Person:Kirk Wicks (1)

He lived in Grand Rapids, Kent, MI in 1917 and 1930 and was a lawyer.He was a member of the Masons, YORK LODGE, NO. 410, Grand Rapids,Michigan. He was Lodge Master in 1902. From the History of Kent County: Impelled by the indomitable spiritwhich has characterized the pioneers of American history, two brothersof the Wicks family, prominent and respected members of the Society ofFriends in Western New York left their native state, where they hadbeen educated in the schools and colleges, and came to Michigan in theearly fifties. They settled near Kalamazoo and engaged in the generalmerchandising business, but in a short time the younger of the twopurchased a farm in Allegan county where he settled with his familyto become pioneer residents of that section. It was on this farm in1869 that Kirk E. Wicks was born, the boy who was destined to becomeone of the most prominent attorneys-at-law in Grand Rapids and masterin chancery, Western District of Michigan, United States districtcourt. The boy lived the normal, healthy life of the farmer boy ofhis day, attending the public schools of his district and later thehigh school. By the time he had reached the age of seventeen years hehad absorbed all that the schools of his section could teach him andhe then became a teacher. During this time he formed the desire tostudy law, and as soon as practicable he entered the law school of theUniversity of Michigan, from which he was graduated with the class of1892, being admitted to practice at the bar in the same year. In 1893he came to Grand Rapids to enter the law firm of Blair, Kingsley andKleinhans as a clerk. Soon after, Blair dropped out of thepartnership, and in 1900 when Kleinhans left the firm to form apartnership with Loyal E. Knappen, the firm of Kingsley and Wicks wasestablished, an arrangement which continued with success until thedeath of Mr. Kingsley in 1913. Mr. Wicks was appointed referee inbankruptcy in 1901 by Untied States District Judge Wanty and continuedto hold that position until his resignation in 1917. The law firm ofWicks, Fuller, and Starr was formed in 1916, but the following year,when Mr. Wicks became trust officer of the Michigan Trust Company, hesevered his connection with the firm only to re-enter the partnershipin 1919 after his resignation form the Michigan Trust Company. In1922 Mr. Wicks was appointed a master of chancery, Western district ofMichigan, United States District Court, a position which he stillretains. Mr. Wicks, through the many years in which he had practicedlaw in Grand Rapids, has won an enviable reputation as a counsellor.The thoroughness with which he handles matters submitted to his care,and his forcefulness as an advocate have gained for him the name ofbeing on of the most successful of the Grand Rapids attorneys, and hehas won the respect and admiration of those with whom he has come incontact, both in a professional and social way. Mr. Wicks firstmarried Lillian Born, the daughter of E.B. Born, of Allegan Michigan,and to them was born one son, Kirk E., Jr. who is now a resident ofChicago. Mrs. Wicks died in January, 1918, and in 1921 he marriedMargaret Weisgerber, a member of a prominent family of Ionia. Mr.Wicks is a member of both the American and State bar associations, andis also active in civic affairs. He is president of the Grand RapidsBar Association, president of the Family Service Association, a memberof the Kent Country Club, the Masonic Country Club, and the UniversityClub. In fraternal circles he is a thirty-second degree Mason and amember of the Shrine, and is actively interested in the affairs of theWestminster Presbyterian church with which he is affiliated. from the History of Michigan - Referee in Bankruptcy for the westerndistrict of Michigan during the past thirteen years, Mr. Wicks is oneof the able representatives of the Grand Rapids bar, a native ofMichigan, and has been a worker in his profession and has gained highstanding and success since 1892. Kirk E. Wicks was born at Watson, Allegan county, Michigan, September19, 1869, a son of John H. and Mary Wicks. His family came toMichigan from Western New York, and were originally of Quaker stock.Mr. Wicks grew up in the little community in Allegan county, attendedthe local schools, and largely through his own efforts was able toenter the law department of the University of Michigan, where hegraduated LL.B. in 1892. In the fall of that year he moved to GrandRapids, and entered the law office of Blair, Kingsley & Kleinhans.His connection with that firm continued until 1900, at which date hebecame a partner of Willard Kingsley, and their partnership continueduntil Mr. Kingsley, death in 1913. This was one of the best known lawfirms of Kent county. Mr. Wicks is now in practice by himself. Hewas appointed referee in bankruptcy in April 1901 and haddistinguished himself for a careful, methodical and impartialadministration of the often complicated duties of that office.Outside of this he had never held any political office and is devotedto his profession. He is a member of the Grand Rapids Association ofCommerce and in the line of his profession had been secretary of theGrand Rapids Bar association of the past seven years. Mr. Wicks is well known in social and fraternal circles of GrandRapids being a past master of York Lodge No. 400, A.F.& A.M. and hastaken all the degrees in both the York and Scottish Rite, being amember of Demolai Commandery of the Knight Templer and of DeWittClinton Consistory of the Thirty-Second Degree Scottish Rite. He isone of the poplar members of the Kent County Club. In 1895 Mr. Wicksmarried Miss Lillian M. Born. They are the parents of one child, K.Englebert Wicks.

KIRK E. WICKS, one of Michigan's outstanding attorneys, was for someyears master in chancery of the United States District Court at GrandRapids, and his record was no less distinguished in private practice. A native of Watson, in Allegan County, Mr. Wicks was born on September19, 1869, son of John H. and Mary (Layton) Wicks. His father, had beenborn in Genesee County, New York, son of William H. Wicks, a native ofHudson, in that state. Members of this family had belonged to theSociety of Friends. John H. Wicks came to Michigan in the early 1850s,and settled at Kalamazoo, where he became a merchant and a teacher. Helater moved to Allegan County where he engaged in farming. The yearsof his retirement were spent at Martin. His wife, the former MaryLayton, was born in Pennsylvania. After preparing himself for college in the local schools, he enteredthe University of Michigan in the class of 1892, and graduated there iwith the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He was admitted to the practiceof law in that year, and came to Grand Rapids, where he began practicein the office of Blair, Kingsley and Kleinhans. The death of Mr. Blairfollowed soon afterwards and in 1900 Mr. Kleinhans withdrew from thefirm, which then became Kingsley and Wicks. Mr. Kingsley died in 1913.In 1916 the firm of Wicks, Fuller and Starr was organized, but Mr.Wicks retired from that firm when he became trust officer of theMichigan Trust Company. In 1919 he re-entered the partnership,resigning his position with the Michigan Trust Company, and remained amember of the firm until its dissolution in July, 1933. In 1922 Mr. Wicks was appointed standing master in chancery for theWestern District of Michigan, United States District Court, and servedmost capably and reliably in this office. As a lawyer Mr. Wicks won recognition and respect throughout hisstate. The "American Blue Book of Michigan Attorneys," published in1925, indicates his professional status at that time in these words: No member of the Michigan bar enjoys a higher standing or wideracquaintance in the profession than Kirk E. Wicks. . . The highstandard which he set for himself in early life won for him therespect and esteem of bench and bar alike. A few years later a history of the state contained a biography of Mr.Wicks, which carried this appraisal of his career: . . . His entire life has been actuated by a high degree ofprofessional service, and faithfulness to any trust reposed in him isone of his marked characteristics. . . He is recognized as a lawyer ofbroad knowledge with clear and thorough understanding of legalprinciples and well merits his success and the reputation which heenjoys as a leading attorney of this section of the state. . . Inevery relation of life his ideals are high and he improves everyopportunity to raise himself to their levels. The censensus of publicopinion places him among the honored citizens and eminent attorneys ofGrand Rapids. The law firm in which he was active for many years served as councilfor a number of the region's foremost corporati()n_s, including theGrand Rapids. Trust Company, Worden Grocery Company, Grand RapidsSavings Bank and others. Active in bar groups, Mr. Wicks was for five years chairman of thejudicial committee of the Michigan Ba; Association on judicialselection and tenure, a method instituted in connection with theselection of judges. He was a member of the Grand Rapids BarAssociation and had served as .its presid_nt. He was also a member ofthe American Bar Association. Identified with the cause of welfarework in his home community, he served at one time as the president ofthe Family Service Association. Mr. Wicks was a member of the GrandRapids Association of Commerce, the University Club of Grand Rapidsand Kent Country Club. He was affiliated with the Free and AcceptedMasons and the higher bodies of the Masonic Order, and was a pastmaster of York Lodge No. 10, and a member of the Knights TemplarCommandery. Holding the Thirty-second degree in Masonry, he was also amember of Saladin Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the MysticShrine, and he belonged to the Masonic Country Club. He was a memberand active supporter of Westminster Presbyterian Church, serving forsome years as trustee. In addition to holding public office as master in chancery of theUnited States District Court, he had served as referee in bankruptcyfor the Western District of Michigan from 1901 to 1917. In his publicduties his record was a distinguished one. As his first wife, Kirk E. Wicks married Lillian Born, daughter of E.B. Born, of Allegan, and they became the parents of a son, Kirk E.,Jr., deceased. Mrs. Lillian (Born) Wicks died in January, 1918, and onMay 28, 1921, at Grand Rapids, Mr. Wicks married, second, MargaretWeisgerber, daughter of Edward and Sarah Jane (Little) Weisgerber. Herfather was a farmer, the owner of extensive acreage. Mr. Wicks' death occurred in Grand Rapids on December 16, 1949. Heleaves a record of distinguished service to his community and hisstate, both in his private professjonal activities and in his publiccapacities. He was a man who consistently turned his energies andabilities to constructive use, thus permanently benefiting his fellowcitizens in all walks of life.

1. ↑ Scott Benz. Elba, NY Town Historian, Family group sheets, photos, wills, andnewspaper clippings..
2. ↑ Kalamazoo Library Local History collection.
3. ↑ Scott Benz. Elba, NY Town Historian, Family group sheets, photos, wills, andnewspaper clippings..
4.   Will of James H. WEEKS.
5.   Newspaper Article.
6.   online at the the Kent co. GenWeb site.
7.   History of Michigan, page 2084.