Cornelius Hoffius (1881-1943) and Stuart Hoffius (1914 - ), his son, practiced law in Grand Rapids, and both served as Kent County Prosecuting Attorney. Both men are best known for their respective tenures as Kent County Circuit Court Judges. Stuart Hoffius served as Chief Judge from 1976 until his retirement in 1988. Papers in the collection include personal correspondence, campaign files, speeches, and files documenting involvement with civic, service, and professional organizations, as well as some case files and judicial opinions.
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.