Judge John Guthrie, during the forty years of his residence at Topeka, was recognized as one of the leading men in professional, public and scholarly circles, in the State of Kansas. Previously, he had been known as a successful criminal lawyer of Indiana and an honorable officer of the Civil war. He was born in Switzerland County, that state, in July, 1829; was admitted to the bar in 1857, and served as a private and the captain of Company D, Forty-sixth Indiana Infantry, from the beginning of the war until the breaking of his health in 1862. In May, 1865, he located at Topeka, where he lived until his death, July 1, 1906. He was a member of the lower house of the Legislature in 1868, 1869 and 1870, being speaker pro tem in the last named session. From 1885 to 1893 he served as judge of the Third Judicial District, and in 1896 was appointed postmaster of Topeka, resigning that office a few months before his death. Judge Guthrie was for many years treasurer of the Kansas Historical Society, having been one of its leading members since its foundation. He was a graceful and interesting writer, contributing many valuable articles to the Agora Magazine and other publieations.
