WILLIAM HERRING
History of Arizona, 1896

Mr. Herring was born at New Brunswick, New Jersey, but the 
family early removed to New York City, where he attended the 
public schools and the City Normal School for Teachers.  When 
sixteen years old he commenced teaching in the public schools 
of New York City and rose rapidly in his profession in which 
he obtained marked distinction.  His career in conducting the 
evening schools of the city one of great success.  When only 
twenty three years old he was appointed by the Board of 
Education principal of the largest evening school in the city.  
This school had over one thousand pupils in attendance and Mr. 
Herring had a corps of eighteen assistant teachers. In this 
school, through his efforts, mechanical drawing was first taught 
to pupils of the evening schools of the city, and Mr. Herry had 
the satisfaction of graduating many young men who have attained 
distinction in the mechanical arts; among them was Adam S. 
Cameron, the noted inventor of the Cameron Steam Pump.  

Mr. Herring soon went from teaching to the profession of law 
and was admitted to practice through the regular bar 
examination in New York State and also by completing the 
course of studies for admission to the bar at the law school 
of Columbia College from which institution he obtained his 
degree of LL.B.  With this double-headed admission to the bar, 
Mr. Herring entered upon the practice of the law with great 
ardor, and soon commanded an excellent practice.  He was 
induced to accept the nomination for the New York Legislature 
of 1873, for the First district of Westchester County, and 
although a Republican in politics and running in a district 
which had been almost uniformly Democratic, he carried every 
town in his district and carried his district by the 
unprecedented majority of 654.  During his legislative year 
Mr. Herring introduced and successfully carried through the 
"act to annex the lower portion of Westchester County to New 
York City" thus perfecting the first step to the "Greater 
New York." He also introduced the passed the bill establishing 
the 30th of May as "Decoration Day", New York being the first 
State to take this step.  The measure encountered a vigorous 
opposition, but Mr. Herring was untiring in its accomplishment 
and his speech at the close of the debate on the bill won for 
him the distinction of being "the orator of the house" which 
at this session contained a crowd of able men in both 
political parties.

After the annexation of the lower part of Westchester County 
to New York City, Mr. Herring was appointed assistant district 
attorney of New York City in which position he served for six 
years.  During this period he was also appointed a member of 
the Board of Education.  He was also at the same time appointed 
a trustee of the State Asylum for the Insane at Middletown.

He came to Arizona in the spring of 1880 and engaged in mining 
at the Copper Camp, where Bisbee is now located s manager of 
the Neptune Mining Company. At the end of seven months his 
mining superintendent, August Raht, who had been selected by 
the directors of the company for his learning and skill in 
mining acquired at Freiberg, reported to the company that 
copper did not go down in the formation that existed at 
Bisbee.  This opinion was entirely at variance with Mr.
Herring's views and he resigned his position as manager 
and took up the practice of Law at Tombstone where he soon 
acquired a lucrative practice and where he has since remained.

Mr. Herring has no fondness for public office.  He is devoted 
to his professional work and has a large clientage among the 
leading corporations in the Territory.

Mr. Herring weighs two hundred and fifty pounds, is sixty three 
years of age and lacks a small fraction of being six feet tall.  
His daughter, Sarah Inslee Herring, studies law in her father's 
office and after having been admitted to practice in the district 
courts and Supreme Court of the Territory, entered the law school 
at New York University Law School, from which she graduated with 
distinction.

A number of years ago Mr. Herring lost a favorite son, Howard 
who was growing up in the law to help his father. The blow came 
like that to James G. Blaine when his brilliant boy, Walker 
passed away.  Since then, with the ebbing years, a daughter 
has trained herself by arduous, patient study to fill that 
office chair which the loved son strove to occupy.

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