Judge Charles S. Cutting

Charles S. Cutting was born in Vermont n 1854, the son of Charles A. Cutting & Laura Averill. In 1863, the Cutting family moved to Minnesota and then to Salem, Oregon. Charles attended the University of Oregon though he did not graduate. He worked at a newspaper for about a year and a half before coming to Palatine in 1874. He taught at the Wood Street School for a year and then became principal of the school. He started a two year high school in the grammar school building, then the only high school between Jefferson Park (now Chicago) and Woodstock. In 1876, he married Annie Lytle. Though he continued as principal he began studying law under Judge Josiah Knickerbocker. In 1880 he was admitted to the bar and went into law practice with Rollin Williamson of Palatine. In 1887, he was elected to the Cook County Board of Education and held the office of Master of the Chancery to the Circuit Court of Cook County. In 1895, the Cuttings moved to Austin, Illinois, now a part of Chicago. From 1899 to 1913, Cutting held the position of Judge of the Probate Court. He did not run again in 1913 and became a part of the law firm of Cutting, Moore, & Sidley. The Cuttings had one son, Robert Myron. Robert became a lawyer and an automobile manufacturer. Charles Cutting belonged to numerous civic and social organizations and served in many official capacities. He was a Knight Templar, Oddfellow and 32nd degree Mason. He also taught at Kent College of Law. He always remained interested in Palatine and especially in the high school he founded. He gave many gifts to the school’s library. The auditorium, now Cutting Hall Theater, was named after him. He often visited Palatine and spoke here on many civic occasions. He died on April 17, 1936, at age 82.