Wayne County Biographies



Part of the Indiana Biographies Project



John L. Rupe

A practitioner at the Richmond bar, John L. Rupe was born in Economy, Wayne county, Indiana, October 27, 1847, and is a son of Henry B. and Jane M. (Hervey) Rupe. The family originated in Germany and was first planted on American soil in Virginia. George Rupe, the grandfather of our subject, was born and reared in the Old Dominion, and in 1821 came to Wayne county, Indiana, where for a short time he engaged in the manufacture of hats. He then removed to Economy, where he continued in the same line of business for many years; he died in the early '60s, when he had reached the age of sixty-five years. He married Margaret Baldwin and they had four children, namely: Catharine became the wife of Dr. Henry Carver; and both are now deceased; Henry B.; John L., a medical student, who died in early manhood; and Hamilton N., a pump manufacturer of Indianapolis.

Rev. Henry Baldwin Rupe, father of our subject, was for many years one of the most distinguished, influential and honored citizens of Wayne county. He was born in Blount county. Tennessee, June 23, 1821, and died in Richmond, June 28, 1897. When only six months old he was brought by his parents to Wayne county, and he spent the days of his boyhood and youth in Economy. He became a leader in public thought and action there and left the impress of his individuality upon the moral, intellectual and material development of the town. In his youth he learned the hatter's trade under the direction of his father, and he followed the business for some time, but abandoned it in 1858 in order to devote his energies to other duties. He was endowed by nature with excellent oratorical gifts, and before attaining his majority gave much time to public speaking, devoting his attention to the discussion of slavery and temperance questions. Youthful enthusiasm, combined with strong mentality and a dear insight into the problems under discussion, made him a very forceful as well as entertaining speaker, and for years he delivered many public addresses throughout the country on liberty, temperance and popular education. He was a lover of freedom and an inflexible opponent of oppression. Injustice always stirred his indignation. He "loved righteousness and hated iniquity," was a man of broad humanitarian principles and gave his influence to all that would elevate his fellow men. In politics he acted with the Free-soil party until the organization of the Republican party, when the latter, which gave promise of larger service to the cause of freedom, received his support. The distinct character of his moral convictions made him a radical in politics and religion, but his radicalism was associated with a soundness of judgment and breadth of sympathy that kept him from fanatical extremes. During the civil war he was an ardent patriot and an enthusiastic supporter of the administration, while to the Union cause he contributed generously of his means and personal influence.

In the local interests of Economy, where he resided for almost forty years, he also took a deep and commendable interest, giving his co-operation and assistance to all measures for the general good. For many years he served as a member of the school board, and the cause of education in Economy found in him a warm friend. He served as justice of the peace for some time, and in 1862 was elected county treasurer, which position he filled for four years. In early life he united with the Wesleyan church, led to this step by the strong anti-slavery sentiment of that denomination. Not long afterward, however, further study and reflection led him to adopt the views of the Baptist church, with which he united, becoming a most active worker in the Sunday-school and along many lines of Christian labor. After several years devoted to public speaking on political and moral questions, many of his friends urged him to enter the ministry, and after considerable hesitation on his part he resolved to do so, and was ordained. He seldom accepted a regular pastorate, depending upon other means for a livelihood, but through the intervening years, until failing health caused his retirement, he seldom failed to fill some pulpit on the Sabbath and deliver the "glad tidings of great joy" to the people. A local paper said of him: "Besides the regular supply of several churches of his own faith, he was continually being called on to preach at school-houses and churches in all parts of the county, to people of various denominations. It is doubtful if any other man in the county has been called on to speak in so many parts of it, or to so many congregations with beliefs differing from his own, as he was. As a speaker he was animated, sympathetic, impressive and magnetic. In Christian doctrine he was thoroughly evangelical; in denominational beliefs he was positive and unyielding; yet his Christian sympathies were so broad and his Christian character was so genuine that his denominational opinions were never a bar to the most cordial fellowship with all who possessed the spirit of Christ."

His home life was most ideal in nature and pleasant in character. He entertained exalted opinions of what the home should be and was most devoted to wife and children. On the 5th of October, 1843, Henry B. Rupe was united in marriage to Jane M., daughter of Rev. Samuel and Elizabeth Hervey, and to them were born three sons and two daughters: Clarence M., a resident of Lima, Ohio; John L. ; Mrs. J. W. Moore; Judson R. ; and Mrs. S. S. Ford, - all of Richmond with the exception of the first named. In November, 1889, Rev. Henry B. Rupe was called upon to mourn the loss of her who for forty-five years had been his faithful companion and helpmeet on the journey of life. Later he was united in marriage to Mrs. Rebecca Harriman, with whom his last years were peacefully and happily spent. Perhaps his dominant and most notable characteristic was his fidelity to truth and honor. He invariably sought the things that were "honest and of good repute." In the training of his children no precepts were so constantly or so urgently insisted on as those which concern sound and worthy character. He taught that honor and truthfulness were of such commanding worth that self-interest should never under any circumstances set them aside. A falsehood or a dishonorable deed with him was not only a sin; it was a disgrace. These principles were a standard by which he constantly estimated men, and to which he religiously held himself. Whatever else he might do or fail to do, he meant to be, in all his actions, right before God and man. His life was an inspiration to all who knew him and his memory remains to his friends and children as a blessed benediction of a noble and upright character. One who knew him long and intimately said he exemplified most completely the lines of Goldsmith:

"On he moves to meet his latter end,
Angels around befriending virtue’s friend;
Sinks to the grave with unperceived decay,
While resignation gently cloves the way,
And all his prospects brightening to the last,
His heaven commences ere the world be past."

The family of this honored man is well represented by John L. Rupe, a successful and distinguished lawyer of Richmond, whose marked abilities have gained him prestige among those who are devoting their energies to the legal profession. He spent the first fifteen years of his life in his native town of Economy, and then went with his parents to Centerville, where he remained for ten years. He acquired a good English education in the public schools, and was engaged in business with his father in the county treasurer's office from 1862 until 1867. In the latter year he began the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in November, 1868. In 1868 he was deputy auditor of the county, and in 1870 was elected district attorney, filling the position most acceptably for two years, when, in 1872, he was re-elected. He served in that capacity until 1873, when the office was abolished by act of the legislature, doing away with the common-pleas system.

In March, 1872, Mr. Rupe removed to Richmond, where he has since made his home. In 1875 he was elected city attorney, holding the office for eight years. With the exception of a single year he has served as county attorney a period of twelve consecutive years, and his long continuance in office is unmistakable evidence of his ability as a practitioner and of his unwavering fidelity to duty. In 1883 he was elected mayor of Richmond for a two-years term, and his administration was most progressive, the affairs of the city being ably and systematically managed. For a quarter of a century he has been connected with most of the important litigation tried in the Wayne circuit, and his clientage has been very extensive. During that time he has been in several partnership relations. In 1878 he formed a partnership with Hon. Henry C. Fox, under the firm name of Fox & Rupe, which connection was continued until the former was elected to the bench. In 1879 he became a partner with William Dudley Foulke, and the firm of Foulke & Rupe continued in active practice until 1887, when the senior partner retired to private life. Subsequently Mr. Rupe became associated in practice with Charles H. Burchenal under the firm name of Burchenal & Rupe, which relation was continued until 1894. Through the last five years Mr. Rupe has been alone in practice, and has met with gratifying success in his professional labors. Since 1890 he has been solicitor for the Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Company. His knowledge of law is comprehensive, embracing an understanding of nearly every department of jurisprudence. He has won for himself very favorable criticism for the careful and systematic methods which he has followed. He has remarkable powers of concentration and application, and his retentive mind has often excited the surprise of his professional colleagues. As an orator he stands high, especially in the discussion of legal matters before the court, where his comprehensive knowledge of law is manifest and his application of legal principles demonstrates the wide range of his professional acquirements. The utmost care and precision characterizes his preparation of a case and have made him one of the most successful attorneys in Richmond.

Mr. Rupe has been twice married. On the 1st of August, 1867, he wedded Lucy Schlagle, of Centerville, who died in November, 1871. In January, 1875, he was again married, his second union being with Miss Emma Strattan, of Richmond. He has always been a public-spirited citizen, loyal to the best interests of the city, state and nation, and during the civil war patriotically responded to the country's call for troops. Although only fifteen years of age, he served from May until November, 1864, as a member of Company C, One Hundred and Thirty-second Indiana Infantry, and is now a member of Sol. Meredith Post, G. A. R., of Richmond. He is a very prominent Mason, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter and commandery, and has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, in Indianapolis Consistory. He belongs to the Protestant Episcopal church, contributes liberally to its support and does all in his power to promote its growth and work. His political support is given the men and measures of the Republican party, and his firm belief in its principles prompts him to advocate its cause on many occasions. He is a man of well rounded character, his varied interests having produced a symmetrical development; and while his energies are chiefly given to his business he is a valued factor in the church, fraternal and social circles, where his upright life and genial temperament make him a general favorite.

Source:
Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin Counties, Indiana, Volume 1, The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1899