Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 12.pdf/327

general pired term election, of four heyears, was elected makingforsixthis years unexin complish more reading and study in his profession than most people, at the same all that he served upon the Supreme Court. time keeping up his general reading on all A better idea can be had of the character subjects of a literary and scientific charac and standing of Judge Holt from a letter ter. I have often estimated that he spent written by one of his lifelong friends, during fourteen hours a day on an average through Judge Holt's sickness, than from any picture out his whole career in literary work. He I can portray. From this letter I quote as was the most even-tempered man I ever knew, always the same, treating all alike. follows : "As a lawyer he had few equals in the Rarely even speaking ill of any one, and es

State as to general pecially showing the and thorough know same deference to ledge of the law, la all with whom he boring very hard all associated from the highest to the low his life from his school days down to est. In his ability the time of his death to do this he ex in order to store his ceeded any man I mind with informa ever knew." tion touching his It would be of profession. He read little avail for me very extensively the to attempt to add current reports of much to this en this and other States comium that has and from the Eng been passed upon lish decisions. As his life and character by his long and faith far as I heard any ful friend. In his ex pression from method of study, others while he was kept up to the last on the Supreme years of his life, he bench, it was to the more resembles that effect that he was of Rufus С h o a t e the leading member HENRY BRANNON. than any man I have of the court; besides he always, even in known. Judge Holt was related to Lord Chief Jus his later years, kept up his academic studies, particularly Latin and French, the various tice Holt of England, and in the high posi branches of mathematics, geology, chemis tion he took for ability and learning at the try and history. During the war he was for bar and on the bench he was a credit to anyone year in prison. One of his coprisoners family and any race in any age. Judge Brannon was born November 26, was a Frenchman with whom he studied and talked French as a pastime, and also during 1837, in Winchester, Virginia. He was edu that period read law, and as he said thereby cated at the Winchester Academy and later almost entirely relieved himself from the graduated at the University of Virginia. monotony of prison life. In some respects While a boy he attended school at Weston, I never knew his equal. He was so sys Virginia, taught by Homer A. Holt, who had tematic in all his studies that he could ac- just graduated at the University of Virginia,