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Subject: [CASANFRA] JIC Bio of J. E. Fenton
Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 19:44:16 EST

JOURNALISM IN CALIFORNIA

BY JOHN P. YOUNG

Pacific Coast and Exposition Biographies

CHRONICLE PUBLISHING COMPANY
San Francisco, California
1915

Page 227

Great Men and Great Men's Achievements
Form the Background for
California's Progress

Page 265

James Edward Fenton

The length and breath of the Pacific Coast have made up the field of
James Edward Fenton in the practice of his profession - the law. He has
appeared before the bar in Alaska, Oregon, Washington and California, and
finally has chosen San Francisco as the scene of his further endeavors.
James Edward Fenton was born in Clark County, Missouri, on the farm of
his father, James Davis Fenton. His mother was Margaret (Pinkerton) Fenton.
In 1865, when he was but an eight-year-old boy, he accompanied his parents on
a grilling trip across the plains behind a plodding team of oxen. Six months
after the family left Missouri they reached Oregon, where they settled.
Following his early education in the common schools of Oregon, Mr. Fenton
entered Christian College of Monmouth, from which he was graduated in 1877
with the degree of Master of Arts. The following year he entered the
educational field himself when he was elected professor of mathematics at
Christian College. He was for two years in this position, and then for two
years more taught in various academies in Oregon, being principal of these at
Bethel and Eugene.
Under the tutorship of William M. Ransey, now Justice of the Supreme
Court of Oregon, Mr. Fenton entered upon the study of law in Ramsey's offices
at Salem. In 1882 he was admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of the
State, and in 1884 began the active pursuit of his profession at Eugene.
Six years later, in 1890, Mr. Fenton gave up his practice at Eugene and
removed to Spokane, Washington, where he formed a law partnership with hid
brother, Charles R. Fenton, under the firm style of Fenton & Fenton.
Possessed of a strong taste for politics, Mr. Fenton was early led to take an
active part in public affairs, aligning himself with the Democratic party.
He was a candidate in 1880 on the Democratic ticket of Polk County, Oregon,
for the State Legislature, but his party being in the minority he failed of
election. In 1888 he announced his candidacy for county judge of Lane
County, Oregon, and was defeated by only two votes. At the fall election of
1892, however, he was nominated and elected prosecuting attorney of Spokane
County, Washington, and held that office for two years. He was a delegate in
1896 from the Sate of Washington to the National Democratic convention at
Chicago, which nominated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency. In 1898
he was tendered the nomination for Congress in the State of Washington but
declined to accept the honor.
Mr. Fenton continued the practice of his profession in the State of
Washington until the fall of 1898, when he removed to Nome, Alaska. This was
the year of the world-wide rush to the Alaskan gold fields, when hundreds and
thousands of fortune-seekers from all quarters o the glove penetrated into
the North.
In Alaska Mr. Fenton divided his time for the ensuing six years between
mining and the practice of law. His legal work was largely in mining and
criminal law and while he was in the northern territory he took an active
part in the most important mining litigation before the courts. One of the
suits was to establish title to the placer property known as No. 1 on Daniels
Creek in the Topkok mining district, in which was involved some $1, 000,000.
In another, the Glacier Bench mining litigation was involved $500,000.
In 1903, leaving Alaska behind him, Mr. Fenton came southward as far as
California and gained admittance to the bar in this State. In 1904 he
located in San Francisco, practicing here until June, 1906, just after the
big fire, when he returned to Seattle. In 1908 he went to Portland and
became assistant counsel for the Southern Pacific Company in association with
his brother, W. D. Fenton, Chief counsel for the corporation. In this
capacity Mr. Fenton took an active part in the litigation between the United
States and the Oregon & California Railroad Company, wherein the Government
sought to forfeit the Oregon Land Grant. In 1911 he resigned from this
position and returned to San Francisco, where he continues alone in the
practice of his profession.
Fraternally, Mr. Fenton is a member of the Spokane lodge of the Scottish
Rite and of El Katif Temple of the Mystic Shrine, of Spokane. He also
belongs to the B. P. O. Elks.

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