USA > Idaho > An illustrated history of the state of Idaho, containing a history of the state of Idaho from the earliest period of its discovery to the present time, together with glimpses of its auspicious future; illustrations and biographical mention of many pioneers and prominent citizens of to-day > Part 37
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Jannes H. Hawley
CHAPTER XX.
INDIVIDUAL RECORDS.
JAMES H. HAWLEY.
N O COMPENDIUM such as the province of this work defines in its essential limita- tions will serve to offer fit memorial to the life and accomplishments of the hon- ored subject of this sketch-a man remarkable in the breadth of his wisdom, in his indomitable perseverance, his strong individuality, and yet one whose entire life has not one esoteric phase, being an open scroll, inviting the closest scru- tiny. True, his have been "massive deeds and great" in one sense, and yet his entire life ac- complishment but represents the result of the fit utilization of the innate talent which is his, and the directing of his efforts in those lines where mature judgment and rare discrimina- tion lead the way. There is in Mr. Hawley a weight of character, a native sagacity, a far- seeing judgment and a fidelity of purpose that commands the respect of all. A man of inde- fatigable enterprise and fertility of resource, he has carved his name deeply on the record of the political, commercial and professional history of the state, which owes much of its advancement to his efforts.
James H. Hawley was born in Dubuque, Iowa, on the 17th of January, 1847, and in his veins mingles the blood of English, Dutch and Irish ancestors. The Hawley family was founded in America in 1760. William Carr, the maternal great-grandfather of our subject, was a major in the Revolutionary army; and the grandfather, Henry Carr, commanded a company in the war of 1812, with the rank of captain. Thomas Hawley, his father, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and became a civil engineer by profes- sion. He married Miss Annie Carr, who died during the infancy of her son James. In 1849 the father went to California, and in 1856 took up his residence in Texas. When the civil war was inaugurated he joined the Confederate army, and served throughout that great struggle as major
of a regiment of engineers. He is still living in the Lone Star state. He was married a second time, and by that union had five children, but our subject is the only son by the first marriage.
In his native city Mr. Hawley of this review acquired his early education. In 1861 he ac- companied an uncle to California, and was pre- paring to enter college there when he heard of the wonderful discoveries of gold in the Salmon river country, in Idaho. Hoping to gain wealth in that district he left California April 8, 1862, arriving at Florence the latter part of the month while the mining excitement was at its height. Since that time he has been identified with min- ing interests, though his efforts have been con- fined by no means to one line of endeavor. In December, 1862, he went to Dallas, Oregon, and in May, 1863, came to Boise county, locat- ing at Placerville, working for several months on Gold Hill mountain. He then purchased placer claims near Ophir creek, and in 1863-4 prospected in various sections of Idaho, his part- ners being James Carr and James Bradford. They were the discoverers of the Banner mining district, and Mr. Hawley was interested in many of the first locations there. He also made many of the first locations at what is now Quartzburg.
In December, 1864, however, lie returned to San Francisco, California, where he attended school and studied law, remaining there until the fall of 1868, when he returned to Idaho and re- sumed mining operations at Banner. In the spring of 1869 he worked placer claims on Cali- fornia Hill, and through the summer was at Gold Hill mountain. He also prospected in the Loon creek country, returning in the fall to what is now Quartzburg, where he prospected for quartz. That autumn he discovered what is known as the Iowa mine, a very valuable prop- erty. While working one day he found a very rich deposit, and, gathering some of the rocks into a flour sack, he took it to the creek, where
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he washed out the gold to the value of one thou- sand dollars! He was interested in most of the best placers in the basin, notably the Ebenezer and Yellow Jacket, and still has large mining in- terests in various parts of the state. When the mining exchange was established in Boise, in 1895, he was chosen its first president, and has since held that position.
Throughout his entire life Mr. Hawley has been an advocate of Democratic principles, and has been a most active worker in the interests of his party in Idaho. In 1870 he was elected a member of the lower house of the territorial legislature, receiving the largest majority given any one on the ticket. During that session he served as chairman of the judiciary committee. He was chief clerk of the house at the seventh session, was a member of the council of the eighth session and was chief clerk at the ninth session of the territorial legislature. In 1878 he served as county commissioner of Boise county. In the meantime he had studied law and was at- taining considerable prominence at the bar. He began his legal studies in San Francisco and con- tinued them at every available opportunity until February 14, 1871, when he was admitted to practice in the supreme court of the territory. He acted as deputy district attorney under Hon. George Ainslie for several years. In 1878 he removed to Idaho City and was nominated and elected on the Democratic ticket to the position of district attorney for the second district, em- bracing Boise, Alturas, Lemhi and Custer coun- ties. It was during his term that there occurred the great mining excitement in the Wood river country and in Custer county, bringing with it a great increase in the population and a great accumulation of criminal work in the courts, but Mr. Hawley discharged his duties with marked fidelity and ability, and in 1880 was renominated for the same position. So great was his popu- larity that the Republicans would make no nom- ination, and he was therefore practically elected by acclamation. In 1883 he removed to Hailey, Alturas county, where he remained until 1886, when he came to Boise, where he has since made his home. In 1885 he was appointed by Presi- dent Cleveland to the position of United States district attorney, in which capacity he served most acceptably for four years. It was during
that time that the Mormon troubles arose in the territory and he became prominent as the prose- cutor of many of that sect under the Edmund Tucker law, though he vigorously opposed the test-oath law, being persuaded that it was wrong in principle. He was a conspicuous figure in the settlement of the Idaho land matters under the Sparks administration, and in 1884-5, while as- sistant prosecuting attorney of Alturas county, with Hon. N. M. Ruick as principal, he had charge of and settled amicably the strikes on Wood river. In 1888 he received the Democratic nomination for congress and was defeated after a vigorous campaign by ex-Senator Fred T. Du- bois. He was elected chairman of the Boise county Democratic committee, in which capacity he served for six years, doing excellent service for the party by his capable and wise manage- ment of its forces. He has been a member of every Democratic state convention since his ar- rival in Idaho with the exception of that of 1896 and has been one of the leading figures in Idaho politics for a third of a century. In 1896 he took the stump for Bryan, and his voice was heard in every precinct in Idaho, ably expounding the doctrines in which he believes.
But it is as a learned, experienced and eminent lawyer that Mr. Hawley is most widely known. He is one of the most celebrated criminal lawyers of the northwest, and it is a notable fact that he has tried more criminal cases than any lawyer on the Pacific coast. He was associated with Hon. Pat Reddy, of San Francisco, in the Coeur d'Alene mine trials, of 1892, and out of between seven and eight hundred indictments by federal and state courts they cleared every one of the defendants, carrying some of the cases into the United States supreme court, where they were likewise victorious. Mr. Hawley enjoys a very extensive and remunerative practice, mostly in the departments of criminal, mining and irriga- tion law.
The home relations of our subject are most pleasant. He was married on the 4th of January, 1875, to Miss Mary E. Bullock, of New York city, and to them have been born nine children. six of whom are living. Edgar T., the eldest son, is now lieutenant in the Idaho regiment, and is serving his country in the Philippines; Jesse B. is a student in the high school; Emma and
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Bessie are attending the Sisters' school; and James H. and Harry R. are at home. The family is one of prominence in the community, and the members of the household occupy high positions in social circles. Mr. Hawley belongs to the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is past noble grand, and he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. He was also at one time president of the Bar Association of Idaho. The future of such a man can be forecast at least to this extent: it will be characterized by great ac- tivity in the important things that concern the interests of society and government. The world is always in need of men of his character and ability, men who are high-minded, public-spirited, energetic and enterprising, who believe that the citizen owes a solemn duty to the community; and while the demands on such men are in- creased by their willingness to sacrifice for the public good, fortunately they are possessed of the patriotism, humanity and public spirit which prompt them to respond whenever the public will imposes a burden upon their time and patience; and while their successes are regarded as per- sonal achievements, they are also credited as vic- tories for society and civilization.
NORMAN M. RUICK.
This distinguished practitioner at the bar of Idaho has been connected with the leading inter- ests of the state for some years, and in all the re- lations of life he has commanded the respect and confidence of his fellow men by his fidelity to duty and his devotion to the interests entrusted to his care. He comes from the far east, being a native of Connecticut. His birth occurred in Granby, that state, on the 4th of October, 1854, and his ancestry includes both Irish and Puritan stock. His paternal great-grandfather, a native of the Emerald Isle, emigrated to the New World and took up his residence in Hartford county, Connecticut, where he resided for many years. When the colonies attempted to throw off the yoke of British tyranny, he joined the army and valiantly fought in the war which gave to the nation her independence. The grandfather of our subject, William Ruick, Sr., and the father, who also bore the name of William, were both born in Granby, Connecticut, the latter on the 10th of
July, 1822. He was a carriage-maker by trade and followed that pursuit in order to gain a liveli- hood for his family. He married Miss Temper- ance C. Hutchinson, a native of Mansfield, Con- necticut, and a representative of one of the old Puritan families of New England. The Ruick family for several generations had been connected with the Methodist church, of which denomina- tion the parents of our subject were also mem- bers. The mother departed this life in 1884, at the age of sixty-two years, and the father was called to his final rest in 1888, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. They had five sons and a daugh- ter, and the sons are all yet living.
Norman Melville Ruick, whose name intro- duces this review, remained on the home farm with his father, assisting in the labors of field and meadow until seventeen years of age. Then, as so many other country boys have done, he went to the city to try his fortune. The ranks of prom- inent business men in our industrial and commer- cial centers are constantly being recruited from the farm, where the outdoor life and exercise have developed sturdy youths well fitted to cope with the ofttimes difficult problem of securing a start in the financial world. Making his way to Troy, New York, Mr. Ruick first served an ap- prenticeship at the machinist's trade in the Schenectady Locomotive Works, but he did not find this entirely congenial. He seemed to pos- sess a natural predilection for the law, and de- voted all his leisure hours to reading the text- books containing the fundamental principles of the science of jurisprudence. When his term of apprenticeship was ended he entered the law of- fice of King & Rhodes, of Troy, New York, and after a thorough course of study was admitted to the bar by the supreme court of Indiana, in In- dianapolis, in 1877.
For three years Mr. Ruick engaged in practice in that city, and then went to Tucson, Arizona, with a view of locating there, but changing his mind he came to Idaho, by way of San Francisco, locating in the Wood river country, where he re- mained for a number of years. He practiced law in Bellevue and Hailey and served as assist- ant district attorney for Alturas county for two years. He was three times the nominee of his party for the position of district attorney, and filled that position in 1885 and 1886. In 1892
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he was elected to the state senate and served with distinction as chairman of the judiciary com- mittee. He was the author of the "Ruick law," making all obligations to be paid in money pay- able in any lawful money-gold, silver or green- backs-notwithstanding anything in the contract to the contrary. Since his arrival in the state Mr. Ruick has been an important factor in political circles. In 1894 he was elected chairman of the Populist state central committee, and with signal ability conducted the memorable campaign of that year. As an organizer he has few equals and no superiors in Idaho. He marshals his forces with the skill and precision of a general on the field of battle, and at the same time does it with such tact that the most harmonious work- ing is secured within the ranks of the party. It was he who conceived the plan and was largely instrumental in carrying to a successful issue the combination between the Populists and Demo- crats in 1896, which resulted in the election of the Democratic-Populist state ticket, giving a ma- jority in the legislature and thus sending a Popu- list to the United States senate.
Upon becoming chairman of the state central committee, Mr. Ruick removed to Boise, where he has since made his home, successfully engag- ing in the practice of law. He is one of the most celebrated criminal lawyers in the state, his ser- vice as prosecuting attorney causing him to give special attention to this department of jurisprud- ence. His ability in this direction has caused him in many instances to be employed by various counties as assistant prosecutor, and he has al- most invariably succeeded in winning the suits with which he has thus been connected. Pos- sessed of a keen and penetrating intelligence, a thorough knowledge of the law and an indomit- able will, he has attained an eminent position in his profession, and in legal circles is known throughout the entire northwest.
On the 17th of August, 1888, Mr. Ruick was married to Mrs. Manda D. Reiff, and their union has been blessed with two sons and a daughter, -Norman M., Eleanor and Melville. In his religious belief Mr. Ruick is a Christian scientist, and socially is connected with the Modern Wood- men of America and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In the latter he has served as past master in the local lodge and has been representa-
tive to the supreme lodge. He is of a genial na- ture and gentlemanly bearing, which character- istics are evidences of a commendable character, and he is one of the popular and esteemed citizens of Boise.
DAVID C. CHASE.
David C. Chase, the secretary and treasurer of the great Payette Valley Mercantile Company, Limited, doing business in Payette, Idaho, is a native of Ohio, his birth having occurred in John- sonville, Trumbull county, on the 26th of April, 1853. He traces his descent from English ances- tors who were early settlers of Connecticut, and participated in many of the leading events which go to make up the history of that state. His father, David Chase, was a New England farmer, and died when his son and namesake was only a small boy. The latter was educated in the public schools of Meadville, Pennsylvania, and began life as a newsboy, selling papers on the streets and afterward on the train. As the years passed and he became fitted for more responsible duties, he resolved to learn telegraphy. This he did, and was employed in the railroad service for twenty years, being with the Union Pacific Railroad from 1873 until 1891,-one of its most competent, faithful and trusted employes.
His industry and economy in that time had en- abled him to save some capital, and in the latter year he became one of the organizers of the Pay- ette Valley Mercantile Company, Limited. He was elected its secretary and treasurer, a position which he has since filled with great acceptability, for in no small degree the success of the house is attributable to his efforts. The company do a large wholesale and retail business, dealing in general merchandise, and enjoy an extensive and constantly growing trade. They have one of the best department stores of the northwest, stocked with everything found in their line, and have gained a reputation for reliability, fair deal- ing, moderate prices and courteous treatment, and this insures them a liberal share of the public patronage.
In 1879 Mr. Chase was happily married to Miss Mary A. Platt, of Lynn, Indiana, and they have a son and daughter, Eva Fredericka and Danna Carl. The former is a graduate of St. Margaret's School of Boise, and also of the Ken- wood Institute, of Chicago. The family is one
I.N. Fomar
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of prominence in the community, and the hospit- able doors of the Chase household are ever open for the reception of their many friends. Mrs. Chase is a valued and active member of the Episcopal church. Mr. Chase is a lead- ing representative of Washoe Lodge, No. 28, A. F. & A. M., has the honor of be- ing the first man on whom was ever conferred the degrees in his lodge, and is now serving his second term as master. He also belongs to Pay- ette Chapter, No. 8, R. A. M. In politics he is a Silver Republican, and keeps well informed on the issues of the day, but has never been an office- seeker, preferring to devote his time and attention to his business interests. His home in Payette is a fine brick residence, situated in the midst of carefully kept grounds. He also owns other buildings and several valuable city lots, together with a forty-acre farm, of which twenty acres have been planted to winter apples. He ranks very high in business circles, and his advance has been most marked. A third of a century ago he was a little newsboy. To-day he is active in the management of one of the important business enterprises of the state, and is the owner of much valuable realty. He has certainly won the proud American title of a self-made man, and his suc- cess is most creditable.
JAMES HARVEY FORNEY.
A visit to the library of the gentleman whose name is above and a chat with him in his pleas- ant home at Moscow, are sufficient to dispel any idea that the new west is without culture or men of ability interested in its educational progress and development. Mr. Forney has given some of the best years of an active and useful life to the cause of education in Idaho, and has attained more than local distinction otherwise.
after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and settled in Alsace, on the Rhine. His son, Mr. Forney's great-grandfather, was born in 1721. In 1754 he married a Miss Maria Bergner, of Canton Berne, Switzerland, and thereafter settled in Lincoln county, North Carolina.
The fact that they and their sons, Jacob, Peter and Abraham, were uncompromising Whigs, and that the family sustained the cause of American liberty by the expenditure of their means and by force of arms, did not tend to make their relations with Cornwallis' men any more pleasant, and they were deprived of about everything they pos- sessed, even to their gold, silver and jewelry, much of which was brought from Europe. The head of this loyal family died in 1806, near the place where he had first settled. The eldest son, Jacob, was born November 6, 1754, and married Mary Corpening of Rutherford county, North Carolina. Not long after the close of the Revo- lution he bought a valuable tract of land near Morgantown, North Carolina, where he lived a long, useful and quiet life, and there died No- vember 7, 1840, aged eighty-six years. James H. Forney, the second son, married Emily Logan, of Rutherford county, North Carolina, and his sec- ond son, named in his father's honor, is the sub- ject of this sketch.
At the age of eighteen, James Harvey Forney entered Wofford University, South Carolina, and after four years' study was graduated with sec- ond honor in a large class, and delivered the salittatory address. In 1875 he went to Califor- nia and there taught school and read law, as occasion offered. In 1878, at the organization of Hastings Law College, he was among the first pupils enrolled, and he was admitted to the bar in 1879. Immediately thereafter he came to Idaho, settling in Idaho county, and in January, 1880, was appointed deputy district attorney. At the ensuing election he was elected district at- torney, and under the territorial and state gov- ernments was re-elected five consecutive times.
James Harvey Forney, a prominent citizen of Moscow, Idaho, and ex-United States district at- torney for the district of Idaho, was born in Rutherford county, North Carolina, forty-seven years ago, a son of James H. and Emily (Logan) In 1894 he resigned the position of district at- torney for the second judicial district of the state, and was appointed United States attorney for the district of Idaho. Under the territory and state of Idaho and United States, he held the position of district attorney for seventeen consecutive Forney. The old homestead in North Carolina, where Mr. Forney was born, has been in the pos- session of his family for four generations. The Forneys are of French-Huguenot descent and Mr. Forney's great-great-grandfather, who was born in 1640, fled from his native land in 1685, years. He has been engaged in a large number
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of criminal prosecutions and was appointed spe- cial prosecutor for the state in all cases arising out of the riots in the Coeur d'Alene district in 1899. He is a man of broad culture, and, in ad- dition to a fine law library, he has a well selected miscellaneous library of twelve hundred volumes. He has lived at Moscow since 1890.
In 1881 he married Mary E. Belknap, of Santa Barbara, California. She is the daughter of Hon. C. G. Belknap and a graduate of the University of the Pacific. They have two daughters, Rosa Alletha and Cora May Forney.
Mr. Forney has held the position of grand master of the Odd Fellows of the jurisdiction of Idaho; was the first acting president of the fac- ulty of the University of Idaho and has served as regent and president of the board of regents of the university.
FREDERICK S. KOHLER, M. D.
The wise system of industrial economics which has been brought to bear in the development of Nampa has challenged uniform admiration, for while there has been steady advancement in ma- terial lines there has been an entire absence of that inflation of values and that erratic "boom- ing" which have in the past proved the eventual death knell to many of the localities in the west, where "mushroom towns" have one day smiled forth with "all modern improvements" and prac- tically on the next have been shorn of their glories and of their possibilities of stable prosperity until the existing order of things shall have been radi- cally changed. In Nampa, progress has been made continuously and in safe lines, and in the healthful growth and advancement of the city Dr. Kohler has taken an active part. Hardly ·had the town a beginning when he located here, becoming its pioneer druggist and physician. Here he has since carried on business, and while in professional lines he has achieved individual success, he has also labored for the growth and development of the place in which he resides.
The Doctor is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Lewistown, December 18, 1838. He is of German lineage, and three generations of the family had previously resided in the city of his nativity. His parents were Henry and Mary (Livermore) Kohler, the former for many years a successful merchant of Pennsyl-
vania, where he remained until called to the home beyond, at the age of eighty years. His wife was a representative of an old Virginian family, and lived to be seventy-five years of age. They had eight children, of whom the Doctor was the youngest. He was educated at Dartmouth and Swarthmore Colleges, was graduated in 1860, and on the breaking out of the civil war became surgeon of the Twenty-first Pennsylvania Cav- alry, under General Sheridan. He remained at the front, alleviating the suffering of the wound- ed, throughout the war, and was present at the surrender of General Lee, which was the climax of the great tragedy which had engaged the at- tention of the nation through four long years.
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