Jessie Holdom
Encyclopedia
Jessie Holdom was a prominent Chicago
lawyer
and judge
.
on August 23, 1851, the son of William and Eliza (Merritt) Holdom. His Holdom ancestors had lived in the Spitalfields
neighbourhood of London for nearly three hundred years, after fleeing France
during the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
. Holdom immigrated to the United States
at the age of seventeen, settling in Chicago
in July 1868. Beginning in 1870, he read law with lawyer
Joshua C. Knickerbocker. He was admitted to the bar of Illinois
on September 13, 1873.
Holdom practiced law with Knickerbocker. In 1878, Knickerbocker invited Holdom to become a partner of his firm, which was then known as Knickerbocker & Holdom. Knickerbocker retired in 1889, and Holdom continued as a solo practitioner. He was a successful lawyer, particularly in cases involving wills
and title
to real estate
. Governor of Illinois
Joseph W. Fifer
appointed Holdom as Public Guardian.
In November 1898, Holdom was elected as a judge
of the superior court
of Cook County, Illinois
.
Holdom was active in the Chicago Bar Association
and the Illinois State Bar Association
, serving as ISBA president 1900-1901. He was also involved in Trinity Episcopal Church
, the Republican Party
, and the Union League Club of Chicago
.
Holdom married Edith I. Foster in 1877. His first wife died in 1891. Holdom remarried in 1893, to Mabel Brady. Holdom had four children: Edith, Jessie, Martha, and Courtland.
Holdom died in Chicago on July 14, 1930.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
.
Biography
Jessie Holdom was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on August 23, 1851, the son of William and Eliza (Merritt) Holdom. His Holdom ancestors had lived in the Spitalfields
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a former parish in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London, near to Liverpool Street station and Brick Lane. The area straddles Commercial Street and is home to many markets, including the historic Old Spitalfields Market, founded in the 17th century, Sunday...
neighbourhood of London for nearly three hundred years, after fleeing France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots , during the French Wars of Religion...
. Holdom immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the age of seventeen, settling in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in July 1868. Beginning in 1870, he read law with lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Joshua C. Knickerbocker. He was admitted to the bar of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
on September 13, 1873.
Holdom practiced law with Knickerbocker. In 1878, Knickerbocker invited Holdom to become a partner of his firm, which was then known as Knickerbocker & Holdom. Knickerbocker retired in 1889, and Holdom continued as a solo practitioner. He was a successful lawyer, particularly in cases involving wills
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
and title
Title (property)
Title is a legal term for a bundle of rights in a piece of property in which a party may own either a legal interest or an equitable interest. The rights in the bundle may be separated and held by different parties. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership...
to real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
. Governor of Illinois
Governor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
Joseph W. Fifer
Joseph W. Fifer
Joseph Wilson Fifer was the 19th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1889 to 1893. He also served as a member of the Illinois Senate, 1881–83.“Private Joe” Fifer was born at Staunton, Virginia on October 28, 1840...
appointed Holdom as Public Guardian.
In November 1898, Holdom was elected as a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the superior court
Superior court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...
of Cook County, Illinois
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
.
Holdom was active in the Chicago Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Founded in 1874, the Chicago Bar Association is a voluntary bar association with over 20,000 members. Like other bar associations, it concerns itself with professional ethics, networking among members, and continuing legal education. It is located adjacent to the John Marshall Law School in the...
and the Illinois State Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
The Illinois State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the country. Approximately 30,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISBA membership is not required of lawyers licensed to practice in...
, serving as ISBA president 1900-1901. He was also involved in Trinity Episcopal Church
Trinity Episcopal Church (Wheaton, Illinois)
Trinity Episcopal Church is a historical Gothic Revival Episcopal church in Wheaton, Illinois. Three families from Wheaton area farms organized the establishment of an Episcopal church in 1875. Bishop William E. McLaren held the first services were performed in the local Universalist church, was on...
, the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, and the Union League Club of Chicago
Union League Club of Chicago
The Union League Club of Chicago is a prominent social club located in downtown Chicago.-History:The Club can trace its roots to 1862, when radical southern sympathizers in the north were plotting an insurrection in Lincoln’s home state...
.
Holdom married Edith I. Foster in 1877. His first wife died in 1891. Holdom remarried in 1893, to Mabel Brady. Holdom had four children: Edith, Jessie, Martha, and Courtland.
Holdom died in Chicago on July 14, 1930.