USA > Indiana > Courts and lawyers of Indiana, Volume III > Part 49
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FREDERICK E. MATSON.
Frederick Eugene Matson, of Indianapolis, was born on June 1, 1869. on a farm near Pennsville, Ohio. His parents, George M. Matson, a Union soldier, and Mary Catherine (Dodds) Matson, were farmers. His early life was spent on the farm with its accustomed opportunities for educa- tion. At the age of seventeen he became a school teacher, but later took up commercial traveling. In 1893 he graduated from Muskingum College, Ohio, and one year later he took the degree of Bachelor of Laws from the law school of Michigan University. He at once located in Indianapo- lis and rapidly built up a good practice. In 1900 he was chosen State Senator on the Republican ticket, becoming president pro tem. of that body and floor leader in the session of 1903. On the first of January. 1906. he was appointed city corporation counsel of Indianapolis for a term of four years by Mayor Bookwalter. During that period litigation of great im-
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portance to the development of the city came up over track elevation, gas franchises, brewery agencies, smoke ordinances, the building of a city hall, and other public improvements. Since then he has engaged largely in consulting and corporation practice, and is a recognized authority upon the legality of municipal bonds and other investment securities. Mr. Matson is a Presbyterian in religious belief. He belongs to the Commer- cial, Columbia, Marion, Country, Literary and Art Clubs of Indianapolis, and is a member of the Loyal Legion, and of the Indianapolis and Indiana State Bar Associations. -
In 1894 Mr. Matson married Mabelle McKitrick, of Marysville, and they are the parents of one son, Frederick George Matson.
HOY D. DAVIS.
Hoy D. Davis, of Gary, Indiana, the son of William H. and Alice (Reeve) Davis, was born in Illinois June 24, 1878. He was educated in his native state, taught school and later attended a business college at Quincy, Illinois, after which he taught in various business schools. Previous to coming to Gary he was instructor in the Metropolitan Busi- ness College, Chicago, Illinois. During his leisure time he began to read law in the office of A. F. Knotts, Hammond, Indiana. He was admitted to the bar in April, 1912, and began practicing law in Gary in 1913. Previous to the entering into the practice of law he was sec- retary and treasurer of the Gary Trust and Savings Bank, Gary, Indiana.
Mr. Davis was married to Jennie Brunswick and they have two children, a son, Hoy D., Jr., and a daughter, Alice Jane. He is a mem- ber of the Lake County and Gary Bar Associations, also a member of the Commercial Law League. He is affiliated with the Republican party. He is a member of the Elks and of the Harrison and Commercial Clubs of Gary.
JOHN FORSYTH ROBBINS.
John F. Robbins, of the firm of Robbins & Starr, Indianapolis, Indiana, was born at Economy, Indiana, June 11, 1855, the son of Dr. George W. and Julia W. Robbins. He received his education at Earlham College, Rich- mond, Indiana; Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, and Michigan University, Ann Arbor, Michigan. He read law with Charles H. Burchenal at Richmond, and was a student in the law department of the University of Michigan. He was admitted to the bar of Wayne Circuit court of Indiana in 1876, and practiced as a member of that bar until March 1, 1913, when he formed a law partnership in Indianapolis, the firm being first known as Monks, Robbins, Starr & Goodrich, and later as Robbins & Starr, of which firm he is still a member. Mr. Robbins served as prose- cuting attorney of the Wayne Circuit court from 1884 to 1886, and prose- cuted Nathaniel S. Bates for murder. This was one of the most noted murder cases in eastern Indiana, and attracted widespread attention. Bates was hung at Richmond in August, 1885. While living in Richmond,
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Mr. Robbins was in partnership for many years with Judge Henry C. Fox, this association beginning on January 1, 1887.
John F. Robbins was married on July 2, 1876, to Rena A. Ginther, who died at Richmond, September 9, 1900. Three children were born to this marriage : Byron C. and Philip H., who are engaged together in the prac- tice of law at Richmond, and Malcolm, who died at Richmond, December 1, 1909, at the age of eighteen years.
JOSEPH H. CONROY.
The junior member of the well-known legal firm of MeMahon & Con- roy, of Hammond, Indiana, is Joseph H. Conroy, who is one of the oldest members of the Lake county bar in active practice. He is the only child of Thomas H. and Kate ( Musser) Conroy, and was born on January 20, 1872. Thomas H. Conroy was a landscape gardener, which occupation he followed until his death in 1883. Joseph H. Conroy received his edu- cation in the public schools and for five years was a teacher in the schools of Lake county. During this period he devoted his spare time to the reading of law under the tutelage of Hon. G. W. Musser, one of the leading attorneys of Denver, Colorado, who later served as Supreme Judge of the state of Colorado. Mr. Conroy was admitted to the bar in 1894, and began the practice the following year. He is a member of the Lake County Bar Association, and served as president of same from 1914 to 1915. He also belongs to the Indiana State Bar Association.
Mr. Conroy was married to Nora Reilley, a daughter of ex-Mayor Reilley, of Hammond, Indiana.
SAMUEL ROCKWELL ALDEN.
Samuel Rockwell Alden, only child of Harlow Alden and Mary Ann ncc Imson, was born at South Wilbraham, Massachusetts, August 30, 1847. At the age of nine years he moved with his parents to Whitewater, Wisconsin, and completed his high school course there at thirteen. From that age he made his own way, studying winters and working the balance of the time until eighteen. Then he prosecuted his studies at Beloit. Wis- consin, until an injury incurred in stopping a runaway team kept him off his feet for six months. Then he entered the State Normal school at Whitewater, Wisconsin, as teacher and finished the advanced course as student. For one year after graduation he had exclusive charge of English and elocution. For three years, ending in 1874. he was asso- ciated with Prof. Horace Briggs in the Buffalo Classical school, fitting young men for college and university, having charge of the mathemat- ical and scientific department.
In July, 1874, he went to Leipzig. Germany. prepared for lectures and took the university course in Roman Law, under Windscheid, and, later, international law at Heidelberg, under Bluntschli. During part of 1876 he attended lectures on art, science and language at the Sar- bonne in Paris. Returning to the States, he entered Columbia Law
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School in the fall of 1877, having read at odd hours while abroad the elementary law text books. His vacations abroad were occupied in travel in Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland and study of the people and their customs, avoiding entirely use of the English tongue and associating exclusively with the people of the countries he was in. He, by permission, took the two years lectures at Columbia in one year and spent all the time possible in the law offices of Weeks & Forster at 58 Wall street. He was admitted to practice at Milwaukee, Wis- cousin, and in 1878 began law practice at Ft. Wayne, Indiana, with an old acquaintance, W. T. Jenison, and since 1879, when his partner moved to Denver, has continued the practice alone. His practice has been exclusively civil, and has abounded in hard legal knots. His first case in the United State Circuit court was successfully carried through the United States Supreme court in the early eighties. Except when the national issues seemed to him threatening, as in 1896, he has eschewed politics, and, though requested to be a judicial candidate by politicians of both parties, never ran for office. His only official work in the law has been as a courtesy and consisted in cleaning the · trial docket for judges-elect of the Supreme court and holding terms of Circuit and Superior Judges during illness or necessary absence. The published Alden genealogy gives his ancestry from John Alden, in 1620, to his grandfather, Spencer Alden, a Baptist preacher of New England. His mother, a teacher, was of English and Irish descent by her father and Dutch and German by her mother, who was a Von Hunsicker. Mr. Alden was married December 17, 1884, by Rev. Charles Williams at All Souls church, New York City, to Carrie, only daughter of Auguste Fran- cois Savin and Sarah Jane nce Staniford. He has three children. The eldest son, Whiting, married, is a forester in the employ of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. The daughter, Dorothy, is married to George F. Pruss- ing, civil engineer. The younger son, Spencer Thorndyke, is a student at Cornell University.
JAMES P. GOODRICH.
James P. Goodrich was born on February 19, 1864, in Winchester, In- diana, and is the son of the late John B. and Elizabeth (Edger) Goodrich, the former of whom was a native of Virginia, born in 1831, and who ac- companied his parents to Randolph county, Indiana, when one year old. John B. Goodrich was a prominent citizen of Randolph county, having read law with his uncle, Carey S. Goodrich, and engaged subsequently in the practice with the late Enos L. Watson. He was clerk of the Randolph Circuit court from 1861 to 1869 and died three years after the expiration of his term of office.
James P. Goodrich, Dr. John R. Commons, of the University of Wiscon- sin, and James E. Watson were classmates together and all graduated from the Winchester high school in 1881. After leaving the high school, James
J. Fordich
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P. Goodrich taught a country school in Randolph county for a year and a half and then entered DePauw University In the fall of 1884. Funds run- ning low, Mr. Goodrich was compelled to abandon his college course. He returned to Winchester and after studying law for a time In the office of Watson & Engle, was admitted to the bar in 1887. He then became a mem- ber of the firm of Watson, Macy & Goodrich at Winchester. Mr. Watson's place was later taken by John J. Cheney and after five years, Mr. Cheney retired and A. L. Nichols became a member of the firm in his piace. After leaving the bench, Judge Macy returned to the firm and after his death in 1912, John W. Macy, Jr., entered the firm. In 1910, James P. Goodrich opened offices in Indianapolis and until the fall of 1915, practiced with Leander J. Monks and John W. Robbins, the firm name being Monks, Robbins & Goodrich. Since the fall of 1915, Mr. Goodrich has not been en- gaged in the practice.
In 1908, James P. Goodrich was appointed receiver of the old Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville railroad and served in this capacity until 1911, when the road was sold to the Chesapeake & Ohio. His success in the management of this property, during which the value of first mortgage bonds advanced from 75 to par and accrued interest and second mortgage. bonds from 20 to 75, resulted in his appointment in 1912 as receiver of the- Noelke-Richards Iron Works of Indianapolis. Although the creditors of this concern had offered to accept forty eents on the dollar in settlement of' their claims, they were paid a little more than eighty-two cents in final settlement. -
Mr. Goodrich was also counsel for the K. of P. insurance department during important litigation in which the department was put upon a sound financial basis. He has always been active in politics, having served from 1901 to 1909 as Republican state chairman, and before that as Eighth dis- trict chairman. From 1912 to 1916. he was Republican national committee- man from Indiana. He is now (1916) the Republican candidate for gov- ernor of Indiana, having defeated Warren T. MeCray, of Kentland, and former Judge Quincy A. Myers, of Indianapolis, for the nomination in the first state-wide primary ever held in Indiana. His majority over his two opponents was approximately 35,000 votes.
Mr. Goodrich was long prominent in the Knights of Labor. He has served as a member of the Winchester school board and since 1912 as a trustee of Wabash College. He is a member of the Phi Kappa Psi frater- nity ; is a thirty-second-degree Scottish Rite Mason and Knight of Pythias. He has been active in the Presbyterian church for many years, especially in the Sunday school at Winchester, where he has taught the men's Bible class for many years.
James P. Goodrich was married on March 15, 1SSS, to Cora I. Frist, daughter of Jonas and Amy (Powell) Frist, who was born at Middle- borough, Wayne county, Indiana. They have one son, Pierre F. Goodrich, now a student at Wabash College.
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JOHN CARNEY.
John Carney, deceased, who for years was one of the leaders in the legal and educational professions of Jennings county, a lawyer at Vernon and for years county superintendent of schools of Jennings county, was a native of that same county and lived there all his life. He was born on March 21, 1844, son of Henry and Nancy (Patrick) Carney, natives, respectively, of Kentucky and Indiana, and received his elementary educa- tion in the schools in the neighborhood of his home and later attended Indiana University, Northwestern Christian University (now Butler Col- lege) and Miami University, from which latter institution he was grad- uated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1866. He was married in that same year and two or three years later in 1869, was elected county superintendent of schools for his home county, a position in which he served until his election to the office of county auditor in 1880, in which latter capacity he was serving at the time of his death on November 13, 1880. During his incumbency in the office of county superintendent, Mr. Carney was admitted to the bar and for several years practiced law, as a partner of the Hon. John Overmyer, at Vernon. He was a member of the Freedom Guards of Jennings county, Indiana, during the Civil War. The guards were sworn in as other United States troops, and guarded Confederate prisoners at Indianapolis. He was the first superintendent of North Vernon schools. He at one time served as chairman of the Republi- can committee of Jennings county and in 1870 was that party's nominee for county clerk, but failed of election. He was a Mason, an Odd Fellow and a Methodist, though at the time of his death he had been for some time affiliated with the Presbyterians. It was on September 27, 1866, that John Carney was united in marriage to Parie S. Newby, who survived him many years, her death occurring on October 23, 1914. To that union were born six children, Annie F. and Cora May, of Vernon; Jesse Howard, «deceased ; James Frank, of Indianapolis; John Ralph, a lawyer at Vernon, and Henry Roscoe, of St. Louis.
GEORGE W. PIGMAN.
George W. Pigman, senior member of the law firm of Pigman & Roberts at Liberty, is a native of Indiana, born in Union county, January 29, 1865, son of Eli and Rebecca (Wilson) Pigman, the former a native of that same county and the latter, of Butler county, Ohio, who moved to Union county with her parents when a child. Upon completing the common-school course, George W. Pigman entered the National Normal University at Leb- anon, Ohio, and after a course of three years there entered the University of Michigan, which he left just before the completion of the course to be- come a candidate for the office of prosecuting attorney for the Thirty-sev- enth judicial circuit, comprising Franklin, Fayette and Union counties, in 1890. He was elected and was re-elected in 1892. Mr. Pigman had been admitted to the bar in March, 1887, he having previously studied law in the office of Reuben Conner at Connersville and of Leland H. Stanford at Liberty. He continued alone in practice at Liberty until 1915, when he
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formed his present partnership with Chester E. Roberts, under the firm name of Pigman & Roberts. Mr. Pigman is a Democrat, a member of the Indiana State Bar Association, a Scottish Rite Mason, a noble of the Ancient Arabie Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine and a member of the Knights of Pythias. In 1801 he married Alpha Bates, of Liberty, and to this union three children were born, two daughters and one son, the latter of whom is now deceased.
JOHN O. BOWERS.
John O. Bowers was born in Bedford.county, Pennsylvania. He is one of three children born to his parents, John and Sarah Rebecca (Conley) Bowers. Mr. Bowers received most of his education in his native state, having been graduated from the State Normal School, at Lock Haven, in 1886, and having taught in the public schools of that state for a few years. Upon coming to Indiana in 1SSS, he entered Valparaiso University, and was graduated from the law department in 1899. He was admitted to the bar in the same year, but spent the greater part of the next five years in teaching. He began the active practice of the law in 1894, in Hammond, Indiana, where he continued to practice until 1910, since which time he has been located in Gary, in which city he maintains a law office. He was appointed referee in bankruptcy in 1898, for the referee district comprising the counties of Lake, Porter, Newton, Jasper, Starke and Pu- laski, and served in that capacity until he resigned in 1910.
Mr. Bowers was married to Nellie Blackman, of Allegan county, Mich- igan, in 1804, and they have six children. Sylvan Forrest, Harold Eldon, Marjorie Elizabeth, John Oliver, Jr., Dorothy Naomi and Sherwood.
Mr. Bowers is a member of the Lake County and the Gary Bar Asso- ciations, and also of the Indiana State Bar Association.
CHARLES DOWNING.
Charles Downing, of Indianapolis, secretary of the Indiana State Board of Agriculture and a member of the bar of Indiana since 1894, is a native of New York City, born there on August 7, 1857, but has been a resident of Indiana since boyhood. In 1873, at the age of fifteen, he entered the office of the clerk of Hancock county and for nine years served as deputy clerk, meanwhile pursuing his law studies by private reading. In 1882 he was elected clerk of the Hancock Circuit court and served for four years; after a lapse of four years he was re-elected to that office, serving until 1894, in which year he opened an office for the practice of law at Green- field. After practicing alone for a time, he became a member of the law firm of New, Downing & New, later forming a partnership with Will A. Hough, which arrangement continued until 1903, though after 1900 Mr. Downing was not active in practice, having been. in that year, elected sec- retary of the State Board of Agriculture, of which body he had been a member since 1993, and has ever since been retained in the office of secre- tary of the board. During the time of his active practice Mr. Downing
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served for a time as prosecuting attorney for Hancock county, having been appointed to that office by Governor Matthews to fill the vacancy created by the death of John McNew. Most of the time during the past quarter of a century Mr. Downing has served as a member of the board of trustees of Purdue University and is now a member of that board. Mr. Downing has served nearly eighteen years as a member of the board of trustees of Purdue University. He was first appointed June 25, 1895, and resigned on August 19, 1895, having been elected prosecuting attorney. He was next appointed on July 1, 1899, and has served continuously since that time. His present term will expire July 1, 1921. He is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association, of the Indiana Democratic Club and of the University Club at Indianapolis. He is a Scottish Rite and York Rite Mason and a noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mys- tic Shrine, while he is a member of the Christian church at Greenfield, where the family make their home. On October 8, 1879, Charles Downing was united in marriage to Angie B. Williams, of Bradford, Ohio, but formerly of Greenfield, and to this union three children have been born, Arthur C., of Detroit; Helen, who was graduated from Butler Col- lege and married Dr. Carl W. McGaughey, and Emma Lucile, who was graduated from Butler College with the class of 1916. Mrs. Downing is deceased.
DWIGHT M. KINDER.
Dwight M. Kinder, of Gary, Indiana, was born in Ohio, July 25, 1888, and is the son of Ira and Harriett (Koffman) Kinder. He was educated in the public schools and graduated from Valparaiso University in 1910. When a young man he learned the trade of a barber and practiced law while working at his trade. He was admitted to the bar in the fall of 1910 and located in Gary at that time. He was elected state senator on the Republican ticket in 1914. He was elected to the city council of Gary in 1912 and resigned when he was elected state senator.
Mr. Kinder married Alice Johnson, a daughter of Joseph Johnson. He is a member of the Gary Bar Association, a Mason and an Elk.
CHARLES L. JEWETT.
Charles L. Jewett, of the legal firm of Jewett, Bulleit & Jewett, New Albany, Indiana, was born at Hanover, Indiana, in 1850, the son of Jonathan and Mary Jane (Wells) Reid. His father died when Charles L. was only one year old, and two years later his mother married Judge Patrick Henry Jewett. Judge and Mrs. Jewett settled in Scott county, Indiana, and the boy grew up by the name of Jewett, which name was afterwards given him by decree of the Scott Circuit court. He was educated in the public schools of his home county, afterwards taking up the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in 1871. He is a Democrat in politics and was appointed prosecuting attorney of the Fifth circuit, serving from 1873 to 1876-77. He was elected district prosecuting attorney of the Fourth district of Indiana, serving 1872-73.
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He served as a member of the General Assembly of Indiana In 1883-85-S7, and was two terms speaker of the House of Representatives. He was chairman of the Democratic state central and executive committees in 18SS-90. He served as colonel and judge advocate general of the Eighth Army Corps and Army of the Philippines In 1898 and 1899.
Colonel Jewett is a member of St. Paul's parish, New Albany Protes- tant Episcopal church. He is a member of New Albany Commandery No. 5, Knights Templar; of Lodge No. 1, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Lodge No. 270, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
JAMES ELMER WHITE.
James Elmer White was born on a farm near Boonville, July 1, 1SSS, son of Joseph R. and Margaret White, and of Scotch-Irish descent. He spent his early life on a farm and attended rural schools and later gradu- ated from Boonville high school in spring, 1908. He graduated from Lock- year's Business College, 1909, and entered Indiana University School of Law, graduating in June, 1912, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. Dur- ing this period he was law librarian and secretary to the dean of the Law School. He began practice of law at Boonville on completion of his law course in January, 1912, and in May was appointed legal clerk to Judge John W. Spencer, of the Supreme court of Indiana, serving in this position until February, 1913. He was then appointed chief legal clerk to Henry C. Starr, assistant general counsel, Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company of Indiana. He is a member of Gamma Eta Gamma, a national legal frater- nity. In the spring of 1912 he was married to Lydia Kuntzman, of Boon- ville, and they have one daughter. Margaret Elizabeth.
WILLIAM FITZGERALD.
· William Fitzgerald, attorney-at-law, North Vernon, Indiana, is a native of Ohio, but has been a resident of Indiana since he was five years old. He was born in Starke county, Ohio, September 25. 1860, son of John and Honora (O'Shea) Fitzgerald, both natives of County Cork, Ireland, who moved to Jennings county, Indiana, in 1865. Upon completing the course in the common schools he began teaching school and was thus engaged for eight years, during two years of which period he was principal of the schools at Butterfield. He was a student at the Ladoga Normal School, 1879-81, later studied law in the office of Hon. Alonzo Green Smith at North Vernon and after his admission to the bar in 1884, practiced with Mr. Smith until the latter's election to the office of attorney-general in 1890, since which time he has continued in practice alone, still occupying the old Smith offices and using the desk that Mr. Smith used during his years of practice in North Vernon. Mr. Fitzgerald is a Democrat and for years has taken an active part in political affairs, but has never sought public office. He is a member of St. Mary's Catholic church and a member of the Knights of Columbus. On June 15. 1SS5. William Fitzgerald was united in marriage to Lida Kelly. of North Vernon, and to this union two children have been born, Mrs. Mabel Moses, of Toledo, Ohio, and William, Jr.
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JAMES B. MULLIKIN.
James B. Mullikin was born in Johnson county, Indiana, December 1, 1868. His parents, James M. and Nancy A. (Kindle) Mullikin, were farm- ers. He was reared on a farm and enjoyed the usual common school ad- vantages. This training was supplemented by the high school, Franklin College and two years at the State Normal. He then began reading law in the office of McNutt & McNutt at Terre Haute, April 21, 1891. He was admitted to the bar of Vigo county at Terre Haute, where he has since practiced.
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