Zachariah "Zach" 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. Legal career Montgomery held law partnerships in several California cities including: Sacramento (1850–1852), Yuba City (1854–1864), San Francisco (1868–1871), Oakland (1871–1881), San Diego (1884–1885 and 1890–1894) and Los Angeles (1894–1900). He served as District Attorney for Sutter County in northern California (1856, 1858–1860). Montgomery was the founding President of the Oakland Bar Association (1877), and served as United States Assistant Attorney General in first Administration of President Grover Cleveland (1885–1889). Notable activities as a lawyer Montgomery witnessed the Squatters' Riot in Sacramento on August 15, 1850 and served as Charles L. Robinson's attorney in the case. Robinson later served in the California legislature and as the first Governor of Kansas. Montgomery was a staunch and vocal opponent of the Lincoln administration throughout the Civil War, he surrendered his license to practice law in late 1863 in protest to the California Legislature's Test Oath. In 1868, the Test Oath was repealed and Montgomery resumed his law practice. Montgomery served