, 1875-05-22

JUDGE WILLARD HALL. oE DELAWARE.
Hntd'af Correspondence Of 1At chfcaao Tribune.
WILMINGTON, Del, May 11.-tudEs Willard
Hkll. wlo diod In this city last night. was ono
Of The most notable figures In tho history "t tl'ls
St,to, md haA charNcteriAttcs which giyo lliui
moro than local intcrost. llo died In hts e5tll
year, having boen ono Of four or five OF tho old.
CIT surviving graduates Of Harvard College.
For far,y.o,ght ysara llo was Unitea States
Judge Tor tho District Of Delaware, c,-rosignns
at last, not whom lo was 10 {as tho e1iatinE lnw
permits, with continuance OF rayJ. nor at 10,
nor oyen at 10, but at tic completion Of hih Dist
year. This waa Ia December. 1911, ana hs mas
.tou, uo doubt, the oldest Judge Oh tile Doncf,
OF any Court. Btato or Naliouai; and, at tho
Same stme,, may say With equal conlderco, had
served for tho iongcat term Of years.
Judge Hall was from Nov EnRland-iu fact, 4
ca!pot~baegcr. Yct hc cams UPON tho invitation
aud encouragement Of "the elder Bayatd, old
James a., sho WAS ono Of tho Commlrs'onera Of
the 1hont Treaty. Young i1a'l, born at West
port, Mass., in Dcconber, 17s0 almost gear
before Cer"Nellis surrendered, graduated at
Harvard IN 1739, aud, having stliittl law with
Samuel Dana, Of i}rosop, decided 10 como to
lielawsre> Mourning bis 4ursc, and hidn,ng =
agaiu, ,~-he ro1e 10 Delaware. wl.A tcttots In hfs
pockot from Hasrl1on Gray Oils. Of Doatou. IN.
troducing hin 10 James 4. 1jsyart and CHsas 4.
aotsnay.- tho latter Acknowledgement nuder
jenorsou mud MADISON, aud nephow OF That
Crsar Nodnoy who secuted Delaware TO yoto for
tho Declaration Of Independence, antl OF behalf
Of this Btato Affixed his naule, NTH thnbo u
1iead nnd a1ckeer. 10 that immortal document.
Notwithstanding. his Naw-Ens!ama usiSin, is,o
yauag attorney snon gained position, ln t)lrcs
yearat ha married. tho danyhtes Of tho Chauccl-
lor OF tho state; III 1911. hu became Sectetaiyo Of
State under Gov. Hszlo:t; III 1915 and 1918, no
was betat to Congress. AZ t,sE hsaa Maasau hsi-
sesta tedcrnlist, he pre4oat|Y loinel viii BOD.
ney and tho Madison and alonros party; and, In
1823. Monroe nprolntnd him to tho United States
Judgeslip. Filling tho n!nco well, II nut brill
ihutlv, hs held it until 1871, aui tiisn resigned
simply bocnnso performance OF itA duties waa
atsuoat half . century, Its mad. however, be-
aieA his judicial bus!ness,-uhich, In tbs Dis
trict was compat aslyely light nnttl within rocont
yea'a,-pesformed other itnpertau. du.ica. In
ls2e he revised the lawa ot Del'ware, md pre-
pared oNr first Code; ~ 1881, lie VIVA lne,lhor
OF the Constitutional Convention, ,--tho last ne
lIayo bad. though badly new Constitution is
now needed; and. iu 1870, llc drew, ut tho tioase
Of comualttea Of tho Legislature, the School
Law er tho Stato. lis system waa a good ono
for that time, and 1t .1aa unfortunately, snr-
vivoa. almost without amendment, to this
very present year, 1876 when some ursontly-
demanded changes haze been made. .utgo
Hall thus bccamo, like Horuce Mann In 1lassa-
chusets+ and TAaddeua Bsoyens IN rennsy,vauin,
"tho father Of tha schools III hia Stats; and
1t may be said With trnth for bin tlla*, II tho
Legislature bad paesod his Law in sne preolho
form, AZ to compulsory tA2atlor. In which
hs tlrew It, 1t would have been an escollent Bya-
TEN, and have served Ito purpose admirably for
score Of yoara, thoHgA eaassulsted as 1t was
IL bad long been fraud ant an incubus 1hcn
ths Lo9,sfaturo Of 1876 an,eaaetl il.
4 Lrothnr living sged 90, And q sister aged IS.
Olbsr brothers aud slate!s lived to bo over 90.
I1o was descended, b. hls fatl1ot's sldo, from
daughter Of tho Wlllsrds OF Massachusetts,, Who
traee shoir gonealogf, III Eag!aua. away tsck 70
~l.o came over In 1874, was thc Progenisor Of q
n,sno 'ons family. and bis descendants Rro plen-
tifu! throughout New England.