The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1896-01-31

NONNsJ fON 49,
:, been noted for its wild, deep an
: romantic ravines, for its caves an
caverns, its verdant hills, its iertil
: plains and its black diamonds, bu
since its organization in 1918, 1t ha
u produced its share of the substan
tial men Of this section of the state
The first man worthy of notic
J. was Christian Westenhaver. Ii
, 1898 he blazcd the way from civil
tizatiOn in the east TO the wilds o
the Hooking valley and becam,
!, the first actual settler in this coun
Fly.
In view of his surroundings ant
the fact that he prospered, would
fSay that he must have been a war.
ri0r and Il diplOmatist. He died In
1929 after having done his part to.
ward the development Of the Hook.
ing valley.
The first representative in the
legislature of Ohio from Hooking
county was G. w. James, who rep.
resented Hooking and Perry coun-
ties in 1850 ond 1851, and Hooking
county alone 1852 and 1853. Mr..
James was also first Mayor of l.o-
gan and held numerous other ofiic-
cial positions. lie was succeeded
as representative by a long list of
illustriOus gentlemen. The follow
ling are among the number: Reu-
ben Hesten, George johnson, Man
ming Stiers, w. Il. Acker, Oakley
Case, w. NJ. Bowen, S. s. Wolf, Col.
seth Weldy, Carl II. Buerhaus, w.
p. Price and last, but not least,
Phillip Rochester.
This county has never had but
two representatives in the senate
of Ohio. AS part of the 9th sena-
torial district composed of Hook
ing, Fairfield, and Athens counties.
Hooking county seut Robert +.
Reese to the senate for two terms,
from 1871 to '7S. In the years 1890
and 1891 she sent V. G. Lowry an
other Of her favorite sons to the
senate from the same district.
Among her prosecuting attorneys
may be noticed the following, some
of whom have achieved eminence
in other ways: III. II. Saunders,
Silas II. Wright, f. Case, Homer
l.. Wright, A. Ii. Wilson, Carl II.
Buerhaus, V. G, Lowry, ]. b. Ria
son and Robert +. Price.
Logan became county seat inn
mediately after the organization of
the county in 1918. The first court
was held in private house on
Main street. There were no law
yers or judges in the county at that
time, the legal business being at
tended to by itinerant lawyers
who Travelled from one county to
another. Under the old cOnstitu.
tiOn there were elected from the
county three associate judges who
sat with the presiding judges at
the trial of cases.
AT the first court held in Logan
William Wilson was presiding
Judge and his associates were Ben
jamin Biddle, Thomas Pullen and
Abraham Bitcher. Among some
H the later ones we notice the
names OF Ruben Culver, Lewis
Hutchins and Robert Wright.
The first common pleas judge un-
der the new constitution from this
county, which together with Fair
field and Perry counties consti.
ute the first subdivision of the
seventh judicial district, was James I
q. Gorgon, who was appointed to
Ill vacancy and served in 1866
md 1867.
In 1867 Silas III. Wright was {
elected to the bench In this subdi-
Vision which position he held un-
ii his death. lie was born and
cared on Hooking county soil and
vas a thoroughbred IIaw-eater In ,
,very sense Of the term. He was !
'ne Of the illustrious common pleas
Judges OF Ohio, IA lawyer, a Jurist, a
nan Of great literary. attainments
n 1879 there was elected us his
associate John S. Friesner another 4
4 Hooking cOunty's illustrI0us
Ons, who at the time Of his elec. {
ION possessed the proud distinct I
on Of being the youngest common ,
'leas Judge in Ohio and whose re-
ord as jurist was as illustrious 4
8 that Of his associate. I
Upon the death Of Judge Wright I
iovernor Foraker appointed an :
ther Of Hocking'S noble sons to n
n the vacancy, Samuel III. Bright. q
am proud to say that Hooking c
Qunty has furnished more than 5
er share Of the men who have fill.
II the nOSitinuS nf real tvnrih and