Edgar Guy Osborne, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Edgar Guy Osborne
EDGAR GUY OSBORNE is one of the popular and prominent professional men of the younger class in Valparaiso, which city has represented his home since he was a lad of seven years. Mr. Osborne is a lawyer of admitted ability, and has made a specialty of insurance and real estate law. His progress in the years that have elapsed since he launched out in an independent career has been of an especially brilliant order, and he enjoys the esteem and confidence of a large circle of his fellow citizens who have known him from boyhood.
Born in LaPorte county, Indiana, on January 14, 1871, Mr. Osborne is the son of Jonathan and Betsey (Hixon) Osborne. The mother is a daughter of Thomas J. S. Hixon and his wife, Elizabeth, of LaPorte county, Indiana, and they were among the early settlers of the county, Mrs. Hixon having been a daughter of James Haskell, of English descent, and among the early settlers of the Colonies.
The Osborne family lived on a farm near Haskell's Station until 1878, when they removed to Valparaiso, which since has represented the home of the family. Early in life Edgar Guy Osborne displayed a strong tendency toward mechanics, and was known among his young playmates as a manufacturer of kites, balloons, sleds, toboggans, boomerangs, etc. It is the opinion of many that an unusual mechanical genius was "spoiled" when E. G. Osborne decided on law for a life work. To him is ascribed credit for introducing the first jointed fish pole into Valparaiso, as well as the first safety bicycle, and with but one exception, the first automobile. He entered the public schools at the exceptionally early age of five, and was but sixteen years old when he was graduated from the Valparaiso high school, in 1887. He was chosen to represent the junior class in 1886 in giving the farewell address to the graduating class of that year, and the following year was Salutatorian of his own class. The winter following his graduation he was graduated from the commercial department of the Valparaiso University, after which he accepted a. position in the general store of C. J. Kern. In the fall of 1888 he entered DePauw University, at Greencastle, Indiana, and his career there was most brilliant. He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and was an active and popular member of that fraternity throughout his college course. He represented the fraternity as the delegate of his local chapter, Indiana Zeta, at its national convention at Atlanta, Georgia, in 1891, and has ever been interested in the affairs of his chapter. He was at one time associated with the College Paper, was vice-president of the DePauw Oratorical Association, treasurer of the Indiana State Oratorical Association, and in a competitive contest at DePauw was awarded a delegateship from the local association to the state association. In his college work Mr. Osborne specialized in English and mathematics, and was later chosen as one of the tutors in English in the college. During commencement week of 1892, when he was graduated with the degree of Ph. B., he was elected to the honorary fraternity of Phi Beta Theta.
Upon his return to his home in Valparaiso Mr. Osborne became associated with the firm of Parks & Turner in their abstract of title department, and after the dissolution of that firm was taken in as a partner by Mr. Parks. While in this connection Mr. Osborne took the law course at the Valparaiso University and in 1894 graduated from the law department with the degree of LL. B. He immediately entered upon professional work upon his own responsibility, and has since continued, having won to himself an extensive and lucrative practice. He has made a specialty of real estate and insurance law, and has aimed to confine himself more largely to office practice and the duties of a counselor. He was chosen a member of the faculty of the Northern Indiana Law School in 1909, as a lecturer and instructor in real estate titles, and he maintains an abstract of title department in his office, owning two complete sets of abstract books, -- the one originally compiled by Parks & Turner and the set started by Jesse Love, who had formerly been associated in the office of Hon. W. E. Pinney, where he learned the details of properly preparing an abstract of title set.
Mr. Osborne was married on October 6, 1897, to Miss Dotha L. Lewis, a daughter of Sylvester A. Lewis.
The fraternal relations of Mr. Osborne are represented by his Masonic affiliations, which are with Porter Lodge, No. 137, A. F. & A. M.; Valparaiso Chapter, No. 79, R. A. M.; Valparaiso Council, No. 86, R. & S. M.; Valparaiso Commandery, No. 28, Knights Templar; Valparaiso Chapter, No. 164, Order of Eastern Star; and Murat Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He has been a member of the Presbyterian church of Valparaiso for the past twenty-five years.
Source: Lewis Publishing Company. 1912. History of Porter County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of its Historical Progress, its People and its Principal Interests. Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Company. 881 p.
Page(s) in Source: 870-871
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook