History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/James M. Love
JAMES M. LOVE was born in Fairfax, Virginia, March 4, 1820. The family removed to Zanesville, Ohio, when he was a lad of twelve and there he obtained a good education and studied law with an older brother. When the war with Mexico began he volunteered and was chosen captain of a company, serving through the war. In 1850 he removed to Iowa, locating at Keokuk where he entered into partnership with Samuel F. Miller in the practice of law. In 1852 he was elected on the Democratic ticket to the State Senate where he served four years as chairman of the judiciary committee. In 1855 he was appointed by President Pierce Judge of the United States District Court for Iowa, a position he held the remainder of his life. In 1875 he accepted an appointment in the State University as Professor of Commercial Law and served three years as Chancellor of the Law Department. Of all the decisions rendered by Judge Love during his long term of service but three were reversed by the Supreme Court. He died July 2, 1891. At the following meeting of the Pioneer Lawmakers' Association, Judge George G. Wright said of Judge Love:
“As a lawyer, he ranked among the ablest in the west; as a legislator he was the peer of any of his colleagues; as a judge he was honest, laborious, courteous, learned and strong; his life and character were pure and spotless.”