Denver County CO Archives Biographies.....Cuthbert, Lucius Montrose 1856 - 1915 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/co/cofiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 December 15, 2008, 8:15 pm Author: Wilbur Fiske Stone (1918) LUCIUS MONTROSE CUTHBERT. The legal profession of the state of Colorado, noted for its high ethical standards and uniform excellence of membership, is proud of the record made hy Lucius M. Cuthbert, whose affiliation with the members of the profession and accomplishments in business and legal circles comprises a record of dignity, honor and energetic performance of duty. For the period of a quarter century Mr. Cuthbert was prominently identified with the development of his chosen state and city, holding a position of great esteem in legal spheres and as executive head of some of the largest corporations in the Rocky Mountain region. He was also active in all movements of a scientific and a philosophical nature, being connected with the American Archaeological Society in research work. Lucius M. Cuthbert was born August 17, 1856, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was the son of Rev. James and Julia Elizabeth (Turpin) Cuthbert. He was descended from a long line of distinguished ancestors, the first of whom there is definite record being George Cuthbert of Castlehill, Inverness, Scotland. The family name was originally George, which, with the patronymic, became MacGeorge. Cuthbert (635-687), Bishop of Hexham, and later Bishop of Lindisfarne, and afterwards honored as Saint, was of this family. On account of his personal merit and excellence he acquired the name of Cuthbert; Cuth. in the Albanick or Erse language, signifying "skill" and Bert, meaning "illustrious." The family thus acquired the name of Cuthbert from the surname of the bishop. The family went to Inverness from the kingdom of Northumbria, in the north of England, about the year 700 A. D. On account of the services they rendered in the consolidation of the Albanicks and Picts into the Scottish nation, the lands of Drakies, Muckovy and Castle Hill, Inverness, were granted them for military service in vassalage or fee, as a royal holding from the king, with a fortified castle. George Cuthbert, the paternal ancestor mentioned above, commanded the royal forces of the Town of Inverness at the Battle of Harlow. A. D. 1411, against the rebellious Donald, Lord of the Isles. As a recognition of this meritorious service King James II of Scotland granted to him "a fess gules in a field d'or" as an addition to the former armorial hearing of the family and for a crest a hand in a gauntlet and for a motto, "Nee minus fortiter," with two wild horses for supporters. The second in the ancestral line was John Cuthbert of Castlehill, 1458, and following him came William Cuthbert, also of Castlehill, 1478, to whom a charter was granted by King James III, July 23, 1478, of all the lands of Auld Castle Hill. The next in the line is George Cuthhert, 1548, the great-grandson of William. The fifth is John Cuthbert, Baron of Castlehill, 1592; a charter uniting all the lands of the family of Castlehill into a free Barony in favor of John Cuthbert was granted August 19, 1592, by James VI of Scotland, including the right of sitting in the Assembly of the States of the Kingdom. Next came William Cuthbert. Baron of Castlehill, 1624, who married Janet MacKenzie, and following him John Cuthbert, Baron of Castlehill, 1625, who married Mary, daughter of George Cuthbert of Drakies, and who received a charter from King Charles I of England dated August 1, 1625. In the order of descent the next was George Cuthbert, also Baron of Castlehill, who married Magdalen Fraser, daughter of Sir James Fraser of Brae. After him came John Cuthbert. who married Jean Hay. only child of Right Reverend H. Hay, last Episcopal bishop of Moray, Scotland. There were four children horn to this union-George, Lachian, Alexander and James, the latter being the paternal ancestor. James Cuthbert was born in 1716 and died in 1794. He came from Scotland to the American colonies in 1737, landing at Charleston, South Carolina, on October 20th. He resided at Edisto island, then at Beaufort, South Carolina. His first marriage was with Mrs. Patience Hamilton of Edisto, of which there was no issue, and his second union was with Mary Hazzard (1718-1794), daughter of Col. William Hazzard and widow of Edward Wigg of Beaufort. Of the three children born to the latter wife-John Alexander, Jean Hay and James Hazzard Cuthbert-the last-named was the great-grandfather of Lucius M. Cuthbert. James Hazzard Cuthbert was first married to Sarah Barnwell and secondly to Fanny Furze. His children were: Edward, George and Lucius Cuthbert. The last was married twice; first to Anne Barnwell and secondly to Charlotte Fuller, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Middleton) Fuller, the mother being descended from the noted Middleton family of South Carolina. The children born to the second marriage were: Fanny. Elizabeth, Lucius, Thomas, Charlotte, Rosa and James Hazzard Cuthbert, the last-named being the father of Lucius M. James Hazzard Cuthbert was an eminent divine and was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, in 1830 and died in 1894. He married Julia Elizabeth Turpin, daughter of William Henry and Marie Antoinette (d'Antignac) Turpin, the latter a daughter of Chevalier Jean Louis Baptiste Chamberon d'Antignac, a cadet of a noble French family whose seat was in the neighborhood of Auvergne, France. The children born to this union were: James Hazzard, Mary d'Antignac, Middleton Fuller, Sophy d'Antignac, Jessie Lachian and Lucius Montrose Cuthbert. Also, on the paternal side, Mr. Cuthbert was descended from Edward Middleton, member of the grand council of the province of South Carolina in 1678, and assistant judge of the province in 1682; Arthur Middleton, grandson of the latter, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence; and Col. Thomas Fuller, member of the provincial congress from South Carolina in 1775. In the maternal line, Mr. Cuthbert's great-grandfather was Baron Jean Louis B. C. d'Antiguac, an officer of the First Musqueteers of the King of France, who came to America in 1776 to assist the American forces in the Revolutionary war. He raised a regiment of light horse for the continental service, under special permission of the Continental congress and served throughout the war, at his own expense, with great distinction. Lucius M. Cuthbert, after receiving his primary education in the usual fashion, entered the preparatory school of the Columbian University (now George Washington University), at Washington, D. C, and was graduated from the academic department in 1876 with the degrees of A. B. and A. M.; and from the law school of the same university in 1878 with the degree of LL. B. Having quickly acquired excellence in the knowledge of law and recognized as singularly talented in the profession, he was admitted to the bar of the supreme court of the District of Columbia in the same year of 1878. His first active legal work was done in Washington and there in the capital city he spent three years, becoming accustomed to his adopted vocation and perhaps unlearning many of the academical theories in favor of practicality. Early in the year 1881 Mr. Cuthbert resolved to cast his lot among the hardy and democratic people of Colorado. His decision to make his home in the great west, on the edge of the Rockies, was actuated by many factors, not the least of which was the opportunity awaiting the trained mind and skilled hand in the new country. In June, 1881, he arrived in Denver and until the autumn of the year practiced with Luther S. Dixon, of the firm of Dixon & Reed. Then he became an assistant in the office of the late Sen. Edward O. Wolcott, under whose able tutelage he remained for two years. At this juncture, 1883, he formed a partnership with Henry T. Rogers, which partnership continued until July 1, 1908, when Mr. Cuthbert retired from the practice of his profession to assume other tasks. At the time of dissolution the firm was the oldest in the city of Denver. Mr. Cuthbert was admitted to the bar of the supreme court of Colorado in 1881 and to the bar of the supreme court of the United States in 1898. He was a member of the American Bar Association and was a delegate to the universal congress of lawyers and jurists held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904. He was also a lecturer on Roman law in the legal department of the University of Colorado. Not only did he become a man of high reputation in his major profession, but, as mentioned before, in scientific and archaeological work he became widely known. In 1876 he was a member of. the United States Geological Survey under Dr. Elliott Coues and in these interests he came to Colorado for the summer and autumn of that year. He was also vice president of the Colorado branch of the Archaeological Institute of America. After his retirement from the practice of law, Mr. Cuthbert became interested in oil properties, which were at that time in the first stages of development in Colorado. In 1908 he was elected president of the United Oil Company and in 1909 was also elected the executive head of The Inland Oil & Refining Company, positions which he held until the time of his death. These two companies, with oil fields and refineries at Florence, in Fremont and Boulder counties, were among the largest incorporated in the Rocky Mountain region. During his life Mr. Cuthbert's business success was closely paralleled by his happiness in family life. He was married October 24, 1900, to Gertrude Hill Berger, second daughter of the late Senator Nathaniel P. Hill, one of Colorado's foremost statesmen and citizens. Three children were born to this union, namely: Gertrude, born in Denver, July 25, 1901; Alice Middleton, born in Denver, August 25, 1902; and Lucius M., Jr., born April 6, 1904, who died August 16, 1906. In the maintenance of the home and in business as well Mrs. Cuthbert bore her part with characteristic dignity and sagacity and after the passing of Mr. Cuthbert has succeeded in carrying forward his wishes and ideals as expressed in his life. In fraternal matters Mr. Cuthbert took a great interest. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and one of the organizers of the Pan-Hellenic Club. He was at one time president of the Denver Club and a member at the time of his death. He also held membership in the Denver Athletic Club, University Club and Country Club; the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club, Colorado Springs; the Union and University Clubs. New York city; and the Metropolitan Club, of Washington, D. C. In politics Mr. Cuthbert was accustomed to follow the republican party. The death of Lucius M. Cuthbert occurred suddenly, on December 11, 1915, and in the passing of this man of sterling character, great accomplishments and distinguished pedigree the city and state suffered a distinct and irreparable loss-a loss, however, which to a certain extent was alleviated by the general and grateful acknowledgment of the valuable work he had performed and the beneficial influences of his life's activities upon community and commonwealth as well as his personal influence for good upon the individual. Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF COLORADO ILLUSTRATED VOLUME III CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1918 Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/co/denver/photos/bios/cuthbert21nbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/denver/bios/cuthbert21nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cofiles/ File size: 11.9 Kb