The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-04-21

while he was a student at college, Charles
g Alden then Governor of New jersey
passed through Princeton and young INC
| Gill was one of the students VINO turheo
ont 10 give the Chief Executive recep-
tion worthy of the high position he occu-
pied.
IIpon graduating in 1864 the future
| Chancellor entered Columbia Law School
and finished his law studies in the office
Of Edward w. Scudder of. Trenton, VINO
| later became "a Judge of the supreme
| Court. He was admitted to the bar IN
1867 and three years later became an coun-
sellor. Soon afterward he came to Jersey
city, and after spending year in the
| office of the late Stephen B. Ransom, he
entered into partnership with the late
Attorney General Robert Gilchrist
The Chancellor began his public career
| in 1873, when he was made Corporation
| Counsel of Bayonne. 1t was at this time
that he began to display those rare legal
| talents whiah ultimately made him the
| highest judiciary officer in the State
| In 1874 he was nominated by Democrats
| of the old First Assembly District of
| Hudson County and although up to this
| time this district had always been Repub-
| lican by a majority of 300, he carried 1t
| by nearly 200 majority. In 1870 he was re-
nominated and carried the district by an
/ increased majority. While in the Assem-
bly, the Chancellor served on several inn
| portant committees and made an envi-
able record for intelligent, honest and
| faithful service. While he was in the AS
| semblv several attempts We're made TO
| gridiron the county with boulevards. Un-
| scrupulous politicians backed by powerful
and wealthy people strowe to foist ex-
pensive schemes for public roads on the
already purdenea people of Hudson
| County but in Assemblyman McGill they
encountered an uncompromising foe.
Pledges. promises and seductive offers did
not prevail with him and he alone
thwarted these schemes and saved the
| people from an expenditure almost ruin
| Gus to the credit of the county.
| In 1878, when Abram @. Garretson was
promoted from the Prosecutors office to
the Common Pleas bench, Governor
| George McClelland placed Mr.. McGill in
the Prosecutors office, and later, when
Judge Garretson's term expired, he was
| elevated to the bench. He was most ac-
ceptably filing that position in 1887 when
Governor Robert S. Green made him
| Chancellor, to succeed the late Theodore
| Runyon and seven years later Governor
George T. Werts reappointed him for an
other term.
During his office as public prosecutor
the Chancellor won great praise for the
able manner in which he handled the
cases for the people. Fearlessly and faith
fully the arduous duties pertaining to the
! al nd a1fholIph his
! predecessors in the Prosecutors office had
| been universally accounted able men, he
/ gained distinction of a most enviable
| character. During the years he sat upon
| the Chancery bench he administered the
/ great Court of Equity with a dignity and
keen sense of justice and equity which
won for him the respect and admiration
of the members of the bar of this and
| other States who practiced before him.
| Enthusiastically true is this in relation
| to merely personal business affairs where
interest was confined to a limited area of
individuals, yet the far sweeping powers
| Of Chancery touch interests some lose
sight of. 1t will be remembered that af-
ter Governor Albeit had refused to sign
the "coal combine" bill the railroads in
/ terested in the combination insisted that
they were still protected by other laws of
the State, and Attorney General Stockton
began suit in the Court of Chancery for
| the dissolution of the trust. In his de-
/ cision the Chancellor not only laid down
| the relations of the corporations to the
/ State with a clearness and fairness that
| placed his ruling beyond the reach of at
tack, but in destroying the coal trust
dealt deadly blow as well to all the
monopoly combinations of its class. The
text of this decision showed the Chancel-
lor to be keen business man and an ex-
ceptionally well equipped lawyer as well
as a graceful literary man.
The worth of the Chancellor was quick
ly acknowledged. Rutgers College con-
ferred upon him the degree of L. L. D.,
as did also his Alma Mater Princeton
after he had taken the degree of A. M
| in course But the crowning honor which
was bestowed upon him. the like of
which as seldom been paid to citizen
of this State, was the unanfmity with
| which his fellow citizens of the Demo-
cratic party nominated him for Governor
in the fall of 1895. Never in the history
fthe State was there such a political
convention 1t was composed entirely of
men of integrity, uprightness and stand
ing in the State.
The Chancellor was married to Miss
Olmsted, relative of the Stevens fam
lily of Hoboken, but had no children. So
cially, the Chancellor was very popular.
Affable and courteous to all with whom
he came in contact, genial and warm
hearted to his friends, he inspired all
who knew him with the charm Of his
personality. In all the public positions
he was called upon to fill Chancellor Nc
Gill proved his ability and competency
and discharged the duties of the various
offices he neld in a way to excite the
admiration and commendation of his fell
low citizens. Fearless and honest in the
discharge of those duties he always acted
for the good of society, the preserva-
ton of law and order and the protec-
ton of the rights of the people.
cnnn INVESTMENTS OFFERED