The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-06-20
IN MEMORlAM.
The Tribute of.the Logan County Bar
to the Memory of the Late
Hon. VIM. Lawrence.

to the Memory of the Late
Hon. VIM. Lawrence.
The following paper was prepared by
committee of the Logan County Bar,
and adopted by the unanimous vote of
the Bar, in honor of the distinguished
member of the Bar, Judge William
Lawrence, who lately passed from
earth:
On the Sth of May, 1899. in the
eightieth year of his age and the fifty
eighth of his connection with this Bar,
died our professional brother, Judge
William Lawrence. With him passed
from earth cultured gentleman, skill
ed advocate, learned jurist, voluminous
writer, fluent orator, ernest patriot,
eminent statesman, and distinguished
son of Ohio Of National renown. OF the
incidents, so numberless and varied, in
life so long and eventful only . 1.-THE
can be compressed into this memorial
tribute. Born at Mt. Pleasant July 26,
1919, graduating at Franklin College in
1888, and at the Cincinnati Law School
in 1910, Judge Lawrence became the
law partner of the distinguished Ben
Stanton at Bellefontaine in 1841 Reg
lister in Bankruptcy in 1842; Prosecut-
ing Attorney in 1916; Representative in
the Ohio Legislature in 1846, and again
in 1S47; State Senator in 1S49; Report
or to the Supreme Court in 1851; State
Senator again in 1858; Common Pleas
Judge of the Third Judicial District in
1856, and again in 1861; Representative
in Congress in 1864 to which position he
was four times reelected First Com
troller of the U. 8. Treasury under
President Hayes in 1880; and President
of the National Wool Growers Associa-
ton, succeeding the late Hon. Columbus
Delano in 1891. which position he held
at his death. Besides filing these civic
offices he was for twenty years Trustee
Of the Wesleyan University, and four
times lay delegate to the Methodist
General Conference of the United
States; was the law partner Of his
former pupil, Judge w. II. West, from
1851 to 1854; of Mr.. e. J. Howenstine
from 1866 to 1871 and Of his son, the
late Joseph H. Lawrence, thereafter un
til 1880.
As an advocate. and jurist Judge Law
renee attained an enviable rank. His
professional career began during the
era of Circuit practice which brought
him in contact and required him to con-
tend with the most eminent lawyers Of
Central Ohio, with Mason and Rogers
and Shellabarger Of Springfield, with
Goldman and Bowen Of Marion, with
James and Corwin of Urbana, with Law
renee and Curry of Marysville, and with
Swan and Andrews and Thurman and Will
cox of Columbus, who then travelled the
Circuit, following the Court from county to
county. Among them, including Stanton
and Mccartney and later James Herman,
sr., and Mr.. Allison, of the Bellefontaine
Bar, were legal giants, to cope with whom
no unprepared tyro, no loose and slovenly
practitioner could aspire. Judge Joseph r.
ISwan, the eminent author and jurist, then
Ipresided over the courts of this district. In
this school Judge Lawrence had his early
training and experience at the Bar, school
in which no genius, however brilliant, could
Iachieve success without labor, without the
mastery of the law by the most diligent and
exhaustive research. He was thus early
taught, and his professional career exempii-
fed the maxim, sine lahore excellintia non
est, there can be no excellence without
labor, a maxim the teaching of which the
younger members of the profession might
practice with profit. Ambitious to excel in
his profession, no less than to succeed in
the case in hand, he bestowed on every
cause committed to his charge, however
insignificant or important, the labOrous re-
search and Investigation necessary to as
certain its determanitive issues, the evil
dence material thereto, and the judicial
authorities and principles of law governing
them, SO that in after years causes involving
questions of the gravest Importance or mil
lions in amount were entrusted to him with
confidence that nothing which labor, legal
learning and tireless energy could accom-
plish in their prosecution would be neglect
| ed or omitted.
The advancement of Judge Lawrence in
public life was not of the mushroom kind
but was of that steady, enduring growth
which is rooted in solid worth and personal
merit. The son of an humble mechanic and
subsequent farmer, he entered upon his
career among strangers, and, without In
luential friends, save those he made
achieved for himself the rank and reputa.
ton he attained, verifying thereby the
proverb, quisque suea fortunae faber, every
one is the architect of his own fortune. His
earlier political opinions were of the school
of Henry Clay. On the dissolution Of the