The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-28
JIM SHERMAN HAS
 IDEAL HOME LIE Fall Away from Early Demo-
 cratic Training HAS A MODEST FORTUNE Wife of Vice Presidential Candidate Takes Active Interest In Politics,
 But She DisIikes
 Publicity.


 If he had followed in the footsteps of his clan James Schoolcraft Sherman, re- publican nominee for the vice presidency, would have been democrat. When he showed republican tendencies early in life his father reproved him severely. One of the main arguments adduced by the elder man was that one of sherman brothers had been elected mayor of Uti- ca, his native town, on the democratic ticket. That did not worry Sherman, for he got elected mayor of Utica on the re- publican ticket. He was only 29 years old at the time, the youngest mayor Utlca ever had. Since then he has been almost continuously in public office.
 He was born at Utica October 24, 1S55; graduated from Hamilton college in the class of 1S7S and married in 1881, Miss Carrie Babcock, daughter of a prominent Oneida county lawyer. Soon after grad- uation from college MT. sherman became a member of the law firm of Cooking ham & Sherman. In spite of the absorb ing duties in other lines which have de- volved upon him, he has never given up his law practice. Besides his political &C., tivities, he had been president of the Utica Trust and Deposit company since it's foundation, eight years ago, also of the New Hartford Canning company, and he is interested in an interurban trolley line running out of Utica.
 MT. Sherman lives with his family on Genesee street, in the residential section of Utica. His home life is of the pleas antest description. He has three sons, all clever young men. The eldest, She1- Till, aged 26, is in the banking business with his father. Richard Updyke, the second son, who is "A years of age, Is professor of mathematics at Hamilton college, while the youngest, Thomas Moore, aged 22, is secretary and treasuI- CT of the Smyth Despard company.
 Prominent Socially.
 Mrs. Sherman is very prominent social ly and enjoys great popularity. During her sojourn at the national capital she won an enviable position for herself Ow- ing to i'll health she gave no large en- tertainments, but her small dinners at the New Willard were invariably noted for their extreme smartness. Little was ever said about them in the papers, ow- ing to Mrs. Sherman's dislike of all kinds of publicity.
 In stature she is small. with premature ly gray hair and youthful-looking fea- lures. She takes a great interest in all connected with politics, on which she nas decided views, and was active in forming the Congressional club, composed of the wives of senators and representatives.
 The Shermans are said to have for tune approximating $200000 which will enable them to go in for considerable en- tertaining, should MT. sherman become vice president and his wife the 'second lady in the land," though, of course, they will not have the free hand, in this re- spect which MT. and Mrs. Fairbanks en- joyed. the present vice presidents lavish entertaining having cost him, it is said, something like $50000 over and above his salary.
 Although the nomination of James Schoolcraft Sherman for vice president undoubtedly caused some surprise at the Capitol City, his record of ten almost successive Congresses had given him position in public affairs making him el- igible for almost any official honor that might fall to him. In length of service in the House he comes sixth in the list only such distinguished veterans as Speaker Cannon, Bingham, Serene Payne, John Dalzell and W. P. Hepburn outrank- ing him in this regard.
 Mayor of fUtica.
 As Mayor of Utica Mayor Sherman had had some experience in politics before going to Washington and what use he made of that training is best shown by the rapid strides he made in coming to the front when once he was fairly estab- lished in the House. He was early rec ognized as a leader in that body where leadership is rendered grudgingly and only after long and faithful service.
 Constantly striving to widen his sphere of influence, Mr. Sherman so far suc- ceeded that he headed a well-backcd movement for gaining the highest posi- tion in the House, the speakership. AL though he had then only shown himself in five Congresses he was until the very last considered one of the most promis- ing candidates. The western delegations, however, pooled against him! New Eng land stood for Moody of Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, under the discreet leadership of Senator Quay, failed to show preference for anybody.
 Against that combination of localities and circumstances MT. Sherman's sup porters could do nothing, and for the next few years the Utica representative did not loom large on the political hori- zon. That was perhaps, the most serious reverse of MT. Sherman's career in the House. Once before that he failed to re- turn to the lower branch of the national legislature, but as that mshap occurred near the outset of his career at the elec- tion of the Fifty-second Congress, it had not injured his already promising pres- tige.
 In a certain sense Mr. Sherman has been marked man ever since his first appearance on the floor of the House marked for success if his party should win, and in either event marked for pointed attack. AS president of the Utica Trust company, the republican vice pres idential nominee has always been con- sidered as aligned inalienably with the ranks of wealth. His great personal popularity in the House has largely taken the sting from the attacks made on him as time passed, but his unwavering de- fense of the tariff and his strong stand as one of Speaker Cannons right-hand men in, his 'reactionary' fight have kept fresh in the public mind the impression he first created.
 In the House Mir. Sherman will be re- membered during the lifetime of the present membership as one of the clique vigorously apostrophized by Champ Clark as the Big Five" That is the ring of five men, headed by Speaker Cannon, who certainly in democratic eyes, if not in the opinion of the rank of the republican party, held the fate of the House abso- lutely in it's hands.
 On that occasion Mir. Clark called the Big Five by name for the first time, and characterized each member as he called him. He got through the names Cannon, Payne, Dalzell, Tawney, and stopped be- fore calling the fifth, while everybody on both sides of the House half stood up to hear the list completed.
 "The last one,'' he said, as he stalked cut of the hall. following trick of his lis Jim Sherman. And he is the slickest of the bunch."
 That name stuck, as do most of the appellations given by the bluff demo- crat from Missouri though sandwich ed in with his other sobriquet of Sunny