The Legal World Personal— The Bar Hon. Richard Ballinger, Secretary of the Interior, received the degree of Doctor of Laws from Williams College at its Commence ment exercises held June 23. John M. Garman has defeated Judge Gains L. Halsey and secured the nomination for judge of Luzerne County, Pa., being the can didate of both the Republican and Democratic parties. R. H. Jackson has been elected general counsel of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, to succeed Robert Mather, who will continue his connection with the Rock Island system in an advisory capacity. The honorary degree of Master of Laws was conferred on George P. Merrick, trustee of Northwestern University and chairman of the law committee, at the Commencement exercises held on June 9. Mr. Merrick was a member of the class of 1884. As an attorney he has taken a prominent part in Chicago's lake front litigation. Elihu Root, Jr., son of the United States Senator, tried his first case in the New York City Court June 15 and won it. He defended the Interborough Rapid Transit Company in a suit brought against it by Miss Tessie L. Silverstein, wno alleged that she had been injured in consequence of being forcibly ejected from one of the defendant's cars. Joseph H. Choate received $2500 from the receiver of the Third Avenue Railroad Com pany in New York for appearing before the judiciary committee of the state senate and arguing in opposition to the bills to increase the powers of the New York Public Service Commissions and to amend the state railroad law. Arnon A. Ailing of New Haven, Conn., was appointed State's Attorney for New Haven County, at the annual meeting of the Con necticut Supreme Court and Superior Court judges June 7. Mr. Ailing was appointed during the April term to succeed former State's Attorney Williams. Judge James A. Eakin, one of the ablest and most successful lawyers of Astoria, Ore., has been appointed Circuit Judge for the fifth judicial district of Oregon. He read law with his brother, Justice Robert Eakin of the Oregon Supreme Court, and graduated from the Boston University School of Law in 1891. President Harahan of the Illinois Central Railroad recently announced the appointment of Blewett Lee of Chicago as counsel, to suc ceed Secretary of War Jacob M. Dickinson. Mr. Lee is a son of Gen. Stephen D. Lee of the Confederate Army, and formerly was Pro
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fessor of Law at Northwestern University and later at the University of Chicago. The degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred upon President A. Lawrence Lowell of Har vard University at the meeting of the Yale Corporation June 28. Under the rules this degree signifies a recognition of distinguished public service, though it might well have been given for President Lowell s learning. Peter D. Overfield, a former noted football star of the University of Pennsylvania, for three years a practising attorney at Nome, Alaska, on June 11 was nominated by Presi dent Taft as judge of the third judicial dis trict of Alaska, succeeding Judge Silas B. Reid. Mr. Overfield is about thirty-five years old and was formerly a citizen of Penn sylvania. George P. Costigan, Jr., Dean of the Col lege of Law of the University of Nebraska, now becomes Professor of Law in North western University Law School, and Edwin R. Keedy, Professor of Criminal Law in the University of Indiana, who is secretary of the new American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology, has also been appointed Pro fessor of Law in Northwestern University. The Providence Bar Club, of which Walter B. Vincent is president, held its twentyseventh annual clambake at the Warwick Club on Narragansett Bay June 12. The principal guests included Chief Justice Dubois and Associate Justices Blodgett, Parkhurst, johnson and Sweetland of the Supreme Court, ustice Stearns and former Justice Mumford of the Superior Court, Attorney-General W. B. Greenough, Assistant Attorney-General Harry P. Cross, and many others. Bar Associations The Washington County Bar Association was formed June 19 at Greenville, Miss., Judge J. H. Wynn being elected president. The Belmont County (0.) Bar Association gave a banquet on June 17 in honor of Hon. C. L. Weems, former Congressman from the sixteenth district of Ohio, who has lately re moved to Steubenville, 0., where he has been made district solicitor for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Steps are being taken under the direction of former Judge Curtis H. Lindley, president of the San Francisco Bar Association, toward the formation of a state bar association in California. It is pointed out by the organ izers that such organizations are in existence in all the eastern states, and Judge Lindley has put himself in touch with most of these associations, with the view of adopting the best and most modern organization for Cali fornia. The Los Angeles Bar Association has promised its co-operation.
