The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1889-04-12
FAMOUS NORTH CAROLINIANS
SOME EMINENT MEN NORTH CAR
OLINA HAS PRODUCED.
4 Picture OF the Late Hon. John Hall
Presented to the Supreme COurt---A
Sketch of lis Life.

Presented to the Supreme COurt---A
Sketch OF His Life.
RICHARD II BATTLE ESQ, at l / O'Clock
Tuesday morning IN the Supreme Court
room, number Of ladies and gentlemen
being present, presented on behalf of the
family and friends. handsome portrait Of
the late Hon. JOHN HALL, who was the first
man elected to the Supreme Court bench
in North Carolina Making the presenta
tion Mr.. BATTLE said
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONORS:
This is the portrait of Judge John Hail
and by the kind partiality of his descend
ants. have the pleasure of presenting It,
in their name, to the COurt-thiS Court.
which he and Taylor and Henderson OR
GAINED, under the law, by which it was
established, three score and ten years ago.
Surely it was great distinction to organ
ize the Supreme Court of North Carolina
and Judge Hall was we'll worthy of a share
III 1t.
The great and good man, whom this
portrait brings before US, is one of the
best eXemplars TO encourage the young
men of our profession, who begin their
careers without fortune or influential
friends. and without the gift Of eloquent
tongues. Leaving his native State and
the friends of his youth behind him, and
settling, an inexperienced young man,
among strangers, with nothing but an
education and knowledge of the law, he
soon commanded the respect and conf
dence of his new ueighbOrs by the exercise
Of the homely virtues Of honesty, integrity
and industry. Those qualities with such
intelligence as was his, bore the legitimate
a
the learning and skill he exhibited in the
prosecution of the business entrusted TO
hlm, that II eight years he vas raised TO
:. seat on the bench of his adopted State
and that in spite Of some dltfdence of
manner aud the want of any great fluency
of speech. The intelligent members Of
the Bar who controlled the election Of
judges in the Legislature, at the beginning
of this century, wanted. to fill vacancy
on the bench of the District Court, "A law
Yer of character, learning and ability and
IN him they found such Il man
John Hail WAS the son of Edward Hall,
an educated lrlShman, who settled IL Nlr-
ginia after short residence in Pennsl l.
yania. in 1876 A few years thereafter he
married Eleanor Stuart. whose family was
one of high standing, and which now, af
ter the lapse of a century and a half, has
cradle A H. H STUART, Of Stauutou, who
held A seat IN the cabinet Of President
Fillmore. John was the youngest OF a
family of ten children, and was early
made to realize that an education was all
that he could expect from his parents. He
was born il May, 1867, IN Augusta coun-
", Virginia He was an alumnus Of vii
liam and Mary College that nursery Of
Virginia statesmen Of past generations,
aud studied law in the office Of hi, kins
man, Judge stuart, at Stanton. He
found no inviting field for poor young
LAWYER III MS native State. and III 1892 he
settled in the infant town Of Warrenton,
n q, where he ever afterwards lived
ana where his body now lies buried. In
1900 he became Judge of our District
Courts, and on the establishment of this
court in 1918 he was elected, with Leonard
Henderson, one of its three judges, on the
first ballot The accomplished John Louis
TAYLOR was elected on a subsequent ballot,
and was chosen by his associates, on ac-
count Of his seniority Ia age, TO be the
Chief Justice, That Judge Hall was elect
ed before HIM Is the best evidence that
during his eighteen years Of service as q,
circuit Judge he had exhibited rare quaI
ties as an able and impartial JuTlst. ON
the bench Of this court be served fourteen
years. resigning his commission on &C
count of failing health IN December 1882,
surviving only about one month thereafter
His opinions during these years, as report
cd in Sd Murphey and Hawks and Dey-
ereauX are a monument, more lasting
than brass, of his logical ability, his accu
rate learning and his Judicial fairness. He
used few figures of rhetoric and his style
Is clear, terse, direct and pointed He
escheWed unnect sary verblage, and Ills
object was never TO display his learning,
but always to make clear what was the
point Of the case in hand, and to e1pOund
the law applicable TO it, IN simple and
accurate terms The discriminating law
yer who carefully reads his opinions,
whether those in which he spoke for the
court or those III which he expressed his
dissent from the majority, must conclude
that he was entirely free from vanity and
pride of opinion, and that his only amb-
ton was TO declare the law correctly and
that rarely was there flaw in his logical
reasoning His style was not unlike that
Of Henderson, his associate, and that Of
| Daniel, his Immediate successor; and ar
they were his neighbors, living in the
counties ad Joining his, one in Granville
and the other in Halifax, We are Justified
in the Inference that simplicity and
brevity, as well as logic and force, We're
the CASTE of the bar and bench of that
day in that part of the State. Chief JUS
tice TAYLOR and Ruffin and CASTOR who
succeeded him and Henderson, from other
! sections of the State, while fully as able
and learned were more given to ampllfy-
| ing the subjects of their respective Opin-
ions, the first by scholarly illustrations,
the second by copious dictlon and exhaus-
| tive augmentation, and the third by rea-
| soning expressed in the elegant and classl-
| cal language Of the finished rhetOrlclan.
! But however differing in style or taste,
surely no = her state can boast of galaxy
| of greater jurists than these.
As citizen and in his family Judge Hall
was amiable and attractive, kind, hO5plta-
| BILE, courteous, genial, and gentle, tender,
| considerate and atfectionate. He was re
spected and loved by his neighbors, and
| the devotion of his wife and children was
deep and abiding. He ever exhibited IL
! his walk and conversation many of the
graces Of a Christian, and a few months
/ before his death be was admitted to the
communion OF the Episcopal church -un
der the ministrations, | may add, of Rev
Joseph H. Saunders, the father OF oul
honored Secretary of State He left, sur
viving him, a wife whose maiden name was
/ Mary Weldon, and who in every way was
worthy of him and several children who
were much respected in the generation
lust past One Of his sons, Edward, serv
ed for a short time with credit to himself
on the bench Of our Superior Courts. judge