USA > Minnesota > Rice County > History of Rice and Steele counties, Minnesota, Vol. I > Part 76
USA > Minnesota > Steele County > History of Rice and Steele counties, Minnesota, Vol. I > Part 76
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Hon. Amos Coggswell. The next attorney to locate in Steele county was Hon. Amos Coggswell, who was born Sep- tember 29, 1825, in New Hampshire, where he was educated in the common schools and in Gilmanton Academy. After leaving school he entered the law office of Hon. Franklin Pierce at Concord, N. H. and was for a short time the private secretary of Franklin Pierce when president. He was admitted to the bar in 1847 at Concord, N. H., from which place he migrated to McHenry county, Illinois, where he commenced the practice of his profession, remaining there until 1853 when he received an appointment in the general land office at Washington, which he held up to the time he came in August, 1856, to Steele county, where he at once entered upon the active work of his profession and soon became known as one of the ablest lawyers of all Southern Minnesota. It is no disparagement of the other mem- bers of the bar to say, that Amos Coggswell had the greatest native ability of any lawyer that ever practiced before the bar of Steele county, and had he have combined with that ability the systematic business principles and the studions habits of some other lawyers of less mental attainments, he might have be- come one of the ablest attorneys that have ever graced the bar of this state. Mr. Coggswell was chosen in 1857 as a member of the constitutional convention which drafted the constitution of this state, and was elected to the house of representatives in the fall of 1860, becoming speaker of the house. From 1872 to 1875 he was state senator from Steele county. He also held the office of judge of probate of Steele county one year under appointment from Gov. Cushman K. Davis. He was several times candidate for county attorney but so far as I recall was never elected to that office. He was at one time attorney of the city of Owatonna and also postmaster of this city. He re- mained in active practice up to a short time before his death. During all his residence in this county, but very few cases of
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great importance were ever tried that he was not upon one side or the other. As a debater he never had an equal at this bar, and he had that remarkable power possessed by but a few at- torneys of being able to discuss a question for almost an in- definite length of time and at the same time talk upon some phase of the questions under consideration. This at times was a very great advantage to him if he wanted additional time to get a witness, he could delay the trial by discussing some ques- tion which he himself had raised till the witness could be sub- poened and produced in court. Mr. Coggswell died in this city on November 15, 1892.
M. A. Dailey. Mr. Dailey located in Owatonna in 1856, but while admitted to the bar, he never entered into the active prac- tice of law, giving himself almost entirely to office work. He was elected to the state senate from this county in 1862 and en- listed and went in the service in the spring of 1863. After the close of the war he remained and lived for many years on his block where the court house now stands, which he owned and of whom the county purchased it, subject to a good many tax titles held by other parties. He left here somewhere about 1880 and moved to Minneapolis where he since dicd.
Hon. W. R. Kinyon. The next attorney to take up his resi- dence in Owatonna was Hon. W. R. Kinyon, who came here in May, 1858, and has the honor of being the only one of the mem- bers of the bar here prior to 1860 that are still living here. Mr. Kinyon was born at Mansville, N. Y., February 3, 1833, and was educated in the Union Academy, Belleville, N. Y. and Union College, Schenectady, N. Y. He was admitted to the bar in Steele county, Minnesota, December. 1858, and con- tinued in active practice here for about eight years, when he organized in 1866 what is now the First National Bank of this city and gave his attention to the banking business. He was the president and manager of the bank from the time of its organization up to January 1, 1904, and is still one of its di- rectors and active in all its management. Mr. Kinyon repre- sented this district three terms in the house of representatives, two terms of which he was speaker. He was also chief clerk of the house for two terms and has always been active in the management and building up of the interests of this city. For ten years or more last past, Mr. Kinyon has traveled more or less every year, visiting all sections of this country and Mexico and Cuba on this continent, also Spain. Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Holland, France, England and Scotland, Ma- diera Isles, Nice, Rivera, Algiers, Greece, Constantinople, Pales- tine and Egypt. All will be seen by the date of his birth, he is now past seventy-seven years of age, but hale and hearty. Ilis fam-
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ily consists of one son, George R. Kinyon, who has succeeded him as president of the First National Bank of this city.
P. J. Nordeen was a member of the bar of this county, locat- ing here in 1859, but remaining but a short time. He has since died; more than this we are unable to learn of him.
James Thorn, also a member of the bar of this county, locat- ing here in 1861. He subsequently removed to eastern Nebraska and has subsequently died.
A. A. Harwood located in this county in 1863 or 1865, com- ing here from Wisconsin. Mr. Harwood was a man of a good deal of determination and did quite a business here for quite a time, holding the office of judge of probate of this county. He afterwards was a candidate for the office of state superintendent of public instruction. He left here in the seventies and removed to Austin, where he went into the newspaper business. He was afterwards appointed postmaster, and finally secured an ap- pointment for a clerkship in Washington, where he subsequently died.
E. H. Kennedy was born in Oacone, Ind., in 1833, was ad- mitted to the bar at LaCrosse, Wis., and subsequently came to Owatonna, Minn., where he died in May, 1872. He was a prom- inent member of the Knights Templar and had one of the largest funerals the writer has ever attended in this city. He never en- gaged actively in the practice of law here.
Hon. A. C. Hickman, was born in Columbia county, Ohio, April 30, 1837, was educated in Allegany College, Meadville, Pa., studied law in Ohio State and Union Law College, Cleveland, Ohio, and was admitted to the Federal Courts in June, 1863, at Cleveland, Ohio, and to the State Courts in September the same year at Akron, Ohio, October, 1864. Judge Hickman came to Owatonna where he immediately entered into the practice of law, so far as there was any law to practice. In 1866 he was elected superintendent of the public schools of Steele county, held that office for two years. was subsequently elected judge of probate in this county in 1869, held that office for four years, was elected senator from this county in 1883 and served the full term of four years. About 1887 he moved from this city to St. Paul where he continued the practice of law up to the time of his appointment as law lecturer at the State University, which position he now holds and where he is recognized as one of the authorities on law and is looked up to by all the students of that department of the university, on account of his genial manners and unquestionable character. While in practice in this county he was among the foremost members of the bar, and was employed very largely upon one side or the other of the litigated cases for many years. The judge still has a large list
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of friends in this city. Among some of the more important cases in which he participated were the defense of two men charged with murder in the first degree; one the State vs. Murry and the other the State vs. Von Ruden. In both these cases he was associated with the Hon. Amos Coggswell, and in both cases the defendants were saved from the death penalty.
Hon. Lewis L. Wheelock was born at Mansville, Jefferson county, New York. November 12, 1839, and was educated at the Macedan Academy in Wayne County, New York and at the University of Albany. In 1862 he enlisted in the 160th New York Volunteer Infantry and was mustered out as captain of one of the companies of that regiment at the end of a little over three years. After his return from the army he read law at Albany, N. Y. with the colonel of his regiment, Colonel Dwight, came to Owatonna in 1866 and was admitted to the bar in 1867. Subsequent to his admission to the bar he went south con- nected with the Freedman's Bureau. In 1868 he returned to Owatonna and opened an office in the old First National Bank Building situated on the lot now occupied by the First National Bank Building. Subsequently he erected a building and moved one door west. Afterwards he joined in the erection of another building, now the post office and again moved one door west. After the erection of the present bank building he returned to that building and occupied it to the time of his death. Mr. Wheelock enjoyed the distinction of having been in active prac- tice of law in this city for nearly forty years and longer than any other man. Judge Wheelock was at one time partner of Amos Coggswell, the firm was known as Wheelock & Coggs- well. In November, 1879, he associated with him, the writer, and from that time till his death the firm of Wheelock & Sperry. He has been judge of probate, state senator, president of the board of education and city attorney. In 1887 he was elected department commander of Minnesota of the Grand Army of the Republic and has always been one of the prominent members of that order. During all the years of his life in this city he was known and recognized as one of the foremost lawyers and public spirited citizens of the city. Few men now in the city have done more towards its growth and moral development. He was a public speaker of more than ordinary force and ability but especially excelled as an after dinner speaker, in which line he had no equal.
S. M. Yearly located here in 1856 and was county attorney for this county for at least one term. He resided on a farm just southeast of the city, which was for many years known as the Yearly farm. Mr. Yearly was a great lover of a good horse and for years he gave his attention to breeding horses and built
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a track on his farm on which to train them. He owned one very good horse for his time, his endurance was something wonder- ful, the longer he was driven, the faster he seemed able to go. Every old resident here that ever attended the county fairs re- membered how proud the white haired old man used to look as he pulled the ribbons over "Black Hawk Chief" in every race that he could get into. Mr. Yearly moved to Wasioja and went into the hotel business in the early seventies, where he sub- sequently died.
W. H. Crandall was born March 1, 1848, in Florence, Erie county, Ohio. He was educated in the country schools of Ober- lin and at Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio, subsequently studied law in the offices of Watson & Strong, Norwalk, Ohio, was ad- mitted to the bar at Owatonna in 1871, and commenced practice at Austin, Minn. where he remained till 1878. In 1879 he formed a co-partnership with J. M. Burlingame at Owatonna and re- mained here in the practice until 1884 when he gave up the practice of law and entered the insurance business as agent and adjuster of the Merchants Insurance Company of Newark, N. J. He remained such agent until the fall of 1909, when he removed to California, where, as he says, all sensible people fetch up, and is now engaged in cultivating oranges at Linsey in that state.
Hon. James M. Burlinghame was born in Sterling, Windom county, Connecticut, was a student at Plainfield Academy, Con- necticut and a graduate of the law department of the Michigan University, graduating from that institution in 1861. He came to Owatonna in April, 1867, where he entered upon the active practice of law. He was city attorney of this city for nine years and county attorney for ten years. He represented this district in the state legislature and had the honor of introducing the bill for the establishment of the state public school which was subse- quently located in this city. Mr. Burlinghame left this city and located in Mankato about 1888, subsequently moving to Min- neapolis and from there to Great Falls, Mont., where he now resides although he is not in the active practice of his profession.
Hon. H. H. Johnson was born September 7, 1808, in Rutland county, Vermont, graduated from Rutland Academy and was admitted to the bar in 1833, when he moved to Akron, Ohio, where he was in practice until 1846. He then moved to Ash- land county of the same state from whence he was elected to represent the fourteenth congressional district of that state in congress, and had the honor to serve in that body with many men who have since become known throughout the United States, among them R. P. Banks, Reuben E. Fenton, Preston S. Brooks, Alexander H. Stevens, Joshua R. Giddings, John C.
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Beckenridge, William R. English, Thomas A. Hendricks, Elihu Wasburn, Long John Wentworth, Richard Yates, Thomas H. Benton, and Henry M. Rice, who was a delegate from the ter- ritory of Minnesota. The question before congress at this time doubtless contributed very largely to making the names herein- before mentioned famous, as it was during the discussion of the celebrated Kansas-Nebraska Bill. In 1855 he was appointed Indian commissioner and settled in Winona. He was subse- quently president of the Transit Railroad, now the North- western. Colonel Johnson came to Owatonna in 1865. entering into partnership with W. R. Kinyon and afterwards J. M. Burlinghame. He was mayor in this city in 1870-71, later city justice. He died in this city in the fall of 1896 at the age of eighty seven years. Colonel Johnson was the father of Robert Johnson, Mrs. Clark Chambers and Mrs. Sawyer of this city.
J. B. Searles was one of the practitioners here in the early seventies. He was at one time in partnership with Hon. A. C. Hickman. I have not been able to find anything about his place of birth or where he was educated. During his stay in this city he laid out one of the fine homes of the city, taking great pains to beautify it by planting many shade and ever- green trees. It afterwards became and is now known as the Amos Coggswell home on South Cedar street. Mr. Searles sub- sequently moved from this city to Nebraska where he has since died.
F. B. VanHosen was at one time a practitioner in this county in its early history but remained but a short time, removing to Alexandria, Minn., where he now resides and is president of the bank of Alexandria, a position which is doubtless much more lucrative if not more enjoyable.
C. W. Hadley was born February 11, 1844, in Rumney, N. H. He came West with his father's family in 1849. He re- ceived his education at Maquoteka Academy and Cornell Col- lege, Mt. Vernon, lowa. He left the latter place to enlist in the 14th Iowa Infantry. He was taken prisoner in the "Hornet's Nest" of the battle of Shiloh. After the war he read law in the office of his father, R. S. Hadley. Hc located in Owatonna in 1866, resumed the study of law, and was admitted to the bar at Waseca, October 18, 1866. He never became an active prac- titioner here, but used his legal acquirements to aid him in his business life. Ile was for a number of years engaged in the real estate business in this city. Of late years he has been engaged in inducing emigration to Bear River valley, Utah, where he is said to have large interests and where he now lives.
M. B. Chadwick was born in Venago, Pa., in 1843. IIe grad- uated from Allegheny College in 1867, and from the Ohio State
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and Union School at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1869. He came to Owatonna in 1870 where he at once became associated with A. C. Hickman in the law business. In 1878 he was elected county auditor and held that position for eight years. He was subse- quently elected judge of probate of this county, which position he held for four years. He is still a resident of Owatonna but not engaged in the active practice of law.
Howard E. Johnson was born at Geauga, Ohio, in 1844. He was educated in the common schools of Ohio and the River Falls academy, Wisconsin. He studied law and was admitted to the bar at Red Wing, Minn., in August, 1873, and the same year located in Steele county where he has since resided. He has held the office of city attorney for two years. Mr. Johnson has always given his attention to commercial law and has never engaged in contested law questions.
W. F. Sawyer was born in Warner, Merimac county, New Hampshire, on October 26, 1850, and came to Steele county in May, 1856. He was educated in the public schools of this county and at Carleton college, Northfield. He studied law in this county and was admitted to the bar in Owatonna in 1876. Sub- sequently he went into partnership with his brother, J. A. Saw- yer, under the firm name of Sawyer & Sawyer. During this partnership they established a branch office at Waseca where a portion of their time was spent, the office afterwards pass- ing into the hands of W. M. Abbott who had previously studied law with them in this city and is a brother-in-law of J. A. Saw- yer. Mr. Sawyer has held the office of county attorney for six years and city attorney ever since one can remember. He is at present the senior member of the firm of Sawyer & Sperry and still enjoys the confidence and patronage of a large clientage.
J. A. Sawyer is a brother of WV. F. Sawyer, was born in New Hampshire, in 1846, and came to Minnesota in 1856. He was educated in the schools of this county and at Carleton col- lege, Northfield. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in Steele county in 1880, and entered into partnership with his brother, W. F. Sawyer, under the firm name of Sawyer & Saw- yer. He has held the office of county attorney for four years, and has enjoyed a very large practice, covering Steele, Waseca and Freeborn counties. He has probably had more cases in the Supreme court than any other attorney in the city. He is noted for a great memory and as being a great worker and is always seeing possibilities in his cases that other attorneys are unable to discover but for which he is always able to give reason and generally to find authority to substantiate. He is still in the practice of law having associated with him his son A. W. Sawyer.
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E. W. Richter studied law in the office of Judge Start, now chief justice of the supreme court, at Rochester, Minn .. and was admitted to the bar at Owatonna in 1881, subsequently becom- ing associated in the law practice with Hon. Amos Coggswell. Since the dissolution of this firm he has continued in the prac- tice of law by himself. He became city attorney in 1883, held that position for three years, and was county attorney for four years. About two years ago he moved his law business to Minneapolis where he is now engaged in practice.
A. D. Ingersoll is a native of Wisconsin where he was born in November, 1842. He studied law in Wisconsin and was ad- mitted to the bar in June, 1877, at Port Washington, Wis. Soon after he came to Minnesota and located at Blooming Prarie where he continued to practice law for a number of years when he removed somewhere in the northern part of this state but just where I am unable to ascertain.
A. G. Ingersoll was born in Wisconsin and is a brother of A. D. Ingersoll who studied law in the office of Wheelock & Sperry. He was subsequently admitted to the bar about 1885, and continued in the practice of law and the dealing of real estate up to the time of his death at Blooming Prairie which occurred on December 25, 1897.
S. T. Littleton located in this city in the fall of 1900, com- ing here from Kasson, Dodge county. He located and com- menced his practice in Concord, Dodge county, in 1866, subse- quently removing to Kasson where he remained until 1900. During his residence in Dodge county he was mayor of Kasson for two years and also represented that county in the lower house of the legislature for two terms in the sessions of 1895-97. Judge Littleton, as he was commonly called, was born in Chari- ton, Mo., December 3, 1858. He was the ninth child of a fast increasing family and claims to have been neglected on that account. He was educated in an old log school house built on the plan of a tobacco barn where the children had the privilege of coming in by the door or crawling through the cracks of the logs. He generally preferred the latter. Subsequently he en- tered the North Missouri academy and graduated at the age of sixteen years, started out in life as a teacher, subsequently tak- ing up the study of medicine and then switching to law. He completed his studies with Eugene Wilson, of Minneapolis, where he was admitted to the bar in 1885. During his legal career he has been connected with many important cases both in this and Dodge counties. He thinks the most important one in his experience was the case of Sparrow vs. Pond in the 49 Minnesota, the main question being, whether blackberries growing on bushes being the result of annual cultivation is
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real estate or personal property. The court holding against the protest of Mr. Littleton that they were a part of the realty and not subject to levy. The judge assured us, however, that he still believes he was right and the court wrong, and we may remark in passing that this is quite liable to be the result when the court disagrees with our contention.
H. E. Leach, whose office is in the Lorence Block, came to Steele county in June, 1896, and has since been a resident and active practitioner in this county. During all the time of his residence here, up to January, 1908, he has also been court re- porter for the fifth judicial district. Mr. Leach was born in Mower county, Minnesota on November 8, 1866, and was edu- cated in Spring Valley and at the State University. He was admitted to the bar in St. Paul in June, 1894. He was elected county attorney of this county in the fall of 1898 and held the office for four years. During his residence here he has been connected with a number of important cases, the most important of which in his judgment is the case of the City of Owatonna vs. Rosebrock, generally known as the Owatonna Kindergarten case and the case of Minnesota vs. Nelson Brothers.
R. S. Hadley was born in Hudson, N. H., December 27, 1822. He received his education at Hebron Academy and Newbury Seminary, both of New Hampshire. At the age of fourteen he commenced High school, paying his way by working in the hay field, at which he was an expert. While in the High school, he conceived the idea of "Outline and Subdivision Maps" of the world. He constructed a set himself and teaching this and writ- ing school, he paid his way through the academy and seminary. He studied law under Thomas J. Whipple. He was admitted to the bar at Concord, New Hampshire, in 1845. One of the committee that examined him was Franklin Pierce, afterwards president. In 1849 he came west, locating first in Rockton, Ill., afterwards removing to Iowa, finally locating in Owatonna in 1872. On account of his health he later removed to South Da- kota. He was mayor of Brookings and was mayor of Redfield at the time of the county seat war. Still in search of health he located in Ogden, Utah, where he died November 3, 1905.
Albert L. Sperry was born at Stockton, Chautauqua county, New York, on August 3, 1873, and came to Steele county in March, 1884. He received his education in the High school of this city and Charleton college of Northfield, Minn. He studied law with the firm of Sawyer & Sawyer, was admitted to the bar at St. Paul in 1896 and is now the junior partner of the firm of Sawyer & Sperry, whose office is in the National Farmers Bank. The firm of Sawyer & Sperry ranks among the best in the city.
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Arthur W. Lane was born in Parma, Ohio, December 12, 1859. He was educated in the common schools of Steele county and at Pillsbury academy of Owatonna; studied law with A. C. Hickman of this city and was admitted to the bar here in De- cember, 1884. He moved to Lincoln, Neb., in March, 1885, and opened a law office with W. A. Selleck, also of Owatonna, under the firm name of Selleck & Lane. The firm continued up to 1890 when the firm became Abbott, Seileck & Lane. In 1896 Selleck retired, and in 1901 the firm was dissolved. Mr. Lane is now practicing alone at that place. He has been a member of the Nebraska legislature for two terms. His practice extends into the United States District and Circuit courts and United States Supreme court. Mr. Lane has recently been appointed assist- ant United States district attorney for the Lincoln district.
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