The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-11-04

cations must furnish their names
not necessarily fer publication. but
for the information Of the editor.]
The District Judgeship.
To the Editor Of The Gate City:
The day is approaching when the
voters of Lee county must decide
who shall be the successors of Hon.
w. S. Hamilton and Hon., Henry
Bank as judges of the district court.
The Lee County Bar association, by
unanimous resolution some time ago,
agreed that one judge should be a
republican and one democrat.
1t appears that Judge Hamilton
win be his own successor. This
leaves the question in the mind OF
the voter as to who shall succeed
Judge Bank. ! am writing my own
thought as I see the facts. To my
mind the logical successor to Bank
should be Hon. John p. Craig
II wish to give some thought as to
the men OF the bar and bench as
remember them. The bar Of Keo-
kuk and Lee county was for years
remarkably able. Many of its mem
bers became distinguished nation
ally, occupying high place in pub
lie thought and national life. l VIII
who adorned the bench: Ralph P.
Lowe was one of the pioneer law
makers OF Iowa; was a member of
the constitutional convention of Iowa
in 1916. became the fourth governor
of Iowa just before the civil war, and
was succeeded by our then war gov
ernor, Samuel J. Kirkwood, at which
time Judge Lowe went on the Iowa
supreme bench and was several
times it's chief justice. He was for
a time law partner of John w. Noble.
On the district bench were the
following: Hon. Thomas W. Clagett,
of the Daily Constitution Judges
Springer. Tracy, Stutsman, Casey
and Bank. On the circuit court
bench were Drayer and Jeffries. OF
the Keokuk judges, the most promi-
nent was Samuel F. Miller, who was
appointed by President Lincoln to
the supreme court of the United
States in 1862. Miller showed in
cisive legal acumen, great breadth J
of view and discernment in handling
national problems Of farreaching
effect at the most trying time in
our history.
On the United States circuit bench
was George w. McCrary, our con-
gresham from 1869 to 1877 and sec
rotary of war under President Hayes.
The u. S. district court was hon
ored by that wise jurist, James M.
Love, appointed by President Frank
lin Pierce. OF the three ISeokuk
judges of the lower courts, McCrary,
Love and Bank, it can be truthfully
said their work was done so consci-
entiously and painstakingly that but
very few of their decisions were ever
reversed.
During the years these worthy
men served on the. various benches
we had some remarkably able and
brilliant lawyers at the bar. Will
liam w. Belknap, lawyer here before
the civil war, became a general by
reason of his gallant bravery, and
was afterwards secretary of war I'M
der President Cant. Samuel r.
Curtis and John w. Noble became
distinguished generals. Noble was
afterwards secretary of the interior
under President Harrison. Hugh T.
Reid, William III. Worthington and
John Bruce were colonies in the
civil war. Bruce afterwards was ap-
pointed by President Grant to the
us. district court for Alabama.
Judge Rankin was an able lawyer,
law partner of Miller & McCrary.
Will Rankin, his son, was law part
ned Of Felix T. Hughes. John Glib
bon was a polished and scholarly
man, law partner of Hon. d. N.
Sprague, and later became a Judge
in Chicago. Hon. ID. ". Sprague and
uncle, Daniel T. Miller, We're, in their
day, by all odds the best criminal
lawyers in the state. Judge III. II. 1
Trimble, Felix T. Hughes, George T. /!
Hatch, James and Frank Hagerman
and our Justly popular James c.
Davis were shrewd but conscientious
corporation lawyers. Robert f. Gil
more and James H. Anderson were
remarkably successful lawyers, al (
ways appeared learned and COM /
handing before the court, eloquent
and powerful before the jury, and
were spoken of as the Damon and
Pythias law firm" Henry Strong, in I
an early day, was law partner of S. !
T. Marshall and slater partner of /
John H. Craig. S. T. Marshall was /
scholar, graduate of Harvard. /
His son, Robert Marshall, was a
brilliant orator The same must be i
said of Daniel F. Miller. Jr.. who was |
spoken of by the lawyers of the older |
set as young Dam and was shrewd
and able William Collier was said
in his practice here to be the best
trial lawyer in the state. Joseph G.