USA > Pennsylvania > The twentieth century bench and bar of Pennsylvania, volume II > Part 29
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appointed president as Judge Futhey's suc- cessor.
Hon. Joseph Hemphill the president judge of Chester county, was first elected to the bench in the fall of 1889, and was serving as additional law judge when appointed presi- dent judge, as successor to Judge Waddell, deceased, and at the end of that term was elected for another full term. As a Demo- crat, he was active in the couneils of his party, and his efficiency as a member of the constitutional convention in 1872 brought him into prominence and probably led to his selection for judicial honors. He is a native of Chester, a son of Mr. Joseph Hemphill, who was an influential member of the Ches- ter county bar, and was born in 1842. He received a liberal education, and after spend- ing three years in his father's law office, received special tuition under Messrs. Par- sons & Washburn, in the law department of Harvard university. He was in active prac- tice from the time of his admission to the bar in 1864 till he went on the bench.
William Butler, additional law judge of Chester county, was born at West Chester, Pa., September 5, 1862, to William and Lettia (Thomas) Butler. William Butler, his father, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume, was a prominent attorney and judge, having served eighteen years on the bench of Common Pleas Court, and on the United States District Court bench for twenty-two years. Our subject was educated in the common schools of Chester county, and graduated from Swathmore college in 1883. He studied law in the office of his cousin, the Hon. Thomas Butler, at West Chester, and was admitted to the bar in 1887. He at once engaged in general practice with his cousin, the firm name being Thomas S. & William Butler. A short time after, Mr. William S. Windle entered the firm, the name changing to Butler & Windle. In 1897 he received the nomination for additional law
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judge, and in August was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge Waddell, and in November of the same year was elected for a term of ten years.
In the early days eriminal prosecutions were conducted by the attorney general, and later by deputies appointed by him. But in 1850 the General Assembly enaeted a law creating the office of district attorney, and since then that offieer has aeted as the . noted for uprightness of character, integrity people's representative.
Among the eminent lawyers who have served as attorney general, may be men- tioned Benjamin Chew, who eame to the office in 1755, and who, afterwards rose from the Common Pleas beneh to the Chief Jus- ticeship of the provinee; Thomas MeKean, who, after serving as chief justice of the Supreme Court, was elected governor of Pennsylvania; James Wilson, a famous orator, who beeame one of the justiees of the United States Supreme Court; Jaeob Rush, who was promoted from the Common Pleas Court to the state Supreme Court and Court of Errors and Appeals, and John Lawrenee, John Coxe, Moses Levy, and Jonathan D. Sergeant; all of whom rose to prominenee in their profession, the latter serving as a mem- ber of the Provincial Congress. Following Mr. Sergeant, in 1780, as attorney general, was William Bradford, in whose honor Brad- ford county, Pa., was named, and who, in 1794, President Washington appointed attor- ney general of the United States. After him came Mr. Jared Ingersoll, who was sueeeeded by Mr. John B. MeKean, who filled the office two terms, and who, like his predecessor, also served as president judge of the Distriet Court at Philadelphia. After Mr. MeKean came Jasper Yeates and Seth Chapman, both .of whom were afterwards prominent on the beneh, the former being a judge of the state Supreme Court. Sinee the office of distriet attorney was created, in 1850, it has been ably filled by such men as Pasehal Wood- ward, Wayne McVeagh, George F. Smith,
Abram Wanger, and Joseph H. Baldwin. The list of names of those who have attained to eminenee in the profession and to merited official honors might be extended indefinitely, but limited space prevents further specific mention. The Chester county bar is famous for the high standing of its members, while those who have presided over and adminis- tered the affairs of the courts, have been
of purpose, elear-headedness and sound learning. As far as shown by the records, about four hundred and fifty persons have been admitted to the bar of Chester county sinee 1683. The following, as far as we are able to learn, are at this time aetively en- gaged in praetiee: J. H. Baldwin, T. W. Baldwin, E. D. Bingham, J. H. Bull, T. S. Butler, William Butler, associate law judge; R. T. Cornwall, J. J. Gheen, G. G. Cornwall, J. N. Guss, C. H. Hannum, W. S. Harris, J. F. E. Hause, W. M. Hayes, J. C. Hayes, J. Hemphill, president judge; H. MeC. Hold- ing, F. C. Hooton, J. N. Huston, C. B. Jacobs, G. B. Johnson, J. B. Kinnard, T. Laek, W. W. MeElrece, A. T. Parke, C. H. Penny- paeker, T. W. Pieree, J. J. Pinkerton, A. Pyle, S. D. Ramsey, A. P. Reid, G. M. Rupert, James C. Sellers, C. W. Talbot, D. S. Talbot, R. S. Waddell, A. Wanger, W. C. Wells, F. Windle, W. S. Windle, I. N. Winn.
Robert T. Cornwall was born in Orange eounty, New York, January 29, 1835, to Daniel and Elizabeth (Thompson) Cornwall. He received his edueation in the common schools, the university of northern Pennsyl- vania and Montieello (N. Y.) academy. In 1855 he eame to Pennsylvania, locating at . Millersville, where he remained for three and one-half years, as member of the State Nor- mal school faculty. He studied law at West Chester in the office of the late Judge William B. Waddell, and was admitted to the bar of Chester county Deeember 10, 1866. From 1868 to 1878 he was associated in praetiee with Mr. William Darlington under the firm
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name of Darlington & Cornwall. From 1878 he remained in practice alone till 1893, when his son, Gibbons G., formed a partnership with him. In 1897 Mr. Gheen entered the firm, the style changing to Cornwall, Gheen & Cornwall. During the war of the Rebel- lion, Mr. Cornwall enlisted in a Pennsylvania regiment, was elected captain, and served in the army of the Potomac. Affiliated with the Republican party, Mr. Cornwall has never held or sought political preferment.
John J. Pinkerton was born in Chester county, Pa., in 1836, of revolutionary ances- try. His father, Samuel Pinkerton, was the first prothonotary in Chester county, being elected to that office in 1839. John was edu- cated in the public schools of the county and at Union college, Schenectady, N. Y., gradu- ating therefrom in the class of 1858. He studied law at Westchester in the office of the late IIon. J. Smith Futhey, and was admitted to the bar in 1860. He was asso- ciated for five years with Wayne MeVeagh, which partnership was dissolved in 1870, when Mr. MeVeagh went as minister to Con- stantinople. Mr. Pinkerton has conducted a general practice of the law, but corporation, in any branch, has been his specialty; has been attorney for the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Balti- more Railroad, while the Republican party claims him as one of its active members. He took a leading part in the independent move- ment when John Stewart was candidate for governor. He was for five years president of the board of trustees of the State Normal school of Westchester, and solicitor for the First National bank for a number of years.
Alfred P. Reid, a native of Chester county, was born in Highland township, September 3, 1842, of Scotch-Irish ancestry. He was educated in the common schools, at the Parkersburg academy, at the Westchester academy, and graduated from the LaFay- ette college in 1864. He studied law in the office and under the direction of Hon, J.
Smith Futhey, at Westchester, and was admitted to the bar August 14, 1866. He immediately commenced practice, and for eight years, during which time Mr. W. Townsend was in Congress, occupied his office. He has enjoyed a large general prac- tice and ranks among the foremost trial law- yers of the state. He has been of counsel in a large number of important cases, one of the more recent being the William H. Pratt murder case. As a Republican he has taken an active part in the councils of his party and was chairman of the county committee for two years. Mr. Reid was a member of the militia during the Gettysburg trouble in 1863; is active in church circles, and since 1872 has been an elder in the Presbyterian church. In business matters, he is president of the First National bank, president of the Dime Savings bank, director in the Chester county Trust company and president of the Pennsylvania Mutual Fire Insurance com- pany. Is trustee of Westchester State Nor- mal school and connected with almost all the financial enterprises of Chester county. IIe has been counsel for the Philadelphia & Westchester Trolley company, the Standard Oil company and the Western Union Tele- graph company. Mr. Reid was married at Philadelphia to Miss Emma Bowman, and has had one son and two daughters.
Abraham Wanger was born in Chester county, Pa., January 9, 1837, and was edu- cated in the common schools, the Freeland seminary, Montgomery county, and at Hill's school in Pottstown, Pa. He studied law at Westchester in the office of Wayne MeVeagh, .and was admitted to the Chester county bar in March, 1863. He then enlisted in Com- pany I, Sixth. Pennsylvania Cavalry, as private; promoted to corporal and acting sergeant, and served until the close of the war, when he returned to Westchester and commenced his law practice. As a Repub- lican candidate, he was elected district attorney in 1872, and served one term.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
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ALLEGHENY COUNTY
BY ARCHIBALD BLAKELEY
In the great American backbone, the Rock- ies of the North and the Andes of the South, there are mountains whose summits are capped by perpetual snow or glistening un- der the fierce rays of a torrid sun.
The beholder may look upon their majes- tic forms in amazement and admiration, yet he cannot fully comprehend their true beauty and grandeur until he explores the wonderful ranges in which they stand; their buttresses, their wealth of basal rock and the lower heights which circle around their lofty neighbors, fit settings for one of the grandest pieces of nature's works known to man.
The Allegheny County Bar, covering one hundred and fifteen years, has, at least suggestively, analagous points with the above mountain picture.
A host of the members of our bench and bar, living and dead, tower above their fel- lows as the higher mountains rise sky-ward from the earth rocks of which they are a part.
Without the help of our humble, faithful, painstaking, toiling, careworn, midnight . lamp burning, brief and book making law- yers, unknown to fame, our gaints in the profession would have been as impossible as the majestic mountain without its earth rock.
Therefore, when we speak personally of our brethren who have won distinction in the profession, we speak impersonally of the great array of quiet workers who helped the distinguished brother to his proud position.
At the first court held in Allegheny county, December 16, 1798, James Ross, Hugh Henry Brackenridge, John Woods,
Robert Galbraith, George Thompson, Alex- ander Addison, David Bradford, David Red- ick, James Carson, Daniel St. Clair, and Mi- chael Huffnagle, were admitted to practice in the courts of the new county.
James Ross was born in York county, Pennsylvania, a son of George Ross of that county, the date of his birth being July 12, 1762. He was educated at Canonsburg, Pa., under the Rev. Dr. McMillan; read law in Philadelphia, where he was first admitted; then canc west and was admitted to prac- tice in Fayette and Washington counties in 1784, and in Westmoreland county in 1785. From the date of his admission in Allegheny county, December 16, 1788, his practice was principally here, finally making Pittsburgh his home.
Mr. Ross was a great lawyer, especially in land cases, and became the recognized leader of the bar. He was a member of the State Constitutional Convention that framed the constitution of 1790; was elected to the United States Senate and served from April 24, 1794, to March 4, 1805; was elected pres- ident of the Senate, February 20, 1795, and again March 1, 1797. He was the candidate of the Federal party for governor of Penn- sylvania in 1799, 1802 and 1805, but was de- feated each time; was president of the Se- lect Council of the city of Pittsburgh fron 1816 to 1833. He was a man of large wealth. Ross street, Pittsburgh, and Ross township, Allegheny county, were so named in his honor.
Mr. Ross died at his home, Pittsburgh, Pa., November 27, 1847, aged eighty-five years four months and fifteen days. He was bur-
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ied in the Allegheny eemetery, Pittsburgh. His death was announeed in eourt on No- vember 29, 1847, by Walter Forward and Cornelius Darragh.
From the above it will be seen that Mr. Ross was not a stranger to the mutations of political life, which will be more apparent by a statement which legend and tradition tell us, that in one of his eampaigns for gov- ernor he was defeated in tliis way: Mr. Ross owned the square where our eourt house stands, on which there was a dwelling house. He leased it to a Freneh family for a boarding house, and in the course of time they purchased the property on small pay- ments and long time. Afterwards, the Frenehman left his wife, and she was un- able to make the payments. After waiting a long time, he foreelosed the mortgage and then let it rest for a while. He was finally compelled to take legal steps to oust her, and did so. His political adversaries got up a pieture of Mr. Ross and the bailiff, driving the poor "widow" as they ealled her, out of the house and off the premises. Mr. Ross was conspieuously represented, whip in hand, and the subjeet otherwise distorted to misrepresent him. The picture in papers and hand bills was published and posted all over the state, which turned the tide against him and defeated him.
In another eampaign, Simon Snyder was his opponent. There were marching elubs in those days, and the supporters of Ross marelied to the words-
"James Ross, He's a hoss."
The supporters of Snyder improved on this by adopting and using the following :
"James Ross, He's a hoss ; Simon Snyder, He's the rider."
The new eateh words took like wild fire, and
were largely, if not actually, the cause of his defeat.
Hugh Henry Brackenridge was born at Campbelton, Scotland, in 1748. He came to America with his parents in his fifth year, and was graduated from Prineeton with the elass of 1771. At the beginning of the war of the Revolution, he was master of an aead- emy in Maryland. Removing to Philadel- phia, he studied divinity and was appointed a ehaplain in the Colonial army. Afterwards he studied law and was admitted to prae- tiee in Philadelphia, then removed to Pitts- burgh in 1781, and in October of that year was admitted to praetiee in the eourts of Washington and Westmoreland counties. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1786, for the purpose of securing the or- ganization of Allegheny eounty; was eom- missioned a justice of the Supreme Court of the state, December 18, 1799, and served un- til his death, which oeeurred at Carlisle, Pa., June 25, 1816, where he was buried.
Judge Brackenridge was a strong lawyer, a good judge, had fine literary ability, and wrote the "Incidents of the Insurreetion in Western Pennsylvania," "Modern Chiv- alry," "An Eulogium of the Brave who Fell in the War with Great Britain," "The Rising Glory of America" (a poem), "Law Mis- cellanics," and other works.
John Woods was a son of Col. George Woods of Bedford county, and eame to the bar in that county. He was admitted to the bar of Washington county in Deeember, 1783, and of Westmoreland and Fayette counties in 1784. . He resided at Pittsburgh and was elected to Congress in 1814, serving one term. He was a presidential eleetor in 1796, and following that, was one term in the Pennsylvania Senate. His father laid out what is known as the "Military Plan of Pittsburgh" in 1784. Mr. Woods died in 1817.
Robert Galbraith resided at Bedford, and eame to the bar of that county April 16,
HC Cogger Jr Bro & Co
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ALLEGHENY COUNTY
1781. On his admission to the Allegheny county bar, at the organization of the court, his commission as deputy attorney general for Allegheny county was read, whereupon he was duly qualified and became the first deputy attorney general for the county.
We have no record of George Thompson, except that he was admitted in Washington county in December, 1782, and presumably remained in practice there.
Alexander Addison was born at Moray- shire, Scotland, in 1758. He was graduated bachelor of arts at the university of Aber- decn in 1775, and continuing his studies re- ceived the degree of master of arts in 1777. He studied divinity and was licensed by the Presbytery of Aberlowe in 1781. Came to America in 1785, with Rev. Charles Nisbit, D. D., President of Dickinson college, Car- lisle, Pa. He settled at Washington, Pa., the same year and for a while supplied the church there. Hc then read law with David Redick of Washington, and was admitted to the Washington county bar in March, 1787. He was commissioned president judge of the Fifth Judicial District, August 22, 1791, including Allegheny, Fayette, Wash- ington and Westmoreland, to which district Greene was added in 1796; Armstrong, Bea- ver and Butler in 1797; Crawford, Eric, Mer- cer, Venango and Warren in 1803; thus cov- cring nearly all of western Pennsylvania. Ile had a hard time of it in bringing order out of the chaos into which the justices' courts of Virginia and Pennsylvania had brought the then new country, yet none of his decisions were ever carried to a higher court. He was, however, impeached, tried by the Pennsylvania Senate, convicted and removed from office January 27, 1803.
Judge Addison's friends have always con- tended that his impeachment was prompted, moved and controlled by partisan fecling and not sustained by the facts or law of the case. Be this as it may, Judge Addison had clean cut convictions in law, politics, morais
and the courtesies of life, and he was wont to express them in elcar, ringing, unmistaka- able Scotch-English and was therefore the "shining mark" that "death loves." That he was great, good and honest, all now ad. mit. He resumed the practice of the law here and died November 24, 1807, and was buried in the church lot of the First Presby- terian church corner of Wood strect and Sixth avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. On Septem- ber 23, 1901, his remains, with those of his wife, were removed to the Allegheny cem- ctcry, Pittsburgh.
David Bradford was born in Maryland and was admitted to practice in Washington and Westmoreland counties in 1782. He was appointed deputy attorney general for Washington county in 1783, and served until March, 1795. He resided in Washington and was a leader in the Whiskey Boy Insurrec- tion in Western Pennsylvania in 1791-1794. Being excluded from the terms of the am- nesty proclamation, he fled on the approach of the Federal troops to Bayou Sara, in Lou- isiana territory, where he died.
David Redick was born in Ireland. He resided and practiced at Washington, Pa , and died there September 28, 1805. He was a member of the Supreme Executive Counsel of the state in 1786, and a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1790.
James Carson was a resident of Bedford, Pa., admitted to the bar of that county in April, 1798, and admitted in Washington county, June, 1786. IIc removed from Bed- ford to Somerset, where he was admitted September 10, 1804.
Daniel St. Clair was a son of the distin- guished General Arthur St. Clair.
Michael Huffnagle was admitted in West- moreland county in 1779, in Washington county in 1782, in Fayette county in 1793.
George Vallandigham was admitted in Washington county April, 1788, and in Alle- gheny county March 18, 1789. He is re- puted to have been the grandfather of Cle-
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ment L. Vallandigham, a distinguished law- yer and statesman of Ohio.
John Young resided at Greensburg, West- moreland county, was admitted in that county in 1785 and in Allegheny county March 18, 1789. He was afterwards presi- dent judge of the judicial district of which Westmoreland county was a part.
Galbraith Patterson was admitted Sep- tember 19, 1789, on motion of H. H. Brack- enridge.
Thomas Smith resided and came to the bar in Bedford county, Pennsylvania. He was admitted to the Allegheny county bar, July 3, 1790, on motion of Hugh H. Brack- enridge; was a member of the Continental Congress, 1780 to 1782. Mr. Smith was commissioned president judge of the Fourth Judicial District, composed of Bedford, Cumberland, Franklin, Huntington and Mif- flin counties, August 20, 1791, and served until January 31, 1794, when he was com- missioned a justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He died March 31, 1809, while in commission as a justice of the Su- preme Court.
Steele Semple was graduated from Dick- inson college with the class of 1787. He was admitted to our bar March 12, 1792, on motion of John Woods. Distinguished co- temporaries of Mr. Semple concur in assign- ing him high position in the profession and unite in bearing testimony to his worth as a man and citizen. He died in 1845.
Henry Woods, son of George Woods of Bedford, was admitted June 5, 1792, on inotion of John Woods, his brother. He re- sided at Bedford and was in Congress from the Bedford district from 1791 to 1803.
Hugh Ross was admitted in Washington county, September, 1792, and in Allegheny county December 3, 1792, on motion of James Ross.
David McKeehan was graduated from Dickinson college with the class of 1787,
and was admitted December 4, 1792, on motion of James Ross.
George Armstrong was admitted March 4, 1793, on motion of John Woods on presen- ·tation of a certificate of admission in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania.
Henry Purviance was admitted in Wash- ington county, March, 1790; in Fayette county, September 22, 1790, and in Alle- gheny county, March 4, 1794. He was dep- uty attorney general for Washington county from March, 1795, to April, 1796; resided and practiced at Washington, Pa., and died there.
Thomas Collins, son of Thomas and Su- sanna (North) Collins, was born at Dublin, Ireland, 1774. He was educated at Trinity college, Dublin, and came to America in 1790; read law at Reading, Pa., with John Marks Biddle, and was admitted to the Berks county bar August 8, 1794, on motion of his preceptor. He removed to Pittsburgh and was admitted to the Allegheny county bar, December 3, 1794, and practiced here until his death. He died at Butler, Pa., February 17, 1814, and was buried there.
The Collins family had a burial lot near (now in) the town of Butler, in which Mr. Collins was buried. Subsequently the lot with other grounds were donated to the Catholic church of Butler for a cemetery. Therefore, although a Protestant, his re- mains lie in what is known as the Catholic cemetery.
Mr. Collins was a good lawyer, methodical and careful in all things.
Parker Campbell, born at Carlisle, Pa., in 1768, was admitted to the Washington coun- ty bar in December, 1794, and to the Alle- gheny county bar, March 2, 1795. He was deputy attorney general for Washington county from April, 1796, to May, 1801. Ile died at Washington July 30, 1824.
James Morrison was admitted June 4, 1795.
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George H. Repley was admitted Septem- ber 7, 1795.
Samuel Sidney Mahon was admitted June 6, 1796.
James Montgomery was admitted Sep- tember 5, 1796.
Thomas Creigh was graduated from Dick- inson eollege with the class of 1788, admit- ted to the Washington county bar in July, 1796, and to the Allegheny county bar, De- cember 5, 1796.
John Lyon was admitted June 8, 1797.
Thomas Nesbit was admitted in Washing- ton county, July, 1797, and to the Allegheny county bar, September 5, 1797.
James Campbell was admitted September 8, 1797.
Thomas Meason was admitted September 3, 1798. He died in 1812, at Washington, D. C.
Edward Work was admitted September 7, 1798.
David Hays was admitted September 7, 1798. He removed to Beaver county and spent the greater part of his professional life there.
James Ashbrook was admitted to the Washington county bar in November, 1798, and to the Allegheny county bar December 3, 1798. He was deputy attorney general for Washington county from May, 1801, to March, 1809.
Cunningham Semple was admitted to the Washington county bar in November, 1798, and to the Allegheny county bar, December 3, 1798.
William Ayres, son of David and Raehcl (Newton) Ayres, was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, July 19, 1771. He came to Allegheny county in 1794, at the time the Federal army under General Lee was ad- vancing against the Whiskey Insurrection- ists in western Pennsylvania. It is said that he was connected with that army in some capacity. He remained in Pittsburgh and read law with Hugh H. Brackenridge, and was admitted Deeember 5, 1798.
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