On the roll of Idaho’s statesmen and eminent representatives of the bar is found the name of Hon. Robert V. Cozier, who has left the impress of his individuality upon the legislation and public progress. He is a man of strong mentality, of marked patriotism and broad humanitarian principles, and is therefore well fitted for leadership in the public movements which affect the welfare of the commonwealth. He is now acceptably filling the position of United States attorney for Idaho, and his comprehensive knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence and his ability in handling intricate legal problems make him a most competent official.
Robert V. Cozier is a native of Ohio, his birth having occurred in the town of Wapakoneta, October 20, 1867. He is of German and Irish lineage, but for several generations the family has been represented in America. His father, Rev. B. F. W. Cozier, was born in Pennsylvania in 1836, on what is now the battlefield of Gettysburg, and is a prominent minister in the Methodist Episcopal church, having devoted his entire life to preaching the gospel of peace and righteousness among men. In 1870 he removed to Iowa, where the greater part of his ministerial labor has been performed. For years he was a presiding elder, connected with different conferences in that state. During the entire civil war he served his country as chaplain of the Third Ohio Cavalry, and his voice and talent were used on the side of the Union and for “liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.” He carried comfort to many a soldier upon the tented field, and won the love of many of his comrades of the blue. He is now residing in Iowa and has partially retired from active connection with the ministry, although his interest in the cause of Christianity grows greater with the passing years. He married Zelora A. Carter, a native of Ohio, and to them have been born five children, all of whom are occupying honorable and useful positions in life. Hon. Robert V. Cozier acquired his early education in the public schools of Iowa, and is a graduate of Simpson College, of Indianola, that state, completing the course with the class of 1889. Determining to make the practice of law his life work, he began study under private instruction in Des Moines, Iowa, and later attended the Washington Law School, in St. Louis, and was admitted to practice in the supreme court of Iowa in 1891. Immediately afterward he came to Idaho, locating in Blackfoot, where he engaged in the prosecution of his chosen profession until 1895, when he came to Moscow. He soon took rank among the ablest members of the bar in this section of the state. The judgment which the public passed upon him in the first years of his practice has never been set aside or in any degree modified. It has, on the contrary, been emphasized by his careful conduct of important litigation, his candor and fairness in the presentation of cases, his zeal and earnestness as an advocate, and the generous commendation which he has received from his contemporaries, who unite in bearing testimony as to his high character and superior mind. In 1897 he was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, at Washington.
In politics he has always been an ardent advocate of Republican principles, and is a recognized leader of his party in Idaho. He was elected to the third general assembly of the state and had the honor of being chosen speaker of the house, being an excellent parliamentarian, and one whose genuine interest and zeal for the welfare of the state made him absolutely just in all his rulings. While presiding officer, he was entirely free from partisan bias, although he is a stalwart Republican, and on all proper occasions labors earnestly to promote the growth and insure the success of his party. He attends all the Republican conventions, and in that of 1898 had the honor of nominating W. B. Heyburn, as candidate for congress. In December 1897, in recognition of his effective service in behalf of the party. President McKinley appointed him United States attorney for the state of Idaho, and to those who are familiar with his legal ability and unflagging patriotism it is unnecessary to state that his service has been most able and commendable.
In 1893 Mr. Cozier led to the marriage altar Miss Lena M. Fife, a native of Michigan, and they now have three children: Mary Helen, Zelora Edna and Robert James. The parents are valued and consistent members of the Methodist church of Moscow and they have a nice residence in the city where they make their home and where their circle of friends is almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintances.
