Читать книгу History of Fresno County, Vol. 3 - Paul E. Vandor - Страница 30

A highly-honored member of the legal profession-was the late George L. Warlow, a native of Bloomington, Ill., where he was born on July 1, 1849. His father was Jonathan B. Warlow, while his mother before her marriage was Catherine B. Hay. George attended the public schools of his locality until he had thoroughly prepared for college, and then he went to the Northwestern University at Indianapolis, Ind., where he remained until 1872. In that year he matriculated at Eureka College, in Eureka, Ill., from which he graduated with honors in 1874. Having a first-class general collegiate training, Mr. Warlow put it to the test by teaching school, in Bloomington, Ill., where he had charge of classes for a year.

Resolved upon prosecuting a professional career, he then entered the law office of Stevenson & Ewing, and read law under the late Adlai Ewing Stevenson, later Vice-President of the United States, and then again sought the lecture-room, this time registering in the Bloomington Law School of the Wesleyan University, at Bloomington, Ill., from which he was graduated in the Centennial Year. That same year he continued the study of law in the office of the well-known firm of Bloomfield, Pollock & Campbell, where his facilities were exceptionally good; and in July, 1876, he was admitted to the bar.

Mr. Warlow then went to Virginia, Cass County, Ill., and formed a partnership for the practice of law with State Senator A. A. Leeper, under the firm name of Warlow & Leeper; and this partnership was continued until 1889. Few men were better or more favorably known there at that time, and he served with general satisfaction as Master of Chancery at Virginia.

In 1889 Mr. Warlow first came to Fresno; and here, until 1914 he practiced for himself with flattering success. Then he took into partnership his son Chester, and the firm, — now so widely and favorably known — became Warlow & Warlow.

While residing at Virginia, in Illinois, Mr. Warlow was married, on September 23, 1880, to Ella Knowles, by whom he had four children. Trenna died in Fresno, at the age of ten, of the black diphtheria: George, when seven years old, also died here a week after, of the same malady — Trenna's case being the first known in the community. Zoe died in Virginia, Ill., an infant. All four children were born at that place.

George L. Warlow died on October 17, 1918, and was buried privately at Mountain View Cemetery. He left his widow and son, Chester, as his only heirs. He also left a will making his son, (who had been associated with him in practice and was already a rising attorney,) his executor. At the time of his father's death, however, Chester was in the United States Air Service at Kelley Field, San Antonio, Texas, and it was impossible for him to act; so an uncle, W. T. Knowles, well known to Fresno and the oil interests at Coalinga, was duly appointed administrator with the will annexed.

Chester H. Warlow, the youngest of the four children, was born on June 3, 1889 and was only six months old when he came to Fresno with his parents. He attended the grammar schools and then went to the Kemper Military Academy at Boonville, Mo., one of the best military schools of its size in the country, from which he was graduated in 1906. He then entered the Leland Stanford University and took the prelegal course and was graduated in 1911 with the degree of A.B.; and in the fall of that year he matriculated at the Harvard Law School, at Cambridge, Mass. For a year there he specialized in law, and the following year returned to Leland Stanford and completed the Stanford Law School course. When he graduated, as a member of the Class of '13, he received the degree of Doctor of Law.

Returning to Fresno, Mr. Warlow entered the law office of his father, and father and son formed the partnership of Warlow & Warlow. At the opening of the World War, Chester volunteered in the regular army, and was sent to Kelley Field, Texas; and later on he was assigned to the One Hundred Fifth Aero Squadron there, where he attained to the rank of First Lieutenant. He was honorably discharged on December 24, 1918, and arrived home on the following New Year's Day. The first of February he opened his law office at 812 Griffith-McKenzie Building, and since then has been busy at the commencement of his independent career in which, it is safe to say, he will ably and conscientiously maintain the enviable traditions of his honored father.