Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....SESSIONS, Clarence W.   1931 April 1, 1931
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Pat Blood pat.blood@gmail.com April 7, 2011, 2:53 am

Ionia County News – Thursday, 2 April 1931
FUNERAL TODAY IN RAPIDS FOR JUDGE SESSIONS
State Officials And Leading Members of Michigan Bar Will Attend
BURIAL WILL BE HERE

State officials and leading members of the Michigan bar will be among the 
scores who will attend the funeral services in Grand Rapids this afternoon for 
Judge Clarence W. Sessions of the United States court.  Following the 
services, the body will be brought here for burial in Highland Park cemetery.  
Judge Sessions, who was born in North Plains Township, resided in the city at 
one time.  He died yesterday morning after a lengthy illness which ended a 
long and distinguished career.  He was 72 year old.

Judge Sessions was the oldest son of William Sessions and Julia Jennings 
Sessions, daughter of John Jennings, both from well known families of Long 
Plains and Ronald.  The family later removed to Ionia, their home for many 
years was on S. W. corner of Jefferson and Washington streets.

Attended School Here:  Judge Sessions attended the Ionia Public Schools and 
graduated from high school here with the class of 1877 of which he was the 
President.  He then attended the University of Michigan, receiving his 
bachelor degree there in 1881.  He entered the law department at the 
University, and was admitted to the Ionia Bar in 1884.

Judge Sessions moved to Muskegon in 1885 where he practiced law until 1906 
when he became Circuit Judge of the14th Judicial Circuit.  He served from 
January 1, 1906 until October 3, 1911 when he was made U. S. District Judge of 
the Western District of Michigan, which position he held until his retirement 
about two years ago.  His home during this past two decades was in Grand 
Rapids.

Enforced Law:  Since he has been on the federal bench, federal records reveal 
that prohibition violators in Western Michigan have received heavier sentences 
than in any like district in the country.

“I have always found,” he commented in 1922, “that the majority of the people 
want the laws enforced.”

On July 5, 1882 Judge Sessions married Mary Foote at the home of her mother in 
Ionia, the widow of Rev. Charles Foote, who in 1878 succeeded Rev. Job Pierson 
as pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Ionia.  Rev. Charles Foote had a short 
pastorate over the church as he died in the spring of 1879 after a short 
illness.  The home is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fred S. Howard.  Two 
children were born to Judge and Mrs. C. W. Sessions, Marjorie, born in Ionia – 
she is now Mrs. S. G. Bennett, College Ave., N. E., of Grand Rapids – and 
Clarence N., born in Muskegon.  He is now a lawyer of that city.

Mrs. Sessions died in Grand Rapids about five years ago.  Judge Sessions later 
married Mrs. Mary Lovell Higgenbotham, a former well known Ionian who was a 
close friend of the family for many years.  She survives him.  Besides his 
widow and son and daughter, Judge Sessions is survived by his brother, John, 
of Vickeryville, a number of nephews, niece and four grandchildren.


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