Individual Narrative

Individual Narrative of Edward Clay O'Rear (2201)

Edward Clay O'Rear

Edward Clay O'Rear (2201)¹^,²^,³^,⁴^,⁵ was born on 2 Feb 1863 at Camargo, Kentucky.⁶^,⁷^,⁸^,⁹^,¹⁰^,¹¹^,¹² He attended a one-room school (which he was later to refer to as the "University of Camargo") between 1869 and 1871 at Camargo, Kentucky. He was enumerated with Daniel O'Rear (2154) on 1 Jun 1870 on the Census at Camargo, Kentucky.¹³ His father died on 11 Nov 1871 when Edward Clay O'Rear (2201) was 8 years old.¹⁴^,¹⁵ Circa 1874, his mother moved the family to Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, where Edward (2201) where he lived until he was about 17.¹⁶ The following year, Edward Clay O'Rear (2201) began work as a "printer's devil&quot at the Sentinel-Democrat in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.¹⁷ He was enumerated with his mother, Sibba (Mynhier) O'Rear (2157) on 1 Jun 1880 on the Census at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.¹⁸ In Jan 1881, Judge John Thomas Hazelrigg, who owned the Mountain Scorcher at West Liberty, Kentucky, appointed him editor of the newspaper and Edward (2201) began "reading law" with his employer.¹⁹

As someone who loved to tell humorous stories especially if they were about himself and some of the situations that he experienced Edward Clay O'Rear (2201) had a wonderful sense of humor. One story was about the time he was campaigning for J. Proctor Knott in Knott's race for Governor of Kentucky. It happened to be a bitter cold March day in 1883. Like many of his age with youthful self-confidence when told the Licking River was rain-swollen, he ignored the warnings and continued his journey home. He had to cross the Licking River a number of times with the final crossing being extremely deep. Not heeding the advice of a ferryman, Uncle Shack Easterling, just moments before,

“I felt that I would not be liked by just a little old river even if it was the Licking. First step into the water my horse went under head and ears and I to my waist. I decided to swim alongside. The current picked us up ... carried us past the getting out spot ... on past the next likely spot ... I remember going by enough to see Uncle Shack, his face a frozen look of amazement and horror as he watched helplessly. Some distance down we were finally carried to the other side....”

At home, loved ones stripped him, wrapped him in warm blankets and placed him before a roaring fireplace. Doctors were called to tend to him and the pneumonia he had contracted. But as he later said, "I had learned a wholesome respect for old Licking when it was on one of its many rampages. Providence had evidently designed I should carry on for many more years”.²⁰

Admitted to the bar as an attorney on 16 Mar 1882, Judge O'Rear began his law practice at Salyersville, Kentucky.²¹^,²² He married Virginia Lee Hazelrigg (2203), daughter of Col. John Thomas Hazelrigg (2202) and Josephine Phillips (10371), (his former employer and mentor) on 30 Nov 1882 at West Liberty, Kentucky.²³^,²⁴^,²⁵ They moved in Sep 1886 to Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.²⁶

Unsuccessful in his bid for Congress in 1888 for the Tenth Congressional District of Kentucky against John Henry Wilson of Barbourville, Edward Clay O'Rear (2201) conducted his campaign so that he gained a large amount of respect and admiration from his opponent.²⁷ This was evident in that Edward Clay O'Rear (2201) was appointed the supervisor of the Federal Census of 1890 for the Tenth Congressional District of Kentucky largely because of the influence of his former opponent.²⁸ A few years later, he was elected the County Judge in 1894 at Montgomery County, Kentucky, the only Republican ever elected to the office to which he did not seek re-election.²⁹^,³⁰

Judge O'Rear tells the story of when he stayed with his uncle, John Wesley O'Rear (2275), during his uncle's last illness between Sep 1899 and Dec 1899 sleeping in the same room in case his uncle needed attention. They had gone to sleep when he was awakened by his uncle. Thinking he needed help, he leaned over to hear the feeble plea, "The clock. The clock." It seemed that his uncle had missed the familiar 'tick tock' of the old clock the "Judge" had forgotten to wind.³¹ He and his family lived at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, where they were enumerated on the Census of 1 Jun 1900.³²

Edward Clay O'Rear (2201) was elected justice of the court of appeals in 1900 for the Seventh Appellate District, Kentucky.³³^,³⁴^,³⁵ And moved with his family during court sessions in Dec 1901 to Frankfort, Kentucky. He became the Chief Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1906.³⁶ And was re-elected as Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals (without any opposition) in 1908 serving the Seventh Appellate District, Kentucky.³⁷ He and his family appeared on the census of 1910 at Franklin County, Kentucky.³⁸ He and most of his family also appeared on the 1910 census at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, where they maintained their normal residence. It is presumed that a neighbor gave the incomplete information for this duplicate enumeration.³⁹

O'Rear resigned from the Court of Appeals of Kentucky at the insistence of many friends to accept the Republican nomination to the office of Governor. In the election of Nov 1911, after an aggressive campaign, he was defeated by James B.McCreary of Richmond, Kentucky.⁴⁰ Following the unsuccessful campaign, he returned to private practice as an attorney in 1912 at Frankfort, Kentucky.⁴¹^,⁴²

Judge O'Rear often told of the time he was in Philadelphia for a conference in regard to pending litigation with other Standard Oil Company attorneys. During a lunch at a prestigious club there, it seems the other attorneys (mostly graduates of highly reputable colleges and universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton) were discussing their alma maters, and Judge Orear was asked his alma mater. He replied, "I went to the University of Camargo, Sir". Upon hearing his reply, the other gentlemen all remarked very knowingly upon what a great and wonderful school it was. One version of the story speculates that the other gentlemen assumed that the University of Camargo was a European institution rather than a small community one-room school.⁴³

Following the death of Virginia Lee Hazelrigg (2203) on 20 Nov 1944 at Frankfort, Kentucky.⁴⁴^,⁴⁵ He married Mabel Taylor (34375) after 1945. A trustee of the University of Kentucky Edward Clay O'Rear (2201) was appointed by Gov. Simeon Willis of Kentucky in Aug 1946. Because he was very interested in his family's history, much of the information concerning the O'Rears comes from work done by Judge O'Rear and his grandson, Edward Clay O'Rear II as they continued the early work of their kinsman, Dr. Ernest Day Everett. Judge O'Rear prepared a paper entitled "The Orear (O'Rear) Family" to accompany his grandson's short genealogical table of the family as known at the time. This paper was prepared for an O'Rear family reunion held about 1947 in Indiana, but copies have surfaced in many libraries throughout the United States.⁴⁶ Some time before 1950, he resided at Ashley House Farm, Woodford County, Kentucky.⁴⁷^,⁴⁸

On 26 May 1958, Ripley's Believe It or Not noted that Judge E. C. O’Rear and his father, Daniel, in their combined lifetimes spanned the administration of every President of the United States. Daniel O’Rear was born April 23, 1796, “within the stockade of Fort Boonesborough, Kentucky” while Judge O’Rear was born in Montgomery County, Kentucky on February 2, 1863. Judge O'Rear lived until after John F. Kennedy, the 35th U. S. President, was in office.⁴⁹^,⁵⁰ Gov. A.B. "Happy" Chandler presented Edward Clay O'Rear (2201) the Governor's Medal for Distinguished Citizenship in Jun 1959 at Frankfort, Kentucky. He died on 12 Sep 1961 at Woodford County, Kentucky, at age 98.⁵¹^,⁵²^,⁵³ He was buried on 14 Sep 1961 at Machpelah Cemetery, Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.⁵⁴

Such was the respect and admiration of the public for Judge O'Rear that he continued to be honored years after his death. He was named as the first Contributing Citizen (Founding Era) in the Mt. Sterling-Montgomery County, Kentucky, Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame on 4 Nov 1998 at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, Judge O'Rear was also the subject of an article in the April 2004 issue of the Kentucky League of Cities magazine.⁵⁵

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