Horace White Root was born in Newport, Campbell county, Kentucky, in 1869.  His father, James C. Root, was a lawyer of considerable ability who died in Newport when his son was only two years of age.  His mother, Margaret Hawthorn Root, was the granddaughter of Richard Southgate, one of the most distinguished lawyers of his day in Kentucky, a man of rare ability and one of the largest land and slave holders in the state.
    
Reared by a fond mother, whose ambition was to see her son follow in the footsteps of his father and achieve that greatness in the profession which his father's early demise made impossible, Mr. Root, at an early age, gave promise of this wish being fulfilled.  He was graduated at the Newport high school in 1888 and afterward took a special one year's course at the Woodward high school in Cincinnati.  He next entered the law office of his uncles, Oliver W. and Albert T. Root, constituting the well-known firm of Root & Root, where he continued his legal studies until entering the Cincinnati Law School, where he pursued a two-years course and was graduated in the class of 1891.

Being now fitted for his chosen profession he put his theoretical knowledge to the practical test and soon demonstrated his peculiar fitness for the life work he had chosen.

     In 1894 he was the Republican candidate for the office of county attorney, but was defeated by the small majority of thirty-six in a county strongly Democratic.  The year following he was the successful candidate for the position of city solicitor, polling the second largest vote on the ticket.  In January, 1896, he entered upon the discharge of his duties and his term will continue through four years.

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Horace White Root 1956 Obituary


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