Two More Lew Partners

By: Karen Zach

Last week, I introduced you to Charles Monroe Travis, Michael Daugherty White, Samuel Campbell Willson and Thomas Fleming Davidson who were partners or trained-up with Lew Wallace. I had read about all of them before, but not in one article in relationship to Lew, thus I thought I’d give that idea a try.

Thinking I had most of the law partners, since then, I’ve discovered more; in fact, George Hurley was with Lew is his office for 15 years. His name was often found as George P. and just as often George W., but indeed his middle name was Daniel, thus George D. Hurley. Same with his “Judge” title. He was never a judge as he would not run for office, but he made so many such decisions and had been in the courtroom for decades that his last 20 or so years he was simply known as “Judge Hurley!”

The Bowen History p 1213 notes (sadly, mainly true, one reason I love to cover the everyday guy) that “histories and biographies reveal only those who have attained military, political or literary careers.” The article reminded us that there were many “possessing the same qualities which contribute to success in private life – as did Hurley! “He exhibits a career of unanswering integrity, indefatigable private industry, and wholesome home and social relations.”

Basically, Hurley was a self-made man, born 3 Dec 1833 in New Albany, Indiana, a son (having three brothers and a sister) of John and Hannah (Baker), his father having a ship building business in Baltimore, MD before coming to Indiana to do the same, New Albany well-known for boat building at that time. When about six, George came with his parents to Montgomery County where he had the basic education here of the times, then studied at Wabash, on to a commercial school in Cincinnati and then went to clerking in a Dry Goods Store in Lafayette. This George quickly discovered was not to his liking and he began studying law which was certainly his niche, reading under Lew’s partner, Sam Willson, passed the bar and built-up, “a wide and lucrative clientele,” taking his place among the “annals of Montgomery County law.” He had exceptional knowledge of Indiana’s statues and was quite the pleader for his clients in the courtroom cases. Not in to politics like many others, he was more involved with his family which included wife, Frances Galey (daughter of William and Lucy Wilhite Galey, Montgomery pioneers) and their four children, Lucy (who married Wabash College student, Charles Kanouse who became a preacher but died young as he had just become well-loved in Princeton, KY, having died of typhoid fever, having had one son, Ben who died very young and Mable who with Lucy lived with George and Frances thereafter for a long time), Belle (believe died young), Frank (who was also a lawyer for a time as partner with his father) and John W. who was a home decorator. George passed 29 April 1906, Frances the next year in August and they are buried at Oak Hill.

Our other partner is Benjamin Crane, born in neighboring Putnam County August 7 in 1850. He attended school at Bainbridge and graduate from Wabash College in 1873, after which he studied with Wallace and Hurley and was admitted to the bar in 1875. In 1877, when Lew was appointed governor of New Mexico, Hurley took on Crane as a partner while wrapping-up the Wallace-Hurley cases, Crane then becoming partners with his brother-in-law, Albert B. Anderson who had married Rose Campbell, Crane’s wife, Mary Campbell’s sister, daughters of Prof John L. Campbell who taught at Wabash over five decades. Charles McCabe was Crane’s last partner until Ben’s passing on __ April 1924. Anderson went on to become a US District Court judge for the Indiana District. Crane was general counsel for the Supreme Tribe of Ben Hur (another sort of connection with Lew), a member of the National Fraternal Congress, serving as its president one year.

Ben had some interesting cases, including one in support of Henry Bennett, president of the State Life Insurance Company who attacked the constitutionality of a law passed by the state as illegal, but his main concerns in law were divorces somewhat but especially probates. Business adventures were also in his repertoire, including a stockholder of the Wire Fence and Nail Company with HH Ristine, RE Bryant, WP Herron and SH Gregg, impressive localites, Home Building Association (Treasurer for a long time with other impressive area folks). Into various organizations, he was a director of the Oak Hill Cemetery Association, president of the Robert Browning Club; at one time a member of the Bachelor’s Club; active with his brother-in-laws in developing the Pine Hills area (they loved to camp in their cabin); serving as president of the Wabash Alumni; Patriotic Order Sons of America and others. Mary was very active in the church with its music as well as a longtime member of the Baldwin Ladies Quartet that entertained all over the state for several years.

In 1894, Ben built a new brick building on Lafayette Avenue (JM Bishop, builder) and it may be the current brick building at the bottom of Grant on the avenue. From the description, sounds like it could be. Assume he had his office there.

Ben loved to travel, going to California more than once; the World’s Fair in ’93; and to Europe enjoying the “C’ville Colony,” while there. Not 100% positive what that is but assume some folks from our fair city who got together while living or working there.

Well, if I find more of Lew’s partners, I’ll let ya’ know, otherwise, hope ya’ enjoyed reading about the six I covered!

– Karen Zach is the editor of Montgomery Memories, our monthly magazine all about Montgomery County. Her column, Around the County, appears each Thursday in The Paper of Montgomery County. You can reach her at [email protected].