In July 1923, a typhoid epidemic broke out in the city of Jamestown. Along a particular dairy route, a growing number of people became ill and it soon became apparent they were suffering from typhoid fever. In all, 35 people were infected, 2 died. Of course, typhoid fever was and is a very dangerous disease, both because of its ability to spread throughout a population and because it can cause severe injury, including death. Thus the public health officer for Jamestown, Dr. John J. Mahoney, acted promptly to discover the source of the infection, and to contain and correct it. He was quickly able to identify the most likely source of the epidemic as contaminated milk sold along particular delivery routes in Jamestown by the G.A. Forbes & Sons Diary. What took much longer to resolve was the cause of the milk contamination? The subsequent extensive litigation was destined to become a key building block of the legal career of Robert H. Jackson.
It is no surprise that the epidemic and the identity of the Forbes Dairy as the source of the typhoid bacillus was of great interest to the residents of Jamestown and the surrounding area. There was a lot of publicity about the events, including statements by the Jamestown Board of Public Welfare in the Jamestown Morning Post, that identified the Forbes Dairy as the source of the epidemic. As a result, Grant Forbes claimed there was considerable damage to the Forbes Dairy as a going business and to the value of the farm. This led him to the offices of Jackson, Manley & Herrick, attorneys at law, and to representation by its first-named partner, Robert H. Jackson.
You can download the full article on the history of the case Forbes v City of Jamestown on this page.
Guest author Mary Dee Martoche wrote, Robert H. Jackson and the Forbes Family Dairy. Mary Dee is an attorney and a longtime resident of Chautauqua County. Since her retirement as the Chief Clerk of Erie County Surrogate’s Court, she has pursued a wide range of interests, foremost of which is doting on her grandchildren. She has devoted many hours to exploring her family’s genealogy, needlework arts and the advancement of women in professional careers. She is also able to indulge her intellectual curiosity in topics like the professional growth of Justice Robert H. Jackson.
