People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 27-25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1896 — A. H. HOPKINS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A. H. HOPKINS.

Arthur H. Hopkins was born and raised in this place, and like most other Rensselaer boys, is a hard worker in his chosen vocation. He attended the public schools, and graduated from the high school in IBBG with great credit. He was a strong student and in his class work stood among the highost and on graduating was made salutatorian of his class. In 1887 he entered, as a student, the law office of Hon. Edwin P. Hammond and William B. Austin, who in that year formed a partner-

ship after the expiration of Judge Hammond’s term of office on the supreme bench of Indiana. Here the study of law was pursued with the zeal and thoroughness characteristic of his nature, undor the direction of Judge Hammond, who took great interest in his pupil. When Judge Hammond was re-elected to the circuit bench in 1890, and retired from the firm, Mr. Hopkins formed a partnership with William B. Austin under the firm name of Austin & Hopkins. About this time he wasappointed deputy prosecutor for Jasper county, which position he filled two*years, with woe to violation of the law and with profit to the state, as evidenced by the clerk of the courtsand justicesof the peace of Marion township, who say that they never before nor since turned over so much money to the school fund as during his term of office. In March, 1893, George K. Hollingsworth was admitted to the firm, and its name was changed to Austin & Co., and the already extensive business was enlarged, and loaningjand brokerage was made a special feature. An office was opened in the Chamber of Commerce in Chicago, and Mr. Hopkins moved there and took charge of that branch of the business in April, 1893, just as that city was beginning to experience the first realities of that never-to-be-forgotten, White City—the Columbian Exposition. Here he had unequalled opportunities for studying the results of human industry, as they were gathered in that Dream City from every part of the earth, and was also present when the phantom city went up in smoke in the great fire of 1894. At this time the great railroad strikes of which Chicago was the centre, were going on, when every railroad was under government control and every train was loaded with United States soldiers.

In April 1895 the Chicago branch of the business was sold and Mr. Hopkins returned to Rensselaer to pursue his work as before. In December, 1895, Mr. Austin retired from the firm and it is now being continued under the firm name of Hollingsworth & Hopkins. < Mr. Hopkins takes great interest in polities, and served one term as secretary of the county republican central committee and as a member of the executive committee. Like mtfny other people of this place, Mr. Hopkins is quite a traveler and has considerable personal knowledge of, at least, three-fourths of all the states in the union as well as some parts of Can] ada. - , '

ARTHUR H, HOPKINS.