The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-19
AUGUSTUS w. GRAHAM
Member of the House of Representa-
tives From Granville County.

Augustus w. Graham was born in
Hillsboro, June 18th, 1849 and is the
youngest son of the late Hon. William
A. Graham, Governor, Senator and
Secretary of the Navy, and Wing can
didate for vice president on the ticket
with General Scott. He inherited from
his distinguished father, great capacity
for public business, high ideals of civic
righteousness and Hottest character.
He has had long legislative experience
having served three sessions in both
the Senate and House, and his career
has been marked by ability and deyo-
ton to the true interests of the peo-
pie. After securing license to prac-
tice law, he began his practice at Hills
boTo and was for four years chairman
of the Democratic Executive Commit
tee of Orange county. He was Sec
rotary of the Board of Arbitration of
the Virginia and Maryland Boundary
dispute, and has been long trustee
of the University of North Carolina.
and was a director of the North Caro-
lima Railroad.
He was appointed by Governor Carr,
judge of the Superior court, and re-
elected by the people to that position,
but after making a record on the
bench which brought him the approval
of the whole state, he resigned to de-
vote himself to the practice of the
law and the development of large min
eral interests in this State and Ala
banla. He is also interested in farm
ing.
Judge Graham was married on No
vember goth, 1876, TO Miss Lucy Hor-
ner, Oldest daughter of the late dis
tnguished Professor J. III. Horner. He
the House from Granville. and was
elected by majority OF S92 out OF
a total vote of 2,096
lin this General Assembly he was
chairman of the COMMITTEE on Rules
and chairman Of the Committee on
the Revision of the Laws. two of the
most important committees of the
General Assembly. As chairman of the
Committee on Revision of the Laws
he worked day and night for fifty
days. SO assidiously as to undermine
his health and make ii impossible for
him to be in his seat the last few days
of the session.
His work on that committee was Of
incalculable value. He and the other
members of the committee read every
line of the proposed Code, comparing
it with the old Code and the laws of
the last twenty years, and made some
thing like q thousand amendments to
It. He was unanimously elected by
the House as a member of the COM
nittee to supervise the publication Of
the Code
Judge Graham served on the follow
ing Committees, Education, Appro-
priations, Claims. Railroads and Rail-
road Commission, Salaries and Fees.
Penal Institutions The legislation in
which Judge Graham took deepest in
terest aside from his work on the
Code, was to secure reform i'm the
practice of criminal cases, reducing
the number of peremptory challenges
to the jurors in criminal cases, per-
hitting the removal of cases in spe-
cial instances. and otherwise making
the criminal law conform to what ex-
perience has demanded in order to
guarantee proper administration of
justice. He made a very earnest fight
for these measures. Though some of
the ablest members of the legal pro-
fession were divided as to the wisdom
OF some of the changes proposed by
him the bill passed the House and ex-
cept one passed the Senate and arc
now part of the statutes. He was
leader IN securing better divorce
law. In fact he began this work in
the Legislature of 1901, urged it in
1903, and had the qualification of see
ing the Legislature of 1905 pass an
act substantially the same as the one
he had supported at the previous ses-
sions of the General Assembly.
udSe 1IdIldHl IS SuCn a prOQ1G1OuS
worker that he really had a large
hand in shaping the legislation OF
every character, and though on many
committees he gave attention to the
important matters before every com
mittee of which he was a member
With reference to the bill to increase
the Judges salaries, with Judge Win
borne and other able members of the
House he assisted in bringing about
the compromise which resulted in the
increase in the salaries that was made
and u was his amendment to the origi-
nal Dill which became a law.
1t Is not too much to say that Judge
Graham has no superior in North
Carolina and in the present General
Assembly saved many dollars to the
people. He was first in every move
ment In this and previous Legislatures
that looked to the proper regulation
OF the great corporations which nat
uraily receive special privileges and
VINO exercise them for their own good.
w. G. COX.