The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-03-11
Court Is Adjourned as Tribute to Memory
of Deceased Attorneys Following
Memorials to Their Worth
TRIBUTES ON THE COURT RECORD
Members of KenOsha County Bar Pay Loving Tribute
to the Late James Cavanagh and
Henry J. Hastings.

The opening of the March term of
the circuit court for Kenosha county
today brought one of the prettiest
ceremonies in the history of the court
for the members Of the bench and
bar from this and other counties in
the circuit gathered to pay tribute
to fallen leaders.
Memorials paying tribute to the
memory of the late James Cavanagh
and the late Henry J. Hastings were
placed on record of the court and af-
ter these memorials had been read the
court adjourned until two o'clock this
afternoon as a further mark of hon
or to the deceased members of the
court The testimonials to the worth
of the attorneys were presented by
John G. Slater, Judge Joseph r. Clark
son and Albert E. Buckmaster. The
memorial to the Hon. James Cavanagh
was presented by John c. Slater who
said:
"May It Please The Court:
when Your Honor opened the last
term of this court, on yonder chair,
as an officer of this court, sat our
esteemed friend and brother, the dean
of the Kenosha County Bar and presi-
dent Of the Kenosha County Bar as
ISOLATION, the late James Cavanagh.
"None of us could contemplate that
before the close of the term our es-
teemed friend and brother would be
summoned to that Supreme Tribunal
from whose judgment there is no ap-
peal.
cat his death, his associates and
members of the Kenosha County Bar
gathered by committee submit the
following:
Memorial of the Kenosha County
Bar Association
con Ash Wednesday, the 18th of
February, 1920, at Ann Arbor, Mich
igan, James Cavanagah, for forty-three
years member of the bar of Wiscon-
sin, departed this life to the unknown
shores.
Those years were full of service to
his fellow-men and to his profession,
illustrating character of singular
sweetness, purity ard excellence, ex-
employing his noble traits in stand
ing incessantly, uncompromisingly
and unflinchingly for right and just
ice; extending aid to those in need
and encouragement to the faltering,
and doing more than his share in civic
affairs, we'll deserving commemoration
and his brethren of the Kenosha
County Bar, of which he was the dean,
and esteemed and beloved associate,
pray the memorial entry upon the rec
ords of the court which its usages
warrant in just tribute to the worthi-
ness of his useful life.
Born in KenOsha.
flames Cavnagh was born in the
city of Kenosha on January 23rd, 1858,
being in his sixty-eighth year at the
time of his demise. His father came
from Ireland in 1912 and died when
his only son, James Cavanagh, was
eight years Of age. Left fatherless he
remained on a farm with his wother
and when 16 years of age commenced
teaching in the common schools and
doing farm work during vacations. In
1872 he entered the Oshkosh Normal
school with the intention of prepar-
ing for the vocation of teaching, but
the legal profession appealing to him
he devoted all his spare time to the
private study of law. In 1876 he
came to Kenosha and entered the law
Office of the late j. v. & c. Quarles,
and in November of that year passed
the bar examination and was admitted
-,
menced the practice of law at Stevens
Point, Wisconsin, and remained there
until September, 1878, when he re-
turned to Kenosha, his native city,
opened up law office and practiced
his profession to the time of his
death. He served the people of Ke-
nosha county for two terms as district
attorney in the early sos. For eight
years he was city superintendent of
the public schools of the city of Ke-
nosha and for many years and up to
the year 1897, he served the city of
Kenosha as city attorney and legal adj
visor and counselor. In point of serv-
ice he was the Oldest court commits
sioner of the circuit court for Ke-
nosha county. At the opening of the
Gilbert M. Simmons Memorial Library
he was chosen as a director and con-
tinued as member of the directorate
during his lifetime.
Home Life of Mr.. Cavanagh.
On April 25, 1877, Mr.. Cavanagh
was married to Miss Nellie Parkinson
of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, who survives
him. The issue of this union were
two sons, Walter J. Cavanagh, who re-
Gently died, and Richard P. Cavanagh,
of the Kenosha County Bar.
"In the spring of 1888, Mr.. Cavanagh
and the late Charles Quarles, also
native Of Kenosha, and one of the
most brilliant and distinguished law
yers Wisconsin ever knew, formed a
partnership under the firm name of
Cavanagh and Quarles; this partner
ship existed, however, only until April
1889, and was dissolved through the
retirement of Mr.. Quarles who en-
tered the law firm of Quarles, Spence
and Quarles at Milwaukee In the
lsme year Mr.. Cavanagh formed a
partnership with Peter Fisher, Sr.,
# the Kenosha county bar which
xisted for many years and until its
dissolution, as the leading law firm Of