USA > Wisconsin > The United States biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of eminent and self-made men, Wisconsin volume > Part 92
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vember, 1875, when his present copartnership with the Hon. Matt. H. Carpenter, ex United States senator, and A. A. L. Smith, Esq., was formed ; the terms of agreement allowing Mr. Carpenter to keep an office and to practice in Washington during the winters.
In 1850 he was appointed United States commis- sioner and master in chancery, and retained the offices till 1863, when he resigned. He did much business in both capacities. In 1862 he was ap- pointed by Governor Salomon to the position of attorney-general for Wisconsin, to fill an unexpired term, and in 1863 he was elected to the same office by the people, which he held till January, 1866. In 1871 he was elected to represent a district of the city of Milwaukee in the general assembly of the State, and served as chairman of the judiciary com- mittee, with very great credit to himself, being one .of the ablest members of that body.
While acting as United States commissioner in 1854, he brought upon himself much censure and considerable notice by holding to bail Sherman M. Booth and others implicated in the rescue of the fugitive slave Glover, of Missouri-a case which attained to a national fame at the time. Mr. Smith being then a democrat, his action in the matter was supposed to be prompted by his political prin- ciples, but he never was in sympathy with slavery. While acting as attorney-general of the State he secured the payment to the State school fund of a claim against the United States government amounting to three hundred thousand dollars, which had been long held back on the ground of a claim of the Rock River Canal Company up- on the same fund, and against the State. Since his retirement from office, he, with Mr. Carpenter, defended Governor Salomon in a suit brought against him on the part of certain rioters who op- posed the " draft " in 1863, and who had been im- prisoned by Governor Salomon in the camp at Madison, the question at issue involving the consti- tutionality of the conscription law of congress, and other points of high importance. The case was afterward appealed to the supreme court of the State, and occasioned strong party feeling at the time. The argument of Mr. Smith in defense of his client was one of the ablest forensic efforts of the period.
He was also attorney for the complainants, or stockholders of the Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien Railroad Company, in a suit brought by them against
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the directors of the company, and numerous other defendants, for an injunction to restrain further pro- ceedings claimed to have been illegally taken on their part for the purpose of bringing about a con- solidation of that company with the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Company, to the detriment of plaintiffs. The bills were drawn and the principal argument in the case was made by Mr. Smith for the complainants, and secured the desired injunc- tion, in spite of able and strenuous opposition, and this decision of the court resulted in a compromise satisfactory to his clients. The decision was among the most important ever rendered in a railroad suit.
Mr. Smith was selected by the bar association of Milwaukee to deliver the eulogy on the late Judge Payne, in 1871, which is published in full in the twenty-seventh volume of the "Wisconsin Reports," and is a masterpiece of oratory and wisdom.
Without being a politician, he has always taken a deep interest in public affairs. He acted with the democratic party until 1854, when, becoming dis- satisfied with the so-called "Kansas-Nebraska " measure, which was afterward indorsed by that party, he united with the republican party and sup- ported the candidacy of Fremont. Since then he has advocated the election of every republican can- didate for the Presidency, and last autumn (1876) delivered a number of most able and telling speeches in favor of Hayes and Wheeler in different cities of the State. During the late war he supported the cause of the North with all zeal, and would have entered the army if he had not been assured by those in whose judgment he relied that he could do and was doing more at home for the cause of the Union than he could do in the field.
Although one of the ablest and most active lawyers in the State, yet he finds time to devote to industrial and other enterprises for the public benefit. He is president of the Cream City Street Railroad Com- pany, the Forest Home Railroad Company, and the Milwaukee District Telegraph Company,- all enter- prises of considerable local importance. He is also a member of the college society of the University of Michigan known as the " Peninsular Chapter," so named by himself. He was for many years a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity, but has not acted with the order for some time.
He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church, of temperate and liberal views, a member of the standing committee of the diocese, and a gener- ous contributor to benevolent and religious organ-
izations of the church in the State, and in private and social life he enjoys the highest respect and esteem of all who know him. Winfield Smith has given his life to his profession with but little devia- tion, and justly ranks among the foremost lawyers of the State.
Thoroughly taught and accomplished as an aca- demical scholar, he brought to his profession habits of patience and toil which have borne their legiti- mate fruits. He is a man of clear, incisive mind, of quick perception, logical in his deductions, always ready with a perspicacious analysis, separating the sound from the unsound, making correct and accu- rate application of principles to facts. He has the unlimited respect and confidence of those who know him for the candor, truthfulness and frankness which characterize his acts and deeds. A good judge of men, quick in discernment, self-reliant and prompt in decision, he has a vigorous energy and will, allied with rare judgment and remarkable powers of mem- ory, which make the man conspicuous in emer- gencies, and successful where others hesitate or fail. His conduct is always consistent. As he never dis- simulates, his sentiments spoken at one time are a sure indication of what his practice and conduct will be when action shall be necessary; nor will it be affected by the course others may take, unless their conduct is grounded in better judgment. Numerous exhibitions of this trait of character have been publicly observed during his life, in many of which it has been remarked that those whose con- duct has been most opposed to his have afterward commended his independent course and approved his better judgment. In whatever he undertakes he is patient, painstaking and thorough in his investi- gation both of the facts and principles to be applied. As an equity jurisprudence lawyer he has hardly a superior, even among much older members of the Milwaukee bar; but his success is not confined to any single branch of the profession; he is eminent in all. We do not think it too much to say of him that he never comes to the trial or argument of a case without the fullest preparation and the most exhaustive acquaintance with the facts, and the de- cisions and precedents bearing upon them. He is a fluent and effective speaker, rich in language and irresistible in argument. He is of ardent tempera- ment, and engages in almost every cause he under- takes, and indeed every cause that interests him, with extraordinary, almost vehement, zeal. The same enthusiasm which marks him in the service of
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his clients characterizes him also in the discharge of his public duties. During his term of service as attorney-general of the State he became widely and favorably known, and it is the concurrent testimony of those who had the best means of judging, that his services in that office were of the highest impor- tance to the people of the State; while in the gen- eral assembly, as chairman of the judiciary commit- tee, his marked ability, both as a lawyer and debater, and his unwearied watchfulness of every public in- terest, were especially conspicuous. Although not remarkably self-asserting, he at all times reposes a confidence in his own judgment naturally begotten of his complete mastery of the subject; hence his counsel is never evasive or equivocal, so that his clients are never in doubt as to his opinions.
In addition to his professional studies, he keeps well-read in the current literature, maintains his acquaintanceship with the classics, is a proficient in several modern languages, and takes much pleasure in literary pursuits generally, aside from his daily duties. He is social in his tastes, believes in using the innocent enjoyments of life as we go along, and has tried to act on that theory. He was formerly reputed one of the best chess-players in the State. He is fond of music, and is a good amateur player on the Boehm flute, and often plays in concert with his wife or daughter on the piano, and his son Henry on the violin, producing a most exquisite harmony of sound. He also gives considerable time and personal attention to the growth and culture of flowers, of which he is very fond, and always con- trives to have a supply on hand, both in winter and summer, raised by his own hands.
On the Ist of September, 1853, he married Miss Sarah M. Fellows, daughter of the late Lothrop Fel-
lows, of Lockport, New York, a lady of high cul- ture and accomplishments; domestic in her tastes and habits, an excellent housekeeper, bringing to her aid rare talents in the adornment and beautifying of her home, and in making it attractive and pleas- ant to her family. She is held in the highest esteem by all who know her. They have six children, all living, namely, Anna Elvina, Henry Lothrop, Eva Louise, Winfield Robert, Mabel Foster and Grace Elizabeth. Anna Elvina is the wife of Edward C. Hopkins, Esq., of the firm of H. Bosworth and Sons, wholesale druggists in Milwaukee. Henry Lothrop has just concluded his university course at Madison, and is intended for the profession of his father; he is a young gentleman of considerable versatility of character and much promise,- all the children are noted for brightness and vivacity .. In his domestic life Mr. Smith is exemplary, and studies to make his home delightful. He is happiest among his children and his friends.
This branch of the Smith family is of Scotch- Irish origin, and descended from John Smith, a native of Londonderry, Ireland; his father being one of the gallant "apprentice-boys " who heroically closed the gates of the "Maiden City" against the approach of the traitorons James II. He immi- grated to America early in the eighteenth century, and settled in East Hampton, New Jersey, where he married Martha A. Waite. His son, Robert Smith, was an officer in the revolutionary war, and after- ward settled at Litchfield, Connecticut, where he married Mary Hicks. He was the father of Dr. Warren Smith, who married Barbara Rowe, and died at Litchfield, Connecticut, in the thirty-fifth year of his age. He was the father of Henry Smith, who was the father of Winfield Smith.
DANIEL K. TENNEY,
CHICAGO.
D' ANIEL KENT TENNEY was born at Platts- burg, New York, December 31, 1834. He is the tenth child of Daniel Tenney (a native of New Hampshire), and of his wife, Sylvia Kent (a native of Vermont, having the ancestry of Chancellor Kent).
Mr. Tenney spent his boyhood in the woods of northern Ohio, whither his parents removed with the family when he was about one year old, and where
his father recently died at the age of eighty-one. His mother, at a still more advanced age, now re- sides in Kansas with a daughter. Two brothers and two sisters of the ten now survive:
Reared in poverty, at the age of eight he was ap- prenticed to a printer and served four years out of the following seven, attending common schools the remaining three.
At the age of fifteen he removed to Madison,
D. R. Swww.
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Wisconsin, and engaged as a journeyman printer in the office of the "Wisconsin Argus," working, how- ever, only during vacations and Saturdays, but often eighteen hours a day, this being a necessity for rais- ing funds to pay his way while attending the Uni- versity of Wisconsin, then in its infancy. While in this institution he was one of the founders of the Athenæum Society, and its early records bear testi- mony to his efficient work in its behalf. He at- tended the university about four years, boarding himself most of the time, being poorly fed and poorly clad ; but his condition in this respect was scarcely exceptional in that day, as most of the students were in indigent circumstances and not ashamed of their poverty. In scholarship he was second to none. He learned with the readiness of intuition. In the latter part of the sophomore year he was expelled for contumacy, in refusing to dis- close the name of a companion engaged with him in some innocent but provoking mischief. This ac- tion, and the rule it implied, caused a rebellion of all the students, who signed a solemn covenant to quit the institution unless the rule was abrogated and young Tenney restored. The faculty unani- mously yielded the point, and he was on the follow- ing day restored to full and honorable standing. He, however, regarded his expulsion as a personal insult, and refused to return. This feeling toward the university, however, has long since faded away, and he now regards the institution with as much pride as any of its graduates.
Being at this time (1854) penniless, he accepted a position as foreman in the " State Journal " office at Madison, having some twenty or more printers em- ployed, which position he held until he had accu- mulated a few hundred dollars, when he determined to prepare for a higher field of labor, and com- menced the study of law. His finances while thus engaged were supplemented by work as a reporter in the Wisconsin senate one session, and subse- quently by employment as deputy clerk of the cir- cuit court at Madison. By careful reading at all spare hours, and by studying all the papers filed in court in the various current cases, and listening to the arguments of counsel, this trifling clerkship proved a valuable school to him, and he soon be- came really an adept in all matters of pleading and practice, and continues to be quite eminent in those important branches of law. During his continu- ance in this office was developed to himself and his friends a strong indication of what has proved in
after-life to be his genius or stronghold. It was his duty to collect monthly the bills of costs from the lawyers. Some of the profession are said to be the most difficult people in the world to get money from. In such cases young Tenney would patient- ly and persistently insist upon payment, dexterously evading all excuses and never allowing his temper to get ruffled under abuse ; and though often round- ly cursed for his obstinacy, never gave up until he got the money, and was eager for a fresh lot of bills the next month. His principal regarded him as a remarkable collector, and the lawyers dreaded his monthly visitations.
On the 11th of December, 1855, he was admitted to the bar as an attorney and counselor, being at the time a few days less than twenty-one years old. On the following day, much to his surprise and grati- fication, a partnership was offered him by Judge Thomas Hood, then in active practice at Madison, and the new firm was at once introduced by the shingle of Hood and Tenney. The junior labored assiduously, early and late, reading and attending carefully to all the details of the business, and was not long in securing a large number of permanent clients and friends, and in earning and deserving his reputation as one of the most watchful, bold, ener- getic, thorough and successful commercial lawyers in that region. He developed, withal, a thrift some- what exceptional with the profession. While always free-hearted and liberal in contributions or sub- scriptions for public purposes, and not behind in private charities, he was enabled by his extensive business, aided by some tact at speculations, to ac- cumulate a handsome competence, to which he has added every year since the commencement of his career as a lawyer. His methods of reaching and surrounding unwilling debtors must have been unique and peculiar to himself, if we may judge by the many amusing incidents often related by his brethren of the bar throughout Wisconsin.
Mr. Tenney was married on the 14th of Septem- ber, 1857, at Madison, to Mary Jane Marston, daughter of Hon. J. T. Marston, a substantial cit- izen there, formerly of Montpelier, Vermont. The children of this marriage are: John, born in 1860; and Mary, born in 1866.
In 1858 Mr. Tenney became president of the Sauk City Bank, located some twenty-five miles from Madison, and so continued until the retire- ment of State banks under the regime of the na- tional currency. In the same year he was elected
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to the office of alderman at Madison, which he held for several successive terms; and to his untiring efforts were due many important reforms in the management of the city finances, in restoring the shattered credit of the city, and placing upon a sound basis its dishonored bonded indebtedness.
In 1867 he was appointed by the governor upon a commission to revise and simplify the laws relating to the assessment and collection of taxes; to which subject he had previously paid considerable atten- tion. The bills reported by the commission, which were pretty much the result of his labors, have since been substantially enacted into laws, and probably present the most simple, concise and effective sys- tem of taxation to be found in any of the States.
He has never sought political preferment, though an active partisan ; and, aside from the two minor positions named, he has never held a public office, and has no desire to do so.
In 1870 he sought a larger field of action, and re- moved to Chicago. His removal was much regretted by his friends, but proved fortunate for himself. He soon achieved a prominent position, which he still holds, in the department of commercial law, and the firm of which he is a member, founded by him, stands second to none in the great western metrop- olis. Their immense business is conducted on strict business principles. He has able partners and as- sistants; but all are under his supervision and direc- tion, each having his appropriate department or line of duty, and all working together to accomplish the desired results. They have among their clients a large number of the leading commercial houses throughout the country.
Nature has been bountiful to Mr. Tenney, and endowed him with some of her choicest gifts; among them a durable physical constitution, a vig- orous and discriminating intellect, and a generous heart. These have been nurtured to maturity by habits of physical and mental industry and culture. His generous impulses are instinctive and sponta-
neous; they characterize his personal and social relations with his fellow-men, and make him the welcome companion, the faithful counselor and the true friend. A more calculating judgment might conduct him to that higher eminence in the public estimation to which good men aspire, and for which ambitious men dare to die; but, content with the honorable accumulation of wealth in the legitimate pursuits of his profession, his nature is likely to re- main free from the delusions of a false ambition and the corroding influences of avarice. Few men so readily discern the parallel between the absorbing vice of avarice, which at present pervades the moral world, and the famous Upas tree, whose shadow is the symbol of death. The love of truth, frankness in the expression of his opinions, and indomitable perseverance in the accomplishment of his objects, are striking traits in Mr. Tenney's character; prin- ciple led to their adoption, and policy to their prac- tice. His literary compositions are characteristic of the man - full, free and humorous, with a keen sense of the ludicrous. He is devoid of all bitter- ness, and the subject of his humor is frequently as well pleased with the picture as with the writer.
The life of Mr. Tenney, thus far, has been one of ceaseless and beneficent activity. It does not re- semble in any degree the dull monotony of that fabled stream of which it may be truly said that no frosts overshadow its fountains, no windings diver- sify its progress, no flowers adorn its borders, no rapids precipitate its waters. Neither by example nor by sympathy is he allied to that class of men, of respectable mediocrity, whose virtues excite no praise, and whose vices provoke no censure.
In early life Mr. Tenney's mind was much exer- cised on the subject of religion, but upon careful study and reflection he came to the conclusion that to pay a hundred cents on the dollar and deal hon- orably with all men,- in short, to observe the golden rule of " doing unto others as he would have others do unto him,"- was religion enough for him.
JEREMIAH DOBBS,
RIPON.
T HE subject of this sketch, a native of Saugerties, Ulster county, New York, was born in March, 1832, the son of Jeremiah and Mary Dobbs. His father, a real-estate operator by occupation, was a
man of good standing and wide influence in his community. Our subject received his education at Williamson, New York, and after closing his studies in school, accepted a clerkship in a general store at
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Rochester, New York, where he remained two years. Later he began the study of law at Newark, and in 1851 was admitted to the bar at Jefferson, Wis- consin, having removed to the West and settled at Lake Mills, Wisconsin, in 1849. Engaging in his profession at Lake Mills, he remained there till r854, during which year he settled at Ripon, his present home, and established himself in that legal practice which, though small at first, has kept pace with the growth of business interests, until he has become extensively known as a successful and skill- ful attorney. Aside from his regular legal practice, Mr. Dobbs has filled several offices of honor and trust. In 1850 he was appointed district attorney of Jefferson county, Wisconsin; was elected a mem-
ber of the State legislature in 1869, and for several years has been chairman of the county board; is now chairman of his ward. He was once a director of the Oshkosh and Mississippi Railroad Company.
In political sentiment he is a democrat.
He was married on the 21st of February, 1854, to Miss Mary A. Lampson, and by her has one son and two daughters.
Mr. Dobbs is preëminently a self-made man. Be- ginning life without means, he has, by untiring effort, made his way step by step up to a high place in his profession and in society. He has accumulated a handsome fortune, and being possessed of excellent personal and social qualities, lives in the enjoyment of a happy home, surrounded by many warm friends.
BENJAMIN M. REYNOLDS, A.M.,
LA CROSSE.
B ENJAMIN MILES REYNOLDS was born at Barnard, Vermont, July 12, 1825, his parents being Ezekiel and Lydia (Barnes) Reynolds. He lived on a farm, more or less, until twenty-one years of age. At the age of nineteen he began preparing for college, attending, at first, the Royalton Acad- emy, and finishing his preparatory studies at the Thetford Academy, under Professor Hiram Orcutt, then at its head. He entered Dartmouth College in 1848, and graduated in course, paying his entire ex- penses by teaching and different kinds of manual labor. Since graduating in 1852, Professor Reynolds has been engaged steadily in educational work. He was principal of the Windsor, Vermont, high school, and of the Bradford, Vermont, Academy two years ; of the high school at Barre, Massachusetts, a still longer period; of the Union school at Moline, Illi- nois, one year ; superintendent of schools in Rock Island, and principal of its high school nearly four years, being the first superintendent in that city ; principal of the Union school in Lockport, New York, more than five years; superintendent of schools at Madison, Wisconsin, six years; principal of the graded school at Monroe, Wisconsin, one year; and in 1873 became principal of the high school in La Crosse, having at the same time charge of the second ward school. He has raised the grade of these schools more than one hundred per cent. One of the leading citizens of La Crosse thus speaks of Mr. Reynolds' work here :
Professor Reynolds' efficiency as an educator is notice- able in the noble purpose and diligent efforts of his scholars in attainments of knowledge, and in the completeness of preparation with which his advanced students have entered various colleges, whose acknowledgments of his success in this respect are highly complimentary to La Crosse schools, whose enviable excellence dates from and is largely attribut- able to his connection with them.
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