CENTENNIAL SIDELIGHTS Herald Journal Logan Utah March 23 -56 Bench And Bar Of Cache By JESSE P. RICH Logan City Judge The writer has been asked to give something on the history of the Bench and Bar in Cache County. That means that we will have to start right at the beginning, for the first officer appointed for Cache County was the Probate Judge. The County was created by an act of the Fifth Annual Session of the Territorial Legislature convened at Filmore, December 1, 1855, and approved January 1856, The Enabling Act passed by Congress September 9, 1850, provided for three Judicial Districts in the Territory, with a Probate Court in each County, and a Justice in each precinct. The Probate Judge was named by the legislature and commissioned by the Governor. A Judge, Also The first Probate Judge of Cache County was Peter Maughan. He came here in 1856, and his official records start April 4, 1857. It was his job to organize the County, and get things started. He first organized the County Court, which consisted of himself as presiding officer, three selectmen and a clerk. The first three selectmen named were William Gardner, O.D. Thompson and John Carr, with Francis Gunnell as clerk. The County Court was the executive, legislative and judicial body of the county. It organized the precincts and appointed their officers; built bridges, made roads and did what business there was to be done. The Probate Judge could enter land for the benefit of towns, and get a patent from the government, and deed the lots out to the inhabitants (this was generally done though by the Mayor of a city, where there was one). However the Probate Judge had another job, which was to preside over the Probate Court where estates were probated. This was different from the County Court. He was given no jurisdiction to entertain actions for the recovery of money; but was given jurisdiction concurrent with the District Court, to entertain actions for divorce. Record of the County Court, Book “A” is the only record we have of court proceedure up to the time it ends, which is March 16, 1878. After that time we find a record of the County Court Book “B” and a record of the Probate Court “B”. From then on two sets of Court Records are kept, with the same Probate Judge presiding over the County Court and the Probatee Court. Then William Hyde As Probate Judge after Peter Maughan, William Hyde appears February 6, 1866 and acts in that capacity until he died, March 2, 1874. He was succeeded by Milton D. Hammond who in turn was succeeded by James Z. Stewart, in October, 1883. The Stewart family still has the certificate of appointment of Judge Stewart. In October, 1889, William Goodwin followed James Z. Stewart in that office, and held it until October 2, 1894. On November 12th Noble Warrum Jr. appears as Probate Judge, and continued in office until January 11, 1896, when the office was abolished by the adoption of the State Constitution. At that time (Continued on Page 2) CITY JUDGE Jesse P. Rich, prominent in Logan professional and civic functions, reviews history of legal field in Valley.