The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-08-28
Stupendous Number Of Prominent Lawyers
Grace Legal Fraternity of the Capital
Districts Judiciary Has Been Selected from Cot Best Talent Most Them Served
Congress Before Being Named Local Benchany
Are Foremost International Litigation and Foreign Affairs
by RALPH w. BENTON.

". bAS-N w.
There is no immediate danger OF the
residents OF Washington facing dearth
OF renarksb Bile legal talent. 1t takes
~ mole than a passing glance at the
city directory or the telephone book
70 convince one that law is an astonish-
.rgiy Popular profession. The list OF
physicians is long enough to make a
person dizzy. but the number of at
torneys is nothing short of stupendous.
There ic one lawyer for every 3oc
=, sidents Of the National Capital To
h" more specific. there are precisely liz;
lawyers in Washington. Some of them
OF course. arc not actively engaged in
practice. They are members of the bar
and they are more or less interested in
legal affairs but they do not constitute
ii. group of men who depend upon law
for their iAily bread.
Mnny Eminent Attorneys.
Tho lIm.er of local lawyers who have
.tIuly T;H,n to the heights of cminenc e
Is IaI"l. Not only have many of them
dis invuishvd themselves in their chosen
p...rc ssIon. bur they have won for them
selves praise and prominence through
''v.J:"S in score of noteworthy ways
through participation in civic affairs.
tIIo1gh practical philanthropy. throus h
contribution to the fine arts, through
s'""'rjve LEGISLATION. and through efforts
To- ~ general development and beauti-
=. ''i"c "f the Nations Capital
i.v"n 'HOro distinguished than the lead
ers of the local bar are the men who
ha'r l"sn called 70 sit upon the bench
an" administer justice to the City's lit
iGlrtS Th"r" are seventeen Judges and
justice presiding over the local tribu-
i"'' They are not only great masters
IF the law and great jurists. but in adj
'Iiion nearly all oC them are identified
pr"mi '"n'lv viii! activities that give to
their lives a reculilr interest and :, HUI
nnnitaran appeal.
Texan on Appeals Bench.
At the head of ,the District Court
OF Appeals is Chiet Justice Seth
Shepard. who has served OF the tri-
bunal since its establishment in May.
1893. He is Is years old and is a
native Of Texas. From May 1. 1861.
to th" end OF the civil war he was
prirat" in Company +. Of the Fifth
Texas Mounted Volunteers. fighting
Under the colors of The Coufederacy
After the war he Tracr!ced law in
Texas and later was elected to the
senate of the Texas legislature He
was elevated to the chief Ju>ticeship
OF The Court of Appeals in January.
100" Justice Shepard is deeply in
terested ia the history of Texas and
he has contributed an article on The
Alamo" I" The Comprehensive His
tory OF Texas" Not only is he a
Erca' equity judge. but his knowledge
of constitutional! law is remarkable
As sO'iated with him on the bench
are Justices Charles II. Robb and
Josiah \. Van Orsdel
Justice Robb is native of Yer
mont. having held several minor Of
fees in his State. He was assistant
attorney general for the PoStoffice
Department during the Investigations
of 1903 and 1904 and was Assistant
from then until 1908. when he was
appointed to the office he now holds
Easterner Succeeded in West
Justice Van Orsdel halls from
Pennsylvania. where he received his
legal training. As a young man he
went West. establishing himself at
cheyenne. Wyo. in 1891. He served
as prosecuting attorney for his county
and later as member of the State
house of representatives. He was
chairman of a commission appointed
10y the governor to revise. compile and
codify the laws of the State He was
attorney general of the State for
seven years and was associate justice
VII NV Jul vi " NOIHlHS IoI
short time. resiEning to become
Assistant Attorney General of the
United states. He was appointed to
his present office in November 1907
J. Harry Covington. Chief Justice of
the District Supreme Court is one of the
recent appointecs to the bench. He won
distinction while practicing attorney in
liS native Stltc-MHryland. Justice Cow
ingt"n is = Tcars old. He WAS admitted
-.
practice a East"n. Nd. lie was a DEM
ocratir nominee for tho Maryland senate
In 1871. hut was defeated. For six wears
he was States attorney for Talbot Coun-
e.. He Wal elected I" the National
IIoWs" Of Representatives in 1909 serving
through tn" SiXtY-tirst and SiXtv-second
Congresses. Justice CovnGton has dis
tingush"d himself along the line of
statccraft and con- titutional law He is
one OF the most eloquent speakers on the
bench. and H. greatly in demand for BAN
quct and Hftcr-dinnCr speeches.
Associated with him on the bench arc
Justices Thomas II. Anderson. Ashley NJ.
Gould. Wendell l.. Stafford. Walter I.
M"rov and Frederick l.. Siddons.
Justice Anderson Is Ohioan.
Justice Anderson was born in Belmont
County. Ohio. June t. l>iS He was edu-
Gated at the public and select schools of
his county and at Mount Cmon College.
Ohio. which institution later conferred
upon him tho honorary degree of doctor
Of laws
After leaving coIl.c Sc he taught Il short
time IL. TN, schools Of Belmont and
Gucrns,y. counties. and held the prin-
cinalship Of the Camb! idEc High School
until the fall of 1870, when ne resigned
to finish his lay studies.
ON entering the profession Inc promptly
made p place for himself and was soon
engaged in a lucrative practice in the
STATE and Federal courts. In April 1897.
INC removed to Washington. where his
ability ms a lawyer and his high Charac-
ter rs man won for him esteem and
distinction President Mckinley appoint
% HIM United States attorney for the
District of columbia. October I. 1899. and
on May |. 1901. III recognition of his eN-
celeEt record as district attorney. he
was appointed u member OF tho Supreme
Court o. the District of Columbia I life &.
Position.
lie has proved himself an able and up
right jurisl. Among the famous cases n
which he has sat as judge are the
l:uuine homicide case. the Newman quo
war:auto case. and the Iutchins will
contest. In the Newman case he rem
deTcd an opinion holding that Frizzell.
IL" complaining party. was not entitled
under the statute to maintain the pro-
cecdiuc and that accordingly the court
WINS without jurisdiction. On appeal the
Supr'Nnl" Court OF the United States sus-
tanned his ruling. The Hutchins will con-
test. In which he sat during the last
..rTn of court. was the second longest