The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 57

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098

USA > New York > Jefferson County > The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894 > Part 57

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Robert Lansing was a son of Sanders and Catharine Lansing, and was born at Albany, February 2, 1799. He was a member of Union College, but did not graduate. In 1817 he came to Watertown and entered the law office of Egbert Ten Eyck, and was admitted in 1820. In June, 1826, he was appointed district attorney for the county of Jefferson, which office he held until February, 1833, when he was succeeded by George C. Sherman. He was elected to the State senate in November, 1831, and held that office four years from Jan- uary 1, 1832. He was then succeeded by Micah Sterling. Mr. Lansing was again elected to the State senate, being the immediate suc- cessor of Ashley Davenport. On December 22, 1831, he married Maria Hubbard, the eldest daughter of Noabiah Hubbard of Champion. She died in the year 1839, leaving one child surviving, now so well known in the profession as John Lansing. On February 2, 1841, he married Cornelia Hubbard, the second dangh- ter of Noadiah Hubbard. Soon after the ex- piration of his senatorial term he formed a copartnership with George C Sherman, under the name of Lansing & Sherman. In Febru- ary, 1845, he was again appointed district at- torney and held the office for one year, when he resigned. In June, 1847, he was elected county judge under the constitution of 1846, which office he held until January 1, 1852. At the expiration of this office he practically re- tired from the profession, except to act as ref- eree, which for many years afterwards he was called upon to do. He died October 3, 1878, aged nearly 80 years. He was thoroughly im- bued with the principles of the law, unosten- tation of his great legal learning, and of scru- pulous integrity.

Charles E. Clarke was a native of Saybrook,

Conn., a graduate of Yale College, studied law in Greene county, came to Jefferson county and was admitted as an attorney in 1815, and resided in Watertown. He at once took a prominent position at the bar. In 1825 his brother, John Clarke, having studied in his office, was admitted, and soon thereafter the two brothers formed a copartnership under the name of C. E. & J. Clarke, and continued until about the year 1848. About 1830, or later, he purchased a grist-mill, saw-mill, and distillery at the Great Bend, most, if not all, of which was formerly owned by Angel Potter. His time thereafter was mostly spent there, except during the terins of the courts, when he came to and assisted his brother in the pre- paration and trial of canses. He took the leading part until after 1848, and in important cases until the year 1850. He was elected to the Assembly in 1839 and 1840, and in 1848 was elected to Congress. The various attainments of Mr. Clarke, his wit, humor, and eloquence, have left an impression upon the judicial history of this country which will long remain. He was a genius, and taking him all in all he never had his equal in this county, if he had in the State. He died in 1863 at the age of 74 years. His learning was thorough his many abilities were of the highest, his manner inim- itable, his command of language something remarkable.

. Bernard Bagley was born in Durham, Greene county, N. Y., November 5. 1791. He came to Jefferson county in 1812, first settling in the town of Antwerp, teaching schools and tak- ing contracts for building roads. He is re- puted to have held the office of constable in that town, in which his inclination to the legal profession was first developed. He came to Watertown in 1815 or 1816, and entered the law office of Charles E. Clarke as a law student. It is said that for years he was constantly en- gaged in the trial of cases in justice's court, where his instinctive knowledge of human na- ture and shrewd management gained him a great reputation throughout the county. In 1823 or 1824 he married a Mrs. Wright, a young widow, the mother of Charles D. Wright, late judge, and now living in Watertown. He was admitted in 1826, and the records of the next term of the court show that he entered at once into an extensive practice, having some- times as many as sixty cases on the calendar. Mr. Bagley continued to practice as long as his health permitted. He died June 26, 1878.

Isaac H. Bronson was born in Rutland, the son of Ethel Bronson, and studied law in the office of Micah Sterling. Soon after his ad- mission, in 1833, he formed a copartnership with Mr. Sterling, and this firm of Sterling & Bronson was famous throughout the country. He was a very able lawyer, and down to 1836 they were the leading law firm in this part of the State. But in 1830 Micah Sterling was elected to the State senate, and Mr. Bronson to Congress, which broke up the firm, and, to a great extent, their business.

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CITY OF WATERTOWN.

HON. GEORGE C. SHERMAN.

THERE have been many instances in Jeffer- son county where young men who had but poor encouragement at the beginning of their career, have since, by force of character and in- dividual exertion, risen to the highest position among their fellows. Some of them have founded families that live after them, enjoy- ing the fruits of their early endeavors. Fore- most among all of them is the one named above, who came to Watertown a poor boy, and the town itself was "poor" then, but he left a name that is to-day and every day heard upon the streets of the city his genius and business thrift helped to develop.

George C. Sherman was born at Provi- dence, R. I., December 14, 1799 His first permanent work when he came to Water town, about 1815, was for David W. Buck- lin, then a distinguished lawyer, and as the young man displayed unusual ability, Mr. Bucklin received him into his office as a law student. In 1823 he was licensed to practice law, and soon thereafter a partnership was arranged with Mr. Bucklin, which continued until the latter removed from the county. On January 3, 1828, he married Mary Ann Hubbard, the third daughter of Noadiah Hubbard, of Champion, a noted pioneer of the Black River country ; she now survives him. The children were: Frances A , Mary H., Geo. H., Robert L., Chas. A., Sarah M.

In 1833 he was appointed district attorney, and he held that important office until 1840. His practice increased rapidly through all these years, and he rose by sheer ability to be one of the leading lawyers of a period peculiarly rich in able advocates and jurists. The two Clarks, Sterling, Bronson, Bagley, TenEyck, Lansing, Chittenden and others nearly as able, were his contemporaries, and amid such he kept easily in the advance.

In 1843 he was appointed one of the judges of the old Court of Common Pleas. which office he held until 1847, when the constitu- tion then lately adopted abolished that well- remembered legal organization. He was elected to the State Senate in 1843, and served out his full term, but declined a re- nomination. He was an early purchaser of land, buying a large tract in the northwestern part of the county, paying $3 per acre in the lump and selling it in small parcels at $8. He did not deal largely in village properties, though at one time he owned nearly the whole of Beebee's Island, a property which was much neglected for many years after Beebee's factory was destroyed. He also built the family mansion on Clinton street, and the large bank building.

The Hon. Robert Lansing was his brother- in-law, and they became partners in practic- ing law-forming one of the strongest legal combinations of that day, and doing by far the largest business of any law firm in this part of the State. It was while a member of this firm that the great banking house of Prime, Ward & King, of New York city, went down, entailing a heavy loss upon the

Jefferson County Bank, in which Mr. Sher- man was a director, and he had long been its counsel. There was then a law upon the statue book, known as the "Stillwell Act, "by which any judgment creditor could bring an insolvent into open court and compel him, under oath, to tell all about his property, financial condition, etc. Under this strange law (which appears to have violated every previous English precedent, in compelling a man to divulge to the public all his private affairs, even to an open confession of guilt), one of this firm of bankers was brought be- fore a New York city judge, and Mr. Sher- man was there to examine him. This was perhaps the first time he had had a chance to measure himself with his peers in the ablest and highest court of the State. Herc, as else- where, he showed the great legal ability that was within him, and astonished the city law- yers by his knowledge of the law and his ability in applying that law to his case. The fallen financier was only too glad to escape from Mr. Sherman's merciless questions by a partial restitution to the bank.

But success at the bar did not altogether satisfy his restless ambition. He understood the power of money, and the sure accretion that came from its judicious investment. In 1838 he organized the Watertown Bank and Loan Company, and kept it in active oper- ation until about 1848, when he practically abandoned legal practice to younger men, and thenceforth gave the bank his whole atten- tion, and so continued until his death, April 23, 1863. He left a large fortune, equally divided among his wife and five children.

Mr. Sherman was an unique character. The writer, who was a student in his office for three years, knew him well, so far as a young man can understand one so much his superior in age and experience. He was quite a love- able man, full of wit and humor, and running over with anecdote and relation of personal experiences. All his students loved, admired and revered him. He was eminently demo- cratic; easily approached by the humble, and only laughed at aristocratic pretension in another. He was of a peculiarly affectionate disposition; his heart was always easily reached, a tear never far away when his sympathetic mind grasped any tale of sorrow, and his thoughts travelled quickly towards some scheme of relief. Though a man of wealth, and in daily contact with the highest and best of his contemporaries, he never for- got his humble birth, and the writer has seen the quick tear of sympathy come into his eyes as he told of his early struggles, his earnest efforts, and of his triumphs as well.

He was undoubtedly the ablest lawyer of his time. He had no superior in the examina- tion of a witness. It was said that, under his rigid cross-examination, no one could avoid telling the truth. His perceptions were quick and keen. He seemed to have an in- tuitive knowledge of the inner nature of men, and of their motives and habit of thought. He was not, in later years, so close a student among his books, for he depended largely

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upon his able partner, Mr. Lansing, for the preparation of cases, but when he came be- fore a jury he was almost irresistible. He was then full of energy, exhibiting an ex- uberant flow of spirits that took quick pos- session of the court and the jury, and he could make them laugh or cry as became his present mood. He had a power of mimicry the writer has never seen equaled off the stage.

Taking him all in all-viewed in the light of his early struggles, his judicious use of every favoring gale of fortune, the solidity of his foundation in the law, the mobility and wonderful activity of his mind, the versatility of his unusual capacity, the power of his imagination and yet his readineas to handle material things, he appears to me now as a wonderful man, one whom society could ill spare. He possessed nearly every human ex- cellence, and the writer drops a sincere tear of regret upon the tomb of one whose kind- ness to a poor boy in his office is recalled often and lovingly. He was a man fit to stand before kings. He was well appreciated, as he should have been. To one who knew him well, this tribute to his memory sounds much below what it deserves. J. A. H.

Egbert TenEyck graduated from Williams College, in Massachusetts, read law in Albany, and moved to Champion soon after 1800. After remaining there a few years, and soon after the organization of the county, he removed to Watertown and opened a law office. In 1812 he was elected to the Assembly, and in 1820 was appointed first judge of the county, and held the office for nine years He ran for Congress in 1822, but was defeated by Ela Collins, of Lewis county. He ran in 1824 and was elected. He was one of the side judges of the Jefferson Common Pleas in 1840. He took an active part in the promotion of religious, agricul- tural and other interests in this county, and for 40 years was a prominent citizen, and one of the most trustworthy and reliable lawyers. He died in Watertown in 1844, at the age of 69 years. He was father-in-law of the late Judge Mullin.

Levi H. Brown was born in the town of Lorraine, March 25, 1818. His father, Aaron Brown, was a wealthy farmer and a promi- nent citizen of that town. When 19 years of age, Levi H. commenced to obtain an educa- tion, and prepared for college in the Belle- ville Academy. He entered Union College in 1841, graduating in 1843; studied law in the office of Judge Jones in Schenectady, and in the office of Calvin Skinner at Adams, and was admitted in 1846. He practiced in Adams until June 1, 1852, when he removed to Watertown, and formed a partnership with Joshua Moore, under the name of Moore & Brown. This firm did a large busi- ness. Mr. Moore died in April, 1854, when Mr. Brown formed a partnership with Hon. Allen C. Beach, under the name of Brown & Beach. Upon the death of Mr. Moore, the responsi- bility of a large and important business de-

volved upon Mr. Brown, and he in all re- spects proved equal to the occasion. This firm did a large and increasing business until 1871, when Mr. Beach was elected Lieutenant- Governor, and the firm dissolved. Mr Brown has since and now practices alone, ex- cept for a short time. He held many local offices-supervisor, mayor, etc. Of the vast business he has done, and the intense and un- tiring labor he has performed, much might be written. His cases were thoroughly pre- pared, and his arrangement and presentation of the facts and evidence to the jury were un- excelled. He is now at work with apparently all the mental and physical vigor and strength he had 30 years ago, having apparently many years of labor and usefulness still before him.

Charles D. Wright was a step-son of Bernard Bagley, and immediadely after his admission they went into partnership, and so continued until Wright was elected judge, in November, 1859. The business was all done in the name of Charles D. Wright, as attor- ney. They did a very extensive business, having often a majority of the cases on the calendar. Mr. Bagley was the trial lawyer, and Wright took charge of the practice. He was probably the best office lawyer and prac- ticioner ever in the county. His industry and long experience and mental adaption to that branch of business, gave him that reputation at the bar. He held most acceptably the office of county judge two terms. Since that he has lived in comparative retirement, and is now in good health and holding a high position in society, possessing the respect of the whole community.

Marcus Bickford, admitted in 1840, resided in Carthage. He became a partner of Judge Hiram Carpenter, and was an able and suc- cessful practioner. He continued the prac- tice there until the gold excitement in Cali- fornia broke out, when he left, and spent some time in the gold mines. He returned with a full purse, married Miss Hammond, and settled down again to practice law. He was afflicted with rheumatism, which lasted him through life, and interfered with his pro- fessional duties. He was a justice of the pence for many years, and was also an editor. After much suffering he died in 1876, an honest man.

James F. Starbuck was born in Cayuga county, N. Y., September 5, 1815, and at an early day removed with his parents to Niagara county. In the spring of 1839 he came to Watertown and entered the law office of Lansing & Sherman, where he remained until he was admitted to the Common Pleas in 1843, and to the Supreme Court in 1844. In 1845 he opened an office by himself in Watertown. In 1846 he was elected secre- tary of the convention that formed the consti- tution of that year, and in November, 1850, was elected district attorney, and held the office three years from January 1, 1851. He married Sarah Burchard, a daughter of Peleg Burchard, in May, 1855, who died in 1857, leaving a daughter surviving her-now the wife of E. S. Goodale, a merchant in Water-

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town. In 1861 he married Mrs. Boyer, the widow of Judge Joseph Boyer. In 1860 he was a candidate for Congress, but was defeated. In 1876 he was elected to the State Senate, from the district comprising Jeffer- .son and Lewis counties. He died December 20, 1880.

John Clarke, a brother of Charles E. Clarke, was born in Saybrook, Conn., May 1, 1799. He was not a graduate of any college, but had, nevertheless, a good education. He commenced the study of law in the office of Mr. Anthon, of New York, and came to Watertown and entered the office of his brother, Charles E. Clarke, about the year 1820. He was admitted in 1825, and soon thereafter formed a partnership with his brother, Charles E. In 1830 he married a daughter of William Smith, one of the eat- liest residents of Watertown. He was ap- pointed surrogate of Jefferson county in February, 1840, which office he held till Feb- ruary, 1844. This is the only office of any importance he ever held. He became a part- ner of Delano C. Calvin, about 1855, which continued until the winter of 1865. In 1865 Mr. Clarke decided to abandon the business of an attorney and devote himself exclusively to that of counsel. The last court Mr. Clarke ever attended was the General Term at Syracuse, in April, 1865. He died about two weeks after that.

Luther J. Dorwin has been a member of the Jefferson county bar longer than any man living, except Judge Wright. He has been in constant active practice 50 years; and it is no reflection upon the able men of that bar to say that he has stood in the front rank of the profession among them. He is an indus- trious student, as well as an alert and success- ful practioner. His trained brain delights to pry into the law, to cull its golden treas- ures, and unravel its intricacies. If a ques- tion of law presents itself he applies to it foundation principles for solution. Nothing is sound with him till he finds the base on which it rests.

Mr. Dorwin has a hirth-right residence in this county. In mind and body he is a sturdy product of the Champion hills, having been born in that town May 13, 1820. Coming through a line of energetic New England ancestry, he inherited the powerful physical and intellectual qualities of his progenitors. His father, Hubby Dorwin, was a native of Vermont, and his mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Jones. was born in Champion, her parents having removed to that town from Connecticut.

In 1842 he resumed his law studies, and in January, 1844, he was admitted to practice. He was then ready for his life work; and he was not only well read in the law, but he was a most thorough and finished scholar in the classical and scientific branches taught in the schools. His mental discipline had been un- usually severe; and mental discipline is what makes strong lawyers. In a comparatively short time after his admission he was largely occupied in conducting important and com-

plicated equity cases. He has also been ex- tensively and successfully engaged in real estate contests, being a first-class real estate lawyer, a proficient in the settlement of estates, and an expert and skilled accountant.

Mr. Dorwin's opinions, whether in law or otherwise, are formed after thorough investi- gation; and when formed they are stoutly and courageously maintained, apparently without the least regard to popular approval. He is yet industriously engaged in the busi- ness of his profession.

Joshua Moore came from Plattsburg, N. Y., and after his admission located in Brown- ville. He took Judge Mason's place as part- ner of Mr. Ruger, and for some time kept his office in Brownville, and Ruger's in Water- town, and alternated between them. Upon the death of Ruger he removed to Watertown, into Ruger's office. He was the first district attorney elected under the constitution of 1846. In 1852 he formed a co.partnership with Levi H. Brown, under the name of Moore & Brown. He died in 1854. It is doubtful whether a more able young lawyer. one of more influence, or who commanded more respect for his legal and social qualities, was ever located in Jefferson county.

Frederick W. Hubbard. admitted in 1838, was a son of Judge Noadiah Hubbard, of Champion, and married a daughter of Peleg Burchard. He studied law in the office of Lansing and Sherman, his brothers-in-law, and was a man of strict integrity and high moral character. He formed a co-partnership with J. H. Dutton, his cousin, under the name of Hubbard & Dutton, for several years, and then with his nephew, Stephen .J. Hubbard. He was elected a justice of the Supreme Court, and took his seat upon the bench January 1, 1852, for eight years. During these eight years the politics of the county changed, and he was succeeded by Hon. Joseph Mullin. He then resumed the practice of law, doing an extensive business until his death. Some year or two before he died, he removed his office to the city of New York.

Nathaniel P. Wardwell, born in Bristol, R. I., April 1, 1814, was one of the younger members of the bar at the time when Isaac H. Bronson, Micah Sterling, George C. Sher- man and Robert Lansing were prominent and able practioners-superior, in the estimation of many, to any coterie that has succeeded them. Young Wardwell came to Ellisburg in 1820, having the benefits of the Belleville Academy, and afterwards attending the Watertown Academy, then under charge of Hon. Jos. Mullin. He graduated from Union College in 1837, and married Miss E. B. Ster- ling in 1839. At the bar of Jefferson county he distinguished himself at once. His hand- some person, his habits of industry and his superior education gave him great advantage. Having married a daughter of Micah Ster- ling his social standing was assured. He soon became a partner in the law firm of Sterling & Wardwell, commanding a large practice. In the midst of such a promising

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career, with troops of friends and everything to live for, he was unexpectedly stricken down by disease in 1847, and passed away in his 33d year, leaving behind him a memory for ability and usefulness not yet effaced. His son, named for his father, is cashier of the Watertown National Bank. His wife still survives.

William Ruger, admitted in 1831, was noted as a great teacher of mathemics, teach- ing what was called select school in various parts of the county, and was the author of "Ruger's Arithmetic." About 1835 he formed a co-partnership with Charles Mason, who came from Madison county, and who, about 1840, returned there to practice. Ruger then formed a co-partnership with Joshua Moore, then living in Brownville, under the firm name of Ruger & Moore. He was elected State Senator about 1838, dying in 1842. He was an uncle of the present chief justice of the Court of Appeals, and was in many respects a very able, true man.

Thomas C. Chittenden lived at Adams; was admitted to the bar in 1813, where he did an extensive law business till 1840. He had a fine dignified presence, was a good speaker, and always came into court thoroughly pre- pared. He was elected to Congress in 1840; was in that year appointed first judge of the county, and removed to Watertown, and lived there the remainder of his life. He died full of years. He was a perfect verifica- tion of the old adage, that lawyers work hard, live well and die poor.

Micah Sterling was born in Lyme, Conn., November 5, 1784; entered Yale College in 1800, and graduated in 1804. He was a class- mate and a great personal friend of John C. Calhoun. He located in Adams about 1809; and it is here that he formed a partnership with Thomas Skinner, under the firm name of Skinner & Sterling. He was admitted to the Common Pleas in 1811, and soon there- after removed to Watertown. He bought a tract of land and built thereon the stone man- sion where his son, Rev. John C. Sterling, now resides, and surrounded it with a beauti- ful park, long known as Sterling's Park. He was elected to Congress in 1821, and in 1836 to the State Senate. Soon after the admis- sion of Isaac H. Bronson as an attorney, in 1823, he formed a co-partnership with him under the name of Sterling & Bronson, and so continued till 1840. Mr. Sterling, from the beginning of his practice, took one of the most prominent positions at the bar, and during the term of their co partnership the firm of Sterling & Bronson was at the head of the profession in this county. He died April 11, 1844, the same day of Judge TenEyck's decease.

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The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 57

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823- Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company Number of Pages: 1098

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098