San Joaquin County
Biographies
HON. JOSEPH M. CAVIS
HON. JOSEPH M. CAVIS, lawyer,
and one of the representative men of Stockton, is a native
of New Hampshire, born at Dunbarton, Merrimac County, July 1, 1825, his parents being John and Nancy
(Mills) Cavis. The family is an old one in this country, the subject of this
sketch being in the sixth generation from the founder of the family in America, who came from the Isle of Man. When the subject of
this sketch was ten years of age his father removed with the family to Hopkinton, New Hampshire, and there he attended the academy, preparing for college.
He was graduated at Dartmouth College, in the class of 1846. He immediately entered the law
office of David Cross, at Manchester, and after a year and a half spent in
legal studies there, went to Troy, New York, where he was admitted to the bar
November 8, 1848. In that city he was in the office of Willard & Raymond. A
couple of months after his admission he went to Holyoke, Massachusetts, was admitted to practice, and remained there until
September, 1852. In 1852 he started for California, sailing from Boston on the ship Northern Light, October 25. The vessel
rounded Cape Horn on the 1st of January, 1853. At night in
that region he would amuse himself by picking out the constellations, and on the
night mentioned, off Cape Horn, the sun’s entire disc was visible at nineteen
minutes after nine o’clock. They landed at San Francisco, February 23, 1853, and Mr. Cavis, after remaining in
the city a couple of weeks, went to Sacramento, to take charge of some real estate. He remained in
the Capital City about a year, then went to Columbia, Tuolumne County, and commenced mining. This engaged his attention
until September, 1855, when he entered into the practice of the law, having
been admitted to the Supreme Court of California in June, 1855. In September,
1861, Mr. Cavis was elected to the State Senate of California, and at the
election of September, 1862, he was again elected to the same position. In
October, 1863, he was elected District Judge of the Fifth Judicial District,
which at that time comprised the counties of Tuolumne, San Joaquin, Mono and
Alpine. It was a tremendously large circuit, and entailed considerable hardship
upon the judge whose duty it was to make it. His term of office expired on the
31st of December, 1869, and during the first week in January, 1870,
he removed to Stockton, and opened an office here. In March, 1876, he was
appointed by the President as Postmaster at Stockton, assuming the duties of the office in May of that
year. He served three full terms, retiring from the office April 15, 1888,
leaving behind him the record of a splendid administration. He has since
reopened his law office, and is now again engaged in practice.
Mr. Cavis was married in New Hampshire, October 4, 1849, to Miss Emma Maria Chandler. They
have one child: Joseph William, born March 22, 1852, who is now chief clerk of
the Stockton postoffice.
Judge Cavis is a member of Columbia Lodge,
No. 28, A. F. & M., Stockton Chapter, R. A. M., and is now serving his
fourth term as Eminent Commander of Stockton Commandery, Knights Templar. He
was a Whig in the days of that party’s greatness, and he has been a Republican
since the organization of the party, having cast his vote for its first
Presidential candidate--John C. Fremont. He has always taken an active part in
the councils of the party, and in 1875 was honored by the Republican State convention with the nomination for
Lieutenant-Governor, and shared in the general defeat of that year. He has
taken a lively interest in church work, and for eighteen years has been a
trustee and secretary of the “First Congregational Society of Stockton.”
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 367-368. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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