USA > New York > Saratoga County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Saratoga County, New York > Part 54
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the A. Sacute.
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party for the second term. He is recognized as one of the strong fac- tors of his party in the State and his influence is very potential.
Senator Brackett is now practicing his profession alone in Saratoga Springs, and his practice is very large and lucrative, his counsel with other attorneys being extensive. It is as a lawyer that Mr. Brackett finds his delight, and as a lawyer is best known rather than as a poli- tician. He is thoroughly grounded in the philosophy of the law and stands among the really eminent lawyers of New York. He has par- ticipated in many of the causes célèbre, which have shed lustre on the bar in Northern New York. Perhaps his most noted triumph was his successful defense of Gen. Austin Lathrop, superintendent of State prisons, against charges of malfeasance preferred against him to the governor in 1895-6. His work in this case was masterful and resulted in the dismissal of the charges and the complete exoneration of his client.
On the 22d of November,: 1883, Mr. Brackett was married to Mary Emma Corliss, daughter of the late Charles Corliss of. Providence, R. I. They have two sons, Edgar Truman, jr., and Charles William.
WILLIAM A. SACKETT.
EMERSON has said that "biography is the only true history," and it is manifest that that history is most worthy of preservation which em- bodies the biographies of men who have left the world better than they found it. For this grand reason the history of the fruitful life of Hon. William A. Sackett is eminently worthy of the most conscientious rec- ord and most careful preservation, for the memory of his sterling char- acter remains vividly in the minds of all who knew him and his splen- did public services are inscribed in the chronicles of the nation whose civilization he helped to elevate to a higher plane.
William A. Sackett was born near Auburn, Cayuga county, N. Y., November 18, 1811, and was educated in private schools and at Aurora Academy. He selected law for his profession and studied first in the office of Judge Luther F. Stevens of Seneca Falls, and later with San- ford & Kellogg of Skaneateles. He was admitted to the bar in 1831 and for the following seventeen years was actively engaged in the prac- tice of his profession at Seneca Falls. In 1848 he was elected to Con- gress from the district composed of Seneca and Wayne counties, New
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York. He represented his district in Congress until 1853 and was a member of the committee on revolutionary pensions. But while in Congress he distinguished himself most, and identified himself conspic- uously with the great march of American sentiment and civilization by his speeches against the extension of slavery into the territories of the United States, and also by his support of the bill to admit California into the Union.
At the expiration of his Congressional term he removed to Saratoga Springs, which he made his permanent residence, and resumed the practice of his profession. Here he at once achieved distinction by his masterly defense of Corning & Co., defendants in the celebrated "Spike case." This case had come into the courts in 1848 and was a suit against Erastus Corning and others by the Troy Iron and Nail Factory, to recover eleven hundred thousand dollars for alleged infringement of patents. Mr. Sackett conducted the case for the defense and with such ability that only a nominal amount of damages was awarded.
Previous to the organization of the Republican party in 1855 Mr. Sackett had been a Whig, but went with that party into the Republi- can ranks, as its platform embraced the prominent principles he had always advocated, particularly the abolition of slavery. After the en- actment of the United States Bankrupt law he was appointed Register in Bankruptcy under President Lincoln and from this office acquired the title of judge because of the judicial character of the register's office.
He was always active and zealous in support of the Republican party and was indefatigable in his efforts to promote the best interests of Saratoga Springs. In 1884 he was a member of the committee of twenty-one citizens who were appointed by the taxpayers to revise the village charter and to propose amendments which would render the charter better adapted to the requirements of the municipality. To this task he gave a great deal of care and spent much time in studying the existing charter and planning new provisions. The report of the committee suggested some radical changes and a distinct enlargement of the village government. Although the public mind was unable at the time to realize the advantages of the proposed legislation, Judge Sackett finally saw his wise propositions embodied in the village charter.
In 1876 Judge Sackett married Miss Mary Louise Marvin, daughter of the late Judge Thomas J. Marvin, and in the same year they began a trip abroad which extended over a period of three years.
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The letters written by Judge Sackett during his travels reveal the man of culture, penetration and broadly philosophical mind. These letters were published in different American journals and are valuable reminiscences of the observations and reflections of a bright intellect on subjects of world-wide interest. In this tour all the principal cities of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales were visited, as well as those of Continental Europe, while the famous cathedrals and old castles re- ceived particular attention. Russia, Turkey, Greece, Tunis and Algiers were visited, also Egypt and the Holy Land. These latter countries, hallowed by the charm of Scripture story, had for him a peculiar inter- est and his visit to them was greatly enjoyed. The ruins of Egyptian civilization, which perished before Christendom began, and the habits of the people of to day were closely studied. A trip of one thousand miles was made up the Nile and then the ever interesting land of Palestine was traversed and dwelt upon with an earnestness that is vividly reflect- ed in the able letters already mentioned.
Judge Sackett was always a sincere Christian and in his early life at- tended the Presbyterian church. Later in life he became a member of the Episcopal church, serving for many years as vestryman and church warden in Bethesda Parish, Saratoga Springs, N. Y. He often repre- sented this parish in the Archdeaconry of Troy and in the conventions of the Diocese of Albany, and was universally esteemed by clergy and laity.
Although he took great interest in public affairs, Judge Sackett was essentially a home man. He was the father of seven children through his first and second marriages. Of these three are living, namely, Ed- ward S. Sackett, a lawyer of Seneca Falls, N. Y., and Mrs. Charles L. Stone, wife of a prominent lawyer of Syracuse, N. Y., and Mrs. Charles H. Duell, whose husband is the present Commissioner of Patents, Wash- ington, D. C.
The deceased children were John Sackett, who died in infancy; Mrs. J. A. Lighthall, who died in 1880 at Geneva, N. Y. ; Frederick A. Sack- ett, who died in California in 1987, and the gallant Colonel William A. Sackett, who fell at the head of his regiment in a charge at Trevilian's Station, Va., in June, 1864. He was colonel of the Ninth New York Cavalry and fought in many of the famous battles of the Army of the Potomac. He was selected by General Philip Sheridan to lead the charge at Trevilian's Station, where he fell gloriously.
Judge Sackett was an agreeable and entertaining visitor and com-
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panion. His flow of spirits was unusual and unflagging. His manner was genial and his conversation sparkled with anecdotes and reminis- cences drawn from his varied experiences. He never ceased to enjoy and enliven the social gatherings of his friends, to which he was always welcome and at which he was always a centre of interest and attention.
The influences of Judge Sackett's life were far-reaching and benefi- cent. As a public man his abilities were enhanced by his sterling in- tegrity. As an advocate he was far-seeing, forcible and brilliant, and as a man he was just, yet generous. Living himself on the lofty plane of truth and rectitude, he nourished in his heart a kindly charity for all his fellowmen.
Judge Sackett died at Saratoga Springs on September 6, 1895.
THOMAS J. MARVIN.
HON. THOMAS J. MARVIN, who in his day was one of the prominent men of Saratoga county, was born in the town of Malta, this county, June 26, 1803, and died on December 29, 1852. Although nearly half a century has elapsed since his death, his memory is still like that of yesterday, and he did so much for his native county that the remotest historian of Saratoga shall preserve his record and his name.
Thomas J. Marvin was educated at Union College and after graduat- ing took up the study of law in the office of Hon. William L. F. Warren of Saratoga Springs. He was admitted to the bar in 1828 and imme- diately began the practice of his profession, to the dignity of which he added lustre, finally rising to the highest judicial position which the county could confer. At the second election of the justices of the peace in Saratoga Springs, he was nominated and returned by a large majority, and during the four years of his term in this, his first public trust, he gave evidence of the sterling integrity, sagacity and judicial ability, which distinguished his whole career. In 1833 he was elected to the State Assembly and proved himself not only an able legislator, but a representative ever watchful of the rights of his constituents. Later on he became one of the judges of the County Court and, upon the retirement of Colonel Young, he was made first judge, which place he dignified and held with honor until superseded by the Constitution of 1846.
He was appointed postmaster at Saratoga Springs by President Tyler
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and held the office through the administration of that president and his successor, James K. Polk. The public affairs of the county were always important in his eyes and he served on the board of supervisors during the years 1851 and 1852.
To stimulate and aid the business development of Saratoga Springs, he established the first bank in this place, and then generously opened the stock book to the public and gave others the advantage of a paying investment, retaining only a small portion of the stock himself and declining to hold any higher office than that of director.
To him also was due the credit of procuring the first charter in New York State for a Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He organized the Saratoga Mutual, of which he was secretary from the time of its organ- ization until his death. He was many times elected trustee of the village, was president of the board, and even assumed the arduous duties of town assessor.
Thus did this able man in many different ways devote his energies and abilities to the welfare of the village and county. As the historian, Sylvester, wrote of him-" His active and benevolent mind was not confined to objects of mere self, but he was always foremost in stimu- lating and promoting enterprises designed to benefit the community and the age in which he lived. To his efforts and exertions, more per- haps than to those of any other man, the village of Saratoga is indebted for its most valuable improvements and its prosperity."
The soundness of his opinions on all questions of his day won for him the admiration and esteem of his contemporaries and time has proved the precision of his judgment and the wisdom of his mind.
Nothing higher can be said of a man than this, -that he was true to his friends, and this faithfulness was one of Judge Marvin's greatest traits. Neither political affiliations and influences nor the power of money could ever sway his friendship, and he scattered kindly acts from both hands as a sower sowing seed. As might be expected with such a man, his domestic relations were ideal. On February 8, 1837, he married Harriet Fraser. Their children were William, who died when two years of age; Grace Carryl, who died in her seventeenth year; Virginia, who married Dr. John L. Perry and died in 1895, and Mary Louise, widow of Hon. William A. Sackett.
Judge Marvin was a lineal descendant of Matthew Marvin, who came to America from England in April, 1635, and settled in Hartford, Conn. His son Matthew removed to Norwalk, Conn., where the family re-
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mained until the beginning of this century. Matthew Marvin had a son, Samuel Marvin, whose son, Josiah Marvin, was the father of Will- iam Marvin, whose son, William Marvin, was the father of Judge Thomas J. Marvin.
JAMES M. MARVIN.
HON. JAMES MADISON MARVIN Was born in the town of Ballston, Saratoga county, N. Y., February 27, 1809. He received a good Eng- lish education at his native place, but his business tendency early as- serted itself and in 1828 he came to Saratoga Springs and took the management of a hotel. The next year he spent in Albany, connected with the new American Hotel; in 1830 he returned to Saratoga Springs as one of the proprietors of the United States Hotel and has been a resident of this place ever since. From 1841 to 1852 his brother, Judge Thomas J. Marvin, was associated with him in the management of the United States Hotel. In 1852 Judge Marvin died and James M. Mar- vin conducted the hotel until 1865, when it was destroyed by fire.
In 1841 the Bank of Saratoga Springs (now the First National Bank) was established by James M. and Judge Thomas J. Marvin, and Mr. Marvin is to-day the president of the bank. He was for over fifty years a director of the Schenectady and Saratoga railroad and for some years a director of the N. Y. C. railroad. He has also played a prom- inent part in the political affairs of this county; was supervisor of the town of Saratoga Springs in 1845, 1857, 1862 and 1874; in 1845 he was elected to the Assembly on the Whig ticket. In 1856 he joined the Democratic party, but since the breaking out of the Rebellion has been a staunch Republican; in 1862 he was elected to Congress and served for six years.
September 26, 1858, Mr. Marvin married Rhoby H. Barnum of Balls- ton Spa, and their living children are Mary Benedict, Francis Barnum, Caroline and Rhoby. The Marvin family in America dates back to 1635, when Matthew Marvin came from England and settled in Hart- ford, Conn. His son, Matthew Marvin 2d, was also born in England; his son Samuel was born in Norwalk, Conn., and had a son Josiah Marvin, whose son William came west and died in Saratoga county in 1810. His son, William Marvin, married Mary Benedict and had three sons: Alvah B., Judge Thomas J., and Hon. James M., the subject of this sketch.
Sum Mum
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NICHOLAS HILL.
NICHOLAS HILL, JR., was born at Florida, Montgomery county, N. Y., in the year 1805, and died May 1, 1859. He became a barrister of na- tional reputation gained especially as a writer of legal treatises. Mr. Hill was of Irish descent, his grandfather, John Hill, having been a na- tive of Derry county, Ireland, whence he emigrated to this country, being one of the earliest settlers of Florida, N. Y. His son, Nicholas Hill, sr., was a soldier in the Continental army during the war for In- dependence.
The subject of this notice would seem to have been provided by na- ture with a legal mind. Early in life he began reading law and was admitted to the Supreme Court bar when but twenty-four years of age. Soon after he formed a law partnership with Deodatus Wright and be- gan practice at Amsterdam, later removing to Saratoga Springs, this county, where he was a lawyer of eminence and valued ability for many years. He assisted Judge Esek Cowen in his great work, "Notes on Phillips' Evidence." In 1840 he removed to Albany where he became reporter of the Supreme Court, a position which he filled four years. In Albany he was associated with Deodatus Wright and Stephen P. Nash and subsequently with Peter Cagger and Hon. John K. Porter as senior member of the famous legal firm of Hill, Cagger & Porter. He published the seven volumes of " Reports " which bear his name.
JOHN K. PORTER.
HON. JOHN K. PORTER, Son of Dr. Elijah Porter, was born at Water- ford, this county, January 12, 1819. Dr. Elijah Porter was a physician and removed from Vermont to Waterford early in this century. He was a son of Morris Porter, an officer of the Continental army, who gained high distinction for his bravery at the battle of Bemis Heights. John K. Porter was a student of exceptional ability and had during his early training the guidance of instructors of rare ability. He entered Union College when but sixteen years of age and was graduated in 1837 with the highest honors the institution could confer upon him. He read law, was admitted to the Supreme Court bar in 1840 and im- mediately took rank with the leading lawyers of the county. In 1848 he removed to Albany and was engaged in some of the most important
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litgations of the country. He was a brilliant orator and one of the ablest advocates before a jury this State has ever produced. He won high professional honors in his successful defense of Horace Greeley vs. De Witt C. Littlejohn for libel, and in many of the most prominent actions of his time, being at different times the opposing or associate counsel of William M. Evarts, Charles O'Connor and other bright lights of the profession.
In 1864 be was appointed to complete the term of Hon. Henry R. Selden as a judge of the Court of Appeals and in the fall of that year was elected to the full term, but resigned in 1868 to remove to New York city where he made for himself a national reputation in many famous cases He was a man who combined the rare qualities of a jurist of erudition and research, and an advocate of brilliant oratory and power.
HIRAM TOMPKINS.
HIRAM TOMPKINS, well known and well respected from his long con- nection with the leading business interests of this section, was born in Sing Sing, N. Y., September 7, 1824, a son of Caleb and Elizabeth (Green) Tompkins. His parents were farmers and when he was eleven years old removed to Galway, Saratoga county; after having completed a common school education he began his business life as a clerk in a country store. After reaching his majority he went to Ballston where he was employed by Samuel Wakeman, a leading merchant of that town. He remained in Mr. Wakeman's store until the summer of 1848 when he began his long and honorable connection with the United States Hotel, where he was actively engaged for a period of eighteen years or until the old hotel burned. He was also interested in the erection of the present United States Hotel, of which he was a part owner and one of the proprietors from 1874 to 1896 inclusive.
Mr. Tompkins is, without doubt, the possessor of as wide a circle of acquaintances as any resident of Saratoga Springs, and is universally appreciated as a man of excellent ability and fine judgment. He is a stockholder and director of the First National Bank; the Harvey Man- ufacturing Company; and the Saratogian. He has always avoided pub- lic office although keenly alive to and active in promoting the interests of the town ..
HIRAM TOMPKINS.
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He married Laurentine Chamberlain, whose father came to this county from New Hampshire.
ESEK COWEN.
THIS name appears on the title pages of countless thousands of legal volumes, monuments to the erudition and patient research of its owner, who for many years was a resident of the village of Saratoga Springs, and who began, in this county, the practice of the profession which he honored. He was born in Rhode Island, February 24, 1784, a son of Joseph Cowen, who was a son of John Cowen, a Scotch emigrant who settled in Scituate, Mass., in 1656. Joseph Cowen removed with his family to this county about 1793, but in a few years settled at Hartford, Washington county. Here Esek Cowen labored upon his father's land until he reached his sixteenth year when he began his legal studies in the office of Roger Skinner at Sandy Hill. It is said that the only ed- ucational advantages he ever enjoyed were gained by a six months' attendance at a neighborhood school. He was in every sense of the term a self-educated man. In 1810 he was admitted to the Supreme Court bar and as above stated began practice in Saratoga county, lo- cating at Northumberland, and forming a partnership with Gardner Stowe, and later being associated with Wessell Gansevoort. In 1817 he formed a partnership with Judge William L. F. Warren which con- tinued until 1824. He was also associated for some years with Judiah Ellsworth. He removed to Saratoga Springs in 1812 and soon gained recognition. He was a man who would have attracted notice anywhere for he was possessed of indomitable energy and remarkable endurance, an athletic frame, being over six feet tall, and of fine muscular devel- opment. Later in life the dignity of years gave him a commanding presence and bearing-not oppressive but of simple charm.
He first held the office of justice of the peace in the village, and in 1821-22 served the town as supervisor. In 1824 he was appointed re- porter in the Supreme Court and Court of Errors, a position which he held until appointed a circuit judge by Governor Van Buren. His re- ports cover nine volumes and are justly prized by the profession. In 1835 he was appointed a justice of the Supreme Court, succeeding Judge Savage, and in this office he continued until his death in 1844.
. In addition to his "Reports " he published a " Treatise on the Prac-
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tice in Justices' Courts " and "Cowen and Hill's Notes on Phillips' Evidence." This latter work was published in 1839 and represents eleven years of labor. He was assisted in its preparation by Nicholas Hill, elsewhere noticed in this book. It was these works which made his name famous.
Socially Judge Cowen was a man of noble character and his attain- ments made him a delightful companion. The "Stone house," his home on Congress street in Saratoga Springs, was the abode of rare and kindly hospitality. He was by nature generous and gave material aid as well as advice to many a young struggler. With Dr. Clarke and Judge Walker he built the Bethesda Episcopal chapel. He was a founder of the first temperance society in the United States-the Northumber- land-established in 1812. The following description has been written of him: " As a writer he was plain but accurate; as a judge, prompt, acute, learned and upright. But it was as a jurist that he was best known. Of his opinions which so eminently distinguish him as a jurist, it has been said that in their depth and breadth of research, and their strength and reason of bearing, they are not excelled by those of any judge in England or America. His opulent mind, his love of re- search, caused him to trace every legal opinion to its fountain-head, to discover every variation between apparently analogous precedents. Like Lord Mansfield, to whom he has frequently been compared, he was accustomed, in the preparation of his opinions, to a liberal expend- iture of mental capital, an excess of intellectual labor which renders them the triumph of a great genius, impelled by an unprecedented in- dustry."
JAMES LEE SCOTT.
HON. JAMES LEE SCOTT was born in Ballston Spa, January 9, 1856, a son of George Gordon Scott, who was born on the homestead in Ballston, which was settled by his grandfather, George Scott, who arrived there with his brother-in-law, Gen. James Gordon, in 1774. George Gordon Scott was graduated from Union College in 1831, and the same year entered the law office of Palmer & Goodrich, later was with Brown & Thompson, and was admitted to the bar in 1834. He entered immediately upon the practice of law, which he continued up to the time of his death, September 7, 1886. In 1838 he was commis-
James Lee Scott.
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sioned by Gov. William L. Marcy as judge of the County Courts, elected to the Assemblies of 1856 and 1857, in which latter year he was elected to the Senate from the Fifteenth district. He was the Dem - ocratic candidate for State comptroller in 1863. He served twenty-one consecutive years as supervisor of the town of Ballston, and in 1876 was selected by the county officials to deliver the centennial address. He was president of the day at the centennial celebration of the battle of Saratoga, held at Bemis Heights in 1877. He married Lucy, daughter of Hon. Joel Lee, and they had one son, James L., the subject of this sketch. James L. was educated in Greylock Institute and was grad- uated from Williams College, Mass., in 1876, and from Columbia Law School in 1878. He was admitted to the bar that same year and has continued his practice for twenty years. He was appointed county clerk by Governor Hill in 1886, and in July, 1898, he was appointed referee in bankruptcy for the counties of Saratoga, Schenectady and Warren by Judge Coxe of the United States District Court. He is in- terested in several corporations as president or director, and as a law- yer has taken a prominent rank in the county and this portion of the State. Mr. Scott married Miss Boone of Louisville, Ky., a lineal descendant of Squire Boone, brother and associate of the great pioneer, Daniel Boone; also a great-granddaughter of John Rowan, the associate of Henry Clay in the United States Senate.
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