We're almost on the home stretch for this topic, with just a few pages left of biographies. Here are some more: Roy P. Wilcox has made an indelible impression on the public life of Eau Claire, and, as a lawyer, stands preeminently high. Through his seventeen years as an active attorney he has come to be recognized as one of the able practitioners of the bar of Wisconsin. Roy P. Wilcox was born in the city of Eau Claire, June 30, 1873, and is the son of Nelson C. and Angeline (Tewkesbury) Wilcox. He is of English and Irish lineage and comes of one of the oldest families in America, the Wilcox ancestry dating back to early colonial days. He received his early education in the public schools of Eau Claire and then took a course in the law department of Cornell University, at Ithaca, N. Y., graduating in the class of 1897. One year previous to his graduation he had been admitted to the bar of Wisconsin, and immediately after leaving Cornell he began the practice of his profession in his native city. On September 1, 1897, he became a member of the law firm of Frawley, Bundy & Wilcox; since the death of the senior partner, July 1, 1902, the firm has been Bundy & Wilcox. Mr. Wilcox has achieved success at a time in life when most men are fortunate if they have laid the foundation for success; and this has been accomplished by his own ability and energy, for he left college not only with exhausted resources, but with debts to pay. While his success has been due mainly to his legal abilities, he has shown a capacity for business that, of itself, would have made him a success in commercial affairs, and has been connected with some large projects that have been managed most admirably, notably the water power and utility properties formerly owned by the Chippewa Valley Railway, Light and Power Company, the values of which were greatly enhanced under the management of this company, of which he was one of the organizers. On occasions Mr. Wilcox has been active in public affairs, but never as an official, nor obtrusively. For instance, Eau Claire was the first city in Wisconsin to adopt the commission form of government, and Mr. Wilcox was very distinctly connected with the movement that culminated in that result. He assisted in drafting the bill providing for government by commission in the cities of Wisconsin, and when the bill was introduced in the legislature he went to Madison and worked for its passage. Then, when the bill became law, he took the platform in Eau Claire to advocate the adoption of this form of government in his home city, and to his efforts is due, in no small degree, the fact that Eau Claire has its present satisfactory form of city government. After this he was invited to other places to address the citizens on the new lan of managing civic affairs, with the result that the commission form of government was adopted in every city he visited, with two exceptions. As a lawyer, Mr. Wilcox is both a wise counsellor and an exceedingly able advocate, and his record as a trial lawyer has seldom been equaled. He has acted as attorney for railroads and other corporations for years, defending them against damage claims for injuries, losses, etc., and his success has been startling, considering that he has had to appear before juries on the unpopular side of every such case. He is a forcible, logical, impressive speaker, possessing forensic qualities of a high order, and a manifest honesty of purpose glowing in all his efforts makes him formidable as a pleader in any cause. During the last fifteen years his firm has appeared on one side or the other of most of the big legal cases in and around Eau Claire. On June 17, 1903, Mr. Wilcox married Maria Louisa, daughter of Manuel and Clementina (Santander) de Freyre, of Lima, Peru, South America. They have two children, Louisa M. and Francis J. Mr. Wilcox is prominently connected with St. Patrick's Catholic Church, of Eau Claire, the Knights of Columbus, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the American Bar Association and the Wisconsin Bar Association, of which he is a member of the committee on legal education. Martin B. Hubbard, ex-judge of the county court, was born near London, Ontario, Canada, August 11, 1849. His parents, Alfred and Mary A. (Dighton) Hubbard, who were natives of Jefferson county, New York, emigrated to Eau Claire county, Wisconsin, in 1865, settling on a farm in Bridge Creek township, and were among the early pioneers and most progressive and influential citizens of that town. The father retired from active farm duties at the age of sixty-five years and moved to the city of Eau Claire, where he died on May 6, 1908, at the age of eighty-two years. His wife, mother of our subject, passed away March 31, 1910, aged eighty-four years. They were both devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and were held in the highest esteem by all who knew them. The original Hubbard family emigrated from England to America and were among the early settlers in Connecticut. Martin Hubbard, grandfather of Judge Hubbard, who was a successful lumberman and manufacturer in Canada during the early forties, died in 1855 at the age of fifty-five years. His wife, Maria Putnam, died in 1866. Benjamin Dighton, maternal grandfather of our subject, also a native of Jefferson county, New York, whose wife was Amanda Cole, was a prominent Methodist clergyman in Canada. Martin Hubbard is the eldest of a family of four children, the others being Amanda, wife of N. E. Pride, of Otter Creek township, Eldred, also of Otter Creek, and Elva, wife of J. H. Tifft of Eau Claire. Judge Hubbard received his education in the public schools of Canada and Augusta, Wis. He early served as town clerk of Bridge Creek township, resigning that office in 1876 to enter the office of the clerk of court, and while thus engaged commenced the study of law. In 1883 he entered the office of L. R. Larson, as clerk, and while in that position performed the duties of municipal judge under Larson. He was admitted to the bar of Eau Claire county in 1883, continuing in Mr. Larson's office until 1885, when he entered upon the practice of his profession, in which he has since continued. He was elected judge of the county court in 1896 and served one term of four years. A republican in politics, he has been a member of the republican central committee for ten years, and for eight years served as its chairman. He has been a member of the board of education eight years, and president of the same for two years. Judge Hubbard is prominently identified with the commercial and financial interests of Eau Claire, being secretary of the H. T. Lange Company, secretary of the Dells Lumber Company, secretary of the Reedsburg Canning Company and a member of the board of directors of the Eau Claire National Bank and of the Eau Claire Savings Bank. He stands high in Masonic circles, is a member of the Blue Lodge, chapter and commandery. In 1889 Judge Hubbard was married at Augusta, Wis., to Miss Elizabeth Reed, daughter of William and Elizabeth Reed. ++++++++++++++ That's it for today, but watch your mailboxes tomorrow as we will have more good reading of these legal men's biographies. -- Nance mailto:nsampson@spacestar.net