Hedges, Cornelius, 1831-1907

Cornelius Hedges was born at Westfield, Massachusetts, October 28, 1831, the son of Dennis and Alvina Hedges. He attended Yale, receiving his A.B. in 1853 and his A.M. in 1855. He also attended Harvard Law School and was admitted to the bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1856, soon after his marriage to Edna Layette Smith of Southington, Connecticut, he moved to Independence, Iowa, where he practiced law and published and edited the Independence Civilian. In April 1864, Hedges set out, on foot, for the gold mines of Montana. He arrived at Virginia City in the late summer and placer mined there and at Highland Gulch until January, 1865, when he moved to Helena and the newer diggings at Last Chance Gulch. Here he was employed with both mining and the law. Hedges returned to the "States" in the summer of 1866 to purchase a five-stamp mill for the operations of his partner George Wood and himself, and to bring his family back to Montana. He and his family resided in Helena thereafter, while he continued practicing law, speculating in mining claims, and working as a public servant. His public and political services were many and varied. He was U.S. District Attorney for Montana Territory in 1871; first Territorial Delegate to Congress in 1874; a member of the 1884 Constitutional Convention; State Senator, 1889-1893; Republican Caucus nominee for U.S. Senator, 1899; and Secretary of the State Board of Sheep Commissioners, 1897-1906. Hedges was also for many years an editorial writer for the Helena Herald, a charter member of the Montana Bar Association, and a member and president of both the Montana Historical Society and the Montana Society of Pioneers. He was a founder and lifelong supporter of the Helena Public Library. Cornelius Hedges had been a Mason since 1857 and was one of the founders of the first Masonic lodge in Montana. He was known, during his lifetime, as the "Father of Montana Masonry." As a Mason, Hedges held the office of grand secretary of the Montana Lodge from 1872 until just prior to his death. His broad interest also led him to join the Washburn Expedition of 1870, which explored and publicized the Yellowstone area. During the return from the Yellowstone, it was Hedges who suggested the preservation of the area as a national park. In the subsequent two years, he was active in the movement to create the park, which was achieved in 1372. In 1903, he was an honored guest at the cornerstone laying ceremony for the large arch at the park entrance. Hedges died in Helena, April 29, 1907.

From the guide to the Cornelius Hedges Family Papers, 1828-1945, (Montana Historical Society Archives)

Hedges was born and educated in Massachusetts. After marrying in 1856 Hedges moved with his wife to Independence, Iowa where he practiced law and assisted in editing a newspaper. In 1864 Hedges sent his family back to Connecticut and set out on foot from Independence to the Montana gold fields. By 1865 he had established himself as a lawyer in the Montana Territory. He made a trip to the Yellowstone Region in 1870 and wrote a series of descriptive articles about the area for the Helena Herald. In 1871 President Grant commissioned him U.S. Attorney for the Montana Territory. He variously served as the Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction, probate judge of the court at Helena, a member of the Constitutional Convention for statehood, and first elected senator from the state. Hedges was a proponent of the reservation of Yellowstone as a national park. He was active in the Masons and a supporter of the Union cause during the Civil War.

From the description of Cornelius Hedges papers, 1863-1890. (State Historical Society of Iowa, Library). WorldCat record id: 657405705

Cornelius Hedges was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, on Oct. 28, 1831 to Dennis and Alvena Hedges. His father was a farmer and blacksmith. Mr. Hedges went to school at the local academy in Westfield. He enrolled at Yale in 1849, and graduated in 1853. In 1855 he graduated from Harvard Law School and was admitted to the bar in Massachusetts. It was during his college years that he first began to keep his journals.

In July 1856 Mr. Hedges married Edna Layette Smith in Connecticut. Immediately after their marriage the new couple moved to Independence, Iowa. Here Mr. Hedges set up a law practice, while editing and publishing the Independent Civilian . The couple's first child, Wyllys A. Hedges, was born in Independence on July 3, 1857, and their second son Dennis, was born there on June 3, 1860. In 1862 the young Dennis passed away. Their third son, Cornelius Jr., was born Oct. 28, 1874. The first daughter of the family, Emma Marion, was born on Sept. 19, 1867. The Hedges ultimately had eight children, three of whom died young.

Unable to succeed financially, Mr. Hedges set out in April 1864 with a wagon, a rifle, supplies, and a mule team, for the gold mines of Idaho. He arrived in Virginia City, Montana, on July 12, 1864 and found it hard going. All the claims had been taken and there was little work to be had. He eventually resorted to shoveling tailings for $5.00 a day, which he called the hardest work he ever did. He then found easier work operating a windlass, which he did until September. He sold the mule team, and on Sept. 1 he was finally able to buy into a claim in Highland Gulch with three partners. This claim paid spottily and he often had to resort to wage labor.

In January 1865 Mr. Hedges moved to Last Chance Gulch in Helena, Montana. The Montana bar accepted him and he began to practice law, becoming a U. S. Attorney at the Territorial Supreme Court in 1865. He remained a U. S. Attorney until 1875. However, he still worked on mining claims to supplement his income.

In 1866 he returned to Iowa to get his family and bring them back to Montana. In 1867, back in Helena, he continued to practice law. In 1868 he was appointed U. S. Commissioner in Montana Territory. In 1868 he began working with the Helena Public Library Association to build a library in the state capital.

In 1870 he joined the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition into Yellowstone Park, a journey which would stimulate his interest in creating a national park system. His work toward this goal helped make Yellowstone a National Park in 1872. In 1872 Governor Benjamin F. Potts appointed Mr. Hedges superintendent of the Montana Public Schools. He served in this post until 1878, and then again from 1883 to 1885, doing much to improve the Montana Public Schools. In 1866 he helped organize a Masonic Lodge in Helena. In 1878 he was elected Grand Secretary of the Masonic lodge in Helena. Throughout his life he was a popular member of the Masons. In 1874 he ran unsuccessfully on the Republican ticket for Territorial Delegate.

From 1876 to 1888 he was the reporter for the Territorial Supreme Court. In 1875 he was elected to be the Probate Judge for Lewis and Clark County, and he served until 1880. From then on his friends affectionately called him Judge Hedges. In 1878 he purchased a new home in Helena for $4,550. The Hedge's home came to have the most extensive private library in Helena. Having arrived in Montana in 1864, Judge Hedges was considered an original pioneer, and in 1884 he became a charter member of the Society of Montana Pioneers. In 1889 he ran as a Republican for State Senator from Lewis and Clark County and won. That same year Montana was incorporated as a state. He served as a State Senator until 1892. After this he continued to practice law until ill health forced him to retire in 1901.

Hedges played an active role in the movements responsible for the national park system, the development of the territorial schools in Montana, the Helena Public Library, the Montana Masonic Home, and the development of Freemasonry as a coherent element in Montana society. He was also a member of the Montana State Historical Society.

Hedges died in Helena, Montana, April 29, 1907 at the age of seventy-six. His wife Edna died in 1912.

From the guide to the Cornelius Hedges Papers, 1864-1865, (Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)