Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-09-08
BYM. B. RosENBERRY:

3Y NJ. B. ROSENBERRY:
To me has been assigned The sad
duty OF presenting TO this court what
may be termed the biographical facts
of the late Justice Bardeen's life and
combining myself strictly thereto, by
request leading to others whatever of
auIogy and encomium might other
wise have been properly included
oerein, | submit the following:
Charles Waldo Bardeen WAS born
September 2Srd, 1850, upon farm
near Brookfiejd, Madison county, New
York. His father, Rasselas Bardeen,
was a native of the same place and
was of Scotch or Scotch Welsh de-
scent; his mother, Mary Palmer Bar
deem, was born at New Hartford,
Oneida county, New York and was OF
Puritan extraction. The BardeeDs had
been for generations artisans, mechan-
les and farmers. The Palmers were
well to DO farmers and engaged in the
buying and selling of stock and fitting
the same for market. Both families
came to this county in the very early
history of the New England colonies
Charles resembIed the Planners more
in physical characteristics and mental
temperament.
In 1854 the family moved to the
Town of Albion, in Dane county, Wis
consin. Here Charles attended the
county school during the school year,
worked with his father upon the farm
and led the life of the average country
boy of half a century ago. He was
sound and robust of body and well
equipped intellectually and his intense
application and industry, together
with set determination to accomplish
whatever he undertook made him in
his early life leader in and out of the
school room. When about fourteen
years of age he began attending the
academy at Albion, Wisconsin, from
which he graduated in 1870. After
his graduation he entered the law
office of j. p. TowAe, Esq, at Edger-
town, Wisconsin, and began the study
of law. In the fall of 1871 while en-
gagged in teaching school in his home
district he received an urgent invita-
ton from Alva Adams, former school
mate and since governor of the state of
Colorado, to engage with him in the
mercantile business at Colorado Springs
and leblo, Colorado He procured n
substitute teacher and immediately
left for the west where he remained
for two years, when he returned to
Edgertown and again entered the
office of Mr.. TOwne, where he remained
until the following year. He then
entered the Office of Judge Carpenter
and attended the law school, gradual
ing from the Law Department of the
TT Al n
Upon his graduation he came to
Wausau and formed partnership
with Roger G.. Spooner under the firm
name of Spooner & Bardeen. A short
time thereafter they united with Carl
FL. Mueller, under the firm name Of
Mueller, Spooner & Bardeen. Upon
the retirement of Mr.. Spooner from
the firm, the firm became Mueller &
Bardeen and thus remained for about
a year, when the partnership was dis.
solved. He then became associated
with Gen. John A. Kellogg, and re-
manned with him until the time of
Gen. Kellogg's death in 1888. The
same year a partnership was formed
with w. H. Mylrea, afterwards At.
torney General, under the firm name
of Bardeen & Mylrea, and in 1885
Louis Marchetti entered the firm,
which then became known az Bar
deem, Mylrea & Marchetti, which ar
rangement continued until the time
he entered upon the duties of the office
of Circuit Judge, January 1st, 1898.
The Sixteenth Judicial circuit was
formed by the legislature of 1891 and
he became a candidate for the office of
Circuit Judge at the ensuing April
election and was elected after spirited
contest by good majority. He re-
NAMED Circuit Judge of the Sixteenth
Judicial court from January lst, 1892,
until February, 1898, when he was APP
pointed by Gov. Schotield to the
vacancy in the Supreme Court caused
by the death of the late Justice New
man. AT the expiration of the term
of his appointment he was elected for
the remainder of the term, which
would Lave expired January LIST, 1904
At the time of his death, March Goth,
b03, he was the only candidate for the
tlace and undoubtedly would have
been reelected without opposition had
be lived.
While engaged in the practice of his
profession and after his promotion to
the bench he took deep interest in
all public affairs and was in the best
sense of the term public spirited citi-
zen. He gave literally of his time,
talent and means for the furtherance
of any cause which tended to promote
the general welfare. He was for many
years superintendent of schools in the
city of Wausau, having general super
vision of the educational interests of
the city. He was elected City Attorney
of Wausau in 1889 and his administra-
ton of that Office was great credit to
him. During the early part of his
professional career he did a consider
able writing for newspapers and other
work of similar character.
He was married in 1877 to Frances
Miller, who with their three children,
Eleanor, Charles Waldo and Florence,
survives him. He was devoted to his
home and family, with whom he lived
happily, and ne was more ambitious
for their sake than he was for his own.
In politics he was firmly attached
to the principles of the Republican
uarty. While ofan ardent and enthusi-
astic temperament he was yet not a
violent partisan. He was brought up
In the Baptist church, but in his later
life affiliated with the Universalist
congregation in Wausau aud the Uni
tartan congregation in Madison. His
life was an exposition of the doctrine
of the common brotherhood of man
and he lived and died filled with the
hope of better life beyond.
As lawyer he was successful and
while the first few years of his practice
were beset with unusual discourage
ments and difficulties he steadily
acquired good clientage. His marked
characteristics throughout his career
were his sterling honesty, great i'm
dustry, intense application and a
thoroughness in everything that he
undertook. His success at the bar
aud upon the bench was due more
largely to the great amount of work
he put upon his cases than to his un-
usual native ability
AS a speaker be was forceful aud
earnest, but was not what would be
called in the ordinary acceptation of
the term an orator. He was no phrase
maker, but his deep earnest3ess and
oinoariku made him fOrQibin and