Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1919-12-18

At the outbreak OF the civil w ar,
although mayor of Stevens Point, he
resigned and entered the service as
adjutant of the 18th Wisconsin Volun-
teer Infantry For three and one
half years he was continuously with
his regiment, participating in many
engagements and famous battles of
the war. He was at Shiloh, Lookout
Mountain, the siege of Vicksburg, and
with Sherman on his march to the
sea. Although never wounded, he had
several narrow escapes. At one time
his horse was shot under him, and at
another time a bullet struck and shat
tered the scabbard of his sheathed
sword. During the war he became cap
tain of Company C of his regiment,
and was mustered out in 1865.
He lost no time in returning to Ste
vens Point, where he began assiduous-
ly to devote himself to his profession,
and for the next ten or eleven years
continuously grew as a lawyer, and
his practice became large and remu-
nerative. The court records of those
years show that in his county he was
either attorney or of counsel in almost
every important case tried.
On the first of March 1875 he was
appointed circuit judge by Governor
Taylor to succeed Judge Geo. w. Cate
resigned. In the April following he
was reelected for the remainder of
the unexpired term, and in 1878 re-
elected for full term. After several
years of service on the bench, i'll
health became his lot, and on the 18th
day of March, 1888, he sat upon the
bench for the last time, and shortly
thereafter resigned. He hoped to re-
gain his health by a complete rest and
a change of climate He spent some
time in the state of California and in |
Washington Territory, with little bene
fit to his health. He returned to Wis |
consin and entered sanitarium at |
Waukesha, where on the 5th day of |
June 1884, without warning of i'm
pending doom, he passed to the great |
beyond
In this day and age it is indeed diff
ficult to appreciate the full measure of |
his popularity 1t seems to be the u
nanimous opinion of all living surviv-
ors of Judge Parks time that he
could count more warm, personal |
friends than any other man who lived |
in Northern Wisconsin in his day.
Judge Park was not only strong |
lawyer , but he was an unusual stu
dent of the worlds, hest literature @sd |
history He was an able speaker, who |
was often called upon for both for
NAL and informal addresses. Several
of his prepared addresses published |
in the newspapers of those time prove
him to have been a master of the Eng |
lish language and rich in the know |
ledge of the worlds literature and his |
tory
He was politician, using that term
in its highest and best sense. Dur
ing the early sixties he was a vigorous
War Democrat, and continued through |
out life to be a strong exponent of
Democratic faith. He was twice NOM
mated by his party for the state SEN
ate, once for lieutenant governor, and
on two other occasions for represen-
tative in congress. His interest in
public affairs, and especially in the
development of education and public
libraries, was we'll defined
AS Judge he was able, honest and
impartial, genial, yet digniied. He
disposed of long calendars with system
and dispatch.
AS man in his home and III the ev-
cry day walks of life he was unusually
genial and friendly. He loved chill
dren, the young, the middle aged, and
the old. He was peculiarly democrat
ic in his tastes, and the rich and the
poor all felt the spell of his charming
personality.
AS a citizen he was intensely pa
triotic. He loved America and her in
stitutions. He often proudly recount