The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-26
FOR JUDGE BERGEN
Memorial Services Held in the
Court Room Today.
Over a Hundred Members of the
Bar Present.

Memorial services We're held this
morning in the Shawnee county dis
trict court room by the Shawnee coun-
ty bar for Judge Abram Bergen, who
died in this city at his home on Feb
ruary 5.
More than hundred members of
the bar were present. and the exercises
were notable. r. B. Welch presided.
Short eulogies were delivered by Judge
A. W. Dana. Judge z. T. Hazen, David
Overmyer. A. B. Jetmore. Judge L. S.
Ferry, Hiram Root. J. B. Larimer,
Captain J. G. Waters, Albert Watkins,
Judge George Huron and r. B. Welch.
All of them spoke eloquently of the de-
ceased, paying especial attention to his
sterling qualities as a man. his worth
and strength as a lawyer. and the con
hdence and respect which the courts
entertained for him.
Judge A. w. Dana, H. c. Root, D. c.
Tillotson, z. T. Hazen and David Over
purpose, presented the following me-
mortal. which was adopted by a stand
ing vote and ordered spread on the
court records:
Abram Bergen, or Judge Bergen, as
everybody called him. was born in
Morgan county, III, March II, 1886.
He was the son of Jacob F. and Eliza
Bergen and came from one of the in
/ fiuential and respectable families of
that state. He attended Fairchild's
academy, took the degree of Bachelor
of Arts at Illinois college and gradu-
ated from Harvard law school He was
state attorney for the Twenty-flrst
judicial district of Illinois for the years
! of 1863 and 1864, then moving to Min
nesOta where he was county attorney
Tor Fillmore county in 1867 and 1868.
He was elected to the state senate in
Minnesota in 1869. At this time he
Lochren, now United States district
judge Of Minnesota. In 1869 he was
appointed associate justice of the SUI
preTne court of the territory of New
Mexico by President Grant This is
how he got the title of judge. His
court sat at a. great distance from the
railroad. where at that time there were
neither schools churches nor society.
He held court one term and resigned,
declaring that he would not take his
wife and children into that wild coun-
/ try to live.
He came to Kansas in 1870 and located
at GaFnett, where ne praCtised law
with marked success. He served as
county attorney Of Anderson county for
/ two terms and moved to Topeka. In 1882.
/ Upon coming to Topeka he formed
/ partnership with John Guthrie. From
! 1888 to 1890 he was a member of the firm
of Welch, Bergen & Welch. From 1899
to January 1905. he was the senior mem
Der Of the firm of Bergen & Dana.
Devotion to his home, to his church
and to his Professionalism were the
sun around which his life revolved.
( His demcanor was one of dignified re-
serve, a fine courtliness and great
mOdesty.
! He was a Republican in politics, but
had not held political office for many
years and refused to allow his name to
4 be used as a. candidate To- office Of any
kind.
/ Judge Bergen was pure lawyer. To
/ him law was indeed jealous mistress,
/ and he was her devoted slave. Except
for home ard church he cared for little
else; he thought of little else. He car
ried no "side lines" The law was to
| him a, study-the study Of a lifetimei
the practice Of law was his life work.
He had no other He never ceased to be
a student Of the law, never ceased go
ing to the books. He had a fine mind
| well stored with the knowledge of the
law He possessed great industry,
patience and infinite pairs. He was
not, perhaps, what would be called q
brilliant advocate, but he was a pro-
found lawyer and a successful prae-
/ titioner AS ar antagonist In law
! suit he was both feared and respected;
! he had confidence in his ability and was
at all times self-reliant, as he had q
right to be, for he knew the law and
his patience and pains in preparation
were infinite.
In recent years his services were
principally engaged in the higher courts.
Few lawyers IN the general practice in
this state in the past twenty years have
appeared more frequently before the
supreme court Of this state than he and
few. have been more uniformly success
full He had the confidence and the re-
spect of the courts in a marked degree,
and this was deserved, for he would not
urge upon the court a proposition of
law which he did not believe to be
( sound.
He was a member of the First Presby-
terrain church of this city where he was
a constant attendant.
Judge Bergen lived the full time al
lotted to man. He would have been
seventy years OF age had he lived until
next month. He died at his residence
in this city at $50 o'clock a. m, Feb
ruary 5. after a brief illness.
He was married September %, 1868,
at Virginia, Ill, to Louisa Thompson,
who belonged to one of the reading
families Of that community. The widow
and three children-two sons and a
daughter-remain to mourn his loss.