Laurens Wright Wolcott

Laurens Wright Wolcott, an experienced and consequently prominent attorney at Grand Rapids,Mich., was born in Warsaw, Wyoming county, N.Y., February 8, 1843, and is a son of Nelson and Alvina (Wright) Wolcott, who were married in Middlebury, Genesee county, that state.

Nelson Wolcott was born January 2, 1806, and his wife March 28, 1809; the latter died in January,1894, but the former still survives at the advanced age of ninety-three years. There were born to these parents eight children, named in order of birth as follows: Ellen H., wife of R. C. Baker, of Batavia, Ill.; Robert N., secretary and treasurer of the Kent Furniture company, of Grand Rapids; Henry R., president of a wagon manufacturing company, of Batavia, Ill.; Laurens W., whose name stands at the head of this biography; Mary L. D., wife of Prof. T. R. Willard, of Knox college, Galesburg, Ill.; Seymour A., business manager of the Belleville hospital for the insane females at Batavia, Ill.; William A., a druggist of the same city, and Frank N., a merchant of Tombstone, Ariz.

Nelson Wolcott, the father of this family, was in his active days a merchant, and realized a moderate competency. He has been a republican in politics ever since this party was organized and was the first county clerk of Wyoming county, N.Y.

Laurens Wright Wolcott was educated primarily in the common school in his native district; then attended the seminary at Alexandria, Genesee county, N.Y., and next attended the Batavia (Ill.) institute until 1860. Civil war about this time was threatening devastation to the land, and he was one of the first to offer his services, and, if need be, his life, in the cause of universal liberty. He enlisted September 10, 1861, in company D, Fifty-second Illinois volunteer infantry, served gallantly his full term of three years, and re-enlisted, as a veteran, December 25, 1863, at Pulaski, Tenn. He was a member of the Sixteenth army corps, under Gen. Dodge, and among his many important engagements may be mentioned those at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, the campaign with Sherman to the sea, including the capture of Atlanta, Ga., was through the Carolinas, and in all the historic battles of his corps, now familiar as a matter of history to every American school-boy and intelligent adult reader. He was present at the grand review at Washington, D. C., in May 1865, was sent home via Louisville, Ky., to Chicago, Ill., and received, in that city, an honorable discharge July 12, 1865, with the rank of first lieutenant, having entered the army as a private, as all enlisted men are required to do, and receiving their promotion for meritorious conduct and bravery on the field of battle.

On his return to Batavia, Ill., Mr. Wolcott began reading law, which study he continued, under proper tuition, until the fall of 1868, when he entered the law department of the university of Michigan at Ann Arbor, studied there one year, and in April, 1869, came to Grand Rapids. Here, for a year, he was a clerk and student in the office of Byron D. Ball, then became a partner, and together they did a lucrative business until the fall of 1873; Mr. Wolcott was then in practice alone until 1875, when he formed a partnership with Moses Taggart, under the firm-style of Taggart & Wolcott, and until January 1, 1898, this firm stood at the ‘head and front’ of the legal profession of Grand Rapids. At the date last mentioned, Mr. Wolcott united with Judge Cyrus E. Perkins.

Besides his extensive law practice, Mr. Wolcott has many other interest to handle. He is stockholder in and vice-president of Kent Furniture company; has interests in a lumbering firm operating at Duluth, Minn., and is secretary and treasurer of the Usal Redwood company, of Kent county, Mich., but operating in California. It is left to surmise whether he is enterprising or not, or whether his hands are full, or whether he is doing anything to advance or promote the progress of the Valley city. Among the positions of honor and trust that Mr. Wolcott has filled are those of circuit court commissioner, to which he was twice elected by the republican party, and which office he filled from January 1, 1873 to January 1, 1877, and that of a member of the board of education from 1877 to 1878, and of which he was the president during his term.

Mr. Wolcott was united in marriage, at Grand Rapids, March 5, 1875, to Miss Lucy Gallup, who was born in Palmyra, N.Y., October 20, 1848, a daughter of Dr. James and Hannah (Capron) Gallup, and this union has been blessed with two children Ellen Capron, wife of William D. Cheney, a wholesale fruit merchant, of Columbus, Ohio, and Kate Wright, at home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Wolcott are members of the Congregational church, and fraternally Mr. Wolcott is a Knight Templar Mason, a member of DeMolai commandery, No. 5, Grand Rapids, and likewise a member of the Loyal Legion. It is unnecessary here to make any comments on the standing or career of this enterprising man. In his profession he stands in the front rank of Michigan lawyers.