ANDREWS, SHERLOCK JAMES (17 Nov. 1801-11 Feb. 1880), one of Cleveland's first lawyers, was considered the father of the Cleveland Bar. Andrews was born in Wallingford, Conn., the son of John and Abigail Andrews. After graduating with high honors from Union College in 1821, Andrews studied law at the New Haven Law School. He came to Cleveland in 1825, forming a law partnership with Judge Samuel Cowles until Cowles's retirement in 1832; then working with JOHN A. FOOTE and JAS. M. HOYT (Andrews, Foote, & Hoyt). He was elected president of Cleveland's first city council in 1836 and served as the prosecuting attorney for Cuyahoga County.
In 1840, Andrews was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, retiring after a single term due to poor health. Returning to his law practice still in poor health, he pleaded only important cases. The Ohio General Assembly appointed Andrews to the Cuyahoga County Superior Court in 1848. The next year, he was a leading member of the Ohio Constitutional Convention. Since the new constitution abolished the superior courts, Andrews again returned to his practice. He also served as president of the Merchants Bank and the Society for Savings. In 1873, when another convention was called to revise the Ohio constitution, Andrews was elected as a delegate and head of the Cleveland district delegation, receiving both the Republican and Democratic nominations. Andrews married Ursula Allen of Litchfield, Conn., in 1828. Her father, John Allen, was a member of Congress. The Andrewses had 11 children, 5 of whom, Sarah, Ursula, Harriet, Cornelia, and William, survived to adulthood. Andrews died in Cleveland and was buried in LAKE VIEW CEMETERY.