Birmingham, Erie county, O. During the second judicial district resident of his boyhood, he resided most of the Champaign county, was born at Urbana, time on a farm, at various places, Ohio, on the eighteenth day of Septemmostly in Portage county, and atter ded ber, 1862. He was educated in the district schools. He was a pupil, a Urbana public schools and at the Ohio short time, at the "Eclectic Institute" Wesleyan university, at Delaware, tak (now Hiram college) where Garfield, ing a four-years' course at the latter inthough in the army, was styled "advis- stitution and graduating therefrom in ing principal," he coming there occa- 1884. A ter studying law with Hon. sionally and talking to the students. In George M. Eichelberger, at Urbana, he the fall of 1864, he attended the East- was admitted to the bar in December, man Business college, at Poughkeepsie, 1887. Two years later he was elected N. Y. In the spring of 1868 he entered prosecuting attorney of Champaign college at Hillsdale, Michigan, and grad- county. His re-election for three years uated in the classical course in 1870. 100k place in November, 1892. Having After leaving college he engaged in the been nominated for the office of comlumber business at Allegan, Michigan, mon pleas judge at Piqua, in May, 1894, and commenced the study of law. From his election followed in November of there he went to Cleveland and studied the same year, and within a few days in the office of Hon. Darius Cadwell thereafter he went upon the bench at the He was admitted to the bar in Septem- age of 32 years and 2 months.

CHARLES PRATT.

CHARLES PRATT was born near Roch

ber, 1872. He remained in Cleveland until February, 1873, and then went to Bryan, O., having formed a partnership there with the late Albert M. Pratt. He was city solicitor of Bryan and in 1875 was elected prosecuting attorney of ester, N. Y., January 15, 1828. He is Williams county. He was a successful a descendant of old Puritan stock, his lawyer and had built up a large practice father being a native of Massachusetts. in Williams and adjoining counties. In In 1819, Mr. Pratt's parents moved to 1888 he was elected as judge of the sixth circuit, for one year, and in 1889 was re-elected for a full term. In 1894 he declined to be a candidate for renomination, to the great regret of the bar of northwestern Ohio. His eminent abilities, and the esteem with which he is held by the attorneys of the district, would have certainly assured him a renomination had he been willing to accept it.

New York state, where he was born, and fourteen years after, in 1833, moved again into the wilds of Michigan, near where the town of Hudson now stands. His earliest education began, of necessity, at home, as in the pioneer days of Michigan there was hardly a schoolhouse to be found. Later he attended the district school, and at the age of sixteen went to Adrian, where he attended a select school. Two years later he enHe was married in 1874 to Belle tered Albion seminary, which afterward Kempton, of North Adams, Mich., grew into what is now Albion college, who died October 30, 1877. He married where he remained until twenty-one Millie E. Logan, of Toledo, his present wife, July 3, 1889. His only child is Isabel, a daughter of the first wife, who is now a student of Hillsdale college.

On retiring from the bench, the judge will not abandon the practice of law, but will pursue his profession, probably at Cleveland or Toledo.

years old.

In 1850, Mr. Pratt commenced his legal studies by entering a law office in Adrian, Mich., where he remained for some months; then moving to Toledo, he entered the law office of Hill & Perigo, where he continued his studies for two years longer, at the end of which time he was admitted to the bar. Shortly after this, Mr. Perigo retired from practice and the firm of Hill & Pratt was C. B. HEISERMAN, judge of the court formed, which partnership continued unof common pleas, second subdivision of til 1870, although Mr. Hill did not

C. B. HEISERMAN.

engage in active practice after 1861, when course at Oberlin college in 1860 and he entered the Union army as brigadier general. In 1872 the firm of Pratt & Wilson was formed, of which Charles G. Wilson was the junior partner. This partnership existed with but slight change, until Mr. Pratt's election to the common pleas bench last November, and has had an extended practice in both state and United States courts.

He

graduated from that institution in 1864. His expenses while attending college he paid himself, teaching during vacations and teaching classes in the preparatory department of Oberlin college. was admitted to the bar at Wooster, Wayne county, Ohio, June 13, 1866, being sworn in by Hon. Jacob Brinkerhoff, judge of the supreme court. He located at Kenton, Ohio, in August, 1866, where he has ever since resided. He at once entered into the active practice of his profession and continued in the same until elected to his present official position. He was prosecuting attorney of Hardin county from 1868 to Politically, first a Whig, then a Repub- 1872 and was admitted to practice in the lican, he has always been a hard worker Supreme Court of the United States in in the inte ests of his party, but has September, 1877. In June, 1894, he was never had any desire for political ad elected President of the Alumni assovancement, and the office to which he ciation of Oberlin college, his almo was chosen in the recent election was mater. Judge Johnson was elected one entirely unsought, his friends having of the judges of the court of common carried on his entire campaign. pleas at the November election in 1889,

Mr. Pratt's professional life has been one of hard and conscientious work, and to this his success at the bar is entirely attributable. He never devoted himself to any specialty in the practice, but has been what might be called a general lawyer.

He has been a member of the Ohio and has been five years upon the bench. State Bar association ever since its or- His official term expires February 9, ganiza ion and has been very actively 1895. He expects to return to the interested in its work. At its last meet-active practice of his profession at his ing, held in July, the association elected, home in Kenton. He will associate him its president for the next year, which with him his son C. E. Johnson, the office he now holds. He is also a mem- name of the firm being Johnson & Johnber of the Lucas County Bar association, son. having served a term as its president.

Mr. Pratt's wide experience and untir. CHARLES M. MELHORN. ing study in his profession have fitted him admirably for the high position and CHARLES M. MELHORN, the new comresponsibilities he assumes and he will mon pleas judge for the first subdivision without doubt make a worthy successor of the tenth district, was born in Allen to Judge R. C. Lemmon, who has distin-county, Ohio, Nov. 27th, 1856, and came guished himself throughout his long with his parents in 1801 to Hardin service on the common pleas bench as county, where his father purchased and a learned, impartial and incorruptible judge.

ARTEMAS B. JOHNSON.

settled upon the farm upon which his mother still resides, near what was then Jamestown, now Ada. His father, Michael Melhorn, now deceased, was a soldier in the Mexican war, enlisting as a

JUDGE ARTEMAS B. JOHNSON, one private in Co. C, 3d Ohio Regiment, and of the judges of the court of com- in the late war was Captain of Co. I, mon pleas in the first subdivision of 135th O. V. I.

the tenth district, was born at Nor- A ter obtaining a common school eduwalk, Ohio, September 9, 1843. He cation, Charles engaged in teaching. is of New England ancestry, both of his Later he attended the Ohio Normal uniparents being natives of Massachusetts versity at Ada, where he graduated in and having emigrated to Huron county, the class of '78. He then began the Ohio, in 1835. Judge Johnson entered study of law in Kenton in the office of F. the Freshman class of the classical C. and J. W. Dougherty, and was admitted

to practice in December, 1880.

In Feb-industry formed in youth and of an earnruary following he entered into copart- est desire to make the best of every nership with A. B. Johnson, which con- opportunity in life. In politics he is a tinued until the latter part of 1884. In Republican.

1882 Mr. Melhorn was elected city solic itor of Kenton and in 1884 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Hardin county, Ohio, which office he filled two terms with great credit.

ELAM FISHER.

JUDGE ELAM FISHER, of the com

He is a man of great energy and industry, of irreproachable character and mon pleas court, for the second subhabits, and his professional attainments division of the second district, was reared are such as to amply qualify him for the upon a farm in Preble county, Ohio, which was his birthplace, July office of common pleas judge. 26, 1846. He graduated from Miami Commercial college, Dayton, and in 1870 finished the classical course at Miami university, Oxford, going thence to the law department of Michigan university, at Ann Arbor, Michigan. Here he completed his preparation for the practice of law in 1872. He has been honored with the degrees of A. B., A. M., and L. B.

DAVID B. VAN PELT.

THE subject of this sketch was born near Wilmington, Ohio, April 26, 1851. He was the second of a family of five children, and was reared on a farm and inured to hard work from boyhood. He attended the district school for a short

him mem

In the war of the rebellion Judge Fisher was a member of the One Hundred and Fifty-sixth regiment. Governor Foraker appointed ber of the board of trustees of Miami University. He was a n.ember of the Seventieth General Assembly. For some time prior to his election to the common pleas bench, Judge Fisher was associated in the practice of law with Mr. E. P. Vaughan, a young attorney, at Eaton, where they have enjoyed a lucrative

business.

JOHN C. HUTCHINS.

time each winter, applying his mind to study and standing well in his classes, His father was a member of the 51st O. V. I., and died in the army in 1865. His mother, with the labor and assistance of the boys, continued to work the far.n until her death in March, 1867. He worked for a while as a farm hand and then began teaching school. He entered the normal school at Lebanon, Ohio, and graduated from that institution in 1874 He entered the law office of Bollin & Shauck, of Dayton, Ohio, as a student, in 1875. Hon. Jno. A. Shauck, recently elected to the supreme court, was the junior member of that firm, and took quite an interest in his student. Judge JOHN C. HUTCHINS, judge of the Van Pelt was married in 1876, and taught county common pleas court of Cuyahoga the high school at Germantown, Ohio, is a native of Warren, Trumbull county, until February 1878, when he returned Ohio, where he was born May 8, to Clinton, his native county, was 1840. His father, Hon. John C. Hutchadmitted to the bar in April of that year, ins, represented the Trumbull - Ashand entered upon the practice of the law. tabula district in congress from 1858 He formed a partnership with Mr. Mills, to 1863. Educated in the Warien a member of that bar, which continued public schools and at Oberlin college, till his nomination for the office of judge the young man studied law in the office of the common pleas court, to which he of his father, finishing his legal training was first elected in 1889. Having served at the Albany law college. Admitted to his first term acceptably he was re-elected the bar in 1866, at Canfield, Ohio, he in 1894, his second term to begin in May practiced law at Youngstown and Warrennext. Whatever of success may have until 1868, when he removed to Clevecome to him in his practice and upon the lan 1. There he has since resided. The bench has been the result of habits of people have manifested their confidence