Bradley, Booth, Hilsinger biographies

BRADLEY, BOOTH, HILSINGER

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 2/1/2008 at 12:10:34

RECOLLECTIONS AND SKETCHES

Philip P. Bradley, John B. Booth, John Hilsinger.

These men belong to Jackson County. For data relating to Bradley and Booth, I am largely indebted to the venerable and venerated William Graham, of Dubuque, and James W. Woods (Old Timber).

Philip Bradley was one of the most prominent Democratic political leaders of his time. He was a native of Connecticut, where he was born in 1809, and located at Andrew, in Jackson County, in 1839. He was a good lawyer and a man of talents. He was very companionable and a good story teller. In 1845 he was a member of the Territorial Legislature, and of the State in 1846, 1847, 1848, 1849, and again in 1858 and 1877. He contributed largely in shaping the laws and policies, and laying deep and strong the foundations of the State. He was mainly instrumental in making Ansel Briggs Governor in 1846, became his Private Secretary, his confidential advisor, and was a trusted leader of his party through all the years. He was elected County Judge in 1861 and served one term. In 1852 he was a delegate from Iowa to the Democratic National Convention at Baltimore, and voted for General Cass until his nomination was hopeless, when he transferred his vote to Stephen A. Douglas until on the final ballot he cast it for Franklin Pierce. He was a member of the Committee on Resolutions in this Convention. He was a genial gentleman of polished manners, and was an adroit and skillful politician. During the first session of the Legislature while Bradley was Senator, the Democrats had six majority in the Senate, and the Whigs, six majority in the House of Representative, so that neither party could command a majority on joint ballot, and the situation was still further complicated by the fact that three Democrats and one Whig refused to support their caucus nominees for Senators of Judges of the Supreme Court. During the joint convention after the Whigs had failed to elect their men, a proposition was made to Bradley that if he would furnish half a dozen votes to elect M. D. Browning, a Whig, from Burlington, Senator, they would, in turn elect Bradley to the United States Senate. The offer was declined, but Phil persuaded enough Whigs to vote with the Democrats to adjourn the convention, and the Senate would not afterward agree to hold a joint convention, and the election of senators went over to the next Legislature, although Governor Briggs called a special session in expectation that the Democratic nominees could be elected. If Bradley had accepted the offer the early political history of Iowa might have been written differently. He died in 1900.

John B. Booth settled in Bellevue in 1851, and soon took first place among the members of the Jackson County Bar. According to data furnished me by William Graham, who originally settled in and was for many years a leading lawyer of Jackson County, Booth was born in Orange County, New York, in 1792. He was admitted to practice as an attorney when he arrived at his majority and settled at Goshen, and three years later received his certificate of admission as counselor at law. When he was admitted to the bar, Ambrose Spencer was Chief Justice of New York, and his license to practice as a solicitor in Chancery, was signed by the great Chancellor Kent. In 1829 he was appointed one of the judges of the Common Pleas Court, and in 1830 became surrogate of his native county, which position he held for about eleven years. He was a man of ability, thoroughly grounded in the fundamentals of the law, a hard fighter and a tireless worker. Soon after he had been licensed to practice as an attorney, he was selected by the celebrated Aaron Burr, who had a large practice in that region, as his correspondent, and in that capacity attended to the local details of his business in that vicinity until he went on the bench. He early entered political life and was one of the famed Albany Regency which controlled the fortunes of the Democratic Party in that State for so many years. This connection brought him into terms of intimacy with the leading Democratic politicians of New York. Judge Booth was interested in the Erie Railroad from the time of its inception; was one of its incorporators, and also for many years one of its most active directors. At one time when it seemed that the enterprise must be abandoned, he with six other of the directors, each built a mile of the road at their own expense, and thus secured its extension to Middletown and saved the life of the corporation. Soon after coming to Bellevue, Judge Booth was appointed Judge of the District Court to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Judge W. E. Leffingwell, but after one year’s service, resigned and returned to the practice of his profession, which he continued up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1869. The day before his death he concluded the distribution of a large estate, and the distribution sheet, prepared by him, was clear and accurate, and written as legibly and firmly as any he had prepared forty years before. The Iowa Bar has had few equals and no superior in either equity or probate law. He was quaint and peculiar in his manners, and every member of the bar had some good story to tell at his expense, but he was not often worsted by any of them in a lawsuit. His success was largely attributable to the fact that no fee was large enough to induce him to accept the prosecution or defense of a case that he believes after examination he either could not or ought not to win. The maxim most frequently on his lips was that “it is the lawyer’s first duty to keep his clients out of lawsuits.” His aid and counsel were always at the disposal of the younger members of the bar, and with all his peculiarities, few persons ever had a kinder heart. When his death was announced to the Supreme Court, Judge Dillon, then Chief Justice of that Tribunal, paid a touching tribute to his memory.

John Hilsinger and myself were fellow members of the Senate of the Eleventh General Assembly - fifty years ago. He was one of its ablest members; practical, a close observer of the proceedings, and what may be properly termed level headed in all respects. No important measure passed without having received close consideration at his hands. He seldom spoke, but when he did, it was to the point. By force of these qualities he established himself as one of the most influential members of that Body. He was a lawyer of decided ability and a man of exalted character. I remember him distinctly as he then appeared. He was not much, if any, above medium height; his figure well rounded, muscular and robust; his complexion dark, his hair, beard and eyes black. The tout ensemble of his person carried the impression of manliness and strength.

He was a native of New York, born in 1835, adopted the profession of law, was admitted to the New York Bar at Ithaca in 1857, in 1858 came to Iowa, finally settling at Sabula, in Jackson County, where he continued to reside until his death in 1906. He established a good practice and became the recipient of various marks of public esteem. Among other public favors conferred upon him were that of principal of the high school of Sabula for two years; Mayor for three years; Postmaster from 1861 to 1885, a position which he resigned on the election of President Cleveland. In the fall of 1863 he was elected to the State Senate, serving in the Eleventh and Twelfth General Assemblies; for several years a prominent member of the County Board of Supervisors; City Attorney of Sabula most of the time from its organization in 1863, and in 1884 he was one of the delegates to the Republican National Convention, which resulted in the nomination of James G. Blaine. From what has been said, it will be seen that he was a citizen of wide and beneficent influence.