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

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Kennedy and Hancock. Of the latter firm Mr. Kennedy still s^urvives.
Among the pioneer lawyers located at Neenah was J. B. Ham¬ ilton; and at Menasha were Elbridge Smith, George B. Goodwin and A. L. Collins. These were good lawyers and able men, all of them, who continued to reside and practice in those cities until their death. Judge Collins had been a circuit judge of another circuit.
Of the lawyers of a little later period who were located in Oshkosh, were Norman L. Whittemore and Charles A. Weisbrod (of the, firm of Whittemore & Weisbrod), Moses HoOper, H. B. Jackson (of the firm of Jackson & Halsey), Charles W. Felker and Earl P. Finck. Of these Mr. Hooper and Mr. Jackson and Mr. L. W. ITalsey still survive, the latter being one of the cir¬ cuit judges of Milwaukee county, and the two former stilF in active practice in Oshkosh.' The firm of Whittemore & Weis¬ brod was the leading firm in the early sixties. Norman L. Whit¬ temore was a lawyer thoroughly grounded in the common law, of large experience, a good advocate, "rich in saving common sense," and a most dangerous antagonist in a lawsuit. He was a native of Vermont. Charles A. Weisbrod was a German by birth and thoroughly educated in the German universities. He was a careful and studious lawyer, and but few men in the pro¬ fession understood the science of pleading as well as he. Mr. Felker was a brilliant lawyer and advocate, a man of great originality, and the keenest wit, and skilful and adroit in the trial of causes. He was born in the state of New York but came to the state of Wisconsin with his family at an early age, returning to that state to complete his education. He was equally forcible as a writer or a speaker and did much editorial work on newspapers from pure love' of the thing. For several years he was chief editor of the Oshkosh "Times," and made his infiuence felt through his trenchant editorials. He will be long remembered as one of the ablest lawyers in Wisconsin.
Mr. Finch was another New York man, a graduate of Union college; he, like other ambitious young men, followed the "course of empire" westward. He was gifted with rare eloquence; Shakespeare was his model, which he knew^ by heart, and from that "well of English undefiled" he drew much of his inspira¬ tion. Pie was speaker of the assembly in 1883 and for long years prior to his death was at the head of the flourishing firm of Finch & Barber.