A leader in the political activities of the Republican party in Narragansett and Washington County, W. Herbert Caswell, formerly engaged in the hotel business, has served as clerk of the Superior Court in his native jurisdiction, being the incumbent of the office of the town clerk of Narragansett for more than two-score years. He is a well-known expert in real estate and insurance, these being his principal business endeavors.
Born in Narragansett, November 24, 1859, the son of William Gardiner and Sallie Carpenter (Gardiner) Caswell, W. Herbert Caswell attended the public schools of his native town and completed his education in the East Greenwich Academy. Until 1889 he was an associate of his father in the hotel business in Narragansett. In 1888 he entered the public service on election to the position of town clerk of Narragansett, which office he has ever since filled, the voters having determined year on end to make no change in the personnel of the office. His clerkship in the Superior Court of Washington County has already covered forty years. He has served as delegate to Republican State conventions at frequent intervals in his political career.
Mr. Caswell entered business as a specialist in Narragansett real estate in 1892, at the same time taking on several lines of insurance, the two businesses working out nicely in conjunction with one another. He is rated as the largest and oldest real estate operator in Washington County. He is a director of the Narragansett Improvement Association, and a governor and the secretary of the Chamber of Commerce of that town. His fraternal affiliations include Hope Lodge, No. 25, Free and Accepted Masons; Unity Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; and Westerly Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a member and past president of the Narragansett Country Club, a member and former commodore of the Wakefield Yacht Club, and a member of the Dunes Club. His religious fellowship is with the Episcopal Church, of which he is a vestryman.
W. Herbert Caswell married, September 11, 1919, Agnes Du Brau Fletcher, of Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Source: Carroll, Charles. Rhode Island: Three Centuries of Democracy, vol 3 of 4. New York: Lewis historical Pub. Co., 1932.