Paul Luvera Journal

This is a an unusual true story from history about a lawyer who died while defending a client in a murder case under peculiar  circumstances. Clement Vallandigham was an Ohio politician and lawyer. He was the leader of the copperhead faction of the antiwar Democrats during the American civil war. He was a strong supporter of constitutional state’s rights. He believed the states had the right to withdraw from the union and was anti Lincoln. During the Civil War he…

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Allan Island is located just west of Fidalgo island. It is a 292 acre private island. It was named by Charles Wilkes who led the first United States Navy expedition assigned to explore the Pacific Ocean in 1838. He surveyed Puget Sound and named dozens of landmarks including Elliott Bay. Wilkes obsessive behavior and harsh code of discipline was the inspiration for Herman Melville's Ahab in the book Moby Dick. Wilkes named it in 1841 after Capt. William H Allen…

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For many years people would use the phrase "A Hobson's choice" in referring to a situation where they only had one option. The orgin of the phrase is based on actual historical fact. Around the turn of the 17th century Thomas Hobson ran a carrier and horse rental business in Cambridge, England. He rented horses much as cars are rented today. While he had a large number of horses to rent he would require customers to chose the horse in…

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