Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-07-17


His position as a member of the bar
was recognized even at that early age
and in 1869, when only rs years of age
he was elected president of the Law
Academy of Philadelphia.
In the ensuing twenty years, Judge
Pennypacker as a member or the
Philadelphia bar, advanced steadily in
his profession, gradually fitting himself
by experience and contact with the
world for the high place that was wait
! ing for him. He was admitted to the
bar of the Supreme Court Of the United
States in 1887, and during the same
year received from Franklin and Mar
shall College the honorary degree of
Doctor of Laws.
In 1887 Judge James T. Mitchell, OF
the Court of Common Pleas of Phila-
delphia county, was elected to the SUI
preme court of Pennsylvania. The fill
ing of this important place fell to the
lot of Governor Beaver, who had been
greatly impressed by the eloquence and
legal acumen of Lawyer s. w. Penny
packer. who had appeared before him
to plead the merits of certain meas
ure that had just passed the legisla-
ture He was accordingly appointed
| Judge in place of Justice Mitchell.
He was elected in 1889 to the same
position for term of ten years, and
succeeded Judge John l. Clark Hare,
who had resigned as president judge.
When the campaign of 1899 opened the
merits. fairness and ability of Judge
Pennypacker were so generally recog-
nized by both political parties that in
August of that year he received the
unanimous nomination of Democrats
and Republicans and was reelected in
November for another term of ten
years. AT present he is president judge
of the Court of Common Pleas Number
| 2.
Among Judge Pennypacker's many
important decisions, affirmed by the
supreme court of the United States, are
the cases of Mullen VS.. Doyle in re
| Melon street, a case of great import
ance, which before being finally de-
cided had been heard by seventeen
| judges. Another was the Arch Street
Museum case, the Carter will case, the
Irwin will case, Barr VS.. the city. in
volving the right of the city to borrow
$1l 100000 and Commonwealth vs..
Davis, the defendant in which was the
| first person convicted of murder in the
first degree in the City Hall, Philadel-
phia
In 1886 upon the death of Hon. John
Welsh, former minister to England,
Judge Pennypacker was elected u trus-
tee of the University of Pennsylvania
and since then has been one of its
most enthusiastic friends. In the course
of his historical researches Judge
Pennypacker became possessed of facts
which he embodied in learned and
convincing brief, whicn was accepted
by the trustees, showing that .he
university's origin should date from
1740 instead of from 1749.
Reference has already been made to
the societies, learned and otherwise, of
which Judge Pennypacker is member
Among the more prominent ones are
the American Philosophical Society, tC
which he was elected May q, 1886; the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania,
which with the Pennsylvania German
Society he has presided over as active
president. He is a member of all the
| leading patriotic societies, a founder OF
the Pennsylvania Society of the Revo-
luton, of the Netherlands Society of
Pennsylvania and of the Colonial So
! ciety of Pennsylvania.
of or rd
Judge Pennypacker is widely known.
He has published jointly with E. G.
Platt, Esq, and S. S. Hollingsworth,
Esq, a digest of English Common Law
Reports that was begun by Judge
| Sharswood; volume of Pennsylvania
| Colonial cases, four volumes of Su-
preme Court Records, known as Penny
packers Reports, and has aided in the
preparation of forty-four volumes Of
the Weekly Notes of Cases, having
charge of the cases from the Courts of
| Common Pleas Nos. 2 and 8, Phila-
delphia.
AS historian Judge Pennypacker
| has shown with equal briliancy. He
| is a clear, concise and entertaining
"Ilttl- hdlly Vi HIS ana
| historical papers and addresses have
| been translated abroad into German
and Dutch. His most imposing work,
possibly. is one recently issued and au-
| titled the Settlement of German
| tcwn." Judge Pennypacker spent years
in gathering material for this work.
He went personally over the ground
with the result that it has found high
favor for its comprehensive thorough
and accurate statements and descrip-
ton. Prince Bismark personally thank
ed Judge Pennypacker for his address
in the Academy of Music, Philadelphia,
in 1888 on the BiCentenial celebration
of the beginning of German emigration
| to America.
Judge Pennypacker married on Oc-