During the latter part of 1876 he returned to Maryland, studied law for several months and was admitted to the bar of Maryland.

He returned to Omaha in the early spring of 1878 and entered as a clerk in the office of Thomas W. T. Richards, who during the Civil War had been a captain in the Confederate army under Mosby. Mr. Congdon, senior member of the law firm above referred to, of which Mr. Hunt became "a member, entered the law office of Charles T. Manderson, afterwards United States senator, in 1878. In the spring of 1879 Mr. Richards associated Mr. Hunt with himself as a partner, the firm name being Richards & Hunt. This co-partnership continued for a year or two. Richards was the founder of what is now the Paxton & Vierling iron works of Omaha. In 1881 Richards sold out his interest in the foundry and iron works and went to California. Just prior to Richards' departure, Mr. Clarkson, the ether member of the law firm above referred to, arrived in Omaha from Chicago and went into Judge Doan's office. He, Mr. Congdon and Mr. Hunt soon became intimate friends. Quite a mutual admiration society came into existence between them, and particularly between Mr. Clarkson and Mr. Hunt. The result was that early in 1881 the law co-partnership of Clarkson & Hunt came into existence and continued until May 1, 1883. Mr. Congdon in the meantime had become a partner of Senator Manderson under the firm name of Manderson & Congdon. Mr. Manderson was elected to the senate in 1883, and on May 1 of that year he and Mr. Congdon dissolved partnership and the firm of Congdon, Clarkson & Hunt was organized. These three young men had already established individual reputations for themselves, so that it is not surprising that the new firm immediately succeeded in building up an ex-