Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-10-13
IFrom the Graphic Democrat, Drookvillc, Pa
Hon. Geo. A. Jerks.

deOlge a. jerks, the Democratic
candidate for Supreme Judge, is in his
forty.fiith year, lie is the youngest
Of ten children, and was born in Punk.
sntawney, Jefferson county, Pa,
March 2G, 1886. His father, a physi,
clan, was descended from a Welsh
Quaker family who were among the
early settlers of Philadelphia. His
mother was a daughter of tho Rev. d.
Barclay, a Scotch Presbyterian minis,
ter. When MIR. jerks was child, his
eldest brother, D. B. jerks, who was
a lawyer, was teaching him to count
a hundred, and casually asked him
what business he would follow when
he became man. The reply was,
"Wait till tomorrow morning and
will tell you,' During the night the
determination was formed, and the
next morning communicated by the
subject of this sketch, that he would
be a lawyer This purpose, so carly
formed, was unaterably fixed. Thence.
forward his every labor and study
was directed to the purpose of his life.
70 these early studies is largely to be
attributed his capability to deal with
original legal questions, such as he
manifested on the impeachment of
Secretary Belknap, the discussion Of
the Louisiana and Oregon cases before
the Electoral Commission, and the de.
bate on the distribution of the Geneva
Award.
When attending the common school,
one Of the readers then in use was the
Introduction to the English Reader.
In this, one of the lessons was the
story of the "Noble Basket. maker"
From the story the moral was derived
that every man, no difference what
his circumstances or purposes in life
might be, should learn o trade. This
moral he determined to act upon.
When fourteen years old his father
died. AT sixteen he entered upon an
apprenticeship Of two years to the
carpenter and joiner trade. When his
term expired, he worked at his trade,
taught school, and occasionally was
employed at civil engineering, till be
entered college. While engaged in
the latter vocation, in the Spring of
1855, he assisted to lay out Omaha, in
Nebraska. In the fall of that year be
entered the junior class at Jefferson
College, having in the mornings and
evenings, while teaching and working
steadily pursued his literary studies.
He had been entered as student of
law before he entered college, and the
Hon. W p. jerks, who was his guar.
dian, had IRON early boyhood, directed
him in his legal and literary reading.
He graduated at Jefferson College in
the class Of 1858, and in February,
1859, was admitted to the bar, in
Jefferson county, having finished his
legal studies under his elder brother,
2. W. jerks.
AT the September term, 1859, he led
in conducting his first case in Court,
which was an all.important one TO his
clients, widow and her minor chill
drcn, whose all was their home, and
that home was dependent upon the re.
suit of the case. lie was opposed by
the leading legal talent at the bar,
including Hon. Isaac G.. Gordon,
Hon. William p. jerks and Hon.
G. W. zcigler. llo won the case and
thencc-iorward was employed in most
OF the important causes in his own
county, and his namo soon became
familiarin many of the Courts of west.
ern and central Pennsylvania, to which
he was called for the trial of important
cases :.
When not engaged in the Courts,
his life has been one of constant study
and preparation. He never sought
public position, but was known as q