John S. Goodrich was born on 7 October 1815 at
Clarence, Erie County, New York.
2 He was the son of
Levi Hamilton Goodrich and
Eunice Skinner.
1 He died while on his way home from Buffalo, N.Y., to Pontiac, Michigan on 15 October 1851 at
Detroit, Michigan, at age 36.
2 Transcribed from Case: "From early boyhood his life was one of marked characteristics; like most other boys of his day he began life on the farm, which pursuit he cheerfully engaged in, but not with a satisfied mind. Very early his physical and mental powers were made to diverge by force of circumstances; manual labor was made the pursuit of one, while the other asserted its right in search after knowledge. Those two divided purposes of life produced such an effect upon his physical system that before the age of twelve years his general health became so impaired that it was found necessary to remove him from all manual labor, and allow him the desired indulgence of his books. At the age of fifteen years he entered Middlebury Academy, where he continued his studies for the following two years, when declining health compelled his retirement for rest and recuperation; positive rest from all mental labor was the injunction, which was strictly obeyed, with the best of results. With improved health he returned to his studies; but he soon passed its curriculum, and was left to himself for further progress. His forte, as a student, was mathematics. He had already traversed Hutton's full course, mastered each subject in detail, and now, when casting about for the future before him, he was advised to take up the study of history. Here his disciplined mind revelled. It was nothing uncommon for him to go over forty pages of closely-printed matter at a single recitation, giving incident and fact in his own language in detail. From the academy he returned home with improved health.
When in the nineteenth year of his age he entered the law-office of Hon. John T. Bush of Buffalo. How long he remained in this office is not certainly known, but this much is known of him, that the study of the law was not altogether congenial to his taste. It was not the aliment to satisfy his mathematical mind. He accordingly engaged with the Port Huron and Lake Michigan Railroad Company as civil engineer, for the survey of their route across the country, as a means for gratifying his mathematical taste; but the miasma of the swamps and marshes of St. Clair County soon compelled his retirement with a disease that well-nigh cost him his life.
Regaining his health, he again entered upon the study of law in the office of Hon. Alfred H. Hanscom of Pontiac. This relationship culminated in the firm of Hanscom & Goodrich. As a pleader at the bar, Hanscom was unsurpassed in the State, while, on the other hand, Goodrich rose rapidly as a counsellor, and developed a remarkable ability in preparing "briefs" for cases in court. This combination of strength and ability soon made this law firm one of the first in the State. Eventually, however, the star of Hanscom's popularity began to wane just as it had reached its zenith. As a consequence, Mr. Goodrich became the leading man of the firm, both as counsellor and pleader before the courts. One most remarkable characteristic of the man was his memory; this was evidenced through his whole life, but the culmination of its strength was only realized in his arguments before the courts in his citation of authorities, giving the book, case, and page of his authority, and, if pertinent to his case, would give page after page of his cited authority without an error. In this respect he was the equal of Hon. Edward Everett, whose record as yet is unsurpassed. Death came suddenly at the age of thirty-six years.
At a meeting of the Detroit bar, a glowing tribute to his character and attainments was pronounced by Chief Justice Whipple, and resolutions passed expressive of their profound esteem and admiration in which he was held by his professional brethren."
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