JUDGE AZRO E. CHENEY

(1887-1898)

Azro Eugene Cheney was born in Ashtabula County, Ohio April 15, 1854. His parents, Harvey Cheney and Julia Ann Everts Cheney were natives of New England where their ancestors had settled in Colonial times. The family moved from New England to Ohio; Judge Cheney's father was a carpenter and farmer. There were eight children in the family and the mother died when Azro was a year old. Judge Cheney was educated in the schools of northeastern Ohio. When he finished an academy there he engaged in teaching until he took up the study of law in the office of S. A. Northway in Jefferson, Ohio. Subsequently he went to Toledo and continued law studies with the law firm of Scribner, Hurd and Scribner and was admitted to the bar in Ohio in 1877. He practiced there until 1880, the came west and became associated with Thomas Wren for a period of ten years, during which time he served as District Attorney of Eureka County and one term in the Nevada assembly where he was chairman of the judiciary committee. In December 1890 he was appointed District Judge to succeed Judge Bigelow who had resigned. Judge Cheney was elected to the same office in 1864 and served until 1898.

In 1887, Judge Cheney was married to Jennie Wethered of Eureka. They had one son, Everett. A street in Reno is named for Judge Cheney in the section where his attractive home stood. In 1902, when Judge Cheney moved to Reno (from Eureka) he became associated with the firm of W. A. Massey and Oscar Smith which was later dissolved and Cheney formed the firm of Cheney, Downer, Hawkins, and Lundsford, (Cheney, Downer, Hawkins, Cheney (his son) and Lundsford). Judge Cheney received the degree of Doctor of Laws in 1908. From 1919 to 1921 he was a regent of the University. He died in 1922.