HON. CHARLES EDWARD BLYDENBURGH.

HON. CHARLES EDWARD BLYDENBURGH.
Wyoming has always been distinguished for the high rank of her bench and bar. Perhaps none of the newer states can boast of abler jurists or attorneys. Many of them have been men of national fame and among those whose lives have been cast on a quieter plane there is scarcely a town or city in the state but can boast of one or more lawyers capable of crossing swords in forensic combat with any of the distinguished legal lights of the United States. While the growth and development of the state in the last few decades has been most marvelous viewed from any standpoint, yet of no one class of her citizenship has she greater reason for just pride than her judges and attorneys. In Judge Blydenburgh is found a combination of the rare qualities which go to make up the successful lawyer and jurist. He is today a member of the supreme court of the state and has left the impress of his individuality upon the upbuilding and development of Wyoming in many other connections. Judge Blydenburgh was born in Brooklyn, New York, March 19, 1854, and is a son of Benjamin Brewster Blydenburgh, a native of Smithtown, Long Island, and a descendant of one of the old New York families. The American progenitor was Joseph Blydenburgh, who came to this country in 163o and settled in what is now the Empire state. Later representatives of the family established their home at Smithtown, Long Island, there settling in 169o. Morgan B. Blydenburgh, a younger brother of Judge Blydenburgh, is still living on the old homestead, which is part of what was originally a much larger property in possession of the family in 1690. Benjamin Brewster Blydenburgh was a merchant of New York and spent his entire life in that state, with the exception of the period of the Civil war, when most of the time he spent abroad. Returning to New York, he continued to make his home at Smithtown, Long Island, until his death, which occurred when he had reached the age of seventy-one years. His wife passed away in 1865 at the age of forty-three years. She bore the maiden name of Mary Brower and was born in New York city, representing one of the old Knickerbocker families of the Empire state. Her ancestors on her mother's side were among the Huguenots who fled from France at the time of the massacre there. To Mr. and Mrs. B. B. Blydenburgh were born seven children, five of whom are yet living, three being residents of the- state of New York, two located at Smithtown and the third in Rochester. Judge Blydenburgh was educated in private schools of Brooklyn and of New York city; Connecticut; and Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and then entered Princeton University, from which he was graduated in 1874 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. His alma mater conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree in 1877 and from Columbia University he won the degree of Engineer of Mines in 1878. Following his graduation he came to Wyoming with Professor J. G. Murphy, and they, under the direction and appointment of Governor Hoyt, opened the first assay office in the state, at Rawlins, becoming the first territorial geologists of Wyoming. Judge Blydenburgh engaged in assay work for two years and during the spring of 1880 he entered the cattle business in connection with Harry D. Blydenburgh, his brother, on a ranch on Jack creek, seven miles from Saratoga. There they have about twelve thousand acres of land, of which seventeen hundred acres are under irrigation. Since 1884 he has been secretary and treasurer of the Jack Creek Land and Cattle Company. Judge Blydenburgh and his brother were among the first sheep men in this section of the country, beginning their sheep raising enterprise in 1880, and they are among the oldest representatives of this business in the state. During the time of his engineering studies at the School of Mines of Columbia University he became interested as a pastime in long range rifle shooting and was a member of the All American Rifle team that in 1877 at Creedmoor, Long Island, shot against the team of Great Britain for the long range championship of the world, and Judge Blydenburgh made the highest score made by any individual in that contest. The activities of Judge Blydenburgh have indeed been broad and varied. Not only did he prove a successful assayer and rancher, but also turned his attention to the study of law, reading in the office and under the direction of J. R. Dixon, one of the pioneer attorneys of Rawlins. In the spring of 1888 he began practice and has since been actively and continuously connected with the bar of the state. In 1889 the firm of McMicken & Blydenburgh was established and continued until Judge Blydenburgh was appointed to the state supreme bench October 4, 1917, taking the oath of office on the 1st of November following. In his law practice Judge Blydenburgh was very successful and was regarded as one of the ablest members of the Wyoming bar. In Rawlins, in 1894, Judge Blydenburgh was united in marriage to Miss Isabelle Cannon, a native of Illinois and a daughter of Thomas Cannon, who died in Rawlins and who probably came of the same family as Hon. Joseph Cannon, of Danville, Illinois. His wife bore the maiden name of Ellen Lambert. To Judge and Mrs. Blydenburgh were born six children : Mary, who is now a senior in Smith College; Annabelle Brower; Charles Edward; Margaret Lambert; Richard Thomas, and Amy, all of whom were born in Rawlins, where the family home was maintained until the fall of 1917. Judge Blydenburgh since his birth has been connected with the Presbyterian church and for a long period he has been president of the board of trustees of that church at Rawlins. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. His military experience covers service in the National Guard of Wyoming in 1894. In politics he has always been a democrat and has taken a very active part in political and civic affairs. He served as superintendent of schools of Carbon county in 1881 and 1882 and was elected to the tenth territorial legislature of Wyoming, at which period among his colleagues were the Hon. Willis Van Devanter, now a member of the United States supreme court; Judge Blake; Le Roy Grant; J. A. Johnson; and John Kuykendall, who is now living in Denver, Colorado, but was then a resident of Carbon county, Wyoming. Judge Blydenburgh has served at numerous times as city attorney and for a period was a member of the city council of Rawlins, acting as mayor for a time. He was on the state board of law examiners for eleven years after the establishment of that board and in 1896 he was chairman of the democratic state central committee. In 1900 he was made a delegate to the national convention of the party at Kansas City. He had been for some years prior to his appointment to the bench president of the board of education at Rawlins. He has occupied many honorary positions and was at the time of his appointment connected with the State Council of National Defense. His activities have been varied and his interests have touched the general welfare in many ways, contributing largely to the state's growth and development. In every field his labors have proved directly beneficial and resultant and now, as a member of the supreme court, he has entered upon a still broader field.

Wyoming has always been distinguished for the high rank of her bench and bar. Perhaps none of the newer states can boast of abler jurists or attorneys. Many of them have been men of national fame and among those whose lives have been cast on a quieter plane there is scarcely a town or city in the state but can boast of one or more lawyers capable of crossing swords in forensic combat with any of the distinguished legal lights of the United States. While the growth and development of the state in the last few decades has been most marvelous viewed from any standpoint, yet of no one class of her citizenship has she greater reason for just pride than her judges and attorneys. In Judge Blydenburgh is found a combination of the rare qualities which go to make up the successful lawyer and jurist. He is today a member of the supreme court of the state and has left the impress of his individuality upon the upbuilding and development of Wyoming in many other connections.
Judge Blydenburgh was born in Brooklyn, New York, March 19, 1854, and is a son of Benjamin Brewster Blydenburgh, a native of Smithtown, Long Island, and a descendant of one of the old New York families. The American progenitor was Joseph Blydenburgh, who came to this country in 163o and settled in what is now the Empire state. Later representatives of the family established their home at Smithtown, Long Island, there settling in 169o. Morgan B. Blydenburgh, a younger brother of Judge Blydenburgh, is still living on the old homestead, which is part of what was originally a much larger property in possession of the family in 1690. Benjamin Brewster Blydenburgh was a merchant of New York and spent his entire life in that state, with the exception of the period of the Civil war, when most of the time he spent abroad. Returning to New York, he continued to make his home at Smithtown, Long Island, until his death, which occurred when he had reached the age of seventy-one years. His wife passed away in 1865 at the age of forty-three years. She bore the maiden name of Mary Brower and was born in New York city, representing one of the old Knickerbocker families of the Empire state. Her ancestors on her mother's side were among the Huguenots who fled from France at the time of the massacre there. To Mr. and Mrs. B. B. Blydenburgh were born seven children, five of whom are yet living, three being residents of the- state of New York, two located at Smithtown and the third in Rochester.
Judge Blydenburgh was educated in private schools of Brooklyn and of New York city; Connecticut; and Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and then entered Princeton University, from which he was graduated in 1874 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. His alma mater conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree in 1877 and from Columbia University he won the degree of Engineer of Mines in 1878. Following his graduation he came to Wyoming with Professor J. G. Murphy, and they, under the direction and appointment of Governor Hoyt, opened the first assay office in the state, at Rawlins, becoming the first territorial geologists of Wyoming. Judge Blydenburgh engaged in assay work for two years and during the spring of 1880 he entered the cattle business in connection with Harry D. Blydenburgh, his brother, on a ranch on Jack creek, seven miles from Saratoga. There they have about twelve thousand acres of land, of which seventeen hundred acres are under irrigation. Since 1884 he has been secretary and treasurer of the Jack Creek Land and Cattle Company. Judge Blydenburgh and his brother were among the first sheep men in this section of the country, beginning their sheep raising enterprise in 1880, and they are among the oldest representatives of this business in the state.
During the time of his engineering studies at the School of Mines of Columbia University he became interested as a pastime in long range rifle shooting and was a member of the All American Rifle team that in 1877 at Creedmoor, Long Island, shot against the team of Great Britain for the long range championship of the world, and Judge Blydenburgh made the highest score made by any individual in that contest.
The activities of Judge Blydenburgh have indeed been broad and varied. Not only did he prove a successful assayer and rancher, but also turned his attention to the study of law, reading in the office and under the direction of J. R. Dixon, one of the pioneer attorneys of Rawlins. In the spring of 1888 he began practice and has since been actively and continuously connected with the bar of the state. In 1889 the firm of McMicken & Blydenburgh was established and continued until Judge Blydenburgh was appointed to the state supreme bench October 4, 1917, taking the oath of office on the 1st of November following. In his law practice Judge Blydenburgh was very successful and was regarded as one of the ablest members of the Wyoming bar.
In Rawlins, in 1894, Judge Blydenburgh was united in marriage to Miss Isabelle Cannon, a native of Illinois and a daughter of Thomas Cannon, who died in Rawlins and who probably came of the same family as Hon. Joseph Cannon, of Danville, Illinois. His wife bore the maiden name of Ellen Lambert. To Judge and Mrs. Blydenburgh were born six children : Mary, who is now a senior in Smith College; Annabelle Brower; Charles Edward; Margaret Lambert; Richard Thomas, and Amy, all of whom were born in Rawlins, where the family home was maintained until the fall of 1917.
Judge Blydenburgh since his birth has been connected with the Presbyterian church and for a long period he has been president of the board of trustees of that church at Rawlins. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. His military experience covers service in the National Guard of Wyoming in 1894. In politics he has always been a democrat and has taken a very active part in political and civic affairs. He served as superintendent of schools of Carbon county in 1881 and 1882 and was elected to the tenth territorial legislature of Wyoming, at which period among his colleagues were the Hon. Willis Van Devanter, now a member of the United States supreme court; Judge Blake; Le Roy Grant; J. A. Johnson; and John Kuykendall, who is now living in Denver, Colorado, but was then a resident of Carbon county, Wyoming. Judge Blydenburgh has served at numerous times as city attorney and for a period was a member of the city council of Rawlins, acting as mayor for a time. He was on the state board of law examiners for eleven years after the establishment of that board and in 1896 he was chairman of the democratic state central committee. In 1900 he was made a delegate to the national convention of the party at Kansas City. He had been for some years prior to his appointment to the bench president of the board of education at Rawlins. He has occupied many honorary positions and was at the time of his appointment connected with the State Council of National Defense. His activities have been varied and his interests have touched the general welfare in many ways, contributing largely to the state's growth and development. In every field his labors have proved directly beneficial and resultant and now, as a member of the supreme court, he has entered upon a still broader field.