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OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS
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Fairfield County, Ohio
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BIOGRAPHIES
THOMAS H. DOLSON.
Perhaps the most distinguished criminal lawyer of this part
of Ohio is Thomas H. Dolson, of Lancaster, whose
reputation is not limited by the confines of this state but
extends into other states where his services have been
sought. In the profession of law one must depend entirely
upon individual merit for advancement, strong mentality,
close application, ambition and determined purpose are the
concomitants of success at the bar and when prestige has
been won it is unmistakable evidence of the possession of
these qualities. Conferring honor and dignity upon the
profession which has honored him, his course has ever been
such as upholds the majesty of the law and his history
therefore should form no unimportant chapter in the judicial
annals of this district.
Mr. Dolson is a native of Ohio, his birth having
occurred in McConnelsville, Morgan county, on the 22nd !of
November, 1851, his parents being Ebenezer B. and Hulda
(Stevenson) Dolson, the former a native of Ohio and the
latter of Virginia. His ancestry, both direct and collateral
for many generations has been distinctively American, and in
the civil and military history of the country the name of
Dolson figures conspicuously. In every war in which the
country has been engaged representatives of the name have
battled for the rights and liberties of the nation and the
great-great-grandfather of our subject was one of the heroes
of the Revolution who fought under the command of General
Washington from 1776 until 1783. The grandfather of
Mr. Dolson served in the Mexican war, and as
quartermaster of the First Ohio Heavy Artillery his father,
Ebenezer B. Dolson, rendered his country effective
aid from 1862 until 1865. At an early clay in the history of
New York the Dolsons resided in that state and it was
the grandfather of our subject who founded the family in
Ohio, establishing his home in Muskingum county in the early
part of the nineteenth century. He purchased large tracts of
land in Muskingum county and in that portion of the state
which afterward became Perry county, and took a prominent
part in developing the industries of that portion of the
state leading to its substantial development and
improvement. Ebenezer Dolson was born and
reared in this state, early becoming familiar with the work
that falls to the lot of the agriculturist, and after
attaining his majority began farming on his own account. For
many years he engaged in the tilling of the soil and in
raising stock in Morgan county, Ohio, and is now living in
Kansas.
The early boyhood days of Thomas H. Dolson were
spent in a manner not unlike that of most boys of the
period. The public schools of Morgan county afforded him his
early educational privileges and later he took a course in
the high school in Logan, Ohio, where he he was graduated
with the class of 1868. Immediately afterward he entered
upon his business career in the capacity of bookkeeper in
the mercantile establishment of his brother-in-law, H. S.
Berry, at Cameron, Missouri, where he remained for two
years. In 1870 he returned to Ohio and wishing to enter
professional life became a law student in the office of
Judge Martin, of Lancaster, who directed his
reading for two years. Successfully passing an examination
before the supreme court, in December, 1873, he was admitted
to the bar and at once established an office in Lancaster.
Nature bountifully endowed him with the peculiar
qualifications that combine to make a successful lawyer.
Patiently persevering, possessed of an analytical mind, and
one that is readily receptive and retentive of the
fundamental principles and intricacies of the law: gifted
with a spirit of devotion to wearisome details; quick to
comprehend the most subtle problems and logical in his
conclusions; fearless in the advocacy of any cause he may
espouse, and the soul of honor and integrity, few men have
been more richly gifted for the achievement of success in
the arduous and difficult profession of the law. In
1875 he formed a partnership with Levi Hite, a
prominent attorney of the Fairfield county bar, and this
relation was maintained until Mr. Hite's removal to
Columbus in 1887. Since that time Mr. Dolson
has been alone in practice. He served for four years
as prosecuting attorney of Fairfield county, from 1876 until
1880, and then retired, but his successor died shortly after
entering upon the duties of the office and Mr. Dolson
was then appointed to fill the unexpired term, so that he
served for nearly two years longer. His course was one
deserving and winning high commendation, for neither fear
nor favor caused him to swerve from the strict path of duty.
His ability as a trial lawyer led to the winning of many of
the suits which he tried in the courts. During his
twenty-three years' practice at the bar of this and other
states, Mr. Dolson has built up a very fine law
business that covers a wide scope of territory. In the
local courts his practice is general, but in the surrounding
counties and other states it is exclusively criminal, mostly
for the defense. Perhaps Mr. Dolson has
been engaged in a greater number of criminal cases than any
other lawyer of his age in the state of Ohio. Among
the notable causes which have attracted general attention,
in which he appeared for the defense as the leading
advocate, was that of the state of Montana versus ______,
the defendant having been charged with murder in the first
degree, but he was acquitted by the jury. Another was
in the state of Illinois versus David Miller, charged
with the murder of A. B. Diamon, the mayor of Arcola,
whom he shot and killed because of some family trouble.
This case was prosecuted with vigor by the state and Mr.
Dolson had to combat the ablest lawyers of central
Illinois, among whom was the Hon. Horace S. Clark, a
man of high reputation as a criminal lawyer. After a
trial of several days' duration Miller was acquitted.
He has also appeared in defense of men charged with high
crimes in the states of Indiana and California and always
with success. Mr. Dolson has appeared on one
side or the other of every important criminal case tried in
Fairfield county during the past fifteen years and in many
of those in adjoining counties. In the case of the
state of Ohio versus Napier, charged with murder,
Mr. Dolson was appointed by the late Judge Hoffman,
of Perry county, to assist in the prosecution. The
defendant was convicted. In his professional career
Mr. Dolson has been most successful not only in gaining
verdicts desired, but also from a financial standpoint as
well, and has been enabled to surround his family with the
comforts and many of the luxuries of life.
In 1876, Mr. Dolson was united in marriage to
Miss Alida Reinmund, a daughter of B. F. and Isabelle
(Arnold) Reinmund, of Fairfield county, and a sister of
Henry J. Reinmund, insurance commissioner under
Governor Hoadley. Mr. and Mrs. Dolson have
four children, two sons and two daughters. The family attend
the English Lutheran church, of which Mr. Dolson
is a member. In his political affiliations he is a Democrat.
He was nominated by his party for the state senate to
represent the ninth and fourteenth senatorial districts, but
was defeated with the remainder of the ticket. Perhaps the
best summary of his life can be given in the words of an old
and prominent member of the Lancaster bar, who said: While
Mr. Dolson does a general law business in the
local courts, his practice runs largely to criminal cases,
and in this peculiar line he has quite a wide reputation. He
is adapted by nature for this kind of work. He is shrewd,
quick to see the weak points of his opponents and aggressive
in availing himself of every advantage presented in the
trial of a case. He has a good voice, an extensive
vocabulary, and on his feet before the jury he makes an
effective address. He is the best talker, perhaps, at this
bar, but not the best read lawyer. If his early education
had been commensurate with his natural abilities as a lawyer
his advancement would have been more rapid. He came to the
bar here early in the seventies, and has improved his
opportunities so well that he now ranks with the leading
attorneys of the district. His reputation as a criminal
lawyer is well established in this section of the state, and
he has been called to widely diverging points to defend Ohio
citizens charged with the violation of the criminal codes of
different states. He has been remarkably successful and has
crossed swords with some able men in this line of practice.
Another feature that has contributed to his success is that
he has confined himself entirely to his profession and is a
worker. He has not neglected his law practice for politics
or any other business. He gives his clients his best efforts
and is a trustworthy and reliable lawyer. He is held in high
esteem both by the legal profession and in the community,
and by the public where he is known. |
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