Charles Gustavus Phelps, secretary of the Manufacturers' Association of Connecticut, makes his home in Wallingford, his native city. He is closely identified with New Haven through descent from several of its oldest families. Though his busy life and varied activities have taken him away from Wallingford for many years, during which period he has spent twenty-seven years in Washington, while now his duties require his presence in the state capital, he has never given up his residence nor abated his interest in Wallingford and in New Haven county.
     The Phelps family are direct descendants of William Phelps, who was one of the early American colonists and was one of five signers of the first written constitution. The ancestors came originally from Tewksbury, England, where the ancestral line dates back to the thirteenth century. Timothy Phelps, grandfather of Charles G. Phelps, was a native of Bristol, Connecticut, where he died and is buried. His wife bore the maiden name of Sarah Austin and was a native of Kensington. Their son, Gustavus Phelps, was born in Bristol and about 1860 came to Wallingford. He first entered the employ of the Charles Parker Company of Meriden and afterward worked for the Wilcox Silver Plate Company, becoming superintendent of the plant. In 1866 he became associated with Charles Simpson as one of the founders of Simpson, Hall, Miller & Company, with which business he was identified for several years. He passed away in Wallingford in August, 1878, at the age of forty-one. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Martha Hall, was a daughter of Elihu Hall and Martha (Cooke) Hall. Her father was a descendant of John Hall, one of the first settlers of Wallingford, taking up his abode here in 1670. Martha Cooke was a daughter of Isaac Cooke, who was descended from Colonel Isaac Cooke, one of the original settlers of Wallingford and a soldier of the Revolutionary war.
     Charles Gustavus Phelps was born in Wallingford, January 24, 1870.    He acquired a common school education, pursuing his studies to the age of thirteen years, when he left school to go to work. He entered the employ of the Wilson Sewing Machine Company as office boy at a salary of two dollars and a half per week. After one year he went with the Judd Manufacturing Company in a clerical capacity and remained with that corporation until 1889, when he resigned to accept the position of private secretary to United States Senator Orville H. Platt, with whom he was associated until the death of Senator Platt, covering a period of sixteen years. In addition to acting as secretary to Senator Platt, he was clerk of the United States senate committee on patents, on Cuban relations, and also of the judiciary committee. In 1896, as a representative of Senator Platt, he made a trip to Europe on a congressional investigation. In 1900 he accompanied the special committee appointed by the United States senate on a trip to Cuba to investigate and study the conditions as a basis for the granting of Cuban independence. In 1905 he was clerk of the special committee appointed by the senate to conduct impeachment proceedings against Charles Swayne, a judge of the northern district of Florida.
     While in official service Mr. Phelps studied law in the National Law School of Washington but did not take the examination for admission to the bar. After the death of Sen-ator Platt he remained in Washington as the representative of several large industrial interests. In 1908 he was associated with Frank H. Hitchcock in conducting the canvass of delegates to the national convention at Chicago, at which convention he held the proxy of the national committeeman from North Dakota and represented that state upon the national committee in the hearings of contests of delegates to the convention. In 1911 he became associated with the Winchester Repeating Arms Company of New Haven as a special confidential representative at Washington and remained with that corporation until the fall of 1916, when he resigned to become secretary of the Manufacturers' Association of Connecticut. He has been active in local politics and has represented the town at several congressional conventions. He has also presided over or has been secretary of several of these. For six years he was assistant prosecutor of the borough court. He has been identified with most of the public movements of Wallingford and was the leader in securing the improvement of Center Street cemetery a few years ago and has since been secretary of the cemetery association. Before leaving Washington he secured the passage of a bill granting Wallingford a new post office worthy of any larger city. Upon the completion of the building he was given a banquet by the citizens and presented with a silver loving cup.
     On the 1st of October, 1895, in Wallingford, Mr. Phelps was married to Miss Jane S., daughter of Judge Edward M. and Jane (Peck) Judd. His patriotic spirit prompts his membership with the Sons of the American Revolution. The breadth of his interests is further indicated in the fact that he has membership in the National Geographic Society, the Con-necticut Historical Society, the Quinnipiac Club, the Old Colony Club of New York, the Wallingford Country Club, the National Tax Association and the Masonic fraternity. In the last named he is identified with Compass Lodge, F. & A. M., Lockwood Chapter, R. A. M., and St. Elmo Commandery, K. T. His religious faith is that of the Congregational church. His has been a most active and useful life and on all questions of vital importance he has kept abreast with the best thinking men of the age. His work has connected him closely with prominent events in history and with activities which have done much to shape the policy of state and nation.