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© copyright 2002-2008
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History:
Edmund J. Hart (1914-1998) Attorney Edmund J. Hart, a 1938 graduate of the University of Wisconsin and a lifelong resident of Madison, died on June 4, 1998. His distinguished law practice spanned more than 50 years, but it began unconventionally. Just out of college, while working for the Wisconsin State Journal, Ed found himself in court one afternoon. Emerson Ela, a local attorney, was arguing a motion. Completely enthralled, Ed decided on the spot to go to law school and join Ela's firm. Shortly after enrolling in the University of Wisconsin Law School, Ed made an appointment to see Ela and asked for a summer job. "Well, young man," said Ela, "you don't expect us to pay you anything, do you?"; "No," said Ed, and thus began a legal career that would last a lifetime. Ed joined the firm of Ela, Christianson & Ela in 1941, right after graduating from law school. Though smitten by Martha Hill, a classmate at the UW, Ed's salary of $75 per month was insufficient to support a family. Then a former law school professor offered Ed a job in the Office of Price Administration in Washington, D.C. The job paid $250 a month. Ed accepted. Then he called Martha and proposed. Two months later, they were married. At the OPA, Ed drafted gasoline rationing regulations. One of his coworkers there was a dark-haired, young man named Richard M. Nixon. Ed and Dick often walked to the Capitol and ate their bag lunches in the Senate chamber while listening to the debates. Over several months at OPA, Ed and the future U.S. President and their wives became social friends and regular dinner partners. World War II soon separated the two men. Ed joined the U.S. Coast Guard. After basic training -- boxer Jack Dempsey was the athletic director at his camp -- Ed was offered a choice. He could become the skipper of a small landing barge or he could join an intelligence unit headquartered in New York City. He chose the latter. After the war, the Harts and their son, Jerry, returned to Madison, where Ed rejoined Ela, Christianson & Ela. Ed earned $158 per month, with which he and Martha hired architect William Kaeser to design a modest house in Shorewood Hills. There, the couple's two daughters, Kappo and Abigail, were born. In the 1950s, Dwight D. Eisenhower was campaigning for President. Dick Nixon, his running mate, was making a whistle stop in Madison. Invited aboard Nixon's train, Ed brought along Larry Fitzpatrick, of Fitzpatrick Lumber Company. While the candidate delivered his speech, Ed and Larry relaxed in the dining car. Suddenly, a voice rang out. "Ed Hart, you old son of a bitch!" It was Dick Nixon, and he shook Ed's hand. "It impressed the hell out of Fitzpatrick," Ed reported. Ed Hart represented many of Madison's largest manufacturers and businesses, and he served on several corporate boards of directors. His expertise in business and corporate law was recognized by his peers. In 1962, he became a named partner in the growing firm of Ela, Christianson, Ela, Esch, Hart & Clark. That same year, Ed and Martha bought a 160-acre farm in the picturesque hills of Iowa County. It was perfect for them. Ed had an abounding love for nature and the outdoors. Martha had a passion for antique pine furniture. The land had been settled in 1848 and kept in the same family ever since. The abstract, Ed pointed out, contained only 6 pages. Martha fixed up the rundown farmhouse and filled it with what Ed called "the darnedest collection of furniture you've ever seen." Ed was proud of Martha's touch, though, and his law offices were always distinctively decorated with Early American art and antiques. Ed was not alone in his appreciation for Martha's interior design. Metropolitan Home listed the Harts' farm as the top weekend retreat in the Midwest, and Lands' End shot photos for one of its catalogs on the premises. The Harts hosted summer picnics for the law firm at the farm. Ed Hart was equally devoted to his hometown. He represented many service organizations and served on numerous professional and community boards and committees. He was elected to the Dane County Board and was the village attorney for Shorewood Hills. As president of the Madison YMCA, Ed was instrumental in securing funding for a west side branch. His civic leadership was featured in the "Know Your Madisonian" column in 1966. In 1974, Ed's firm shortened its name to Ela, Esch, Hart & Clark. Four years later, the firm merged with another Madison law firm to create Isaksen, Lathrop, Esch, Hart & Clark. Ed served as the firm's presiding partner after the death of Leon Isaksen. He practiced with this same firm, now named Lathrop & Clark, until he retired as a partner, in 1991. Though he missed the sense of purpose legal practice had given to his life, Ed remained active after retirement. He continued to serve "of counsel" to Lathrop & Clark until the time of his last illness. He spent 7 years performing volunteer work for the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and a supportive charitable foundation. But Martha had died, and he felt the loss of her companionship deeply. "My father-in-law once told me that the worst thing about getting old is that your friends always die first," he said. Edmund J. Hart will live on in the memory of those of us who had the privilege of practicing with him and those whom he served throughout his professional life. by James F. Clark
Trayton L. Lathrop (1923-1998) When Trayton Lathrop died, on April 3, 1998, after a gallant struggle with a deadly disease, it marked the last of many courageous battles he fought. From 1943 through 1946, he served in the United States Navy during World War II. Even as he contributed to the defeat of the Axis Powers, he protested segregation within the Navy. In his blue, naval officer's uniform and with his wife, Ruth, he attended all-Negro churches as a symbol of his support of the struggle that was later to engage such figures as Martin Luther King, Jr. In the years to come, he continued his determined campaign to make the world, and particularly the legal world, a better place as best he could define what a better place would be. Trayton Lathrop was a man who loved the law. As a lawyer, he wrote scholarly articles illustrating the unconstitutionality of restrictive covenants based on race. He also protested against a bar association that required people to be members in order to practice law. He regarded that requirement as a restriction of freedom and a diminution in the lawyer's ability to challenge governmental authority. And he pursued his protest all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Trayton Lathrop was no less zealous in pursuing smaller causes of ordinary people who followed more sequestered paths. They could not have had a more zealous champion in the lists of legal battles. But Trayton Lathrop was far more than a warrior. He was a man who gave more to his community than he took from it. He was active in his church, serving in numerous capacities, including that of an elder. He was a founding member of the Madison West Rotary Club, holding the office, among others, of president of that club. He went on to serve as district governor of Rotary District 625 and became active in Rotary affairs internationally. Trayton Lathrop, like another lawyer, could be described as "a man for all seasons." He was a vigorous square-dancer and a man of near universal interests. He enjoyed walking the fields and hills of his farm, as Aldo Leopold might have. This firm, to which he gave his name, has been diminished by his passing. This community--indeed, mankind--has been diminished by his passing. by Donald L. Heaney
Donald M. Ryan (1914-1998) On December 29, 1998, in the company of his wife and family, Attorney Donald M. Ryan died in Fort Myers, Florida. Earlier in the year, Don had been honored by the State Bar of Wisconsin at a luncheon for 50-year members of the Bar. Born and raised in Lodi, Don opened Ryan Law Office on October 1, 1948, in his hometown. He merged his firm with Lathrop & Clark LLP in 1986 and retired from the active practice of law two years later. At the time of his death, Don served of counsel to Lathrop & Clark. Don handled many types of cases in his long legal career, but his first trial was especially memorable. It involved a local businessman who had established a pig feeding lot in downtown Lodi. Predictably, the odoriferous enterprise drew numerous complaints. To solve the problem, the city council surreptitiously passed an ordinance prohibiting the housing of pigs within the city limits, then promptly dispatched a police officer to arrest the businessman for violating the newly minted ordinance. Don successfully defended the businessman on the ground that the "secret" ordinance was invalid. (Much to the relief of residents, the businessman relocated the pigs shortly thereafter.) Don graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1941, but he did not embark immediately on a legal career. Instead, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force. He completed Officer Candidate School in 1942 and attained the rank of captain by the time he was honorably discharged at the end of World War II. While posted to Wold Chamberlain Field in Minneapolis, Don had met Josephine Burns, an employee of Mid Continent Airlines. The couple married in St. Paul in 1942. In their 56-year marriage, the Ryans had five children, three daughters and two sons, but one of their daughters died in infancy. At the time of Don's death, he and Jo had two grandchildren. Don returned to Lodi after World War II, arriving on the day before registration at the University of Wisconsin Law School. He enrolled while still in military uniform. He attended classes year-round and obtained his law degree in 1948. While in law school Don met Jim Clark, a fellow veteran studying to be a lawyer. The students became friends. When Clark opened Lathrop & Clark's Poynette office, in 1948, the men became colleagues. The pair attended State Bar and Wisconsin Association of School Boards conventions together for half a century. In the 1980s, when Don sought another firm to continue his practice, it was only natural that he would turn to Jim Clark. The men remained close after the merger of their firms. Their friendship endured until Don's death. As a lawyer, Don left an indelible image on his profession. He belonged to the Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity and the Madison Estate Council. He volunteered his time on numerous State Bar boards and committees. He served as president of the Columbia County Bar Association and as a Columbia County Court Commissioner. A faded snapshot from the late 1940s hangs on the bulletin board in the Columbia County Courthouse. The photo shows Don and Earl J. McMahon, who practiced with Don before becoming a local judge. Ironically, the former partners died within a day of one another. But for all his accomplishments as an attorney, Don's richest legacy was community service. He was elected to the Columbia County Board for eight years and to the Lodi School Board for nine years, eight as president. He was also president of the Lodi PTA and the Lodi Alumni Association. Don served on the Board of Directors of the State Bank of Lodi for 30 years and was vice-president at his retirement, in 1992. He was a charter member and past president of the Lodi Chamber of Commerce and the Optimist Club. He belonged to the American Legion and the Boy Scout Commission. He directed the Columbia County March of Dimes for two years, cochaired Columbia County Brotherhood Week, and chaired Lodi's Jubilee Belle 125-year Commemoration. Don's civic contributions extended well beyond his personal interests. Though he was not particularly fond of golf and rarely played the game, he agreed to serve on the steering committee of Lodi Golf Course. He was also on the steering committee of Good Samaritan Nursing Home. Don was named Lodi's Man of the Year in 1982. His accomplishments were featured in a two-part article in the Lodi Enterprise in 1988. In 1997, he was chosen as marshal of Lodi's Memorial Day parade. True to his Irish ancestry, Don attended St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Lodi. He was a charter member of St. Patrick's Knights of Columbus Council 6463 and an honorary life member of the Knights of Columbus. "Lodi loses community leader" read the headline of Don's obituary in the Lodi Enterprise. "Don once told me that the best thing you could ever say about anybody is that they're a good neighbor," reported a Lodi resident who had known Don for nearly 50 years. "Well," the man continued, "Don was a darn good neighbor." by Jill Weber Dean
James F. Clark (1920-2002) James F. Clark retired from the active practice law after 50 years of legal service with Lathrop & Clark. Jim was honored by the State Bar of Wisconsin in February 1998 at a luncheon for 50-year members of the Bar. He continued to serve as special counsel to Lathrop & Clark until his death in 2002. He joined the firm (then named Ela, Christianson & Ela) and opened the Poynette office in 1948. Jim’s legal practice emphasized real estate, probate, school and municipal law. He taught municipal law at the University of Wisconsin Law School for several summers. Beginning in 1950, he represented numerous Wisconsin school districts. Jim was named the Wisconsin Association of School Boards’ first general counsel in 1961 and represented WASB until his retirement. In October 1961, Jim wrote a “Legal Comment” for WASB’s monthly magazine, Wisconsin School News. These popular essays have appeared in every subsequent issue. They were compiled as a book in 1985, and several were republished by the National School Boards Association. Jim also organized an insurance program for WASB. Currently, the insurance program provides broad coverage to some 300 state school districts. In 1994, WASB awarded Clark its special Founder’s Edition of the Tipler Medal for Distinguished Service in School Law. In further recognition of his contributions to public education, he was elected an honorary life member of WASB. Jim was past president of the Columbia County Bar Association and the National School Boards Association’s Council of School Attorneys. He served as Chairman of the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Section and was elected to the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee of the State Bar of Wisconsin. He was listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Best Lawyers in America, and Best Lawyers in Madison. Jim and his wife, Gloria, Poynette residents since 1949, married in 1944. One of the couple’s four children, Jeffrey, is also an attorney with Lathrop & Clark, practicing out of the firm’s Poynette and Madison offices. Jim served on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Poynette for several years. He was a member of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Poynette and a former chairman of the parish council. He belonged to the Knights of Columbus and Elks Club, and was past president and member of the Lions Club. Before beginning his legal career, Jim served in World War II. While a student at the University of Wisconsin, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in 1942 and flew P-47, P-40, and P-51 single-engine fighter aircraft until his honorable discharge in 1945. As a law student, Jim was an editor of Wisconsin Law Review and was named to the Order of the Coif, an academic honorary society. He graduated with high honors from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1947. A devoted Wisconsin Badger Football fan, as well as a very competitive golfer and curler, Jim continued to play softball in the Poynette area until he was nearly 60 years old.
John H. Esch (1903-2003) John H. Esch was born in 1903 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1926 and his law degree from the George Washington University Law School in 1928. He began his legal career with the Madison firm of Gilbert, Ela, Heilman & Raeder that same year. His education at the UW included a year of engineering, including a course in surveying, which gave him a descriptive knowledge in examining abstracts. This became a hallmark of his practice, and in the course of his lengthy real estate practice, he examined more than 7,000 abstracts and wrote title opinions for every one. In addition to his real estate practice, John served as municipal attorney for the Town of Fitchburg for a decade and was also the attorney for the Village of Verona for a number of years. He served as president of the Dane County Bar Association in 1956-57 and was a member of the State Bar's Board of Governors from 1962-64. John's optimistic nature and indomitable spirit served him well later in his career. While playing handball at the YMCA in 1982 at the age of 78, he suffered cardiac arrest. Numerous YMCA employees rushed to resuscitate John, and their efforts were aided by Dr. Frank Kilpatrick, a physician who happened to be exercising there at the time. Remarkably, John made a full recovery and was back at work eight days later. The dramatic story was reported by William Wineke in the Wisconsin State Journal. John retired from full-time practice in 1984, but he remained of counsel to the firm for many years. He celebrated his 100th birthday in June 2003.
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