James Cavanagh Biography
As published in
"The City of Kenosha and Kenosha County Wisconsin: A Record of Settlement,
Organization, Progress and Achievement"
by Frank H. Lyman Vol. 2, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, 1916.
James Cavanagh was born in the city of Kenosha, January 23, 1853. His father,
James Cavanagh, was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, and came to America in
1842. While in Ireland he was engaged in farming but following his arrival in
America in 1842 was employed for several years at Kenosha, Wisconsin, as a
landscape gardener. In the year 1856 he purchased a farm in the town of Bristol,
Kenosha county, Wisconsin, and for the remainder of his life was a farmer. He
was married to Catherine Cox at Kenosha in 1851. He died on the homestead farm
in November 1861, and was long survived by his widow Catherine, who passed away
in 1893. They were communicants of the Catholic church. There were three
children in the family but two daughters died in early life.
James Cavanagh was eight years of age at the time of his father's death. He
remained with his mother upon the home farm for a considerable period and
commenced teaching in the common schools when he was sixteen years of age.
During vacations he worked upon the farm. In 1872 he entered the Oskosh Normal
School with the intention of preparing for the profession of teaching. After
having taught school for six years he concluded to enter the legal profession.
During the last two years in which he taught school he also read law privately.
In July, 1876 he entered the law office of J. V. & C. Quarles at Kenosha, and
read law under their direction. In November, 1876 he passed the required
examinations for admission to the Wisconsin bar and was admitted to practice. In
March, 1877 he commenced the practice of law at Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and
remained there until September, 1878, when he returned to Kenosha, where he has
practiced ever since. For four years during the '80s he served as district
attorney of Kenosha county. For eight years, commencing in the early '80s he was
superintendent of schools of Kenosha. He has specialized to a considerable
extent in corporation law and has been retained as counsel by many important
industries. He is now actively connected with several of the leading
institutions of Kenosha as a stockholder.
On April 25, 1877 Mr. Cavanagh was married to Miss Nellie Parkinson, daughter of
Reuben and Chloe (Pratt) Parkinson of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. They are the parents
of two children, Walter J., who is married and is engaged in the manufacture of
automobile seat springs at Toledo, Ohio; and Richard P., who studied in the
University of Wisconsin and for two years at the Northwestern Law School at
Chicago, after which he was admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1911 and is now
engaged in practice with his father. He is married and has one child.
Mr. Cavanagh is a member of the Republican party and a representative of its
more progressive interests. He has never sought nor desired public office
outside the path of his profession but has been connected with the public
welfare in many ways and has done much work for the educational interests of
Kenosha. Fraternally he is connected with the Modern Woodman of America. He now
is and always has been intensely interested in the welfare of Kenosha and has
done everything in his power to promote the interests of his native city.
Typed by: Michelle Laycock