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One of Franklin’s Most Distin-
guished Citizens.

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A LONG AND USEFUL CAREER ENDED.

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His Parentage—Early Struggles—Pro-
fessional Career—Official Hon-
ors—Characteristics.

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While not wholly unexpected, yet the news, Saturday, that Judge Woollen had died, came as a shock and cast uni­versal gloom over the community.

His long residence in Franklin, his active career as banker, lawyer and judge had made everyone in Johnson familiar with his name and face. He was a man of the highest integrity and with high ideals of citizenship. In his life he fully exemplified these qualities. All recognized in him a man of large mould.

His illness dates back over a year. His last appearance in court was in the Brewer trial, at which time it was no­ticed he was in extremely poor health. After this he was compelled to abandon work and he gradually declined from that date.

The following account of his career is taken from the Johnson County At­las:

Thomas W. Woollen, of Franklin, was born in Dorchester County, Md., April 26, 1830. He was the second son of Edward and Anna Woollen, whose maiden name was Wheeler. The Woollens are of English descent. In the forepart of the seventeenth century, a Mr. Woollen, wife and several children emigrated from London to this country, and on the voyage the father and all the children died of disease incident to such journeys, the wife alone reaching Phil­adelphia. This woman shortly after landing gave birth to a son, from whom sprang all the name now known to be in this country, so far as their history has been traced.

Thomas W. Woollen’s grandfather, William Woollen, was born on Taylor’s Island something over a hundred years after his father settled there. The youngest son of Wm. Woolen was Edward, the father of the subject of this sketch; who was born in 1803, in the same county that his fathers had lived for a century and a half. Edward Wool­len was a farmer in moderate cir­cumstances. During the summer months Thomas worked upon his father’s farm, and in the winter he attended the country school. There was not much knowledge to be had in the district schools in Maryland, or anywhere else for that matter, forty years ago; but the district school was the best Thomas ever attended, and when a country boy in Maryland at that time had gone through the course of Comley’s spelling book, the New York and English readers, Pike’s arithmetic and Kirk­ham’s grammar, as did young Woollen, he was considered of but little further use on the farm, and it was no surprise to his neighbors when the young man, at fifteen years of age, removed to the city of Baltimore. Here he applied himself to the carpenter’s trade, and, in the meantime, devouring every book to which he had access. With none to guide him in the selection of books, it may well be supposed his reading was of a very miscellaneous character; but even such reading was better than none, for it instilled into his mind an ambition for better things, aroused within him a desire to be more than an obscure carpenter and laid the foundation of his future course.

In 1844, his brother, William Wool­slen, left home and went to Madison Ind. There he was successful in getting public employment, and of course wrote the fact to friends at home. Upon a boy far in his teens, this news could have but one effect. Thomas W. laid aside his miter-box and hand saw and set out for Indiana. This was in the spring of 1848. John Taylor was at that time clerk of the Jefferson circuit court, and Wm. Wesley Woollen had been his deputy. A deputyship opening for him in the auditor’s office, Thomas was installed as deputy in the clerk’s office, under Taylor. There he continued up to the spring of 1852, when he became deputy treasurer under his brother, who had in the meantime been elected to that office. In the fall of that year, Col. John Chambers was elected county treasurer, and he continued Thomas in the office as deputy up to 1854, when, his term being about to expire, the deputy was placed in nomination as the democratic candidate for the office itself. But that was a disastrous year for the democratic nominees all over the country. Know-Nothingism, which had sprung up in a night, met with great triumphs that year and of those who failed to withstand its assaults was the democratic candidate for treasurer in Jefferson county. The entire democratic ticket was defeated.

While in the clerk’s office, at the suggestion of Hon. A. C. Downey, then judge of the Jefferson circuit court, he had been industriously reading law, intending to prepare himself for that profession as soon as he could be able to do so. Under a liberal arrangement with Col. Chambers, while his deputy, he was able to acquire the means to carry out his purpose. Having, in 1856, been married to Harriet J. Williams, daughter of the late Judge Williams, of Jackson county, and now having been defeated and was out of public emp­loyment, he sat down in the shade of his own house and continued the study of law. This he kept up to the spring of 1856, when he left Madison and went to Vernon, where Benjamin F. Lewis had just been elected clerk, and, on the suggestion of Judge Downey, Woollen was employed for a few months in the office to introduce the new clerk to its duties, after which he commenced the practice of law. This, however, did not suit him, and, in short time, he moved to Franklin and, in connection with Jeptha D. New, opened a law office here, but Mr. New returning to Vernon soon after, Woollen was left alone to push his way as best he could.

Thomas W. Woollen has always been something of a politician. He is and always has been a democrat, and has been exceedingly useful to his party in preparing resolutions for conventions and addresses for central committees. As a safe and sound adviser, whether in affairs political or legal, he ranked de­sservedly high. By reason of his acti­vity in political affairs, he was chosen in 1862, to make the race on the democratic ticket for joint representative from Johnson and Morgan counties, and was elected over his opponent by 580 votes.

In 1860 his brother, William Wesley Woollen, W. S. Webb, Wm. Needham and T. A. Pinkney organized the banking house of Willis S. Webb & Co., which, in 1863, was merged into the First National Bank of Franklin, and in 1865, William W. Woollen having moved to Indianapolis and become a partner in the Indiana Banking Co., the subject of this sketch was elected cashier of the First National Bank, and its affairs passed under his control.

In 1866 he was a democratic candi­date for circuit judge, but was defeated in a circuit overwhelmingly republican by a party majority.

In 1868, while actively engaged in his banking business, he was presented before a democratic nominating conven­tion, held at Morgantown, as a can­didate for common pleas judge. This was without his consent and against his expressed wishes, but the members of the Johnson County, without distinction of party, urged upon him the duty of accepting, if nominated, and his poli­tical friends presented his name before the convention and he was nominated and subsequently elected. The directory of the bank now made him president of that institution and it was thought, with the clerical aid rendered in the bank by the other officers, he would be able to serve as judge and at the same time supervise the general business of the bank. This arrangement proved unsat­isfactory. He was able to attend to his judicial duties up to about the begin­ning of 1870, when it was thought by the directory of the bank that his active services in that institution were imper­atively demanded.

In the spring of 1870 his wife had died, leaving him with a large family of children, who needed his presence at home, and he concluded to accept the offer of the board of directors to again take full charge of the bank, and by special appointment, made under the statute, D. D. Banta, Esq., held the terms of court in all the counties of the district except Johnson up to the following October, when Judge Woollen tendered his resignation and a successor was elected.

In March, 1870, the Indiana Banking Company underwent a change of pro­prietors, W. S. Webb and W. W. Woollen withdrawing and establishing the house of Woollen, Webb & Co., and W. H. Morrison becoming a partner in the old firm. Several of the stockholders in the First National Bank of Franklin were partners in the Indiana Banking Company, and the Indianapolis partners in that concern, thinking it would be better for them that the management of the Franklin bank should be in other hands than a brother of one of the partners in the rival house, made an effort to drive him from the bank, which ended in February, 1871, by Judge Woollen selling his interest in the bank and tendering his resignation as an officer. During the six years of his connection with the bank not a dollar was lost to the stockholders by an act of his, and when he left it its stock was selling at $130 to the share. On his retirement from the bank he resumed the practice of law, in partnership with Cas Byfield.

In 1872 Mr. Admire, the regularly nominated candidate for the lower house from Johnson County, refusing to support Mr. Greely, the central com­mittee displaced him and put Judge Woollen on the ticket as the democratic candidate. Admire having been regu­larly nominated and refusing to withdraw, it made the race a doubtful one, but Judge Woollen was elected by a majority of 341 votes. During the legislative term that followed he took a leading part in the legislation of the state. He was, in some respects, “the acknowledged democratic leader of the house, and was the author of the protest made by the democratic members against the passage of the appor­tionment bill of that year”

In 1874 he was a candidate before the state democratic convention for the office of attorney general, but was defeated& but in 1878, being again a candidate for that office he was nominated, and, at the general election of that year, was elected to the office over his opponent, Judge D. P. Baldwin, by a majority of 14,461 votes. He moved to Indianapolis, as the law required, and entered upon the discharge of the duties of the office, and by reason of his extended general knowledge of the law, and from his intimate acquaintance with the business of the various public offices, it was found that he was singularly well qualified for the position which he held.

In 1880, he was again nominated this time by acclamation, but at the October election, he went down with the residue of the state ticket. His defeated opponent of two years before, Judge Baldwin, rode upon the waves of suc­cess this time, and came in by a little over 4,000 majority.

Judge Woollen returned to Franklin and resumed the practice of the law in partnership with his former partner, Judge Banta.

After Judge Woollen retired from the management of the First National bank, the board of directors appointed Richard T. Taylor, cashier, who con­trolled the affairs of the bank until February 1877, when he absconded, having embezzled about $300,000 of the funds in reckless speculations in Chicago and elsewhere. The bank went into the hands of the comptroller for settlement, who first appointed Walter S. Johnston receiver, who held the place until July, when Judge Woollen was appointed his successor.

In 1889 the Citizens Bank was organized and Judge Woollen was made president. He continued in this capacity until a few weeks before his death. During this period he had given the greater part of his time to the bank. Two years ago he again opened a law office, with Elba Brannigin as partner.

Judge Woollen’s second marriage was in 1872, to Mrs. Catherine Pollaska. To the first union was born five children: Mrs. Anna E. Hyder of Indianapolis; Wm. E. of this city; Mrs. Virginia Scanlen of Peoria, Illinois; Thomas G. of Dallas, Tex.; Arthur L. of Newark, O.; and to the second, Ruby M. and Kate L.

The body lay in state from 2 to 6 o’clock p.m. at the residence Sunday and from 9 to 12 a.m. Monday. Funeral services were held Monday afternoon at the residence, conducted by Dr. W. T. Stott and Dr. L. P. Marshall. Both paid a glowing tribute to the life and character of the deceased.

The Johnson county bar, accompan­ied by member of the Shelby, Bar­tholomew and Morgan county bars, and the present and ex-county officers, attended the funeral in a body. Active pall bearers were John W. Ragsdale, O. C. Dunn, Judge Buckingham, Judge Johnson, R. M. Miller, H. C. Barnett, Ed White, E. F. Barker; honorary pall bearers were G. M. Overstreet, S. P. Oyler, L. J. Hackney, O. J. Glessner, Thos. B. Adams, M. D. Emig, Albert Wray, W. S. Shirley.

Members of the Shelby county bar present were Hon. T. R. Adams, Hon. O. J. Glessner, Judge L. J. Hackney, Wm. A. Yarling, A. F. Wray, Alonzo Blair, Thomas H. Campbell, D. H. Thompson, J. B. McFadden, Valentine Schoelch, sheriff of county.

The following resolutions were pas­sed Sunday afternoon at a called meeting of the Shelby county bar:

Be it resolved by the Shelby county bar that in the death of Hon. Thomas W. Woollen, of Franklin, Ind., the sixteenth judicial circuit of this state has lost a member of the legal pro­fession whose ability, integrity and courteous bearing made him a distin­guished figure& that the business community in which he moved has lost one of capacity and upright character& tat the society in which his latter years were spent has lost a member rare in moral and intellectual worth and his family has lost a faithful and loving husband and father.

Resolved, That to those who have sustained this great loss the Shelby county bar extends a most sincere sym­pathy.

B. F. Love, K. M. Hord, A. F. Wray, D. L. Wilson, O. J. Glessner, L. J. Hackney, committee.

Bartholomew county passed similar resolutions and was represented at the funeral by a committee composed of A. W. Blessing, M. D. Emig and C. B. Cooper.

Morgan county also passed resolutions and was represented at the funeral by W. S. Shirley.

A memorial service was held in the court room at 4 o’clock by the Johnson county bar, at which eulogies were pronounced on the life and character of Judge Woollen, and fitting resolutions passed.