USA > Ohio > Ohio's progressive sons; a history of the state; sketches of those who have helped to build up the commonwealth > Part 53
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The above statement and prediction were justified in every particular. From the time he assumed the judicial ermine Judge Reed achieved a degree of success that was almost phenomenal, and he demonstrated his peculiar fitness for the bench in a manner that won for him the unbounded confidence of all who had business in his court and the people at large. Two years later Judge Reed was renominated without opposition for the full term. and he was re-elected by a vote which gave him a substantial majority over others on the ticket. The success which characterized his first term on the bench has continued to mark his judicial career. He is an untiring worker, is quick to grasp and decide the many points which come up in a law suit, and is an expeditious trial judge. He commands the complete confidence of the lawyers who practice before him, and his associates on the bench hold him in high esteem. His decisions have stood the test of the higher courts in a man- ner that has been highly gratifying to the Judge's friends.
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Throughout his carcer on the bench Judge Reed has sustained an unsullied reputation. . His motives have never been questioned in the slightest degree, and his official record, as well as his spotless personal character, place him in the front rank of Ohio's distinguished jurists. Judge Reed is still a young man, brimful of energy and happy in the possession of the confidence of an increasing circle of friends, who predict for him still greater honors in the future.
Judge Reed was married in 1887 to Miss Nellie Baughman, daughter of Samuel Baugh- man, of Fredonia, Kansas, and with their family of three children they reside in a handsome home which Judge Reed purchased shortly after he settled in Sandusky.
David Ladd Rockwell,
Of Ravenna, Portage County, Ohio, enjoys the distinction of being the youngest Probate Judge in Ohio. He was born on the IIth of August, 1877, at Akron, Ohio, the son of David L. Rockwell and Mary E. Metlin Rockwell. His father was a distinguished lawyer in the northeastern part of the State. Judge Rock- well obtained a very careful education in the public and High Schools of Ravenna and the Western Reserve Academy, at Hudson, Ohio, graduating from this institution with the class of 1897, after which he entered Kenyon Col- lege, Gambier, Ohio, and studied law with his uncle, Mr. O. S. Rockwell, of Kent, Ohio. Judge Rockwell has always been a faithful adherent of the principles of the Democratic party, with which party he became identified in early life. In 1900, at the age of twenty- two, Judge Rockwell was elected Mayor of Kent. Notwithstanding his youth he served with such distinction that he was re-elected to DAVID LADD ROCKWELL a second term, in 1902. In the fall of the same year Judge Rockwell was elected to the bench of the Probate Court of Portage County. As a proof of his popularity it may be mentioned that the city of Kent, as well as the county of Portage, are considered Repub- lican strongholds. Judge Rockwell has served his party also as Chairman of the Democratic County Executive Committee, and as a member of the Democratic State Central Commit- tees. Socially, he is a member of the college fraternity, Alpha Delta Phi, a Mason, Elk, I. O. O. F., K. of P., K. O. T. M., and others. He also is Vice President of the City Bank- ing Company of Kent, director of the Seneca Chain Company, and director and Vice President of the Kent Industrial Company. His residence is located at Ravenna, Ohio.
Charles P. Wickham,
Attorney at law at Norwalk, Ohio, was born in Norwalk on the 15th of September, 1836, and has kept his residence there continuously to the present time. His father, Fred- erick Wickham, who was for a number of years editor and publisher of a newspaper at Norwalk, was a native of New York State, and his ancestors were among the early English
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settlers of New England. His mother, Mrs. Eliza B. Preston Wickham, was born in New Hampshire, also of English descent. Mr. Wickham's education was obtained in the Nor- walk Academy and his father's printing office, until he was eighteen years of age. He then devoted all his time for two years to newspaper work. In 1856 he entered the Cincinnati Law School and graduated in 1858. Returning to Norwalk, he was admitted to the bar, at once commenced practice, and remained alone until 1877. From 1867 to 1871 he was Prose- cuting Attorney. His first partnership was with the Honorable Samuel A. Wildman, now Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. His partnership continued until the spring of 1881, when Mr. Wickham was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He served on the bench until 1886, when he resigned to become a candidate for Congress. He was elected that year and re-elected two years later, serving as a member of the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Con- gresses. At the expiration of his second term he resumed practice with his son, Louis W. Wickham, at Norwalk, which partnership is in existence at this time. On the Ist of January, 1897, he established an office in Sandusky, forming a partnership with W. E. Guerin, Jr. Judge Wickham's practice is general in its character, and is most extensive in scope, embracing all the courts and reaching into all CHARLES P. WICKHAM the counties of Northern Ohio. Judge Wick- ham is a lawyer of great force, and possesses marked ability. As a trial lawyer he occupies first rank in his profession. Gentle and kind in his nature, honorable in his dealings, he is greatly beloved by his friends, and enjoys the respect and confidence of the profession, as well as the people of his native town and county. In September, 1861, he enlisted as a private in the Fifty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and was mustered out of service in 1865, at the close of the Civil War, as Lieutenant Colonel of the same regiment. For a time he was attached to the Army of the Potomac, and was engaged in many of its most heated battles. He was afterwards with the Army of the Cumberland, and later with Sherman in Georgia, and with him also in his March to the Sea and northward in the Carolina campaigns. While Major he was breveted Lieutenant Colonel by President Lincoln, his commission reading "for gallant and meritorious service in the Carolinas." In 1860 Judge Wickham married Emma J. Wildman, a sister of Judge Wildman, his old partner, and by this union nine children have been born, six of whom are living, four sons and two daughters.
Boston Grimm Young,
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas at Marion, Ohio, was born on the 2d of February, 1850, in Washington County, Pennsylvania. His father, Steward Young, a farmer, emi- grated from Ireland to this country at an early age, while his mother, Aurila Ward Young, was a native of New York State. The mother's ancestors were English, and came over to
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this country several generations ago. Judge Young's parents removed to Washington County, Illinois, and later to Iroquois County, that State, when their son was four years of age. Judge Young obtained his education in the public schools of Illinois, at the Grand Prairie Seminary and at the Ohio Wesleyan University. He studied law under the pre- ceptorship of the now Supreme Justice Davis, at Marion, and was admitted to the bar in 1877. Starting in public life at the age of eighteen, he taught school for several terms, and after being admitted to the bar opened an office to practice his profession and later formed a partnership with J. C. Johnson, which continued for more than eight years. Subsequently, for two years, he was associated with Grant H. Mouser, present member of Congress. Judge Young is a charter member of the Marion Manufacturing Company, and has been a director of that institution for the past nine years. In political belief, the Judge is a staunch adherent of Democratic principles, and he has served his party in many capacities, on the stump as well as in the councils. In 1877 he was elected to the office of Prosecuting Attorney of Marion County, holding that position for two terms. During the sessions of the Sixty-sixth, Sixty-seventh and Sixty- eighth General Assemblies, Judge Young was a member of the lower House of that body, BOSTON GRIMM YOUNG serving with distinction and ability. He was elected to his first term in the Legislature in the fall of 1883. In 1899 he was elected to his present position of Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. During his first term he served in such a satisfactory manner, that he was re-elected to a second term in the fall of 1904. In 1888, Judge Young was nom- inated by his party for Secretary of State, and in 1894 for Congress, but both times he was defeated with the rest of the Democratic ticket. Socially, the Judge is a member of the I. O. O. F. and the Elks. During his incumbency of the legislative office, he secured the passage of a bill "To provide that all liens upon realty should be taxed, as an interest in the realty should be released from taxation to the extent of the indebtedness secured by liens upon it." Judge Young was married on the 15th of November, 1882, and he is the father of one son and one daughter.
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Roy L. Wildermuth,
Judge of Columbus, was born at New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio, on the 15th of February, 1876. He resided there until 1882, when he removed with his parents to Lancaster, Ohio. In 1889 his parents removed to Columbus, where he has resided since that time. He is a son of LaFayette Wildermuth, formerly of Fairfield County, Ohio, and Sarah E. Webster, of Chester, Pennsylvania.
His early education was received in the public schools, and later at the Ohio State University, where he graduated in the year 1899. During the latter part of his University
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course he was a law student in the office of Judge Thomas J. Duncan. He was admitted to the bar in 1899, and began the practice soon afterward.
In 1901 he was appointed Assistant City Solicitor, and held that office for two years. In 1903 he was nominated for the Police Judgeship, and was elected by the largest majority ever given a Democrat in a city election, running nearly 6,000 votes ahead of the head of the ticket.
Judge Wildermuth is a Democrat in poli- tics, and has several times served on the Executive Committees of the party. He is a man who places duty above party prejudice, and owes his success to the independent voters of the city.
James B. Swing,
Judge of the Common Pleas Court of the ROY L. WILDERMUTH First District of Ohio, and one of the foremost members of the legal profession of Cincinnati, was born on the 15th of May, 1854, in Batavia, Clermont County, Ohio. His father was George Light Swing, and his mother Elizabeth Naylor Swing, and he comes from the illustrious family of Swings whose members have filled the bench of the Ohio and United States Courts for several generations. After going through the public schools of his native village, young Swing entered Hanover College, Hanover, Indiana, from where he graduated with honor. He at once began the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in 1877, opening an office in Batavia, and soon advanc- ing to a leading position. That this position was recognized was proven in 1881, when he received the Republican nomination to the position of Judge of the Probate Court, and was triumphantly elected. So satisfactorily did he serve the people of Clermont County during his incumbency that he was renom- inated and re-elected. At the expiration of his second term of office, Judge Swing came to Cincinnati and formed a partnership with Judge Howard Ferris, which partnership was continued until Judge Ferris was chosen Probate Judge of Hamilton County. Judge Swing then became associated with Mr. Frank R. Morse, a lawyer of high standing. In the fall of 1903, Judge Swing was nominated by the Republicans of Hamilton County to the
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important office of Judge of the Common Pleas Court, and was elected by a tremendous majority. He is a faithful Republican, a man who has served his party often and con- scientiously. He was one of the delegates to the National Republican Convention at Chicago which nominated President Harrison. Judge Swing's abilities and experience as a lawyer and jurist are acknowledged, varied and extensive. As a general practitioner his success has been uniform. Personally, he is quiet and unassuming, and retains the friendship of all those with whom he comes in contact.
LaForrest R. Andrews,
Attorney at law at Ironton, and one of the leading members of the bar of Lawrence County, was born on the 18th of September, 1865, in the county in which he has practiced since his admission to the bar in the year of 1893. His father, Lee Andrews, an engineer, was a native of the State of New Hampshire, while his mother, Delila Davidson Andrews, was born in Lawrence County. Attorney Andrews comes from good New England stock, one of his ancestors, Major Isaac Andrews, taking a prominent part in the American struggle for Independence, having served in Washington's army and being pro moted to the rank of Major for heroism shown on the field of battle. Mr. La Forrest R. Andrews was educated in the common schools of his home county, after which he attended the Valparaiso (Indiana) Normal School, from which institution he graduated in the year of 1883. Later he studied law in the office of Mr. John O. Yates, at Ironton, and he was, as mentioned above, admitted to prac- tice before the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1893.
LAFORREST R. ANDREWS
Immediately after his admission to practice he opened an office for himself, and since that time he has been pre-eminently successful. He is a lawyer of recognized ability, and he enjoys the esteem of a large clientage and of his fellow practitioners. In the fall of 1899, Mr. Andrews was elected Prosecuting Attor- ney of Lawrence County. He served one term, after the expiration of which he resumed the practice of his profession. Before his election to the office of Prosecuting Attorney he had served for one year as a Trustee in Bankruptcy. He is married since 1899, and is the father of one son. His offices are located at Fourth and Center Streets in the city of Ironton, Ohio. Mr. Andrews is a prominent member of the Elks, in which order he has a multitude of friends.
Frank M. Atterholt,
Of Akron, Ohio, one of the foremost attorneys of the northeastern part of Ohio, and recognized as an able and most successful promoter of large corporations and industrial enterprises, was born on the 19th of December, 1848, near New Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio. Mr. Atterholt was educated at the New Lisbon public and High Schools, the National
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Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, and at Mt. Union College, from which institution he graduated in 1870. For many years he was a prominent teacher in the public schools of the State, and for a time was editor of the Columbiana Register. In 1879 he went to Akron, where he commenced the study of law in the office of Upson, Ford & Baird, and was admitted to the bar before the Supreme Court of Ohio on the 5th of October, 1880, entering into partnership with Judge U. L. Marvin, at the present time Judge of the Circuit Court. He remained with Judge Marvin for a number of years, and later practiced under his own name. Mr. Atterholt is a man of commanding appearance, of affable manners, brilliant conceptions and wonderful executive ability. In politics he is a staunch Repub- lican. He was formerly a member of the Board of Education and the City Board of School Examiners, and a trustee of Mt. Union College. He also was a Republican State Central Committeeman and Chairman of the County Executive Committee, and is a member of the Board of Trade. Mr. Atterholt has promoted many great enterprises, and is officially inter- ested in a number of the most extensive business interests of the country. His wife, a former Miss Mary E. Baird, of Columbiana, Ohio, was one of the most talented and accom- plished young ladies of that county. The wedding occurred on the 21st of December, 1872. Mr. Atterholt resides in an attractive home on East Market Street, Akron, Ohio.
Henry Baer,
Attorney at law at Cincinnati, Ohio, ranks among the best-known members of the Ham- ilton County bar. He is a son of the Queen City, born on the 29tli of November, 1857, the son of Henry and Barbara (Humbert) Baer. His father, a native of Hessen, Germany, had emigrated to the United States about 1850. His mother was born in Bavaria. Young Baer enjoyed the advantages of a thorough educa- tion in the schools of Cincinnati, after which he attended the well-known Cincinnati Law School, from which institution he graduated with the class of 1878, receiving the degree of L.B. He immediately opened an office and became engaged in the practice of his pro- fession, in which he has obtained a high stand- ing. Mr. Baer is a conscientious lawyer, of sound common sense and good judgment. Hc not only possesses the confidence of his clients, but also the esteem of his fellow practitioners. HENRY BAER Mr. Baer is a faithful follower of Republican principles. He has served for two years as a member of the Board of Legislation of the city of Cincinnati. Socially, Mr. Baer is an Odd Fellow; he also belongs to the Blaine Club, Cincinnati's crack political association, and is the attorney for the Helvetia Savings and Banking Company. In 1882 Mr. Baer was united in marriage with Catharine R. Tucker. Five children, two boys and three girls, have been the issue of their union. Mr. Baer lives with his family at No. 524 West Seventh Street. His offices are located in the Hulbert Block, Sixth and Vine Streets, Cincinnati, Ohio.
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Charles Baird,
Attorney at law at Akron, Ohio, was born in that city on the 25th of March, 1853, of Scotch parents. His father, Robert Baird, a blacksmith by trade, was born in the parish of Kineff, Kincardineshire, Scotland, and came to this country in 1843, settling in Akron. His mother, Helen Knox Moir, was born in Brechin, Forfarshire, Scotland. She came to Akron in 1846, where she was married to Robert Baird. Young Baird received his early education in the public schools of his native town. Passing through all the grades, he was graduated from the High School in 1872. He afterwards took a course in Latin and Greek at Buchtel College. On the 20th of June, 1888, the Board of Trustees of Buchtel College conferred upon Mr. Baird the honorary degree of Master of Arts. In August, 1873, Mr. Baird entered the office of Upson & Ford and began the study of law, and on the 2d of November, 1875, was admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of Ohio, at Columbus. Returning to Akron, he immediately formed a partnership with Hon. W. H. Upson, one of his preceptors, the firm of Upson & Ford having been dissolved and Mr. Ford having left for an eighteen months' trip through Mexico. The partnership continued until Mr. Ford's return, when the firm became Upson, Ford & Baird. In March, 1883, this partnershiu was dissolved upon the appointment of Judge Upson to the office of Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio. Mr. Baird continued in practice alone, Mr. Ford retiring from practice. He was at this time Prosecuting Attorney of Summit County, having been elected first in 1880 and re-elected in 1882 for a three years' term, serving five years altogether. In 1891 he formed a partnership with E. F. Voris under the firm name of Baird & Voris. This firm was dissolved in 1895, since which time he has practiced alone. Mr. Baird has from the time of his admission to the bar been most active in the profession, enjoying a large prac- tice of a general character. He is a lawyer of exceptional ability, and has long been recog- nized by the bar of Akron as one of its leaders. In recent years his practice has developed into an extensive corporation business. He has assisted in the organization of business cor- porations, among them the Diamond Match Company, the Portage Straw Board Company, the American Straw Board Company, the Goodrich Hard Rubber Company, American Hard Rubber Company, the National Sewer Pipe Company, American Sewer Pipe Company, of which he was the first President : the Stirling Company, the Barberton Belt Line Company, the Neracher & Hill Sprinkler Company, at Warren : General Fire Extinguisher Company of New York ; the National Coal Company, of which he is now President, and many others. In politics, Mr. Baird has always been a Republican, and in the early years of his practice took an active and lively interest in party affairs, but in recent years he has devoted all his time to the practice of his profession and the management of his extensive business inter- ests. On the Ioth of February, 1882, he married Lucy Allyn Voris, a daughter of General A. C. Voris, of Akron.
Edward M. Ballard,
A leading lawyer of Cincinnati, was born at Lexington, Missouri, on the 6th of Feb- ruary, 1872. Both parents were natives of this country, his father, Patrick Ballard, coming from West Virginia, and his mother, Cynthia (McClure) Ballard, being a resident of Ohio. The Ballard ancestry can be traced back in this country to the Revolutionary War, and the name is found on the roster of General Washington's army. Edward M. Ballard received his early education in the public schools of Delphi, Indiana, and is a graduate of Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana, from which institution he received his degree in June, 1891. Deciding to make the practice of law his profession, he entered the Cincinnati Law
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School and took the complete course, graduat- ing in May, 1893. He immediately commenced the practice of law after his matriculation, being then but twenty-one years of age, and has con- tinued in that profession up to the present time. He is a firm believer in the principles of the Republican party, and took an active part in the National campaigns of 1896 and 1900. He is a fluent and forcible orator, and made many speeches during that time, many of which attracted considerable notice for their elegance of diction and peculiar forcefulness. For two years, from 1896 to 1900, he filled the position of Second Assistant Prosecuting Attorney of Hamilton County. He is a thirty-second- degree Scottish Rite Mason, and a Noble of Mystic Shrine, a member of Sons of Revolu- tion; Blaine Club, of which he is a director ; Stamina Republican League, and the Cincin- nati Gymnasium. Mr. Ballard resides at No. 236 McCormick Place, and has offices at 603- 605 Johnston Building, Cincinnati, Ohio.
EDWARD M. BALLARD
Scott Bonham,
Attorney at law at Cincinnati, enjoys the distinction of being well and favorably known all over the State of Ohio. He is a native Ohioan, being born on the 25th of January, 1858, in Midway, Madison County. His parents, William J. and Letitia Hays Bonham, were natives of Fayette County, Ohio. The Bon- hams are descendants from old Scotch-Irish stock, and the family has been in the United States for many generations. Mr. Bonham was educated in the village schools of Midway, in the Bloomingburg Institute, and at the Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, from which institution of learning he graduated in 1882, receiving the degree of A.B. When but fifteen years of age, Mr. Bonham entered into the teaching profession, in which he remained for a period of four years. During this time he carefully husbanded his resources, and thereby paid his way through college. Imme- diately after his graduation he was made Principal of Schools at West Unity, Ohio, filling that position during the years of 1882 and 1883. Possessing a natural aptitude for the profession of law, he decided to take up a course of legal studies, and consequently
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entered the University of Virginia, where he studied for a period, after which he attended the Cincinnati Law School, graduating with the class of 1885, in which year the honorary degree of LL.D. was awarded him. During his term of studies in the Cincinnati Law School Mr. Bonham distinguished himself as an orator and debater. He was admitted to the bar before the Supreme Court of Ohio on the 28th of May, 1885, and immediately opened an office at Cincinnati. In 1893 he was admitted to practice before the United States Courts. Since the commencement of his career as an attorney, Mr. Bonham has always been regarded as a man of splendid attainments, capable of handling the most intricate cases, and one who has always been successful in his endeavors. He is a brilliant speaker, forceful and convincing in his arguments. A Republican all his active life, Mr. Bonham has taken a lead- ing part in the political history of Ohio, and particularly in the city in which he resides, and has served his party as a delegate to conventions, as well as a member of important committees. For three successive terms he was a member of.the Cincinnati Board of Legis- lation, in which body his services were acceptable in every way. During his third term of office he was President of the Board. Mr. Bonham is closely identified with the political clubs of the State; he is a member of the Young Men's Blaine Club, and was for two terms President of the Republican League of Ohio, a consolidation of the most important Repub- lican clubs of the Buckeye State. Mr. Bonham's offices are located in the Lincoln Inn Court, Cincinnati, Ohio.
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