Part VIII. Biographical Sketches
- Members of the Sixtieth Congress
Justices of the Supreme Court
[pp. 1123-1124]
JOHN B. CASSODAY, LL. D., Beloit College, 1881, and LL. D.,
University of Wisconsin, 1905, chief justice, was
born in Herkimer County, N.Y., July 7, 1830, removing with
his widowed mother to Tioga County, Pa., three years later. His
early studies were pursued in the common schools, at the academies
in Wellboro and Knoxville, Pa., and two years at the Alfred Academy,
where he graduated. After spending one year at the Michigan University
he attended the Albany Law School, afterward reading in a law
office in Wellsboro, Pa. In July, 1857, he settled in Janesville,
Wis., and continued actively in practice until was called to
the supreme bench. He was a member of the assembly in 1865, and
again in 1877, when he was elected speaker of that body. He was
a delegate to the national convention at Baltimore which nominated
Lincoln in 1864, and was chairman of the Wisconsin delegation
to the national convention at Chicago which nominated Garfield
in 1880. November 11, 1880, he was appointed by Gov. William
E. Smith, a associate justice of the supreme court, a vacancy
having been caused by the promotion of Associate Justice Cole
to the chief justiceship to fill the vacancy caused by the death
of Chief Justice Edward G. Ryan. He was elected associate justice
in April, 1881, re-elected in April, 1889, and again in 1899,
and from 1885 to 1899 was a professor in the College of Law of
the University of Wisconsin, lecturing on the subject of Constitutional
Law. He is the author of "Cassoday on Wills," a law
text book published in 1893. In July, 1895, upon the death of
Justice Orton, by virtue of his seniority in service he became
chief justice, and has continued as such ever since.
JOHN B. WINSLOW, LL. D., University of Wisconsin, was born
Oct. 1851, at Nunda, Livingston county, N.Y. He
graduated at Racine college, Wis., in 1871, and entered upon
the study of law in the law office of E. O. Hand, and later in
the law office of Fuller & Dyer. He finished his course of
reading in the law department of the University of Wisconsin,
from which he graduated in 1875, and entered upon the practice
at Racine. He was for several years city attorney of Racine.
In April, 1883, he was elected circuit court judge of the First
judicial circuit, and entered upon judicial duties in January,
1884, serving in that capacity (being re-elected) until May 4,
1891, when he was appointed associate justice of the supreme
court, in place of Hon. David Taylor, deceased. In April, 1892,
he was elected to fill the residue of Judge Taylor's term; in
April, 1895, he was re-elected for a full term; and again re-elected
for a full term in April, 1905.
ROUJET D. MARSHALL, LL. D., University of Wisconsin, 1905,
was born Dec. 27, 1847, in Nashua, N.H.; was
educated principally at the Delton Academy, Baraboo Collegiate
Institute and Lawrence University. The Marshalls came to this
country from England in 1650 and settled in Boston. The subject
of this sketch came to Wisconsin in 1854; resided at Delton,
Sauk county, until 1872, and since that time in Chippewa Falls;
commenced the study of law at the age of 17, which he continued
with his school work till he was 24, since which time [he] has
been actively engaged in the profession; as county judge of Chippewa
county from 1876 to 1883; member of the board of regents of the
University of Wisconsin from 1884 to 1889; elected circuit judge
of the Eleventh circuit in April, 1886, and re-elected in April,
1894; was appointed to the supreme bench in August, 1895, and
was elected to the supreme bench in April, 1896, for unexpired
term of Chief Justice Orton, deceased; was re-Deducted April
6, 1897, for a full term.
JOSHUA ERIC DODGE was born Oct. 25, 1854, in West Cambridge
(now Arlington), Middlesex county, Mass.;
received his education in the public schools of that place,
Westford Academy, at Westford in the same county and graduated
with the class of 1875 from Iowa College at Grinnell, Ia.; graduated
from the Law School of the Boston University in 1877. He was
admitted to the bar by the supreme court of Massachusetts in
that year; moved to Racine, Wis., in March, 1878, and there continued
in the general practice of the law until September, 1893, when
he was appointed assistant attorney general of the United States,
which position he occupied until July, 1897, when he returned
to Wisconsin and engaged in practice at Milwaukee until his appointment
as associate judge of the supreme court upon the resignation
of Mr. Justice Pinney Nov. 29, 1898; was a member of the assembly
in 1891 and 1892, and was appointed a member of the board of
commissioners for the promotion of Uniformity of Legislation
in the United States, April 18, 1893. Mr. Dodge was elected to
full term on the supreme court bench in April, 1901.
ROBERT G. SIEBECKER was born October 17, 1854, in Sauk county,
Wisconsin. He was educated in the district
school until he was seventeen and he then attended a private
academy at Madison for two years. He entered the University of
Wisconsin in September, 1874, and graduated in June, 1878. In
the fall of that year, he entered the law school of the University
and he graduated therefrom in June, 1880. He was admitted to
the bar on examination in September, 1879. In October of that
year he began the practice of law at Madison and this he continued
until his appointment as judge of the Ninth judicial circuit
on January 7th, 1890. In March, 1886, he was elected city attorney
of Madison and was annually re-elected until he went on the circuit
bench. In April, 1891, he was elected judge of the circuit court,
for the unexpired term and for the ensuing full term. He was
twice thereafter re-elected to this position without opposition.
On April 7th, 1903, he was elected a justice of the supreme court,
for the term beginning in January, 1904, and on April 9th was
appointed for the unexpired term in this office, caused by the
death of Justice C. V. Bardeen.
JAMES C. KERWIN was born in the town of Menasha, Winnebago
county, Wisconsin, May 4, 1850. He attended the
common schools of the neighborhood and later the Menasha
high school, from which he was graduated. He prepared himself
for the practice of the law by a course of study in the law school
of the University of Wisconsin, and was graduated in 1875. Returning
to his native county, he opened a law office in Neenah and has
since been actively engaged in the profession. He was city attorney
of Neenah for twelve years, and was appointed a member of the
board of regents of the University of Wisconsin in 1901. In April
1904, he was elected associate justice of the supreme court,
and entered upon judicial duties in January, 1905.
W. H. TIMLIN was born at Mequon, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin,
May 28th, 1852, admitted to the bar in 1877, and
practiced law at Kewaunee, Green Bay and Milwaukee. Married
and has four children. Elected Justice of the Supreme Court in
April 1906, for the term commencing January 7th, 1907.