Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-03-14
DEATH OF JUDGE CATE.

nouncement of his death brought sor-
row to many of the older residents of
our city, who had known him person
ally for years. He had large ac-
quaintanceship in Wausau, for it was
here that he spent a great many of his
younger days. One of his warm friends
was Hon. j C. Clarke, with whom he
became acquainted in 1S45. MIR. Clarke
was thea boy of "A and had just lately
arrived from Englaad. They met at
Portage and drove OK teams hitehed to
loads of provisions up into this country
for Abraham Brawley Mr.. Cate
worked here for some time as a day
laborer. He was then crossing the
threshold of young manhood and from
early life was gifted with rare traits
of character which formed lasting inn
preston on his associates and endeared
| him to them through life.
Judge Cate had been before the public
for nearly sixty years. That is a long
period of time-nearly as long as the
allotted life of man. Few living so
long lead blameless lite, yet it can
truthfully be said that Mr.. Cate record
was spotless.
After taking up his residence at Stew
ems Point he visited here often, for he
served as circcit Judge of the
Seventh judicial circuit for twenty
years at a time when this coun-
ty was part of that district. After re-
firing from the bench he was often
called here on law suits and always
found time to visit old friends.
Mr.. Gates biography is as follows:
George W. Cate was born in Mont
pelier, Vt, on Sept. II, 1928 His grand
father, Enoch Cate, served through the
revolutionary war under Gen. Dear
born against the British, and his father,
Isaac Cate, was noncommissioned of
ficer in the United States army in the
war of 1912.
He left school when II years of age
and began the study of law under Lu-
cius B. Peck, of Montpelier, paying his
expenses with money earned by teaching
school. At 21 he was admitted to the
bar and in 1S45 came to Wisconsin and
settled at Plover, Portage county, where
he began the practice of his profession
Two years afterward he removed to
Stevens Point, where he has since re-
sided. In 1850 he was elected district
attorney, and served two years. In 1851
was elected to the legislature and re-
elected the following year. He was de-
feated for speaker of the house by one
vote, the successful candidate being
Judge Palmer, now president of the
Northwestern Life Insurance company
Mr.. Cate was selected as one of the
managers in the famous impeachment
trial of Judge Hubbell of the Second
| judicial circuit. This is one of the
great trials in the history of Wisconsin
and, although Hubbell was acquitted,
the trial created intense excitement
throughout the northwest.
On June 4, 1854, Mr.. Cate took his
seat upon the bench of the Seventh
! judicial circuit to which he had been
elected and held the position continu
Ously until March a, 1875, when he re-
house of representatives for the Eighth
district. He took a prominent place
among the new members of that body
and was conspicuous for his opposition
to the appointment of the electoral
commission to canvass the votes in the
presidential election when Hayes and
Tilden were candidates.
Judge Cate, at the outbreak of the
civil war, was what was termed war
democrat He voted for Lincoln in 1854
and for Grant four years later. Since
1868 he has acted steadily with the dem
ocratic party. Upon retiring from con-
gress Judge Cate devoted himself to
the practice of law. He had taken
great interest in that section of the
state where he lived, and did much for
its industrial development and its social
and educational progress. He was a
member of the official board of visitors
of the state university and regent of the
state normal school, and in many other
ways has served .he public interests.
His party made great efforts in 1890
| to induce him to be a candidate for
| governor but he resolutely declined
and favored the nomination of George
w. Peck. In 1896 Judge Cate was
again nominated for congress in the
Eighth district, and was also made a
presidential elector at large. At the
time of his death he was the senior
member of the law firm of Cate, Dahl
& Nelson.
In speaking of his character the Mil
waukee Sentinel says:
Judge Cate was lawyer of the old
school, strong, purposeful, self-cen-
tered, confident character, one who was
well grounded in the principles of law
Since his retirement from the circuit
bench he has been retained in nearly
all the important litigation in which
Stevens Point citizens were interested,
his practice covering all classes of cases
and embracing wide scope ofinterests
that would bewilder the latter day
attorneys who specialize in their prac-
tice and trouble themselves very little
about any legal problem that does not
concern their branch of the profession.
Personally Judge Cate was as note
/ al Ia L.
Bouck of Oshkosh, but he lacked the
disagreeable and at times not too cred
liable characteristics of the Oshkosh
lawyer while equaling him in force of
character and picturesque personality.
He was a man of broad sympathies,
ripe scholarship, and unimpeachable
probity, and as the dean of the Wiscon-
sin river valley bar he has long reflected
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