and honesty of conviction. I practiced before him while on the bench and he was
ever affable and courteous and considerate towards the bar. As a judge he attained great
distinction was prompt, impartial, upright and able. The member of the profession
in the seventh Circuit are universal in their respect admiration and warm regard
for the deceased, and I have yet to learn of one complaint against him from
those who practiced in his Court. Since Judge Foster located in Gainesville and cast
his lot amongst us I have been intimately associated with him in practice and have
even found him fair just and agreeable and a most conscientious manly practitioner.
The deceased was a man of the highest ideals of morality and was
an earnest zealous church man in faith and practice. In all spheres of
life he was true and faithful in the discharge of every duty. In his home
life he was kind gentle and considerate a devoted husband and loving father.
He was a great sufferer for many years and few realized and appreciated
what strong will power was required to enable him to pursue so
active and useful a life up to the time that he left for the north to have
the operation performed which resulted in his death. But he is now
at rest. Let us take comfort for the knowledge that he died as he had lived
under the fixed and settled hope of immortality with the consciousness
of a well spent and most useful life and with perfect assurance of a happy
eternity. M**t it is, very right and proper forces his surviving brothers
in the profession, who so well knew admired and esteemed him on this
sad occasion, to pay tribute to the character and memory of the great
lawyer the firm and upright judge, the pure man, the patriotic citizen
and the christian gentleman
  At the conclusion of Wm Hamptons remarks Judge Hocker
addressed the bar and audience as follows:
I am in most hearty sympathy with the letter and spirit of the resolution
It would in deed be difficult to unduly magnify the virtues of the deceased
He belonged to a class of lawyers who during the ages have rendered efficient service
to the cause of good government It is sometimes said and perhaps with too much
truth that republics are not always grateful and it is to be doubted whether
Judge Foster even during his life received the recognition to which his love of
fair play his honesty ability and services to the people of Florida entitled him
He was born raised and trained in the north in an atmosphere of republican
policies and doubtless imbued with more or less distrust and antipathy for
the whole people of the south. He came to this State soon after the civil war
and found the virtue, intelligence and property of the south under the heel of ignorant negroes and of
their vicious white allies & leaders. The political orgin thus presented could not be otherwise
than repulsive to a nature like that of Judge Foster, trained in a refined social atmosphere
and high ideals. When the great political struggle of 1876 came there came a few
northern men in our midst who like Judge Foster were disgusted and alarmed by
the speclation and oppression of the predominant past. These men took the part of the whites of 
the south in the struggle and by laborious and earnest canvassing both by writing for the newspaper
and speaking did what they could to turn the tide of northern sentiment and
accomplish the political redemption of the south

[ Written in left margin: ]

P.P. Bishop and Judge Foster were amongst the foremost of these men There can be no doubt that in this overcoming the
******** of inherited political convictions and training they ***** the highest manhood and deserved the affection and admiration of 
*** people. I have known Judge Foster for many years both on the bench and at the bar. He was amiable and upright judge and practitioner 
who fought his case with all his ability but whose methods were fair and open both with the Court & his opponents   
  It is ordered that these proceedings be spread upon the minutes of this Court as a memorial of our appreciation of Judge Foster
while he lived and and on evidence of our grief at his untimely death and that a copy hereof be furnished by the Clerk to his
widow & family as a token of our profound sympathy on their bereavement              W.A. Hocker  Judge