HALL, JAMES. 



HALPINE CHARLES G. 



337 



H 



HALL, JAMES, an American lawyer, editor, 

 author, and banker, born in Philadelphia, Au- 

 gust 19, 1793 ; died at his residence near Love- 

 land, one of the suburbs of Cincinnati, July 5, 

 1868. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, 

 and participated in the battle of Lundy's Lane 

 and in the siege of Fort Erie. Subsequently 

 he joined the navy, accompanied Decatur's 

 squadron against the Algerines, and enjoyed a 

 cruise in the Mediterranean, In 1815 his ves- 

 sel returned to the United States, and he was 

 stationed at Newport, R. I. In 1818 he re- 

 signed his position and entered upon the study 

 of law at Pittsburgh. In 1820 Mr. Hall removed 

 to Shawneetown, 111., and began the practice 

 of his profession. He soon thereafter began 

 the series of "Letters from the "West," which 

 were published in The Portfolio at Philadel- 

 phia, at that time under the editorial charge 

 of his brother, Harrison Hall. These letters, 

 without his knowledge, were collected and pub- 

 lished in England. About the same time he 

 became the editor of the Illinois Gazette. He 

 was appointed circuit attorney for ten counties, 

 and filled this office four years, when he was 

 chosen judge of the same circuit. He contin- 

 ued these duties four years, when his office was 

 abolished by a change in the judiciary system 

 of the State. Subsequently he held for four 

 years the office of State Treasurer of Illinois. 

 During this period he continued his literary 

 labors, editing the Illinois Intelligencer, writ- 

 ing letters to The Portfolio, and poems and 

 sketches for Flint's Western Review, at Cincin- 

 nati, over the signature of Orlando. In 1829, 

 he compiled " The Western Souvenir," a Christ- 

 mas and New-Year's Gift, the first annual of 

 the West. This was a neatly-printed 18mo vol- 

 ume, containing three hundred and twenty-four 

 pages. The Illinois Magazine was started in 

 Vandalia, in December, 1830. It was a month- 

 ly octavo of forty-eight pages, and was pub- 

 lished two years. Among its contributors were 

 the Rev. James H. Perkins and Salmon P. 

 Chase, but the editor was the chief 'writer. In 

 1833 Judge Hall removed to Cincinnati. The 

 Illinois Magazine was discontinued, and the 

 Western Monthly established. This had years 

 of prosperity. It was conducted by the Judge 

 until 1837, when he was succeeded by James 

 Rees Fry. In 1836 Judge Hall was elected 

 cashier of the Commercial Bank of Cincinnati, 

 and from this time forward he became closely 

 identified with the business and financial inter- 

 ests of that city. In 1853 he was chosen pres- 

 ident of the bank, a position which he held 

 until the institution was converted into the 

 Commercial National Bank, in 1865. But 

 while Judge Hall was a successful banker, it 

 was rather in the literary field that he won his 

 distinction. His labors in this field were com- 

 VOL. vin. 22 A 



prised in sixteen volumes: "Legends of the 

 West," 1832; " The Soldier's Bride, and other 

 Tales," 1832 ; " The Harpies' Head, a Legend of 

 Kentucky," 1833 ; "Sketches of the West," two 

 volumes, 1835 ; " Tales of the Border," 1835 ; 

 " Statistics of the West," 1836 ; " Notes on 

 the Western States," 1838 ; "Life of General 

 Harrison," 1836; "History of the Indian 

 Tribes," three volumes, 1838 ; " The Wilder- 

 ness and the War-Path," 1845; "Anniversary 

 Address before the Mercantile Library Associa- 

 tion of Cincinnati," 1846; "Life of Thomas 

 Posey, Governor of Indiana;" and "Romance 

 of Western History," 1857. 



HALL, Hon. WILLIS, an eminent lawyer and 

 politican of New York, born in Granville, N. Y., 

 April 1, 1801 ; died in New York City of con- 

 gestion of the brain, induced by the heat, July 

 14, 1868. He was a graduate of Yale College 

 in the class of 1824. He studied law at New 

 York City and Litchfield, Conn. ; was admitted 

 to the bar in 1827, and practised in Mobile 

 four and a half years. In 1831 he returned to 

 New York, and continued in practice until 

 1838. In 1837 he was made a member of the 

 Assembly; in 1838 he was made Attorney- 

 General of the State by the Legislature, and 

 moved to Albany, filling this office for one year, 

 the period of the ascendency of the Whig party. 

 He was also for a time a lecturer in the Law 

 School at Saratoga. In 1842 he was again 

 elected to the Assembly, but the next year had 

 an attack of paralysis, from which he never 

 fully recovered. After foreign travel, he re- 

 sumed practice in New York. In 1848 he was 

 one of the few who opposed the nomination 

 of General Taylor as the Whig candidate 

 for the presidency, and endeavored to bring 

 forward the name of Henry Clay. After the 

 failure of the effort, Mr. Hall supported Van 

 Buren and Adams, and this concluded his 

 connection with political affairs. Retiring from 

 professional and political life, he devoted his 

 latter years to his personal and domestic affairs. 

 He was very courteous in his manners and 

 made many warm friends. 



H ALPINE, Brevet Major-General CHABLES 

 G., a poet, scholar, editor, author, soldier, and 

 politician, born at Oldcastle, County of Meath, 

 Ireland, November, 1829 ; died in New York 

 City August 3, 1868. He was of an old and 

 excellent family, his ancestors having resided 

 for many generations in the County of Louth. 

 His father, Rev. Nicholas Halpine, was a cler- 

 gyman of the Irish Established Church, and 

 distinguished both as a scholar and writer, 

 and from 1840 till his death was editor of the 

 Dublin Evening Mail,^ the leading paper of that 

 city in the Protestant interest. His son Charles 

 was carefully trained by his father, entered 

 Trinity College, Dublin, at the earliest age at 



