Farrar L. McCain. Particularly distinguished among Muskogee’s residents and professional men is Farrar L. McCain–popularly known as Judge McCain. He had made good to a brilliant degree before coming to Oklahoma and Muskogee is to be congratulated on the fact that his talents have been transplanted to this community. Hitherto an Arkansan, his parentage points back to prominence in North Carolina and Tennessee as well, with records of Revolutionary service in still earlier generations. In the national struggle for independence, Judge McCain’s great-grandfather was a captain of great patriotic activity. The family was of Scotch-Irish origin and have been particularly well known in North Carolina, which was the birthplace of the judge’s grandfather, William Ross McCain. The

latter removed to Tipton County, Tennessee, the native place of his son, William S. McCain, who lived to become the father of our subject and to whose history we pause to devote some brief details.

A short time after the close of the Civil war, William S. McCain settled in Arkansas, where he married Miss Eliza Chesnutt, a native of that state, but a daughter of Alabama parents. They established a home notable for characteristics peculiarly those of the Scotch-Irish race–thrift, frugality and intellectual ideals, combined with sturdy piety. The religion of Scotch Presbyterianism was theirs by descent and has been loyally adhered to by their household. Four sons were born to William and Eliza McCain, the eldest being Farrar L. McCain, the subject of this review, who was born on December 16, 1874, at Monticello, Drew County, Arkansas.

Farrar McCain’s father before him was a lawyer. He practiced in Drew County for a time and in 1877 removed to Pine Bluff, in the same state. Another change of location, in 1885, made the family residents of the City of Little Rock, Arkansas. There William S. McCain rose to distinction in the legal profession in which he was active until the end of his life, in 1808. The same city is still the home of Mrs. McCain, our subject’s mother.

The education of Farrar L. McCain was obtained first from private schools; then from courses in the Methodist College at Little Rock, and later from Arkansas College, at Batesville, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Having elected to follow the profession of law, no better tutelage could be wished for than that which the young man could be given by his father. Natural gifts, a good foundation, his own enthusiasm and his father’s interest all combined to make his progress rapid indeed, and the very day on which Farrar McCain attained to his majority saw him admitted to the practice of law in the district courts of Arkansas. In the following year he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the state.

As a lawyer of established status, Mr. McCain became an associate of his father’s firm in Little Rock and in time William McCain and his son became the sole members of the firm. Their practice was extensive and important in quality and continued on the same basis for ten years during which time Farrar McCain was honored by election to the Arkansas Legislature. In 1904 he came to Muskogee.

In 1909 Mr. McCain was appointed by Governor Haskell to the office of superior court judge at Muskogee. In the following year he was again proffered this office by the election of citizens and held it from 1910 until 1914. In the latter year he resigned to accept the general attorneyship of the Midland Valley Railroad for Oklahoma. Although he had been honored by re-election to his judgeship at primary election, he chose to lay down the reins of political office for the active legal practice of the railroad connection.

Judge McCain has ever been active in the councils of the democratic party. He has served as chairman of both the city and county committees as well as on the Executive Committee of both organizations. He has furthermore been a delegate to many political conventions and has been otherwise active. In his profession he has risen to prominence as president of the Muskogee City Bar Association. Fraternally he is a member both of the fraternal order of Elks and of the Modern Woodmen and Masons. In church affiliation he is a Presbyterian. The judge’s life companion is a former Arkansas lady, nee Katherine Adams, to whom he was married on January 31, 1900, at Little Rock, Arkansas. The 1442/159 second generation of the Muskogee family of McCain consists of Mr. and Mrs. McCain’s one son, Samuel Barton McCain.