The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1909-01-14
LIFE STORY
OF THE NEW
GOVERNOR

Judson Harmon, the new governor
of Ohio, comes from an old American
family. His first American ancestor,
Francis Harmon, emigrated from Eng
land to Boston, Mass, in 1886, and
John Harmon, q son of Francis, was
one Of the founders of Springfield,
Mass, and Suffield, Conn. E'V=S the
English pioneer to the present gov
ernor of Ohio the descent is direct.
Governor Harmon was born at New
town, Hamilton county, o., February
3, 1916, a son of Rev. B. F. and Julia
(Brunson) Harmon. The father, a
teacher before his ordination, and he
personally conducted the early educa-
tion of his son. Judson. The latter en-
tered Denison university and grad
uated in 1866, and after teaching
school for a year in his native county
he studied law under George Hoadley,
who was the next preceding Demo
cratic governor of Ohio, but one, to
his then apt pupil.
Governor Harmon also studied law
in the Cincinnati university, from
which he graduated in 1869, and in
the same year he established himself
in the practice of his chosen profess
sion in Cincinnati. He soon took an
interest in politics, and in 1872 was
found actively supporting Horace
Greeley for the presidency of the
United States.
. At the age of 30 young Harmon was
elected to his first public office, that
of judge of the common pleas court
of Hamilton county, but his term was
cut short by a successful contest of
his election before the Ohio senate.
Two years later, in 1873, he was
elected judge of the superior court of
Cincinnati, reelected in 1883 and
served until 1887, when he resigned
to practice law.
If. as President-elect William H,
Taft has said, Joseph B. Foraker gave
him his first chance in public life,
Judson Harmon created the first OPP
portunity for the man who has been
called to the highest Office in the land.
For by his resignation In 1887 Harmon
caused the vacancy in the superior
court of Cincinnati, to which Foraker,
then governor of Ohio, appointed Taft,
thereby giving to the last named the
Office in which he laid the foundation
vi Ills SuDStQut-iG career.
In June, 1895, Judge Harmon be-
came attorney general OF the United
States, succeeding Richard Olney, In
Cleveland's cabinet. He served until
1897, and there performed the SER
vices which made him a national fg-
ure. He argued many cases of i'm
portance in the supreme court of the
United States, and took an active part
in the national and international COM
plications which marked the close of
Cleveland's second administration.
Many of Harmon's opinions are highly
regarded, notably his reply to Bryan's
attack on-the authority OF the presi-
dent to suppress interference with
functions of the government.
Upon leaving the cabinet Judge
Harmon returned to Cincinnati to
practice law, and the last few years
of his activities have been chiefly de-
voted to directing the affairs of the
Cincinnati. Hamilton & Dayton rail-
road, of which he has been receiver.
Governor Harmon holds the degree
of Ii. D., conferred upon him in
1893, by his alma mater, Denison uni
versity.
He was married in 1870 to Olive,
daughter of DIR. William H. Scobey, of
Hamilton, Ohio. They have three
daughters, Mrs. Edmund Wright and
Mrs. Alfred c. Cassatt, of Cincinnati,
and Mrs. George N. Cassatt, of Lon
don.