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Author: RMunns7272
Surnames: Cameron, McColl, Marsh, Dann, Hastings, Husbands, Wadsworth, Starr
Classification: biography
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From "History of La Crosse County, Wisconsin", 1881, p. 744
- 745.
City of La Crosse
HON. HUGH CAMERON. The subject of this sketch, a native of Livingston
Co., N. Y., was born at Caledonia, June 29, 1815. His parents, Duncan
A. Cameron and Sarah (McColl) Cameron, were from Scotland, the father
coming to this country in 1802, and the mother a few years later. The
Camerons are of the Lochiel branch, Lochiel, the chief, being,
according to the custom, of the Queen's household. Hugh spent his
youth on his father's farm; he prepared for college in the
institutions at Middlebury and Lima, in his native State, and entered
the University of Vermont in 1834, and graduated with honor four
years later, excelling particularly in German metaphysics, then
taught by Prof. James Marsh. Returning to Western New York, Mr.
Cameron taught in the Avon Academy in 1838 and 1839, reading law at
the same time with Amos Dann. He finished his law studies with
Hastings & Husbands, of Rochester, and was admitted to the bar in
October, 1841, at the first term of the Supreme Court ever he!
ld in that city. After practicing a few years in Livingston County,
he removed to Buffalo in the spring of 1847, and there built up an
excellent law business, as a member of the firm of Wadsworth &
Cameron, but seeing openings of great promise farther West, in the
spring of 1858, he removed to La Crosse, Wis., his present home, and
has here become widely known as a skillful and successful attorney.
During the first six years in Wisconsin, Mr. Cameron was in
partnership with his brother, Alexander, who went into the army as
First Lieutenant, 1st Wisconsin Battery in 1861, and died in 1864. He
was District Attorney at the opening of the war, having been elected
two years prior to that time, when only about 22 years old. Alexander
Cameron was a young man of much promise. In 1856, Hugh Cameron was
elected County Judge, and held that office four years, and declined a
re-election. The law has been his life study, his life pursuit, and
he has no higher ambition than that of excell!
ing in his profession. A prominent journalist, and neighbor of his for
the last twenty years, in a private note says of him: "Few men have
such complete mastery of literature in all its departments as Judge
Cameron. His mental grasp, acquisitions, acumen and discrimination
invest his utterances in genial conversation or legal arguments with
strength and richness of thought and language, which are best
appreciated by those who have the greatest opportunity to test and
verify his powers and counsel, in which capacity he is employed by
many professional confreres in Western Wisconsin and Southern
Minnesota, such persons considering their cases not only thoroughly
prepared, but fairly tried, after having undergone his scrutiny and
investigation, as the court seldom 'overrules his decisions.'" Judge
Cameron has not only a very fine literary taste, but what is not
generally known, has written many able critiques and other articles
for the periodical press; but such intellectual labor he does simply
for recreation after more severe studies connected !
with his profession. He is of Whig antecedents, and for the last
twenty years he has usually voted the Republican ticket. So
thoroughly has Judge Cameron been wedded to the law, that for many
years it seemed doubtful if he would ever form a more tender
alliance, but, on the 2d of December, 1875, he was joined in marriage
with Miss Caroline D. Starr, daughter of W. H. Starr, an early
settler and prominent citizen of Burlington, Iowa, and a graduate of
Yale College. Mrs. Cameron is a well educated and highly accomplished
lady.
[I am not related to this family and have no further information.
I'm posting this as a service and hope it helps!]
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