Evening journal., 1900-07-31
|. c. VANDRGRIFT
PASSES AWAY
Succumbed This Afternoon TO
Lingering Attack Of Ty-
phOid-PneulnOnia

Former United States States Dis
trict Attorney Lewis c. Vandegrift
died at 1.30 o'clock this afternoon, at
his home, No 1905 Broome street, of
typhoid pneumonia.
He had been i'll for several weeks
and was believed to be on the road to
recovery until the relapse came few
hours before his death.
His wife and children were with him
when he died.
News of his death is received with
sorrow by a large circle of personal,
professional and political friends.
He was attended by DR.. James A.
Draper and his son. DR.. James A. Drap-
er, Jr.
Mr.. Vandegrift was married on April
2e, 1885. to Miss Rachael Garrett.
daughter of the late Eli Garrett. She.
with four small daughters and one son,
survive him.
He won great prominence by his
prosecution of the Dover Bank con-
spiracy cases.
He was appointed United States Dis
trict Attorney by President Cleveland
and afterwards received a commission
from President Mckinley, pending the
trial of the Dover bank cases, and the
selection Of William Michael Byrne to
succeed him.
Lewis c. Vandegrift was born in St
Georges hundred, where his ancestors
had lived since the earliest settlement
of the country, on August q, 1855. He
attended the public school with regu-
larity, and with the education there re-
ceived, together with the assistance of
private instructions during the last two
years before leaving home, he was en-
abled, in the Spring of 1873, to enter
Delaware College, and graduated with
the class OF 1875. After graduating. he
returned for a postgraduate course
during the year 1876, and afterwards
taught school for a few months and
then registered as a law student with
the Hon. George Gray. Mr. Vandegrift
entered the Law School Of Harvard
University in the Fall Of 1877. and
graduated from there in June 1880
having, in the meantime, during the
November term of 1879, passed his ex-
animation and gained admittance to the
bar of this state. He first undertook
the practice Of law in January. 1881. in
Wilmington, and during the first few
months, in order to make both ends
meet, did work for nearly, if not quite
all the Wilmington papers, besides
writing for the Sunday editions of some
OF the Baltimore papers. The neces-
sity for a divided interest did not
however. continue long, as Mr.. Vande-
grift quickly reached a self-supporting
point in his practice. During the wear
1881, he assisted the Hon. George GRAY
then Encouragement OF the state in
the prosecution of many Of those
charged with minor offenses. The first
case ever tried by Mr. Vandegrift was
the first case tried in the then new
Court House, at Wilmington.
In the latter part Of 1881 he was in
Vlted by Edward G.. Bradford
to form a co-partnership for the prac-
tice OF law, and the invitation was ac-
.cepted. The firm of Bradford and Van
derift continued uninterruptedly
since the beginning of 1882, with in
Icreasing success. until it became one OF
the best known firms in the state. In
politics Mr. Vandegrift was a Democrat.
and always took an active interest in
whatever appertained to the welfare OF
the state. He had held no political
office until appointed as United States
attorney for the district of Delaware
He was sent by his party as one of the
delegates from this state to the Ma
tional Democratic Convention which
met in st. Louis in the Summer Of 1888
No outside interest ever allowed Mr.
Vandegrift TO interfere with the prac-
tice Of his profession, and with the
duty he owed to those who intrust-
cd him with their legal business. He
was an indefatigable worker in the in.
terest of his clients. and in return was
held by them in the utmost confidence