progress that, at the age of sixteen, he was able
to obtain a first grade teacher's certificate. For
some time he was engaged in teaching, but inter-
rupted this work to learn the trade of carriage
making which he followed until he met with a
disabling accident. He then took up teaching
again and desiring to secure a higher education
entered the Illinois State Normal University at
Normal, Illinois, in 1874, four years later graduat-
ing with honor in both the normal and classical
courses. For two years following his graduation
he was a teacher in Markham's Academy, Milwau-
kee, resigning to take up the study of law. He
entered the law department of the University of
Michigan, graduated in 1881, and immediately be-
gan practice at Creston, Iowa. He made rapid
progress in building up a practice, but after four
years, wishing a wider field, he came to Minneap-
olis wdiere he has been engaged in practice since
1885. While Mr. Laybourn's practice is general
it has been perhaps most extensive in com-
mercial and insurance law. He has been fre-
quently retained by fraternal insurance orders.
Mr. Laybourn is a member of the leading or-
ganizations, social and fraternal, and takes an
active interest in public affairs as well as in
politics. He has been several times mentioned
as a candidate for the district bench and has re-
ceived very complimentary support at the prim-
ary elections for this office. In 1883 he was mar-
ried to Miss Blanche Gove of Creston, Iowa, and
they have four children two boys and two girls.
LEONARD, Claude Bassett, was born at
Chelsea, Massachusetts, son of Rev. Charles H.
and Phoebe A. (Bassett) Leonard. His father
is Dean of the Theological School of Tufts Col-
lege, Medford, Massachusetts, and has reached
the age of eighty-four years. Claude B. Leonard
received his earlier educational training at Dean
Academy, Franklin, Massachusetts, and gradu-
160
A HALF CENTURY OF MINNEAPOLIS
ated at Tufts College with the A. B. degree.
Mr. Leonard studied law in the olVice of Starbuck
iV Sawyer at Watertown, New York, was admit-
ted to the bar in October, 1878, came to Minne-
apolis from Sumuierville, Massachusetts, on
November 7, 1878, and entered vigorou>ly
iii(() llie activities of the Northwestern metropo-
li>. Jle was clerk of the probate court
m 1879-80, and is now attorney fur the Farmers'
and Mechanics' Savings Bank and for the Tri-
State Telephone & Telegraph Company. In a
niilitarj' way he has a record as a memljcr of
the National Guard, State of New York. He is
a republican in politics; a member of the Com-
mercial Club; Past Master of Cataract Lodge
No. 2, \. F. and A. AL; a member of St. Anthony
h'alls, Chapter No. 3, R. A. M.; of Adoniram
Council, No. 5; of Darius Commandery, No. 7,
K. T., and Zuhrah Temple, N. M. S. Mr. Leonard
attends All Souls Universalist Church. He was
married to Ella J. Kddy at Watertown, New York,
on April 14, 1880, and they have three children —
Ruth Fddy, Emily Bassctt and I'.lva Llewelyn.
LYON, George Asa, was born at Rockford,
Floyd county, Iowa, on June y, 1S71, son of O. H.
and Belle Alden Bradford Lyon. The mother
was a direct descendant of William Bradford,
who was chosen governor of the heroic Pilgrim
Ijand who landed from the Mayllower on the big
boulder known as Plymouth Rock, December 21,
1620, and ruled the Plymouth colony for thirty-
six years as the successor of John Carver, both
being apostles of self-government in this land.
Mr. Lyon's father, who is a cousin of General
Nathaniel Lynn, served during the entire Civil
War in an Iowa regiment, and was promoted to
tile cajjtaincy of the Third Iowa Battery for
luroic service. Mr. Lyon attended the public
schools of Rockford, Iowa, then attended Grin-
ncU College and later graduated at the Law
.School of Harvard University with the LL. B.
degree. Mr. Lyon while in college was an all
around athlete, and was a member of the Grin-
nell college base ball and foot ball teams for three
years, being captain of the foot hall team during
the last year, and was Intcr-Collegiate champion
of tennis for three years. lie came to Minneapolis
November i, 1903, and has since practiced his
profession here with marked success. He has
been associated in the practice of law willi llie
firm of Lancaster & McGee since 1004, Ili^ e.\-
licrience in the responsibilities of ollice holding is
derived from his tenure of the mayoralty of the
city of Rockford, Iowa, for a term or two. He
is a member of the Commercial C'lnli, .•md of the
.State Bar Association. He is .1 iiunilicr of the
Plymouth Congregational Church. .Mr. Lyon wa-^
married on October 5, T905, to Ivlizalu-lh McLi-.in,
of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
McCUNl'"., .Mexander, clerk of the ])rnbatc
court and for a long time an attorney in Keiur;il
practice in Minneapolis, was born March j, 1859,
at Mecca, Parke county, Indiana. He is the son of
Henry Clay McCune and May Ann (Melvin) Mc-
Cune. The family is Scotch-Irish in origin and
its history in .America dates back over a century,
to when the first McCune came to Pennsylvania
from the north of Ireland. Its members have
intermarried with colonial stock and the family
chronicles are rich in incidents of interest. Mr.
McCune was brought up on an Indiana farm.
He went to the common schools of the country
until he was twelve. Then the grandfather for
whiim he was named took him to his home at
Lima, New York. The elder McCune was a man
of unusual originality and force of character. His
grandscm received from association with him an
education in the art of living which he says was
as valuable as the academic training which he
got from the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary of
Lima. From Lima the grandson was sent to
Princeton. With him went Lyman G. Morey, a
seminary classmate — afterwards well known in
Minneapolis by his work on the Minneapolis
Journal — but wdio met a tragic and early death
by drowning, in a Michigan lake. .Mr. McCune
had also a native Minneapolitan, Wm. H. Van-
derburgh, as a classmate in the classical depart-
ment of Princeton. It was through his friend-
ship for Mr. Vanderburgh, which brought him
here later on a visit, that Mr. McCune decided
that Minneapolis was the only city in the country
for his permanent home. After graduation at
Princeton and a year of law study in Indiana,
he went to Ann Arbor, meeting there in the law
department of Michigan University Frank Healy,
who further confirmed his faith in Minneapolis.
In March, 1883, Mr. McCune came to this city,
entered the office of Cross, Hicks and Carlton
and was admitted to practice in October of the
same year. He pays high tribute to the kind-
ness of the late Capt. Cross and to the courtesy
and patience of Judge Stephen Mahoney in court
practice, for many chances to better establish
his own future as a young lawyer. After a few
months of independent practice in 1884, he united
with E. S. Slater under the firm name of Slater &
McCune. Three years later he became associated
with the Hon. E. M. Johnson, out of wdiich grew
the ten years' partnership of Johnson, Leonard
& McCune. llpon Mr. Johnson's appointment ^
as District Judge, Mr. McCune took up practice
alone and has so continued. He has held the
office of alderman "f the eighth ward. His pres-
ent post as clerk of the Probate Court came to
liim without solicitation or previous knowledge.
.Mr. McCune is a Presbyterian in church faith.
He was married October 20, 1886, at Lima, New
York, to Clara .A. AfcNair, and as a result of this
iiniiin llirec children. ("I;ir:i. .Mary ancl .'\nna,
lia\c bcTii linni \i> tlnni
MORRIS, WilluLiii Richard, w.is lii.ni i.n
February 22, 1859, in l''leiiiing county, Kentucky.
His father was Hezekiali Morris of three-quar-
ters Negro blood, wlm, born in shivery in the
COURTS AND LAWYERS
161
WILLIAM K. .McllntlS.
south, by liis industry bought his freedom and
learned the trade of mattressmaking. His
mother was Elizabeth (Hopkins) Morris of half
Negro parentage. When William R. was two
years of age his father died and after remaining
in Kentucky through the war his mother moved
to Ohio, locating at New Richmond. There her
son attended the public schools and later a pri-
vate school of the same place and after moving
to Chicago he entered a Catholic school. Com-
pleting his studies there his ambitions urged him
to acquire a college and professional training and
he entered Fisk University at Nashville, Tenn-
essee, in 1876, taking the classical course. He
was at the University for eight years, and grad-
uated with high honors with the class of 1884.
During his college work he was a powerful de-
bater and orator, as well as being strong in his
studies. Following his graduation a position as
instructor of mathematics, languages and sci-
ences in the institution was tendered him which
he accepted; and where he remained for four
years — the only Afro-American member of the
faculty. During this time he was also engaged in
legal studies and in 1887 completed his law
course, resigning his position at Fisk in 1889 to
begin his legal practice. He was admitted to the
bar by the Supreme Court of Illinois and came
to Minneapoli.s, where he immediately com-
menced practice. He has found opportunity here
to exercise his native talent in the successful
handling of many important cases, one of the
most notable being his defense of Thomas Lyons
in the famous Harris murder trial. Mr. Morris
has always been keenly interested in all move-
ments for the advancement of his race and has
lent his own time and energy to such purposes.
In 1885 he represented the Afro-Americans of
the South at the meeting of the A. M. A. at Madi-
son, Wisconsin, delivering an address on "The
Negro at Present." The following year he held
institutes in Tennessee for the Afro-American
teachers of the state under the auspices of the
Superintendent of Education. In 1891 he was
elected president of the Minnesota State League
of Afro-Americans and for some time has been
the political leader of the Negroes of the state
Republican party. Mr. Morris is a Mason of the
Thirty-third Degree Scottish Rites and has held
several important offices in that body, being a
pa~t grand master and past grand secretary. In
tlie Odd Fellows he is a past most venerable pa-
triarch and is a past grand chancellor of the
Knights of Pythias, in which order he is at pres-
ent deputy supreme chancellor and brigadier
general for Minnesota. He is a member of the
Plymouth Congregational Church. On July 14,
1896, Mr. Morris was married to Miss Anna M. La
Force, and they have one son, Richard Edward,
born April 2, igoo.
MORRISON, Robert George, son of David H.
and Margery B. (McConnell) Morrison, was born
at Blair's Mills, Huntington county, Pennsylva-
nia, on July 31, i860. His father was a merchant
of Blair's Mills and Mr. Morrison spent the first
twelve years of his life at that place. The family
then moved to Morning Sun, Iowa, where he
finished his common school education and en-
tered the local high school. After graduating
from the latter he entered the Iowa State Uni-
versity and in 1882 received his A. B. degree, and
delivered the valedictory address at the class-day
exercises of his class. He studied one year
longer at the same institution and took an LL. B.
degree in the law department. He also returned
a few years later and was given his A. M. degree
in 1890. Mr. Morrison's energies have always
been turned toward the study and practice of his
profession, and, aside from the experience ac-
quired in his father's store during his vacations,
he received no business training. When he fin-
ished his college course, he commenced to prac-
tice and since moving to Minneapolis has con-
tinued to apply himself to his profession, and,
during this time has been connected w'ith several
cases that have attracted more than local atten-
tion. Mr. Morrison is a republican in his polit-
ical beliefs but has never consented to run for
office, although he is actively interested in polit-
ical measures. While in college he was a mem-
ber of the Zetagathian Literary society, was
prominent in the work of the club and held at
one time the office of president. .\t the present
162
A HALF Century op Minneapolis
of the Northwest and he seems to have had his
program of activities defined in his own mind
when, in his youth, he was learning the lumber
business and preparing for the study of law. Mr.
Nichols is a republican in politics and is a mem-
ber of the East Side Commercial Club.
PATTEE, William Sullivan, dean of the Col-
lege of -Law, University of Minnesota, was born
at Jackson, Maine, September 19, 1846, the son
I'f Daniel and Mary Ann (Bixby) Pattee. He
prepared for college at Kent's Hill, Maine, and
entered Bowdoin College in 1867, graduating in
1S71. He studied law while teaching school after
:.fraduation and coming to Minnesota was ad-
mitted to the bar on June 28, 1878, at Faribault.
In 1884 and 1885 Dean Pattee served in the state
legislature while living at Northfield, Minnesota,
and in 1888 was elected dean of the College of
Law, organized the college and has since con-
tinued at its head, building it up in twenty years
l<> a high position among the law schools of the
C'luntry. Dean Pattee is the author of "Illus-
trative Cases in Contracts," "Illustrative Cases
in Equity," "Illustrative Cases in Personality,"
"Illustrative Cases in Realty," "Elements of Con-
tracts," and "Elements of Equity." From 1886
he was a member and president of the Board of
Normal School Directors of Minnesota for a
RDHKHT U. .MOKIUSON.
time he is a member of the Westminster club
and at different times has taken a part on the
annual program of that association. Mr. Morri-
son attends and is a member of the Westminster
Presbyterian Church. He was married in 1903 to
Miss Alice B. Gilmore of this city, and they have
one daughter, Elizabeth.
NICHOLS, John F., was born at Rice Lake,
Wisconsin, October 15, 1882, son of Amos C. and
Augusta C. Nichols. He attended the public
sc.hools at Rice Lake and was employed by the
Rice Lake Lumber Company for some time,
meantime making such jireparations for a pro-
fessional life that he was able to enter the Min-
nesota state university upon coming to Minne-
apolis in igoi, graduating in law in 1904 with the
degree LL. 15. Since then Mr. Nichols has en-
tered vigorously into the law and real estate busi-
ness under the firm name of Nichols, Frissell &
Smith, which firin has for some time made its
headciuarters in the Andrus Bldg., Minneapolis.
They have built up a large business in organizing
land syndicates, to develop hardwood timber,
prairie and cut-over timber tracts, dairy and blue
grass land, etc. -The firm has developed several
new towns in Wisconsin and throughout the
northwest; they have lines of business in Canada,
North Dakota, Colorado and elsewhere. Mr.
Nichols is a young man to assume large business
responsibilities, but he has the push and energy i«"r, fnoro
JOHN r. NICHOLS.
COURTS AND LAWYERS
163
period of twelve years. He was married at Ply-
mouth, Maine, on November 30, 1871, to Miss
Julia E. Tuttle. In 1894 Dean Pattee received
the degree of LL, D. from Iowa College. He, is
a speaker of ability and is frquently called upon
for public addresses and lectures. He is a mem-
ber of the Congregational church.
PRENDERGAST, Edmund A., was born in
St. Paul on October 16, 1875. His parents were
Patrick Henry Prendergast and Bridget Louise
Prendergast and the family was among the pio-
neers of the state, six brothers having settled in
St. Paul in the year 1856. When Edmund A.
was four years old his parents moved to Minne-
apolis where he has since lived. The family has
always been connected with the Roman Catholic
Church and Mr. Prendergast was educated in
the institutions of the denomination. He took
a six years' classical course in the College of St.
Thomas at Merriam Park, graduating in June,
1894, and completed his collegiate education with
a post-graduate course at Grand House of Phil-
osophy, Montreal, Canada, during the years 1894
and 1895. Returning to Minneapolis he entered
the law department of the University of Minne-
sota, from which he graduated in 1899. Mr.
Prendergast at once commenced practice in Min-
neapolis and has a general clientele, althougli
making a specialty of corporation law. For the
past three years he has been general attorney for
the Northwestern Telephone Exchange Company
of Minneapolis and local attorney for the Wiscon-
sin Central Railway Company. Mr. Prendergast
is a republican in political faith though not a
politician. He is interested in civic and philan-
thropic problems and has been a member of the
board of directors of the Associated Charities.
He is a member of the Minneapolis Club.
ROBERTS, Harlan Page, is a native of Ohio.
His parents were Rev. George Roberts and Ann
J. Roberts and he was born on December 5,
1854, at Wayne, Ashtabula county, Ohio, wdiile
his father held a charge in that place. When
he was nine years old he went to Iowa to live
with a sister and his schooling, begun in the
rural schools of Ohio, was continued in the
schools of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and at Howe's
Academy in the same state. Schooling, as is
often the case with country boys, was diversified
with hard work. At one time Harlan P. spent
a j'ear at Pentwater, Michigan, packing shingles.
Fitting himself for college he entered Oberlin,
graudating in 1875. He then attended Yale The-
ological seminary and graduated in the class of
1878. Next came a few years of experience as
a pastor in the west. During this period Mr.
Roberts determined to study law and entered the
office of Nathaniel E. Slaymaker of Silverton,
Colorado. He was admitted to the bar in Col-
orado in 1883 and came to Minneapolis in Decem-
ber, 1884. Since that time he has been continu-
ously engaged in the practice of his profession in
this city. His practice has been of a general
SWEET, PHOTO
ED.MI Nil A. l'KK.NUrJltO.\ST.
character but he has liad special experience in land
and title law and was for several years examiner
for the state under the Torrens land title reg-
istry system in vogue in Hennepin county. An
increasing general practice necessitated the re-
linquishment of this position. Mr. Roberts has
taken a lively interest in good government, both
local and state, but has not entered politics, ex-
cept at the caucus and in local conventions. He
is president of the Minneapolis Humane Society
and has been active in other philanthropic work.
On October 3, 1888, he was married to Miss
Margaret Lee Conklin. They have two children
living, Marjorie and Harlan C. The family at-
tends the Park Avenue Congregational Church.
ROBERTS, William Preston, son of Job and
Hannah Pickering Roberts, was born June 16,
184s, in Gwynedd, Montgomery county. Penn-
sylvania. The forebears of the family on the
father's side were Welsh Quakers who accom-
panied William Penn to Pennsylvania in 1698,
settling in Montgomery county, near Philadel-
phia, and on the mother's side they were Eng-
lish Quakers. W^illiam P. was brought up on his
father's farm and continued there, with the ex-
ception of a few years spent in Maryland, until
he began training for the teacher's profession at
the normal school, Millersville, Pennsylvania, in
the fall of 1862. Here his studies were interrupted
164
A HALF CENTURY OF MINNEAPOLIS
Wn.I.lAM !â– KdHIORTS.
by Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania in 1863. An
emergency company of the students was hastily
armed and sent to the front to aid in obstructing
the progress of the rebel invader. Most of these
improvised soldiers were soon mustered in the
army as Company H, Forty-seventh Pennsylvania
X'olunteer Militia during the battle of Gettysburg,
but were ordered to serve under Gen. Meade in
the pursuit of Lee up the Cumberland Valley and
to the Potomac. The regiment served thereafter
under Sigel and was mustered out in the fall, and
Mr. Roberts went back to school but responded
to a call ior officers to command colored troops,
and was commissioned Second Lieutenant by the
War Department and assigned to the T'orty-fifth
U. S. Colored Troops which served until the
close of the war, in Maryland, Virginia and West
Virginia. Mr. Roberts just missed being at the
surrender of Lee, as he had been sent back with
a detachment to bring up provisions for the whole
army. He went with his regiment under Gen.
Sheridan, with the 25th .Army Corps, to the Mex-
ican border to demonstrate against Napoleon's
puppet Maximilian in Alexico. and the regiment
was not mustered out until December, 1865, Mr.
Roberts having in the Texas service served on
the brigade staff and having been in command of
of his company during his whole service, coming
out First Lieutenant and recommended for a
captain's commission. He returned to his studies
in the Millersville normal school and graduated
in 1867, and soon entered the law school of the
University of Michigan, graduating in 1869, and,
on application to the Circuit Court in Ann Arbor
and examination, he was admitted to the bar of
.Michigan. Six weeks later he removed to Ne-
braska City, Nebraska, and practiced law there
until 1874, when he came to Minneapolis where
he has since resided. He was in partnership with
Col. Reuben C. Benton and his brother, C. H.
Benton, as Benton, Benton and Roberts, from
1878 to 1881, and with Col. Benton alone as Ben-
ton and Roberts, and then with Col. Benton and
Rome G. Brown, as Benton, Roberts and Brown
until 1895. Since the death of Col. Benton, Mr.
Roberts has practiced alone. He was an original
member of the Minneapolis Bar Association, of
which he holds the oldest outstanding share. Mr.
Roberts was an active- and efficient member of
the lower house of the Minnesota legislature dur-
ing the sessions of 1899, 1901, 1902 and 1905, serv-
ing on the most important committees. He in-
troduced the first bill in Minnesota for nomina-
tions by direct vote of the people, which in some
respects was better than the measure which be-
came a law at the session of 1899, notably in
keeping the primaries for state, county and city
nominations separate. In 1902 he prepared and
passed through the lower house the so-called
"wide-open" tax amendment to the constitution,
which is practically identical with the amend-
ment introduced by him at the session of 1905,
and ordered for submission to ratification by the
people at the ensuing general election. Mr.
Roberts also, as a member of the House Judiciary
Committee and joint conference committee, took
an imjjortant part in the construction and enact-
ment of tlie Revised Code in 1905. He was
prominent in his efforts that year to secure ap-
propriations for the new buildings of the State
University, as chairman of the appropriations
committee, as well as for the Women's building
at the Soldiers Home.
Mr. Roberts is a strenuous republican in poli-
tics and one who believes that it is every man's
duty to show his patriotism by taking an active
part in national, state and local politics between
campaigns as well as in the heat of campaign ac-
tivities. He believes in intelligent organization
in political action but not in machine politics,
and his course since he came to Minneapolis in-
dicates that he has lived up to his principles. He
was an active member of the old Union League
of Minneapolis and of the original Union League
of Civil War times. He helped organize the
Fourth Ward Republican Club and always at-
tends its meetings when in the city. In 1872,
with many other Republicans, he joined the so-
called Liberal Republican movement, involving
a coalition with the Democratic party, in revolt
against the political shortcomings of the domin-
ant party, under the leadership of Horace Greeley.
He, with two other veterans of the Civil War,
COURTS AND LAWYERS
165
started the revolt in Nebraska and he was one of
the delegates from that state to the Liberal Re-
publican Convention in Cincinnati and repre-
sented it on the platform committee, exerting his
influence against the "tarifif-for-revenue-only" ele-
ment, who were led by Carl Schurz, Stanley
Mathews, David Wells, and others who stood for
Charles Francis Adams for nomination to the
presidency. He voted for Greeley at the start and
brought the Nebraska delegation and ultimately
the whole convention to his support. Mr. Rob-
erts did some of the hardest work of his life dur-
ing that campaign, whose disastrous ending con-