Franklin T. Backus, was born in Lee, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, May

6th, 1813. He was the son of Thomas and Rebecca Backus. While Franklin T.

was very young, his father removed to Lansing, New York, where he shortly

died, leaving a large family of young children to the care of his

surviving widow, with limited means for their support and education. In

consequence of this, the subject of this sketch was early in life inured

to hardy exercise upon a farm, to which, in after life, he has attributed

his strong constitution, and ability to endure confinement, and the

severest mental toil incident to an extensive legal practice.

It would be inappropriate in a brief sketch, to refer to and narrate

incidents of boyhood days, and they are therefore passed over. Mr. Backus,

while in early youth, became possessed of an unconquerable desire for

knowledge, and while laboring with his hands, his mind was busy

determining how he should secure the advantages of education. No

superficial acquirements could satisfy him. Added to native talents, of a

high order, were thoroughness and perseverance in everything which he

resolved to undertake, and these traits applied particularly to him as a

student. After resolving to obtain a thorough classical education, he set

about it in earnest, and in an unusually short period of time, prepared

himself, and on examination, entered the junior class of Yale College in

1834. Though the only time actually spent in college was during his junior

and senior years, yet his standing was very high, and he graduated at Yale

in 1836, occupying a position of one of the best mathematicians in his

class. Soon after, he was tendered the position of assistant professor, or

instructor in that venerable institution, an honor accorded to but few in

so short a time after graduation.

On leaving Yale, Mr. Backus settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he

established a classical school, which at once became very popular and

successful, and shortly afterwards commenced the study of law with

Messrs. Bolton & Kelly, who were among the leading members of the

Cuyahoga county Bar.

In August, 1839, he was admitted to the practice of law at Cleveland, the

Supreme Court then being in session there, and entered at once upon the

practice of his profession, in which, from the beginning, he took a high

position. He was also an active politician, and as a member of the Whig

party, participated largely in its active operations in the State, as well

as in his own district, and was frequently a recipient of its honors.

In 1841, he was elected to the office of prosecuting attorney of Cuyahoga

county, having been nominated to that office in a contest in which several

who were older and more experienced in the profession than he, were

candidates. His administration of the office was in the highest degree

able and successful, and so met the approval of the public, that he was

renominated by his party and elected for the second term of two years.

In January, 1842, Mr. Backus was married to Miss Lucy Mygatt, daughter of

George Mygatt, Esq., then of Painesville, now of Cleveland. The choice was

a most suitable and wise one, and Mrs. Backus still lives, the light and

joy of their home.

In 1846, Mr. Backus was elected as a member of the House of

Representatives in the Ohio Legislature, and continued there only one

term, refusing a renomination. In 1848, he was elected to the Senate of

Ohio, in which he took a commanding position, and was widely talked of

among his friends in various parts of the State as a suitable candidate

for the United States Senate, as well as for the House of Representatives

in Congress.

From the breaking out of the Rebellion to its close, he was as strenuous

an advocate as any one could be, of putting down the Rebellion at any

hazard of blood and treasure, but differed widely as to some of the

measures and policy adopted by the Government, and consequently, did not,

at, or about the close of the war, act with the Republican party, nor has

he since; and though not an active politician, he is now generally

recognized as a member of the Democratic party.

In 1840, Mr. Backus associated himself in the legal practice with J. P.

Bishop, Esq., with whom he continued for fifteen years. Mr. Bishop was

afterwards chosen one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas of the

Cleveland district. Afterwards, for several years, he was associated with

that able jurist, Judge R. P. Ranney, and now, for some years, he has been

associated with E. J. Estep, Esq., in his profession.

That he stood high in his profession in the State as well as in Cleveland,

is shown by the fact that he was nominated, by the Whig party, as

candidate for Supreme Judge of Ohio, and afterwards by the Republican

party for the same office, but failed of an election because the party

nominating him was unsuccessful each of those years in Ohio.

Mr. Backus' life for the last twenty years has been almost exclusively

devoted to his profession. When the railroads were projected which made

Cleveland one of their terminations he embarked in the enterprise of their

location and construction, and was early retained as their attorney and

counsel, and has been acting as such to the present time. The Cleveland,

Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad, from the beginning, so far as legal

services have been required, has been under his special supervision. His

knowledge of the department of law appertaining to corporations, and his

ability as a corporation lawyer, it is believed, is not surpassed. The

same may be said of him as a land lawyer, especially in regard to all

questions arising in the northern part of this State. In short, Mr. Backus

has had a very wide and varied experience in almost every branch of legal

practice, and in every case in which he has suffered himself to be

retained, he has made it a principle to be thorough and accurate, and to

possess himself of a full knowledge of his case in all its aspects.

As a summary as to Mr. Backus as a lawyer, it is the opinion of those best

acquainted with him and his professional ability, acquirements and

experience, that, as a whole, he is unsurpassed by any in the State.

In nearly all the great enterprises of the city his advice and

co-operation have been sought, and where legal advice and aid have been

required, his services have often been called into requisition by the

city. He not only has occupied the position professionally, before spoken

of, but has, and does, still occupy high positions of trust, both for the

city and individuals, and in such matters it may be safely said, there are

few men living in whom more implicit confidence is reposed.

The extent of his varied legal practice can only be judged of in part, by

his appearance in court. His business out of court has constituted by far

the largest and most important part of his practice, and has always been

done with a view to saving his client from litigation in future, so far as

possible, and this he has accomplished.

In pecuniary matters Mr. Backus has been successful, not only as the

fruits of arduous professional labors, but in other respects.

Mr. Backus is a very benevolent and liberal man, also, but his generosity

is not in the beaten track. It is bestowed unseen and unknown by the

public, and his own judgment selects the object of his bounty. His

friendship when once bestowed is undying and changes not with time or

circumstances so long as the person on whom it is bestowed proves worthy

of his confidence.

[Illustration: Yours truly, J. P. Bishop]

Jesse P. Bishop.

Judge Bishop was born in New Haven, Vermont, June 1, 1815, and was taken

with his father's family to St. Lawrence county, New York, whilst yet a

child. His father died when he was but nine years old, and his mother

returned to Vermont, taking her children with her. As soon as he was of

age to be serviceable, he was apprenticed to a farmer until his

fourteenth year, at the expiration of which time he resided with an uncle

until his seventeenth year, when he left farm work in order to acquire an

education. He studied hard for four or five years, partly maintaining

himself by teaching school, and at length had prepared himself for a

collegiate course.

In 1836, he came to Cleveland, and after an experience in a counting-room

one season, he concluded that he was better adapted for a literary life.

Accordingly he entered Western Reserve College, and on examination was

admitted to the senior class.

In 1838, he began the study of law with Hon. Rufus P. Spalding, afterwards

with Andrews, Foote & Hoyt, and subsequently with Varnum J. Card, and was

admitted to practice August, 1839, when he immediately entered into

partnership with Mr. Card, who, however, died about one year later, and

Mr. Bishop formed a partnership with F. T. Backus. This business connection

continued fifteen years.

In 1856, Mr. Bishop was elected to the Common Pleas Judgeship of this

county and district, and served with great satisfaction both to members

of the profession and to the public. His decisions were characterized by

a painstaking research, and an exhaustless consideration of the

principles of law involved, indicating a clear, accurate and

discriminating mind. It is believed that very few of his decisions were

ever reversed by a higher court, which is of itself sufficient testimony

to his ability and industry. At the end of his term he declined being a

candidate, and at once resumed the practice of law. In this he still

continues, having associated with him Seymour F. Adams, recently of the

Lewis county Bar, New York.

Mr. Bishop's life has been one of constant application to business, having

no idle time, and scarcely any leisure moments. With him a decision is not

reached by intuition, but by careful study, but when he takes hold of a

subject he studies it thoroughly to its conclusion, and is master of all

its points. Although Mr. Bishop has never been what may be termed

physically robust, he possesses great power of prolonged mental

application. And being also endowed with a most remarkably retentive

memory, his mind is stored with a very comprehensive knowledge of law. And

if there be one faculty of his mind more than another, that gives

character to the man, it is his prodigious memory of facts. In a case that

recently came under our notice, Judge Bishop gave evidence pertaining to a

matter that occurred some twenty years since, with apparently as much

precision as if the events occurred but yesterday.

In social and religions circles Judge Bishop ranks high. He is agreeable

in private life, and thoroughly conscientious in moral and religious

matters. He has long been a valued and honored member of the Baptist

denomination. By his uprightness of character, courtesy of demeanor, and

general good qualities, he has won the respect and esteem of a very

large circle.

Henry H. Dodge.

Amongst the very earliest settlers in Cleveland, was Samuel Dodge, the

father of the subject of this notice, who emigrated from Westmoreland, New

Hampshire, to this place, in 1797, being then about 21 years of age. On

arriving at Cleveland he built a log shanty, and remained about one year,

when he went to Detroit, and remained about the same length of time, and

returned to Cleveland, which he considered his home. Here and in the

adjoining township he resided to the day of his death, which occurred

October 3d, 1854, aged 78 years. About seven years after coming to

Cleveland he married a Miss Nancy Doan, of Connecticut, who died in

Cleveland, December 19th, 1863, leaving two sons, George C. and Henry H.

It is said that Samuel Dodge built the first frame building in this city,

about the year 1800, and which was a barn for Governor Samuel Huntington,

at that time living at Painesville. His proper business was that of a

wheelwright, but adapted himself to all kinds of wood-work in the new

country. During the war of 1812, he took a contract of Major Jessup, the

commander at this point, for building a large number of boats for the

Government, both here and at Erie.

[Illustration: Respectfully Yours, Henry H Dodge]

Henry H. was born August 19th, 1810, and enjoyed what educational

advantages Cleveland afforded, finishing his education under Hon. Harvey

Rice. At the age of twenty he commenced the study of law with Hon. John

W. Willey. In 1835, he married Miss Mary Ann Willey, a niece of Mr.

Willey, of which marriage seven children were born. Mrs. Dodge died

February 4, 1867.

Mr. Dodge was admitted to the Bar at the same time with H. V. Willson and

H. B. Payne, in 1834. He at once entered into partnership with Mr. Willey,

and continued with him until the latter was elected to the president

judgeship of the Court of Common Pleas, in 1840. Mr. Dodge then withdrew

from the practice of law to devote his whole attention to the duties of a

disbursing agent of the United States, for public works, to which he had

been appointed two years previously. He held that position until 1841. He

was also commissioner of insolvents during 1837 and 1838.

In 1850, he was appointed State engineer, having charge of public works,

and retained the position until 1855. On the organization of the United

States District Court for Northern Ohio, he was appointed United States

Commissioner, and held that office for three years. In 1859, he was again

appointed State engineer, and continued as such until 1862, since which

time he has devoted himself wholly to his real estate interests, opening

up new streets, building tenement houses, and materially aiding in the

growth and beauty of the eastern portion of the city. As early as 1837, he

built the large brick block on the corner of Ontario and Prospect streets,

formerly known as the Farmers' Block, which was, at that time, one of the

largest in the city.

Mr. Dodge, through all his offices of trust as well as private business,

has maintained a character for integrity and honor. He is unassuming and

affable, and well calculated to enjoy the handsome competency accruing

from the rise of his early real estate purchases, and being of a

remarkably kind and benevolent disposition, one of his chief pleasures

arises from the consciousness of doing good, by assisting those who are in

need, to the extent of his ability. During the war he was most active in

the country's cause, and spent his time and means freely in furnishing

substitutes and rendering comfort to the families of our brave defenders,

and we think, more than anything else, this desire to promote the

prosperity and happiness of mankind, gives character to him.

Mr. Dodge has resided on Euclid avenue over thirty years, having built

the residence now owned by General Oviatt, adjoining the present residence

of Mr. D. P. Eells, in 1838, the site at that time being outside the city

limits. After a few years he sold this to Thomas Bolton, and in 1840,

built a brick cottage opposite Brownell street, which he occupied about

fifteen years, when it gave place to the present edifice, the land having

been in the family since the year 1800.

James M. Coffinberry.

Judge Coffinberry is a native of Mansfield, Ohio, having been born in that

town in 1818. He studied law with his father, Andrew Coffinberry, Esq.,

then located at Perrysburg, in the western part of the State, and upon his

admission to the Bar in 1841, opened a law office in connection with his

father in Maumee City. He very early obtained the public confidence, being

appreciated for his high personal and professional integrity, and giving

evidence of fine abilities as a lawyer and advocate, he was elected and

served as prosecuting attorney for Lucas county for several years. About

the year 1845, he removed to Hancock county, and purchased and edited the

Findlay Herald, a Whig paper of that day, and for about ten years

practiced his profession with credit and success in the large circuit of

Hancock, Allen, Putnam, Van Wert, and Wood counties.

In 1855, he removed to Cleveland, where he entered very readily into a

good practice, and for six years confirmed the good reputation which he

brought with him, and took high rank at a Bar which numbers among its

members sortie of the best lawyers in the State.

In 1861, he was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and performed

the duties of the office for his full term of five years, with credit to

himself and to the eminent satisfaction of the public, and an appreciative

Bar. The kind and genial traits are characteristics of Judge Coffinberry's

mind, and his quiet manners upon the Bench made it always agreeable for

both lawyers and suitors doing business in his court. His charges to the

jury were always plain, clear, and forcible, and in the course of his

judicial service, he delivered some very able opinions, verbal and

written, which elicited the favorable consideration of the profession, and

it is understood that no judicial opinion pronounced by him has ever been

reversed on review of a higher court. The charge to the jury on the trial

of Dr. John W. Hughes, for the murder of Tamzen Parsons, of Bedford, which

took place in December, 1865, was acknowledged by the Cleveland Bar to be

one of the ablest ever delivered from the Cuyahoga Bench.

[Illustration: Yours Truly, J. M. Coffinberry]

Judge Coffinberry is remarkable for an apparently intuitive perception of

legal truth, which gives to his argument at the Bar, and as a lawyer and

judge, to his opinions, a tone of originality. He has a fine appreciation

of the learning of the profession, but though not, strictly speaking,

technical in his administration of the law, he is never unmindful of its

nicest distinctions, but makes them subservient to his broad and liberal

views of the case. He has now returned to the practice of his profession,

and is regarded as among the best advocates of the Cleveland Bar.

While Mr. Coffinberry has won distinction as a lawyer, the following

record will show that he is amongst our most enterprising and energetic

business men, outside of his profession: He is president of the Midas

Insurance Company; a director in the Willow Bank Coal Company; a director

of the Tuscarawas Iron and Coal Company; was one of the projectors of the

People's Gas and Coke Company, of the West Side; has been a director of

the Mahoning Railroad Company; director and attorney for the Fremont and

Indiana Railroad Company; took an active interest in the construction of

the West Side street railroad, and also the Rocky River Railroad; he was a

member of the City Council for two years, and president of that body.

In politics, he was formerly a Whig, but now acts with the Democrats. He

was principal Secretary of the Great Union Convention that nominated the

late David Tod for Governor.

Judge Coffinberry has been successful in almost every undertaking, and has

richly deserved it.

James Mason.

No member of the Cleveland legal fraternity stands higher in the respect

of his colleagues and the general public, both for legal abilities and

personal qualities, than James Mason. As a lawyer he stands in the front

rank of the profession, his extensive reading, well balanced judgment, and

logical reasoning, making him one of the most reliable counsellors and

successful practitioners, whether before a court or a jury, whilst no more

valuable or respected citizen is found among the list of residents of

Cleveland.

Mr. Mason was born in the Autumn of 1816, in Canton, Ohio, of Vermont

stock, his parents having early emigrated to this State. He was carefully

educated at a good school in Trumbull county, and spent two years in

Western Reserve College. In 1835, he entered the senior class in Jefferson

College and graduated with the class of 1836.

On leaving College he studied law with Hon. A. W. Loomis, in New Lisbon,

Ohio, and was admitted to the Bar in 1839, when he practiced in

partnership with his preceptor until 1845. With the close of this

partnership he went abroad and spent some time in foreign travel,

returning in 1851, when he removed to Cleveland and opened a law office.

His abilities and assiduous attention to business soon brought him a

large and remunerative practice. Among other business he became the

legal adviser of the Cleveland & Toledo Railroad Company, and also one

of its directors. The value of his connection with the company was

speedily recognized and acknowledged. Business of the highest class came

to him until he has come to find his time fully occupied by the best

class of practice.

The duties of his profession, though laborious, are not allowed to engross

the whole of his time to the exclusion of domestic pleasures and social

enjoyments. The general culture of Mr. Mason's mind, in addition to his

legal attainments, and his affable manner, make him an agreeable companion

for social intercourse, and together with his sterling qualities as a man,

and his patriotism as a citizen, have won for him a host of friends warmly

attached to him, and loyally resolved to do him honor.

Mr. Mason was married in 1853, to Miss Caroline Robinson, of Willoughby.

Of this marriage there are five children.

Daniel R. Tilden.

The name of Daniel R. Tilden has long been familiar in Cleveland and its

vicinity. For fifteen years he has held the office of Probate Judge of

Cuyahoga county, and from the nature of his office, has been brought into

connection with a large proportion of the citizens, and become intimately

acquainted with their personal and family affairs. Many of these business

acquaintances became warm personal friends, and it is believed that

neither by his official, nor by his private life, has Judge Tilden made

one real enemy.

Mr. Tilden was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, November 5th, 1806, He

received a fair common school education, and on reaching his eighteenth

year, left his native State for the South, residing four years in North

Carolina and Virginia. But the South was not a congenial soil for the son

of the genuine Yankee State, so he turned his steps westward, and set out

for Ohio. At Garrettsville, Portage county, he halted awhile, and then

went to study law with Mr. Pierson, at Ravenna. To complete his legal

education, he entered the office of R. P. Spalding, and studied with him

for some time.

In 1831, a movement was on foot to agitate the question of abolishing

slavery. The movement was exceedingly unpopular, and it required

considerable nerve to profess abolition sentiments. Now, when no other

principle is avowed, it scarcely seems possible that men, now among us in

the prime of life, had to endure obloquy, ridicule, and even danger, for

expressing sentiments that no one now dreams of dissenting from. Among the

first to espouse the abolition doctrines was Judge Tilden. With Robert F.

Paine he commenced the work of organizing an Abolition Society in

Garrettsville, the first of the kind in Portage county. In this work he

labored with unwearied zeal, and became extensively known as one of the

most prominent and active of anti-slavery leaders.

In 1832, Mr. Tilden was elected justice of the peace, and continued in

that office four years; soon after the conclusion of the term, he formed a

law partnership with Judge Spalding, at Ravenna. This arrangement

continued about four years, when he formed a partnership with W. S. G.

Otis, which lasted about three years, and was terminated by Judge Tilden

becoming prosecuting attorney, an office he held four years.

In 1842, Judge Tilden was elected to Congress as a Whig, from the district

composed of Summit, Portage, and Trumbull counties, and was in the House

of Representatives during the exciting debates relative to the annexation

of Texas and the Mexican war. He, with twelve others, took a bold stand

against the war, making several speeches of very marked ability. He and

his associates, among whom were Gov. Vance, Columbus Delano, and Joseph

Root, refused to vote for the bill furnishing means to carry on the war,

because of the preamble to the bill, which said: "Whereas, we are, by the

act of Mexico, become engaged in war," &c., &c. This, Judge Tilden and his

associates considered false, they would not vote for the bill until it was

stricken out, and the names of these thirteen were sent throughout the

country surrounded with a funeral border.

At the Baltimore Convention that nominated General Scott, Judge Tilden

represented Lake and Summit counties; and at the Philadelphia Convention

that nominated Taylor, he represented Summit, Trumbull, and Portage.

In 1852, Judge Tilden removed to Cleveland and formed a law partnership

with Hon. H. B. Payne. Two years afterwards he was elected Probate Judge,

of Cuyahoga county, and filled the position with such marked satisfaction

to his constituents that he was re-elected at the close of every term, and

still holds the office he has filled for fifteen consecutive years.

When practicing law, Judge Tilden was distinguished for his abilities as

an advocate, and his qualifications for the judicial office he fills is

attested by his repeated re-elections to it. His officiai conduct has been

marked by uniform kindness, attention to the duties of his office, and the

interests of those having business with it, and a constant endeavor to do

right by all, whether rich or poor, learned or ignorant. If he has

committed any errors--and no Judge, from the Supreme Court down, but must

plead guilty to some--they have been errors of judgment only, and not of

interest. No one can deny to Judge Tilden unimpeached honesty of purpose,

warmth of heart, and an earnest endeavor to deal justly with all men.

[Illustration: Yours Truly, C. M. Palmer]

Charles W. Palmer.

Prominent among the young men of the profession who promise to take

and worthily fill the places of the old leaders of the Cleveland Bar

now partly superannuated and soon to retire from active life, is

Charles W. Palmer.

Mr. Palmer was born in Norwich, New London county, Connecticut, September

8, 1826. Nine years after, his father, Joseph B. Palmer removed to

Cleveland with his family, and was for a time engaged in the storage

business on the river. He is now in the employ of the Cleveland &

Pittsburgh Railroad Company. Charles had only the advantages of the common

schools until he was sixteen, but before he reached that age he had

manifested an industry at his books which promised well for his future. He

taught school on "the ridge" West of Cleveland, walking out to the school

house and back before and after school hours, and at the same time

prosecuting his own studies. He prepared for College under Rev. S. B.

Canfield and W. D. Beattie, of Cleveland, and when nearly eighteen was

admitted to Western Reserve College at Hudson. He graduated in 1848, with

the highest honors of his class. For two years after graduation he was

principal of the High School in Akron, and the next year a tutor in

Western Reserve College. Coming to Cleveland again after this, he studied

law in the office of Judge Foote, and was admitted to the Bar in the Fall

of 1853. In the Spring of the following year he made his first success in

political life, being elected to the City Council. In the Spring of 1859,

he was elected city attorney. The duties of this office he discharged

satisfactorily to all, and found the practice it brought a material help

in his profession. In the Fall of 1863, Mr. Palmer was elected prosecuting

attorney for the county. Here he was brought very prominently into notice

by the successful prosecution of several important cases.

In his profession, Mr. Palmer has been a constantly rising man, until now

he is on one or the other side of most of the important cases in our

courts. His reputation as a criminal lawyer is especially high. In 1865,

he prosecuted the celebrated Hughes murder case successfully. Two years

afterwards he defended McConnell, the murderer, and in 1868, defended

Mrs. Victor, in one of the most remarkable poisoning cases ever brought

into court. His argument in the latter case was a masterpiece of legal

acumen, forcible exposition, and polished speech. Mr. Palmer began the

practice of law in Cleveland in the firm of Palmer & Austin. Afterwards he

was associated with R. B. Dennis, Esq., and at present he is senior in the

firm of Palmer & De Wolf.

In July, 1819, Mr. Palmer married Miss Sabrina Parks, of Hudson, Ohio.

This estimable lady died in little more than a year after the marriage,

leaving a son but a few weeks old. The son still survives. In 1855, Mr.

Palmer married Miss Minerva Stone, a sister of Mr. S. S. Stone, of

Cleveland. This second wife died in childbed eleven months after marriage,

and in 1858, Mr. Palmer married his present wife. She was Miss Lucy

Hubbell, a daughter of Calvin Hubbell, Esq., of New York. By this marriage

there is a son now about ten years old.

In politics, Mr. Palmer has been a member of the Republican party since

its organization. He gave the war for the Union an earnest, active and

powerful support. No man appreciated more thoroughly the principles

involved in that contest, and few indeed have the power to present those

principles so well as he. His party services have been numerous and

efficient. A man of fine personal appearance, with a fair, open face,

which carries with it the conviction of sincerity in all he says,

possessed of a grace of manner which makes it a pleasure to hear him on

any subject, and having such a command of language as to enable him to put

his thoughts in the fittest words, he is of course a favorite speaker

always. He has a conscientiousness in all he does, which never allows him

to treat carelessly any matter, even in an unexpected public speech. There

are few men in Cleveland who carry so much weight in speaking, whether it

be before a court and jury, or to a general assembly of people. Taking an

intelligent interest in all public affairs, he yet devotes himself

studiously to his profession, in which he has as bright prospects as any

man at his age need wish for.

William Collins.

William Collins was born at Lowville, New York, the county seat of Lewis

county, February 22, 1818. He was a son of Ela Collins, who was a son of

General Oliver Collins, of Oneida county, New York, and Maria Clinton,

daughter of Rev. Isaac Clinton, of Lowville.

Mr. Collins read law with his father, and was admitted to practice in the

courts of New York, at Rochester, in September, 1813. In October, 1843, he

formed a copartnership with his father, under the firm name of E. & W.

Collins. They continued in active and successful practice until the death

of his father, in 1849. Immediately after Mr. Collins' admission to the

Bar, he was elected, as the successor of his father, public prosecutor.

This office he held until 1846, when he resigned, having been elected, by

the Democratic party, in November, 1846, at the age of twenty-seven, a

member of the House of Representatives, in the Thirtieth Congress. The

district represented by him was composed of Lewis and St. Lawrence

counties. He was in Congress in the years 1847-8-9, during the first

agitation of the question of extending slavery to the free territories.

Mr. Collins opposed the proposed extension with much zeal and ability.

Among his speeches will be found one delivered July 28, 1848, on the "Bill

to establish the territorial government of Oregon," advocating the Wilmot

Proviso. Apart from its merit as a brilliant literary production, it

contains many passages that will be read with much interest by the general

reader, as showing the beginning of the end at which we have arrived.

Slavery itself having now become a matter of history, we think it will be

of interest to introduce the following extracts from the Congressional

Globe of July, 1848:

I shall assume, then, sir, that the institution does not exist in our

late Mexican acquisitions, but that it has been effectually prohibited.

The real question, then, is shall the laws securing _freedom_ in these

Territories be abolished, and _slavery_ established? This is indeed,

sir, a question of the gravest magnitude. To millions of the oppressed

and degraded children of Africa, it is an issue upon which depends all

that is dear to them in life--all that is bitter in the hour of death.

It seems to me, sir, that they are even now stretching forth their dark

hands, and beseeching us, in the name of the God of liberty whom our

fathers worshipped, to remove from them the poisoned cup of bondage--to

forge for them no more chains. The termination of this question also

involves the dearest interests of every person in this country who

desires to sustain himself by honorable labor. It intimately concerns

our national honor, reputation, and progress in the great family of

nations. The two hundred and fifty thousand immigrants who annually land

upon our shores are in pursuit of 'free soil and free labor.' Can we

pronounce in favor of slavery, without danger to our experiment at

self-government? If we thus decide, what will become of the cherished

hopes of the friends of civilization, Christianity, and human progress?

Those who insist upon preserving freedom in the Territories, have no

desire to disturb the institution of slavery in the States. The

Constitution confers upon them no such authority. They could not

interfere with it if they would, and they would not if they could. They

have ever heretofore been, and still are, ready strictly to fulfil the

constitutional provisions upon this subject.

I shall aim to discuss this question with a proper regard for the most

sensitive feelings of our brethren of the slave States, but also, sir,

with a plainness commensurate with its profound importance. The

legislatures of thirteen of the States of the Union, including Delaware,

which still has two thousand slaves, have passed resolutions instructing

their Senators and requesting their Representatives in Congress to

oppose any further extension of slavery. There is but one sentiment upon

this subject throughout the free States--it is that of eternal and

_uncompromising_ hostility to the project. They will never consent that

the free and virgin soil of the Territories shall be blighted and cursed

by the tears of the slave, while they have a will to determine, or a

muscle to resist.

The proposition to make this Government the instrument for planting

slavery upon soil now free, is regarded by a few at the North as so

improbable and monstrous, that they have refused to believe that it is

seriously entertained. Startling as the proposal is, it is nevertheless

true.

* * * * *

Another argument employed by these apologists is, that the 'Proviso,' or

a law prohibiting slavery in these Territories, is unnecessary; that it

is an abstraction--a 'firebrand' employed by demagogues and factionists

to kindle strife in the Democratic party; that the Territories are now

free, and that they will so continue, unless an act of Congress is

passed establishing slavery. It is impossible to avoid asking ourselves

why, if these gentlemen are sincere--if they truly believe that slavery

can not and will not go there, and they do not desire that it

should--why they so strenuously oppose the passage of such a

prohibition? If their views are correct, then such a law would be a mere

harmless superfluity. But, sir, this '_firebrand of freedom_' is a thing

more exalted and noble than a mere abstraction. It is wielded by men of

strong arms, adamantine will, and hearts animated by the divine impulses

of patriotism and liberty. They have registered a vow in Heaven to

employ every lawful and constitutional means to roll back the dark tide

of slavery from the temple of Freedom, and vindicate the character of

the Republic from the disgrace and reproach of establishing slavery in a

free territory. We are no abstractionists. The Representatives in this

Congress from the fifteen slaveholding States of the Union, without an

exception, and without distinction of party, avow an intention to carry

their slaves into these Territories, and there hold them in bondage.

They assert, with passionate vehemence, that they have such a

constitutional right. They have even told us, sir, that, regardless of

the remonstrances of the people of the North--heedless of any

prohibitory law of Congress upon the subject, they would invade the free

soil of the Pacific, and take with them their slaves, and weapons of

defence! Are these declarations abstractions? Do they make no appeal for

immediate, energetic and prohibitory legislation?

[Illustration: W. Collins]

When driven from every other argument, gentlemen of the South

threaten, that if the 'Proviso' or a law prohibiting slavery in free

territory, is passed, they will dissolve the Union. At the North, the

dissolution of the Union is not regarded as among possible events. Its

value is never calculated. It has been cemented by too many common and

glorious sacrifices and struggles; it is protected by too many pious

invocations of its magnanimous founders, to be easily severed. The

cause by which these fraternal bonds are sundered must be other than a

refusal on the part of the free States to allow the Government to

establish slavery in free territory. A submission to the will of the

majority is a fundamental principle of our institutions. If the North

are overborne in this contest, they must and will submit. If the

demands of the South are denied by the decision of the majority, a like

cheerful and ready acquiesence is expected. Until, however, the

majority have decided, no legal and constitutional efforts to exclude

slavery from these Territories will be abated by passionate threats

against the peace and perpetuity of the Union. The Union would never

have been formed had the present demand of the slave States been made

and insisted upon. A proposition in the Constitutional Convention to

make the Government a propagandist of slavery in free territory, would

have been indignantly rejected.

Whilst we stand here, upon the floor of the American Congress, at the

noon of the nineteenth century, gravely discussing whether or not we

will extend and perpetuate slavery, the monarchical governments of

Europe are striking off shackles and 'letting the oppressed go free.'

Slavery has been abolished by the French colonies. Portugal, Spain,

and Russia, are moving in the work of emancipation. Within a few

years England has given liberty to eight hundred thousand slaves. She

has expended, within the last forty years, one hundred millions of

dollars in suppressing the slave trade. Is it reserved for the

Government of 'free, happy America,' in the midst of examples like

these, to be fastening corroding chains upon human beings? Sooner

than be involved in such stupendous guilt, let our name and existence

perish among the nations.

On the part of the North no 'compromises' can be made. But one answer--a

stern, unyielding NO--will be given to all such proposals. We have

made all the concessions that we can make, or ought to make. If a law

under the name of a 'compromise' is passed, planting slavery upon a

single square mile of free territory, it will have no rest. REPEAL! will

be shouted from the mountain tops of the North, and reverberated in

thunder tones through the valleys. The preservation of 'free soil for

free men,' will alone be satisfactory. For this purpose, the passage of

an act of Congress prohibiting slavery in free territory, will be

unceasingly urged, until the great measure is consummated.

During this Congress, although the anti-slavery-extension men were in a

minority in both branches, all compromise bills were defeated, and their

defeat was due in a good degree to the industrious and vigilant efforts of

Mr. Collins, and a few associates in the House.

Mr. Collins was tendered a renomination to the thirty-first Congress, but

having determined to remove to the West, he declined, and Preston King was

elected in his stead. He continued, with much success, the business of

the late firm of E. & W. Collins, until December, 1853, when he removed to

Cleveland and opened a law office. He was soon elected a director of the

Merchants Bank of Cleveland, and of the Lake Shore Railway Company.

Subsequently he became a director in the Bellefontaine Railway Company;

the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway Company; the

Jamestown and Franklin Railway Company, of Pennsylvania; the East

Cleveland Street Railroad Company; the Mercer Iron and Coal Company, of

Pennsylvania, and the Merchants National Bank, of Cleveland, the active

duties of which positions have absorbed very much of his attention and

time. He has occasionally appeared in the courts here in litigated cases,

but has mainly confined his professional work to his office. Mr. Collins

had a high standing as a lawyer in New York, and has fully sustained his

early reputation here. He is most remarkable for an admirably fair and

clear way of stating and arguing to the court and jury, the questions both

of law and fact. This contributed greatly to his success, not only as a

forensic advocate, but as a political orator, and legislative debater.

The sympathies of Mr. Collins having always been on the side of freedom,

he joined the Republican party on its organization, and has remained

faithful to its principles. When the Rebellion broke out he threw himself

heartily into the cause of the Union, and contributed freely with money

and labor in every available way for the furtherance of the Union cause.

He served on the local military and other committees, working faithfully

and energetically, and contributing largely to the excellent record

Cleveland and the county made during the war, by repeatedly and promptly

filling the quota of troops required, and by liberal contributions in aid

of the sick and wounded soldiers. Whenever an effort was needed, the voice

of Mr. Collins was heard exhorting the people earnestly to energetic

action and liberal contributions, and his exhortations were promptly and

efficiently seconded by his own example. With him precept and practice

went together.

Such men as Mr. Collins would do the people valuable service were they

chosen to fill responsible places in the legislative councils and

executive departments of the State and Nation. But in these days something

more than--or it may too often be said--something different from abilities

of the description possessed by Mr. Collins, seems to be required to

secure the favor of the people, or rather of the political managers. He is

of too ingenuous a nature to yield to the intrigues and servility, too

often, now-a-days, demanded of political candidates by the managers.

On November 20th, 1816, Mr. Collins was married at Columbus, to Jane,

second daughter of the late Alfred Kelly--the two families having been

early neighbors and friends in New York. Two children of this marriage

survive, Frederick and Walter, the former seventeen years of age at the

present time, and the latter fourteen.

Rufus Percival Ranney.

Rufus P. Ranney, one of the most profound jurists this country has

produced, was born at Blandford, Massachusetts, October 30, 1813. His

father, Rufus Ranney, was an honest, industrious farmer, of Scotch

descent. His mother, whose maiden name was Dottie D. Blair, came from

revolutionary stock.

About the year 1822, Rufus Ranney removed with his family to Ohio. After a

short stay at Fairport, Lake county, they finally located at Freedom,

Portage county, where they made a permanent settlement upon a farm. It was

there that Rufus P. Ranney spent the years of his early manhood, and there

his parents lived until their decease. Judge Ranney's father was highly

respected in the neighborhood where he lived, and, though in humble

circumstances, did all within his power for the education of his children,

training them in the pathway of honesty and integrity--traits of character

which have marked the public and private career of his distinguished son.

His mother, an amiable woman who had received a good education, was very

attentive to her children, and her son, Rufus P. doubtless owes much of

whatever he has been in life to her early teachings.

Until he became of age, Rufus P. Ranney was engaged upon his father's

farm, obtaining, during the winter season, a few weeks education at such

schools as a country village then afforded. He attended the college at

Hudson for a season, but circumstances prevented his remaining long enough

to graduate with his class.

In the year 1835, having determined to make a start in life for himself,

he left his home and traveled on foot to Jefferson, Ashtabula county. In a

speech made by him at Ashtabula in September, 1868, he referred to the

time of his arrival at Jefferson, his worldly goods consisting of the

clothing upon his person, and _one_ extra shirt, which he carried in the

top of his hat.

Entering the office of Benjamin F. Wade, he applied himself with

diligence to the study of the law, and after a clerkship of one year was

admitted to the Bar. Soon afterward he entered into partnership with his

preceptor. The firm of Wade & Ranney was a powerful one, and "ruled the

circuit" of North Eastern Ohio. For several years it enjoyed an extensive

practice. The firm was dissolved upon the removal of Judge Ranney to

Warren, (1844,) and Mr. Wade was soon afterward chosen President Judge of

the Third Judicial District, from which position he was transferred to the

Senate of the United States.

In 1846, and again in 1848, Judge Ranney was an unsuccessful candidate for

Congress. In the Trumbull district the Whig party was largely in the

majority, and though Judge Ranney was defeated, he ran considerably ahead

of the general ticket, reducing the Whig majority to hundreds, when

before, that party had triumphed by thousands.

The people having determined that a convention be held to form a new

constitution, Judge Ranney was chosen to represent the counties of

Trumbull and Geauga. The convention was held in 1850. It was composed of

the first men of the State; both parties seem to have vied with each other

in sending their ablest representatives. There were William Medill, its

President, who afterwards became Governor of the State; the venerable

Ex-Governor Vance; Henry Stanbery, late Attorney General of the United

States; Peter Hitchcock, for thirty years a judge of the Supreme Court;

Benjamin Stanton, long a member of Congress; Judges Joseph E. Swan,

Sherlock J. Andrews, Simeon Nash and William Kennon; Charles Reemelin,

D. P. Leadbetter, William Sawyer, and others not less prominent in the

Judicial and political annals of Ohio.

In that convention, Rufus P. Ranney greatly distinguished himself.

Although but thirty-six years of age he commanded the respect and

admiration of all its members, and won for himself a high reputation as a

sound lawyer and ready debater. No one was more looked to for advice, and

none more generally correct in giving it. He was, in fact, a leader, whose

council, in almost every instance, was acceded to by the convention. All

the propositions which he introduced were for the welfare and benefit of

the people. In the official report of the debates will be found his views

upon nearly or quite all of the questions which agitated the convention.

He was the champion of the people against monopolies, and many of the most

important provisions in the constitution are the work of his hand.

The course which he pursued met the hearty approval of the people and

made his name prominent throughout the State. In response to the wishes of

the members of the legal profession, and the general desire of the public,

he was, by the legislature of 1851, chosen one of the judges of the

Supreme Court. When the new constitution went into effect, he was elected

to the same position by a large majority.

Judge Ranney occupied a place upon the Supreme Bench until 1856, when he

resigned on account of ill health. That year he was a member of the

Cincinnati National Convention, which nominated James Buchanan for

President.

In March, 1857, Judge Ranney, unsolicited on his part, received from

President Buchanan the appointment of United States Attorney for the

Northern District of Ohio. This position he held until July, when he

resigned. He then removed to Cleveland, where he resumed the practice of

his profession, as a member of the firm of Ranney, Backus & Noble.

In 1859, Governor Chase tendered him the appointment of commissioner to

examine and report upon the condition of the State Treasury, this being

soon after the Gibson-Breslin defalcation, by which the State lost several

hundred thousand dollars. Judge Ranney declined this appointment. The same

year he was unanimously nominated by the Democratic State convention as

the candidate of that party for Governor--his opponent on the Republican

ticket being the Hon. William Dennison, of Franklin county, late

Post-Master General of the United States. After a most gallant canvass,

Judge Ranney failed of an election, though he ran ahead of the other

candidates on the ticket in all parts of the State.

In 1862, against his personal wishes, he was nominated by the Democracy

for Judge of the Supreme Court. He consented to be a candidate only

after the convention had _positively refused_ to accept his declination.

The Republican nominee was his law partner, the Hon. Franklin T. Backus,

one of the most prominent members of the Cuyahoga Bar. The result was

the election of Judge Ranney by a decided majority, and although party

lines were closely drawn, he again ran ahead of his ticket several

thousand votes.

He held the position of judge of the Supreme Court until 1864, when he

resigned. Some months afterwards he resumed the practice of his profession

in connection with his son-in-law, Mr. T. Kelley Bolton.

During the same year, (1864) he was chosen one of the delegates at large

to the Democratic National Convention, which nominated George B.

McClellan for President, and was selected by the Ohio delegation as the

member from Ohio of the Democratic National Committee, holding that

position until 1868. In the late Presidential campaign, his name headed

the Democratic electoral ticket. This closes his public record. It is an

interesting one, and though briefly given, exhibits this fact, viz.: the

confidence and regard in which he has ever been held by the Democracy of

Ohio. Year after year his voice has been heard throughout the State in

defence of the Constitution and laws, and the honors which his party have

bestowed upon him, are but a merited tribute to his energy, ability, and

integrity of character.

As a lawyer, Judge Ranney has ever held the front rank in his

profession. His practice has been extensive and important; probably no

attorney in the State has, during the past ten years, been retained in

as many cases. Possessed of a strong, discriminating mind, capable of

enduring long continued mental labor, he unites with activity and energy

a determined spirit, which enables him to overcome obstacles which would

appal most men.

Judge Ranney is as logical as eloquent, and when his great reasoning

powers are brought into full sway, formidable must be the opponent to

overcome him. His arguments in court are peculiarly appropriate, clear,

calm, and strong; without wordy declamation, vehement gesture, or

passionate appeal; he seldom fails to carry his point, even when the odds

seem overwhelmingly against him.

Judge Ranney has a mind richly stored with not only the treasures of his

profession, but of ancient and modern classics, and the best literature of

the day. He is a great reader, and though he writes but little, whatever

proceeds from his pen is marked by elegance and culture.

As a Judge, he was courteous, affable and indulgent. His decisions are his

best _monuments_. They exhibit profound learning, sound judgment and

extensive research. No judge was more popular upon the Bench. Dignified

and benevolent, he enjoyed in an eminent degree the confidence of the Bar

and the public. He had the constant respect of those who differed from him

in opinion, and when he resigned his seat upon the Bench, the best men of

all parties expressed regret at his retirement from a position which he

had so much adorned. Pre-eminent in legal knowledge, Rufus P. Ranney has

reflected honor upon the judiciary of our country, and is one of the

ablest of the many learned men who have graced the Supreme Bench of our

State with their presence.

[Illustration: Yours Truly, C. T. Sherman]

Charles Taylor Sherman.

The Sherman family was among the earliest settlers in Massachusetts and

Connecticut. They and their descendants were men of note in their

respective Colonies, of strong, practical minds, pure and lofty in moral

tone and character.

They were early actors in the settlement and development of Ohio. Taylor

Sherman, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a judge of

one of the Superior Courts of Connecticut, and was one of the trustees of

the Fire Land Company, to whom was granted, by the State of Connecticut,

the lands now comprised by the counties of Huron and Erie, in Ohio. As

early as 1800, he was in Ohio, and also in subsequent years, attending to

the surveying and allotting the lands to the owners, who suffered from

fire in the excursions of Arnold and Tryon, in Connecticut, in the

Revolutionary war.

His son, Charles R. Sherman, and father of Charles T. Sherman, emigrated

to Ohio in 1810, and settled in Lancaster, Fairfield county, Ohio. He

early became distinguished at the Bar, among the strong and able lawyers

then practicing in Central Ohio. In 1824, he was elected one of the judges

of the Supreme Court of Ohio, and died in 1830, whilst in the performance

of his duties.

Charles T. Sherman, of whose life these notes are made, was born in

Lancaster, February 3, 1813, and is Ohio born and reared. He was educated

and graduated at the Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, in 1832, and

admitted to the Bar in 1835. He settled in Mansfield, Richland county,

and continued in the practice of his profession until he was appointed

judge of the United States Court for the Northern District of Ohio, in

Mardi, 1867.

He never sought to obtain any public office, but rather carefully avoided

it. He always esteemed it fortunate that he resided in a county and

section in which the majority was opposed to him in political sentiments.

He however took a leading part in developing and forwarding public

improvements in his county. He contributed liberally by his labors and

influence in locating and constructing through his county the Pittsburgh,

Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, and the Mansfield & Sandusky Railroad. For

many years he was a director in both roads, and general soliciter of the

Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, and a leading spirit in its

management.

He was also appointed by Mr. Lincoln to serve four years as one of the

Government Directors of the Pacific Railroad, and largely contributed to

its success in its early days.

The Bar of Richland county always ranked among the first in Northern Ohio.

Among the oldest members who were in full practice when Judge Sherman went

there, were Jacob Parker, afterwards Judge of the Common Pleas, Andrew

Coffinberry, one of the most genial and kind hearted men, and, withal, an

excellent lawyer, John M. May, who commenced the practice of the law in

1815, and is still living, and James Purdy, Orris Parrish of Columbus,

William Stanbery, of Newark, Hosmer and Henry B. Curtis, of Mt. Vernon,

and Edward Avery, of Wooster, afterwards Judge of the Supreme Court, all

practiced in that county. In later days and cotemporaneous with Judge

Sherman, were Thomas W. Bartley, Jacob Brinkerhoof, and Josiah Scott, all

of whom occupied the Bench of the Supreme Court of Ohio, James Stewart,

Judge of the Common Pleas, S. J. Kirkwood, afterwards Governor of Iowa, and

U. S. Senator from that State, together with R. G. Hurd and Columbus

Delano, of Mt. Vernon, and C. L. Boalt and J. M. Root, of Norwalk.

Judge Sherman ranked with those later and younger members of the Bar, and

enjoyed a practice equal to any, and more lucrative probably, than any of

them. He was quiet and unostentatious in his profession, and, seemingly,

only sought to do his whole duty to his clients and obtain the good will

of his fellow citizens.

A short time after the breaking out of the rebellion, he was appointed

Provost Marshal of some twenty counties in Northern Ohio, by the War

Department, and organized four regiments that went into the service, and

subsequently served on a commission to settle and adjust claims on the

Government arising in the West.

Upon his appointment to the Bench he resigned his position on the

Railroads, with the intention of devoting his whole time to the duties of

his judicial office. For more than two years he has presided with entire

satisfaction to the public and the members of the Cleveland Bar, proving

himself to be a strong, capable, common-sense, business judge; and by his

habitual courteous demeanor has made a host of legal and other friends

during his short residence in this city.

[Illustration: Very Respectfully, R. P. Spalding]

Rufus P. Spalding.

In a work professing to deal with the "representative men" of Cleveland,

it is eminently proper that he who has represented the interests of

Cleveland in Congress for six years with a fidelity unsurpassed by any of

his predecessors in the national councils, and who won for the district he

represented a prominence hitherto not accorded to it, should find a

conspicuous place. The six years' service of Judge Spalding in Congress as

the Representative from the Eighteenth Ohio District forms a period in the

history of the city of which the citizens, irrespective of party

predilections, have reason to be proud.

Rufus Paine Spalding is a native of Massachusetts, having been born on the

3rd of May, 1798, at West Tisbury, on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The

remote ancestor of the Spaldings was Edward Spalding, who is recorded as

having been "made a Freeman" at Braintree, Massachusetts, in 1640. Edward

Spalding's son Benjamin emigrated from Massachusetts to Connecticut about

fifteen years after that date, and settled in Plainfield, Windham county.

The great grandson of Benjamin Spalding, and the father of Rufus Paine

Spalding, Dr. Rufus Spalding, had in 1798, been for some time a resident

of West Tisbury, where he practiced medicine.

When his son was fourteen years old Dr. Spalding removed to Connecticut

and resided in Norwich. Rufus P. Spalding, having been prepared for

college, entered Yale at the proper time, and graduated in 1817, with the

degree of Bachelor of Arts. The class in which he graduated contained

names that afterwards acquired lustre in judicial, legislative, and

ecclesiastical circles.

From the first Mr. Spalding's tendency was towards the legal profession,

and immediately on leaving college he prepared himself by study for the

practice of the law. He was fortunate in the choice of an instructor,

having entered the office of the Hon. Zephaniah Swift, Chief Justice of

Connecticut, who is known to the profession as the learned author of the

"Digest." He profited so well by the instructions he received, that, on

his leaving the office, Judge Swift complimented him highly on his

proficiency, and predicted for the young lawyer a successful career, if he

remained true to his profession. On completing his term of reading law,

and being admitted to the Bar, he left New England to push his fortune in

the West, and in December, 1819, reached the old "Post of Arkansas,"

removing soon after to Little Rock, where he put out his shingle as a

lawyer, in partnership with Samuel Dinsman, who has since reached the

gubernatorial chair of New Hampshire. Here he remained about a year and a

half, when he turned his face eastward, and in passing through Ohio,

stopped at Warren, the county town of Trumbull county. Here he was induced

to remain, the chances of practice being represented as good, and his

profound knowledge of law, ability in making that knowledge serviceable,

and unwearied industry, enabled him to soon build up an extensive legal

connection, which he retained and increased during his sixteen years stay

in Warren.

From Warren he removed to Ravenna, in the adjoining county of Portage. He

had not long been in the county before the people recognized the abilities

and power of Mr. Spalding, and he was chosen to represent that county in

the State Legislature. The contest for the position was sharp, for Mr.

Spalding was a new man in the county, and it was considered by many proper

that older residents should represent so important a constituency. But the

recognized ability of Mr. Spalding outweighed all objections on the ground

of recent residency, and he was elected by a majority of one.

During his term in the Legislature, and mainly through his efforts, the

county of Summit was erected, and Mr. Spalding at once became a resident

of the new county by removing his place of residence to Akron. At the next

election he offered himself as a representative of Summit in the

legislature, and was accepted. On the organization of the House of

Representatives he was chosen speaker, and won the approbation of the

whole body by the ability and impartiality with which he presided over the

proceedings. During this term of office the question of repudiating the

State debt was broached. Mr. Spalding took strong ground against such a

course, holding it not only disgraceful but suicidal. In this he was

supported by the late John Brough, then Auditor of State, and largely

through the bold and persistent opposition of these gentlemen the scheme

was dropped.

In the Legislative session of 1848-9, the two houses of the General

Assembly united in electing Mr. Spalding a judge of the Supreme Court of

the State for the constitutional term of seven years. But when four years

of the term remained unexpired, the operation of the new constitution

ended the pending terms of all offices, and devolved the election of

Supreme Court judges upon the people instead of on the General Assembly.

Judge Spalding declined being a candidate for the office in a popular

canvass, and so the advantages of his ripe legal and judicial knowledge

was lost to the Bench of the State. Concurrent testimony shows that no

decisions were held in greater respect by the lawyers and the public, for

their uprightness and justice, whilst to the legal fraternity in

particular, they commended themselves by their logical force, and terse,

clear, emphatic style and precision of expression that rendered them

models of judicial literature. His judicial opinions are contained in

volumes 18, 19 and 20 of the Ohio Reports.

On his retirement from the Bench of the State, Judge Spalding returned to

the practice of the law with renewed ardor. Cleveland, presenting a wider

field for the exercise of his abilities, he removed to that city and at

once took front rank among the many able members of the profession. His

profound knowledge of the law, power as a debater, and his ability of

creating a strong impression on both courts and juries, built up for him

an extensive and lucrative practice. When he spoke he carried conviction,

it being all but impossible to resist the solid array of arguments and

terse, incisive style. The same characteristics that made him afterwards

so powerful in Congress had great effect on the most intelligent juries,

and exercised a marked influence on the judges engaged in trying the

causes in which he was interested as advocate.

Although the law claimed his first attention, and was his choice, Judge

Spalding was no indifferent spectator of the course of politics. He had

been trained a Democrat, and was a powerful worker in that party. But all

his convictions were on the side of justice and freedom, and when, in

1850, the Fugitive Slave Law wedded Democracy to slavery, Judge Spalding,

in common with thousands of others, broke through the party traces, and

joined the "Free Soil" party, opposed to the extention of slavery. At the

Free Soil convention of 1852, he was an active and prominent delegate, and

on his nomination, John P. Hale was made the candidate for the Presidency.

On the formation of the Republican party, pledged to the restriction of

the slave power, Judge Spalding took an active part in carrying out the

principles of that organization. He was a member of the Pittsburgh

Convention of 1856, at which the party was organized, and was a delegate

at large for the State of Ohio at the Philadelphia Convention that

nominated John C. Fremont. From that time he labored earnestly for the

success of Republican principles, and the good effect of his efforts

were frequently acknowledged by the party.

In October, 1862, he was chosen to succeed Mr. Riddle as Representative of

the Eighteenth Congressional District in Congress. The wisdom of the

choice was almost immediately made manifest. Judge Spalding had not long

occupied his seat in the House of Representatives before "the member from

the Cleveland District" became noticed for the interest he took in

questions of importance, the soundness of his views, and the ability with

which they were urged. He took part in all the leading debates, and with

such effect that he commanded the attention of the House whenever he

spoke, and the leaders listened respectfully to his suggestions. He was

appointed a member of the Standing Committee on Naval Affairs, and of the

Committee on Revolutionary Pensions, and on the formation of a Select

Committee on the Bankrupt Law, he was made its Chairman. In committee he

was noticeable for his punctuality, patient and conscientious attention to

the drudgery of committee work, and the system with which he was enabled

to despatch large amounts of it satisfactorily.

In 1864, he was re-elected to his seat, and in that term was made a member

of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, and retained his former

position on the Committee on Bankruptcy, the chairmanship of which was

held by Mr. Jenckes. In this Congress Judge Spalding took a leading part

in the important debates on the subject of Reconstruction, and impressed

his influence on the Legislation upon this matter. In the early days of

the session he made a speech, in which he indicated the measures he

regarded best adapted for the for the purpose of properly reconstructing

the rebel States. The speech attracted great attention, both within and

without Congress, and the suggestions therein contained were for the most

part subsequently adopted, and worked into the Reconstruction Laws. The

military features of Reconstruction, which formed an integral part of the

legislation, originated in an amendment proposed by Judge Spalding, when

the first Reconstruction Bill of Thaddeus Stevens was presented.

In 1866, he was again re-elected to Congress, his national services, as

well as his fidelity to the local interests of his constituents, having

secured for him that distinguished compliment. In this Congress he

continued to occupy a prominent position, and was recognized as one of the

leading men on the Republican side, though not so thoroughly partizan as

to accept all the measures proposed in the name of the Republican party.

He differed occasionally with the dominant section of the party, when he

believed their zeal outran discretion and sound policy, and the judgment

of the country has in most cases pronounced him to have acted rightly. In

this Congress he served on the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee

on the Revision of the Laws of the United States, and upon the Joint

Committee on the Library of Congress. In the debates on the financial

questions that enlisted the attention of Congress at this session he took

a leading part, and in May, 1868, he delivered a speech on "The Political

and Financial condition of the Country," which took strong ground against

the unconstitutionality of the Legal Tenders, whilst approving the passage

of the Legal Tender Act as a measure of military necessity at the time.

With this Congress Judge Spalding's legislative career closed. The duties

of the position, always faithfully performed by him, were growing too

onerous, and at his time of life, though still full of activity and

healthy vigor, it was urged that he should enjoy more ease than was

possibly consistent with his idea of a proper fulfillment of the trust of

member of Congress. He therefore wrote a letter to his constituents

several months before the period of nomination, positively declining a

renomination, and withdrawing from public life.

The determination of Judge Spalding to withdraw from active political life

was a matter of surprise and regret to his colleagues in Congress, who had

learned to value his sound judgment, ripe scholarship, earnest patriotism,

and great legislative ability. It was a positive loss to the people of the

Eighteenth Ohio District, for never had the interests of that district

been better cared for. To Cleveland, especially, he proved in reality a

representative member. The wishes of his constituents were promptly

attended to, their interests carefully guarded, and no stone left unturned

in the endeavor to benefit the city and its people. In the Congressional

session and out of it, he was ever on the watch for opportunities to

advance the interests of his constituents, and in complying with the daily

requests for advice and assistance, he did so, not grudgingly or

reluctantly, but with earnestness and hearty good will, as if it were a

matter of his own personal concern. The withdrawal of Judge Spalding from

public political life, was a loss to the national councils in which he had

achieved distinction, but was a still greater loss to the constituency he

represented.

Judge Spalding has returned to the legal profession, of which he ranks

among the brightest lights, and finds in its practice, and in the quiet

enjoyment of social and domestic life, a satisfaction which his public

career, brilliant as it was, failed to give. In his seventy-second year,

he is yet in the full enjoyment of all his faculties, physical and mental,

and is the picture of sound health and mental vigor.

Judge Spalding has been married twice. In October, 1822, he was married to

Lucretia A. Swift, oldest daughter of his preceptor in legal studies.

Seven children were born of this marriage, of whom but three yet live:

Col. Zeph. S. Spalding, United States Consul at Honolulu, Brevet Captain

George S. Spalding, First Lieutenant 33d U. S. Infantry, and Mrs. Lucretia

McIlrath, wife of Charles McIlrath, of St. Paul, Minnesota. In January,

1859, Judge Spalding was married to his present wife, oldest daughter of

Dr. William S. Pierson, of Windsor, Connecticut.

W. S. C. Otis.

W. S. C. Otis was born in Cummington, Hampshire county, Massachusetts,

August 24th, 1808. His father was a farmer in narrow circumstances, who,

owing to the loss of property, was able to bestow upon his children only

such an education as could be obtained in the district schools of a purely

agricultural district. Books were scarce, and as poor in quality as meagre

in quantity; but being a lad with literary tastes, a desire for

information, and an omnivorous appetite for reading, every book that fell

in the way of young Otis was eagerly seized and its contents ravenously

devoured. The life of a poor farmer, with its ceaseless drudgery and petty

needs, was distasteful to the lad, and he was anxious to obtain a

collegiate education, and thus become fitted to fight the battle of life

with brain instead of muscle. His ambition was not discouraged by his

father, but there was a great difficulty in the way of its

gratification--the want of money. Mr. Otis was utterly unable to give his

son any pecuniary assistance, though ready to resign his claim on his

son's time; an important sacrifice when the demands of a large family and

the straitness of his means are taken into consideration. Application was

made for admission to West Point Military Academy, but unfortunately a

Congressman's son was also a candidate for the appointment, and of course

the friendless son of a poor struggling farmer had to go to the wall. This

was a heavy blow and sore discouragement.

When the subject of this sketch was about seventeen or eighteen years old

his father emigrated to Ohio, leaving his son behind with only forty

dollars in money, who, after making arrangements with his brother, W. A.

Otis, to furnish him such pecuniary aid as he might need, proceeded to fit

himself for college under the Rev. Roswell Hawks, of Cummington, devoting

only one year to preparation, and entered Williams College in the Fall of

1826. In order to lighten the burden upon his brother, he taught school

two Winters during his college course, and graduated in the autumn of

1830, among the best scholars of the class.

Before graduating, he was appointed principal of Gates' Academy, in

Marlborough, Massachusetts, and entered upon the duties of the

appointment; but at the expiration of the year he followed the rest of the

family to Ohio, and in the month of September, 1831, commenced reading law

with Whittlesey & Newton, of Canfield, Ohio. In September, 1833, he was

admitted to the Bar, and immediately commenced the practice of the law in

Ravenna, Portage county, where he continued to reside till 1840.

In June, 1840, after the county of Summit was organized, Mr. Otis moved to

Akron, where he resided and continued to practice his profession until

January, 1854. While a resident of Summit county he was elected

Prosecuting Attorney of the county for two years. He also filled the

position of president of the Akron Bank, from its organization, till

January, 1854, and was a member of the Board of Control of the State Bank

of Ohio, and member of the Convention which formed the present

Constitution of the State of Ohio. While a member of the Convention he

devised and reported to that body the scheme for the apportionment of the

members of the House of Representatives, which, with slight modifications,

was adopted into the Constitution, and is now the system in this State.

While a member of the Constitutional Convention, he acquired a distaste

for political life, and resolved to abandon it, a resolution to which he

has since constantly adhered.

In January, 1854, Mr. Otis was elected vice-president of the Cleveland and

Pittsburgh Railroad Company, and in order to better perform the duties of

the position, he removed to Cleveland, taking charge of the operations of

the road and the finances of the Company. In the Winter of 1854 and 1855,

he was tendered the presidency of the Bellefontaine and Indiana Railroad

Company, but declined, and in the Spring of 1855, resumed the practice of

his profession. Soon afterwards he was elected the Solicitor of the

Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad Company, and continued to act as such

until he resigned the position in May, 1869, and since that time he has

confined himself strictly to the practice of law.

As a lawyer Mr. Otis ranks high in his profession, having a very extensive

knowledge of the law in all its ramifications, and a readiness in the

application of his knowledge that enables him to baffle and confound his

opponents without descending to mere pettifogging.

For many years he has been a member either of the Congregational or

Presbyterian churches in the places in which he has resided; and has

always taken great pleasure in studying the Bible, and great satisfaction

in teaching it to others, hence the secret of the spotless morality and

unswerving integrity he has maintained through life.

Mr. Otis was married in January, 1836, to Hannah, daughter of the late G.

Mygatt, and sister of George Mygatt, of Cleveland. She died without issue

in April, 1840. In November, 1842, he was married to Laura L., daughter of

the late Judge Lyman, of Ravenna.

Franklin J. Dickman.

Franklin J. Dickman is a native of Petersburg, Virginia, where his

parents have long resided. At the age of sixteen he entered the Junior

class of Brown University, at Providence, Rhode Island, and at the age of

eighteen graduated with the salutatory honors of his class. In the same

class were the Hon. S. S. Cox, Lieutenant Governor Francis Wayland, of

Connecticut, and the Rev. James C. Fletcher, now so well known for his

travels in Brazil.

On leaving college Mr. Dickman studied law in the office of the late

Charles F. Tillinghest and ex-Chief Justice Bradley, at Providence, and

after completing his studies he commenced the practice of his profession

in the same city, continuing with success until he removed to Cleveland.

His entry on public life was early. In 1857, the Democracy of Rhode

Island selected him as their candidate for Attorney General of the State,

and it is a noticeable fact that although running on the Democratic

ticket, he received almost the entire colored vote of the State. In 1858,

he was appointed a member of the Board of Visitors to the Military Academy

at West Point, and was chosen Secretary of the Board. In that capacity he

drew up the report of the Board for that year, which was subsequently

published by order of the Secretary of War.

In December, 1858, he removed to Cleveland, rightly considering that its

growth and prosperity, and the important cases continually arising out of

its commercial business, rendered it a good field for a man of knowledge

and of energy to put that knowledge to account. He entered on the

practice of his profession with zeal, and speedily reaped his reward in a

large business.

Up to the breaking out of the war Mr. Dickman had acted with the

Democratic party, but when treason culminated with rebellion, he joined

those of his political associates who disregarded party lines and united

with the Republicans in forming the Union party. Although fitted for

college with Roger A. Pryor, of Petersburg, and though his parents

remained in Petersburg during the war, Mr. Dickman took strong ground

against the rebellion and all who gave it encouragement.

In 1861, he was nominated for member of the State Legislature from this

city, and was elected by a large majority. In that body he was made

chairman of the Committee on Railroads and also placed on the Judiciary

Committee. In the latter capacity the subject of military arrests came

under his notice, and his speech on that subject was considered so able

and exhaustive an exposition of that subject that it was published at

the request of the Judiciary Committee and widely circulated through

the State.

At the close of his legislative term he formed a law partnership with

Judge Spalding, which still continues, and re-entered assiduously on the

duties of his profession, devoting most of his attention to admirality,

marine insurance, and patent cases. In these he has been very successful.

In 1867, President Johnson appointed Mr. Dickman United States District

Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. The appointment was received

with satisfaction by all shades of political opinions, and Mr. Dickman

continued to perform its duties to, the approbation of all having business

with the court until early in 1869, when he resigned the position in

order to confine himself more closely to his private practice. It is

admitted on all sides that the duties of his office were faithfully and

ably performed. Of the great number of criminal cases brought before the

court by him only two escaped conviction, thus evidencing the merit, care

and attention given to the getting up of the cases for trial. Such

uniformity in securing conviction is very unusual.

Mr. Dickman is a gentleman of fine literary tastes, extensive reading, and

rare classical attainments. The relaxation from his legal duties is found

mainly in his library among the highest class of authors. His frequent

orations for the literary societies of Brown University and the University

of Michigan, and other occasions, have been marked by scholarly finish and

have always been received with approval. During the existence of the

Knickerbocker Magazine, before its decadence, he contributed to its pages

a series of valuable articles on "Butler's Horae Juridical," and on "The

Revolution of 1688."

Cherishing a high ideal of professional attainments and ability, Mr.

Dickman has realized it to a degree remarkable for a young man. With

ample acquirements he has clear conceptions, and broad views of the

principles of legal science, frequently never attained by older lawyers,

even after a large and life-long practice. His habits of study are wisely

methodized, so as to husband time, and make his efforts tell without

waste upon results.

A very marked feature also in his character, is a rigorous but highly

intelligent economy. Upon a limited practice in Rhode Island, before

coming to Cleveland, he not only sustained himself, but accumulated a

considerable sum as a basis upon which he could rely with honorable

independence in a new field. This was done in circumstances in which

multitudes of young men at this day, would by self-indulgence and lavish

outlay, have become embarrassed by debt.

The example of a wise economy in one familiar with the first social

surroundings--an economy supplying means for a rich and broad literary

culture, under the guidance of liberal tastes, yet rigid as to

self-control--but ever avoiding parsimony, is far too rare among young men

in this lavish and wasteful age. The young man who shows what enlightened

self-control, what high probity and fidelity to the details of little

wants and expenditures can do to lift a man high above debt, to thrift and

self-reliance, is a valuable citizen, exerting an influence as wholesome

as it is wise, manly, and rare.

Mr. Dickman, in his mental growth, aims at the solid, rather than the

merely sensational; the lasting, rather than the transient. Gifted

naturally with vigorous and admirably balanced powers, the right use of

which has enriched him already with ample mental furniture, and with

habits the most exemplary, and a high character, established upon an

intelligent religions basis, the future to him is full of promise of the

most honorable achievements.

In 1862, Mr. Dickman was married to Miss Annie E. Niel, daughter of Robert

Neil, of Columbus, Ohio, and has two children living.

James M. Jones.

The subject of this sketch is the third son of Thomas and Mary Ann Jones,

who emigrated from England to the United States, and settled in Cleveland

in the Spring of 1831, where they still reside, They were the parents of

nine sons and four daughters, all of whom, save one son and one daughter,

are still living.

James Milton Jones enjoyed only such moderate advantages in the way of

education as were afforded by the common and high schools of the day, and

by the classical and English school of the late lamented and most

accomplished educator, H. D. Beattie, A. M.; but his memory was good, he

was a close student, and he therefore readily and easily familiarized

himself with the studies in which he engaged. He early manifested unusual

taste and fondness for composition, and his inclination and talent in that

direction were much cultivated and improved by assiduous study of the best

standard works in prose and poetry.

On leaving school he became interested as a partner in the marble

manufactory of T. Jones & Sons, and acquired a practical knowledge of the

business, but never applied himself very closely to its duties.

He joined various literary and forensic societies about the year 1850,

composed of some of the best literary and professional talent among the

young men of the city, where essays, poems, and discussions on all topics

of the day were embraced in the order of exercises; and he soon became

marked for his thorough preparation of and familiarity with the subjects

of debate, and regarded as a speaker of more than ordinary promise.

He became a frequent contributor, (but never in his own name,) in prose

and poetry, to the literary, as well as the daily papers of the day, and

especially to the daily Plain Dealer, of which the late J. W. Gray, Esq.,

was then the accomplished and witty editor, and by whom Mr. Jones was much

encouraged, and his contributions frequently commended. As specimens of

his poetic contributions, we give the following. It should be noted that

with his entry on the actual duties of professional life, Mr. Jones bade a

final adieu to the muses:

Woodland Reveries.

In this deep shady dell,

Where the soft breezes swell,

And beautiful wood-sprites by pearly streams wander--

Where the sweet perfume breathes,

O'er angel twined wreaths,

Luxuriantly blooming the mossy trees under--

Here, beneath the bright vine

Whose leaves intertwine,

I'm dreaming of thee, my lost Angeline!

Oh! I think of the time--

Of the warm spring time,

When with thee I've wandered, and with thee I've dallied;

E're my soul had once dreamed

That the roses which seemed

So fadeless, could leave thy warm cheek cold and pallid,

Or thy dear form decline,

From its radiance divine,

To press the cold grave sod, my own Angeline!

While the pale starlight laves,

With its shadowy waves,

A brow, that with memory's anguish is throbbing;

Each quivering leaf,

Seems trembling with grief,

That's borne on the zephyr's low sorrowful sobbing.

For that dear form of thine,

So oft pressed to mine,

My angel-claimed lost one, my own Angeline!

As the stream leaps along,

And I list to its song,

It sounds like the surging of sorrow's dark river;

When o'er my young bride,

Passed its dark rolling tide,

And bore her away from my bosum forever;

Yes; bore thee to shine

In regions divine,

Resplendently lovely, and pure, Angeline!

And _there_, as I gaze

On its bright sparkling face,

Where pearly white ripples are merrily gleaming,

Reflecting each star

That shines from afar,

The face of my lost one seems tenderly beaming;

Yes! there beside mine,

Are thy features benign,

By memory mirrored, my own Angeline!

As I gently recline,

'Neath the clustering vine,

The veil from futurity's vista is lifted,

And adown life's wild tide,

I rapidly glide,

And into eternity's ocean am drifted;

And there, soul of mine

In regions divine,

I meet thee, to part _nevermore_, Angeline!