latter school. For one year he was a student in the Illinois College
of Law and completed his law course in the Northwestern Uni-
versity, graduating LL. B. in the class of 1904. Mr. Root was
admitted to the bar at Chicago in October, 1905, and before return-
ing' to Galva spent about a year in the office of A. M. Cox, a Chicago
lawyer. Since his return to Galva Mr. Root has practiced in part-
nership with his father. They have the finest offices and law library
in Henry County, and have an extensive practice in all the courts
and in a large 'and varied litigation. For about five years Mr. Root
was court reporter in Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside



740 COURTS AND LAWYERS OF ILLINOIS

counties. He is now serving his fourth year as city attorney of
Galva, and in the 1914 primaries was defeated by only thirty votes
for the nomination of county judge.

October 5, 1905, Mr. Root married Miss Christine Wing of
Galva. Mrs. Root is a member of the Eastern Star and the Daugh-
ters of Rebekah, and Mr. Root belongs to the same auxiliary body
and has taken thirty-two degrees in Scottish Rite Masonry, is a
member of the Peoria Consistory, Kewanee Commandery and
Mohammed Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He has filled the various
chairs in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is also a
member of the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of
America. Politically his affiliation is with the republican party. He
is a member of the County Bar Association.

CLARK BENJAMIN ABY. With eighteen years of professional
experience and success behind him, Clark B. Aby is now recognized
as one of the leaders of the bar at Galva. He has confined his
attention almost strictly to his profession and has engaged in poli-
tics and other affairs only to the extent of meeting the responsibili-
ties and obligations of a public-spirited citizen.

Clark Benjamin Aby was born on a farm near Galva, Illinois,
April 15, 1872, the youngest of eight children born to Alexander
and Melvina (Barnes) Aby. Both parents are now deceased.
Clark B. Aby grew up in the country, attended country schools
near the old home until about twelve, and then entered the Galva
public schools and remained until graduating from high school in
1890. Not long afterward he definitely determined upon the law
as a vocation and when about twenty-two spent a year in study in
the office of Judge Bigelow. After traveling over the West as far
as the Pacific coast, he returned home and in 1894 entered the
Northwestern University law department, and gave close attention
to his studies there until graduating LL. B. in 1896. Mr. Aby was
admitted to the bar at Chicago in June of the same year, and soon
afterward opened an office in Galva and has since been in active
practice. He is reputed to have one of the best law libraries in the
city.

His public service has been chiefly along the line of his profes-
sion. He served Galva as city attorney, also on the city council,
has held several minor offices and is now a member of the local
school board and also city attorney.

On July 23, 1896, Mr. Aby married Miss Lillie A. Nordstrum,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Nordstrum of Galva. Mrs. Aby
was educated in the Galva public schools. They are the parents of
two children: Roland C. was born September 27, 1898, and is now
a student in the high school; and Genevieve E. was born June 17,
1908. Fraternally Mr. Aby is affiliated with the Masonic order, in
which he is a past master, and also with the Knights of Pythias.



COURTS AND LAWYERS OF ILLINOIS 741

He is a member of the County Bar Association, is a republican, and
a member of the Methodist Church.

WILLIAM C. EWAN. Junior member of the firm of Sturtz &
Ewan of Kewanee, William C. Ewan has been in active practice a
little more than seven years, and possesses superior qualifications
both as a lawyer and business man, and has also made himself active
in citizenship.

William C. Ewan was born March 12, 1881, near Lewistown, in
Fulton County, Illinois, a son of William I. and Rena C. (Murchin-
son) Ewan. His father was born March 12, 1849, at Port Republic,
Virginia, and his mother April i, 1847, at Greenville, South Caro-
lina. Both are now living at Cuba, Illinois, his father a retired
farmer. There were seven children, one of whom died in infancy,
and another of the sons is Dr. R. T. Ewan of Cuba. The Ewan
ancestry settled in America from Wales, while the Murchinson fam-
ily was of Scotch and English stock. Robert T. Ewan, who
founded the family on this side of the Atlantic, came over in colonial
times and saw active service during the Revolutionary war under
Washington. He settled in Virginia, and it was in 1857 that the
Ewan family came out to Illinois.

William C. Ewan, the fourth of the seven children of his parents,
attended country schools in Cass Township of Fulton County until
fourteen years of age, after which he was educated in the public
schools at Cuba, graduating from high school in 1900. Much of the
strength and vigor which he has brqught into his professional work
were acquired while a boy on the farm, and after leaving high
school he spent three years assisting his father. In September,
1903, he entered the University of Illinois, spent one year in the
literary department, and then continued a student in the law depart-
ment until graduating in June, 1907, LL. B. Mr. Ewan was admitted
to the bar by the Supreme Court at Chicago June 25, 1907. A fact
which shows his independence and industry is that he paid prac-
tically all his expenses while in college. After his admission to the
bar Mr. Ewan came to Kewanee, and was employed as assistant to
Charles E. Sturtz for about fourteen months, and they then formed
the partnership of Sturtz & Ewan in January, 1909, which has had
five years of successful practice and is regarded as one of the strong-
est law firms at Kewanee. Mr. Ewan served as assistant state's
attorney for five years, from 1907 to 1912. Sturtz & Ewan are
general attorneys for the Mystic Workers of the World, a fraternal
insurance company, and their jurisdiction covers nine states in the
Middle West, extending from Texas to Michigan. They are also
local attorneys for the Galesburg & Kewanee Electric Railway
Company, for the Consolidated Light & Power Company, the Local
Street Railway Company and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad Company. The firm are said to have the largest law
library in Kewanee and one of the largest in the county.



742 COURTS AND LAWYERS OF ILLINOIS

Mr. Ewan is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks, the Kewanee Club and the Midland Country Club, and is
a member of the American Bar Association and the County Bar
Association. He is a democrat in politics and a member of the
Congregational Church. He is unmarried and lives at 200 S. Tre-
mont Street in Kewanee, with office at the corner of Tremont and
Third streets.

HENRY B. SAFFORD. Among the law firms at Monmouth that
have special distinction on account of the individual abilities of their
members and the extent of their practice, one of the most important
is Safford & Graham, a relationship which has existed between these
two well-known attorneys for twelve years. Mr. Safford is a lawyer
of more than twenty years' experience in Illinois, and in addition
to sound ability entered the profession with a thorough training
and with a high standard of ideals that his mature career has done
much to realize.

Born at Hamilton, Illinois, October 19, 1868, a son of George
B. and Penelope (Gray) Safford, he lived in his native village and
attended the public schools until the age of sixteen. Following that
came two years in the high school at Keokuk, Iowa, and two years
in the* college at Carthage, Illinois. When he was about twenty
years of age Mr. Safford definitely determined upon the law as a
profession. While at Carthage he had the advantages of instruction
from such well read lawyers as Judge Charles J. and Timothy Scho-
field and A. W. O'Harra. He continued his reading for three years,
and in May, 1894, was admitted to the bar at Springfield. His first
six months after admission was spent at Carthage with the firm of
Berry Brothers, and from 1895 to 1903 he enjoyed a considerable
practice in Henderson County. Mr. Safford came to Monmouth on
December i, 1903, and entered into a partnership with I. M. Kirk-
patrick and W. F. Graham. A little later Mr. Kirkpatrick died, and
since then the firm title has been Safford & Graham. While as
attorneys they have been chiefly concerned with a general practice,
they also represent the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad and
the Rock Island Railroad and a number of banks.

Mr. Safford was married November 16, 1898, to Anna Watson
of Henderson County. She was educated in the public schools of
Henderson County and finished at Valparaiso University, Indiana.
She is a member of the Fortnightly Club of Monmouth. Their one
child, Mary K., is now sixteen years of age.

In a political way Mr. Safford has never shown any inclinations
for office holding. He served as a member of the village board at
one time, has been a delegate to state and county conventions of
the republican party, but his best service to the public has been ren-
dered within the limits of his profession. He is a member of the
County and State Bar associations, and belongs to the Hamilton
Club of Chicago and to the Benevolent and Protective Order of



COURTS AND LAWYERS OF ILLINOIS 743

Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Wood-
men of America. His office is in the Library Building and his home
at 809 East First Avenue, Monmouth.

WILLIS F. GRAHAM. Junior member of the firm of Safford
& Graham, with offices in the Library Building at Monmouth, Mr.
Graham was first admitted to the bar in the State of Nebraska, but
for the past twenty years has practiced in Illinois, and is associated
with one of the strongest law firms of Warren County. This firm
has a large and extended general practice, and also represents sev-
eral banks and the Santa Fe and the Rock Island and Southern
Railroads.

Mr. Graham was born April 16, 1870, at Ellison, Illinois, the only
child of Charles W. and Mary (Coleman) Graham. Up to the age
of sixteen he attended the public schools at Point Pleasant, Illinois,
and in 1887 entered the Northern Indiana Normal School at Val-
paraiso, Indiana, from which institution, now Valparaiso University,
he was graduated A. B. in 1891. On the foundation of such an
education he soon afterwards took up the study of law. These
studies were carried on in the offices of Godfred & Godfrey at
Minden, Nebraska, for three years. In 1894 he was admitted to the
Nebraska bar, and for the following year practiced as junior mem-
ber of the firm of Godfrey, Godfrey & Graham. In 1895 Mr. Gra-
ham located at Oquawka, Illinois, was admitted to the Illinois bar
at Springfield in the same year, and in the fall of 1899 moved to
Monmouth. For a year and a hali he was associated with the late
J. M. Kirkpatrick in practice, but for more than twelve years his
senior associate has been Henry B. Safford.

Mr. Graham was married January 7, 1894, to Mary Garner of
Colfax, Illinois. Their two children are Charles C., born April 5,
1898, and Robert G., born March 13, 1901, both now attending high
school. Mr. Graham is a member of the County and State Bar
associations, and in politics is a republican. He lives at 120 North
C Street in Monmouth. His church is the Methodist.

JOHN H. HANLEY. With a standing as a lawyer acquired by
many years of successful experience, John H. Hanley is senior
member of the firm Hanley & Cox, with offices in the Claycomb
Building at Monmouth. While his ability as an attorney is now
pretty well diffused all over North Central Illinois, a more personal
interest attaches to the career of Mr. Hanley for the strenuous and
self-sacrificing efforts which he put forth when a young man to gain
an education and equip himself for the responsibilities of a learned
profession.

Though nearly all his active career has been spent -in Illinois,
John H. Hanley was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania,
September 8, 1860, a son of Michael and Marie (Fitzpatrick) Han-
ley. As a boy up to the age of fifteen he attended district schools,



744 COURTS AND LAWYERS OF ILLINOIS

spent one year in the Hookstown Academy and four years in the
Woodlawn Academy. In the meantime he had been thrown upon
his self-supporting endeavors, and like many another successful
man was at various times a school teacher, a rail splitter, and there
was hardly any work too hard which he considered beneath his
dignity as a means to carry him through school. In the course of
his education he spent one term in Geneva College, and one year
at the Industry Academy. Mr. Hanley has been identified with
Monmouth as a place of residence since about 1883, in which year
he entered Monmouth College and remained until graduating A. B.
in 1885, and three years later received the degree of A. M.

It was during his work as a teacher that Mr. Hanley decided to
become an attorney, and as early as 1877, though he could hardly
spare the money, he bought a two volume set of Blackstone's Com-
mentaries. At the present time Mr. Hanley has one of the largest
law libraries in the state, but out of it all he cherishes especially
that original nucleus which he bought at such sacrifice as has been
given for the sake of no other books that have entered his collec-
tion. For several years he devoted all his spare time to the reading
and mastery of these commentaries, and in June, 1885, began regular
study at Monmouth with the firm of Grier and Steward. He was
admitted to the bar at Springfield in November, 1887, and on March
4, 1888, began his active practice at Monmouth. For about ten
years he was alone, and subsequently formed a partnership with
George E. Cox, making the firm Hanley & Cox, as it remains to the
present time. His attention has been given to handling a general
practice, and he also represents several banks and railroad com-
panies. In all his active career of more than thirty years Mr. Han-
ley has never taken a vacation, and judging by the able and ener-
getic manner in which he still handles his business he has apparently
never needed one, his enthusiasm having sustained him through all
the years of professional service.

On September 5, 1889, Mr. Hanley married Sarah H. Bond of
Monmouth. Mrs. Hanley has an interesting ancestry, and is promi-
nent in Illinois in the Illinois organization of the Daughters of the
American Revolution, being state secretary. They have a daughter,
Helen Bond Hanley, who was educated at Monmouth and finished at
the Southern Seminary at Buena Vista, Virginia. Mr. Hanley is
a member of the County and State Bar associations, and at one
time served as city attorney and also had a place on the democratic
electoral ticket in Illinois. His home is at 724 West Broadway,
Monmouth.

GEORGE E. Cox. Junior member of the law firm of Hanley
& Cox at Monmouth, George E. Cox began his practice in that city
about eighteen years ago, and his career has been a most successful
one.

He represents an old family at Canton, Illinois, where he was



COURTS AND LAWYERS OF ILLINOIS 745

born April 18, 1871, a son of William and Mary E. (Batty) Cox.
His father was born in England and the family settled at Canton,
Illinois, during the early days. His mother was a native of Shel-
bina, Missouri. George E. Cox depended for his early education
upon the public schools of Canton, attending through high school
and subsequently was in the Ottawa Business College. While work-
ing as a molder at Canton he read law in the evenings in the office
of Grant & Chipperneld for one year, and then came to Monmouth
to pursue his trade and at the same time made effective advancement
in the law under the direction of his present partner, J. H. Hanley.
His admission to the bar occurred at Springfield November 4, 1897,
and in the spring of 1898 he was elected police magistrate. A little
later he resigned the office to enlist in Company H of the Sixth
Regiment, Illinois National Guard, for service in the Spanish-
American war, and was in- the Porto Rico campaign with the rank
of corporal. For a number of years Mr. Cox has been associated
with Mr. Hanley in practice, and also conducts a loan and real
estate business. They are attorneys for the Rock Island Southern
Railroad and the Rock Island Southern Railway Companies, the
Second National Bank and the Monmouth Trust & Savings Bank.

On December 5, 1900, he married at Monmouth Miss Jessie
Baldwin, daughter of George and Clarissa Baldwin, who were early
settlers at Monmouth. To this union was born two children,
George B., born January i, 1902; and Glenn W., born May 5,
1903. Mrs. Cox died May 8, 1904. On June 9, 1914, he married
Martha Chapman, who is a member of the Daughters of the Amer-
ican Revolution. Mr. Cox is affiliated with the Masonic order,
being a member of the Mystic Shrine, and also with the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, and the Benev-
olent and Protective Order of Elks. In politics he is a republican,
and he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church. They
reside at 313 East Broadway.

MELVILLE GLENN SOULE. One of the prominent law firms of
Warren County that is held in esteem and confidence by a wide
clientele and enjoys the patronage of many corporations, is that of
Brown & Soule, of Monmouth, of which the junior member is Mel-
ville Glenn Soule, who has been engaged in the practice of law here
since 1902. Qualified through natural legal ability and thorough
educational training, Mr. Soule has progressed rapidly in his chosen
profession, and now occupies an enviable position at the bar.

Melville Glenn Soule was born at Monmouth, Warren County,
Illinois, July 6, 1874, and is a son of Rev. Melville C. and Ina Belle
(Smith) Soule, both of remote English ancestry, the family records
proving settlement in Connecticut as early as 1640. Melville C.
Soule and wife had a family of eight children, Melville Glenn being
the third in order of birth. Prior to 1872, Melville C. Soule was
active as a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church but failing



746 COURTS AND LAWYERS OF ILLINOIS

health compelled him to retire from the ministry, and in that year
he went into the lumber business with W. F. Smith, under the firm
name of W. F. Smith & Soule, the name afterward becoming Soule
& Graham, which operated two large lumber yards until 1877, when
Mr. Soule sold his interest. Afterward, for several years he was in
the real estate business and also the boot and shoe business. For
a long period he was a member of the board of trustees of the
Wesleyan University at Bloomington and was also a member of
the board of trustees of Redding College, at Abingdon, Illinois,
for several years being president of the board. In the excellent
public schools of Monmouth, Melville G. Soule continued a student
until his graduation from the high school in 1893. In the fall of
that year he entered De Pauw University at Greencastle, Indiana,
where he remained one and a half years, in 1894 entering Monmouth
College and graduating there in 1897, with his degree of A. B. Dur-
ing the summer of this year he read law in the office of his present
partner, John Burrows Brown, in the fall entering the law depart-
ment of Harvard College, from which he was graduated in June,
1900, with his coveted degree of Bachelor of Laws. In 1900 he
was admitted to the bar in Michigan and for one year was in prac-
tice at Detroit, with the law firm of Walker & Spalding, following
which he made a business trip to the Puget Sound country, which
consumed six months. Upon his return to Illinois he located in his
native place and was admitted to the Illinois bar at Springfield,
October 23, 1902, and then entered into partnership with J. B.
Brown, under the present firm name of Brown & Soule, with offices
in the Patton Block.

Mr. Soule was married April 16, 1903, to Miss Etha William-
son, who was born at Keokuk, Iowa, and was educated there and
at Monmouth College, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Soule have one son,
William F., who was born March 23, 1904. They attend the Presby-
terian Church. Their residence is No. 1133 East Broadway, Mon-
mouth. In political affiliation Mr. Soule is a republican, is a member
of the Hamilton Club of Chicago and fraternally is a Mason. He
belongs also to Delta Kappa Epsilon, a pleasant reminder of old
college days.

IRVINE R. WASSON. In Peoria, where his family has long been
prominent, Irvine R. Wasson has successfully practiced law since
1908 and his experience in active competition with other members of
the bar has already won him a creditable position.

Irvine R. Wasson was born in Peoria December 9, 1878. His
parents are James T. and Jennie E. (Erskine) Wasson. His mother
was born in Clermont County, Ohio, and is now deceased. James T.
Wasson, who was born in Schenectady, New York, came to Illinois
and located on a farm in Peoria County in 1852. Few men had
longer and more varied experience as a soldier in the war than this
honored Peoria citizen. He enlisted at the first call for troops at



COURTS AND LAWYERS OF ILLINOIS 747

the beginning of the war, and was in the regiment commanded by
Colonel Oglesby. At the end of the three-month period of enlist-
ment, he re-enlisted in the Eleventh Cavalry, commanded by the
noted Colonel Robert Ingersoll. This was a three-year regiment,
and as the war had not yet been concluded he volunteered at the
end of that time as a veteran, and was with the Eleventh Cavalry
in all its campaigns and engagements until the close of the war.
He was mustered out as sergeant of Company E. Since that time
he has been frequently honored with public responsibilities, has
served as deputy sheriff of Peoria County, as superintendent of the
county poor farm and as county supervisor. He has long been an
active republican. James T. Wasson and wife were the parents of
eleven children, five of whom are living.

Irvine R. Wasson, the fifth of the children, was educated in the
public schools of Peoria and studied law with Joseph A. Weil and
Frank J. Ouinn. He was admitted to the bar at Columbus, Mis-
sissippi, in 1905, and practiced law in that city until 1907. Since
that time he has been identified with the Peoria bar and conducts a
general practice. He is a member of the Peoria Bar Association,
of Thrush Camp of the Sons of Veterans, and Peoria Lodge No. 20,
B. P. O. E. Politically he is a republican.

JOHN BURROWS BROWN. In calling attention to the foremost
members of so able a body of lawyers as the Warren county bar,
no favoritism is shown in mentioning John Burrows Brown, senior
member of the well-known law firm of Brown & Soule, at Mon-
mouth, because he is a man of assured reputation, of dominating
legal ability and of thorough scholarship. For almost a quarter of
a century he has been a law practitioner at Monmouth and his legal
connections and accepted clients, past and present, attest his per-
sonal as well as professional high standing.

John Burrows Brown was born at North Stonington, Connecti-
cut, October 25, 1864, the old family home section, where both par-
ents, William B. and Phoebe Elizabeth (Collins) Brown, were also
born and reared. Later removal was made to Illinois and William
B. Brown became a man of political prominence in his locality,
serving in numerous local offices, in that of assessor for thirty years.
At one time, during early work on the Hennepin Canal, he served
as a star witness for the Government. Both he and wife are now
deceased. Of their family of six children, John B. was the fourth
in order of birth.

After completing the public school course at Rock Falls, Illinois,
including graduation from the high school in 1880, John B. Brown
spent two years at Knox Academy, at Galesburg, and four years at
Knox College, where he was graduated in 1886, with his degree of
A. B. Two years later he received his degree of A. M. During
the two following years, while engaged in teaching school, he
devoted all his spare time to the reading of law and thus prepared



748 COURTS AND LAWYERS OF ILLINOIS

himself for the Columbia Law School, which he entered in 1888,
and was there graduated in 1889 and in the same year was admitted
to the bar, at Ottawa, Illinois.

Mr. Brown lost no time in making a selection of a field for prac-
tice, in the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, entering into a law