University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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The Passing of Charles M. Lorigan, ' 82 Martin M. Murphy, ' 22. In the passing of Charles M. Lorigan Santa Clara has lost one of her most loving sons, one of her most loyal and intelligent champions, and one of her truest and most unselfish friends. Ev- erything in any way connected with the College and later of the University was dear to him. As her legal adviser he was as careful, nay more careful than if he were looking after his own per- sonal property. For almost a quarter of a century he was connected with the University in this capacity and in latter years served Alma Mater as a member of the Board of Trustees and Advisory Board, a distinction which no other layman ever before enjoyed. He was proud of his associations with Santa Clara and attributed to the training received within her walls the great measure of success that came to him in his legal activities and in his domestic, civic, and political life. Mr. Lorigan was born in New South Wales, Australia, on January 1, 1861, but at an early age his family moved to California and settled in Santa Clara on the property which has until re- cently been known as the Lorigan Block. As a youth he attended the public schools in the Mission town, and later entered St. Mary ' s, at that time situated in San Francisco, and obtain- ed from there a commercial degree. Charley , as his best friends knew him, then entered Santa Clara College. With the same enthusiasm and devotion to duty which marked his career throughout his after life, the young stu- dent pursued his course here until awarded the degree of Bachelor of Sci- ence in 1882. Soon after graduation he secured a position in the law office of Moore, Delmas and Leib, and so fasci- nated did he become with the legal pro- fession that he devoted all his spare time to a study of law. After four years of preparation with this firm, Mr. Lorigan passed the bar examination and was admitted to prac- tice in 1886. He became associated with S. F. Leib in San Jose shortly after and the partners opened offices in the Farmer ' s Union Building, where he re- mained until the erection of the First National Bank. At that time he moved into the modernly equipped building, in which, up to the time of his death, he made his headquarters. In 1903 he married Ena Bohlman, a member of one of the pioneer families of the state and the union was blessed by the birth of a daughter. This, in brief, is the life his-

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Entered Dec 18, 1902, at Santa Clara, Cal., as second-class matter, under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879 VOL. XX SANTA CLARA, CAL., OCTOBER, 1920 No. 1 California OY ere lingers round your Kills, California, Song the air with gladness fills, California, Seem the skies so bright and clear And our lives alight with cheer, In a land without a peer, California. Let my heart be ever true, California, May I always be with you, California, Be your sunshine ever nigh; And at last when I must die, In your bosom let me lie, California. EDWIN E. PRISCOLL ' 24

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THE REDWOOD tory of one of Santa Clara County ' s foremost attorneys. But a mere enumeration of facts and dates is a cold and impersonal thing in which there can he no indication of the true worth of the deceased to his com- munity, or an elucidation of the per- sonal characteristics which won him the love and respect of all with whom he came into contact. For almost thirty-five years Mr. Lor- igan served in an efficient, straightfor- ward and above all, in a scrupulously honest way, his vast clientele, among whom were numbered business and pro- fessional men, widows, mechanics, cap- italists and people in every walk and station of life. So confident were his friends of his integrity that during his lifetime perhaps millions of dollars were entrusted to him by his clients, to be invested as he best saw fit. These investments seldom turned out badly; but if they did Mr. Lorigan unfailingly made good the loss. In this way he built up a practice pe- culiar to himself and probably without a parallel in the state. That is to say he never accepted contested cases but confined his activities to probate of wills, settling private disputes and ad- vising clients as to investments and business affairs. In these matters he had few superiors. Particularly was this the case in patching up family dif- ferences. If a client came to him with a tale of domestic trouble he was qnick to put his finger on the real disturbing factor and sure to bring harmony where strife had reigned. If it be true that the peacemakers shall see God then Charles Lorigan is now near the Eter- nal Throne, for hundreds of times in his office, bitter groups of wrangling relatives or neighbors would gather, de- termined to never yield a point. A few words from him, a few concessions on each side — and the disputants walked out friends. Another unsual fact that he some- times noted himself was that although unable to go about and mix with peo- ple or take part in social life to as great an extent as many younger lawyers, be- cause of an infirmity inherited from his childhood, yet he always had more work than he could handle, while many of the younger men were forced into other lines of endeavor for want of clients. This in itself is an eloquent example of the esteem in which his fel- low citizens held him. Those of his own profession likewise entertained a high opinion of Mr. Lorigan. As a practical manifestation of this regard he was offered the judgeship of Santa Clara County after the death of his brother, the eminent jurist Hon. W. G. Lorigan, Justice of the Supreme Court, but he declined the honor, preferring to serve the public in a less ostentatious way as a private practitioner. His every act was guided by a thought to his clients ' best interests and it was probably this fact that influenced him to refuse the distinguished position. Mr. Lorigan was by nature quiet and unassuming and a great lover of his