Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y., Part 163

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : Munsell
Number of Pages: 1360

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lle early, from principle, allied himself to the Republican party, and to that organization he has always given his undi- vided fealty. He has served at least ten years as a member of the Republican General Committee ; has frequently served as a member of the State Committee, and is now its treasurer. He has often occupied a seat in Republican State Conventions, and represented the Second Congressional Distriet as a delegato in the Republican National Convention in 1884; and, without any undue assumption of influence, his voice has been potent in the deliberation of those bodies, and in defining their policies. Perhaps no man was moro active and moro influential in Kings County in organizing snecessful opposition to tho Third Term and to the Third Term machine.

In 1882 he was nominated by the Republicans of Kings County for Surrogate, for the duties of which office he possessed acknowledged abilities. As an evidence of this, and of his high standing as a citizen and a gentleman, we refer to the fact that he received between thirty and forty thousand more votes than the State ticket ; nevertheless, he was defeated by the whirlwind which followed the nomination of Judgo Folger to the exceutivo chair. This, we believe, is the only timo which Mr. Hobbs has consented to become a candidate for office, though nominations for legislative and other offiees have been tendered him, and ho has never held an official position.

He is united by marriage to Julia Ellen, a daughter of the late Captain Benjamin Buxton, of Baltimore, a relation that has brought reciprocal happiness.

Without pretension or ostentation, Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs occupy an elovated and highly respected position in the society of Brooklyn ; their home is one of refinement and intelligence, presided over by those domestic amenities which so largely adorn the American home.

TUNIS G. BERGEN.

AMONG the junior members of the Bar, few occupy a more conspicuons position than Tunis G. Bergen. He is one of those whose career evinces the enlarging and liberalizing advantages to the legal profession of accomplishments outside of mere tech- nical legal knowledge; one of those who subordinate history and clegant literature to the enlargement of his professional learning. Ho entered into the investigation and research of the law with avidity and delight, with a determination to make himself per- fectly familiar with the principles of legal science, mastering the scholastic refinements, subtletics and abstruse speculations of the old black-letter law writers; therefore his knowledge of legal principles, precise and accurate, is rendered practical by a strong and retentive memory.

Mr. Bergen was born at Brooklyn, May 17th, 1847. He first saw the light in the old Bergen homestead, still standing on Third avenue, facing tho bay, between Thirty-third and Thirty- fourth streets. With this old mansion there are many historic reminiscences; indeed, much of the history of the days that tried men's souls is blended with the memories it begets. During that period of the Revolution in which Long Island and New York wero in possession of the enemy, this old house was occupied by British officers, and the antique walls of some of its rooms are still embellished by several paintings which they left upon vacating tho house. A hut still remains, once occupied by slaves belonging to the Bergen estate. Five gen- erations of the Bergen family have occupied the ancient man- sion. Its quaint but substantial architecturo gives ample promise that generations to come will occupy it. To use the language of another, "It has been supposed that Mr. Bergen was a son of Tunis G. Bergen, member of Congress from Kings County, a man who took an activo interest in Brooklyn affairs. Such, however, is not the case. Mr. Bergen's father was Garret G. Bergen, a brother of Tunis G. Bergen, and he affixes the Jr. to his name to avoid confusion from the similarity of names."

It will be seen that the Bergen family has a known genealogy extending far back into the past. The family was descended from Hans Hansen Van Bergen, called also "Hans Hansen the Norman," who married Sarah Rapalye, famous as the first female child born of civilizod people within the bounds of the Colony of New Netherlands or the State of Now York. Of this marriage have sprung more than eight generations of the Bergen family, who have successively been born and reared on American soil, ocenpying lands on Manhattan Island, and originally the greater portion of tho area of the city of Brooklyn extending along the water from the Wallabout and Fulton Ferry to Bay Ridge.

"Young Bergon commenced his education at public school No. 2, Brooklyn, which was sustained largely by members of the Bergen family, of which there were soveral in the vicinity. At first this was a private school, but afterwards was organized as tho second publie school in Brooklyn. Mr. Jacob Sands was then principal of that school, and is still serving in that position. Mr. Peter Rouget, Principal of No. 10, taught Mr. Bergen French when tho latter was very young. Young Bergen en tered tho Polytechnic after leaving No. 2; from thonco he entered Rutgers Colloge, New Brunswick, N. J., where in 1867 he graduated."

Mr. Bergen, intent upon attaining a finished legal education, decided to pursuo his legal studies under tho advantages of the German Law Institution, and became a student in tho I'niver- sity of Berlin, and also lleidelberg, where, undor the instruc tions of tho accomplishod and Icarned legal professors, he, at

Junio & Bergen

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LEGAL BIOGRAPHIES.

the latter institution, received the degree of Doctor in Public Law. This was in 1871. Leaving this famous institution, he went to Paris, and became a student in the law department of the University of that city, an institution ranking first among the collegiate institutions of Europe. He also attended lectures at Sorbonne and at Oxford. With the endowments thus ac- quired in the best legal institutions of Europe, he returned to his native land, and entered the legal department of Columbia College. In due time he passed a creditable examination and was called to the Bar, and at once entered upon a highly respectable and remunerative practice in the city of New York.

"While in Europe, Mr. Bergen witnessed some of the most exciting and historic scenes of the Franco-Prussian war. He was several weeks at the headquarters of the Crown Prince, where he had every advantage as a neutral observer for witness- ing the great events around him. He was at the battle of Woerth, in Alsace, where MacMahon met with such a disastrous defeat. He has in his possession several French and German battle-flags and swords, picked up after the battle. During this summer (1870) he visited Switzerland, and was about to ascend Mont Blanc with a party of three gentlemen and several guides, but was dissuaded by some friends, who wished him to ascend with them at a later date. The change was fortunate, as the party with whom he intended to make the ascent were all lost in the snow, and perished."

In 1879 he was chosen orator by the alumni of Rutgers Col- lege; he accepted the invitation, and his oration was highly commended for the clearness and elegance of its style, the force, strength and effect of its matter, and the attractive manner in which it was delivered.

Mr. Bergen was a member of the Board of Education in 1877, serving about one year. In July, 1880, he was reappointed. He has served as Chairman of the Attendance Committee, and as a member of the following committees: Studies, Central Grammar School, Law, and Finance. He was a candidate for President of the Board in 1881, but was defeated by Mr. Daniel Manger. In January, 1882, he was again a candidate for the same office, and was eminently successful, receiving twenty-five votes. Since then he has been twice unanimously re-elected to the same office.

It is a singular fact that during the existence of the Board of Education in Brooklyn, there has never been a time when there was not a member connected with it by the name of Bergen.

Mr. Bergen has served as Chairman of Public Schools Nos. 10 and 27, and also on the committees of Nos. 2, 39 and 40; and thus it will be seen how intimately and usefully he has been, and still is, identified with the cause of education in the city of Brooklyn.

Mr. Bergen justly enjoys the reputation of a successful writer, whose style is free from all affectation and all superfluity-per- spicuous and pure-a style which pleasingly sets off thought, research, logic and argument.

While in Europe he contributed a number of articles to the journals of his native country on the Franco-Prussian war and other subjects, which were read with great interest. Since his return home he has furnished the articles on Long Island for the Encyclopædia Britannica.

But, as we have already said, the love of the legal profession is paramount to every other branch of learning, and his devotion to it is rewarded by a position as a lawyer, not only highly respectable and successful, but one that gives indubitable evidence that he is approaching its highest rank.

HON. GEORGE THOMPSON.

THE subject of this sketch was born at Stanford, in the eastern part of Dutchess County, in the month of January, 1817. On his father's side, he was descended from Anthony Thompson, one of the original settlers who came over from England to New

Haven with the Puritan colony in 1637; while, on the mothicr's side, he was descended from Peter Brown, one of the still more famous Plymouth colony, who cmigrated to this country in 1620. Caleb Thompson, the fourth in descent from the original colonist, was born at New Haven, February 24, 1732, two days after General Washington's birth, and was the grandfather of the subject of this memoir. In his childhood, he removed with his father to Goshen, Conn., and about his eighteenth year, he removed with his father's family to Stanford, N. Y., where he died in 1823, having arrived at the age of ninety-one ycars, leaving a large number of descendants. His youngest son, Leonard, more particularly known in military circles as General Thompson, removed to Bloomfield in 1832, and died at Avon, Livingston County, in 1841.

Young Thompson spent several years at home with his father, mainly engaged in farm labor, but showing a considerable aptitude for study, was sent, in 1835, to the seminary at Lima, Livingston County, and entered Union College at Schenectady, then under the management of the celebrated Dr. Nott, in the fall of 1836, and graduated with distinction in July, 1839. Between the intervals of college life and graduation, he taught successively in a private and public school. Having concluded to enter the study of law, he entered the office of George Hosmer, of Avon, Livingston County, then a lawyer of distinction, and afterwards spent a couple of years in the office of Hastings & Husbands, in Rochester. He was admitted to practice at the May term in New York, but afterwards spent nearly two years in the office of Messrs. Cutting & Owen, then located at 72 Wall street, for the purpose of familiarizing himself with the practice in the city of New York. In 1848, he entered into business with Judge Soper, who was then practicing law in Williamsburgh, Kings County, but found time during his legal employment, among his other occupations, to edit a weekly political journal, known as the " Kings County Patriot," which did effectual ser- vice during the campaign of 1848, as a Cass and Butler organ. In the spring of 1851, the local government of Williamsburgh, then under the control of the Whig party, having become grossly corrupt and extravagant, an organization was formed for the purpose of reforming such abuses. A journal was started, under the auspices of several prominent gentlemen of that place. This paper was named the " Independent Press," and though not the nominal editor, a large part of the editorial matter was furnished by Mr. Thompson. An entire revolution having been effected in the government of the place by the reformatory movement, Mr. Thompson was elected by the unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees as Corporation Counsel and Attorney, though several of the board were politically hostile to him. In the fall of 1852, he was re-elected to the same office by a large popular vote, and after the expiration of his term, declined to be a candidate for further re-election.

In the meantime, he was nominated and clected, against his desire, to the position of Superintendent of Common Schools in the Williamsburgh section of the city. For several years, after the expiration of his office, he ceased to engage in active po. litical life. In the fall of 1866, without any solicitation on his part, he was nominated by the Democratic convention of the city of Brooklyn as a candidate for the office of City Judge of that city. His political opponents considered the election of Judge Reynolds, the rival candidate, as certain, but at the com- ing election it was found that Mr. Thompson had been chosen to the office by several thousand majority. The method of his filling the office, and the acceptability of his administration, arc best shown by the unanimous expression through the Kings County Bar at the time of his retirement from office. A com- mendatory letter, almost unanimously signed by the leading members of the Bar, expressing their " regret at the severance of the relations existing between them;" stating that "these relations had existed for six years, and that more than half that period Judge Thompson alone discharged the judicial

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HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

ALITTLE

Isso. Thompson,

duties of that court, and that throughout his whole term those duties had been performed with ability and honor; that the ample legal knowledge which he brought with him to the Bench had so ripened with his judicial practice and experience as to impress them deeply with the sufficiency and clearness of his legal opinions and decisions," and that they " therefore tender to Judge Thompson a respect, esteem and regard for their past intercourse, with their best wishes for his future happiness."

At the expiration of his term of office Judge Thompson con- cluded to gratify a long-deferred wish of visiting the Old World, and spent two years and a half in absence from his native land. In this time he visited all the important citics of Europe, and considerable portions of Asia and Africa, including the Nile and the Holy Land. The outlines of his journey were given in many letters sent to this country, and published in many of the papers at home. He has repeatedly been urged to collect and compile such letters in permanent form, but, for rensons best apprceinted by himself, has declined to enter upon such a task.

Judge Thompson has been a candidate for only one political office since his residence in the city of Brooklyn, a period of more than thirty years; that office came to him by unusual una- nimity of assent, and he retired from it without soliciting its continuance.

WALTER L. LIVINGSTON.

WALTER L. LIVINGSTON, on his father's side, was a lineal de- scendant of Robert Livingston, first proprietor of the manor of Livingston, a Scotchman who came to this country in 1677. On his mother's side he is a great-grandson of Count Admiral de Grasse, who commanded the French fleet on the occasion of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, at Yorktown. His father's mother was a granddaughter of Chief Justice Allen, of Pennsylvania, and was herself a remarkable woman, managing her large landed estate in Columbia County, where she removed at the

time of her marriage with his grandfather, and she was widely and popularly known throughout the county as the "Widow Mary."

Mr. Livingston's father was her eldest son; his name, Henry W. Livingston. He married Caroline, one of the daughters of Francis Depau, who was at that time a leading merchant of New York City. Mr. Depau was born in France, but came to South Carolina at the time of the revolt in St. Domingo, and subse- quently removed to New York City. In Charleston he met and married Silvie, youngest daughter of Admiral de Grasse, who, with her sisters, had fled to this country to escape the horrors of the French Revolution.

Walter L. Livingston was born on the 21st of December, 1830, at his grandfather Depau's house in Broadway, near Franklin, New York; his parents were residents of Columbia County, in this State, at the time, but had come to New York to spend the winter.

As carly as when Mr. Livingston was but five years of age, the whole family went to Europe, including himself, and until the age of sixteen he vibrated between the two continents, having in that time made as many as eight voyages across the Atlantic, when a voyage averaged about thirty days.

The first school he attended was in Paris, where he remained a year; he then studied at home with a tutor until he was about thirteen years old, when he was sent to the Jesuits' College at Fribourg, in Switzerland, which then enjoyed quite a high reputation. After leaving there, Mr. Livingston attended the College of Juilly, near Paris, where he remained until his family returned to this country. After his return here, he went to the St. Mary's College in Baltimore. He never graduated from any college, and when not at school was kept studying at home under a tutor until he renched the age of nineteen years, when he entered the law office of a relative, the Honorable Francis B. Cutting, of New York. Mr. Livingston remained with Mr. Cut- ting until the llon. Josiah Sutherland, of Columbia County,

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LITTLE

lately a Judge of the Supreme Court, opened an office in New York City, in connection with the Hon. Claudius L. Monell, also of Columbia County, and at the time of his death a Judge of the Superior Court of the City of New York, when he became a student in their office, and remained there until he was ad- mitted to the Bar in May, 1852, at the eity of New York. Shortly after his admission he beeame a elerk in the office of Alex- ander A. Hamilton, Jr., a grandson of the illustrious Hamilton, who was then carrying on a large practice in New York City, in partnership with Francis R. Rives, son of the Hon. William C. Rives, of Virginia. After remaining there a short time, Mr. Livingston opened an office for himself at No. 72 Wall street, and it was then that he beeame acquainted with a gentleman who entered his offiee as a student, and who has sinee acquired a luerative praetiee at the Bar, and become distinguished enough in the polities of this State to receive the Republican nomina- tion for Lieutenant-Governor. I refer to the Hon. Sigismund Kaufman, of Brooklyn. In 1855, Mr. Livingston accepted a proposition from Philip S. Hamilton, the youngest son of the great statesman, to become a member of his firm, and for a while he praetieed in what was then known as Williamsburgh (now part of Brooklyn), as a member of the firm of Hamilton, Dougherty & Livingston. After leaving that firm he opened an office at 41 Wall street, in the eity of New York, and carried on the practice of his profession there until he was elected Surro- gate of Kings County, in 1876. During that time Mr. Living- ston was for thirteen years counsel for the French line of steamers, known as the " General Trans-Atlantic Company."

In 1857, he was married to Silvia, daughter of Washington Coster, of New York City; he has but one child, a daughter, now married.

In 1861, he removed from New York to Brooklyn, and took up his residence at 92 Hewes street, where he has sinee resided. A few years after his eoming to Brooklyn, it was found necessary then, as recently, to reorganize the Demoeratie party in Kings County, and Mr. Livingston became a member of the General Committee which was then formed. In the year 1867, he was eleeted a member of the Constitutional Convention which met in that year. There were four members eleeted on the same ticket from each of the Congressional districts in the eity of Brooklyn, and the ticket on which Mr. Livingston was running had the honor of being successful over the one bearing no less a distinguished name than that of the Reverend Henry Ward Beeeher, who ran then, as I believe, for the only time, for a political office.

The records of the Constitutional Convention show thai Mr. Livingston was not an idle member of that body. He was ap- pointed on several important committees, and took an active part in the debates on almost every subjeet of importance which came up prominent among others, the judiciary article, the powers and duties of the Legislature, the sale and adulteration of liquors, and the bill of rights.

Soon after that he became a prominent candidate on the Democratie side for the office of Comptroller of the City of Brooklyn, at the request of the leading members of the party in the county, and it is well known here that he would, without doubt, have received the nomination had not his independent course in regard to the patronage of the office been displeasing to some of the powers that then were; that is, he distinetly an- nouneed that on that point he shou'l aet according to the dic- tatcs of his best judgment.

In 1876, a split having oceurred in the Democratic party in

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HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

this county, Mr. Livingston accepted an independent nomina- tion for Surrogate, and was endorsed by the Republicans; that was the year when Mr. Tilden ran for President, and carried the county by 18,000 majority. Notwithstanding that high tide, which was expected to carry everything before it, Mr. Living- ston was elected by a majority of 70 votes, on a poll of over 94,000. Ilis opponent brought an action of quo warranto against him, and, under a law exclusively applicable to Kings County, claimed the right to re-count the ballots in the boxes six months after the election, although it was proved, without contradic- tion, that the boxes had not been sealed, and had been kept in such a careless manner as to deprive a re-count of all weight as evidence. The re-count was permitted by the trial court, and the result differed from the election returns sufficiently to elect his opponent by a small majority, if taken as evidence of the vote cast. The trial court left it to the jury to find who was elected, charging them that if they accepted the returns as correct, Mr. Livingston was elected, and if they found that the re-count was correct, than his opponent was elected. The jury found in favor of the re-count. On appeal to the Court of Appeals, the judg- ment was reversed, and a new trial granted. The court also re- instated Mr. Livingston in office pending the new trial, which never came off, his opponent abandoning the contest. The ap- peal was argued by Mr. Livingston, in person, against the Hon. B. F. Tracy, recently one of the Justices of the Court of Appeals. As the case was one of great importance, that eminent jurist ex- erted all his great powers and extensive learning in behalf of his client. But Mr. Livingston's argument, as is generally con- ceded, was quite equal in ability, legal logic and learning to that of his distinguished opponent. The opinion of the court in the case (79th N. Y., 279; and same case 80th N. Y., 66) fully shows that Mr. Livingston was rightfully entitled to the office, and that the court highly appreciated his argument. Mr. Liv- ingston entered upon the discharge of his difficult duties with great industry and directness of purpose, with legal learning and accomplishments which gave nndoubted assurance that these duties would be performed to the entire satisfaction of the Bar and the public. His numerous opinions, found in the 3d, 4th and 5th volumes of Redfield's Surrogates' Reports, for clear- ness of expression, thorough logical discussion, research, calin- ness and impartiality, exhibit his rare ability as a judicial officer.

At the close of his official terin he returned to the practice of his profession. Mr. Livingston ranks among the ablest and most successful members of the Kings County Bar; he is one of the most high-minded and valuable citizens of Brooklyn, and his intereourse with his fellow-citizens is characterized by those pleasing amenities which so well adorn social life.

TIMOTHY PERRY.

TIMOTHY PERRY was born at New Ipswich, New Hampshire, November 7, 1829. His father, Chauncy Perry, Sen., was a man of strong native mental powers, a sturdy, industrious New England farmer, who never knew how to make any compromise with what he deemed a wrong, or to sacrifice principle to policy; whose purity of character was proverbial, and whose chief wealth consisted of a large family of children, of whom he had just reason to be proud, and to whom he could have pointed and said, with the Roman mother, "These are my jewels."

It was his chief anxiety to give his children the best education his limited means afforded; how well he did this is attested by their intelligence, virtue, and their reasonable snecess in lite.

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Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y., Part 163

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909. Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York : Munsell Number of Pages: 1360

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : Munsell
Number of Pages: 1360