James Grant, a Model American
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He was conscious, of course, of a residence on a farm near Davenport, strong capacity to see, understand and but laying the foundations for the utilize the material things that were greatest legal career that any man ever around and about him. His education achieved in that state. had been thorough and he had been It was part of his great plan of life equipped in mind to make his calcula to possess all the implements of his tions within the smallest fractions of profession and to have them easily at exactness. He hand. He seemed was prepared to to realize the truth of Sharsdo his life's wood's maxim, work without much waste. He that the lawyer's was trained to difficulty "is not look at the es so much to know sential and dis the law as where pense with the to find it." Therefore he n o n - essential thing. All of commenced to accumulate law these elements of books, and in the his mentality course of time resulted in what Judge Dillon him possessed the self has charac largest and most terized as "prac satisfactory li tical sagacity brary in the which amounted state of Iowa. to genius." But It was indeed by reason of his the largest law library in the power of elimina Northwest, and tion and his con HON. WHITAKER M. GRANT contained more scious strength of Oklahoma City, Okla. than six thou to perceive and utilize the essen sand volumes, Sometime law partner of Judge Grant, and United States Attorney in Alaska which were ac tial thing, he 1885-1889, under Cleveland cumulated at an was made bold to expense, since take hold of large problems. From first to last his mind most of the volumes were extremely rare, of something like fifty thousand was broad and daring. We see him as a lad planning a uni dollars. This library was offered to the versity course, and as a youth the practising attorneys of its owner's ac principal of a school in the capital of his quaintance, and many of them freely native state, and as a young man just consulted his books when working up cases against him. Concerning this turned his majority a pilgrim on horse back on what he himself called a forty library, Judge Dillon relates the follow days' journey from Raleigh to Chicago ing interesting fact:— by way of Kentucky. Afterwards a When the legislature required a term of bold pioneer to the West taking up his the Supreme Court of the state to be held
