Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 05.pdf/178

 Rh

VOL. V.

No. 4.

BOSTON.

APRIL, 1893.

L. Q. C. LÁMAR. BY WALTER B. HILL, of the Macon (Ga.) Баг.

Lamar graduated at Emory College, at LUCIUS QUINTUS CINCINNATUS LÁMAR was born in Putnam County, Oxford, Ga., in 1845. He did not distin near Katonton, Ga., Sept. 1, 1825. The year guish himself in college life. His endow of his birth witnessed the ratification of ment was genius rather than talent. He the treaty by which his native State ceded was capable of sudden spurts of intense ap the territory which became the State of his plication, but had not that continuous energy adoption, — Mississippi. Georgia, in her which wins class honors. He had a wonder early history, was the most obstreperous ful memory, of which he gave a signal proof litigant over whom the Supreme Court had in an address delivered at the Commence original jurisdiction.1 Her resistance to its ment in 1890 of his Alma Mater. He took mandates led to the passage of the eleventh for his subject three speeches that he heard amendment; and her unconstitutional legis during his college career. One was the first lation first called into exercise the great Commencement oration at that college, powers of the Court announced in Fletcher delivered by George F. Pierce, afterwards a 7'. Peck. Despite her recalcitrant behavior, Bishop of the Methodist Church, and perhaps she has' had the honor of contributing to the greatest pulpit orator the South has the Supreme Bench three members, Wayne, produced, — who was pronounced by Robert Toombs " the most symmetrical great man Campbell, and Lamar. The father of Lamar was a Judge of the in body, mind, and soul, he had ever known," Superior Court of the Ocmulgee Circuit. •— the Phillips Brooks of the South. One He bore the name given to his son. A was a sermon by Bishop Soule; and the sketch of his life may be found in Miller's third was the first Commencement sermon "Bench and Bar of Georgia." He died by his preached at Emory College, by Alexander own hand at the early age of thirty-seven. Speer, the grandfather of Hon. Emory Speer, His suicide was inexplicable. He occupied now U. S. District Judge. In the address the highest judicial position in the State, — referred to, Lamar was able to repeat with the Supreme Court not being then estab entire precision, after a lapse of forty-five lished. He was fortunate in all the relations years, long passages from those discourses. Although in the main he was a genial young of life. On the Fourth of July, after listen man, yet at times he was dreamy and often ing to an eloquent speech by a young kins man, and after receiving with much pleasure melancholy. A companion of his youth re the compliments bestowed on the oration, calls one occasion when in a debating-society he went home, kissed his children, walked Lamar had made a brilliant speech. It had so far surpassed the expectations of his com into the garden, and shot himself. rades that they crowded around him to ex 1 See Chisolm's Ex'r's r. Georgia, i Dallas, 419; tend congratulations; but the speech had Worcester v. Georgia, 6 Peters, 515. 20