Our Founding PartnersCharles O. Bailey: 1860-1928Bailey was born at Freeport, Illinois, the oldest son of Judge Joseph Mead Bailey, former chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. He graduated from the University at Rochester, New York, and eventually settled in Sioux Falls in April of 1887. He was instrumental in bringing the Illinois Central Railroad to Sioux Falls, which helped to establish Sioux Falls as a new commercial center. He served as Minnehaha County district attorney from 1889 to 1890 and remained involved in public affairs locally and nationally throughout his life. In 1917, Bailey teamed with Clarence Darrow in successfully representing Senator Richard F. Pettigrew who, after making statements which he believed to be private, was indicted for violating the Espionage Act. After much legal maneuvering over a several-year time span, C.O. Bailey was able to convince the U.S. Attorney to drop the charges. Bailey was a charter member of the Minnehaha County Bar Association, served as vice president for South Dakota with the American Bar Association, and was elected president of the state bar for the 1923-24 term. He was recognized as one of the most studious and well read lawyers in the state. John Howard Voorhees: 1867-1946Born in South Branch, New Jersey, Voorhees graduated from Rutgers College in 1888 with an A.B. degree, and an A.M. degree in 1891. In October 1888, he came to Sioux Falls, becoming Bailey’s partner in 1891. He was present at the creation of the South Dakota bar association in 1897, and served as the association’s secretary from 1897 to 1926. Voorhees became a member of the American Bar Association’s executive council in 1912, and served as national treasurer from 1927 to 1945. He served on the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Law from 1907 to 1945, becoming its national secretary in 1928. He held the posts of treasurer of the ABA and secretary of the NCCUSL simultaneously for the next eight years. In 1928 he was elected president of the South Dakota bar. His contributions helped make the firm of Bailey & Voorhees one of the leading law firms in South Dakota and the northern plains. Our Named PartnersMelvin T. Woods: 1899-1983Woods was born in Laurel, Nebraska, and educated in Mobridge, South Dakota. He served in the 127th National Guard Battalion from 1917 to 1919. Graduated from the University of South Dakota law school in 1924 as the outstanding member of his class, he joined Bailey & Voorhees that same year. He was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives in 1933. He was president of the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce in 1942, president of McCrossan Foundation in 1947, and president of Rotary in 1953. He was the first recipient of the University of South Dakota Law School’s prestigious Marshall McKusick Award in 1951. In 1952, he was elected president of the South Dakota State Bar. In 1956, he was named to Who’s Who for South Dakota. He was honored in 1982 as trial advocate of the year by the American Board of Trial Lawyers. Two decades after his death, South Dakota lawyers still use his name in describing the attributes of a top attorney. Howell L. Fuller: 1909-1981Fuller was born in Milbank, South Dakota. Steeped in law since childhood, his grandfather was H.G. Fuller, a justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court. His father, Thad Fuller, was a lawyer in Milbank, and two of his three brothers were lawyers. Fuller received his law degree from the University of South Dakota in 1931, first in his class. He came to work at the firm upon graduation. During World War II he was a Navy intelligence officer. He served as a chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota for more than 25 years. At various times he was an officer of his university fraternity, president of the Second Judicial Circuit Bar Association and of Downtown Rotary Club, and Exalted Ruler of the Sioux Falls Elks. He also served on the South Dakota Board of Bar Examiners from 1963 to 1968. The scholarly Fuller earned a reputation among the firm’s partners as “the lawyer’s lawyer.” Just like the other named partners, he was a top-notch trial lawyer. He also had an exceptional grasp of real estate law, a valuable talent back in the days before title insurance was the norm. John B. Shultz: 1912-1975Shultz was born in Brainerd, Minnesota, and the family moved to Sioux Falls in 1916. He received his A.B. degree from Sioux Falls College. He joined the firm after receiving his law degree from the University of South Dakota in 1937. Shultz served as assistant state’s attorney, city attorney for South Sioux Falls and president of the South Dakota Municipal League. He was active as a fellow in the American College of Probate Counsel, and served as president of the Minnehaha County Bar Association. He was also a Past Exalted Ruler of the Elks, and president of the Downtown Rotary Club. Believed to be the first lawyer to lobby at the South Dakota legislative session full-time, he represented business interests ranging from auto dealers and construction contractors to the South Dakota Newspaper Association for 20 years. He was renowned as both a lobbyist and a trial lawyer, and his reputation survives to this day. Francis M. Smith: 1910-2004Born in Mitchell, South Dakota, Smith was educated in the Sioux Falls public schools, graduated from Augustana College in 1936, and received his J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1941. In 1942 he enlisted in the Navy, receiving a special citation for engagement in the recapture of the Philippines. He joined the firm in 1949. Smith belonged to the American Bar Association, the American Judicature Society, and Association of Insurance Attorneys, was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, was named trial advocate of the year in 1987 by the American Board of Trial Advocates, and served on a court reform commission, a state bar commission for revision of the code of evidence, and the State Bar Committee on Continuing Legal Education. In 1995, he received the prestigious McKusick Award from the University of S.D. Law School. Community activities included the United Fund of Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, the Unity Lodge of the Masons and the Order of the Elks. During his term as national president, the Order of the Elks ended its official policy of accepting only white male members. In 2003, he received the Distinguished Service Award from Children's Care Hospital. An outstanding trial lawyer, he continues to be the standard by which the litigators at Woods Fuller judge themselves. |
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