CHARLES HITCHCOCK was born April 4, 1827, in Hanson, Plymouth Co., Mass., and died at his home in Kenwood, Cook Co., Ill., May 6, 1881; he was descended from Luke Hitchcock, who came over from England and settled in New Haven in 1644, the intermediate members of tim line being Luke, Jr., Ebenezer, Rev. Gad, Gad, Jr., M. D., and Charles, Sr. The father died November 9, 1849, and the mother, by birth Abigail L. Hall, also of early New England origin, died May 2, 1881. The public-school education of young Hitchcock having been supplemented by a partial course at Phillips' Academy, in Andover, he entered Dartmouth College in 1847, and graduated in the class of 1851. Having studied law one year under Daniel Blaisdell, treasurer of the college, he went to Washington, D. C., to fill the position of professor in an academy, which he held one year. He used his leisure time to continue the study of law, under the guidance of the Hon. Joseph Bradley. In the fall of 1853 he entered the senior class of the Dana Law School. of Harvard College. After further initiation in the practice of law under Harvey Jewell, of Boston, he was admitted to the Bar in 1854. Coming to Chicago, he entered the office of Williams & Woodbridge, and was enrolled a member of the Bar of Illinois October 10, 1854. In 1856 he was of the law firm of Hitchcock & Goodwin for about a year, and later on of Gallup & Hitchcock, which terminated in 1862. Hitchcock & Du-pee, 1862 to 1866, by the accession of Mr. Evarts. became Hitchcock, Dupee & Evarts, 1866 to 1872, and by his withdrawal became again Hitchcock & Dupee. in 1875 it was changed to Hitchcock, Dupee & Judah, continuing until the death of the senior member. Mr. Hitchcock was president of the State Constitutional Convention of 1870--"the best vet adopted of American State constitutions"--and besides his well-known services as presiding officer, was author of some of its more important new provisions. He was elected one of the County Commissioners after the fire, and was largely instrumental in securing the remission by the State of the city's debt, and the appropriation of the amount to build its bridges. July 10, 1860, Mr. Hitchcock married Miss Annie McClure, of Chicago. a daughter of James and Julia (Rodgers) McClure, the mother being a native of Staten Island, and both parents of Scotch-Irish descent. Coming West in 1836, they were among the early settlers of Lake County, Ill., where Mr. Hitchcock was born. At the meeting of the Bar, held in memory of Mr. Hitchcock soon after his decease, one member did not hesitate to characterize him as "first among his peers;" another said: "His great reputation never exceeded his merits," and a third added: "I learned to esteem him for his high culture, his eminent legal talent and his sterling integrity." The general estimate of the Bar ranked him as an accurate and able lawyer in commercial and corporation cases, if indeed he had an equal in argument before the court, while his personal worth was recognized by a still wider circle. Source: History of Cook County Families, 1900