History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its cities, towns, resources, people

              TOWNSHIP   HISTOEY. 295
others, he made friends wherever he went. Sober, industrious, self-reliant, cool and collected under the most trying circum¬ stances, his patients had not only the utmost confidence in his ability, but they loved and honored him for his untiring devo¬ tion to their cause as well as for his sterling honesty and integ¬ rity. During his stay in Seymour he acquired a large practice. It is difficult to grasp and comprehend the position and prac¬ tice he might have attained had he lived the allotted three¬ score years and ten. Cut off in the vigor of young manhood when he had gained a most enviable position and practice in the city of Milwaukee, his untimely death has cast a gloom over the entire state of Wisconsin." The celebrated late Dr. Nicholas Senn, of Chicago, and the leading physician of the West, kindly remembers Dr. Kerwin in this generous language: "I knew Dr. Kerwin well. He was a young physician of great promise, a pol¬ ished gentleman, a faithful student and most conscientious prac¬ titioner." I
His brother, Judge James C. Kerwin, now Justice of the Su¬ preme Court of Wisconsin, son of Michael Kerwin, the pioneer, was born on the farm in this town May 4, 1850, son of Michael and Mary Kerwin. Mr. Kerwin passed his early life on a farm, attended district school and graduated at Menasha High School in 1870. He then attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated in the law department in 1876. He studied law with Judge A. L. Collins at Menasha and was admitted to the bar in the Circuit Court of Dane county, then the Supreme Court, in 1875, the U. S. courts in 1875 and the U. S. District and Circuit Court by Judge Charles E. Dyer, July 10,1878, at Oshkosh. After his admission he plied himself with unremitting energy to the practice of law in the city of Neenah. He was one of the board of regents of the State University of Wisconsin, is a Eepublican in politics and supported Gov. Eobert M. La Follette. He has won some very important cases. One was the railroad bond case of the town of Menasha. The case had been fought in all the courts and the bonds won. It was a long standing and acknowl- eciged by all to be a hopeless defense by the town. When he took hold of the case it did look useless; but he made a success¬ ful defense for the town and they did not pay the bonds. Another very important case was the celebrated Krueger vs. the Wisconsin Telephone Company, in which he established before the Supreme Court the right of the property owner to prevent setting of poles on the street in front of his property and ob-