lege, Charles D. Upham, member of Con gress, and Judge Edward Loring. Mr. Kent was at that time, as in after-life, a man of massive frame, and the ease-loving, somewhat indolent habit which is often the accompaniment of the largely built man. While at College, he was president of the "Lazy Man's Club," a famous institution at Harvard at that time, one of the rules of which was, that no member should ever be in a hurry. One day Kent was seen trotting across the College yard. As he was the most distinguished member of the club, his colleagues, who detected him in this appar ent breach of rules, haled him before the club, and with great glee proceeded to put the alleged delinquent on trial. Kent listened, with a calm and compla cent smile, to the evidence, which seemed conclusive and damaging to his reputation and high office; but, when his turn came, he utterly routed his accusers, and set the university in a roar by gravely presenting this remarkable and exceedingly ingenious defense: — "I do not deny," said he, with a chuckle, "that I ran; but the fact is, when I was coming down stairs, somebody pushed me, and, to save myself from falling, I had to break into a run; as I was too lazy to stop running, I kept on until you gentlemen stopped me." Tradition does not say whether the judge was re-elected president of the club, but his complete vindication would seem to indicate that he stood higher than ever in its favor thereafter. In the study of his chosen profession of the law, Mr. Kent was the pupil of Benja min Orr, one of the most eminent lawyers of Maine, and of Chancellor Kent, the distinguished legist and legal commentator; and, when, in 1824, he was fitted for practice at the bar, he opened a law office in Bangor, and became the seventh lawyer of the locality. Bangor was, at that time, a promising town of twenty hundred inhab
itants, rapidly growing, and Mr. Kent's power and influence grew with its growth. One of Mr. Kent's first experiences in Bangor he was fond of relating. In taking a stroll, he reached the Kenduskeag bridge, then an unpretentious structure of wood, about thirty feet in width, having sidewalks, upon which he saw people passing freely. Upon proceed ing to follow their example, he was brought to a stand by a shout: — "Hollo, going to run your toll? " Look ing in the direction of the voice, he found it proceeded from a bellicose looking person across the street, standing in a doorway. To avoid a scene, he went toward him, and learned that, as he was a stranger, he was required to pay tribute, to the extent of one cent, for the privilege of passing over the structure, while the citizens were allowed to go free. He decided to become a citizen. If it were the purpose of this sketch to present Judge Kent otherwise than as the jurist, we should find abundant and rich material of great interest relative to the many offices and relations in public life so admiraby filled by this illustrious citizen and judge, but, pre-eminently a scholar, politician and wit, a man of rare social and intellectual qualities, a man whom the Whig party, had it been in the majority, would have placed in the United States Senate, where his splendid presence, noble oratory and profound political knowledge would have made him of infinite value to his country; but it remained for Mr. Kent, after being governor and consul to Rio Janeiro, to gain distinction and to confer distinction upon the Bench of the State of his adoption. In 1827, after having served two years in the Court of Common Pleas, he was ad mitted to practice in the Supreme Judicial Court, and was appointed in the same year, by the governor of the State, Chief-Justice of the Court of Sessions, which office he held from April, 1827, till the close of the
