New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-03
JUDGE J. B. DILL DIES
Had Recently Resigned from the
Bench in New Jersey.

East Orange. N j.. Dec. (SpeciaD.-
Judge James Brooks Dill, who had been
seriously i'll for just week, with heart
disease and pneumonia died at 1 o'clock
this morning, although his condition yes
terday had given the members of the fam
lily watching a his bedside greater encour-
agement than they had had since he was
stricken.
The members of the family. with the ex-
ception of Mrs. Dill, treasured by favora-
bic symptoms. retired earlier in the night,
but at ] O'Clock change for the worse
was noted Or Ralph II. Hunt. the family
physician who was watching with the
nurse and Mrs. DILL hurrIedly summoned
the others but they We're too late to reach
his side before death came
James Brooks Dill during his career as
. corporation lawyer took part in the for
nation of over seven hundred business
concerns of which at least thirty reached
the dignity of trusts. He was credited Win
bringing together the interests represented
by Andrew Carnegie and Henry G. Flick
twenty-five years before that. student at
Yale he was walking the streets OF New
Haven with newspapers under his waist
coat to keep out the cold, too poor to buy
an overcodt-
Mr.. Dill was born on July 25. 1884. in
Spencerport little country village of Mon
roe County. in Western New York 1t
was from his father, the Rev. James Hor-
ton Dill. that he inherited his ability as an
organizer The elder Dill had spent most
of his time for twenty years in organizing
Conversational churches. and in that work
held a record The family went TO Chi
cago when the son was about five years
old. where the father became pastor OF the
South Congregational Church He went
to the Civil War as chaplain Of the famous
Illinois Railroad Regiment. and In 1859
died from exposure, leaving his family IN
straitened circumstances.
Nevertheless the young man was deter
mined TO get an education, and WORKED
his way through the preparatory school at
Oberlin and through Yale, where he was
graduated in 1876. Going to Philadelpnla'
he studied law in the office OF f. Cope
Mitchell and al the same time taught IN
Samuel Clements private school In le'
he entered the senior class OF the law schooi
of New York University. and earned his
way while there by teaching in Stevens IN
stitute. at Hoboken. He graduated the
next year and soon afterward admitted 10
the bar
proved a turning point in his career, was
that of the McKillop & Sprague CONNER
cal Agency. whose directors, 1t was found
had neglected 10 file certain required state
Ements and were therefore liable for the
debts of the concern, which had failed
Mr. Dill was retained by one of the direc-
tors. and the young lawyer won his case
on d technicality. while all the other dlrec-
tors lost That victory attracted wide at
tention in legal circles. and caused the New
Jersey Legislature the following year 10
correct the defect in the law of which he
had taken advantage.
This work called Mr.. Dilrs attention 20
the opportunity Of his life II was the time
when the corporation idea was in its In
fancy Mr.. Dill saw that the era of the
firm had passed and that of the corpora
ton had dawned. He resolved TO special
ize IN corporation law. He bent all his
energies to the mastery of the intricacies
of this branch of his profession and was
soon in the business of organizing compa-
MES. He was on the ground floor of new
legal industry. One of the first treatises
on this subject was published by him,
DamDhIet entitled 1.-The Advantages OF
Rusiness Corporations" This followed
nv "DiII on New Jersey Corporations ana
several other books on legal and economic
topics
In 1890 Mr. Dill. with others. was called
into consultation by the Governor OF New
Jersey with view to suggesting means OF
fncrea ding the state revenues AS a result
Of this. largely through Mr. DilPs sugges-
tion the corporation registration law was
nassed. the most radical step in this direc-
ton vet taken by an American state
Mr. Dill was counsel Of the Investigating
committee of the Mutual Life Insurance
ConDanv of which William II. Truesdale
was chairman and Stuyvesant Fish and
John W. Auchinclos were members. At
various times during his career he had
been A director of a large number Of
corporations At the time of his death,
however, he had resigned all his director
ching excepting that of the American Ra-
dlator Company.
Judge Dill formed a Law partnership with
John ". Griggs IN 1901. which continued
until his appointment TO the bench. In 1855
He resigned from the bench two weeks ago
In 1880 Mr. Dill married Miss Mary w
HanseIl. daughter of Standtsh Forde Han
sell. of Philadelphia She, with their three
daughters. Mrs Gordon Grand. Mrs. VIII
lam II Trump and Miss Helen Dill, sur
wives him
He was a member of Hope Lodge, T. and
A. NJ, of East Orange; Orange Chapter OF
ROYAL Arch Masons, Jersey COmmandery
of Knights Templar, No 10. and the A and
A. Scottish Rite, Jersey City. He was
thirty-third degree Mason and Mystic
Shriner He was also a member of the
Essex County Country Club, South Orange
Field Club. Essex Club, New York Gradu-
ates' Club. City Club. Yale Club of New
York. Megantic Fish and Game Club, A
A A and the Automobile Club OF America
He was a retired member of the Essex
Troop, New Jersey.