Judge Samuel E. Jones, David McCandless and David J. Wood

This is one of the recollections written by Wallace A. McKay and published in The Pioneer-News. Follow the "Recollections" link above to find others of his writings.

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The Pioneer-News, May 12, 1933, pages 1-2

Comments On The Career Of Judge Samuel E. Jones, David McCandless and David J. Wood

After the adoption of the new Constitution about the year 1890 a new election was held for the office of Circuit Judge in the new district composed of the Counties of Bullitt, Nelson, LaRue, Hart, Barren and Metcalfe, and Judge Samuel E. Jones of Barren County was nominated after a real contest with John S. Kelly of Bardstown. Kelly was the much better lawyer of the two and would, no doubt, have made a splendid Judge but Judge Jones was a great handshaker and mixer among the people and was backed up by the big Democratic County of Barren which gave him decided advantage in the Primary.

Jones made up in geniality and suavity what he lacked in legal knowledge and training and after he became Judge, by close study and application soon acquiesced a sufficient knowledge of law and procedure to make a very fair Judge.

He was re-elected six years afterwards following a hard contest with Judge Logan Porter of Glasgow and served altogether about twenty years, being finally defeated by Judge David McCandless of Hart County in one of the closest and most bitterly contested political contests ever staged in this section of the State. Judge Jones took his defeat very hard and never got over it. He brooded over it to such an extent that his health became impaired and after he retired from the Circuit Court bench, he took very little part or interest in the general practice of the law, and practically retired from public life.

Messrs. Frank P. Straus and Charles Carroll practiced in the Circuit Court for years while Judge Jones was on the Bench and neither of them had a very high opinion of the legal learning of Jones. They frequently joked about "The glorious uncertainty of the law," under Judge Jones' administration and sometimes wagered with each other as to how a certain case would be decided by the Judge. His friends always insisted that Judge Jones should not have contested the last election with McCandless but should have been content to rest on his laurels and retire to the general practice of law after an honorable record of twenty years on the Bench.

McCandless, his successor, was an astute and trained lawyer and made the district a very good Judge.

He was a very industrious man and a close and careful student of the law, and very few of his important decisions were reversed by the Court of Appeals.

After serving one term as Judge he was nominated and elected Judge of the Court of Appeals where he made a very notable record and voluntarily retired three years ago to practice law in Louisville.

In a later article the writer will make further comments on the career of McCandless and also on Hon. David J. Wood who was the first Commonwealth Attorney of the district under the New Constitution. Wood was a man who was much beloved by the people of the district. His premature death while in the prime of life was a great deep sorrow and widespread regret.

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