Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-09-14

West, md the lad had to contend with
many difficulties before he could obtain
an education. He was not alone in his
struggle, for the Cooley homestead was
blessed with the good, o,d-fashioned fam
lily of pioneer days, and the embryo judge
had fourteen brothers and sisters to keep
him company. The common schools were
not up to the grade of the present day,
but they were the best that young Cooley
had until he was Ii years Old, when he
attended four terms of Il private school
taught by classical teachers, after which
he hranched out into school teaching for
himself. To be simply a district teacher
was not sufficient for the ambitious youth,
so be spent his leisure in studying law.
When he was about 10 he started for
Chicago, but Ky the time he reached
Adrian, Mich, his funds gave out and in
for in Adrian the little god drew his bird
bolt and in 1916 Mr.. Cooley became a
married man and a Michigander, having
just received his lawyers degree at the
Adrian bar. 1t was a youthful marriage,
but it could scarcely have been a happier
or a wiser one, aud the young couple
prospcred. Mrs. Cooley was Il Miss
Mary Elizabeth Horton, daughter of Da-
vid Horton of Adrian.
At the time of his maria &c Mr.. Cooley
seemed also to have welded his life to the
little town to which his poverty and not
his will had at first consented. He be-
came deputy county clerk as well as an
attorneys clerk. He identified himself
with a law firm: he was elected circuit
court COMMISSIONS and recorder for the
city of Adrian; he purchased a farm and
managed it, and he edited a newspaper
all these things in turn. Once he went
to Toledo and into the real estate
business, but he soon returned to the place
Of his chosen home. BY this time his tai
ent was becoming known, and in 1857
he was elected to compile the general
statutes Of Michigan. This was not an
easy matter, since the statutory law was
III dire confusion. but after a years hard
work the young lawyer presented a clas-
siiicatiOn of the written law as it has
been followed ever since. In 1888 he was
appointed reporter of the Supreme court,
and according to his policy of doing well
everything that was worth doing at al
his records were unsurpassed. Indeed.
it is stated that the eight volumes of
reports that bear his name are equal
to any law productions ever published.
and nave won him wide recognition in
other states IS one of the few reporters
who never misstated or misrepresented the
court. and whose syllabi may be safely
accepted Us correct statements of facts
and law"
Later he became professor of law in
Ann Arbor university and finally a circuit
judge.
IN 1864 Judge Cooley took his seat on
the Supreme bench and retained it until
1880, at the same period writing several
books, contributing much to periodicals
and making many public addresses.
When the interstate commerce commits
sion was organized he accepted the chair-
manship at the solicitation of President
Cleveland and held the position Until i'll
health compelled him to resign in 1891.
OF all his published works probabl,
the most famous is his Unconstitutional
Limitations" which was brought out in
1868. In 1870 appeared his edition Of
Blackstone, in 1874 his edition of Story's
Commentaries. in 1876 his book on TAX
ation," in 1879 his work on "Torts." in
1880. his Manual of Constitutional
Law" and in 1885 his History of Mich
igan" was published in the American
Commonwealth series. Besides these a
great deal of his best literary work may
be found scattered through law court re-
ports and magazines and reviews from
1876 to 1855. The Century Magazine.
the North American Review. the Forum,
the International Review and the various
law journals nave been among those to
which the Judge has been a contributor.
Some of his judicial decisions are ia
nous. In the People VS.. Salem he saved
the municipalities of the state from fnan-
cial ruin and disaster by deciding that the
majority could not, under the power of
loan and taxation. vote away the prop
erty Of the minority in aid of railroads.
In Park Commissioners VS.. Detroit he
defended the rights of local self-govern-
ment, and greatly restricted the assumed
powers of the Legislature.
AS for the political side of his career,
his colleagues on the interstate
commission said that Judge Cooley did
for that body what Marshall did for the
constitution, in determining its meaning
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