USA > Ohio > The biographical cyclopaedia and portrait gallery with an historical sketch of the state of Ohio. Volume III > Part 71
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* The best account of this remarkable trial was written by General Boynton, and appeared in the Boston Law Review for April, 1877.
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ported speeches which have received wide commendation, may be mentioned that delivered at the Cleveland Melodeon, on the death of John Brown, his eulogy of the late Secretary Stan- ton, and the more recent similar address to the Washington bar, commemorative of his friend, the late Judge Paschal. His unpublished speeches before the bar, on the deaths of Chief-justice Chase and the younger Stanton, his pupil and friend, are said to be fully equal to the other efforts. From the commencement, Mr. Riddle has been the unhesitating ad- vocate of the various measures for the advancement of wo- men, and of men as well. The progress of the race, with women perpetually undeveloped, he compares to the " effort of flying with one wing." He said that the purity of social life can only be attained by the complete delivery of woman into her own hands-which means simply the power and intelli- gence to take care of herself; that by nature she is less inclined to mercenary marriage than is man; that true mar- riages can never become the rule until men are compelled to compete for wives ; that "woman suffrage " is only a means, not the end. At the request of leading women in the move- ment he appeared before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives in support of the proposition that by a just construction of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Con- stitutional Amendments, women are entitled to vote. This he enlarged in the case of Mrs. Spencer, who attempted, and was not permitted, to vote. The argument was never, nor can it be, refuted. These speeches, widely circulated, were the arsenal from which were drawn all the weapons used in the affirmative of the above proposition. A passion for books has always been a distinguishing trait of Mr. Rid- dle's, and he is an inveterate buyer of professional and mis- cellaneous works. He rarely reads a book through, but when he has mastered an author and seen the scope of his work, he leaves it, as he has little taste or leisure for details. His inclination is rather for history and biography, though his library gives evidence of reading in universal channels, including Darwin's, Spencer's, and Mill's works. His first publication was a series of eight provisional law lectures, de- livered before the first graduating law class-colored stu- dents-of Howard University. The edition was favorably noticed, and received the commendations of prominent law- yers from all parts of the United States. His first novel," "Bart Ridgely," was published in 1873, and was pronounced the best American novel of the year. It seems to have taken a permanent place in American literature, and is said to have been written for the most part without a thought of publication. As in the case of most first novels, the author unconsciously wrote in a good deal of himself, and of his experience, but there is not the slightest foundation for the impression that the story was an intentional autobiography. The hero and heroine are unquestionably creatures of pure fiction ; men and women, touched by the portrayal, find in the former their highest ideal conception of a manliness at once sweet and strong. Among the numerous letters addressed to the author, is one from one of the foremost statesmen of the land, who said, "that so completely did it idealize and realize some of his own personal experiences, that while read- ing it in a railroad car, he laid his head down on the back of the seat before him and wept with the abandonment of a child."* Many letters were also received claiming to iden- tify the author as the hero. One writer said that he heard
Mr. Riddle make the speech given in the ejectment trial of the story -- a speech which, unfortunately for the man's memory, had never an existence outside the book's covers. The ensuing year appeared the " Portrait," also a tale of the "Reserve,"'drawn somewhat from the author's life in Man- tua. It has less redundancy than " Bart Ridgely," and has the advantage of a more ingenious plot. Although many readers of "Bart " were disappointed in the "Portrait," not finding in it the flavor and freshness of the first, from a critic's standpoint it is an advance upon the former, and the author is said to regard it with more favor than either of the others. The following year the Appletons brought out "Alice Brand," a story of Washington at the close of the war. This was received with quite as much commendation as the first, and evinces more inventive power than either of the others, though the story, or stories, are less pleasant. Many readers at a distance charged the author with over- drawing and color of the state of things existing then at the capital; but intelligent residents of Washington at that day can identify many of the leading characters and incidents, and know the work to be a graphic picture of that strange time. Mr. Riddle's facility for writing is very great, and is exercised exclusively during the minutes and hours not re- quired in the pursuit of a very active professional life. It may be said that he has never found a single entire day which he could devote to literary work, and as well that he has never neglected a matter of business for it. His capacity for dis- patching professional business will account for the time he finds for other matters. The "Portrait" was written within the limit of twenty-two days. The author's habit is to work out his idea mentally, or permit it to work itself out, before committing it to paper, and not until the whole is complete does he go over or correct a single page. He has also done much newspaper work, and furnished many short stories, all more or less connected with his early life, the memory of which has an enduring charm for him. He wrote a history of the townships of the County of Geauga, and nearly all the biographical sketches in Williams's History of Geauga County, published by the Lippincotts, in 1878, except the sketch of himself. He has also published a volume of short stories, "The House of Ross, and Other Tales;" as also a "Boys' and Girls' Book," for his two grandchildren, grand- nephews, and niece, both of which are highly spoken of, the last especially. John Burroughs pronounced that one of the best boys' books he had ever seen. In 1880 he wrote a cam- paign life of Garfield, which, though written in fifteen days, was esteemed by the family and friends the most satisfac- tory of the biographical sketches of its distinguished subject. It may be mentioned that General Garfield was a regularly entered law student in Mr. Riddle's Cleveland office, and was admitted to the bar on his certificate. It was at his re- quest that the life was written. It may be of interest to state that a sketch of Mr. Riddle was prepared by Mr. Abbott, editor of the Boston Literary World, and published in that journal some years ago. In this sketch the attempt has been to make a nearly colorless outline of a busy life, be- ginning in the obscure pathways of the woods of Northern Ohio, and leading finally to the nation's capital. The popu- lar judgment of some of his work has been referred to; the intention has been to refrain from an overstatement of its favorable character. No effort of the writer has been made to estimate his mental or moral qualities, portray his charac- ter, criticise his conduct, or judge of his performances, liter-
* The late President Garfield,
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ary, professional, or forensic; not a word of his person, man- ners, or qualities, his likes or dislikes, or how he is esteemed socially. Nothing has been said of him in his various rela- tions to public or private life. He has been before the eyes of men, has done much work, has met with many of the vicissitudes of human experience. The world must judge of his life and character, and assign him his place among the men of his generation. It is possible that in the hands of a master a biography of him might not be without in- terest, and be found to contain lessons of use to others.
F. R. B.
MORRISON, JOHN W., lawyer, New Lisbon, Ohio, was born in Franklin Township, Columbiana County, Ohio, April 14th, 1824. His father, James B. Morrison, was a na- tive of Washington County, Pennsylvania, and became a pioneer to Franklin Township, Columbiana County, Ohio, in April, 1815. Among the local offices which he has held in the county may be mentioned that of colonel in the early day militia, justice of the peace, which position he occupied for twelve years, and coroner, which office he held four years. He now resides in New Lisbon, in his ninety-fifth year, in a remarkable state of preservation, both of body and mind. He married Mary Woolam, a native of Maryland, who bore him twelve children. She died March 19th, 1874, in her seventy-seventh year. John W. Morrison passed the first sixteen years of his life on a farm. His opportunities for attending school were exceedingly meager, and were all com- prised within the short space of two years. He is self-edu- cated, having, when young, diligently improved his spare time in private reading and study. At the age of eigliteen, by thus improving his mind, and supporting himself by his own efforts, he had fitted himself for a teacher, and began the career of a teacher that continued nine years, he being thus employed for the most part in the Winter seasons. The other portions of the year were filled in with work, study, read- ing, etc., as circumstances required or permitted. By indus- trious, personal application, he went through a regular course of mathematics, and the higher English branches, receiving some occasional assistance in the former from the late Abijah McClain, of New Lisbon, and in the latter, from the late Hon. C. L. Vallandigham, at that time a resident of the same place. His first term of school was for three months at six dollars per month and board with the scholars, but afterwards his wages ran up to the highest that was paid for common school teaching in that vicinity. His mind was es- pecially adapted to close reasoning, and as a mathematician he stood among the best. When quite young he learned to speak in public at debating societies in the country under the direction of his father, who had considerable ability in that way. At the age of twenty, and while engaged in teach- ing, he began reading law, receiving some directions therein from Messrs. Umbstaetter & Stanton, of New Lisbon (the latter the late Hon. E. M. Stanton, late Secretary of War), but on account of failing health and means, he was soon compelled, for the time being, to relinquish that study. In 1853 he was elected surveyor for Columbiana County, and served as such for six years. During the same time, also, he was county school examiner. He then resumed the study of law under the instruction of Messrs. Wadsworth & Orr, of New Lisbon, and was admitted to the bar in 1860. Prac- ticing for about a year in Hanover, Columbiana County, he opened an office in New Lisbon, where he has since resided. In 1862, he was elected justice of the peace, and served six
years, and during a portion of this time, he was also mayor of New Lisbon. Formerly a Democrat in politics, since 1856 he has been quite an active Republican politician. On March 10th, 1871, he met with a very serious railroad acci- dent, and in which he barely escaped with his life. The bones of his face were broken into eight pieces, his skull fractured, his nose broken, and his left arm severed from his body. By this casualty he was completely disabled for many months, and two years elapsed before he returned to the practice of his profession. He possesses fine natural abili- ties and great energy, pushes his legal cases with a most determined perseverance, and leaves nothing proper unat- tempted that will secure him success. He is a fluent and ready speaker, and when aroused in the trial of a case, abounds in the bitterest sarcasm, and most withering rep- artee. On account of these qualities he is a formidable ad- versary. He has been very successful in his profession, and has accumulated a fine property. He has never married. His brother, Harvey, read law under him and was admitted to the bar in April, 1867, after sufficiently recovering from sickness contracted while a soldier in the Union Army dur- ing the Rebellion, and in December, 1868, associated with him in the practice, under the firm name of J. W. & H. Morrison, and has so continued since. His brother is a fine scholar, good lawyer, and a fluent and convincing speaker. Both of them are practicing members of the bar in the Cir- cuit Court of the United States for the Northern District of Ohio. The firm is noted for law students, and has turned out more than any other firm in that section of country, many of whom are well established in the profession. His brother is married and has one child fifteen years of age, a promising boy.
HART, HON. ALPHONSO, Hillsboro, member of Congress, ex-Lieutenant Governor of the State of Ohio, and a lawyer of well-known repute, is the son of Chauncey and Melisendra Hart. He was born July 4th, 1830, in Vienna, Trumbull County, Ohio, where his father followed the occu- pation of farming. The family came originally from Hart- ford County, Connecticut, where their name and connections are very numerous, and settled in Ohio only a few years pre- vious to the birth of their son. Alplionso enjoyed the usual advantages of the country youth in the public schools of his native county up to the age of fourteen, when his father died, and the little family of five children was dispersed. He was then bound out to a neighboring farmer for three years ; but dissatisfied with the treatment he received, and having no opportunity for improvement and culture, at the end of seven months he signified his unwillingness to remain, dissolved the connection, and assumed the regulation of his own career. He determined to obtain an education, and achieved his pur- pose without the aid of a dollar from relation or friend. By laboring and teaching in vacations and winters he maintained himself at the Grand River Institute, in Ashtabula County, till he acquired a fair knowledge of Latin, Greek, mathemati- cal and other sciences. At the age of nineteen he registered for the bar, and pursuing his legal studies during the intervals of labor, was admitted August 12th, 1851. In the spring of 1852 he entered the office of Judge John Clark, of New Lis- bon, Columbiana County, to begin practice under his direc- tion. He remained with Judge Clark two years, and in 1854 was elected Assistant Clerk of the lower branch of the Ohio Legislature. The same year he purchased the Portage Sen-
John w. morrisons .
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tinel, a weekly newspaper published at Ravenna, which he conducted in the interests of the Democratic party till 1857, when he disposed of the concern to associate himself with Samuel Strawler, of Ravenna, in the practice of law. This association continued till 1860. In 1861 Mr. Hart was elected Proscecuting Attorney for Portage County, and was re-elected to the same office in 1863, but resigned in 1864 to accept the seat in the State Senate vacated by the elevation of the Hon. Luther Day to the Supreme Bench. Resuming his practice at the expiration of his term, he devoted himself rigidly to his profession till 1871, when he again entered the political arena and was elected to represent his district in the Senate. In 1873 Mr. Hart received the signal honor of being elected Lieutenant-governor of the State, and that at a time when his party sustained quite a general overthrow, and their ex- ecutive nominee was defeated by Governor Allen. A career so marked as that of Mr. Hart discloses the character of the man without the comment of the historian. Since the break- ing out of the war, in 1861, he has been a Republican, but his legislative course has been marked by a degree of politi- cal sagacity and an independence of judgment which dis- tinguishes the statesman from the mere politician. When a member of the Senate, he was Chairman of the Standing Committee on Judiciary, and also of the Committee on Privi- leges and Elections. As Chairman of the latter he made the majority report upon the Senatorial contest from the Third District, which resulted in establishing the right of the inmates of the National Military Asylum for Disabled Soldiers, at Dayton, to vote. The measure was one of grave importance, involving questions of constitutional law, the jurisdiction of States, and the political status of people in a State who were living upon land ceded to the general gov- ernment for national purposes. Deciding as it did their right of citizenship, it excited the deepest interest among soldiers, and especially those at the various government asy- lums throughout the Union. The immediate question in- volved was the right of a Senator to a seat which he had gained by having the soldiers' vote thrown out; and as the Senate was a tie, and the unseating of the member would give the Republicans a majority and the power to control legislation, the contest was the most obstinate and bitter in the legislative history of Ohio. As Chairman of the Com- mittee Mr. Hart brought in a report adverse to the sitting member and in favor of the contestant for whom the soldiers had tendered their ballots. In the hot debate that followed he maintained his position with such eloquence and ability as made him the leader of his party in the General Assem- bly. The Senate adopted the report, and the seat was given to the contestant, and in a subsequent review of the case, the Supreme Court, notwithstanding a former decision to the contrary, affirmed the policy advocated by Mr. Hart, and the right of soldiers to vote in the State where their asylums are located is now judicially settled. Impartial, able, and court- eous, with great knowledge of parliamentary law, Mr. Hart gained the good-will and confidence of both parties as presid- ing officer of the Senate. As a political speaker he is well- known, having frequently made the canvass of the State. In 1872 he was Presidential Elector at Large for Ohio on the Republican ticket, and in the electoral college cast his vote for the re-election of General Grant. In 1874 he removed to Cleveland, Ohio, and practiced law in that city under the firm-name of Marvin, Hart & Squire till 1878, when he re- moved to Hillsboro, where he has since resided, engaged in
the practice of his profession, and in farming and stock-rais- ing. In 1880 he was a delegate to the Chicago Convention, which nominated General Garfield to the Presidency, and in the fall of that year received the nomination for Congress from the 7th Congressional District, but was defeated by Hon. John P. Leedom. In the fall of 1882 he was again nominated from what was then the 12th District, and was elected to the 48th Congress, although his ticket in general, was defeated by several hundred votes. In his profession he has gained a reputation not less distinguished and honorable than that obtained in the field of politics. He is thoroughly grounded in the fundamental principles of the law, and possesses the mental capacity and discrimination that enables him to draw therefrom the controlling principles applicable to cases as they arise; he is, therefore, at once a ready lawyer, and one who inspires confidence in courts and clients. But it is as an advocate that Mr. Hart has become chie fly distinguished. Possessing forensic talents rarely excelled, he acquired, soon after he came to the bar, a standing among the ablest lawyers of the State as a trial lawyer. He brought to the bar the energy and force that characterized him in all his pursuits. With a dignified and courteous bearing he possesses an easy and pleasing manner, that makes him an agreeable associate even when a formidable antagonist. In all the social walks of life he is genial, and inspires universal respect. A consistent member of the Congregational Church, he has ever been found in active sympathy with the religious, moral, and reformatory movements for the general improve- ment and welfare of the communities in which he has lived. Socially his career has afforded a precedent to be followed, not an example to be shunned. He was married on Novem- ber 22d, 1856, to Phebe Peck, of Warren, who died in Sep- tember, 1868, leaving two children, a son and a daughter. May 29th, 1878, he married his second wife, Mrs. Anna Evans, of Hillsboro, and spent the summer in extensive travel through Europe, returning to Hillsboro in the fall of that year.
WARRINGTON, JOHN W., lawyer, of Cincinnati, was born in Clark County, Ohio, July 22d, 1846. His father, Charles B. Warrington, a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, was born in England. He came to America in the early part of the present century, and for some years resided in the State of Virginia. There he married Miss Mary Davisson, a native of that State. In 1819 the family re- moved to Cincinnati, which continued their permanent place of residence. John W. Warrington was liberally educated in the public schools of Cincinnati, besides receiving special instruction by private tutors. From early boyhood his ambition was to become a lawyer, and to that end his energies were ac- cordingly directed. The outbreak of the rebellion at this period of his life interrupted him in his studies. Though but sixteen years of age, he enlisted in the 10th Ohio Volun- teer Infantry in the latter part of 1862, and participated in all the trying scenes through which that regiment passed, from that time until the close of the war. Upon his return home he at once resumed his legal studies, and in the year 1867 he entered the Cincinnati Law College, from which he graduated in 1869. He was immediately honored with the Appointment of Assistant City Solicitor, which position he filled with acceptability until 1873, when he was elected City Solicitor. For the term of two years he performed the duties of this office with an ability and a fidelity that won
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for him a most flattering reputation among the younger mem- bers of the bar. At the expiration of his term of office he entered into a law partnership with Mr. Thomas B. Paxton, which has continued to the present time. Mr. Warrington's position among the members of the Ohio bar is a most hon- orable one, among whom he is recognized as a man of un- questionable ability. His attainments and native forces are of that variety and character which combine strength with versatility. From his zealous spirit of inquiry and research he has become well grounded in the law, is thorough in his preparation of cases, and in the trial of a cause it is that he excels as an advocate. He has been counsel in many of the most important causes brought before the courts in Hamilton County for several years past, and has besides been largely employed in weighty cases in the Supreme Courts of the State and the United States. Mr. Warrington has had little to do with matters of a public nature other than that identified with his profession. Though an ardent Republi- can in politics, he has never sought public office, and though urged by many to enter the field as a Congressional candi- date for several years past, has uniformly declined the honor. In 1876 he was elected from the second Congressional dis- trict of Ohio as presidential elector in behalf of President Hayes. Socially he is ever the courteous, candid, and re- fined gentleman, imbued with the highest sense of honor in every relation. He was married in June, 1871.
MAY, JOHN M., late of Mansfield, was born in Con- way, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, October 13th, 1787, and died at his home in Mansfield December 12th, 1869. The ancestor of his race in America was John May, from Mayfield, Sussex County, England, captain of the ship James, which sailed between the ports of New England and London from 1635 to 1640, when he settled in Roxbury, Massachu- setts. From this stock descended the Mays of New England, New York, and Michigan, known in military and civic life. Theodore May, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a Revolutionary soldier who, at the close of his services, received his pay in Continental currency, which was so depre- ciated that his son John M. and the other boys would use it for "thumb papers " at school. In 1797 he removed with his family to Washington County, New York. In 1811 John M. May emigrated thence alone for Ohio, crossing the Alle- ghany Mountains to Pittsburg on foot, arriving at Marietta, Ohio, by boat. In the fall of that year he commenced the study of law in the office of Philemon Beecher in Lancaster, Ohio, having for fellow-students for a time Hon. Thomas Ewing and the late Judge Jacob Parker, of Mansfield. Dur- ing his novitiate in the law he supported himself by teach- ing in the Winter time, Hocking H. Hunter being one of his pupils. He was admitted to the bar July 26th, 1815, and in the Autumn of the same year settled in Mansfield, where he resided until his death. He was the first resident lawyer in Mansfield, and practiced in his profession until two years prior to his death. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney in 1816, but resigned the office the year following, because the defenses to prosecution offered him better compensation. For many years he rode the circuit of the Northern and Western County Courts, and had a large and successful practice. In 1825 he married Miss Artemisia Wolfe, from one of the pioneer families of the county, by whom he had one son, now the Hon. Manuel May, of Mans- field, Common Pleas Judge, and one daughter, Miss Lizzie
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