Arthur Clarence Hatch has significantly influenced Newark’s media scene as the business manager of the American Tribune for over two decades. Born on September 27, 1863, in Milford, New Hampshire, into a family with deep patriotic roots, Hatch’s journey from bookkeeper to media executive underscores a legacy of commitment and innovation. His strategic leadership has been pivotal to the newspaper’s success, reflecting a blend of heritage and dedication. Beyond his professional contributions, Hatch, a family man and community participant, exemplifies the integration of personal values with civic engagement, embodying the essence of impactful leadership in the realm of journalism and community service.
Arthur Clarence Hatch, who for twenty-two years has been a resident of Newark and throughout the entire period has been connected with the American Tribune, and the American prior to the merging of the two papers, now occupies the position of business manager. In a position of executive control, he has shown himself thoroughly qualified for the work and carefully masters the problems which continually arise in the management of a successful newspaper as well as in the control of industrial or commercial interests. He was born in Milford, New Hampshire, September 27, 1863. His father, Charles G. Hatch, was a native of Milford, Massachusetts, and was of Scotch ancestry. The first of the name in this country came at the time of the Huguenot exodus and settled in the old Bay state. When the colonies attempted to throw off the yoke of British oppression, representatives of the Hatch family served in the American army. Charles G. Hatch was a dealer in carriages and a successful merchant who, extending the scope of his business activity, also became well known as a dealer in horses. He died in 1902 at the age of seventy-three years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Blanchard, was born in Lyndeborough, New Hampshire, and was a granddaughter of Jotham Blanchard, who furnished money to equip the troops and furnish them supplies at the time of the Revolutionary War, lending the money to the state. It will thus be seen that on both the paternal and maternal sides, Arthur C. Hatch comes from a race of people intensely patriotic and loyal in the early days of the country’s history. His mother, a consistent Christian woman, holding membership in the Congregational church, now makes her home with her son, George W. Hatch, at Wilton, New Hampshire, at the age of seventy-nine years. By her marriage, she became the mother of nine children, six sons and three daughters, of whom only one is now deceased. Of these, Charles A. and George W. Hatch are physicians, while Fred S. Hatch is an attorney. Ernest E., of Buffalo, New York, is superintendent of the John Hancock Life Insurance Company, and Frank S. is a resident of Pepperell, Massachusetts. Arthur C. Hatch, who was the sixth in order of birth, attended the public schools of Milford, New Hampshire, and when his education was completed became a bookkeeper in a large general store at that place, occupying the position for about three years. In 1887, he came to Newark, where his brother, Charles A. Hatch, was a well-known physician. Entering business circles here, Mr. Hatch became circulation manager for the American, a paper published in Newark, and acted in that capacity until 1896, when he was promoted to the responsible position of business manager and through various changes, including the consolidation of the American with the Tribune, he has continued as business manager to the present time. The success of the paper is largely attributable to his efforts, for in all business affairs he displays keen discrimination and sound judgment, combined with a thorough understanding of the modern business methods that lead to progress and advancement.
In 1884, Mr. Hatch was married to Miss Jessie P. Butterfield, who was born in New Boston, New Hampshire, in 1864, and they have three children: Marion, Ruth, and Bernice. The parents and children are members of the First Presbyterian Church of this city, in which Mr. Hatch served as a trustee for several years. In the work of the church, they are much interested and are active in support of many measures for the general good. Mr. Hatch belongs to the Odd Fellows society, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Masonic fraternity, in which he has taken high rank, while at the present time he is a member of the Mystic Shrine. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party and he has done not a little to mold its policy in this county. For a time, he served as a member of the board of health but resigned the position and was elected secretary of the city board of elections, in which capacity he served for four years. His devotion to the general good has been manifest in many tangible ways. He recognizes the opportunities for municipal progress and is in hearty sympathy with all those measures which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride.