Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, March 27, 1909, Page 61

{ j i | N N— BEMIDJI, BELTRAMI COUNTY AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. THE BAR OF BEMIDIJI P. J. RUSSELL. Attorney Russell can undoubtedly claim one of the largest law practices in the Great Northwest, the which includes a number of cases which have attracted widespread at- tention and comment. He is also the pio- neer lawyer of Beltrami county, having served as village as well as city attorney for a period of six years.- Mr. Russell is a true product of Minnesota, having first seen the light of day at Belle Plains, this state. After receiving a common school education, Mr. Russell took a course at the St. Paul Business College, after which he entered the Sauk Center Academy. Admitted to the bar at Crookston in the year 1891, Mr. Rus- sell has, without intermittance, practiced before our courts ever since. In the year 1899 he settled in Bemidji, where he at once impelled notice by reason of his conception of Blackstone and his ableness as a debator and pleader. From the hour he arrived in Bemidji, Mr. Russell forged rapidly to the front in the ranks of his professional breth- ren with the result stated in the opening phrase of this article. Mr. Russell is a man of unusual tact, of much business ability, a systematic worker, eloquent in argument, spotless as an attor- ney, a first-water “booster” for his home town, and The Pioneer, in the spirit of its thousands of readers, appreciates him for his worth as a citizen and his ableness as a lawyer. —_— JOHN L. BROWN. Mr. Brown was admitted to the bar dur- ing the month of January, 1899, at Des Moines, Iowa. Afterward he practiced law in Hancock and Story counties, Iowa, com- ing from Huxley, Iowa, to Bemidji about six months ago. TUpon his arrival here, Mr. Brown was attracted by the natural rich- ness of this portion of the state, and con- cluded to settle here. Since his location in Bemidji Mr. Brown has made a host of friends, as he is one of those who possess the happy faculty of impelling friendships, and impressing his personality upon all those whom he greets. Mr. Brown is undoubtedly destined to be- come one of Bemidji’'s foremost attorneys, while he has not yet been honored with any celebrated cases, owing to the scarcity of their existence, it is a matter of general concession that his colleagues as well as those who know him best, give him credit for being a capable student of law and pleader. The Pioneer need not extol Mr. Brown in this Souvenir Edition. His past record is all sufficient to commend him to the confi- dence of all his acquaintances, and we pre- dict that the practice which will come to him in the nera future will rank on a par- allel with that of any attorney in the county. Mr. Brown is conscientious, a hard worker, an enterprising citizen, a faithful advocate of the city’s best interests, and we can with- out. gainsay, confer upon him this passing notice. E. E. McDONALD. Mr. McDonald graduated from the Law Department of Wisconsin = University in 1883, and entered upon the practice of his profession at once, and continued to prac- tice in St. Paul for nineteen years. He moved to Bemidji about five years ago, and has continued to practice here ever since. He has well appointed offices in the Post MARSHALL A. SPOONER. Office building and a large law library. He is a member of the Commercial Club, and has always been active in all matters per- taining to the city’s welfare. He has served the public in the capacity of a member of the Board of Education of St. Paul, and a member of the Legislature of Minnesota, and County Attorney of Beltrami county. He was sent to the Legislature to aid in securing the necessary appropriation for our present new capitol building and rep- resented his constituency well. He took a prominent part in the St. Paul Ice Carnival years ago, which was famous as an attrac- tion for St. Paul. Since coming to Bemidji he has taken an active part in every move- ment to advance the best interests of this North country, including among other things Bemidji’s efforts to secure the Land Office, its efforts to secure and aid in the construction of the Red Lake Road to Red Lake and its efforts to secure wholesale houses for Bemidji, and is now giving up some time in other matters which will bene- fit Bemidji greatly, and has taken an active interest in matters pertaining to farming and cultivation of the land in this vicinity. He recently deliveered the Memorial Ad- dress for the Elks Lodge at Crookston. It speaks well for the county of which we write that a man of Mr. McDonald’s ability and training should select Bemidji as the | place in which to follow his chosen profes- ! sion, and also proves that Beltrami county | has inducements to offer to persons in every. | walk of life. GIBBONS & TORRANCE. This influential law firm gained promi- nence from the first day of its formation, not only because of the personnel of the partners, but by reason of the natural pro- pensity on the part of each for winning friends and by the demonstration of their latent talents as disciples of Blackstone. They have handled some of the most im- portant legal cases in this section, their reputation either as lawyers in criminality or equity is unsurpassed, and the firm in question represents one of the most influ- ential law concerns in this portion of the state. Mr. Torrance is a graduate from t he Minnesota State University of the class of 1900. He was a practitioner in St. Paul after his matriculation, for a period of four years, when, becoming cognizant of the in- ducements offered by Bemidji, he located here, and a short time after became a part- ner with Mr. Gibbons. s i g