Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-07-25
Portrait of Hon. John Howe Peyton.

Portrait of Hon. John Howe Peyton.
PRESENTED To THE COUNTY OF AUGUSTA BY HIS
SON, COL. JOHN LEWIS PEYTON.
At the request of the late Judge John Stout,
Col. John L. Peyton had portrait of his dis
tinguished father painted to be presented to
the county to be placed on the wall of the
Courtroom beside the portraits of Chief
Justice John Marshall, Thos J. Niche, and
Col John B. Baldwin. The formal presenta-
ton of this portrait took place at meeting
held in the Courthouse at II O'Clock last
Friday July goth, at which the Supervisors of
the County, the members of the Staunton
Bar, some ladies, and quite a number of
others were present.
On the motion of Capt. Thos. ID. Ransom
Hon Geo NJ Cochran was made Chairman of
the meeting.
On taking the chair, he announced that the
meeting was ready for business. Then Capt
Jas Bumgardner, on behalf OF Col John L..
Peyton, delivered the presentation speech,
which was done in fine STYLE He prefaced
his speech with the following remarks =
Gentlemen of the Board of Supervisors
The late lamented Judge Stout, who did
much to entitle him to be gratefully remem-
bered by the people of Augusta county, re-
quested that copy of the portrait of John H.
Peyton might be made, to be placed on the
walls of this court room.
In accordance with that request the portrait
| has been made, and on behalf of Col. John
| Lewis Pevton and the orher descendants of
John H. Peyton, deliver this portrait to you,
as the representatives of the county of
| Augusta in order that the purpose of Judge
Stout may be carried into effect; and that this
| portrait may be placed in that group OF IL
| lustrious citizens, with some of whom he was
| closely associated in life and with whom he
is entitled to be grouped and remembered in
all time to come as one of the men who have
made the Staunton bar famous and honQred,
and who in their day enjoyed and deserved to
enjoy the esteem and admiration of their
| cOuntrymen.
| Then followed a very interesting succinct
biographical sketch OF the able lawyer,
orator, and legislator whose portrait he was
deputed to present to the county. 1t en-
braced Mr. Peytons distinguished career from
his early manhood to the time of his death in
| 1847. Capt Bumgardner quoted the remarks
of quite number of able lawyers and
others, the contemporaries of John Howe Pey
ton. as to his ability as lawyer and legisla-
was one of the ablest lawyers of the State of
| Virginia, and Virginia has had, and still has,
great many very able and learned lawyers.
We regret that we have not the space for
these eulogistic quotations. They show that
he was not only an able lawyer but great
and good man, whose integrity and patriotism
were above reproach.
After the quotations from these distinguish
ed men, Capt. Bumgardner concluded his ad
dress as follows
1T will be observed that these statements
are made by men qualified in the highest
degree to estimate justly human character
and ability, and who had the very best OPP
portunity of judging the character and
ability of Mr.. Peyton, as they were intimately
associated with him at the bar and in public
life and their testimony therefore is conclu
sve, that Mr.. Peyton was a man of COM
handing ability. of the highest culture, of
profound legal learning, of the sternest in
| tegrity and the strictest honor And it is
| worthy to be commemorated in the manner
proposed by placing this portrait in the group
which now adorns these walls and now take
great pleasure in presenting it to you for that
| purpose"
| REMARKS OF MAI. THos. c. ELDER.
| Then Maj. Thos. C. Elder on behalf of the
| Supervisors of the county made his speech &C
cepting the portrait, which duty be performed
| in good taste and in an able and admirable
manner. He began his speech by referring
| to the donor of the portrait and said =
ENs'To Col John Lewis Peyton, whom | see
| before me. and who by right of primogeniture,
now stands at the head of the descendants of
| John Howe Peyton and through him to all
| the descendants of this eminent man, would
| say that the people of the county of Augusta
represented by the judge of their county
| court and board of supervisors have requested
me to signify the acceptance by the county of
the admirable portrait of Mr.. Peyton, which
has just been rendered it by Captain Bum
gardner in such appropriate and beautiful
terms Colonel Peyton in presenting to his
native county this portrait of his distinguished
| father has done well, in that he has at once
performed an act of filial piety and conferred
a public benefit; for whilst Colonel Peyton
has by this act given apt expression to the
| tender and loving relations which should ex-
| list between a dutiful son and an honored
parent, it must also be remembered that the
| father whom he loved so well was amongst
| the most distinguished of Augustus adopted
sons, and she is now given an opportunity of
manifesting towards him those sentiments of
affection and pride which mother cherishes
| for her honored children. Individuals and
| families honor themselves in honoring their
worthy ancestors, and communities and
| States offer the highest incentive to industry
virtue and patriotism by honoring the
memory of those who have filled public
stations with fidelity and with zeal for the
public good
| Then Major Elder spoke of the great abil-
ties and noble virtues of John Howe Peyton
1t was the happy combination of both that
made him the great and good man that he
! was. The good influence of such a character
was ably presented, and the, beneficial effect
the presence of the portrait of such man in
the courtroom would have on the bar.
| We regret that we have room only for few
brief extracts which we give as follows =
| "But we have been told by Captain Bum
gardner that Daniel Sheffey, a competent
judge surely, in speaking of Mr.. Peyton, said:
He possessed gigantic power without effort"
| No greater compliment could be paid to the
intellect of any man. Mr.. Peyton had time
| to spare for other things. With him his daily
| work was a pleasure rather than burden.
| Fortunate indeed is the man who is so gifted.
The consciousness of the possession of such
powers and the use of them In right direc-
lions must be delight to their posssessor....
| But it was the crowning excellence of him
whose memory we honor to-day, that he was
as pure. as noble in heart as he was great in
mind. In him there was that fine and har-
and great intellectual powers which makes
the model man. This combination of moral
and intellectual qualities is what so greatly
commended this man to the regard and esteem
of his contemporaries, and it is what still keeps
his memory fresh"
'Well it is for the lawyers of the present
dav, and we'll it will be for those who are to
follow them, that the portrait of such law
yer should be ever looking down upon them
from the walls of this hall of justice.
Its presence here will be at once an insplra-
ton and restraint.
With the form and features of John Mar
SHALL the great expounder of the Federal
! Constitution and the founder of our Federal
: jurisprudence. and with the forms and fea-
lures of such of his disciples as John H. Pey-
! ton, Thomas J. Niche and John B. Baldwin,
ever before them, the lawyers who come
here to practice their profession should not
go wrong"
At the conclusion of Maj. Elders speech,
calls were made on Col. John L. Peyton who
/ arose and said briefly that he was taken en-
l tirely by surprise, but would avail himself of
the opportunity to express his great gratitica-
ton at the eloquent terms in which CAPTAIN