USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > Historical review of Chicago and Cook county and selected biography, Volume II > Part 20
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41
No lawyer at the Chicago bar is generally acknowledged to have a more ready and sound judgment in broad and intricate matters of
JOHN J. civil jurisprudence than John Jacob Herrick, senior member of the firm of Herrick, Allen, Boyesen and
· HERRICK. Martin. His knowledge of the law is remarkable both for its comprehensiveness and accuracy, and in its application he is earnest, concise, logical and forceful; which accounts in large meas- ure for the high and substantial nature of his professional standing.
Mr. Herrick is Illinois-born, being a native of Hillsboro, Mont- gomery county, where he commenced this life on the 25th of May, 1845. He is the son of Dr. William B. and Martha (Seward) Her- rick, and in early youth was brought by his parents to Chicago. His father was one of the most widely known and honored physicians in the city, and was especially influential in furthering the cause of medical education in this locality. He was surgeon of a regiment of Illinois volunteers during the Mexican war, and on his return became one of the first professors of Rush Medical College, for many years being an eminent occupant of its chair of anatomy and materia medica. Dr. Herrick was also the first president of the Illinois State Medical Society. He was prominent not only in medical and scientific circles, but in civic affairs and social life. But the toil, hardships and exposures of campaign life had left their effect upon his system, and, in 1857. on account of failing health he was compelled to have recourse to the healthful atmosphere of his native Maine forests.
The Herricks are of an old English family, whose seat for many
John f. Herrick
PUBLIC LIBRARY 1
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
693
CHICAGO .AND COOK COUNTY
generations was in Leicestershire, and descendants of whom are still numbered among its residents. After the war of the Revolution Jacob Herrick, the great-grandfather of John J., who was a lieutenant in that struggle, settled in Durham, Maine, and there became a Con- gregational minister. The grandfather and the father were both na- tives of that town. The maternal family of Sewards were early pioneers of Illinois. John B. Seward, grandfather, was a native of New Jersey, and settled in Montgomery county at an early day.
John J. Herrick, descended from stanch pioneers of the east and the west, began the serious work of his education when he came with his parents to Chicago, where he attended both the public and the pri- vate schools, but at the age of twelve years he accompanied his parents on their removal to Maine. From 1857 until 1862 he continued his studies in the academy at Lewiston Falls, that state, where he pre- pared himself for college. In the latter year he entered Bowdoin Col- lege, from which he was graduated in 1866 with the degree of Bach- elor of Arts.
Having acquired a thorough education in the quiet atmosphere of the east, his energetic and ambitious nature turned toward the west as the great field for advancement. Chicago was naturally his choice, as the typical faith in her future had already been roused in him even as a boy, and he has since closely and proudly followed her history and progress. Returning to Chicago in the winter of 1866-7, he se- cured a position as teacher in the public schools of Hyde Park, which at that time was a separate corporation. While thus engaged in edu- cational work he commenced the study of law and at the close of his school year was matriculated in the Law School of the Old Chicago University, now the Union College of Law, besides entering the of- fice of Higgins, Sweet and Quigg as a student. In the spring of 1868 he was graduated as valedictorian of his class, but continued with that firm until 1871, when (just before the fire) he commenced an inde- pendent practice.
From 1871 until 1878 Mr. Herrick continued a practice alone, which continually increased in lucrativeness and honorable distinc- tion. From the very outset his thoroughness of preparation in what- ever litigation was entrusted to him inspired that confidence in him- self which was infectious and an assurance of success. Among the important cases of this period which he conducted were those grow-
694
CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY
ing out of the failure of the firm of John B. Lyon & Co. in 1872, with their suspension from the Board of Trade, and those based upon the alleged fraudulent election of Michael Evans and others to the South Town offices, and their ouster from office in 1876. By 1878 Mr. Her- rick's standing was of such a character that he was able to form a partnership with Wirt Dexter, one of the most eminent lawyers in the country, and in 1880 they were joined by Charles L. Allen under the firm name of Dexter, Herrick and Allen, an association which continued until the death of Mr. Dexter in May, 1890. The remain- ing partners conducted the business until May, 1893, when they re- ceived I. K. Boyesen, forming the copartnership of Herrick, Allen and Boyesen, which continued until 1896, when Horace H. Martin was admitted to form the present firm of Herrick, Allen, Boyesen and Martin. It is largely due to the wise counsel and the ceaseless pro- fessional labors of the senior member that the firm has received such a generous share of the important litigation of the city involving both private and corporate interests.
Personally Mr. Herrick has been particularly prominent in the case of Devine vs. The People, which involved the constitutionality of the law authorizing the county commissioners of Cook county to issue bonds without authority of popular vote; Barron vs. Burnside, argued before the supreme court of Iowa and the supreme court of the United States, involving the validity of the Iowa statute as to corporations of other states, known as the Domestication Law ; Stevens vs. Pratt and Kingsbury vs. Sperry (before the supreme court of Illinois) and Gross vs. United States Mortgage Company and United States Mortgage Company vs. Kingsbury (before the United States supreme court), by which were decided important questions as to the rights of foreign corporations in Illinois and the construction of the Illinois statute as to guardians; the cases of the Chicago & North- western Railroad Company vs. Dey and the State vs. Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy Railroad Company, argued before the United States courts in Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois, and covering broad questions of constitutional law in their relations to the rights of railroad cor- porations ; Spalding vs. Preston, embracing new and important points as to the construction of the Illinois assignment law ; also the Taylor and Storey will cases ; the great legal conflict between Eastern, English and Chicago interests in the stock yards cases; People vs. Kirk, in-
695
CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY
volving the constitutionality of the act authorizing the extension of boulevards over the waters of Lake Michigan, and the rights of ripa- rian owners under the act ; the elevator cases, involving vital questions as to the rights and powers of elevator proprietors under the Illinois constitution and the warehouse act. Hale vs. Hale, in which far reaching questions as to the jurisdiction of courts of chancery to authorize sales or leases of trust property not authorized by the trust instrument were decided; the important litigation beween the Rock Island Railroad Company and the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad Company as to the relative rights of lessor and lessce companies ; Chicago Theological Seminary vs. The People, in the supreme court of the United States, involving important questions as to the con- struction and effect of charter exemptions from taxation; Field vs. Barting, involving new questions as to the right of lot owners to pre- vent obstructions of light, air, etc., above the public highways; the protracted and extensive litigation with reference to the Lake Street Elevated Railroad, in which the principal parties in interest were Wil- liam Ziegler on the one side and Charles T. Yerkes on the other, and which involved many important questions as to the rights of mortgage bondholders and stockholders, and the jurisdiction of state and fed- eral courts : the contested will case of Palmer vs. Bradley, in the state and federal courts ; the litigation as to the rights of the Chicago Tele- phone Company under its ordinance; the litigation between the City of Chicago and the state, and the street railway companies as to the rights of the street railway companies, and the recent Fish-Harriman litigation involving important and far-reaching questions as to the right of corporations of other states to hold and vote the stock of Illinois railroad companies.
Mr. Herrick's profession has absorbed the great bulk of his time and his mental and physical strength so that, had he the inclination, it would have been injudicious for him to enter politics. As a widely- read and thoughtful man, however, he has always had firm convic- tions on all questions of public polity, and has consistently refused . to be bound by family tradition or the party achievements of the past. He judges both parties and political leaders on the basis of their utility to the pressing and vital needs of the country. Until 1884 he was a national Republican; in 1884 and 1888 he voted for Grover Cleveland; later he advocated a reduction of the tariff on the
696
CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY
line of free trade and civil service reform, and stands now as an Inde- pendent. Especially in local and municipal affairs he is non-partisan, judging both men and measures from the standpoint of public utility.
Mr. Herrick is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Law Institute and the Citizens' Association, as well as of the Univer- sity, the Chicago Literary and the Chicago clubs. He was married to Julie T. Dulon June 28, 1883, and they have become the parents of Clara M., Julie T. and Margaret J. In social life he is a gentle- man of scholarly tastes and broad general information, arising from his wide acquaintance with men and the best literature of all ages. A man of fine qualities, he is social, tolerant, generous and genial, and, with his rare fund of knowledge and conversational powers, is a most agreeable companion.
One of the most reliable and successful practitioners at the Chi- cago bar, John Thomas Richards, is also among the most widely-
JOHN T. known Masons in the state. He is a man of firm
RICHARDS. convictions, settled purpose, practical in his aims. whether as an attorney or man, and has, therefore, advanced steadily to a high and substantial professional position, having been effective also in the realization of those projects which are advanced by good citizens of modern tendencies.
Mr. Richards is a native of Ironton, Lawrence county, Ohio, born October 13, 1851, son of Rev. John L. and Margaret (Jones) Richards, his father being a Congregational clergyman of culture and faithful service, who died May 30, 1889. His mother survived her husband until April 3, 1897. When six years of age the boy was brought by his parents to Rock Island county, Illinois, and subse- quently was reared on a farm at Big Rock, Kane county, where his father was engaged in ministerial work. John T. received his edu- cation in the district schools and at Wheaton (Illlinois) College, as well as under the careful tutelage of his father and other private in- structors. The family were in moderate circumstances, and, accept- ing the situation in the spirit of a man, he sought every form of honest work, and from the age of fifteen was virtually his own sup- port. Until he reached the age of nineteen he divided his time be- tween agricultural labors and efforts to obtain the greatest amount of schooling possible, after which, for a year, he worked for the Joliet
₹
697
CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY
Iron and Steel Company and in July. 1872, became a resident of Chicago.
Mr. Richards introduced himself to the people of Chicago as a clerk in the general store of Beers Brothers, and in September, 1873. entered the law office of William Law, Jr., as a student, remaining there for about a year. He completed his studies with Robert L. Tatham and Edward Crane. On the 17th of September, 1875, he was admitted to the bar upon examination before the supreme court of Illinois, and since then has been in general practice in the state and federal courts. In 1887 he formed a partnership with Clark B. Samson, now deceased, under the firm name of Richards and Sam- son, the connection continuing for about one year, after which, until 1895, he practiced alone. In that year Mr. Richards was joined by Keene H. Addington, who had been a clerk in his office for some five years. This partnership continued but a short time, and since its dissolution he has conducted an independent professional business.
Mr. Richards has been for years one of the busy lawyers of Chi- cago, and among the numerous and interesting cases which he has conducted to a favorable conclusion it is difficult to specialize. Two, however, of comparatively recent decision may be adduced as illus- trative of the far-reaching litigation which, through his persistency and ability, have established important principles of law by the adju- dication of the higher courts. The case of Crandall versus Sorg, reported in 198 Illinois, was argued by Mr. Richards in the supreme court of Illinois, which reversed the decisions of the appellate and circuit courts, and for the first time in the history of that tribunal held that, when the owner of land leases it and, by the same instru- ment, requires his tenant to make improvements thereon, the prop- erty is thereby subjected to a mechanics' lien in favor of the con- tractor and material man, whose labor and material have entered into the construction of the improvements.
In the case of the estate of Smythe versus Evans ( Illinois Reports 209, page 376) the appellant was represented by Mr. Richards and the state supreme court again reversed the decisions of the circuit and appellate courts, and for the first time promulgated several in- portant legal principles which are now in force in the courts of Illi- nois. These and other cases which might be mentionel indicate the persistent and able way in which he follows the litigation entrusted to
698
CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY
him into the higher courts, and remains faithfully with the interests of his clients until the rendition of a final decision.
Mr. Richards is a leading member of the Chicago Bar Associa- tion and has served as chairman of its grievance committee, as well as its vice president. He is also a member of the American Bar Association. Being an active Republican, he is prominently identi- fied with the Hamilton and Union League clubs, being at one time vice president of the former organization. It is as a Mason, how- ever, that he is best known outside of his professional life, his identi- fication with the fraternity dating from December 6, 1878, when he was made a Master Mason in Dearborn Lodge No. 310, of Chicago, with which he still affiliates. In 1882 he received the Royal Arch degrees in Wiley M. Egan Chapter No. 126, while his further ad- vancement in the order is shown in his having attained membership in Siloam Council No. 53, R. and S. M .; Chicago Commandery No. 19. K. T., and Oriental Consistory and Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He has been identified with the Knights Templar since July 24, 1882, while his consistory degrees were passed April 21, 1892. He has passed all the chairs of the Dearborn lodge, was prelate of Chi- cago Commandery in 1883, held a similar preferment two years in Chevalier Bayard Commandery (1887-88) with which he became affiliated in 1887, and was generalissimo of the latter in 1889. In 1890 he was honored with the office of eminent commander of Chev- alier Bayard Commandery.
On March 21, 1888, Mr. Richards was married to Miss Lucy Keene, daughter of the late N. B. Keene, of New Orleans. The mother of Mrs. Richards is still living. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Captain John Martin, an extensive ship owner of that city. The three children of Mr. and Mrs. Richards are Keene, Lucile and Lillian.
In the selection of their counsel the great financial institutions of the country employ the utmost caution and careful judgment, the
JAMES C. requisites for such identification being substantial HUTCHINS. legal ability, absolute rectitude of character and a broad experience of the world and men. All of these qualities are found in the personality of James Calhoun Hutch- ins, general attorney for the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank. Hc
699
CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY
was born in Chicago on the 15th of December, 1858, son of James Cass and Martha C. (Phillips) Hutchins.
After obtaining a preliminary education in the city schools, Mr. Hutchins entered the Union College of Law (Northwestern Univer- sity Law School), from which he graduated in 1879 with his pro- fessional degree of LL. B. In the following year he commenced practice in Chicago, and in 1895 was appointed to his present posi- tion with the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank. He is also a director of the bank.
Mr. Hutchins' wife, to whom he was married at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in 1884, was formerly Miss Agnes L. Potter, and the children born to them have been James Cadwell, Edward Potter and John Mitchell. Mr. Hutchins is sociable and popular, and, aside from his identification with the Chicago Bar Association, is a mem- ber of the Union League, Chicago, University, Mid-Day and Midlo- thian clubs.
Harrison Musgrave, a practitioner at the Chicago bar for nearly a quarter of a century, is a native of Charlotte, Michigan, born
HARRISON October 28, 1860, a son of Joseph and Miranda
MUSGRAVE. (Pancoast ) Musgrave. The father was once pres-
ident of the First National Bank of that city, a po- sition he occupied as early as 1879. The mother, who was a native of Ohio, died in Chicago in 1895. Harrison Musgrave was pri- marily educated in the public schools of Charlotte, and in 1876-77 attended the Olivet ( Michigan) College, completing a very thorough literary training at the University of Michigan during 1878-80. This was followed by two years of business in his home city, and in 1883 he realized a long-cherished ambition, ever growing in strength, by his entrance to the Columbian University Law School, Washington, D. C., from which he was graduated in 1884 with the degree of LL. D. It will be seen that Mr. Musgrave's preparation was broad and thorough, but at the same time especially fitted to give him effi- ciency in those qualities required of one who was to occupy the pro- fessional field in which he has become prominent.
After his graduation from the Columbian University Law School, Mr. Musgrave came at once to Chicago. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1885, and in 1889 became a member of the firm of Flower, Smith and Musgrave. It remained under this style until
700
CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY
October 1, 1902, when it was changed to Musgrave, Vroman and Lee, which now conducts a large corporation and commercial busi- ness, and, besides the senior partner, is composed of Charles E. Vro- man, long a prominent Wisconsin lawyer; James G. Gascoigne and John H. S. Lee.
As might be intimated, Mr. Musgrave's popularity and high standing are forcibly told by his prominence in several of the pro- fessional associations with which he is connected. He was president of the Illinois State Bar Association in 1906-7; vice president of the Chicago Bar Association in 1904-5, and member of the board of managers for six years; president, also, of the Law Club of Chicago in 1901-2. He has a substantial standing among the members of the national organization, the American Bar Association, and stands firmly as a highly-respected and broad-minded representative of an honorable and liberal profession. In his fraternal affiliations he is connected with the Psi Upsilon, and his club life centers in the Chi- cago, University, Onwentsia, Saddle and Cycle and Lake Zurich Golf organizations. He supports Republican principles, but is neither a partisan nor a politician, both disposition and opportunity prevent- ing him from assuming either character.
On the 7th of November, 1889, Mr. Musgrave was united in mar- riage with Miss Meta D. Kimberly, the ceremony occurring at Sagi- naw, Michigan, of which state his wife is a native. One son, Harri- son Musgrave, Jr., has been born of their union.
Silas Hardy Strawn, junior member of the law firm of Winston, Payne and Strawn, is a son of the state in which he has made a sub-
SILAS H. stantial reputation, being born on a farm near Ot-
STRAWN. tawa, Illinois, on the 15th of December, 1866. He graduated from the Ottawa high school in June, 1885, and then engaged in teaching for two years, after which he read law in the office of Bull and Strawn of that city. Mr. Strawn passed his examination for admission to the bar on May 22, 1889, and practiced in LaSalle county for the succeeding two years. He became a resident of Chicago in September, 1891, and until the fol- lowing April was in the employ of the law firm of Weigley, Bulkley and Gray. He was a clerk for Winston and Meagher until Sep- tember 1, 1894, when he was admitted to partnership. This associa- tion continued until January 1, 1902, when Mr. Meagher retired from
PULLIC LIONASY
ASTCR, L- NOX AND TILMEN FOUND PENS
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING VO
adams. a. Goodrich.
701
CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY
the firm, and its style became Winston, Strawn and Shaw, which, by the admission of Judge John Barton Payne, October 1. 1903, be- came Winston, Payne and Strawn, and later Winston, Payne, Strawn and Shaw.
Although the business of the firm is general, it is largely corpora- tion practice and conducted in the higher courts, Mr. Strawn has argued many important cases in the Illinois courts of last resort and the supreme court of the United States. He is an active member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association and the two local organizations, the Chicago Bar Association and the Chi- cago Law Club. As an additional indication of the range of his ac- tivities it should be stated that he is a director of and counsel for several corporations. He is a member of the Union League, Mid- Day, Midlothian Country, Glen View, South Shore Country and Ex- moor Country clubs. On June 22, 1897, Mr. Strawn married Miss Margaret Stewart, at her home in Binghamton, New York, and the two children of this union are Margaret Stewart and Katherine Stewart Strawn.
Adams Augustus Goodrich has earned a distinguished place at the bar and on the bench of the state of Illinois. It is forcibly illus-
ADAMS A. trative of his legal solidity and versatility that he
GOODRICH.
should have made a high record as a private prac-
titioner, a prosecuting attorney for the state, and a learned, impartial jurist. A brief analysis of his most marked traits of character is explanatory of his unusual measure of success. While keen and logical, earnest and eloquent, he is also careful in the devel- opment of his legal plans and has the faculty, strongly natural and persistently trained, of piercing to the foundation principles of any contention. Being thus firmly grounded, the details naturally ar- range themselves and the mind is left clear and positive to work along definite lines of thought. Thus it is that Mr. Goodrich, whether as private practitioner, prosecutor or judge, always had his case firmly in hand, and could never be diverted to side issues, which has been the prime secret of his great legal strength and success.
Mr. Goodrich is a native of Illinois, born on the 8th of January. 1849, the son of Henry O. and Jane A. Goodrich, and is a representa- tive of one of the pioneer families of the state, his father having located in Jersey county in 1839. The boy was educated in the pub-
702
CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY
lic schools of Jerseyville until he was sixteen years of age, when, through the appointment of his uncle, A. L. Knapp (then an Illinois congressman), he entered the West Point Military Academy, and for three years and a half received the benefits of its course. But ill health compelled him to resign his cadetship, and for two years there- after he traveled in the west seeking and securing a restoration of health. Returning to his native town he commenced his legal stud- ies in the office of his uncle, Robert M. Knapp, and continued them with Hon. A. L. Knapp, of Springfield. Afterward he married a cousin, Miss Jane A. Knapp, and altogether he is largely responsible for his start in life and his subsequent happiness to his maternal uncles.
Upon examination by the supreme court at the capital Judge Goodrich was admitted to the bar in 1873, and at once opened an office at Jerseyville. He soon became politically active and influen- tial and in 1878, 1880 and 1884 was elected by the Democracy as state's attorney of Jersey county, resigning that position in October, 1887, in view of his coming elevation to the bench of the county court. From one of many facts which might be recorded it is evi- dent that his record as county judge is extremely creditable, for dur- ing his incumbency Judge Richard Prendergast called upon him to assist in disposing of pressing matters which had glutted the dockets of the Cook county court. It was by thus rendering highly appre- ciated services and coming into such intimate and pleasant relations with the bench and bar of the metropolis that Judge Goodrich was strongly attracted to Chicago, finally making it his home in August, 1889. He has since practiced here with unvarying advancement in reputation and substantial rewards. As senior member of the firm of Goodrich, Vincent and Bradley, he is widely known as an honor- able and successful general practitioner, and he is also recognized as one of the most liberal and far-seeing promoters of higher education in the state. From 1895 to 1900 he was especially identified with the Northern Illinois Normal School. In the former year Governor Altgeld appointed him one of the five trustees to locate, establish and build the school. Its site was fixed at DeKalb; Judge Goodrich was elected president of the first board of trustees in 1895, and re-elected as a member of the board for the term ending 1900.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.