LAWYERS.

W. G. RANDALL was a native of New York. In The El Paso True Patriot of September 9, 1865, he is listed as an "Attorney-at-Law, Notary Public and Solicitor in Chancery, El Paso, Illinois. Office opposite the Campbell House." Mr. Randall may have been here earlier as he came west in 1863. His office was destroyed in the fire of October 10, 1882.

JOHN T. HARPER, a native of Indiana, served in the Civil War and graduated from Chicago Law School after that. He began practice in El Paso in 1865 in partnership with Robert G. Ingersoll of Peoria and Joseph J. Cassell, then of Metamora. In 1870 the firm became Harper and Cassell. After 1873 Mr. Cassell withdrew from the partnership. Harper founded The El Paso Journal.

CALVIN E. BARNEY after Civil War service, announced in The El Paso True Patriot for November 25, 1865 that he was an "Attorney-at-Law, and will attend promptly to all business entrusted to his care in Woodford and adjoining counties."

SIMON P. SHOPE advertised in the same issue as an "Attorney and Counselor at Law. Office at his residence a few doors west of the post office."

BENJAMIN F. BAKER was an attorney in El Paso during the 1860's.

McCULLOCH and CLOUD practiced here in 1869. Milton H. Cloud moved to Ford County.

JUDGE JOSEPH J. CASSELL, son of pioneer Robert T. Cassell, attended Abington College in 1860-2, and Eureka College for one year following that. In 1864 he received a diploma from the University of Chicago Law School which admitted him to practice. He first began practice in Metamora but came to El Paso in 1867. He was judge of the Recorder's Court here until the time of his death, November 11, 1880 when he was only thirty-nine years old.

JUDGE A. M. CAVAN was a native of Pennsylvania, attending school at Mercersburg. He lived as a youth in Paris, Indiana, and attended Lombard College at Galesburg, Illinois for one year. He studied law for a year, and then read law with the firm of Harper and Cassell. In 1867 he was admitted to the bar at Metamora, opening his law office in El Paso. He served a term in the state legislature in 1870, was city attorney of El Paso in 1883 and postmaster in 1887. He resigned to run for county judge and was elected, serving for the 1890-1898 terms. His El Paso practice extended from 1867 to November, 1907.

WILLIAM R. WILLIS, mentioned several times elsewhere, was a native of Kentucky. After a varied career, he read law and was admitted to practice in 1870. He was a justice of the peace and city attorney in 1872. (See Pioneer List appendix.)

WALTER S. GIBSON, a native of Pennsylvania and nephew of El Paso's co-founder, entered Eureka College in 1867 and attended for four years. He read law in the offices of Julius Starr in Peoria. He was admitted to practice in 1871 and set up his law office in El Paso. He was city attorney from 1874 for many years. He moved to Peoria in 1892 and later to Chicago where he became associated with the Chicago Title and Trust Company.

ROBERT T. CASSELL, a native of Kentucky, came to Illinois in 1831 and to the Metamora area in 1838. In 1849 he was bailiff. He read law with Judge Jones of Pekin and was admitted to practice in 1851. In 1868 he served in the state legislature, and came to El Paso shortly after or before that date. In 1887 he was city attorney of El Paso. (See Pioneer List appendix.)

MARTIN H. CASSELL, a son of Robert, practiced law in El Paso in the 1870's and was postmaster here in 1880. He was killed in the Chatsworth wreck, August 10, 1887. (See Pioneer List appendix.)

Page 229

Go to previous page

Go to next page

Go to El Paso Story gateway page