Iviii BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



without turning aside from his daily practice in the general 

 body of the law — he became one of the foremost ecclesiastical 

 lawyers of the Catholic Church, of which he was a member, 

 and the most eminent authority in America on the laws of the 

 Orthodox Russian Church. It has been truly said of him 

 since his death that his successor in this branch of the law is 

 not now to be found, but must be reared. The distinction 

 thus acquired was by nightly study at home for years and by 

 study abroad in every important library of Europe during 

 his annual vacations, when it is safe to say that he spent half 

 his time in those pursuits, while the other half was spent in 

 joyous recreation — for he had the heart of a boy, with all his 

 wisdom. It was certainly remarkable that one man, while 

 engaged in his daily vocation, and not prompted by gain, ac- 

 quired distinction as the exponent of the laws of three great 

 Churches, whose ecclesiastical constitutions are so different 

 one from the other. That was another characteristic of his 

 — he was so broad-minded that his thoughts were world-wide ; 

 everything in the realm of learning was worth studying and 

 carrying into practical effect. 



"His constructive work as a lawyer was never better shown 

 than in the last important labor of his life in the Constitutional 

 Convention, when as a member of two of the most important 

 committees on the floor, he attended every session and was 

 consulted by the leaders of both parties. He proved himself 

 then, as always, a deep well of learning. 



"No summary of a lawyer's life would be worth the reading 

 if silent as to his political faith, for one fuses with the other. 

 Andrew Jackson Shipman was fitly named, for he was a 

 staunch Democrat. Yet his last act as a Regent of the Uni- 

 versity of the State of New York was to nominate for the 

 degree of Doctor of Laws a distinguished Republican. Mr. 

 Shipman never sought a favor, political or personal, and, 

 therefore, received none. He held high positions in the service 

 of the State, but never of his own seeking and always without 

 emolimient. 



"He possessed in a marked degree personal modesty in 

 contact with his equals and simplicity with his inferiors, and 

 yet in the service of a client he was quick to assert himself 

 to the highest degree. He shunned notoriety, but was not 

 averse to sincere recognition. He had a deep-rooted respect 



