Charles L. Capen
Encyclopedia
Charles Laban Capen was a prominent Illinois
lawyer
.
on January 31, 1845, the son of Luman Capen, a direct descendant of Bernard Capen, who was one of the 140 emigrants who left Dorchester, Dorset to found Dorchester, Massachusetts
in 1630. Luman Capen was an ardent abolitionist and maintained a station of the Underground Railroad
in Union Springs. A supporter of the short-lived Free Soil Party
, in the wake of the Kansas–Nebraska Act, Luman Capen answered the call of the New England Emigrant Aid Company for abolitionists to settle in the Kansas Territory
. Luman Capen thus moved his family to Lawrence, Kansas
, with the Kansas Territory in the middle of the Bleeding Kansas
series of events. Shortly after arriving in Lawrence, Luman Capen saw Jim Lane shoot a man dead in the streets of Lawrence. Appalled by this violence, the Capens returned to New York. The family then moved west a second time, initially settling on a farm near Bloomington, Illinois
before moving in to Bloomington in March 1856. As a boy of twelve, Charles L. Capen attended the founding meeting of the Illinois Republican Party
, held in Bloomington, where he heard Lincoln's Lost Speech
of May 29, 1856. Charles L. Capen attended the high school
of the Illinois State Normal University, beginning in 1862.
Capen graduated from high school in 1865, and then enrolled at Harvard University
. At Harvard, his teachers included Louis Agassiz
, Asa Gray
, James Russell Lowell
, and Francis Bowen
. Under Bowen's tutelage, Capen took special honors in philosophy
and political philosophy
.
After he graduated from Harvard, Capen returned to Bloomington, Illinois, where he read law at the law firm
of Williams & Burr. Capen was soon invited into the partnership, which, after the retirement of Burr a short time later, became known as Williams & Capen. Williams died in 1899 and Capen continued practice as a solo practitioner for the next twenty-five years. His firm's most important clients were the Illinois Central Railroad
, which it represented for fifty years, and the Chicago and Alton Railroad, which it represented for twenty-five years.
In addition to practicing law, Capen taught classes at the law school
of Illinois Wesleyan College, and served for a number of years as dean
of the law school.
Capen was also active in the Illinois State Bar Association
, serving as its president 1903-1904.
Capen had married Ella Eugenia Briggs in 1875, and together, the couple had two children: Charlotte and Bernard.
Capen died at his home in Bloomington on May 21, 1927.
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,...
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...
.
Biography
Charles L. Capen was born in Union Springs, New YorkUnion Springs, New York
Union Springs is a village in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was at 1,074 people at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the mineral springs near the village....
on January 31, 1845, the son of Luman Capen, a direct descendant of Bernard Capen, who was one of the 140 emigrants who left Dorchester, Dorset to found Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
in 1630. Luman Capen was an ardent abolitionist and maintained a station of the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
in Union Springs. A supporter of the short-lived Free Soil Party
Free Soil Party
The Free Soil Party was a short-lived political party in the United States active in the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections, and in some state elections. It was a third party and a single-issue party that largely appealed to and drew its greatest strength from New York State. The party leadership...
, in the wake of the Kansas–Nebraska Act, Luman Capen answered the call of the New England Emigrant Aid Company for abolitionists to settle in the Kansas Territory
Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas....
. Luman Capen thus moved his family to Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
, with the Kansas Territory in the middle of the Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
series of events. Shortly after arriving in Lawrence, Luman Capen saw Jim Lane shoot a man dead in the streets of Lawrence. Appalled by this violence, the Capens returned to New York. The family then moved west a second time, initially settling on a farm near Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
before moving in to Bloomington in March 1856. As a boy of twelve, Charles L. Capen attended the founding meeting of the Illinois Republican Party
Illinois Republican Party
The Illinois Republican Party is the state-level affiliate of the Republican Party in Illinois. Since August 20, 2009, it has been chaired by Pat Brady...
, held in Bloomington, where he heard Lincoln's Lost Speech
Lincoln's Lost Speech
The speech known as Abraham Lincoln's "Lost Speech" was given on May 29, 1856, in Bloomington, Illinois. Traditionally regarded as lost because it was so engaging that reporters neglected to take notes, the speech is believed to have been an impassioned condemnation of slavery...
of May 29, 1856. Charles L. Capen attended the high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
of the Illinois State Normal University, beginning in 1862.
Capen graduated from high school in 1865, and then enrolled at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. At Harvard, his teachers included Louis Agassiz
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
, Asa Gray
Asa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
, James Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets...
, and Francis Bowen
Francis Bowen
Francis Bowen was an American philosopher, writer, and educationalist.-Biography:He was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He was educated at Mayhew School, Boston, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Harvard University, graduating from the latter in 1833...
. Under Bowen's tutelage, Capen took special honors in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and political philosophy
Political philosophy
Political philosophy is the study of such topics as liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it...
.
After he graduated from Harvard, Capen returned to Bloomington, Illinois, where he read law at the law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
of Williams & Burr. Capen was soon invited into the partnership, which, after the retirement of Burr a short time later, became known as Williams & Capen. Williams died in 1899 and Capen continued practice as a solo practitioner for the next twenty-five years. His firm's most important clients were the Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
, which it represented for fifty years, and the Chicago and Alton Railroad, which it represented for twenty-five years.
In addition to practicing law, Capen taught classes at the law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
of Illinois Wesleyan College, and served for a number of years as dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the law school.
Capen was also active in 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 its president 1903-1904.
Capen had married Ella Eugenia Briggs in 1875, and together, the couple had two children: Charlotte and Bernard.
Capen died at his home in Bloomington on May 21, 1927.