USA > New York > Cayuga County > History of Cayuga County, New York > Part 30
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KENYON, BENJAMIN. Born in the town of Scipio, Cayuga County, June 19, 1885 ; education, common school; graduated from the law department of Cornell University at Ithaca, N. Y., in June, 1907, commenced practice, in the City of Auburn, in which he is yet engaged. Mr. Kenyon is a member of Cayuga Lodge, No. 221, Free and Accepted Masons of Scipio, this county. Practice general.
KERR, JAMES HENRY. Born in the City of Auburn, Cayuga County, September 27, 1865; educated in the public schools of that city, graduating from the High School in 1883, and at Williams College, from which he graduated in 1887; read law in the offices of Howland & Wheeler and later in the office of Daniel Hurlbut, in Auburn; was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court at Roch- ester, N. Y., in April, 1892, and to practice in the District and Circuit courts of the United States in 1898. Commenced, and has since continued, practice in the city. Mr. Kerr was appointed city attorney and served one term of two years; re-appointed in 1908 and is now filling that office. He is a member of the City Club and Auburn Gun Club, and the junior member of the law firm of Turner & Kerr, with offices over No. 81 Genesee street. Practice general.
KINGSTON, JOHN FRANCIS. Born in Syracuse, Onondaga County, N. Y., November 27, 1874; educated in the public schools and at Skaneateles High School from which he graduated in 1893; he obtained his legal education in the law department of Cornell
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University in Ithaca of which he is a graduate; admitted to the bar at Rochester, N. Y., in November, 1898; commenced, and has since continued, practice at Weedsport; he has filled the office of justice of the peace of his town and is a member of Weedsport Lodge No. 385, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is Master. Practice general. He is the junior member of the law firm of Parsons & Kingston.
KNAPP, JOHN WILTSIE. Born in the town of Geddes, Onondaga County, N. Y .; educated in the public schools, graduating from the Syracuse High School in 1898; read law in the offices of Hiscock, Doheny, Williams & Cowie in Syracuse and graduated from the law department of Cornell University at Ithaca in 1903; admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court July roth, of the same year. Later admitted to the Supreme Court of the State of Michigan and prac- tised at Menominee, in that state. He later came to the City of Auburn and commenced, and has since continued the general practice of his profession. Office over No. 93 Genesee street.
LAIRD, LOUIS K. R. Born in the town of Scipio, Cayuga County, September 3, 1872; educated in the public schools of our city, graduating from its High School in 1892, Hamilton College from which he graduated in 1896, and the Albany Law School from which he graduated and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court, at Albany, in July of 1898. Admitted to practice in the District Court of the United States in October of the same year. Com- menced, and has since continued, the practice of his profession in the City of Auburn. Mr. Laird is the attorney of the Cayuga Con- struction Company, a member of St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal Church; St. Paul's Lodge No. 124, Free and Accepted Masons; Hardenbergh Lodge No. 748, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Seward Camp No. II, Sons of Veterans. His offices are in the Metcalf Building, Genesee street.
LEARY, FRANK M. Owing to the reluctance of this gentleman to furnish me with any data regarding himself I am limited to the
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statement that he is an active practitioner in our city, to which he came from Ithaca, several years ago, with offices in the Metcalf Building, Genesee street.
LEONARD, GEORGE H. Born in Seneca County, N. Y., and has resided in the City of Auburn since 1893; educated in St. John's Military School at Manlius, Onondaga County, N. Y., and a graduate from the law department of Cornell University in Ithaca, N. Y., in the class of 1893; admitted to the bar in 1894 and for a time practised his profession in our city. He preferred a business rather than a professional life and has not been in practice for several years, and is now the manager of the Auburn Automobile Company located at 54-60 Water street.
LYON, CHARLES FRANCIS. Born in the City of Auburn, August 14, 1873; educated in the public schools of the city-graduating from the High School in 1892-and at Willians College from which he graduated in 1896; read law in the office of his father, Mr. James Lyon, and was admitted to the bar at Rochester, N. Y., in January 1899, commencing the practice of his profession in our city imme- diately after his admission. He served as a member of the Park Commission of the city for two terms. Mr. Lyon is the junior member of the law firm of Lyon & Lyon, with offices in the Cayuga County Savings Bank, and is the trial lawyer of his firm.
LYON, JAMES. Born in the South of Ireland in 1838, and came to America in 1856, settling in Onondaga County; he commenced the study of law, later reading in the offices of Porter, Allen & Beardsley in the City of Auburn; admitted to the bar at Rochester, N. Y., in December, 1863. Commencing in 1864, and continuing until the close of the Civil War, he was a civilian clerk in the Military Department of Newbern, N. C. Upon the conclusion of his service he returned to Auburn and resumed the practice of his profession which he has since continued. In 1866-7, he served as city clerk and in the latter year was appointed city attorney which office he held for about twelve years, discharging its duties with marked
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ability and rare success. He has for several years been the attorney of the Cayuga County Savings Bank and has satisfactorily filled the office of president of the Bar Association of the county of Cayuga. Mr. Lyon is the dean of the bar of our county, a self-made man, and a lawyer of ability and probity, respected and honored by all who know him. I deeply regret that the lines upon which I am writing this article deprive me of the liberty of speaking of this gentleman in the commendatory terms which his life and acts in our community entitle him to and which it would afford me great pleasure to record. Mr. Lyon is the senior member of the law firm of Lyon & Lyon.
MCLAUGHLIN, PATRICK. Born in Ireland, April 2, 1842; edu- cated in the public schools of Cayuga County and the Cortland Academy from which he graduated in 1865; read law in the office of Honorable William E. Hughitt in Auburn and was admitted to the Supreme Court bar at Owsego, Oswego County, N. Y., in 1872, and later to practice in the Federal courts; commenced practice in the City of Auburn in 1872, which he has since continued; he served as a representative of the first ward on the Board of Supervisors some ten years ago and was for five years of his practice a law partner of Honorable Robert L. Drummond. His practice is general and his office over No. 87 Genesee street.
MEAD, BENJAMIN CHARLES. Born in the town of Fleming, Cayuga County, N. Y., February 17, 1873; educated in the public schools of the City of Auburn, graduating from its High School in 1891 -- and at Harvard College from which he graduated in 1896 with the degree of A. B. and from its law department in 1901 with the degree of LL.B. Admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court at Rochester, N. Y., November 12, 1901, and to practice in the Federal courts in 1902. Mr. Mead commenced practice in Auburn immediately after his admission which he has since continued; his practice is general and his offices are over No. 125 Genesee street.
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MEAD, SHERMAN B. Born at Five Corners, Cayuga County , N. Y., November 19, 1841; educated in the common schools Groton, and Ithaca, Tompkins County, N. Y., and in the Oneida Conference Seminary from which he graduated in 1867; read law in the office of John T. Pingree, Esq., in Auburn and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court at Syracuse, N. Y., November 8 1870 and to the bar of the Supreme Court of the state of Minnesota in 1873. For many years he has been engaged in the active general practice of his profession at Five Corners in our county. He is a member of Genoa Lodge No. 421, Free and Accepted Masons, located at King Ferry.
MOHR, FREDERICK A. Born in the City of Auburn in the carly 70's, and later removed to Canada with his father's family where in the province of Ontario, he received a common school education. In 1866, he returned to Auburn and graduated from its High School. He followed a business life until he had accumulated sufficient funds to enable him to obtain a legal education and in 1900 commenced study in the law department of Syracuse University in Syracuse, N. Y., from which he graduated and was admitted to the bar in 1904, commencing practice the same year, in the City of Auburn, which he has since continued. His practice is general; office in the Metcalf Building, Genesee street. For two years Mr. Mohr served as secretary of the Municipal Civil Service Commission.
MORLEY, JOHN SPRAGUE. Born December 7, 1826, in the town of Pompey, Onondaga County, N. Y., and came with his father's family to Cayuga County, in 1831 ; educated in the public schools of Fayetteville, Onondaga County, and at Hobart College, Geneva, from which he was graduated in 1846; read law in the offices of Nixon, Leavenworth & Comstock, in Syracuse, Onondaga County, and was admitted to the bar in November, 1849, being a member of the first class examined for admission after the adoption of the Code of Procedure. He commenced practice in the village of Jamesville, Onondaga County, which he continued until 1853 when he opened
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an office in the village of Meridian, this county, where he engaged in active practice until the debility attendant upon old age compelled his retirement. For more than twenty-nine years he satisfactorily discharged the duties of justice of the peace of his town and for thirty consecutive years filled the office of president of his village. He enjoys the respect and confidence of the community in which he resides and while he is sitting in the shadows-waiting-he may properly feel that his has been a commendable and well spent life.
MOSHER, EDGAR SEEBER. Born in Brookfield, Lynn County,
Missouri, February 18, 1878. Educated in the public schools of the City of Auburn, graduating from its High School in 1896, and from Cornell University in Ithaca, N. Y., from which he graduated with the degree of A. B., in 1900; he read law in the offices of Honor- able A. H. Searing in Auburn and Newman & Blood in Ithaca, and received his degree of LL. B. from his university and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme and Federal courts in 1902, commencing practice in Auburn which he has since continued. Mr. Mosher had charge of the public speaking department of the Auburn High School in 1902-4; was president of the Cornell University Republi- can Club, 1901-2; president of the Theodore Roosevelt Club of Auburn, 1902-4; president of the Auburn Young Men's Christian Association, 1905-7. He is a member of Auburn Lodge No. 431, Free and Accepted Masons and its present Master, Hardenbergh Lodge No. 748, Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Auburn and is one of the present public health commissioners of the city. Mr. Mosher is the junior member of the law firm of Pierce & Mosher, with offices in the Smith Building, corner of Genesee and Exchange streets.
NELLIS, GEORGE WEBSTER. Born in the town of Herkimer, Herkimer County, N Y., August 12, 1856; educated in the public and High schools of Herkimer and Auburn; read law in the office of Richard C. Steel, Esq., in Auburn and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court at Utica, N. Y., January 7, 1881, and later to
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practice in the Federal courts. He commenced practice in the city, being associated with Mr. Steel until that gentleman's death in 1886, when he formed a law partnership with Mr. Robert L. Drum- mond which continued for two years, since which time Mr. Nellis has practised alone; in 1894 he was elected district-attorney and served two terms; he has represented his ward in the Board of Supervisors and his party in many legislative and judicial conven- tions. He served in the Spanish-American War as first lieutenant and captain. Mr. Nellis is a member of Auburn Lodge No. 431, Free and Accepted Masons; David's Chapter No. 34, Royal Arch Masons; Salem Town Commandery No. 16, Knights Templars; Damascus Temple, Mystic Shrine of Rochester and the Masonic Club of the city. His practice is general, and his offices are located over No. 75 Genesee street.
ODELL, SAMUEL. Born in the town of Skaneateles, Onondaga, County, N. Y., in 1868; education common school; came to Auburn and read law in the office of Mr. Frank S. Wright; admitted to the bar in 1903 and commenced practice in the city which he continued until about a year ago, when rapidly failing health compelled his abandonment of the arduous duties of his profession to seck relief in the Adirondacks. His physical condition growing worse he returned to Auburn and about three months ago was confined to his bed with no hopes of recovery.
PARKER, AMASA, J. Born in the town of Cato, Cayuga County, N. Y., November 19, 1857; educated in the public schools of his town and at the Weedsport Academy from which he graduated in 1874; read law in the offices of Frank Rich, Esq., in Cato village and Frank M. Parsons, Esq., in the village of Weedsport and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court at Buffalo, N. Y., in June 1878, and later to practice in the Federal courts including the Supreme Court of the United States; Mr. Parker served as special county judge from 1883 to 1888, and is a member of St. Paul's Lodge No. 124, Free and Accepted Masons of Auburn, of which he
Gdeauch A Rich
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is a Past Master, and of Auburn Lodge No. 474, Benevolent Protec- tive Order of Elks. He also served the Masonic fraternity as Dis- trict Deputy Grand Master of the Thirtieth Masonic District. He enjoys a large and lucrative general practice with offices over No. 119 Genesee street.
PARKER, CLARENCE GRAY. Born in the village of Moravia, Cayuga County, N. Y., August 27, 1867; educated in the public schools of that village, and H. Curtice's private school; read law in the office of Honorable S. Edwin Day in Moravia and graduated from the law department of Cornell University, at Ithaca, N. Y., from which he graduated in 1891, and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court at Buffalo, N. Y., in January, 1892, and to practice in the District and Circuit courts of the United States in November, 1898. He commenced, and has continued, the practice of his profession in Moravia. He is a member of the Auburn City Club and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, both Lodge and Encampment. Mr. Parker is the junior member of the law firm of Wright & Parker.
PARKER, WING TABER. Born in the village of Moravia, Cayuga County, N. Y., December 13, 1849; educated in the public schools and institute of that village from which he graduated in 1869; read law in the offices of his father, Honorable John L. Parker, and Hon- orable S. Edwin Day in Moravia and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court, at Buffalo, N. Y., June 9, 1871, and to practice in the United States District and Circuit courts at Utica, N. Y., January 19, 1901. In 1874, he went to New York City as managing clerk in the offices of Wingate & Cullen and while so engaged participated in the defense of Richard Croker under an indictment for murder. He afterwards commenced practice in Buffalo, N. Y., but upon the request of his father returned to Moravia and was associated with him in practice until his death in October, 1892, since which time he has continued practice alone. He is a Master Workman of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and has served
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for many years as a warden of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church of Moravia. He organized, and since 1897 has been president of the Syracuse, Skaneateles & Moravia Railroad Company.
PARSELL, HENRY D. Born in the town of Owasco, Cayuga County, N. Y., May 17, 1861; education common school and aca- demic, graduating from the Auburn High School in 1882; studied law in Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., from which he graduated and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of this state at Rochester in 1890, commencing practice in the City of Auburn; he has represented the town of Owasco in the Board of Supervisors and the tenth ward of the city in the Common Council. Is a member of Auburn Lodge No. 431, Free and Accepted Masons. Practice general; offices in the Auburn Savings Bank Building, corner of Genesee and South streets.
PARSONS, FRANK M. Born in the town of Camillus, Onondaga County, N. Y., August 19, 1848; educated in the common schools and at Baldwinsville Academy, from which he graduated in 1865 and later, to the extent of his financial ability, took private tuition from leading educators, and taught school in the counties both of Onondaga and Cayuga. He read law in the office of William B. Mills, Esq., in Weedsport, this county, and was admitted to the bar at Rochester, N. Y., October 19, 1871, commencing practice immediately thereafter in Weedsport, Cayuga County, in which village, the City of New York and at Syracuse, Onondaga County, he has since practised his profession. In 1879 he was elected special county judge and served for three years; in 1886 and 1887 he served in the legislature of the state, the first year being appointed chairman of the committee on privileges and elections of the Assembly and the second serving as a member of the conimittee on internal affairs. He also served as justice of the peace and town clerk of his town; confidential clerk to the attorney-general of the state for several years; deputy attorney-general; secretary of the State Excise Department; president of the village of Weedsport;
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president of the Republican Club in Brutus and as delegate to many conventions of his party and to the National Convention of Repub- lican clubs. He served as the attorney of the West Shore railway during its construction and has been prominent in many other minor positions. He is a member of Port Byron Lodge No. 130, Free and Accepted Masons and the Weedsport lodges of Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. Mr. Parsons is the senior member of the law firm of Parsons & Kingston with offices in Weedsport.
PAYNE, WILLIAM K., a son of Honorable Sereno E. Payne, was born in the City of Auburn, Cayuga County, N. Y., educated in the public schools of the city and at Yale College from which he grad- uated in 1895; studied law in the New York Law School from which he graduated in 1896; admitted to the bar at Rochester, N. Y., in July, 1898, and commenced practice in Auburn. He was appointed clerk of the ways and means committee of the House of Repre- sentatives in 1905, which position he is yet filling. Mr. Payne is a member of the law firm of Payne, Payne & Clark.
PAYNE, HON. SERENO ELISHA. Born at Hamilton, N. Y., June 26, 1843 ; educated in the common schools-graduating from the Auburn Academy-and in the Rochester University at Roch- ester, N. Y., from which he was graduated in 1864 and commenced reading law in the office of Cox & Avery in Auburn; admitted to the bar in Rochester, N. Y., in June, 1866, and immediately com- menced the practice of his profession in Auburn. He served as city clerk from 1867 to 1869; member of the Board of Supervisors from 1869 to 1871 and as district-attorney of the county from January 1872 to January 1879. From 1879 to 1881 he was a mem- ber and president of the Board of Education of the city. In the fall of 1882 he was elected to represent his district in the House of Representatives in which body, with the exception of a single term, he has since continuously served. Mr. Payne is a trial lawyer of exceptional and conceded ability, possessed of strong constitutional vitality which enabled him alone to dispose of an unprecedented
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amount of criminal trial work during the six years he served as district-attorney against the leading members of the bar of Central New York. At one extraordinary term of the Supreme Court held by the late Justice David Rumsey, continuing for six weeks, Mr. Payne tried five capital cases in each of which a conviction of murder was had, three of them being in the first degree. A memor- able and leading case tried by him during his term of service and in which he succeeded in procuring a conviction was that of The People vs. Baker which involved the question of the legality of a divorce procured in another state in which the defendant had no domicile and was not personally served with process, which was relied upon as a defense to an indictment for bigamy, and is reported in 76 N. Y. at page 78.
The superior qualifications of Mr. Payne as a statesman were early recognized in Congress at the forty-ninth session of which he took a commanding lead of his colleagues in the committee on elections and his eloquent and convincing argument in both the committee and House in the contested election case of Romeis vs. Hurd resulted in the unseating of the latter, then known as the great and eloquent free trader of Ohio. In the Fifty-First Congress he was appointed on the ways and means committee, on which he occu- pied second place and has ever since been a member of that import- ant committee being now its chairman and leader of the majority on
the floor. Many of the important features of the Mckinley Bill protecting New York interests were due to his untiring activity and influence. Mr. Payne is the senior member of the leading law firm of Payne, Payne & Clark.
PIERCE, LAVERN A. Born in Syracuse, Onondaga County, N. Y., October 11, 1850; educated in the common schools of Che- mung County at the city of Elmira; came to the county of Cayuga with the family of his father in 1864, where he remained upon a farm, until 1869, when he came to the City of Auburn. In 1876 he commenced reading law in the offices of Wood & Rathbun and
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completed his studies in the office of Mr. James Lyon and was admitted to the bar at Syracuse, N. Y., in 1879. The following year he was appointed and served as city attorney for two years when he removed to and continued practice in the city of Austin, Minn., returning to Auburn in the fall of 1887, and resuming prac- tice. In 1889 he was appointed attorney for the Board of Excise of the city and the same year formed a co-partnership with Mr. Lyon which continued for several years. In 1890, he was again appointed city attorney and served a little more than half of his term, when the increasing business of his firm made his resignation necessary. On October 1, 1894, he was again appointed city attorney and by reappointments continuously served until Janu- ary, 1904. Mr. Pierce was chairman of the Republican county committee in 1881, a charter member of the Wheeler Rifles, and . present member of the Wheeler Rifles Veterans; of Auburn Lodge No 431, Free and Accepted Masons of which he is a Past Master. District Deputy Grand Master of the Thirtieth Masonic District and a member of the Masonic Club of the city and a trustee of the Masonic Temple Association. He is the senior member of the law firm of Pierce & Mosher.
PRICE, HERBERT. Born at Staffordshire, England, July 29, 1857; educated in the public schools of the City of Auburn; read law in the office of James Lyon, Esq., and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court at Rochester, N. Y., April 7, 1882, and later in the same year to practice in the Federal courts. He commenced and has continued the practice of his profession in Auburn. Mr. Price has served the second ward of our city as its representative in the Board of Supervisors. His practice is general; office over No. 89 Genesee street.
QUIGLEY, DANIEL P. Born at Skaneateles, Onondaga County, N. Y., in 1869; common school education; read law in the office of M. F. Dillon, Esq., in Skaneateles, and was admitted to practice at Rochester, N. Y., in 1899, commencing practice in Auburn which
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he has since continued. Mr. Quigley is the junior member of the law firm of J. F. & D. P. Quigley, with offices over No. 53 Genesee street.
QUIGLEY, JAMES F. Born at Skaneateles Falls, Onondaga County, N. Y., August 30, 1871; educated in the public schools of Skaneateles and in its High School from which he graduated in 1891 ; read law in the offices of C. R. Mulford, Esq., and M. F. Dillon, Esq., in Skaneateles and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court at Syracuse, N. Y., in November, 1904 and later in the same year to practice in the Federal courts. He commenced practice at Weedsport, Cayuga County, and later removed to Auburn where he continued his practice. Mr. Quigley is the senior member of the law firm of J. F. & D. P. Quigley.
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