Zachariah Montgomery

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Zachariah Montgomery (March 6, 1825 in Nelson County, Kentucky – September 3, 1900 in Los Angeles, California) was a publisher, lawyer, politician, and author, particularly known for his skills as an orator.

Montgomery's speeches were often published in newspapers of the day and in pamphlet form. Although his widely published and forceful critiques of the compulsory public education system were never embraced by the public at large, his book Poison Drops in the Federal Senate (1886) is considered by some contemporary writers as a landmark study of the relevant issues. This work continues to elicit discussion amongst home school organizations, teachers' associations, political scientists, and politicians. He was a proponent of the voucher system for the funding and maintenance of primary and secondary schools.

Montgomery received his Bachelor of Arts (1847), and Master of Arts in Law (1848) from St. Joseph's College (now part of the complex that contains the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral and Spalding Hall) in Bardstown, Kentucky. While at St. Joseph's, he befriended fellow student Augustus Hill Garland and studied for the bar exam in the offices of Benjamin Hardin Helm (1784–1852), a noted lawyer, statesman, member of the Kentucky Legislature and U.S. Congress. Montgomery was admitted to the bar in Kentucky in 1850.

In July 1850, Montgomery immigrated to California via covered wagon in response to the California Gold Rush. Following a very brief and unsuccessful stint as miner, he returned to the practice of law.