Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 29

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago, G.A.Ogle
Number of Pages: 1432

USA > North Dakota > Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life > Part 29

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Our subject has taken an active interest in pub- lic affairs, and has served as state senator, to which position he was elected in 1889, being the first state senator from the seventh district, and gave his best energies for the interests of his community. In politics he is an ardent Republican, and the policy of the "Herald" has always been for the advance- ment of the principles of that party. Mr. Win- ship was married, in 1874, to Miss Mary J. Min- shall, of La Crescent, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Winship have one daughter now, Mrs. F. W. Weego, of Grand Forks. He is a member of the G. A. R. and Masonic fraternity.

JUDGE ALFRED DELAVAN THOMAS, deceased. That which records in perpetuity the names and the memory of great men, and secures to history the deeds that shape the course and policy of a state or nation, is a treasure valued by all who stand for purity and high attainments in the public service. A life history of the late Judge

Thomas will add luster to the brightest pages of the annals of the Dakotas, where the last twenty-three years of his life were spent, Fargo being his home from 1878 up to the time of his death, in 1896.

Judge Thomas was born in Walworth county, Wisconsin, August II, 1837. His parents were Salmon and Elizabeth ( Stowell) Thomas, both native of New York, and his grandfather, George Thomas, was born in Connecticut. Judge Thomas had two sisters and one brother-the two sisters are now living. In New York Salmon Thomas was a large land-owner, and in 1835 removed to Walworth county, Wisconsin, where his integrity and personal worth soon brought him into promi- nence. He served in the legislature of that state in 1847 and 1848, and was recognized as one of the leading public men of the state. He died in Wal- worth county September 27, 1887, and his wife died June 27, 1896.

Alfred D. Thomas grew to manhood in his native state, and received an unusually good pri- mary education. He graduated from the Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, in the class of 1801, and was soon after elected district attorney of his home county of Walworth, Wisconsin, serv- ing for six years .. He began the study of law with the Hon. Alanson H. Barnes, of Delavan, Wiscon- sin, and finished his preliminary studies in the office of Butler & Cottrell, of Milwaukee. He devoted his entire attention to his profession as a lawyer, and be- ing a great student, he continued after h.s gradua- tion to pursue a course of self-education, and thus to equip his mind with these powers which after- ward asserted themselves so effectively in the high duties he was called upon to discharge.

In February. 1877, Judge Thomas visited Da- kota, intending to locate at Fargo, but accompany- ing Judge Barnes and other friends to the Black Hills, he there met Senator Hearst, who formed so favorable an impression of his acquirements and natural gifts that he offered him the position of regular attorney for the Homestake and other min- ing companies of California in which the Senator was interested. In this capacity he was associated with, or pitted against, such men as Colonel Harry Thornton, of San Francisco; Judge W. H. Clagett, of Idaho: Judge William Fullerton, of New York; Judge William C. Kingsley, of Denver, and Judge Bennett, of Salt Lake City, and during the five years of his professional services to these companies he proved himself at least the peer of these bril- liant lights of the profession in the west. In 1883 he returned to Fargo and entered the practice of his profession there, but his fame as a lawyer and a man of integrity had reached far bepond the borders of his state, and in 1889 President Harrison ap- pointed him United States district judge for the district of North Dakota. His known ability and peculiar fitness to deal with the judicial questions and conditions of the west added greatly to his labors, and he was called to preside in the federal courts at St. Paul, Topeka, Kansas City, Little

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Rock, Denver and various other points. His zeal for the service of his country was only equalled by his capacity to perform the duties of his high sta- tion.

Judge Thomas was a man of a genial nature, and his popularity was not a matter of wonder. His warm-hearted manner, combined with high attain- ments and force of character, won him friends and admirers wherever he went. While performing the stern duties of a federal judge, he was still a man of genuine sympathy, and while upholding the solemn dignity of the law, mercy was ever made a substitute for severity where the latter quality was not absolutely essential in the administration of jus- tice. In his private life none could be purer, more sympathetic, more lovable; and in his face were registered the kindly, generous thoughts that sprang from the heart of a noble man. This narrative is for all to read, but in its lines, as in the features of his sympathetic face, only those of the little cir- cle encompassed by his best love can read the inex- pressible depths and truths of his life story. His death occurred August 8, 1896, within three days of his fifty-ninth birthday, surrounded by his fam- . ily and friends, at his home in Fargo. His remains were taken back to his old home, Delavan, Wis- consin, where they rest in Spring Grove cemetery.

Judge Thomas' domestic life was a particularly happy one. He was married to Miss Fannie E. Barnes, daughter of A. H. Barnes, who was for eight years associate judge of the territory of Da- kota. The marriage ceremony took place at Dela- van, Wisconsin, in October, 1864. Mrs. Thomas died November 5. 1898, in Fargo, where their two daughters, Mrs. Lulu Thomas Wear and Mrs. Dr. C. E. Wheeler, reside. Their only son, Alfred B., Thomas, is a resident of Duluth, Minnesota.

HON. ELMER D. WALLACE, one of the most prominent men of Steele county, conducts an extensive agricultural business in Edendale town- ship, and makes his home on section seven. There is probably no other man in that region who, takes a more active interest in public affairs than Mr. Wallace, and he has served his county and state faithfully and well in various official positions and has gained the confidence and esteem of his fel- low men.

Our subject was born in Macomb county, Michigan, July 5, 1844, and was the oldest son and second child in a family of four children born to Robert H. and Sylvia (Steward) Wallace. The family is of Scotch origin. When our subject was eight years of age the family removed to Detroit, where the father engaged in the general merchan- dise business.

Mr. Wallace was educated in the Detroit pub- lic and high schools, and at the age of fourteen years he was apprenticed to the druggist's 'trade. He entered the service of the Union army as a pri- vate August 13, 1862, and was soon afterward

placed on the non-commissioned staff as hospital steward of the regiment, in which capacity, and as brigade hospital steward, he served about two years, when he was commissioned first lieutenant. After his return from the war he engaged for a time in the drug business, and later in the produce busi- ness, and in the spring of 1881 went to Dakota and secured land near his present home. He now operates a farm of one thousand eight hundred acres, and it is one of the best tracts in the county.

Our subject was married in 1871 to Miss Annie L. Briggs, a native of Michigan. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wallace, as follows: Fannie and Clara. The latter is, at the date of this sketch, a student of the North Dakota University at Grand Forks. Mr. Wallace was elected a delegate to the constitutional convention for North Dakota in 1889, and took an active part in forming the constitution of the state. He served as chairman of the com- mittee on public debts and public works, and as such was instrumenta in fixing a low limit to the state debt, thus saving, as he thinks, millions of dollars to the people of the state. He was approved as can- didate on the fusion ticket in 1892 for lieutenant- governor, and was elected by a large majority, and as president of the senate won the respect and confi- dence of his constituents. He supports the inde- pendent party in politics, and believes prohibition to be the proper policy for North Dakota.

JUDGE CHARLES F. AMIDON, United States district judge for the district of North Da- kota, and a leading attorney of Fargo, was born in Clymer, Chautauqua county, New York, August 17, 1856, a son of John S. and Charlotte A. (Curtis) Amidon, also natives of New York. The grand- father, Leonard Amidon, was one of the first set- tlers of Chautauqua county, having located there in 1820. He followed the occupation of farming throughout life. The father was a United Brethren minister, who had charge of churches in both New York and Pennsylvania. He was a strong anti- slavery man, and before the Civil war assisted many a poor negro on his way to Canada and freedom, his home being a station on the famous underground railroad. He cast the first vote for the Free Soil party in Chautauqua county. He died in New York, October 2, 1898, but the mother is still living. They were the parents of eight children, four sons and four daughters, of whom the oldest son served for four and a half years in a New York regiment dur- ing the Rebellion.

Judge Amidon was educated in New York. He prepared for college at the Corry high school, and in 1878 entered Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, from which he was graduated in June, 1882. The following August he came to Fargo, North Dakota, and for a year was principal of the high school at this place. He then entered the law office of Thomas & Benton, as a student, and in 1886 was admitted to the bar. In January, 1887, he began

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practice as a member of the firm of Amidon & Bradley, which partnership existed until 1889, when the firm became Benton, Amidon & Bradley. Sub- sequently it was Benton & Amidon until 1896, when our subject was appointed judge to succeed Judge A. D. Thomas, deceased. He was appointed city attorney in 1890, and held that office for two terms, and in 1893 was appointed a member of the commis- sion to revise the codes, the present codes being the result of their work.

In 1892 Judge Amidon led to the marriage altar Miss Beulah R. McHenry, of Fargo, and to them have been born three children : Beulah E., Charles C. and John M. The Judge is a member of the Unitarian society of Fargo, and is what may be termed a gold Democrat. Before his appointment as judge, he took an active interest in political affairs, and delivered many addresses throughout the county and state in the interest of his party. The place he won in the legal profession is accorded him in recognition of his skill and ability, and the place he occupies in the social world is a tribute to that genuine worth and true nobleness of charac- ter which are universally recognized and honored.

WILLIAM BUDGE, the efficient postmaster of Grand Forks, North Dakota, is a pioneer settler of that region. He was born in the north of Scotland, October 11, 1852.

The parents of our subject, John and Jean ( Budge) Budge, were natives of Scotland, and the father was a farmer and died in Scotland and the mother after- ward emigrated to America, and died in this country.

Our subject remained in his native place until he was sixteen years of age, and in 1869 came to Northi- west territory, with the Hudson's Bay Company, and was employed by that company one year in the Northwest territory. He went to Pembina, North Dakota, in 1870, and began work for W. C. Nash, in the brick yard and after the summer' went to Turtle river, and there built a station for the stage company with George Winship, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere. They operated the place three seasons, and in 1874 he went to Grand Forks, and has since made his home in that city. He went to the Black Hills in 1876, and was engaged in freight- ing from Bismarck, and was thus engaged two years. He started a store at Kelly's Point, and conducted the same for some time, and then returned to Grand Forks and engaged in the real estate business. He was chairman of the county board in 1875, and in 1880 was appointed sheriff and resigned after six months' service in that capacity. He has served as a member of the board of trustees of the State Uni- versity, and was appointed postmaster at Grand Forks in July, 1898. He also conducts a grain and commission business in Grand Forks and is well-to- do. He was one of the directors of the Citizens' National Bank, and was president of the same for some time. He was also once interested in the First National Bank.

Our subject was married in 1800 to Miss Min- nie Grow, a native of New York. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Budge, who bear the names of Alexander and Jean. He was a mem- ber of the constitutional convention, and holds men- bership in the Masonic fraternity, Knights of I'y- thias and Elks. He is a stanch Republican polit- ically,

JUDGE JOSEPH M. BARTHOLOMEW. In the last half of the present century the lawyer has been a pre-eminent factor in all affairs of private concern and national importance. He has been de- pended upon to conserve the best and permanent interests of the whole people and is a recognized power in all the avenues of life. He stands as the protector of the rights and liberties of his fellow- men, and is the representative of a profession whose followers, if they would gain honor, fame and suc- cess, must be men of merit and ability. Such a one is Judge Bartholomew, who occupies the supreme bench of North Dakota, winning high commendation by his fair and impartial administration of justice

He was born in the village of Clarksville, Mc- Lean county, Illinois, June 17, 1843, a son of George M. and Catherine ( Heffner) Bartholomew, natives of Indiana and Virginia, respectively. The mater- nal grandfather, Michael Heffner, was a planter of the Old Dominion. Major-General Joseph Barthol- omew, the paternal grandfather, was born in New Jersey, March 15, 1766, but was only two years old when with the family he removed to Laurel Hill, Pennsylvania, where his father soon died. His mother afterward married again, and as his step- father was unkind to the children, he soon left home to make his own way in the world. As soon as he was able to carry a rifle he enlisted in the Revolution- ary army and assisted in driving back the marauding Indians and breaking up Tory camps. After the close of the war he joined General Wayne's forces in his campaign against the northwest Indians. In 1790 he married Christiana Pickenpaugh, by whom he had ten children. He became a pioneer of Mc- Lean county, Illinois, and was in many engagements with the Indians in early days. He died in Money Creek township, McLean county, November 2, 1840. The father of Judge Bartholomew was educated for a civil engineer, but on account of failing health took up the occupation of farming. In 1830 he removed from Indiana to Illinois, and in 1845 became a res- ident of Lodi, Columbia county, Wisconsin. There he died in 1884, and his wife in 1890, honored and respected by all who knew him. In their family were eight children, three sons and five daughters, but our subject is the only one of the family now living in North Dakota.

Judge Bartholomew obtained his early education in the common schools of Wisconsin, and later at- tended the State University. During the Civil war he enlisted in August, 1862. in Company H, Twenty- third Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and in March,

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1865, was transferred to Company I, Forty-ninth Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers. He participated in the battles of Chickasaw Bayou and Arkansas Post; the engagements around Vicksburg and the siege of that city, and the siege of Jackson, Missis- sipi. Subsequently his command was transferred to the department of the Gulf and he was under General Banks in the Red river campaign, where the regiment suffered badly. He aided in capturing the forts at the mouth of Mobile bay, and from that time until mustered out was on duty in Missouri and St. Louis. Fortunately the Judge was never wounded nor taken prisoner and only lost ten days from ill- ness during his entire service. He was mustered out as first lieutenant of his company, November 14, 1865.

Returning to his home in Wisconsin, Judge Bar- tholomew commenced the study of law under Senator Allison, of Iowa, and was admitted to the bar in 1869, after which he engaged in practice at Lodi, Wisconsin, for four years. From there he went to Red Oak, Iowa, where he resided for eight years, and in 1883, came to Dakota territory, locating in LaMoure, La Moure county, where he was success- fully engaged in the practice of law until elected chief justice in 1889, being one of the first three members elected. He also served as state's attorney in LaMoure county in 1887.

In 1878 Judge Bartholomew was united in mar- riage with Miss Mary S. Harrington, a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, and a daughter of Sam- uel C. and Laura (Phelps) Harrington, and by this union one daughter has been born, Fredonia. So- cially the Judge is a thirty-second-degree Mason, and a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He has always affiliated with the Re- publican party and has taken a most influential and active part in public affairs. He assisted in organiz- ing the state, and has become one of its leading and distinguished men, holding a high position in the hearts of the people. He is widely known and has been very successful. With a thorough and com- prehensive knowledge of the fundamental principles of law, he combines a familiarity with statutory law and a sober, clear judgment, which makes him not only a formidable adversary in legal combat, but has given him the distinction of being one of the ablest jurists of the state.

JUDGE SANFORD A. HUDSON. When, after years of long and honorable labor in some field of business, a man puts aside all cares to spend his remaining years in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil, it is certainly a well-deserved re- ward of his industry.

" How blest is he who crowns in shades like these A youth of labor with an age of ease."

wrote the poet, and the world everywhere recog- nizes the justice of a season of rest following an 'active period of business life. Judge Hudson is

now living retired at his home in Fargo, North Dakota, and his history is one that shows the ac- complishment of well-directed labor. A portrait of Judge Hudson is presented in connection with this sketelı.

The Judge was born in Oxford, Massachusetts, May 16, 1817, and is a son of Amos and Mary (Fisk) Hudson, also natives of that state, where the father was engaged in the manufacture of cot- ton goods and in merchandising in early life. In 1828 he removed to Ellisburg, Jefferson county, New York, where he died ten years later. He had a family of nine children, seven sons and two daughters, but only three sons are now living. The grandfather, William Hudson, was born in Massa- chusetts, in 1751, and as a lieutenant in the Colonial army took an active part in some of the most im- portant battles of the Revolutionary war.

Judge Hudson's early education, acquired in the common schools, was supplemented by a course at Union Academy, Belleville, Jefferson county, New York, and in 1846 he commenced the study of law in that county, being admitted to the bar at Utica, New York, in 1848. The same year he removed to Janesville, Wisconsin, in company with John R. Bennett, later a circuit judge of that state, and there he successfully engaged in practice for thirty-two years, acting as city attorney for some time. In 1881 he came to Fargo, North Dakota, as judge of the third judicial district, having United States jurisdiction, comprising the entire territory 110w composing North Dakota. He was appointed to that position by President Garfield, and most cred- itably filled the office for four years. He then en- gaged in private practice until 1892, since which time he has lived retired. He was a distinguished lawyer and jurist and enjoyed an excellent practice.

In October, 1847, Judge Hudson married Miss Sarah D. Campfield, a native of New York and daughter of John M. and Fanny (Harvey) Camp- field, by whom he had five children, who are still liv- ing, namely: Francis L .; Theodore C., a clergy- man in the Episcopal church; Harriet J .; Sanford H., an attorney in Benson, Minnesota, and Sarah C. The wife and mother died in Wisconsin in 1877. Her father, John M. Campfield, was a pron- inent lawyer of Jefferson county, New York. In his political affiliations the Judge was first a Whig and later a Republican. He assisted in organizing the latter party, and has taken an active and prom- inent part in promoting its interests. He stands deserved high in the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens and is held in high regard by all who know him.

COL. WILLIAM C. TREUMANN. This gentleman is well known in Grafton and vicinity as a loyal citizen and successful business man. He is engaged in the abstract business and has the only set of abstract books in the county, and has been a resident of Grafton since 1884, and has been identi-

JUDGE SANFORD A. HUDSON

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fied with the business interests of that thriving city since that date.

Our subject was born near Hamburg, in the province of Holstein, Germany, December 14, 1862, and is a son of August and Anna ( Koenig) Treu- mann, both of whom were natives of the same province. The mother died in 1872, and in the same year the father and our subject and sister emigrated to America and settled near Defiance, Ohio. The father was a sailor and ship carpenter in Germany, and in 1873 they moved to LeSueur county, Minne- sota, and there the father entered the employ of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railroad Company, and was kilied at Mankato, in 1899, while in the discharge of his duties.

Mr. Treumann was reared and educated in Min- nesota, and worked in a mercantile establishment and kept books, and November 15, 1881, he came to Grand Forks, and began keeping books for a mer- cantile firm and filled that position for some time. He assumed charge of the branch store of the firm at Grafton in 1884, and continued with the house until 1885, when he engaged in the collection and ' loan business, and also served as deputy register of deeds. He began abstracting in 1888 and has con- tinued in this business since, with marked success. He became a member of a military company in 1885, and was elected second lieutenant, and in 1887 the company became Company C, of the National Guard of North Dakota. He was lieutenant- colonel of the First North Dakota' Volunteer Infantry, and had command of the regiment during the campaign in the Philippines. He also commanded a brigade on several occasions and had command of the transport Grant on the re- turn to this country. The regiment was in thirty- seven engagements, including the battles of Manila in August, 1898 and February, 1899, and Mr. Treu- mann was with his regiment in all battles with the exception of those of the Santa Cruz expedition, when only a part of the regiment went. He escaped without wounds and served eighteen months and was then mustered out as lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, September 25, 1899, and at once returned home and resumed his business in Grafton. He was brevetted colonel of volunteers, upon the recommen- dation of General Lawton.

Our subject was married November 29, 1888, to Miss Elizabeth Baird. a native of Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Treumann are the parents of three children, as follows: William K., Oscar B., and Agnes E., all of whom are living. Mr. Treumann is a member of the Masonic fraternity in all branches, the Knights of Pythias, and Foresters, and was master of the North Dakota Military lodge at Manila. Politically he is a Republican.

HON. BURLEIGH F. SPALDING, member of congress from North Dakota, has attained distinc- tion as one of the ablest members of the Fargo bar. In this profession probably more than in any other

success depends upon individual merit, upon a thorough understanding of the principles of juris- prudence, a power of keen analysis, and the ability to present clearly, concisely and forcibly the strong points in his case. Possessing these necessary quali- fications, Mr. Spalding is accorded a foremost place in the ranks of the profession in this state, and stands today one of the most esteemed members of the Fargo bar.

He was born in Orleans county, Vermont, De- cember 3, 1853, and is a son of Rev. Benjamin P. and Ann (Folsom) Spalding, also natives of the Green Mountain state. As a Methodist Episcopal minister the father engaged in preaching in Vermont and New Hampshire for many years, but is now living re- tired with our subject, having come to North Da- kota in 1882. The paternal grandfather, Noalı Spalding, was a school teacher of Vermont, and was a politician of some note, while the maternal grandfather, Rev. Moses Folsom, was a Free Bap- tist minister of New Hampshire and Vermont. The Folsom family was founded in the United States in 1638, the Spalding in 1619. Our subject has one brother and two sisters. The brother is now living in Salt Lake City, Utah. The elder sister lives in Traill county, and the younger is a professor in Pomona College, California.

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Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 29

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago, G.A.Ogle Number of Pages: 1432

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago, G.A.Ogle
Number of Pages: 1432