USA > Ohio > Bench and bar of Ohio; a compendium of history and biography, Vol. I > Part 46
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campaign, making public speeches by appointment of the State committee, in all sections of the State. He was elected city solicitor in 1890, and re-elected in 1892, serving in all four years. He has persistently declined to be a candidate for public office which is not related to the legal profession. His literary taste is best satisfied with historical investigation, although he takes care to be correctly and fully informed on current topics and events, and is a charter member of the Lima Philosophical Society. His especial pride and care is the study of the history of the late war between the States; its causes, results and benefits. He is regarded as an authority on all questions connected with this military history and for that reason is frequently invited to address assemblies of the Grand Army. Although born after some of the States had seceded, and little more than a month before the opening gun of the Rebel- lion, he has been honored by election to honory membership in several organi- zations of veterans. He is imbued with the genuine martial spirit of his ancestors, and improves every opportunity to attend the State and National reunions of soldiers and members of the Grand Army of the Republic. In 1889, at Rockford, Ohio, during the annual reunion of the 46th Regiment Ohio Veteran Infantry, after delivering the oration of the day, he was proposed for honorary membership by the late Colonel I. N. Alexander, of Van Wert, and the proposition was seconded by General Walcott, of Columbus, and unani- mously adopted by the regiment. This is the single distinction of its kind conferred upon an outsider by this veteran regiment as an association. Mr. Halfhill is not connected with any church by membership, but is an attendant upon the services and a liberal contributor to all of the churches. He has not yet assumed marital relations and responsibilities, although eminently qualified by a genial disposition and judicial temperament for the most intimate family relationship. He is not only a good lawyer, but a popular orator and a gener- ous man. One of the very capable members of the Bar who has been associa- ted with him professionally says : "Halfhill is an able lawyer, and has been more than ordinarily successful in his practice. He is a brilliant public speaker, quick to grasp an idea and most effective in his manner of addressing a jury. Comparatively a young man, he has already been identified with a number of the most important cases tried in the courts since he became a member of the Bar. Always courteous and sincere, never stooping to do a mean act, he has won a place among the members of the profession at this Bar second to none."
ALFRED R. McINTIRE, Mount Vernon. The subject of this biography has been a resident of Mount Vernon for thirty years. He was born July 14, 1840, and at the age of fourteen removed to Knox county with his parents and settled on a farm near Fredericktown. The nativity of his paternal ances- tors was the North of Ireland, while the ancestors of his mother lived in the South of Ireland. His grandfathers emigrated to America and both of his parents were native Americans. He was reared in the country, trained to
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work on the farm and taught in the district schools in winter time. He also attended the neighboring village schools and made use of all the facilities afforded for acquiring an education. He aspired to larger learning and better scholarship than could be gained in the country or village schools and was willing to pay the expenses incident to a college course. In furtherance of this ambition he taught district school two successive winters, beginning at the age of eighteen, and in September, 1860, entered the Freshman class of the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware. Obliged to defray his own expenses, he engaged in teaching a considerable portion of the time, but this diversion was not detrimental to progress in the acquirement of a liberal education. On the contrary, the mental discipline, the self-control, the close application to self-culture, the discriminating study of mental capacity, and the tact required to adapt instruction to the understanding-which are at once the result of teaching and the high qualification of a successful teacher-are invaluable aids to the prosecution of classical studies. Any young man who has man- aged a public school in a satisfactory manner, as "master " and instructor, has thereby improved his lawyerly qualifications. The allotment of a portion of his time to teaching, while pursuing a course in college, was manifestly advan- tageous to the collegian also in the utilization of acquired knowledge. His course was interrupted, however, at the close of the second year by his enlist- ment in the ranks of the Union army. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Com- pany A, Ninety-sixth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served until March, 1863, when he was discharged on account of sickness. In May, 1864, he was again mustered into service as first lieutenant Company H, 142nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served until September following. the term of enlist- ment being one hundred days. He then resumed his studies in the university, from which he was graduated in June, 1865. For the first year after leaving col- lege he was in charge of the public schools of Fredericktown, Knox county ; for the second he was employed as a solicitor of life insurance at Columbus, Ohio. He then became a student of law in the office of the late Judge Rollin C. Hurd, of Mount Vernon, and was admitted to the Bar in June, 1869. IIis ability and genius for the law had been observed by his preceptor and found recognition in the offer of a partnership immediately after his admission to practice. His association with Judge Hurd was thus continued without inter- ruption until the death of the latter in 1874; and since that time Mr. McIntire has remained in practice alone, except six years, from 1875 to 1881, when he was associated with Mr. D. B. Kirk. He has not been satisfied with a superfi- cial knowledge of the law, nor has he sought simply to become a case lawyer. His method of study and habits of thought enable him to penetrate the sur- face and explore the depths, even to the foundations upon which the fabric rests. He has not simply studied the problems, but has become familiar with the principles, the essence, out of which the problems are formulated. His studies have not been restricted to the law alone, but have embraced the whole range of science and classic literature. He has an especial fondness for the ancient languages and mathematics. Ever since he first read Virgil and
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Homer in his college course he has continued to read them and other classics for recreation. Latterly he has found a new incentive for reviewing the classics in following the college course of his sons. One of them was recently graduated from Oberlin College and the other is now a student in the Ohio State University, and the father was ambitious to keep ahead of them, as much for his own gratification as for their advantage. It is a source of great pleasure to be able to read with them in the original text, to instruct them in difficult translations or the occult meaning of obscure passages. He has also found it desirable to freshen his knowledge of the higher mathematics, and keep up with the late scientific discoveries, since his younger son is giving especial attention to the subject of electrical engineer- ing. For many years he has been regarded as the scientist of the local Bar, and cases involving mathematical problems, medical or other scientific evidence are usually entrusted to him ; or if taken by other lawyers the tech- nical and involved questions are referred to him. His appointment as
administrator, executor and trustee for the settlement of complicated estates and trusts is frequent. Among the estates settled by him as administrator were those of the late Judge Rollin C. Hurd and later that of the judge's son, Honorable Frank H. Hurd, of Toledo. From the beginning of his practice to the present time he has had the entire law business of the C. & G. Cooper Company, by far the largest manufacturing concern in Knox county, and during that time had the entire law business of the Mount Vernon Bridge Company, the next largest business concern in the county, from its organiza- tion in 1879 until it quit business in 1893; and among other things in this line he formulated and organized the Mount Vernon Public Library Association, the Mount Vernon Sanitarium Company and the Mount Vernon Academy, being retained as counsel for all of them. He is logically the counsellor of clients having such matters in charge, on account of his superior knowledge of the laws relating to them acquired by personal experience. He has a wide reputation for successful management of that class of business and in this branch of the practice has no superior, and perhaps it is not too much to say no equal among his associates at the Bar. Declining to accept a retainer in criminal cases, his practice is otherwise general, both as counsellor and trial lawyer. His open, upright life of thirty years in the community has won for him the confidence of all the people. He is courteous in manner, considerate of the rights and feelings of others, honest and just in his dealings, resolute in his purposes, inflexible in his integrity, reliable in his promises, responsible as to business and financial standing. Mr. McIntire is a Republican politically, but independent enough to oppose his party on principle, as he did in 1896 because of his belief in the justice and equity of the free coinage of silver by the United States, regardless of the action of other nations. The only political office he ever held was membership in the school board of Mount Vernon, which he retained fifteen years. He has been a member of the State Bar Association from the date of its organization and is a life member of the Ohio Historical Society. He philosophically resorts to the classics as a sedative.
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When annoyed by any disagreeable incident, or disturbed by unbidden and unwelcome thoughts, he is accustomed to lose himself in the perusal of a few pages of the original text of a favorite Greek or Latin author, until his composure is regained. Mr. McIntire's religion is that of the philosopher and scientist rather than that promulgated in creed and dogma. He believes in purity of morals and his daily life is in accord with the principles of strict morality. He attends the services of the Presbyterian Church, in which his wife has membership. He was married September 28, 1869, to Miss Helen Richards, of Fredericktown, and has two sons: Rollin R., born March 1, 1871, and now a student of law ; and Alfred H., born August 13, 1876, a Junior at the State University in the department of Electrical Engineering.
FRANK MOORE, Mount Vernon. Frank Moore, the subject of this sketch, was born April 16, 1852, in Richland county, Ohio. His mother and father, of French and Scotch descent respectively, were both natives of the State of Maine. They were married in the State of Ohio and settled in Richland county. He was educated in the common schools and graduated from the high school of Mt. Vernon in 1871. As a boy he had some aspiration to enter the army, and was twice appointed to the Military Academy at West Point. Each time, however. he was obliged to decline because of the unwill- ingness of his father that he should become a soldier. After leaving school he joined a corps of engineers who were surveying the Cleveland, Mt. Vernon and Delaware railroad, remaining with them until December, 1873. At that time, having fully decided to become a lawyer, he entered the office of Cooper, Porter & Mitchell, as a student of law. His relations with this firm as a stu- dent were continued until the firm was dissolved, shortly prior to his admission to the Bar. From that time forward he was associated with Colonel William C. Cooper alone. In 1878, and again in 1880, he was elected prosecuting attorney for Knox county. At the close of his second term the firm of Cooper & Moore was formed, which has since been in continuous practice, and is rec- ognized as one of the ablest, as well as most successful law firms in the circuit. They have during the last dozen years been retained as counsel for many large corporations, and at the same time their general practice in litigated business has been extensive. At the opening of his practice Mr. Moore cherished a mild ambition to attain rank among the foremost advocates. He had already made a reputation as a fluent speaker, his manners were pleasant, and he was regarded as quite formidable in debate for a young man. He affirms, however, that he recognized very early the overshadowing ability and reputation of his law partner, Colonel Cooper, as an advocate, and willingly resigned to him the conduct of the trial of cases; gave up his early ambition, and directed all of his efforts and energies to the 'acquirement of a thorough, substantial and practical knowledge of the law. Estimated from the success he has attained in the management of cases, and the reputation established as a pleader, his
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second resolution was wise. He has devoted himself so sedulously to an acqui- sition of the principles of the law and to becoming acquainted with the author- ities that his management of important cases is not only comparatively easy, but usually successful. He has been a close, careful and intelligent student, and has become well versed in the philosophy of the law and its application to the various contentions brought forward in litigation. He is regarded as eminently safe and painstaking in the preparation of pleadings, so that they usually stand the test of the severest examination in settling the issues prelim- inary to the trial of a case. He is therefore a number one office lawyer, which is perhaps not less important than to have spent the years in building up a reputation as an advocate. Mr. Moore has never been a candidate for office since he really settled down to the practice of law. He served some years as school examiner for the county when quite young, but had the cour- age to decline a nomination for judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1896, as well as other offices which he could have secured prior to that time. On the subject of religion his views are broad and liberal. He is not a communi- cant of any church, nor is his belief interpreted by any confession of faith. He is thoroughly independent himself and tolerant of the views of others. He was married November 6, 1880, to Miss Blanche Struble, only daughter of Dan Struble, a banker of Fredericktown. No children were born of the marriage, and his wife died October 9, 1894.
WILLIAM S. HASKELL, Bowling Green. For two hundred and fifty years the ancestors of Mr. Haskell have been prominent and cultured people. He was born in Detroit on the 11th day of April, 1850. His parents, Rev. Samuel and Elizabeth (Granger) Haskell, were both of English descent. The head of the American branch of the Haskell family came to America in 1642 and set- tled in New England. During the present century the family have scattered widely, and among them are to be found some highly honored citizens. On his mother's side the Grangers were also among the early settlers of New England, the family seat being in Connecticut. The name is familiar to the student of American history. One of the cousins of his mother, Gideon Granger, was postmaster-general for thirteen years, from 1801 to 1814. Another cousin, Francis Granger, was twice a candidate for governor of New York, candidate for vice-president on the Whig ticket with General Harrison, a member of his cabinet and a member of Congress. Her immediate relatives have been prominent both in war and in peace for the past one hundred years. Mr. Haskell's father was a minister of the Baptist Church for over forty years. He is a graduate of the Brown University and of the Hamilton Theological Seminary, now Colgate's University. He was married to Miss E. Granger, and soon after removed to Detroit. The forty-one years he spent in pastoral work were all spent in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo, Michigan. He is now seventy-nine years of age and in the enjoyment of good health, physically,
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and his mind is unimpaired. He has for the past nine years been professor of Biblical Research in Kalamazoo College. He has been an author as well as minister, and his work entitled " Heroes and Hierarchs " attracted considera- ble attention in church and religious circles. William S. Haskell spent his boyhood days in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and his early education was obtained in the public schools of that town. After passing through the primary and grammar schools he entered the high school, where he spent two years, when he entered the preparatory department of the Kalamazoo College. He com- pleted the first two years of the college course there, when he went to the University of Michigan, and, entering the Junior class, was graduated in 1872 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. After leaving college he took up the avocation of teacher. He was principal of the schools at Three Rivers, Michi- gan, during the years 1872-3. From 1873 to 1877 he had charge of the schools at Prairie Creek, Indiana. He then came to Bowling Green, Ohio, and took charge of the schools of the town, a position he held for six years, declining a re-election in 1883, in order to fit himself for the practice of law. While superintendent of the city schools he originated the present system under which the schools are operated. He took up the study of law in the office of Cook & Troup, and after a two years' course was admitted to the Bar, in 1885. He at once began practice in Bowling Green, alone the first nine years, when in 1894 he formed a partnership with A. J. Mears, under the firm name of Mears & Haskell, as at the present time. Mr. Haskell has been for several years the legal adviser of the Hankey Lumber Company and a part of the time served as secretary and treasurer. He was a member of the board of edu- cation for two terms ; was also county school examiner for two terms, and a member of the city council for two terms. While serving his last term in the council he was elected mayor by that body, to fill the unexpired term of the incumbent of the office, who had been appointed by the governor to fill another position. In the following spring election, 1894, he was elected to the office by popular vote for a term of three years. In politics he is a Republican, active in support of party measures and prominent in the councils of the party. He has been secretary and treasurer of the county central committee. He is a member of the Masonic order. Mr. Haskell was married in 1875 to Miss Eliza Weeks, daughter of Harvey and Mary (Piety) Weeks, of Terre Haute, Indiana. The Weeks family are old and wealthy citizens of Kentucky, while the Piety family were among the early settlers of Indiana, coming to that State from Virginia. They have four children, two sons and two daughters.
JOHN DAWSON CRITCHFIELD, Mount Vernon. John D. Critchfield was born in Howard township, Knox county, Ohio, November 30, 1841. His father, Lewis Critchfield, was born and bred a farmer in the same county. His grandfather was a native of Cumberland county, Maryland, but emigrated westward and settled in Knox county, Ohio, in 1805. The Critchifield family
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is of Scotch descent. His mother's family name was Dawson and her imme- diate ancestors were English. He attended the country district school during its sessions and worked on the farm in the intervals until he reached the age of eighteen years, after which he made the necessary preparation for a course in college and matriculated at Kenyon. Completing the classical course, he was graduated in 1867 and then engaged in teaching for two years. This was only preliminary to his settled life-work, as the decision to enter the profession of law had been reached long before. He studied two years in the office of Hurd & McIntire, at Mt. Vernon, and was admitted to the Bar in December, 1871, after passing an examination before a special committee appointed by the Supreme Court. For the space of four months afterwards he remained in the office of Hurd & McIntire, and in April, 1872, formed a partnership with J. B. Graham, under the name and style of Critchfield & Graham, which has continued to the present time. Mr. Critchfield was the attorney of the Farm- ers' Insurance Company of Howard for ten years, and the company's business took him into many of the higher courts of the State. His general and con- tinuous practice has of course always been in Knox county, but his outside business has been considerable for the past twenty years. He has been asso- ciated with some of the most eminent lawyers of the time in the management and trial of many cases of great importance. He is at the present time retained in a case involving some nice legal questions and monetary interests aggregating three hundred thousand dollars. The controversy is between men of very high financial and personal reputation who were associated in a large coal deal and whose relations became strained by complications and implications of the partnership. The case is exceedingly interesting and to a degree sensational, because of the character of the parties and the charges of fraud. Mr. Critchfield is a safe counsellor and very conservative in disposi- tion. He has been a careful student of the philosophy and principles of the law, as well as its text-books and the published reports of decisions. Although a successful trial lawyer, an exact pleader and a safe counsellor, his most marked success is in the preparation and presentation of cases in brief in the Appellate Courts, and especially in the analysis and application of new and intricate questions of law. For many years his printed briefs and arguments have appeared in the Supreme Court of Ohio in error cases with more fre- quency and in more important cases than those of any other lawyer of Knox county. He is regarded by the local Bar as the leader in that line of practice. His caution and conscientiousness, as well as his knowledge of the law, com- bine to lend prudence and wisdom to his counsel. When consulted with a view to bringing an action he sifts and weighs a client's statements dispassion- ately, to determine the justice and equity of his cause, and if these elements are wanting no contention will be carried into court upon his advice. Even when these exist he prefers to exhaust other means of remedy and redress before advising upon final application to a court of law or chancery. He does not engage in legal controversy for the love or glory of it. That he has won public confidence is evidenced by his connection with cases 'of the greatest
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importance. He is accustomed to inform a client candidly and frankly whether or not there is anything in his case as stated, and then to advise him with equal candor as to his rights and the probability of securing them as party to an action in court. His reliability has been thoroughly tested and the confidence of a client in his integrity is the growth of years, or dependent upon a reputation for honor and integrity which is established and unquestion- able. The foundation for his success in the law is inflexible integrity. His high sense of personal honor and his honesty in business affairs are conceded on all hands. He is not inclined to be self-assertive; on the con- trary he is not only unassuming, but even diffident. His generosity and kind- ness of heart are qualities which bind to him friends who are unwavering in their attachment. His fidelity to truth and justice, his earnestness and devo- tion to principle, his sincerity in the common, every-day matters and his vig- orous prosecution of the undertakings of larger magnitude lend value to his citizenship and strength to his character as a lawyer. He has always been a student of history, philosophy and science, as well as law, and these studies have increased his breadth and power. Mr. Critchfield is a Republican in opinion and sympathy. The principles of that party receive his endorsement and its candidates his support ; but he is by no means a narrow partisan. He has never held political office or accepted a candidacy. He is a believer in the Christian religion, without bigotry or sectarianism. He was married October 6, 1880, to Miss Hattie Henderson, of Cleveland, and has one daugh- ter, Miss Pearl, born August 6, 1881.
A. P. LINN COCHRAN, Springfield. Among the prominent and successful attorneys at the Clark county Bar must be named A. P. Linn Cochran, a Pennsylvanian by birth and a Buckeye by adoption. In childhood and youth he enjoyed the advantages of a cultured home and good schools, preparatory to his admission to college. He pursued and completed the classical course at Princeton, from which he was graduated in 1856. The following year he located in Springfield and began the study of law with Rodgers & Cochran, the junior member of the firm being his elder brother. After two years of preliminary reading and study he entered the Cincinnati Law School, and was graduated therefrom the next year. Returning to Springfield, he began the practice of his profession in partnership with his brother, David M. Cochran, under the firm name of Cochran & Cochran. This arrangement continued until the death of his brother, in 1870. The firm had a good practice from its organi- zation, which grew as their reputation for legal ability became better under- stood, until they took rank with the leaders of the Clark county Bar. After the death of his brother Mr. Cochran continued in practice alone until 1877, when he entered into partnership with Robert C. Rodgers, under the firm name of Cochran & Rodgers, as it exists at present. Mr. Cochran is a thor- ouglily well read lawyer. Ask any number of well informed citizens of the
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