trustee of the Union Cemetery of Woonsocket. Always interested in civic affairs and the advancement of the welfare of his native city, Mr. Hough is a member of the Woonsocket Chamber of Commerce and of the Woonsocket City Club, of which latter he is vice-president. Since his college days he has been a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. In politics he votes independently, while his religious affiliation is with the Protestant Episcopal Church.
Mr. Hough married Florence Sayles, a native of Blackstone, and a daughter of Henry and Helen Sayles. Mrs. Hough is a member of the Universalist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Hough are the parents of two sons: Mark Sayles and Henry. The family home is located at No. 269 Prospect Street, Woonsocket.
Source: Carroll, Charles. Rhode Island: Three Centuries of Democracy, vol 3 of 4. New York: Lewis historical Pub. Co., 1932.