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Note from the Chronicles
David Chase Harrington - Apr. 1913
** Punctuation and spelling verbatim, as article appeared in the Chronicles.
DAVID CHASE HARRINGTON
Biography
David Chase Harrington, a lawyer, was born at Lexington, (now Jewett),
Greene County, in the State of New York, December 8, 1834, and now resides
in the City of Scranton, State of Pennsylvania. He is a descendant of
Thomas Chase, who came to America and settled in Hampton, New Hampshire, in
1636 or 1638.
I need not repeat the history of his descendants which is given in the
article on Hon. Emory A. Chase in Vol.2, April 1912, page six in The Chase
Chronicle.
David Chase, the oldest son of Zephaniah and Love Skiff, his second wife,
was born at Holmes' Hole (now called Vineyard Haven) Martha's Vineyard,
March 1, 1786. When David was one year old, his father, Zephaniah Chase,
moved to Greene County, New York, as stated in the above-mentioned article.
David lived with his father, Zephaniah Chase, who died in East Jewett, May
30, 1828. On October 13, 1808, David Chase married Abigail Pratt, a
daughter of Zadoch Pratt, Jr., who was one of the most prominent men in the
tanning business, and a member of Congress. The town of Prattsville in
Greene County is named for him. David Chase raised a family of seven
children, to wit: Eunice Chase; Emeline Harriet Chase; David Noble Chase;
Polly Chase; Lucy Ann Chase; Charles Pratt Chase and Abigail Chase, all of
whom are deceased.
His daughter, Emeline Harriet Chase, was born in Lexington, (now Jewett),
February 20, 1811, and received her education in the common schools in
Greene County. She taught school one summer in Hunter, Greene County, and
there met James Harrington, who was working at the carpenter trade, and they
were married in Lexington (now Jewett), on November 1, 1832. She died April
17th, 1878.
David Chase was a prominent member of the Presbyterian church and so was his
wife, Abigail. James and Emeline Harriet Chase Harrington were both members
of the Presbyterian Church in Lexington, (now Jewett), New York. Abigail,
the first wife of David Chase, died August 20, 1849.
James Harrington, the father of David Chase Harrington, for years carried on
a carpenter business. He owned a farm in Lexington, (now Jewett), and
employed several carpenters to aid him in his business with the condition
that they should help him a week at the haying season.; then the rest of the
spring, summer and fall would be spent in building houses, etc. His last
contract in the carpenter business was to build a large structure in
Bushnellville, Ulster County, New York, to be used for the manufacturing of
chairs for the wholesale trade. When the building was completed, he was
asked to install the machinery as most of the work on the chairs was to be
done by machinery. He made such a success of installing the circular saws,
boring machines, turning lathes, upright saws, and all the machinery used in
the manufacture of the chairs, that the proprietor requested him to become
foreman of the factory and he assumed that position in the fall of 1847. He
sold his farm and moved from Jewett to Bushnellville. After staying there
until May, 1849, he entered into partnership with a man who had charge of
the finishing of the chairs that were painted, varnished and ornamented as
required, and then moved from there to Providence, Luzerne County,
Pennsylvania, arriving there June 23, 1849. Dissolving partnership, he
moved to Scranton, January 6, 1852. In 1865, he retired from business and
returned to Jewett where he lived until February 5, 1905, when he died.
David Chase Harrington was born on Dec. 8, 1834, and learned to read before
he was two and one-half years old, and at the age of ten had mastered all
that the public schools of his day and neighborhood had to offer. He
subsequently pursed advanced studies in a private school at Jewett,
conducted by a Mr. Benedict, under whom he acquired his first knowledge of
Latin. After his father moved to Bushnellville, on the first of December,
1848, he commenced as an apprentice to learn the varnishing and painting
trade, which he followed until he became of age. He became skillful with
the pencil and brush in ornamenting furniture according to the style in
fashion at the time, and seven landscape oil paintings in his home were
painted by himself. After he became of age, his father took him into
partnership in the furniture, cabinet making, and undertaking business. He
had learned to speak the German language in order to give German cabinet
makers their work. He united with the Presbyterian church when fourteen
years old, and was active in Sunday School work, organizing two mission
schools, one in Scranton, and one in Wilkes-Barre, of which he was
superintendent. Prior to his marriage, he was a member of the choir in the
Presbyterian church, in Scranton, having learned to read music before he was
nine years old. He also played the cornet in the Scranton Brass Band, of
which Samuel G. Barker was leader.
The Young Men's Literary and Debating Club of Scranton was permanently
organized by a number of enterprising young gentlemen on the 23rd day of
October 1857. Mr. Harrington suggested its formation, was active in
interesting others to unite with him, and was elected its first President.
Mr. Harrington was always studiously inclined and gained the warm favor of
the Rev. Thomas P. Hunt, a friend of the family, who offered him a free
scholarship in Lafayette College, Easton, Pa. It was a great temptation to
the young man, and his father, to whom his services were of great value,
consented to his acceptance of this generous offer. Mr. Harrington,
however, declined out of consideration for his father. After dissolving the
partnership with his father, he took up the study of law. During the first
year of his studies, in the winter of 1858, he taught a public school in
Dunmore, Pennsylvania. On May 7, 1860, he was admitted to practice in the
Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. November 1, 1860, he
entered into a copartnership with Hon.. W.G. Ward, which was dissolved about
the last of March, 1862, and on April 1, 1862, he removed to Wilkes-Barre,
the county seat of Luzerne County. In 1863, he laid aside his professional
duties to respond to the call of Governor Andrew G. Curtin, for emergency
men to repel the invasion of Pennsylvania by the Rebel army under General
Robert E. Lee. He enlisted as a private in Company K, Thirtieth Regiment,
Pennsylvania Volunteers, Colonel William N. Monies commanding, his company
being the first mustered in under that call. His regiment was stationed at
Camp Curtis, near Harrisburg, (which city was threatened by the enemy) at
the time of the battle of Gettsburg. With his command, he was honorably
discharged July 26, 1863. He was admitted to the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania, January 20, 1866, and to the Supreme Court of the United
States, February 2, 1876, and was admitted in various other County Courts in
the State of Pennsylvania.
In the autumn of 1863, he was invited by Caleb E. Wright, Esq. one of the
oldest members of the Bar and a leading attorney in Wilkes-Barre, to become
his partner, and they entered into partnership on equal terms. This was of
advantage to both, and their business increased every year during its
continuance. The health of Mrs. Harrington having become affected by
malaria, her physician advised removal from the valley as her only safety.
As a result the partnership of Wright and Harrington was dissolved in
December, 1870, and within one week Mr. Harrington and his family removed to
Philadelphia. Mr. Harrington did not sever his connection with the legal
business of the firm, and for a year or more returned at every term of Court
to assist in the trial of the cases pending at the time of his removal. On
December 25, 1872, two years after Mr. Harrington's removal to Philadelphia,
the members of the Luzerne County Bar presented him with a handsome gold
watch, appropriately inscribed, as a testimonial of their continued regard
and remembrance, thereby proving that the "adage "out of sight is out of
mind" does not always hold true. Mr. Harrington conducted an extensive
practice for over thirty- one years.
Hon. F. Carroll Brewster, during his term as Attorney General of the State
of Pennsylvania, was obliged to spend his winters in Harrisburg. Summers he
traveled in Europe. Having an extensive private practice in Philadelphia
and four assistants in his office, he made arrangements with Mr. Harrington
in May, 1872, on the basis of a salary and division of fees in some cases,
to take charge of his office and practice. He gave Mr. Harrington a private
office in his suite of offices where he could also attend to his personal
practice and have his own assistant. This arrangement lasted nearly three
years, until by reason of the expiration of his term as Attorney General,
Judge Brewster was able to resume his Philadelphia practice. As this
arrangement with Judge Brewster came about soon after the removal of Mr.
Harrington to Philadelphia , it proved to be of advantage to him, in that it
brought him into connection with all the leading members of the Philadelphia
Bar, and extended his acquaintance and private practice. In 1887-88, he
made two trips to the City of Mexico on professional business and while
there learned to speak the Spanish language. Since then he has lectured on
his trips. In 1867, Mr. Harrington compiled, collated, arranged and
published "The Rules of the Luzerne County Court," an exhaustive volume of
eighty-one octavo. He has also written many briefs which have gone into
print., and some of them have been widely circulated. Among the most
important of his treatises is one on "Commerce", and "What is Doing
Business, under the Statutes of the States Relating to Foreign Corporations"
and another of great importance on "The Education of Minors." Part of the
time during his residence in Wilkes-Barre he reported Court proceedings, and
local items of news for two newspapers published , one in Scranton and one
in Wilkes-Barre.
In January 1898, Mr. Harrington received a retainer from the Colliery
Engineer Company, now the International Textbooks Company, proprietors of
the International Correspondence Schools, and has been connected with that
great educational institution from that time to the present. In March,
1902, he removed from Philadelphia to Scranton and has had charge of the
legal Department of the Corporation, a post for which he is eminently well
fitted. His duties take him not only to all parts of the United States, but
also to Canada.
On May 16, 1910, he was appointed principal of the School of Law and now has
charge of that work in the instruction department, with seven assistants and
with eight assistants in his Legal Department, as General Counsel for the
International Textbook Company, which keeps him very busy. Although he was
78 years old on the 8th of December, 1912, with his good health, he looks
for many more years of work.
Mr. Harrington married, September 11, 1856, Ann Jannette Kemmerrer, daughter
of David Kemmerrer, of Scranton. Mrs. Harrington died, November 20, 1904,
having borne to her husband ten children, of whom nine came to maturity and
seven are now living: Harriet Elizabeth; Carrie; Lillian Jannette,
deceased; Blandina Jayne; Walter Eugene; Curtis James, deceased; Frederick
Andrew; Dora; Ethel; and Mabel, deceased.
He has nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren living. On July
18th, 1906, he married Jeanne Ethleen Smith, his present wife."
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