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AMBROSE EPPERSON : 1892 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY A SOON TO BE SUCCESSFUL LAWYER, ANOTHER IN A LONG LINE OF LAWYERS, PLYING HIS TRADE IN LINCOLN NEBRASKA AND ALL THE WAY TO THE STATE SUPREME COURT

16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. On offer is a fascinating diary detailing the final legal studies of a successful lawyer at the end of the 19th century in mid-western America. Measuring approximately 6 inches by 3 inches, the diary contains 110 pages plus numerous other memoranda and accounts pages. The diary is about 90% complete. The cover is damaged and the front cover nearly detached With the exception of the frontispiece page which is loose, the binding for all other pages is secure. Ambrose C. Epperson is the 2nd of a 3-generation legal family. His father, John L Epperson, was a practicing lawyer in Nebraska and his son Ambrose followed him into a legal career. He graduated from Fairfield Normal and the Law Department of the State University in 1891. As his father's firm was called J.L. Epperson & Son, it is reasonable to assume that this is where Ambrose began his practice of law. In 1894 he became County Attorney for Clay County, NE. In 1905, he was appointed Assistant District Attorney serving in Omaha, NB. He also served a 3-year term as a Supreme Court Commissioner. Epperson was a Freemason and rose to the rank of Grand Master in the Nebraska Grand Lodge. He was a member of the Republican Party and in 1912 represented Nebraska at the Republican National Convention. He was chair of the Nebraska State Republican Party for 1912 to 1914. He married Blanche Haylitt and their son, Charles Haylitt Epperson, also went to law school and, after graduating built, a successful legal career. In 1891, Epperson was in his last year of law school: "Nothing in school but written examinations of Commercial Paper in PM by Dean Smith". [Jan 7]; "Judge Ruse lectured in the morning on personal property. Judge Griffin in evening on "Sale of Personal Property" [Jan 8]. Throughout the following months there are repeated references to legal classes, examinations and study topics. These culminate in April and May: "... Was admitted to practice before Supreme Court today" [Apr 6]; "... Examinations [ ] bar this p.m." [May 10]; Read Thesis [May 11]. On May 12th, he packed up the house they were living in to return to their family home in Clay Center, NE. On June 11th, he returned to Lincoln NE: "Commencement exercise of State University. Got B.L diploma ..." [June 12]. After a short break in July, he began his career and the months following have repeated references to various legal cases. Personally, there were family changes as well: "Baby born." [Sept 14]; "Decided to call baby Charles Haylitt" [Sept 18]. In the Cash section of the diary is a careful accounting of expenses over the course of the year. He also makes regular daily notations about the weather. For a historian or legal researcher, this is an excellent look into the type of training that was part of legal education in the United States in the late 19th century. It would be a very interesting comparison with legal studies over a century later. Researchers looking for climate data and observations tied to specific periods and/or geographic regions would find this data to be very useful in looking at trend lines or making making comparisons with weather patterns today. For an economic historian, the cash accounts offer a detailed look at the costs of day-to-day goods in 1891. It certainly provides a basis for comparison to daily costs today and the effects of inflation over a century. Who would have thought for example that ice cream at 30¢ would cost 50% more than meat at 20¢.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Fair

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