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Montana Freemason March 2015 Volume 91 Number 1
jurisdiction of Kansas becoming Virginia City No. 1 Republican Caucus nominee for U.S. Senator, 1899.
in 1866 with the formation of the Grand Lodge of For many years Hedges was an editorial writer for the
Montana. He later became a member of Morning Star Helena Herald, and was inducted into the Montana
Lodge No. 5 in Helena. Brother Sanders was elected Newspaper Hall of Fame. He was a charter member
as the first Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of of the Montana Bar Association, and a member and
Montana on January 26, 1866. Two years later in 1868 president of both the Montana Historical Society and
he was named Grand Master, the second to hold the the Montana Society of Pioneers. He was a founder
office. When the Montana Masonic Hall of Fame was and lifelong supporter of the Helena Public Library.
established he was inducted as its first member. Cornelius Hedges had been a Mason since 1857 and
was one of the founders of the first Masonic lodge in
Cornelius Hedges was born in Westfield, Montana. He was known, during his lifetime, as the
Massachusetts on Oct. 28, 1831. He enrolled at Yale “Father of Montana Masonry.” As a Mason, Hedges
in 1849, and graduated in 1853. In 1855 he graduated held the office of Grand Master in 1870 and as Grand
from Harvard Law School and was admitted to the Secretary of Montana from 1872 until just prior to
bar in Massachusetts. In July 1856 Hedges moved to his death in 1906. From 1876 to 1888 he was the
Independence, Iowa and established a law practice, reporter for the Territorial Supreme Court. In 1875
while editing and publishing the Independent Civilian. he was elected to be the Probate Judge for Lewis and
In April of 1864, Hedges set out for the gold mines Clark County, and he served until 1880. In 1889 he
of Idaho. He entered the Montana Territory with ran as a Republican for State Senator from Lewis and
Jim Bridger and arrived in Virginia City, Montana, on Clark County and won. That same year Montana was
July 12, 1864. Having arrived in Montana in 1864, incorporated as a state. He served as a State Senator
Hedges was considered an original pioneer, and in until 1892. After this he continued to practice law until
1884 he became a charter member of the Society of ill health forced him to retire in 1901. In 1903, he was
Montana Pioneers. In January 1865 Hedges moved an honored guest at the cornerstone laying ceremony
to Last Chance Gulch in Helena, Montana. The for the large arch at the entrance to Yellowstone Park.
Montana bar accepted him and he began to practice John Bertrand Clayberg was born on October
law, becoming a U. S. Attorney at the Territorial 8th 1853 in Illinois. He completed his law degree at
Supreme Court in 1865 until 1875. In 1868 he was the University of Michigan in 1875 where he was
appointed U. S. Commissioner in Montana Territory. admitted to the Bar. He located to Helena in 1884. He
In 1868 he began working with the Helena Public was admitted to practice Law in Montana and 1889
Library Association to build a library resulting in the formed McConnell, Clayberg & Gunn until 1896.
establishment the first public library in Montana. In He was considered one of the leading attorneys in
1870 he was part of the Washburn-Langford-Doane Montana. In 1891 he was elected Attorney General.
Expedition into Yellowstone Park and is given credit In 1903 Judge Clayberg was appointed chief of the
for the National Park concept. His work toward this Supreme Court Commission of Montana, which was
goal helped make Yellowstone the first National organized for the purpose of assisting the Supreme
Park in 1872. Governor Benjamin F. Potts appointed Court in deciding a great accumulation of cases and
Cornelius Hedges Superintendent of the Montana in clearing its calendar. During the two-year existence
Public Schools he served in this post from 1872 of this commission Judge Clayberg wrote some 87 of
until 1878, and then again from 1883 through 1885, the opinions of this court, which may be found in
doing much to improve the Montana Public Schools. volumes 28 to 32 of the Montana reports. He also
Hedges Hall at the Montana State University is named lectured on mining law at Columbia University, and
after Cornelius Hedges. He was U.S. District Attorney from 1903 to 1905 at the Montana School of Mines
for Montana Territory in 1871; Territorial Delegate to at Butte. He gave Stanford University a course of
Congress in 1874; a member of the 1884 Constitutional lectures on extra-lateral rights in 1913 and in 1914
Convention and one of the signers of the 1884 lectured on the DrumLummon mining litigation
Montana State Constitution; State Senator, 1889-1893;
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