Historical Sketch of the Judges of the Supreme Court.

In November, 1901, James L. Price, of Allen County, Chief Justice of the Circuit Courts of Ohio, was elected to the Supreme Court to succeed Judge Minshall, and took his seat February 9, 1902. Chief Justice Williams died in July, 1902, and on the 19th of the month Governor Nash appointed to the vacancy Judge William B. Crew, of Morgan County, who was the candidate for Judge of the Supreme Court on the Republican State ticket, and who was in November, 1902, elected to succeed himself for the full term.

In November, 1902, Judge Augustus N. Summers of the Circuit Court was elected to succeed Judge Jacob F. Burket, who retired February 9, 1904.

The personnel of the Supreme Court from February 9, 1901, to date of publication, was as follows:

February 9, to July 7, 1902: Judges Williams, C. J., Burket, Spear, Davis, Shauck and Price.

August 21, 1902, to February 9, 1904: Judges Burket, C. J., Spear, Davis, Shauck, Price and Crew.

February 9, 1904, to February 9, 1905, Judges Spear, C. J., Davis, Schauck, Price, Crew and Summers.

THE SUPREME COURT COMMISSIONS.

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HE power of the General Assembly to assist in disposing of the work before the Supreme Court of Ohio by the formation of "Supreme Court Commissions" (Section 21, Article IV), has

been invoked twice since the adoption of the present Constitution of Ohio. The appointment of the members of this commission has been vested in the Governor in both instances.

THE COMMISSion of 1876.

On the 2d day of February, 1876, the Governor appointed as such Supreme Court Commission, to serve for three years, Josiah Scott, of Crawford County; William W. Johnson, of Lawrence County; D. Thew Wright, of Hamilton County; Richard A. Harrison, of Franklin County; Henry C. Whitman, of Hamilton County; and Luther Day, of Portage County. Mr. Harrison refused to accept the appointment and Thomas Q. Ashburn, of Clermont County, was appointed in his stead, and took his seat on the bench on the 16th of March, 1878.

This commission sat until the 2d day of February, 1879, as an auxiliary to the Supreme Court, and assisted in bringing up the docket which had fallen far behind the reasonable time for trial.

THE COMMISSION OF 1883.

In 1883, the Governor again appointed a commission of five members under an enabling act of the General Assembly, and this commission began its work on the 17th day of April, 1883, and continued on the bench for the period of two years. The commission of 1883 consisted of Moses M. Granger, of Muskingum County, C. J., Geo. K. Nash, of Franklin County; Franklin J. Dickman, of Cuyahoga County; Charles D. Martin, of Fairfield County; and John McCauley, of Seneca County. This commission adjourned April 16, 1885.

The Supreme Court of Ohio before its adjournment in June, 1904, elected Elliot Howard Gilkey, of Franklin County, to be Marshal and Librarian of the court to succeed himself, he having been promoted to that office from the position of First Assistant Librarian the previous October, to fill the unexpired term occasioned by the death of Frank N. Beebe.

Mr. Gilkey was born in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio, February 8, 1857, the son of Sheldon Elliot Gilkey and Emma Roberts Gilkey, both of New England parentage. The father entered the Union army and was shot to death in the battle of "The Wilderness," May, 1864, leaving the son an orphan at the age of seven years. He was admitted to the Ohio Soldiers' Orphans' Home at Xenia in January, 1870, from Cleveland, and discharged in June, 1874, after having been permitted to serve two winters as a page in the Ohio Senate. His election as Journal Clerk in the Senate in 1876 at the age of eighteen years led him to select Columbus as the scene of his future efforts, both to secure employment and to win the friends which are so necessary to the success in life of any man. No man is sufficient unto himself; the man most utterly alone is he who in midst of a great city knows within his own soul that he merits no friends; Crusoe on his island is in Paradise in comparison. Leaving school at the age of 17, from the necessity of graduation from the Home on reaching the age limit, Mr. Gilkey was prevented from pursuing an education beyond the Senior High School year. After leaving the Home he spent the summer of 1874 in private study in Cleveland, preparatory to entering the law school at Ann Arbor, a plan which was reluctantly abandoned from stern necessity. It was the failure to succeed in this ambition which led him to come to Columbus and seek the Journal Clerkship in the Senate in 1876, to which reference has been made. His subsequent education has been obtained by private study out of business hours. He has read law as a matter of general information, but has never taken the full course necessary to admission to the bar; he expects to do this, both as a further qualification for the duties now imposed upon him and for its educational attractions. He is a lover of books and of book making. In 1900 he was selected to get out a revision of the Manual of Legislative Practice in the General Assembly; and also to compile the centennial edition of the Ohio Hundred Year Book, the compilations and historical sketches of the latter being later reprinted in the series of which this volume is a part. While engaged in this work the former Marshal and Librarian of the Supreme Court expressed a desire to secure his services as First Assistant Law Librarian, and following this unsolicited and unexpected expression of semi-professional appreciation, successful application to the Judges of the Supreme Court was made for the appointment which was received July 1, 1901. His election to succeed Mr. Beebe after three years' service in the department is taken as the highest endorsement of his fitness for the work.

Mr. Gilkey was married January 24, 1884, to Miss Florence Virginia Reed, of Springfield, Ohio, and they have three children. The family residence is on North Broadway.

Officers of the Supreme Court and Law Library.

The Marshal of the Supreme Court is also librarian of the Law Library of the Supreme Court; he is the chief executive officer of the court, is under bond for the care and safekeeping of all the books, furniture and property of the department, and is the crier of the court and the officer in charge of all the rooms, halls and offices assigned to the department. (Sections 423-4 R. S. of Ohio.) The duties of Law Librarian consume practically all of the Marshal's time, and for this reason his office is located in the library rather than adjacent to the court rooms.

ROSTER OF OFFICERS OF THE SUPREME COURT AND LAW LIBRARY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1904.

(Note The Clerk of Court and the Supreme Court Reporter are independent of this department.)

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE SUPREME COURT LAW LIBRARY.

The law books forming a part of the State Library were taken to the rooms assigned for the use of the Supreme Court and Law Library in the present Capitol building as soon as said rooms were ready for occupancy. There are no data obtainable showing just when this change was made, but it was about 1858. At this time the number of volumes could not have exceeded a couple of thousand. In 1866, a count showed about 2,500 volumes. The Library was first in charge of the messenger of the Supreme Court, who was assigned the duty of librarian.

At this time there were two officers of the Court-a crier and messenger. Owing to the illness of the messenger during the greater portion of the year of his service, the crier of the court acted as librarian, and furnished an assistant who was compensated under an arrangement with the messenger. In 1867, an act was passed providing for the appointment of a law librarian, taking effect February 9, 1867, and the positions of crier and messenger of the Supreme Court were abolished, the law librarian being made ex-officio crier of the court, said crier to