Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 07.pdf/313

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The Green Bag.

in 1850, and returned to Ohio. In that same year he entered the office of Judge William Lawrence at Bellefontaine, Ohio, and was admitted to the bar in 1857, and entered into a partnership with his pre ceptor. Was elected prosecuting attorney of Logan County in 1852. He took an active part in the organization of the Repub lican party in 1854, and he and Hon. James Walker started the first Republican news paper published in Logan County. He was elected a representative to the General As sembly in 1857, but declined a re-election. In 1860, he took part as a delegate to the convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for President of the United States, which he claims to be the proudest service of his life. He was again sent to the Legislature in 1861, and in 1863 was elected State senator. In 1865, and again in 1867, he was elected Attorney-General of the State. President Grant appointed him con sul to Rio Janeiro, in 1869, and his nomina tion was confirmed by the Senate, but he declined the honor. He was elected a judge of the Supreme Court of Ohio, in 1871, but by reason of failing sight he was com pelled to resign his place there, at the end of the first year of his term. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1873. In 1877 he was the Republican candidate for Governor of the State, but was defeated. He then left public life, and has ever since devoted his time to his pro fession. Judge West is a great lawyer, and by those who believe in his school of politics is considered a statesman of 110 small di mensions. By everybody, however, he is known to be honest in his every act and fearless in the discharge of anything which he considers it his duty to do. Through all his long career he has retained the love and veneration of his neighbors, which fact speaks louder than any words can of the real worth of the man. WALTER F. Stoxe was born at Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio, November 18, 1822.

His parents came from Vermont to Ohio, and shortly after the birth of their son removed, from Wooster, to Strongsville, in Cuyahoga County. The boyhood of Walter was spent attending school at Pittsburg, Pcnn., and in that city he began the study of law, under Walter R. Lowery, who afterwards became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Penn sylvania. After reaching his majority he entered a law office at Cleveland, O., and it was there he completed his studies and was admitted to practice. He permanently located at Sandusky City, and began active practice, in connection with Judge A. W. Rendry, in 1846. Later he was associated, as partner, with Judge Ebenezer Lane, who at one time served on the Supreme Court of Ohio. He continued in the practice until the fall of 1865, at which time he was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas, in the first sub-di vision of the fourth judicial district of this State. He was re-elected to the same office in 1870, and served in that capacity until 1873, when Governor Noyes appointed him to fill a vacancy of the Supreme Court, occa sioned by the resignation of Judge West. In the fall of 1873 he was elected to fill the unexpired term of that judgeship. His health failing him, he was compelled to re sign his place on the bench in the fall of 1874. He afterwards, accompanied by his wife, made a visit to the Pacific coast, in search of health; but the experiment proved of no avail, as he continued to grow worse, and died at Oakland, California, on the twenty-third day of December, 1874. His remains were buried at Sandusky City, O., January 5, 1875. The private life of Judge Stone was of the purest kind, and his judicial learning and ability was of a high order. GEORGE Rex was born in Canton, Stark County, Ohio, July 25, 1817. He was edu cated in the common schools of his native county, and at the Capital University, at Columbus, Ohio. For a while he taught