After Judge Smythe's nomination William Leffingwell was put up by the democrats to beat him, Leffingwell being one of the noted orators of the state, but Judge Smythe was victorious. He attained to a high place as lawyer and as a constructive statesman. He possessed a profound intellect, was popular among the masses, and a just and honorable man. He passed away when he had just reached middle life, one of the ablest and most versatile men in Linn county at the time of his untimely death. Judge N. M. Hubbard, who was a unique character and one of the best known men in Iowa for many years, was born in Oswego, New York, in 1829, the son of a Methodist minister. He was reared on a farm and began life as a blacksmith, although later he obtained a university education. Judge Hubbard located in Marion for the practice of his profession in 1854, later removing to Cedar Rapids. In February, 1856, he was a delegate to the state convention which met at Iowa City, where he helped to organize the republican party. During the war he assisted in organizing the Twentieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which he was chosen a captain, serving under General F. J. Herron. In March, 1863, he was promoted to judge advocate and served in the army until he was breveted major in 1865. This year he was appointed district judge, resigning after having served a year, to accept the position of general attorney for the Northwestern railroad in the state of Iowa. The sayings of Judge Hubbard would fill a book of many pages, but many of them would need to be sterilized before put into type. Many of these witty remarks are still repeated during a lull in the court room when stories take the place of dry facts. He was truly an original character, not only as a political manager of a great political party, but as railway counsel, and as a person who filled a large place in the political arena of Iowa for many years. A few of these sayings may give the reader an idea of the man as he really appeared during these years of his political and legal career in Iowa. At one time being asked how a new assistant behaved who had been appointed local attorney for the railroad of which Hubbard had charge, he replied, "Tim is a real bull in a china shop; what he don't smash he dirties." Speaking at one time of a technical lawyer, he added, "here is my friend J, he is so technical that he will fall all over a crowbar to hunt for a pin and not even see the crowbar, mind you." While judge on the bench, some pompous doctor who was a witness asked leave to go home to look after his patients, and the judge quietly replied. "You had better stay here so as to give your patients a chance to get well."