James M. Varnum

James Mitchell Varnum was identified with this metropolis by birth, by affection, and by his manifold public services. He was a graduate in arts of Yale, and of Columbia in law. Successful in the practice of his profession he was likewise still active in political life, holding many important offices in the service of the city, the State, and the numerous voluntary associations to which he belonged, when in a street accident he met a violent and sudden death. He was fifty-nine years old and had been a member here for thirty years. As an American of the oldest stock he felt and met the responsibilities of his birthright, devoting much of his life to the interests of the community, not only in law and politics, but in the militia, in finance, and in society. He found relaxation and comradeship as a member of The Century and was a familiar figure in these rooms. High-spirited, cordial, and witty, he was a shrewd observer, a keen critic and a delightful companion.

William Milligan Sloane
1908 Century Association Yearbook