Stephen Strong Gregory (1849–1920) was a

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

Biography

Stephen S. Gregory was born in

Unadilla, New York Unadilla is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. As of the 2023 census, the town had a population of 1,087. The name is derived from an Iroquois word for "meeting place". Unadilla is located in the southwestern corner of the county, ...

on November 16, 1849. He is the brother of Charles Noble Gregory, himself a distinguished writer on legal subjects. His family moved to

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

in 1858. He was educated at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, receiving an A.B. in 1870, an

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1871, and an A.M. in 1873. Gregory began the

practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the profes ...

in Madison, before moving to

in 1874. In Chicago, he associated himself with Judge A. H. Chetlain in the law firm of Chetlain & Gregory. In 1880, he married Janet M. Tappan, daughter of

Arthur Tappan Arthur Tappan (May 22, 1786 – July 23, 1865) was an American businessman, philanthropist and abolitionist. He was the brother of Ohio Senator Benjamin Tappan and abolitionist Lewis Tappan, and nephew of Harvard Divinity School theologian ...

. The couple had three children together: Charlotte C. Gregory, Tappan Gregory, and Stephen S. Gregory, Jr. He joined the firm of Tenney & Flower in 1879, with the firm shortly thereafter becoming Flower, Tenney & Gregory. He formed a new firm, Gregory, Booth & Flower in 1888. He founded a new firm in 1900, with his son Tappan becoming a partner. Gregory's practice involved him in several high-profile cases. He represented Chicago in '' Illinois Central Railroad v. Illinois'', 146 U.S. 387 (1892). He represented

Patrick Eugene Prendergast Patrick Eugene Joseph Prendergast (6 April 1868 – 13 July 1894) was an Irish-born American newspaper distributor who assassinated Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison III, fatally shooting the five-term mayor on October 28, 1893. Following two se ...

after his assassination of Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison, Sr. in 1893, including in his sanity inquiry. He was co-counsel to

Clarence Darrow Clarence Seward Darrow (; April 18, 1857 – March 13, 1938) was an American lawyer who became famous in the 19th century for high-profile representations of trade union causes, and in the 20th century for several criminal matters, including the ...

and James S. Harlan in the effort to save Prendergast from

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...

.
Also available at:
* * After this effort failed, Gregory visited with Prendergast at the

Cook County Jail The Cook County Jail, located on in South Lawndale, Chicago, Illinois, is operated by the Sheriff of Cook County. It is sometimes referred to as ''California'' or ''Hotel California'', as its address is on California Avenue. A city jail has e ...

five minutes prior to his execution and was allowed to shake his client's hand one last time and exchange a few last words with him. Gregory served as president of the

Chicago Bar Association Founded in 1874, the Chicago Bar Association (CBA) is a voluntary bar association with over 20,000 members. Like other bar associations, it concerns itself with professional ethics, networking among members, and continuing legal education. It is ...

in 1900, of the

Illinois State Bar Association The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is among the largest voluntary state bar associations in the United States. Approximately 28,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISB ...

in 1904, and of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

in 1911. Gregory died at his home in Chicago on October 24, 1920.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, Stephen S. 1849 births 1920 deaths Illinois lawyers Wisconsin lawyers People from Unadilla, New York University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni 19th-century American lawyers