University of Kansas School of Law - Shingle Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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Alumni Biographies. YVILDER S. METCALF, Colonel, was born at Milo, Maine, on September 10, 1855, and removcd with his parents to Elyria, O., in 1857, where he graduated from the public schools in 1872, and from Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, in 1878. After nine years in the wholesale butter and cheese business in Wellington, Ohio, Col. Metcalf removed to Lawrence, Kansas, where he engaged in the farm mortgage business as junior partner of the well-known firm of Russell Sc Met- calf.i During his residence here, Col. Metcalf grad- uated from the Law Department of the Kansas State University. While a resident of Ohio, Col. Metcalf served an enlistment in the Ohio National Guard, rising from private to first lieutenant of- his company. In 1888, Col. Metcalf enlisted as pri- vate in Company H, Kansas National Guard, at Lawrence, Kansas, and rose rapidly through all the grades to the captaincy of the company, which command he retained a number of years, and the records of the Adjutant-General's lofhce at Topeka show that for years his company was the best in the State. Later, he became major of- the regiment, then lieutenant-colonel, and at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War was colonel 'of the regi- ment. Governor Leedy in no way recognized the National Guard in the organization of the volunteer regiments inlKansas, but finally offered Col. Met- calf a major's commission in the 20th Kansas, which was promptly accepted. ln his ofliclal report Majo.- General McArthur referred to Maj. Metcalf as fthe strong right arm of Col. Funston in all of his opera- tions. Maj. Metcalf was Wounded at Bocane, and when he returned to the regiment, he carried a commissionyas colonel, caused by the promotion of Colonel Funston to brigadier-general. Col. Metcalf has been a close student of military affairs for years, and possesses a fine military library, with the contents of which he is practically familiar. Col. Metcalf has a wider acquaintance among Regular Army officers than any other American citizen, and among them he enjoys an enviable reputation be- cause of his knowledge of military art and the science of war. - 555' CLAUDE V. HICKMAN, Attorney-at-law, was born on a farm near Robin- son, Kansas, May 21, 1873, and remained on his father's farm until he started to procure an educa- tion in the higher branches in 1888. He is a son of Henry H. Hickman and Jane Hickman fformerly Jane Saxtonj, who moved to Brown County, Kan- sas, in 1865, at the close of the Civil VVarg his father having spent three years in the war in Company H, Thirteenth Kansas. At the age of fifteen, Mr. Hick- man started to school at Highland University, and attended there fouryearsg from Highland Univer- sity he went to Kansas University in 1893, and grad- uated from the Law Department of that institution in June, 1895, at the age of twenty-two. While at- tending Kansas University, he met Miss Myrtle Lodge, who was also a student there, and was mar- ried to her December 26, 1895, from which union a daughter, Helen Margaret, was born, and is now three years old. Mr. Hickman started to practice law in St. Joseph, Mo., soon after graduating, and has offices in rooms 310 and 311 in the German- American Bank building. Mr. Hickman comes of Republican parentage, and he himself has adhered to that faith, and has taken an active part in poli- tics. Without asking for or seeking oliice, he was nominated for Prosecuting Attorney of Buchanan County, Missouri, in 1896, but was not able to over- come the Democratic majority, and was therefore defeated. In 1898-his party honored him again by nominating him for City Attorney for St. Joseph, but factional party difliculties caused, his defeat, and also the defeat of the entire ticket. 5' 5' if ARTHUR CORNFORTH, Kansas University of f82, was born at Smethport, Penn., February 21, 1861. He attended school there, and was for four years in the common schools at Harrisburg, Penn. He came to Kansas in 1879, with his parents, entered the Law Department of Kansas University in October, 1880, graduated June 1, 1882, hung out his shingle in Clyde, Kansas, June, 1882, was City Attorney there in 1883, appointed post- master there by President Arthur in 1883, and 're- signed in 1885. He went to Colorado in 1887, and located in Durango. Was County Attorney there in 1895, and removed to Colorado Springs in 1896. Practice confined almost entirely to civil matters in the State and Federal Courts, and bankruptcy mat- ters. Possibly the most important litigation that he has had is that relative tothe title to Manitou Grand Caverns and Cave of the Winds, which has been pending since 1886, and been twice to the Supreme Court. There are now pending, as an out- growth of'the original suit, three cases in the Court of Appeals, and four in the District Court. When County Attorney of La Plata County, the Fee Bill was taken to the Supreme'Court, argued twice oral- ly, and an interpretation thereof obtained, as well as other important county matters. He has also had some important mining litigation, in connection with Cripple Creek properties. More particularly the ejeetment case of the American Consolidated. Mining and Milling Company fL7CI'8II8 the Mt. Rosa Mining, Milling and Land Company, wherein the title to the Last Stake lode, adjoining the now famous Gold Coin mine, was in dispute. This case was compromised by the plaintiff receiving all mineral rights, some surface and easement rights, and cash, and the defendant retaining the surface, which had already been platted as Victor town lots,

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G. W. W. YATES. Born September 2, 1844, in Pittsfield, Ill. Re- moved to Kansas with his parents, who settled on a claim, two miles northwest of Lawrence, August 12, 1854. He was a member of the first district school organized in the Territory in the spring of 1855, three miles northwest of Lawrence. He left home in 1861. He clerked in stores in Leavenworth and Holton, Kansas, a short time, and then became em- ployed in the Transportation Department 'of the United States Government for a year. Then he at- tended school until the fall of 1863, when he became an apprentice in Pharmacy, .during which time he tcok a night course in a Business College. In 1868, he embarked in the jobbing and retail drug business in Lawrence, continuing until 1881. VVhile thus en- gaged, by studying nights and attending class at the Kansas University mornings, he graduated in Law in the Class of 1880. He removed in 1881 to Wyan- dotte, engaged in the practice of Law, and in 1883 founded a weekly newspaper, The Wyculfdottc Chief, personally editing and managing same until the summer of 1885, when he closed his law and news- paper oflices and engaged at State agent of the Union Central Life Insurance Company, of Cincin- nati, Ohio, with headquarters at Topeka, and is at present so employed. 4 4 i'3'i' ALFRED FIDLER, Class of '88, now a member of the law firm of Hol- lis Sc Fidler, New York Life Building, Kansas City, Mo., was born in New Albany, Indiana, in 1866. The early years of his life were spent in Jackson- ville and Beardstown, Illinois. After attending the public schools in both places, he spent several years at the Cathedral School, at Pekin, Ill. In 1884 Mr. Fidler moved to Winfield, Kansas. He entered the Law Department of Kansas University in the fall of '86, and graduated two years later. While in Lawrence, Mr. Fidler, as an auxiliary to his class work, read Law in the office of Riggs 8: Nevison. He removed to Kansas City, and began to practice there in 1889. His father's family were English, living at Manchester, and his mother's family of Kentucky stock, living at Louisville. Though in Missouri, and now a citizen of that State, Mr. Fidler is still true to his Alma Mater, the University -of Missouri's sister State. 5' 5' 5' RALPH E. CAMPBELL. The subject of this sketch was born in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on May 9, 1867, and at the age of two years moved with his parents to Atchi- son County, Kansas, where he resided upon a farm near Muscotah in that county until nineteen years of age. He then taught school one year, after which he learned shorthand, and for two years was stenographer and clerk for H. G. Clark, Superin- tendent of the Missouri Pacific Railway at Sedalia, Missouri. In the fall of 1890 he entered the Col- legiate Department of the Northern Indiana Nor- mal School, remaining there two years, and in 1892 entered the Law Department of. Kansas University, graduating in June, 1894. In September of that year, he became connected with the Legal Depart- ment of the Choctaw, Oklahoma 8: Gulf Railroad, under J. W. McLoud, general solicitor, at South McAlester, I. T. In December, 1899, when the road was completed to Memphis, Tenn., he was appointed assistant general solicitor, and moved to Little Rock, Ark., Where the general oiiices of the com- pany are located, and where he now resides. 9' W' 5' ROBERT WOODS BLAIR Was born March 17, 1865, in Bucks County, Pennsyl- vania. With his parents, he moved from there, suc- cessively, to Allegheny, Pa.,Salem, O., Cairo,W.Va., and finally in April, 1872, to Netawaka, Jackson County, Kansas, where his parents located on a farm, about one mile from the town. There he continued to reside, working on the farm in the summer, and attending district school in winter, until October, 1885, when he entered the Law 'Class of the Kansas State University, and graduated in a class of twelve in 1887, receiving the degree of LL.B. June 6, 1887, he was admitted to the bar of the Douglas County District Court, and' February 8, 1890, he was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the State. Later, he was admitted to the bar of the United States Circuit Court and the United States Circuit Court of Appeals. In July he entered the service of the Union Pacific Railway Company as a law clerk, under Hon. A. L. Williams, of Topeka, general attorney for the company. He has since remained with that company, its receivers and successors, and is assistant attorney for Kansas and Missouri for the Union Pacific Railroad Com- pany, the successor of the Union Pacific Railway Company. His railroad litigation requires most of his time, but he does a limited amount of 'business in the general practice. His present oiiice is in Topeka. Mr. Blair is one of a family o-f eight chil- dren, five boys and three girls, all living. His parents now reside in Topeka. He is a Presbyter- ian, and a Democrat by inheritance, and is unmar- ried, and never fails to give Dean Green credit for whatever success he has made in life. ' 3'5'i' ALBERT CAUGHEY Is another of the Law School boys, who, while not in the practice, will never forget his life in Kansas University, years ago. He was born in 1871, and graduated with a LL.B. in 1890. He has, since that time, been engaged in the lumber business in Desh- ler, Neb. He writes: I want 'The Shingle' for a keepsake, and to have a directory ofthe boys I knew ten to twelve years ago. -19,