University of Michigan Law School - Quad Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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THOMAS M. COOLEY

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that when he asks a question, he takes off one-half the mark, on general principles, if you canit repeat it to him verbatim. -- No history was ever written that did not sooner or later become a narrative of strife between great men. All institutions, whether nations or otherwise, have their great men and a crisis will bring them forward. The Class of '98 is no exception and its history soon became entangled in politics. The East, the West, and Mich- igan put their candidates for president in the field and their constit- uents swore allegiance. just at this juncture Professor Knowlton gave a little talk on standing by a client when once you had taken up his cause, even though it meant social ostracism. The strife began. The politicalmachine was there with its master-mechanic. Such wire-pulling was never before experienced. Five times did the class assemble, but with fruitless attempts at an election. Believing some are, some must be greater than the rest, a sixth trial was talked of, but no signs of a compromise appeared. At length the faculty were petitioned, and'Professor johnson responded. People who knew nothing about it said that we were not capable of electing officers alone. We say we were, but with so many men before us equally qualified, we did not want to turn one aside for another. At length the eventful day of election arrived and the scepter, though somewhat bent and scarred, fell to the hands of Mr. Berkebile of Missouri. Now we were ready to move. Wash- ingtonis Birthday came amd went, leaving us the yell champions of the day. l ' ' A lawyeris life is said to be divided into three parts, 'fgetting on, getting honor, and getting honest . Others have followed this this order, and indeed some have kept the last so far in the future that it is a question whether or not they have ever reached it. Thinking that now we are pretty well Hon , it is our purpose to reverse the usual order and take the 'fhonestu along with our course, leaving the f'honor to come in proportion as our education and wisdom will warrant. ' Q H. I. S.

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james valentine ampben Y ..,---5---E ---- -5' - ...-t.-:.i- 3' .,?hj-g? xU:. KJ-C, I I-, mm-. 1 1 IJ ig 1 Q PD: Ll'-L- -'-- 'Y -is-' MQ 8 -in tx: ,, ..v....,.K,. . 1 I , I 7 0 ,ii-2 Ain Q3 -il'- 5 4. 1, -1 cili-W? .Ei-at HAVE been asked-to speak bfieiiy of the life of Professor Campbell, who was for so many years one of the professors of the Law Depart- ment of the University, and who as one of its instructors made such a host of friends throughout the country. I comply, regret- ting that space is not at my service to do the subject greater justice, but desiring you to note as we proceed how uneventful may sometimes the most use- ful lives appear to be. I j 1 I james Valentine'Campbell was born at'Buffalo, in the State' of New York, in the year 1823, and three years later his father removed with him to the town of Detroit, then little more than a frontier trading village. I-Iis father had been a man of some prominence in Buffalo and he soon became such in Detroit, he was a communicant in the Episcopal Church, as his son became 'after him, and he sent his son to be educated at St. Paul's College, an Episcopal school on Long Island, where he graduated in 1841. In 1844 he was admitted to' the bar, having, read law in the man- ner customary at that time, in the ofhce of practicing attorneys. The firm were men of eminence, one of them became a justice of the Supreme Court under the Hrst judicial system of the state, and being relatedto his student by marriage, he gave him great assistance in his legal studies. 'The town contained many men of marked character and ability, judge Campbell had known these, and from association had taken much of their robust qualities, their tireless energy and their economic ways, his natural abilities and the care with which he had read his profession gave him early prominence. He was a speaker of remarkable readiness and of fine command of 8