USA > Delaware > History of the state of Delaware, Volume III > Part 19
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Samuel White came to the Bar when it was composed of strong men, but he seems to have measured up to the best. When barely of the required constitutional age, he was in 1801 appointed United States Senator from Delaware to fill the unexpired term of Henry Latimer, and on the expiration of that term was elected, in 1803, for a full term, which he served ; and, in 1809, he was again re-elected, but before he took his seat he died. He was appointed Adjutant-General of the State in 1807. His residence, during his public life, was in Wilmington where he died November 4, 1809, and he was buried in the Old Swedes graveyard. He never married.
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JOHN VINING.
John Vining was born at Dover, Delaware, December 23, 1758, and was the son of Chief Justice John Vining, who was a man of great prominence in the category of jurists. The ancestor of the Vining family was Captain Benjamin Vining, who emigrated from New England to Philadelphia in the year 1722, but subsequently removed to Salem, New Jersey, where he lived and died. John Vining, his grandson studied law with George Read of New Castle, and was admitted to the Bar in New Castle County February 21, 1782. Soon after his admission to the Bar, he began to develop intellectual faculties of more than ordinary character, which gave him a prominent position and reputation throughout the State. Having scarcely reached the age constitutionally required to qualify for membership, he was elected a member of the United States House of Representatives, and in 1793 was elected to the Senate of the United States. While honored with these positions of responsibility and distinction he per- formed his duties faithfully and creditably. He was acknowl- edged as an able representative of Delaware, and many complimentary words of commendation are spoken of him by his admiring colleagues. He died at Dover, Delaware, in 1802.
NICHOLAS VANDYKE, JR.
Nicholas Vandyke, Jr., a renowned lawyer of Delaware was born in New Castle, December 8, 1770. Having graduated from Nassau Hall in 1788, he studied law in the office of his brother-in-law Chief Justice Kensey Johns, was admitted to the Bar in 1791, and soon acquired a large and lucrative practice. He was a man of profound legal knowledge and maintained a high rank in his profession. He was elected to the Legislature of Delaware in 1799, to the United States House of Representatives in 1809, to the Senate of Delaware in 1815, and to the United States Senate in 1817, and having been re-elected, was, when he died, a member of that body.
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In all these prominent positions he was particularly noted for his promptitude, great intellectual power and his sterling integrity of character. He also took honorable position among the champions of religion and the church, being a ruling elder of the Presbyterian Church and taking an active part in its religious affairs. The high esteem in which he was held by his fellow-citizens was shown by the many offices of trust and importance that he filled. He died May 21, 1826.
JAMES M. BROOM.
James M. Broom, the son of Jacob Broom, who was con- spicuous among the men of the colonies in the important events preceding, during and at the close of the Revolutionary War, was born in 1778, graduated from Princeton College in 1794, and having chosen and studied law as his profession, was admitted to the New Castle County bar in April, 1801. In 1804-05 he was elected a member of Congress, after which he moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and subsequently to Wil- mington, Delaware, where with John Wales he began the practice of law. In the year 1819 he removed to Philadelphia, and became eminently successful in his profession. He was elected a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1824, and was generally regarded as a man of vigorous mentality and unexceptionable moral character. He pursued his pro- fession until within a year of his death, which occurred in January, 1850.
JAMES ROGERS.
James Rogers was born in New Castle, Delaware, in 1779. Having studied law for three years in the office of Chancellor Ridgely, at Dover, he was admitted to the bar of New Castle County in April, 1803, and immediately entered upon the practice of his profession. He filled several offices of high responsibility with great credit and honor to himself and the State. For twenty years, from 1815 to 1830, and again from 1835 to 1840, he held the office of Attorney-General of Dela-
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ware, discharging its arduous duties with marked ability and fidelity. Unwearied devotion to his profession was the object which inspired his daily life, while his pure morality and excellence of character gave him a worthy and honored name. He died September 15, 1868.
JOHN WALES.
John Wales, a prominent lawyer of Delaware, was born at New Haven, Connecticut, July 31, 1783. He graduated from Yale College in 1801. Having adopted the law as a profes- sion, he was admitted to the Bar and immediately began its practice in his native State. Having received an invitation from James M. Broom of Wilmington, to form a partnership with him in the practice of the law in Delaware, he accepted the same and came to Wilmington in 1815, and in October of that year was admitted to the Delaware Bar. The law firm of Broom & Wales continued until 1819 when Mr. Broom re- moved to Philadelphia. On the dissolution of the partner- ship Mr. Wales continued the practice of law alone, and for almost thirty years afterwards his presence and power were felt in the courts of Delaware. Having acquired a great repu- tation as a chancery lawyer, his practice correspondingly in- creased until he stood among the first of his colleagues at the Bar. In 1845 he was appointed Secretary of State by Major Thomas Stockton, Governor of Delaware, and in March, 1849, he was elected by the Legislature of Delaware to fill the un- expired term of John M. Clayton, in the United States Senate, Mr. Clayton having been appointed to a position in the Cabinet of President Taylor. While a resident of Wilming- ton, he was always found ready and willing to do all in his power for the material and moral improvement of his city and State. He was an active worker in obtaining the city charter of Wilmington, was president of one of its oldest banks, was a director in the first fire-insurance company of Delaware, and was active in the earliest steps taken to construct the railroad between Philadelphia and Baltimore, via. Wilmington. He
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was one of the original and most earnest promoters of Delaware College and worked most assiduously, though unsuccessfully for its location at Wilmington. In all his private and public walks through life, he maintained a strict adherence to his strong and sincere convictions, and lived to a happy old age. in the possession of an unciouded mind and bright spirits, beloved by all who knew him. He died December 8, 1863. He was the father of Leonard E. Wales, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and afterwards United States Judge for the District of Delaware.
GEORGE C. GORDON.
George C. Gordon was born in Wilmington, Delaware, February 9, 1825, and was a son of John Gordon and Ann (Sharp) Gordon. He studied law under the direction of Chief Justice Edward W. Gilpin and was admitted to the bar of New Castle County, May 10, 1847. Having opened an office in Wilmington, in a short time he held a high rar .. his fellow members of the bar. Mr. Gordon devoted :: closely to his profession, was a very attractive public = and served for a long period as the counsel of the P .. phia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad Company. He never held public office. He was the acknowledged leader of the bar, as an advocate, for many years. A life-long resident of Wilmington, he died in that city on March 15, 1886, and was buried in the Old Swedes graveyard.
JOHN C. PATTERSON.
John C. Patterson was born in Wilmington, October 24, 1815. He graduated from Nassau Hall, Princeton, in 1835. He began the study of the law with Edward W. Gilpin, who was then Attorney-General of the State. Mr. Patterson was admitted to the bar in Georgetown, Sussex County, Delaware, in 1844, but afterwards settled in Wilmington and ever after lived there. From 1865 to 1870 he was City Solicitor for Wilmington. On March 27, 1880, President Hayes appointed
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him United States District Attorney for Delaware, serving for two terms. In the various positions which he held he per- formed his duties with fidelity, and was highly respected by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. He was for many years a member and elder of Hanover Presbyterian Church. His death occurred at his home in Wilmington, March 31, 1895.
BENJAMIN NIELDS.
Benjamin Nields was born in East Marlborough Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, July 12, 1831. He studied law with John C. Patterson in Wilmington, and was admitted to the Delaware bar at Georgetown in 1859. Before establish- ing himself in the practice of the law the Civil War broke out, and in 1861 he joined the three months' troops, assisting in raising one of the early companies for the Union service, serving as first lieutenant. The following year he raised a company of artillery, which was known as "Nields' Battery," and which served through the war. He served as captain, the battery seeing much active service, and Captain Nields show- ing in many instances the soldierly judgment and bravery which merited recognition, and which led to his promotion to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Towards the close of the war he served as chief of artillery and ordnance on the staff of General Joseph J. Reynolds. In May, 1865, he acted with other officers in receiving the surrender of the rebel troops west of the Mississippi, and in June, 1865, was mustered out, receiving his honorable discharge. He was the only member of the bar from Delaware who enlisted in the three years' service. His military record is a most commendable one, but not more so than the record which for forty years he has made at the bar. Opening an office in Wilmington in 1865 he has been continuously in active practice since, and is now the old- est legal practitioner in the county. His native ability and legal learning have gained him an enviable place at the bar, and but few men have succeeded in attracting so large and
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lucrative a practice. For many years he has been recognized as a leader among the attorneys, and few, if any, members of the bar carry greater weight with the Court. He has made a deep impress upon the business community. He was the lead- ing factor in the organization of the Security Trust and Safe Deposit Company, the pioneer trust company in Wilmington, and very soon after its organization became its president, con- tinuing until the present time. The institution has been strik- ingly successful, in spite of the close competition of rival com- panies since organized, much of its success being due to the intelligent and conservative administrative qualities of Colonel Nields.
SAMUEL M. HARRINGTON, JR.
Samuel M. Harrington, Jr., was born in Dover, October 31, 1840, and was the oldest son, and bore the name of his dis- tinguished father, Chancellor Harrington. He graduated at the head of his class at Delaware College in 1857, and after- wards studied law under the direction of his father, being admitted to the bar in November, 1861. He identified him- self strongly with the Union cause at the outbreak of the Civil War, and becoming a pronounced Republican in politics served for nearly two years as Secretary of State under Gov- ernor William Cannon, and for a brief term as Adjutant Gen- eral of the State. He gave a very active support to the Great, Fair held under the auspices of the United States Sanitary Commission in Philadelphia in 1863 in aid of the Union soldiers. He was Deputy Attorney General under Alfred R. Wootten, and served two terms as Solicitor for the City of Wilmington.
He was a man of rare generosity and most delightful man- ners. "None knew him but to love him." He early showed great promise at the bar. His unflagging energy and his never tiring industry brought him from the start a substantial clientage which increased from year to year, and he developed into a trial lawyer of much power, commanding the highest
SAMUEL M. HARRINGTON, JR. 1840-1878.
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respect both of the Court and of his brother attorneys. Mr. Harrington was an enthusiast in whatever he undertook. He was one of the organizers of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington, serving as president of its board of trustees for many years, and rendering aid in building and organizing the new church that was invaluable. His career at the bar covered less than seventeen years, but they were eventful years, crowded full of achievements. His death occurred at his home in Wilmington on September 10, 1878, after a brief illness. He was laid at rest, with his fathers, in the old graveyard at Dover and the grief and regret at his early de- cease was universal throughout the State.
VICTOR DUPONT.
Victor DuPont was born at "Louviers," on the Brandy- wine, May 11, 1828. His father was Charles I. DuPont, whose father, Victor DuPont, was one of the two brothers who came to America in 1799, and founded the DuPont family in America. His mother was Dorcas Montgomery Vandyke, daughter of Nicholas Vandyke, the distinguished lawyer and publicist, and grand-daughter of Nicholas Vandyke, one of the early governors of Delaware. Victor DuPont, the subject of this sketch, was, first of all, a gentleman of dignified man- ners and quiet bearing. Sensitive and retiring in disposition, he avoided public life, but his true worth was fully recognized by the community, and no one of his generation measured up to higher standards of integrity and correct bearing. After graduating at both Delaware and Harvard colleges, he studied law with Chief Justice Gilpin, being admitted to the bar in 1849. His attention to business soon brought him a good clientage, and for many years he led the bar in lines of testa- mentary and real-estate law. He shrank from the turmoils of the court room, and devoted himself strictly to office practice. As a counselor none ranked higher. A pronounced Democrat in politics, he was one of the most influential leaders, but not a public speaker, and being wedded to his profession declined
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all proffers of public office, although both the governorship and the United States senatorship were within his reach. His large practice brought him in close touch with the business community. He served as a director in the Union National Bank for over thirty years and from 1866 until his death was its president, and was also for several years president of the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company. His death oc- curred at his home in Wilmington on May 13, 1888, and his loss was keenly felt not only by the profession to which his life had been devoted, but by the community at large.
ANTHONY HIGGINS.
Anthony Higgins was born in Red Lion Hundred, near St. Georges, New Castle County, Delaware, October 1, 1840. He graduated from Yale College in 1861, and soon afterwards began the study of law with William C. Spruance, at New Castle. After a course at Harvard Law School, he was ad- mitted to the Bar in May, 1864. Soon after his admission, he was appointed Deputy Attorney-General under Attorney-Gen- eral Jacob Moore, and served in that capacity two years. In 1869 he was appointed by President Grant, United States At- torney for the District of Delaware, which office he held until June, 1876. Mr. Higgins from his admission to the Bar has taken a lively interest in politics. He allied himself with the Republican party, has served as chairman of its State Central Committee and has always been recognized as one of its most influential leaders. In 1884 he was the Republican candidate for Congress, and five years later when the Republican party for the first time obtained a majority in the General Assembly of the State, he was elected a member of the United States Senate. He served a full term in the Senate, and his public utterances while a member of that body commanded marked attention. As a member of the Bar Mr. Higgins ranks high ; for years he has been recognized as an unusually strong advo- cate, and as a public speaker he is in demand beyond the con- fines of the State of his residence. Aggressive and courageous
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he has impressed himself upon the life of the State ; gifted with a rare conversational ability, he has attracted to himself a host of friends, and after an experience of over forty years at the Bar, being still in active practice, he merits and enjoys the good will and respect of the whole community.
LEVI C. BIRD.
Levi C. Bird was born in Christiana Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware, November 20, 1842, and was the son of James T. Bird. He studied law under Chancellor Daniel M. Bates, and graduated from Harvard law school in 1863. He was admitted to practice in May, 1865, and at once began the practice of his profession in Wilmington. For many years he was the recognized leading criminal lawyer in Delaware, and later led the bar in the prosecution of damage causes. In both of these branches he was eminently successful. As a jury lawyer he was unsurpassed in his generation. His impas- sioned appeals will long be remembered. In the preparation of his cases he was most careful and painstaking, and he won and held to the fullest extent the respect of both the court and the bar. He served as resident attorney for the Balti- more and Philadelphia Railroad Company for nearly twenty years. Genial, warm-hearted and loyal in his friendships, Mr. Bird had a large personal following, and for many years was an active force in Republican politics, but held no politi- cal office, except that of Register in Bankruptcy. The latter office came to him by appointment of Judge Willard Hall in 1867, and he held it for ten years. He was the Republican candidate for Congress in 1876. Delaware has produced few, if any, more popular men, and his death, at his country seat near Delaware City, on August 27, 1902, caused general regret and sorrow.
CHARLES G. RUMFORD.
Charles G. Rumford was born in Philadelphia, August 17, 1841. He studied law with his uncle, Chief Justice Edward W. Gilpin, and with Victor DuPont, and was admitted to the
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New Castle Bar May 7, 1866. He served as Deputy Attorney- General under Jacob Moore, from 1867 to 1869. In 1869 he was appointed clerk of the United States Courts for the Dis- trict of Delaware by Judge Willard Hall, and held that position until 1873. He was a well read lawyer, a wise counselor, a logical thinker, and had the esteem and confi- dence of the public. His death occurred in Wilmington on November 4, 1901.
S. RODMOND SMITH.
S. Rodmond Smith was born in Wilmington, Delaware, April 20, 1841, and was a son of Albert W. Smith, of Quaker descent. He was admitted to the Bar in 1867. His early life was devoted to military work. During the Civil War, he was engaged in recruiting men for the Fourth Delaware Infantry. He was made Lieutenant, afterwards promoted to the rank of Captain and subsequently was made Major. He proved a most skillful and efficient officer during the war, and his services were highly commended. After the war he re- turned to Wilmington, and began the practice of his profes- sion. For four years he occupied the position of Secretary and Treasurer of the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Com- pany, and in 1873 he was appointed clerk of the United States Courts for the District of Delaware, which position he filled with great acceptability to both the Court and Bar. Owing to ill-health he resigned the clerkship in 1903, after a continuous service of thirty years, and since that time has been devoting his attention to the promotion of several enter- prises outside the State.
ALEXANDER B. COOPER.
Alexander B. Cooper, whose father was the Rev. Ignatius T. Cooper, well known in religious circles, was born in Middletown, Delaware, November 5, 1844. He studied law under the direction of the Hon. Eli Saulsbury, attended the law department of the University of Pennsylvania and was
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admitted to the Bar in New Castle in 1867. He began the practice of law in 1868 in Wilmington, and a year afterwards, moved to New Castle, where he has since continued his resi- dence. From 1879 to 1885 he was Deputy Attorney-General of the State under George Gray. He was a member of the State Senate of Delaware during the sessions of 1883-1887, and Speaker for the last two years of his term. Mr. Cooper was appointed commissioner with William S. Hilles and Walter H. Hayes by the General Assembly of the State in 1905, to confer with like commissioners from the State of New Jersey respecting the Delaware River and Bay, in accord- ance with the compact agreed upon between the representa- tives of the two States under date of March 9, 1905. Mr. Cooper is President both of the Delaware commissioners and of the joint commissioners. With untiring devotion to his profession, his legal talents and strict integrity of character have given him high standing at the Bar. He still pursues the practice of law in Wilmington.
THOMAS COOPER.
Thomas Cooper was born in Little Creek Hundred, Sussex County, Delaware, and was a brother of Governor William B. Cooper. He studied law with James P. Wilson, and was admit- ted to the Sussex County Bar in 1805. After his admission he began the practice of his profession in Georgetown, where he continued to live until his death. From 1815 to 1817 he served as member of Congress from Delaware, and for many years was a leading Federalist in the State. Among the prominent Delawareans who were students under him were Judge Edward Wootten and Judge Caleb S. Layton. His professional char- acter was marked by a painstaking industry and a thorough knowledge of the law, fulfilling his duties with ability and zeal. He was most highly esteemed and enjoyed the confi- dence of the public. He died in 1829, aged sixty-five years.
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MARTIN W. BATES.
Martin W. Bates for nearly half a century was a leading member of the Kent County Bar. Born in Massachusetts in 1786, he came to Delaware in his nineteenth year, and after teaching school for some years studied medicine at the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, where he received the degree of M. D. He practiced medicine in Smyrna, but on account of ill health was forced to give up his profession, when he engaged in mer- cantile pursuits in Dover. In this he was not successful.
Having gained considerable reputation as a ready debater, he was advised to study law, pursuing his studies under Thomas Clayton, afterwards Chief Justice, and was admitted to the bar at Dover in 1822. Although then in his thirty- sixth year, and meeting as competitors at the bar with men who for learning and ability have never been surpassed, he rapidly made his way as a lawyer, and was able to fully dis- charge many financial obligations that had burdened him for many years.
As a lawyer he was industrious, methodical and painstaking. His cases were prepared with great care, and he tried them in a way that won the high respect of the court and attracted the attention of suitors. He belonged to the Federalist party until that party disbanded, and in 1826 was elected to the State House of Representatives. He served as a member of the State Constitutional Convention of 1852, and was reckoned one of the strongest men in that body. He was three times the nominee of his party for representative in Congress.
On the death of John M. Clayton, while United States Senator, in 1856 Joseph P. Comegys was appointed by Gov- ernor Ross to fill the seat until the meeting of the General As- sembly. At the meeting of the latter body in January, 1857, Martin W. Bates was chosen to fill out the unexpired term of Mr. Clayton. He served in the Senate until March 4, 1859. His public career was greatly interfered with by reason of an accident that befell him on his way to Washington to take his seat in the Senate. By a fall on the ice he broke his thigh,
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which made it necessary for him to use crutches the remainder of his days.
Mr. Bates was scholarly in his professional attainments. As a politician he was astute and tenacious. As a man he was prudent, honorable and charitable. Few men have combined stronger characteristics, and his public and professional careers are worthy of emulation. He lived quietly at Dover after his retirement from the Senate, and died in that town, January 1,1869.
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