Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1875-05-13
OBITUARY..
JUDGE WILLARD HALL.

ysars Judge Of the U. B Court for the Dis q
ies Of Delaware, oosnxzed at his residence In -
aia city ahoat O'Clock, Tuesday evening. His
salth, vhSch had maintained without impair .
asnt, during long and active life, the powers :
4 his mind, had recently been gradually and i
teadily failing. until his decsase became an
went Of possi6ls occurrence Ut any time.
Judge Hall wa one OF our oldest citizens dc i
lies in bis 96th year. He served upon the bench
Ill within eighteen days Of completing his 9lst
rear, and was then, no doubt. the Oldest Judge
In SERVICE In tho courts OF the
United States. He was born 1t Westford, AAss
On Decenber Ath, 1710 -bofOre the Rsvolueaou
md diAd In tho same town; bis mother, neheta-
Bile Pool was Of Hollis, N. H. His grandfather
willard Hall, was . graduate Of the ciAss OF 1722
n Harvard; and wA~ descended from the Will
lards Of Sussex and Kent in England, who trace
thar gensalogy back to the time Of William tho
Conqueror. Major Simon Willard. tho progenitor
Of numerous line Of his name, came to AAssa-
chusetts, In 1884, and settled q Concord.
Tho Judge was one OF the first scholars Of an
Academy, sstaDlishsd in his nativs town In 17s2,
and entered the freshman class at Harvard, In
1895, graduating in 1893. Tho venerable Horace |
Biuney, Of PhiladelphiA, who yet survives. the |
oldest graduate Of Harvard. was in College at
the same time, but graduated In 1897. In
100 tho young .I nsS. tho
cal fame, and in March, 1908, he was
admitted 70 tho bar Of Hllsborough coun-
~. N. H., where his psecepsor prac,
n not 70 full q hs ".s a.ssd
Delaware, by . speech made In Congress- BY
Hon. Jas. A. BAyArd. "the elder" and
upon writing 70 him received reply
that decided him to remove promptly
Harrison Gray Otis, OF Boston, to Mr.. Bayard,
aud Cesar A. Rodney, he rode southwark on
horseback, aud reached Wilmington, April 10th,
1903, whom, finding that Court WAS in session u
Georgetown, he repaired thitheI, at once, where
be WA admitted to practice. He then located
his residence At Dover, whore for twenty years
he sedulousiy pursued his profession. Once .
year be spent . fortnight In Pennsylvania 'for
. change of air." out his application was go close
that he never, In that time, visited the home Of
his parents, and never saw them again.
At the bar Of Delaware, at this time, there
we're such men - James A. Bayard, Cesar A.
Rodney, Nicholas vandyke, George Read, (son
Of the Bigner of the Declaration,) and others:
Judge Hall always then and since. regarded him
A. q lawyer Of great ability. Iu conversation
with the writer Of this, In 1871, (when he re-
signed from the bench the old gentleman said,
Il never saw his equal at the bar Mr.. kod-
nsy, too, was in his full vigor, and very popu-
lar and able man. But with such compositions,
the Young attorney slowly but steadily took rank.
In 1911, Governor Joseph Hazlett appointed him
Secretary Of State, and he performed the duties
Of that office until 1914 In 1916. he IVES elected
to represent the State in Congress, and taking
his seat in 1917, he remained in the House four
years, being reelected in 1918. He had been
Federaliat, when he came to Delaware. but he
afterward left that organization, and attached
himself warmly to the " Republican" or ~ he
preferred to term II, the Democratic party.
Mr.. BAyard was dead, and Mr.. Halle associa-
tons and sympAthies were with the administers
tons Of Madison and Monroe. His term of ser
vice in the House covered precisely the frs
, term OF the latter (Outertrdge Horsey ant
Nicholas yandyke were then our Senator'S ant
when, in 1923, Judge Fisher, Of thu
U. 9. District Court Of Delaware WAS deceased
Monroe appointed Mr. Hall to the vacancy. 81
. am surprised, said he not long ago, ''thAt ev
tice was large and profitable, he had been TO
I twenty years very hard ut work, and the NOR
q even and placid duties Of the National court
a attracted him irresistibly. An old letter write
o yer, April 25th, 1928, shows how much he relic
on the friendly offices Of the latter, and is sui
ject Of interest, Just here. It's principal portion
are these
j. Dear Sir: y Soon after the re
4 GREETED death OF Judge Fisher, the vacancy i
the office Of District Judge for this district, wa
N suggested to me, but had no expectation Q
" the office, until l learned by Mr. Me
= gears letter, that you had mentone
II the subject, and that might depend NJ
IL OIL your 1IloQuly Wlbutb allu support. bhN
1t me encouragement, great as could have. SUI
posing that recommendatory letter from I'll
A. Governor, [Hszlett] in consequence OF his o
a. fetal character might be Of some aid, l, by I'll
~ last mail requested him to send ,forwa,
in such y letter. This, 1 presume he wi
At do. am aware Of the influence which will
a. exerted in another quarter
Va Without your countensnce, should not ente
tain the slightest hope Of competition with
feel confident Of success, or ut least OF 3 re
a latio hc m
AL The matter Was quickly decided, for on NJ
y, drawing then, from political life, the Judge g
" tered upon judicial career, which has been a.
OF dom equAlled in length, Appointed May g.
is 1923, he resigned December 9th, 1871. Duril
10 this lo' period, his caro- of his Judicial duti
was most exact and conscientious. They receiv
LOT his first attention. But he discharged, alt
Ial other duties, and performed other services
a which he became almost more highly and mo
- generally appreciated amongst the mass OF Il
o. people of the State. The first Revised Code
ed Delaware came from under his hand, the Leg
lature, by resolution having charged him wi
its preparation. He completed it
ch 1929, reducing six octave volumes. &C
es- ering 3,646 pages, INTO one, Of which the pn
!, lie laws occupied 563 pages. He had remov
from Dover to Wilmington. in March, 1925, Al
INT he was elected, from New Castle county, mel
mt Der Of the Constitutional Convention of 1S'
,a by which our existing organic law was FRAME
'e Next he WAS set to work on the public sch'
lAt system While serving M Secretary OF State,
ms had earnestly called attention to the ne
md Of establishing schools, and in 1929, commit
to Of ie legislature applied to him t. draw
ear a good one, but the Legislature, fearing
people might not sustain it, weakened its p
visions in regard to taxation. 1t remained,
nal he drew it, without further material amendme
r., the School Law Of Delaware, until
En- Legislature Of this year-lS75. The scho
$50 Of Wilmington were early organized under il,
the Judge Hall WAS elected President Of the Bo
,ow Of Education,n 1924 place which he held III
~" 1871, rendering valuable services to the ca
Sew Of Education.
Do. Other positions were held by the Judge in
hin sociations Of religious. philanthropic, and b.
- ness character. lie was elected member,
OUT aftarwsrd President OF the Delaware Bible 81
ETY., and served as such for many years.
WAS President of the Wilmington Savings Flu
real Of the Wilmington Il Brandywine Cemetery
in and OF other corporations.
Early in lfe.he becauie religiously impress
are and in 1927 made public profession OF relig
all in the old stone church, the parent OF Hant
.tes Presbyterian church, under the pastorate
.Lo Rev. Mr.. Gilbert The Sabbath School was 4
'"o' placed in his charge, and lie remained its SUI
'en- intendent during long period of wears, and
but that duty to become Bible class teacher.
The Judge married, i'll 1906, Miss Junia
len, daughter of Chancellor Killen. They
-.. one child, only, . daughter, married to DIR. /
'is'- ert r. Porter, Of Wilmington, and now decea
NAV ter of the late Chas. Hillyard, Of Kent cou
~, An estimsbe lady, who after married life
'Ao" nearly fifty years, survives her husband.
the Although the law OF Congress had
for passed, permitting the retirement, with pay
non. U. s. Judges over the age Of 20, Judge
preferred to discharge the duties OF the be-
MS until, in 1871, they had become too much fol
physical strength. Since his resignation, he
been little seen in public, except as he appes
The in fine weather, on the streets, taking his "
say His form was bent. aud his steps to-
that ing, though his mind remained clear, and
served much Of its native vigor Since the
,msll Of last November he has been confined to
,ava, room, and about three weeks ago. q seriou
viga- peaceful departure, his vital current alb
away during light repose.
The Judge came OF long-lived family
emo brother died at the age Of 49, and sister
from SO. A brother and sister survive, aged res
,,;,, lively 80, and IS. He has SAID that his cone
val ton did not seem robust in youth, but thu
u the strengthened it by exercise and the habi
take simple life. In youth, he walked to school
miles and a half, "going in the morning, re-
ing at evening, with crust for dinner"
The funeral is elsewhere duly annonl
1t will take place on Thursday, at II o'c
Rev. Mr. Marks. Of Hanover church. condu
the services His male friends are invited.
expressed repugnance to having his reu