Arizona republican., 1916-08-21
EDWARD KENT
LRoWon Transcriptl

A sense of unreality mingled with grief and dismay. a feeling that such vital force could not leave this world so suddenly must have come ynto the minds of many friends of Edward Kent. both in the east and the west, when the news was flashed over the wires on last Sunday of his death in Chi cago. Those of us who had seen nm only recently in New York, fresh from his experience as chairman of the Ari- zona delegation to the national con vention in Chicago-eager and alert, ready with friendly sympathy. wise and witty in talk realized as always Tn ms presence that his was the gift of eter- nal youth in spite of the fifty years and more that had passed since his birth in the midst of the great crisis of the civil war.
 He was one of the many distin- guished men born in Essex county who in the long history of the Com monwealth have nobly served both church and state, in statesmanship, in literature in education, in profession al. in business, in social life. He was the son of an honored governor and justice of the supreme court of Maine, and the roots of his family tree on both sides reached deep down into the soil of New England.
 From his home in Bangor he went as a student to the Adams Academy, Quincy. under it's great headmaster' Dimmick He entered Harvard uni vcrsity in the class of 1883. His at [ tractive personality drew many to him | during his college days. On the com pletion of his studies in the Columbia ! Law school-for family tradition and ' name had pointed out the legal pro- ' fession as his own-he entered the of ! flee of one of the great law firms in New York. where he was associated with Charles E. Hughes, now the re- publican candidate for the presidency. [ In short time he became member of another of the leading law firms in the same city.
 Here, soon after his marriage and 1 only a few short years after the begin ming of his brilliant professional career
 with all that life offered to him of ser
 vice and happiness. he was suddenly stricken down. Facing the loss of health. of fortune, and of family life
 which might well have curbed the spirit and embittered the life of any
 man. he went bravely into his western exile with supreme courage and seren- itV of soul.
 His indomitable spirit triumphed
 over his disease in Colorado, where the
 way of usefulness was opened to hin
 as assistant district attorney of the
 state. In the administration of Presi-
 dent Roosevelt, he was appointed chiei
 justice of the then territory of Ari-
 zona He was a great chief justice
 In the laying of the foundations of th' new state soon toe be admitted to tho
 union he had an opportunity tha
 could not have been afforded him il
 an older commonwealth He identi
 fled himself with all the varied inter
 ests of Arizona, and became one of it
 foremost citizens. His genius fo
 friendship drew to him the affections
 of all classes of men. When a chang
 in the political affairs of AriZon' brought to close his judicial career , he once more took up the practice o the law, and became one of the leader of the state bar.
 , In the midst of all the absorbin , calls of his profession he had time | serve the city and state along variou f lines. All attempts for the social, tn . ---a