Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1919-04-23
HANCOCK $. j. COURT.
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mistake on his side. Az safe counselor
he was among the very front rank.
believe his native modesty and rather
cautious habit OF mind rather untitled
him for the political field, and yet he made
one venture in that direction, and only
one. He would have made a strong ana
valuable legislator, but the Outlines rough
and thorny path that leads to Legislative
halls was not congeniaI to him.
His public spirit was marked. He in
terested himself to his personal dis
advantage in many enterprises and pro-
jects for the benefit of the community.
His sterling integrity and well balanced
judgment were towers OF strength to the
many business activities with which he
was connected.
No man ever prscticed at this bar who
made fewer enemies than Mr.. King. He
was most considerable and courteous in his
relations with his brother lawyers. While
tepancious of his clients rights he was
not technical but liberal in his attitude
toward opposing counsel. While his char
aeter and ability created respect, his
friendly, human, generous nature created
affection among his fellows.
Having spent twenty-five years in ma
turing and fitting himself for the bar, and
twenty-five years in active and successful
practice he reached the third and last
phase of his career, which should have
rounded out his life work with another
quarter century of larger service on the
bench, but which was destined to be
limited to less than half the expected
span.
The appointment of Judge King to the
bench in June, 1907, was as gratifying as it
was unexpected both to him and his
friends. The Hancock bar had been
greatly honored, with two members on
the bench for many years, and Judge
Emery was then serving as chief justice.
Judge King had not thought of being ap
pointed, and none OF his friends, except
one, had dreamed that any effort for
another judge from Hancock county
would be successful. Had not another
distinguished member of this bar at that
time been serving the State as attorney
general and had not the governor relied
more on the judgment and recommended
ton of his chief law officer than upon
obvious geographical expediency the ap-
pointment would not have been made.
In June, 1907, Mr.. King had gone to
Massachusetts to attend the graduation
of his daughter. When he was asked
over the telephone by Attorney Gen.
Hamlin whether be would accept an
appointment on the bench he was as as
tonshed as he was pleased.
''One generation pssseth away and
another generation cometh."
In the brief time since Judge Kings
appointment the personnel Of the bench
has almost entirely changed. Only one
MANTLE present chief justice-ot those
now serving, has served continuously
since Judge Kings appointment.
The position, its duties, its atmosphere
were agreea bic to Judge King. His mind
and faculties expanded with the enlarged
opportunities. He easily adapted himself
to the new situation. He soon acquired
the right mental attitude so necessary to a
judge at Nisi Prius He was we'll liked at
the first, but rapidly became very popular
with the bar all over the State. His work
in the trial OF cases was so smooth, his
tact, patience and courtesy so marked,
his appreciation OF the rights of counsel so
fine, his calm temper, and good common
sense SO noticeable, that both lawyers and
Htigants were pleased and satisfied to
have him hold term of court. They not
only had fair trial, but they thought
they had fair trial, which is equally i'm
portant. Certainly no man in recent
years has made more OF a success as a trial
judge than our beloved friend and neigh
Dor, now deceased.
The work of Judge King in the more
arduous service consequent upon the pre-
sentation OF cases to the law court was
what might be expected OF mind natur-
ally we'll balanced, trained, experienced,
rounded by long association with other
able judges and backed by an earnest and
conscientious desire to find the truth.
In fact, l think that his temperament
and faculties better adapted him to a
successful career upon the bench than at
the bar. He had the judicial temperament
in very high degree. We have had in
tellectual and able judges who lacked that
temperament, and we have had judges who
had the temperament and little else.
Judge King was not one-sided He rep
resented no extreme in any direction.
He was well balanced and steady. He
approached all the duties of his judicial
position from an admir- able, we'll poised
point of view.
The first case in which an opinion
written by him appears in the reports is
Stewart vs Leonard, case in which an
fashioned technical lawyer, of a type
now happily obsolescent, sues deputy
sheriff for not properly serving an execu-
ton by arrest of the body. The broad
grounds upon which Judge King restesd his
decision and his sound statement of rea-
sons gave promise, afterwards amply full
filed, of the strength, vigor and sanity OF
his mind.
Marked as was his success and great as