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Chapter XLVI

JULIUS MILLER RICHARDSON

 

Julius Miller Richardson, one of the most erudite personalities that Tuscarawas County ever produced, was born on a farm in Sugarcreek Township on November 4, 1862, a son of Ambrose and Catherine Miller Richardson. He attended the public school at Shanesville and later the New Philadelphia Normal School. At the age of seventeen years, he began his teaching career in a country school in Sugarcreek Township. He taught in the Mineral City Schools from 1890 to 1901, was principal of a Grade School in Canton, Ohio, during the school year of 1901-1902 and then became Superintendent of the Public Schools at McConnellsville, Ohio, where he served with exceptional ability from 1902 to 1910.

While serving as Superintendent of Schools at McConnelsville, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1907. Returning to Tuscarawas County he opened a law office in New Philadelphia where he had a successful practice until the time of his retirement on June 1, 1938. During most of his law career he had no partners, but at intervals he was associated with Attorney C. W. Ferrell, Probate Judge Ralph Finley and Attorney Joseph J. Sani.

As a lawyer he specialized in trial work and during his time he was counsel in many cases of contested litigation. He appeared in many counties outside of Tuscarawas and at one time successfully tried two cases in Chicago. During his career as a lawyer he was defense counsel in seven First Degree Murder cases. Only one was found guilty as charged. The others were either found guilty of a lesser offense or acquitted. In one of his cases, he secured a not guilty verdict for a man in Millersburg, Ohio, who could not find a lawyer in Holmes County to defend him. When this verdict was returned, the Presiding Judge in a side remark after the trial ended said, "There is a powerful lawyer before a jury." He suceeded in breaking a Will in a trial at Zanesville, Ohio which was the first time that feat had been accomplished in Muskingum County in over forty years, although a battery of the finest legal talent in that county opposed him.

As an orator, he had few equals. His delivery reminded one of William Jennings Bryan. Mr. Richardson was a Lecturer on the Lyceum Circuit for a number of years and he frequently appeared in other counties of the State as an Educator at County Teachers' Institutes. He was constantly in demand as a speaker at banquets, memorial services, historical observances, church festivals, and high school commencements.

Mr. Richardson won wide recognition as an author in both prose and poetry. His best known literary efforts were "God and Man", "Creole of the Missions" and "Schoenbrunn", the latter being an epic poem of the romance and tragedy of Ohio's first village. (See Chapter II). He also wrote a history of Tuscarawas County. Some of his best known poems written in a light vein, included "The Lure", and "If We Could Know".

Mr. Richardson who was familiarly known to the lawyers of Tuscarawas County as "J.M.", was largely self educated. He mastered all of the branches of higher mathematics without an instructor. Notwithstanding the handicap of a lack of formal college training, he became a brilliant man, having mastered English, Literature, History, Higher-Mathematics and the Law.

He was a charter member of the New Philadelphia Lions Club, a member of the Elks and Moose Lodges, and the Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Richardson passed to his reward on December 27, 1947 at the age of 85 years.

One of Mr. Richardson's best known poems, entitled "Faith In The Unseen" appears in his book, "God and Man". The entire text of this poem follows.

 

 

from "These Are My Jewels" by John H. Lamneck, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Tuscarawas County, Ohio. 1966.

 

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