The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-15
ANDREW j. MONTAGUE.

| Andrew Jackson Montague comes of
| distinguished Virginia stock. His ances-
tors for many generations have filled po-
| sitions of trust and responsibility and
| they have shed lustre upon their State
| history. Most of his paternal ancestors
| were lawyers and orators and some of
them achieved fame upon the field of bat
| tie He was born in Campbell County,
| Va, where his mother had gone from
her home in Middlesex County. October 3.
1862, and is a, soh of the late Judge Rob
ert L. Montague. of Middlesex County.
| Va. ta-s
Mr.. Montague is a self-maIe man. His
| father. son of Lewis Brooke Montague,
| who fought with Andrew Jackson at New
| Orleans. had been a gifted and eminently
successful lawyer. but had gone security
| for many of his friends, so that when he
died twenty-one years ago the only heri-
| tage he left his widow and children was
good name. Judge Montague had an
| intense love for Virginia. He was with
out a peer on the stump and his voice
was continually being lifted in defence or
| in praise of the Mother State. Early in
life he began his political career as Com
| monwealths Attorney of his county and
he served in the Virginia Legislature
prior to the civil war. He was elected as
a delegate to the secession convention of
| 1861. The president of that convention,
| Mr.. Jauney, was in poor health, and Mr.
| Montague presided much of the time. be-
| ing in the chair when the ordinance of
secession passed. A little later he was
elected as presiding officer of the conven-
| ton. To his already arduous duties at
that time, including those of Lieutenant
Governor. was soon added the burdens of
membership in the Board of War Com
niissioners, State Office, one of his col
leagues being Commodore Maury. His
popularity throughout Virginia was great.
Nominated as Lieutenant Governor on the
ticket with MIR. Letcher, he had borne the
brunt of that heated campaign, in which
Mr.. Goggin was the Wing candidate for
Governor. That campaign had enhanced
his popularity, as evidenced by his rum
ming some 10, 600 votes ahead of the ticket
For a time he was member of the Con-
federate Congress. Following the civil
war he was elected again to the Legisla-
ture and finally to the circuit bench,
where he was serving at the time of his
death. twenty-one years ago.
Andrew J. Montagues academic educa-
ton was attained through private tutors.
his father believing this to be the best
method of education for his children.
Clasgett 3. Jones, of King and Queen
County, Va. a member OF the virginia
Constitutional Convention. was one of his
tutors, While in his teens young Mr..
Montague entered Richmond College and
there began to lay the foundation for his
professional career. at this Institution
Mr.. Montague was recognized as one of
10 OF
went to the front as a debster in the lit
erary societies. He always stood high
in his classes. He remained at Richmond
College for two years. graduating in two
schools. and then. his funds having be-
come exhausted. he taught school for two
years In Orange County, Va.
His experiences as teacher he has always
regarded as most valuable and important,
especially in view of his connectio- -I'S
the Board of Public instruction of Vir-
ginia, of which he has been a member
since his term as Attorney General be-
gan. Speaking of his experience as a tu-
tor, recently Mr. Montague said:
II fitted a few boys for college. But
what was of most Importance to me,
learned during my service as a teacher
the lessons of self-restraint and patience
and gained some knowledge of how to
control others
The actual turning point in Mr.. Monta-
CUES career came in 1884, when he entered
upon a law course at the University OF
Virginia. 1t had been with no little con-
sideration OF all the phases of the sub
ject that the young man destined to play
so important a part in the history, If not
the destiny, of his State that he chose his
occupation for life. 1t was not without
a full realization of the sacrifices and
struggles that must be made that he cast
his lot with that distinguished profession
which has boosted such men as Marshall
and Miner and Burke from his own Com
monwealth. Having been forced by rea-
son of his impecuniosty to borrow funds
in order to attend Richmond College for
two years, he knew that other demands
must be made upon his friends before he
could hope to complete his course at Char
lottesville and begin to derive some of
the fruits of his laborS. But these things
daunted him not 1t was in the latter
part OF that year that severe affiiction
befell young Montague. 1t had been the
dream of the young law student to re-
turn after graduation to his home In Mid