USA > Ohio > Bench and bar of Ohio; a compendium of history and biography, Vol. II > Part 31
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WILLIAM A. LYNCH, Canton. W. A. Lynch was born at Canton, Ohio, August 4, 1844. His father and mother were both natives of Ireland, who met in Stark county, Ohio, and were married. His father was county sur- veyor and county recorder, a man of great energy and of unusual business ability. He was one of the pioneers in developing the coal mining interests of this county, and also in opening up the coal fields of western Pennsylvania. Besides these, he became deeply interested in railroad construction and pro- motion. He was one of the projectors of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad, and was active in the building of other railroads. These large enterprises necessarily carried with them a corresponding responsibility,
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and upon his death, which occurred just prior to the financial panic of 1857, it was found that the great depreciation in the values of all property, caused by the stagnation of business and the general financial depression had seriously involved his estate. Indeed, so great had been the shrinkage in values and the loss entailed by the want of his personal supervision that a large indebt- edness was shown. At this time William A. Lynch, the son, was a boy of twelve years-old enough to realize the great loss, and yet quite young to assume the burden placed upon his shoulders. That these early trials had much to do with developing the breadth and keenness of his business capacity, and the firmness, decision and earnestness of his character cannot be doubted. One of the earliest acts of his business career was to pay off all the outstand- ing obligations of his father's estate. He faced the situation more like a man than a boy twelve years old. . He appreciated the value of education, and set himself to work most assiduously to acquire knowledge. With the assistance of the education received in the public schools he became a great reader and a deep student, and when he had attained his sixteenth year he entered the law office of Honorable Lewis Schaefer, of Canton. He was admitted to practice immediately upon reaching the legal age, September 1, 1865, and was taken into partnership by his preceptor. While studying law, and afterwards in the early days of practice, he made the acquaintance of many men of great promi- nence and of distinguished ability. Among others, Honorable John McSwee- ney was attracted to the young man by the promise shown in him of future strength, and took delight in seeking his company and aiding him by advice and council from his own wide experience. This was always gratefully received and wisely utilized, so that in a few years the young and ardent student was by far the strongest advocate that his friend McSweeney had to contend with in the courts of northern Ohio.
His partnership with Honorable Lewis Schaefer was dissolved at the end of four years, and Mr. Lynch remained alone until 1872, when he was joined in practice by the Honorable W. A. Day, now assistant secretary of State, appointed by President Mckinley, and the style
of the firm was Lynch & Day. April 17, 1878, an addition was made to the firm by the admission of Austin Lynch, a brother of the senior partner, under the style of Lynch, Day & Lynch. In 1893 Mr. William A. Lynch retired from the firm. A notable and historical case in northern Ohio in which he was prominent was that of the State vs. Richardson. The defendant was a woman charged with killing her husband, and the legal talent engaged upon both sides was of the strongest character. The State's attorney was assisted by William A. Lynch and Judge Day, whilst the defendant had employed John McSweeney, Judge Ricks, Judge Mayer, Judge Pease-an array of talent that is rare in one case. Medical expert testimony lent its aid in cxcit- ing the public interest, and the tragic affair concluded with a verdict of manslaughter. Mr. Lynch was twice elected by the people to the office of prosecuting attorney. The first time his opponent was Charles M. Manderson, recently Senator from Nebraska. The second term he had Major Mckinley for a competitor and failed of election. But upon the succeeding term he
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again contested with Major Mckinley for the position, and was returned to the office to which they had aspired. During this period the county of Stark was strongly Republican. The office of prosecuting attorney and solicitor of the city of Canton are the only offices to which Mr. Lynch has been elected and the only offices for which he permitted himself to be placed in nomination. He has always been a staunch, consistent, old-line Democrat, and has repeatedly been tendered the nomination for Congress from his district, but always declined to enter political life. So firm was this resolve that he declined even an appoint- ment to the Common Pleas judgeship, tendered him by Governor Hoadly. He was a delegate to the Indianapolis "National Democratic Convention " in 1896, and was one of the electors at large upon that ticket for the State of Ohio. In 1883, upon retiring from the firm of Lynch, Day & Lynch, he devoted himself to the work of counsel of corporations, and this soon led him into an active participation in the management of several enterprises of great magnitude. He was one of the projectors of the Pittsburg, Akron & West- ern Railroad in northern Ohio, besides being exceedingly active in promoting the construction of new railroads in the West : reorganizing railroad, coal and iron properties and manufacturing companies. He has frequently been appointed receiver for large interests, whilst in matters of litigation and reor- ganization of big properties his counsel and active co-operation and assistance are invariably sought. He is president of the local street railway of Canton, and is always deeply interested in every enterprise tending to benefit the town. He was married with Eliza Rush Underhill October 14, 1874, daughter of Judge Underhill, of Canton. They have a family of three daughters, all of whom are now attending school-two at Sinith College, Northampton, Mas- sachusetts, and the youngest is now preparing for the collegiate course. In speaking of Mr. William A. Lynch, a prominent member of the Oho Bar said :
" I have known him from his student days. He is a man of keen, logical, analytical mind. No fallacy escapes his attention. He was always most studi- ous and industrious. He has the principles of the law thoroughly mastered, and knows more of the philosophy of the law than of mere case law. He is well versed in law literature and the best English literature. He is a wide reader, and of good general intelligence, reading and experience. When he was in the general practice of the law, he was easily leader of the Bar in Starke county, and while his reputation was somewhat local, I know of no better trial lawyer in this State. He possesses exactly the temperament for a trial lawyer, sufficiently combative, but not unreasonably so. He always retains complete control of his temper, of his feelings, and of himself, and never permits anv of these to get the better of him, or to betray him into a mistake. He is full of wit, pathos and logic, and possesses command of a wonderful vocabulary. He is a most forcible and convincing speaker. If elegance of diction, pathos, humor, fine analysis, logical argument and forcible manner, combined with a warm enthusiasm for any cause he espouses, make an orator, then William A. Lynch is one. He has a cool head, rare tact and ripe judgment. His percep- tions are quick. He is a broad-minded, capable man, who in a law suit or other matter quickly grasps the strong points and relies upon them for success, rather than by magnifying unimportant details, the common fault with loose thinkers. Mr. Lynch's position at the Bar was entirely the result of his high
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character, his great ability, and his sterling integrity. A man of solid parts, he relied upon the public judgment of his character and qualifications for his business, and never resorted to the arts of the small lawyer to bring it to him. He has a warm, generous, sympathetic nature free from all demagogy ; a man of convictions, and a man of courage. The measure of the man, his strong sense of duty, courage and fearlessness, where duty prompted any line of con- duct, was shown in the late campaign. He has always been a strong Demo- crat, an ardent partisan, but his conscience impelled him to oppose the action of his party in 1896, and he did so with all the force and ability of his char- acter. On this occasion he made a truly magnificent speech in Canton. In my opinion, there was no speech made during the campaign on the sound money question, excepting, perhaps, that of Carl Shurz, at Chicago, which will in any way compare with it. Mr. Lynch is a strong Catholic, but free from all bigotry. On the contrary, he is always tolerant of the religious views of others. He has never sought office, and yet there is no public office, even to the highest, that he would not be well qualified to fill. Had his mind and inclination run in that direction, he would certainly have achieved a great national reputation."
WILLIAM E. SHERWOOD, Cleveland. William Edgar Sherwood was born at North Royalton, Cuyahoga county, October 2, 1850. His father was Orasmus Sherwood, a native of Genesee county, New York, and of English descent. The family for generations lived in New England; first in Connecti- cut and later at Bennington, Vermont, where his ancestors, notably Ethan Allen, of whom he was a direct descendant, took part in the contest concern- ing the boundary line between the colonies of New York and New Hampshire, just before the Revolutionary War. The mother of William E. Sherwood was Anne M. Cane, who was born at the Isle of Man, November 18, 1822. His early education was obtained at the public schools of Cleveland, later entering Western Reserve College at Hudson in the class of 1872. His legal studies were pursued at Columbia College Law School, in New York City, where he remained for two years. IIe was admitted to the Bar in 1874 and immediately located himself in the practice at Cleveland. He was from boyhood a devoted reader and student, his favorite subjects being history, political economy and political science. He possessed an unusually logical mind even for a lawyer, which, combined with some combativeness of disposition, made him an agressive and forceful debater, at times almost overwhelming his antagonist by his intellec- tual power. His active interest in politics began almost with his entering upon the practice of the law and he soon became prominent in public affairs. In 1876 and 1877 he was a member of the city council. About this time he formed a partnership with the Honorable H. J. Caldwell, now one of the judges of the Circuit Court; but the association was dissolved by Judge Sher- wood's becoming clerk to the mayor. He was appointed clerk of the board of improvements July 1, 1878, and held the office until July 15, 1881. He then became assistant city solicitor and continued as such until January, 1886. He then formed a partnership with Amos Dennison, which continued until 1889, when Judge Sherwood was elected to the Common Pleas Bench. Before his
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nomination to the Republican County Convention he was declared the unani- mous choice of a non-partisan meeting of the lawyers of Cuyahoga county for the judicial office. No higher compliment could be given to a lawyer ; it came to him from those who were the best judges of his ability, his integrity and his impartiality. He was elected a year in advance of the opening of his term ; but was appointed January, 1890, for the residue of the term of Judge Will- iam B. Sanders, resigned .. Judge Sherwood was a recognized authority upon municipal law. He had made it a special study, besides having become prac- tically familiar with the subject while assistant city solicitor, where he took the lead in trying city cases. He showed marked ability in drawing bills for
. legislative enactment. Such was his standing in this regard that he was chosen with Judge Blandin to draw the original bill for providing an improved form of city government, known as the "Federal Plan," which passed the State legislature March 16, 1891. Judge Sherwood worked long and labori- ously on the bill, which will remain a lasting monument to his legislative capacity as well as to his thorough knowledge of municipal laws. He was married October 8, 1874, to Mary Hall, of North Royalton, and three children born of the union survive: William Edgar, Anna and Mary, the eldest of whom is about nineteen years of age. They all reside in Cleveland. Judge Sherwood was stricken with appendicitis in the very vigor of his intellectual and physical manhood, and, after an illness of hardly more than ten days, died on the 22nd of September, 1892. By what he had proved himself to be he gave promise of what he could become, and those who knew him never doubted the utmost fulfillment of the promise, had his life been spared. Mrs. Sherwood died December 16, 1896.
WILLIAM S. KERRUISH, Cleveland. William S. Kerruish, although born in Ohio, is a real Manxman. Probably no man living speaks, writes and understands more perfectly than he the Gaelic language. He was born at Warrenville, Cuyahoga county, on the 13th day of October, 1831. His father, William Kerruish, and his mother, Jane Kelley, were natives of the Isle of Man, and came to the United States in 1827, settling in Cuyahoga county, Ohio. The father was a farmer and a most estimable, highly respected citi- zen. Young Kerruish's early education was obtained in the district schools of the county. At sixteen years of age he entered Twinsburg Institute, where he spent four years preparing for college. He then entered Western Reserve College, remaining there through his junior year. In 1854 he entered the senior class at Yale, graduating with honors in the class of 1855. At college he especially excelled in languages. Upon leaving Yale he taught the lan- guages for a year at the Twinsburg Institute. During this time his name was entered as a law student. in the office of Ranney, Backus & Noble. Upon retiring from teaching he at once entered this office and was admitted to prac- tice in 1858. After admission to the Bar he remained with his preceptors a
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short time, then opened an office and practiced alone until his first partnership was formed under the style of Hays & Kerruish. This firm lasted only about a year, when he formed a partnership with William Heisley, under the firm name of Kerruish & Heisley. This partnership continued until 1865. From that time until 1880 Mr. Kerruish practiced alone. In the latter year he formed a partnership with George T. Chapman, under the firm name of Ker- ruish & Chapman. His son, S. Q. Kerruish, also a graduate of Yale, is now the junior member of the firm, the style being Kerruish, Chapman & Kerruish. The practice of the firm has been general in scope and character. Now, how- ever, Mr. Kerruish, the senior member, if engaged almost entirely with impor- tant litigated cases. He has always been a great student of the law and has acquired a thorough knowledge of its principles. His natural abilities are large and he is very successful in the conduct of litigation. Quick in his apprehension of the points of law and the relevancy of testimony, terse and clear in argument, he is a formidable adversary at the trial table. With a persuasiveness of manner that is almost irresistible and a forcefulness of style that is convincing, he usually brings the jury to his own view of a case. There are few lawyers at the Cleveland Bar to-day who enjoy as large and lucrative a practice as Mr. Kerruish. Outside of his profession he has always devoted much time to the study of languages. In addition to the Gaelic language he speaks German, has considerable knowledge of French and Italian, and has been a life-long student of Greek and Latin. Some years ago, while he was in Italy, he visited near Rome a church where it is claimed they have a stone bearing the footprint of Christ. Wishing to see it he addressed a priest first in English, then in German, only to be met with a shrug of the shoulders. He then spoke to him in Latin, and at once received prompt attention and was shown the stone. After this conversation was carried on between them, he speaking in Latin and the priest replying in Italian. He reads Greek and Latin-especially Latin-as others read novels, and no doubt finds as much pleasure and recreation in his reading as the maiden does from the poems of Tom Moore, Burns and Byron. Mr. Kerruish is a member of the Philological Association of the United States, and in 1880, when the association met in Cleveland, he read a paper on the Gaelic languages, which was afterwards pub- lished in the proceedings of the association and received much favorable com- ment both in this country and in Europe. This paper was prepared at the request of Professor Lanman, of Harvard University. He has written various articles for magazines at home and abroad, and his correspondence has been extensive on the subject of Gaelic and Celtic languages. Mr. Kerruish has a host of friends and admirers in the community. He is a man of the highest moral character, possessing a true sense of justice. Straightforward and square in his dealings he has the respect and confidence of all who know him. In politics he is a Republican, but liberal in his views. He has never sought or held political office. In 1859 he married Margaret Quayle, also a native of the Isle of Man, and by this union seven children have been born-two sons and five daughters, all living.
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HARVEY RICE, Cleveland. For nearly seventy years the life of the sub- ject of this memoir was intimately related to the civic and social life of Cleveland, and to the progress and well-being of the State. He was born on his father's farm at Conway, Massachusetts, June 11, 1800, the son of Stephen Rice and Lucy Baker, his wife. He was a lineal descendent from Edmund Rice, who emigrated from Barkhamsted, England, with his family and settled at Sudbury, Massachusetts, in 1638. His mother died when he was four years old and he remained with his father at work on the farm until he reached the age of seventeen, when he began in earnest to acquire a thorough education. His studies were pursued with diligence, and in 1824 he was graduated from Williams College. In the same year he made the trip westward by the stage coach, Erie Canal and Lake Erie, arriving in Cleveland with three dollars in his pocket. His capital consisted of a robust, healthy constitution, a vigorous mind, whose faculties were admirably assembled and adjusted for the most effective use; a moral character strong in its integrity, and aspiration to the best and noblest things in life. Many years afterwards he spoke of his landing at midnight on the wharf at Cleveland and carrying his trunk in the dark to a lodging place. He was armed with no other weapon than a letter of introduction to a leading citizen, a college diploma printed in Latin affix- ing to his name the title of A. B. He says further : "With these instru- mentalities I succeeded the second day after my arrival in securing the position of classical teacher and principal of the Cleveland Academy." At the same time he became a student of law during leisure hours under the instruc- tion of Judge Reuben Wood. In the spring of 1826 he resigned from the school and continued his legal studies at Cincinnati under Bellamy Storer. Upon his admission to the Bar he returned to Cleveland and practiced with Judge Wood until the latter was elected to the Supreme Bench in 1830. In 1829 Mr. Rice was elected justice of the peace. The next year he was elected to the legislature and served on the joint committee to revise the statutes. It was the first revision. Some of the most important provisions were drawn by Mr. Rice and incorporated in the statutes. While in the legislature he was appointed agent to sell the Western Reserve school lands, consisting of 56,000 acres, located in the counties of Tuscarawas and Holmes. For conveni- ence he opened an office at Millersburg and disposed of the land in three years, turning in nearly $150,000, which became a fund, the interest of which is devoted to the schools of the Western Reserve. In 1833 he returned to Cleveland and was appointed clerk of the Common Pleas and Superior courts of Cuyahoga county, which he held for seven years. In 1834, and again in 1836, he was the Democratic candidate for Congress, but as his party was hopelessly in the minority he was both times defeated. Mr. Rice was elected to the State Senate in 1851 as the first Democratic Senator chosen in the county (and only two have been elected since). He was a prominent and useful member of the joint committee to revise the statutes in conformity with the new Constitution, his former experience at revision making his service in this position invaluable. IIe was also influential in the legislation providing
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for two asylums for the insane, and took a leading part in the discussion of the reform of juvenile offenders, which led to the provision of a subsequent session for the State Reform School at Lancaster, in accordance with his views. As chairman of the committee on schools he achieved his greatest distinction and most permanent fame. His work was such that history attributes to him the honor of being the founder of the common school system of the State. The Senate journals furnish the record of his advocacy of the cause- his authorship of the bill, his report in its favor and his effective support of it on the floor and its final passage by the vote of twenty-two in favor to only two against. His vigilance did not sleep until the house also passed the bill pledging the State to a wise and generous provision for the liberal education of her children. In closing his argument and appeal he said :
"By the provisions of this bill it is intended to make our common schools what they ought to be, the colleges of the people-cheap enough for the poorest and good enough for the richest. With but slight increase of taxation, schools of different grades can be established and maintained in any township in the State and the sons and daughters of our farmers and mechanics have an the land. * opportunity of acquiring a finished education, equal with the more favored of * Philosophers and sages will abound everywhere, on the farm and in the workshops, and many a man of genius will stand among the masses and exhibit a brilliancy of intellect which will be recognized in the circling years of the future as a light, a landmark on the cliffs of time. * * * Though I would not break down the aristocracy of knowledge of the present age, yet I would level up and equalize and thus create, if I may be allowed the expression, a democracy of knowledge. In this way, and in this way only, can men be made equal in fact, equal in their social and political relations, equal in mental refinement, and in a just appreciation of what constitutes man the brother of his fellow man."
Mr. Rice was elected in 1857 to the city council of Cleveland. There he took the lead in establishing a home of refuge, which was discontinued but a few years ago. He was author of the resolution in the council which resulted in the erection of the monument to Commodore Perry, and was made chairman of the committee appointed to carry it into effect. In 1861 he was president of the board of education and in 1871 was a member of the first board of directors of the Cleveland Workhouse and House of Correction. Mr. Rice was appointed in 1862 a commissioner of the War Department to conduct the first draft of soldiers. While in discharge of his duty his office was besieged one morning by a mob of some five hundred angry and excited men, who brandished weapons and were intent upon the destruction of the record of the draft, having gained the idea that it was unfair. Mr. Rice did not flinch, but faced the mob until the military could be called out, when a " demonstration in force" quieted the turbulent crowd. He demanded that a committee of the dissatisfied be appointed to investigate, which being done, he soon convinced them that the draft had been properly and fairly conducted. Mr. Rice was of a deeply religious nature, and on the grounds of Williams College he erected, in 1867, at his own expense, a monument as an expression of regard to the cause of foreign missions. The monument stands on the
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spot where, in the midst of a storm, Samuel J. Mills suggested to four of his companions in 1806 the thought which led to the organization of the American Board of Foreign Missions. He was one of the organizers of the Early Settlers' Association of Cuyahoga county, Ohio, and was its first president, an office he held until his death. Although Mr. Rice did not begin his literary labors until 1869 he gained an enviable reputation in that field of work. He was a voluminous, versatile writer, in poetry and prose, on subjects scientific, historical, descriptive, sentimental. In 1871 Williams College conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. He died November 7, 1891, a painless, peaceful death. In 1840 Mr. Rice married Emma Maria Wood, who died in 1889. Two sons survive, Harvey and Percy W., both residents of Cleveland.
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