"There is no better man known throughout the Ozark region than Judge James J. Gideon. Born on the soil and reared among the descendants of the pioneers, he is one of those self-made sons of Missouri, who, while he has distinguished himself as a lawyer and jurist, has a far greater claim to the respect of the people in his sturdy integrity of character and his lifelong course as a friend of justice. He springs from a sterling Irish-Scotch ancestry of Colonial American stock.

Judge Gideon is one of those citizens of southwest Missouri who has risen from the humble position of a farmer's boy to occupy a position of great responsibility and trust. A soldier at sixteen years of age, h e served his country faithfully, and as a citizen he is today one of those whose integrity stands without reproach."