Yavapai County AZ Archives Biographies.....Ling, Reese M. 1868 - living in 1896
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/az/azfiles.html
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 5, 2005, 4:21 pm

Author: McFarland & Poole

p. 479-480

  HON. REESE M. LING. The younger Pitt, had his lot been cast in the United
States in this day and generation, would not have found it necessary to defend
himself against the "atrocious crime of being a young man," as charged against
him because of his precocious mental development. In this republic there is no
prejudice against a man merely because he chances to develop in advance of the
conventional idea as to time of maturity, but on the contrary it is more likely
that the fact will be used as a cause for rewarding his ability by promoting him
to places of honor and trust. The subject of this sketch, Hon. Reese M. Ling of
Prescott is a young man who has demonstrated over and over again that the wisdom
of age rests upon his shoulders and the judgment of tried experience guides his
actions, yet so far from this being a bar to his advancement, his friends point
to the fact with pride and as convincing proof that man ought to be weighed by
his capacity and not by the duration of his days upon earth. Mr. Ling was born
in Holmes County, Ohio, May 16th, 1868, a son of Martin and Mary (Reese) Ling,
natives of the Buckeye State and of Dutch and Welsh stock respectively. Martin
Ling was a farmer, and lived and died in Holmes County, Ohio. In the time of our
country's peril and when Lincoln had issued his first call for volunteers, Mr.
Ling at once responded, and became a member of the i6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
with which he served until Lee's surrender. He was wounded at the battle of
Ball's Bluff, was captured and confined in Libby Prison for eighteen months, at
which time he was exchanged. He suffered all the hardships and privations
incident to Southern prison life and while thus incarcerated contracted measles,
which eventually resulted in his death at his old Ohio home. His widow still
survives him and resides in Prescott. To this worthy couple only one child was
given, the subject of this sketch, who was reared in Stark County, Ohio, and
became an attendant of the High School of Massillon. He afterwards entered the
State University at Columbus, Ohio, at the unusual age of fourteen years, and
was the youngest student in that institution. He attended the University for
three years, then (in 1885) came to Arizona Territory, and entered the Normal
School at Tempe, immediately after it had been founded, and from this
institution of learning-he was graduated in twenty-two weeks, at the same time
discharging the duties of instructor in mathematics and Latin. Soon after
graduating he returned to Prescott, for two terms was engaged in teaching
school, and still holds a life diploma as a teacher. At the time he was teaching
"Young America" he also pursued his legal studies, and in order to still further
perfect himself in this science, he entered the Law Department of the University
of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and was graduated from the same in 1890. He was
chosen by his class, numbering two hundred and eighty, as consulator or
valedictorian, being elected over the only woman in the class, who was his
opponent. He was admitted in open examination and alone, to practice before the
Supreme Court of the State of Michigan, soon after which he opened an office at
225 Dearborn street, Chicago, where he remained for about three months, but
finding the climate too severe, he returned to Prescott, of which city he has
since been one of the most successful legal practitioners. He has been actively
interested in politics and has held the office of city auditor four years, and
has been a member of the Territorial Central Committee a like length of time. He
has been present at every Democratic convention for the past six years, and was
at one time nominated for the office of prosecuting attorney, but was defeated.
Young as he is, Mr. Ling wields a wide influence both socially and
professionally, and is a forcible, logical and convincing speaker. He is a
member of the firm of Ling & Andrews, who have built up an extensive practice,
and they are the attorneys for several mining corporations. Mr. Ling is one of
the owners of the "Big Bug" onyx mine and he is the owner of the "Trade Mark"
gold mine. Failure is a word that has never appeared in Mr. Ling's book of life,
and success has tended but to brighten his wits and to stimulate his brain to
greater energy. The remarkable grasp which he has of his profession and his
success in its practice, clearly show that he is but fairly started upon his
career, and that much better and greater things await him. He was a member of
the Railroad Commission for three years, and socially is a member of the I. O.
O. F., A. O. U. W., Order of Elks and the K. of P. lodges, being Chancellor
Commander of the latter order. In 1888 Mr. Ling led to the altar Miss Nellie
Osenburg. a native of Kansas, by whom he has had three promising sons, David,
Harry and Perry.


Additional Comments:
From:

A Historical and Biographical Record of the Territory of Arizona
Published by
McFarland & Poole, Chicago, 1896


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/az/yavapai/bios/gbs45ling.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/azfiles/

File size: 5.6 Kb