The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-01
LAWYER And STATESMAN
William NJ. Evarts Passes Away at
His New York Home.
A Wonderful Public Career Bronght
t" IA Close by Pneumonin-Events
in Interesting Life Inter
woven with the Nations History.

to Close by Pneumonia-Eyent
in an interchangeable Inter.
| woven with the Nations History
NEW YORK, Feb. 2S.LWflliam NJ. Ev-
arts. the celebrated statesman and law
yer, died at his home at Fourteenth
Street and Second Avenue. at $40 O'Clock
! this morning after II brief illness. from
! pneumonia.
| Mr.. Evarts was seized with his fatal
| Illness last Sunday morning. While he
| had been IN feeble health for several
years, his condition was such that he
seemed 10 h- III &c immediate danger. No
alarming symptoms were discovered until
O'Clock this morning. when Dr. Samuel
W. Lambert. the attending physician dis
; covered that Mr.. Evarts was sinking
rapidly
The members of his family, all of whom
were in the city, Were hurriedly summon
ed and they remained al Mr. E,varts' bed
side until the end.
For several hours prior to his breathing
his last Mr.. Evarts was unconscious and
he passed away as peacefully as If in
sleep.
William Maxwell Evarts was a son of
Jeremiah Evarts and was born in
Charlestown. Mass, on February 6, 1878
His father was a native of Sun
derland, Vt, was graduated at Yale
College in 1902. and after some time
spent in teaching studied law and was
admitted to the bar in 1896 and practiced
his profession in New Haven for num-
Der of years. He was of religious turn
and a philanthropist. In 1910 he remov-
ed to Boston and for ten years edited
Z pa or Iiprin
azine published in that city In 1912 he
was chosen treasurer of the American
Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions and in 1920, when the PIANO
plist' was discontinued and the Mission
AIRY Herald was issued by the board in
its stead, he took charge of the latter
publication. He was chosen correspond
Ing secretary of the board in 1921 and re-
tanned the office until his death. He was
a E1luminous writer. mainly on mission
AIRY and Indian subjects.
The son. the future lawyer and states
man. inherited his serious mindedness
from his father. He was prepared for
college in the Boston Latin School, grad
uated at Yale In 1881 and while IN college,
with four of his classmates. he founded
the Yale Magazine"
He studied law In Harvard law school
and in the Office of Daniel Lord. of New
YORK City, and was admitted to the bar of
New York in 1871. He gave undivided at
tention to the law and soon established a
reputation for learning and ability. 1t
was at time when oratory passed for
more In the courts than it does now and
his forensic efforts rapidly enhanced his
reputation. see
he was I'm politics a wbig and there
lend his popular talents to that party.
He was induced to take the position of
assistant prosecuting attorney. a position
which he held from 1919 to 1853
In 1851 he successfully conducted the
prosecution of the Cuban filibusters con-
nectvG with i;tiii; ;;!2 C!2oratra expedition and
in the same year he argued in favor CT
the Metropolitan Police act. But the case
In which he won his keenest spurs was
the Lennon slave case. he appearing for
the State of New York, and Charles
O'Connor for the State of Virginia. be-
fore the State Suprenles Court and the
Court Of Appeals. He was now prepared
TO enter politics. but. the machinery of
the party was in the hands of Thurlow
Weed. with Horace Greeley as principal
champion in the press, and he soon found
that these two men We're against him
Mr.. t.yarts became an active member of
the Republican party and WAS chairman
of the New York delegation to the Re
publican National Convention, held in the
Wigwam in Chicago in 1860. He WAS re-
garded as the most brilliant speaker in
that convention and was selected by his
colleagues to propose the name OF VIII
liam II. Seward for the Presidency.
lie made stumping tour through New
York State for Abraham Lincoln and in
ls6i he declared himself a candidate for
the United States Senate. At the same
time Horace Greeley became a candidate
for the same office and the two had
lively contest ct Albany. \ third candi-
date Ira Harris, had votes enough to pre-
vent the election Of either Greeley or
Evarts and to make the defeat of Greeley
sure Evaits withdrew in favor of Harris.
In 1852 President Lincoln chose Mr..
E,varts to conduct the case of the Gov
eminent to establish In the Supreme
Court the right of the United States in
the sivh war to treat captured vessels as
maritime prizes according to the laws of
war In 1865 and 1866 he maintained with
success before the courts the uncOnstitu-
tionality Of State laws taxing United
States bonds or national bank stock with
out the authorization of Congress.
In 1868 President johnson chose Mr. Ev-
arts as chief counsel in the Impeachment
trial before the Senate. and then il was
mere acceptance by him of the role of
counsel for the President had a dampen-
Ing effect on the ardor of the Presidents
foes lie was Republican in good stand
Ing and his acceptance announced to the
country that 1t was possible for Repub-
llcans to disagree as to the grounds of
and as to the wisdom of It,
He was criticised and rallied at by par
tisans of the Impeachment. but he went
forward dischargipg his duties in a forcI-
BILE and dtgnitied manner. His speeches
as the trial proceeded on questions of
procedure and construction as they arose
were unrhetorC;t! and pointed His great
speech in defence before submitting the
case for his client was. on the contrary.
elaborate. learned, and eloquent. He was
four days in delivering 1t. Some at the
time said 1t was modelled on Burke's
speech against Warren Hastings and 9TH
ers that il was in imitation of Cicero's
style. 1t would he nearer the truth. |
doubtless, to say that Mr. Evarts had a
forensic style of his own.
Upon the acquittal of the President he |
Invited Mr.. EVarts to take a place In his |
Cabinet. He accepted the Attorney Gener- |
alship and held it from July, 1868, to the |
close of Mr.. Johuson's term.
In 1917 President Grant sent him to |
Geneva as chief counsel for the United |
states in the arbitration of this countrys |
claims for damages done by the Alabama. |
With the late Chief Justice Waite and |
Caleb Gushing as his associates he APP
peared before the International Tribunal |
at Geneva. and as a result Great Britain |
paid the United States $50 000 900 indcm- |
IL.