History of the settlement of Steuben County, N.Y. including notices of the old pioneer settlers and
(This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curat...)
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Guy Humphreys McMaster was an American jurist and poet.
Background
Guy Humphreys McMaster was born on January 31, 1829 in Clyde, Wayne County, New York. He was the son of David and Adeline (Humphreys) McMaster. About a year after his birth his parents moved to Bath, which was thenceforth the family home.
Education
After attending Franklin Academy at Prattsburg, N. Y. , McMaster entered Hamilton College, where he enjoyed the friendship of Charles Dudley Warner and Joseph R. Hawley. Soon after his graduation in 1847 he began the study of law, but during the next few years varied the tedium of his preliminary studies by literary work.
Career
In February 1849 he contributed to the Knickerbocker the lyric "Carmen Bellicosum, " which was signed "John MacGrom"; and in 1851, to the American WhigReview, a poem entitled "The Northern Lights" (September) and some prose essays. In 1853 he published a History of the Settlement of Steuben County. McMaster was admitted to the bar in 1852. Associated with a succession of partners, he ultimately formed a partnership with his son-in-law, John F. Parkhurst; and the firm of McMaster & Parkhurst continued to function until McMaster's death. In 1863 he became county judge and surrogate, a position which he held until the close of 1883, when the two offices were separated, and he was elected surrogate. His activities were varied in 1877 by a journey to the Pacific Coast, and in 1885 by a trip to Europe. While on these trips, he wrote for the Steuben Courier the "Pacific Letters" and the "Other-Side Letters. " A similar vigorous note is struck in the descriptive poem "The Northern Lights. " During the Civil War he also published in the Hartford Courant (November 1864) the half-patriotic, half-humorous "Dream of Thanksgiving Eve". Other poems of his include "The Commanders" (1879), later printed in Frederick Cook's Journals of the Military Expedition of Major General John Sullivan (1887); and "The Professor's Guest Chamber, " published in the Utica Herald in 1880.
(This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curat...)
Religion
A member of the Presbyterian Church, McMaster was one of the most influential citizens of Bath. For many years he was the organist of his church.
Personality
As a lawyer and judge, he was greatly respected both for his knowledge of the law and for the fairness of his decisions. Although the body of his poetry is small, it is nevertheless important in representing a spirited, forceful note in American verse at a period when many native poets found their chief inspiration in the vapid and sentimental.
Connections
In 1853 McMaster married Amanda Church; and in succeeding years they had four children.