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HISTORY OF THE NEW CALIFORNIA.
669
sixty-four years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Crane,
was a native of New York and was of German and English descent. She
represented an old American family founded in the new world at an early
epoch in its colonization. Her brother, Alexander D. Crane, was one of the
circuit judges of Michigan. Mrs. Fox passed away in 1887 the age of
seventy-seven years. In the family were four sons and four daughters, all
of whom have passed away with the exception of Judge Fox and his sisters,
jVlrs. Sarah E. Quigley, of Plumas county, California; and Mrs. Nancy L.
Palmer, of Santa Clara, California.
Judge Fox spent his early life amid rural environments, being reared
upon his father’s farm in Michigan. He attended the little district school
near his home, but desirous of benefiting by more advanced instruction he
left the parental roof at the age of sixteen years and became a student in the
Ann Arbor University. Not long after this, however, owing to illness, he
was ordered by his physicians to abandon his studies at that time. When
he had sufficiently recovered his health he accepted a position in a printing
office and completed an apprenticeship at that trade on the paper which was
called the Michigan Argus. He worked his way upward and eventually be-
came a member of its editorial staff.
About the time he attained his majority Judge Fox was elected recorder
of the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, having previously served as chief deputy
recorder for County Recorder Washtenaw. In 1853 he served as mayor ex-
officio of Ann Arbor and was actively connected with public affairs in that
city. During his service in the recorder's office he entered upon the study of
law under the direction of Olney Hawkins, and at the close of his term of
official service he entered the law office of Kingsley & Morgan, with whom
he remained up to the time of his arrival in California. In 1856 he was ad-
mitted to practice in all of the courts of the state of Michigan, but did not
long remain a member of the bar there.
Judge Fox started for California in 1857, arriving at his destination on
the 14th of August, of that year. He immediately entered upon practice in
San Mateo county, and in November, 1857, was appointed district attorney
to fill a vacancy. At the next regular election he was ^elected and served for
two successive terms, holding the office altogether for five years. He came
to San Francisco in 1862 and opened a law office here, but continued to make
his home in San Mateo. Prior to his arrival in San Francisco, he was at-
torney for the San Francisco & San José Railroad Company and secured the
rights of way for that line in surrounding counties. After his removal to
this city he was attorney for the Western Pacific Railroad Company and
acted as its president up to the time of the transfer of this line to the Central
Pacific Railroad Company. In i860 he became attorney for the Spring Val-
ley Water Works Company, which obtained the greater bulk of its water and
water rights in San Mateo county. Soon after his removal to San Fran-
cisco he was made the general attorney of this company and continued to act in
that capacity until he was appointed by Governor Waterman to fill a vacancy
jn the supreme bench of California. He thus served until the next general

About This Document

Uploaded:

11 Feb 2012

Total pages:

694

Description:

16

Document Source

Irvine, Leigh H. (Leigh Hadley), 1863-1942

Publisher:

New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company

Collection:

MSN