HaasCaywood celebrates 125 years of business
STURGIS – HaasCaywood, an attorney and counselor firm in Sturgis, celebrated 125 years of business Thursday with an open house hosted by Joseph Haas and Michael Caywood.
The law firm of HaasCaywood and its predecessors was founded Aug. 1, 1898, by Theo T. Jacobs, a farmer’s son who grew up in Sturgis. His grandfather, Hiram, built a home which now forms part of the American Legion Home and is recognized as the oldest building of its kind still standing in town.
While building his law practice, Jacobs also served as deputy city clerk, and as the elected city clerk from 1900 to 1905. He also served as St. Joseph County prosecuting attorney from 1905 to 1909 and as the Sturgis city attorney from 1913 to 1918. In 1931, Jacobs was appointed by state Gov. Wilber Brucker to become a Branch County and St. Joseph County circuit judge. He served as a circuit judge for 22 years and retired from the bench in 1953.
Raymond Dresser, a noted figure in Sturgis, joined the firm in 1927, followed by his son, Raymond Dresser Jr., in 1956. Joseph Haas Jr. joined the practice in 1992, having earned his law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
Haas was elected in 1999 to the Sturgis City Commission and served as mayor of Sturgis for the 2004-05 term. He has served on, or been a commissioner liaison to the Sturgis Hospital Board, the Downtown Development Authority and the City Employee Retirement Board. In 2019, Haas became a member of the Sturgis Area Community Foundation board of directors.
Haas became a stockholder in the firm and his name was added to the practice’s name in 1998.
Michael Caywood joined the firm in 1999, earning in 1991 his Juris Doctor with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law. The practice also holds offices in Coldwater in Branch County, where Caywood serves on the Coldwater Downtown Development Authority. Caywood has been a member of the City of Sturgis Planning Commission, and serves as the St. Joseph County recruiting coordinator for the University of Michigan Alumni Association Student Recruitment Program. Caywood, who recently moved with his family to Coldwater from Sturgis, is a founding member of the Open Door Gallery in Sturgis; and serves as chair of the St. John’s Episcopal Church rector search committee.
Open house guests were given a tour of the Sturgis facilities at 112 S. Monroe St. and served refreshments, engaged with other community members and tried their hand at a cornhole match in the parking lot.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: HaasCaywood celebrates 125 years of business
