Harry Lincoln Gordon
An enumeration of the men, whose records reflect credit upon the city and state which have honored them, would be incomplete and unsatisfactory were there failure to make prominent reference to H. L. Gordon, a distinguished member of the Cincinnati bar, and a man whose ability and integrity in public life have placed him in a prominent position as a political leader in the state. He has made his home in this city since January, 1897. His birth occurred at Metamora, Indiana, August 27, 1860, his parents being M. B. and Sophia (Tracy) Gordon. The father was for many years a leading figure in agricultural circles in Indiana and died in that state, in 1892, at the age of seventy-six years.
H. L. Gordon, the fifth in order of birth in his father's family, was a pupil in the public schools of his native county until he had mastered the elemental branches of learning, after which he entered De Pauw University, at Greencastle, Indiana, and was there graduated in 1882, with the Bachelor of Philosophy degree. Three years later the master-of-arts degree was conferred upon him, in recognition of excellent work done in the intervening period. A consideration of the broad field of business led him to select the profession of law as his life work and in preparation for this calling he became a student in the office and under the direction of McDonald, Butler & Mason, well known attorneys of Indianapolis, with whom he remained until 1887, securing his initial experience in practice in their office following his admission to the bar.
In the year mentioned Mr. Gordon sought a home in the west, settling in Wichita, Kansas, where he was engaged in law practice for ten years. In that period he served as assistant prosecuting attorney of Sedgwick county and later as city attorney of Wichita. While somewhat outside of the strict path of his profession, he was also chosen in 1895 to represent his district in the state senate of Kansas. He made for himself a notable place as a lawyer and law-maker of the Sunflower state, but in 1897 again sought the opportunities of the east and in January of that year came to Cincinnati. Here he formed a partnership with Otto G. Renner, with offices in the Blymer building. At the time Mr. Gordon retired from the firm, in 1901, the style was Renner, Gordon & Renner and since that time, except for a short period during which the firm of Gordon & Granger existed, he has practiced alone and now has large and extensive offices in the Provident Bank building, and has been accorded a liberal clientage connecting him with much of the important litigated interests and legal work of the district. The zeal with which Mr. Gordon has developed his energies to his profession, the careful regard evinced for the interests of his clients and an assiduous and unrelaxing attention to all the details of his cases have brought him a large business and made him very successful in its conduct. His arguments have elicited warm commendation not only from his associates at the bar, but also from the bench. He is an able orator; his briefs always show wide research, careful thought, and the best and strongest reasons, which can be urged for his contention, presented in cogent and logical form and illustrated by a style unusually lucid and clear.
It followed as a natural sequence that the services of Mr. Gordon should be sought in connection with public interests and in 1899 he was appointed a member of the board of supervisors, whereon he served most creditably for four years. On the 26th of June, 1902, appointment made him lieutenant governor of Ohio, his term of office continuing until January, 1904. In the previous year he was elected by popular suffrage to the office of vice mayor of Cincinnati and in the absence of Mayor Fleischmann acted as chief executive of the city. His political allegiance has always been given to the Republican Party, but he has never sacrificed the general good to partisanship nor the welfare of the majority to personal aggrandizement. His political as well as professional and personal integrity have made his influence sought by party leaders on important questions and his views are always regarded as of value where vital interests are involved.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Gordon holds memberships in Avon Lodge, A. F. & A. M., he is a shriner and has attained the thirty-second degree in Masonry. He is also an Elk and a member of the Queen City, Hamilton County Golf, Auto and Business Men's Clubs. Those who meet him find him genial and approachable. His position is never a doubtful one, where questions of education, morality and good citizenship are involved. He stands for law and order, for truth and the right, and his ability places him with those who rank foremost as representatives of the Cincinnati bar.
From Cincinnati, The Queen City, Volume III by Re. Charles Fredric Goss, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1912