Chas. A. Tuttle was born
in Genessee county, New York, November 10, 1818.
He was a descendant of William Tuttle, who
settled in
Connecticut in
1671. He attended
Hobart College at
Geneva, belonging
to the class of 1844. He moved to
Milwaukee, Wis., in
1845, and was admitted to the bar in that year,
and practiced his profession there until early
in 1849. In the same year he left Milwaukee with
a party of five, and arrived in
Placer county, California,
in October,
1849. Mr. Tuttle engaged in mining on the
American river, and
after about a year, returned to
Milwaukee, and in
1851 came back to
California
with Mrs. Tuttle. After making an unsuccessful
attempt at merchandising, he opened a law office
at Michigan Bluff, in 1853.
Leland Stanford was
the
justice of the peace
of that place at that time. In 1856 Mr. Tuttle
moved to Auburn, the
county seat.
In 1853 he was elected a
member of the
State senate, and
represented
Placer county
during the first
memorable Gwin-Broderick contest. He became a
Republican almost at the organization of the party.
He was chairman of the Republican State convention
held in 1859, and was an elector on the Republican
ticket for 1860, and as such stumped the State. In
1863 he was appointed reporter of the
Supreme Court, and held
this office until 1867. He was afterwards appointed
as one of the commissioners on the revision of the
codes, in company with Sidney L. Johnson. He
declined an appointment to the bench, and also as a
regent of the University of California. In 1867 he
was elected as a member of the assembly, and served
in the session of 1867-68. In 1871 he was
reappointed as reporter of the Supreme Court and
served until 1871. Mr. Tuttle's industrious life
ended in 1888 at
Auburn.
His name is indissolubly connected with the history
of the State. He was a man of the strictest
integrity and absolutely fearless in the defense of
what he believed to be right.
He was not an eloquent talker, but was
possessed of a wonderful reasoning faculty.
He was always interesting because of his
earnestness and sincerity. His logic was of
the very best. He was a student, and had the
faculty of communicating to others the
results of his researches. He was
particularly kind and encouraging to young
practitioners, and there are many able
lawyers who will always have a kindly
remembrance of Chas. A. Tuttle.
The legislative journals
and the California reports will perpetuate his
fame.
[The History of the Bench and Bar by Oscar
Tully Shuck, 1901. Transcribed by Brenda Wiesner.]
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