This collection documents the careers, professional lives, and to a lesser extent, the personal lives of two prominent Grand Rapids jurists. The collection is particularly strong in its coverage of the Hoffius campaigns for circuit court judgeships, and their involvement with a number of different professional, civic, and religious organizations. Another strength of the collection lies in its coverage of speeches given by Stuart Hoffius, and associated supporting material. Also of interest in the collection is its representation of life during the Great Depression through the correspondence of Cornelius Hoffius. A few cases handled by the Hoffius family law firm, and several judicial opinions given by Cornelius Hoffius are included with the collection as well.
Papers associated with Cornelius Hoffius were produced between 1919 and 1943; the bulk of them were produced between 1926 and 1943. Papers associated with Stuart Hoffius were produced between 1930 and 2003; the bulk of them were produced between 1949 and 1992. The papers are organized into two series, Personal Papers and Business Files.
Cornelius Hoffius was born on August 5, 1881, in Goes, The Netherlands. His family settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan when he was seven years old. He graduated from Grand Rapids Central High School in 1900. Hoffius worked for the Grand Rapids Press, first as a newsboy and later as a reporter. He attended the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, and graduated with the class of 1904. From 1905 to 1907, he served as assistant prosecuting attorney for Kent County. Hoffius married Rose Kas, and they had one son, Stuart Hoffius, who was born on July 14, 1914. Hoffius was elected prosecuting attorney in 1916, and served in that capacity until 1925. In his private practice, Hoffius was known to have been associated with Theodore H. Elferdink, Dorr Kuizema, and Russell Van Kovering. Hoffius ran for circuit court judge in 1938 while recuperating from a heart attack, and won in the election that November. He finished the incomplete term of Judge Willis B Perkins, and was reelected to a full term in 1941. Hoffius died in office on October 26, 1943. During his lifetime, Hoffius was an active member of the Kent County Republican Party, the Lions Club, and the Fountain Street Baptist Church. Two of the better-known cases litigated by his firm are the Johnson Milk Company case and the G. P. Scharl case.
Richard Stuart Hoffius was born on July 14, 1914 in Grand Rapids. He graduated from Grand Rapids Central High School in June of 1931. He attended Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, and graduated in 1935. Hoffius attended the Harvard University Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 1935 to 1937. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1938. Hoffius entered professional practice in his father's law firm in 1939 with his father's partner, Russell Van Kovering. From July of 1942 to December of 1945, Hoffius served as a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He married Barbara Chamberlain of Grand Rapids, and they had two sons, Dirk and Stephen Hoffius. Hoffius was appointed Kent County Prosecuting Attorney in January of 1954, won reelection in 1954 and 1956, and served in that capacity until 1958. In 1959 Hoffius was elected Kent County Circuit Court Judge, and he was reelected in 1966. In 1976, Hoffius again won reelection and was named Chief Circuit Court Judge. He was reelected to the position of Chief Judge in 1982, and served in that capacity until he retired on December 31, 1988. Hoffius has been involved with a number of different civic, service, and professional organizations throughout his lifetime, including the Family Service Association, the Boy Scouts of America, the United Community Services Planning Division Project Development Committee, and the Calder Celebration Committee. He is an active member of the Fountain Street Baptist Church. Hoffius was a prolific orator, having delivered many speeches in Grand Rapids, as well as a number of Independence Day addresses at the Pt. Nipigon Resort in the northern Lower Peninsula.
