[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 53 (Wednesday, May 3, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       WILKES-BARRE LAW AND LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 150TH ANNIVERSARY

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                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 3, 2000

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
organization of which I am proud to be a member, the Wilkes-Barre Law 
and Library Association. I am pleased and honored to have been asked to 
participate in the 150th anniversary of its founding.
  Founded in 1850 by the leading attorneys of Luzerne County, 
Pennsylvania, the Association was first known as the Wilkes-Barre Law 
Association. As the bar association for all of Luzerne County, the 
association soon adopted the longer name of Wilkes-Barre Law and 
Library Association, which is how it is still known today.
  Its original function was a law library for its membership. Because 
of the expense of older law books dating back to the Civil War era, it 
was an attempt to create a central law library as a less costly way for 
lawyers of the day to have an important resource in their practices. 
The original library contained around 2000 volumes. Throughout the 
years, the library has expanded and by 1968 contained over 21,000 
volumes of law books including English law. Some of of the oldest 
volumes date back to the early 1700's and the library is one of the 
finest in the nation to this day.
  The membership of the Association currently includes 649 members and 
has had a total of over 1,600 members in good standing in its 150-year 
history. Its first president was the Honorable Hendrick B. Wright, a 
member of the Pennsylvania Legislature, and Andrew McClintock and 
George B. Nicholson served as the first treasurer and secretary, 
respectively.
  Many of the original names on the membership list are quite familiar 
to those of us in the Wyoming Valley--Welles, Dennison, Bidlack, 
Conyngham, Wright--as even to this day many of our streets and 
communities bear these distinguished names. Many served in the 
Pennsylvania Legislature and were icons of the era. At least 14 members 
of the Association were elected to the U.S. Congress, myself included. 
The Association also boasts three governors among its ranks: Henry 
Hoyt, Arthur James, and John S. Fine.
  Mr. Speaker, the list of appellate and state supreme court justices 
from this bar association's membership list is too long to name all of 
them here, but that list includes some of the most distinguished 
jurists in the Commonwealth's history. One of its most famous was Chief 
Justice Gibson, whose case precedents were considered the most widely 
read in his era and were cited regularly by courts as far away as 
Westminster, England.
  Currently in senior status, Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Max 
Rosenn is a highly respected member of the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library 
Association. With my strong support, the Congress recently renamed the 
Wilkes-Barre Federal Courthouse in his honor.
  Mr. Speaker, the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association is the 
oldest and most distinguished legal institution in Northeastern 
Pennsylvania. It is the center of the legal community in Luzerne County 
and its library is a great resource to its membership. I am extremely 
proud to be a member and to have this opportunity to bring its history 
to the attention of my colleagues in the House of Representatives. I 
send my sincere best wishes on this milestone anniversary and for the 
future of the legal profession in Luzerne County.

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