- CASSODAY, John B., chief justice of the supreme court of
Wisconsin, was born in Herkimer
- county, New York, July 7th, 1830. His father died some three
years after the birth of this boy, and his mother, with her child,
removed with her parents to Tioga county, Pa. There the boy began
attending the district school, working for his board, as his
mother was without means to give him the full advantages which
boys of his age usually receive. Before he had attained his seventeenth
year he had, in addition to his attendance upon the district
school, been on term at the Tioga academy and one at the academy
in Wellsborough. During the next four years he was engaged in
teaching and in manual labor, and in this way secured the means
for the payment of his expenses during a course of study of two
terms at the academy in Knoxville, Pa., and two at the Alfred
(N.Y.) Academy, from which he graduated. He then spent a year
in the University of Michigan, taking a select course. This was
followed by a short time at the Albany law school, after which
he studied law in an office in Wellsborough, Pa. In 1857 he came
to Janesville, Wis., where he entered the law office of H. S.
CONGER, afterwards judge of that circuit, and studied law for
a year or more, when he became a member of the law firm of BENNETH,
CASSODAY & GIBBS. This partnership continued seven years,
during which Mr. CASSODAY, by his native ability, industry and
perseverance, rapidly rose in his profession, until he came to
be recognized as one of the ablest members of the Rock county
bar. For two years from 1866 he was in practice alone, then in
company with Willard MERRILL, now of the Northwestern Life Insurance
company, for five years, and after that with Ed. F. CARPENTER,
a half-brother of the late Senator CARPENTER, until he was appointed
to the supreme bench in November, 1880.
- Mr. CASSODAY, both as lawyer and judge, has always been a
hard student, with great care for
- details and methods, a close reasoner, an untiring worker,
and unsparing of effort in the preparation of his cases. As an
advocate he had few equals, because of the clearness, directness
and force with which he presented a case. He was, in addition,
the master of an attractive style, which rose to the plane of
real eloquence when he chose to indulge in that form of speech.
He was successful at the bar from the beginning, and during his
twenty odd years of practice was never wanting in clients.
- Since the organization of the Republican party there has
been no more consistent earnest and
- zealous adherent of it than Mr. CASSODAY. He was a delegate
to the Baltimore convention in 1864 that nominated Lincoln for
re-election, and was member of the committee on credentials.
The same year he was elected to the legislative assembly, serving
on the judiciary and railroad committees. The thirteenth amendment
to the national constitution was presented for ratification at
that session, and he took an active part in the debate on its
passage. In 1876 he was again elected to the assembly, was chosen
its speaker, and his ability and tact in that position resulted
in one of the shortest and most effective session in the history
of the state. He was a delegate-at-large to the Republican national
convention in Chicago in 1880, and was chairman of the delegation.
He presented to the convention the name of E. B. Washburn as
a candidate for the nomination for president in a dignified,
eloquent and powerful speech; but it was seen on the second day
that none of the leading candidates would be nominated, and the
Wisconsin delegation, which contained some of the ablest Republicans
in the state, decided that at the proper moment the vote of the
state should be cast for James A. Garfield, and it was left for
Mr. CASSODAY to determine when that time had come. On the thirty-fourth
ballot he declared to his fellow-delegates that the time had
come for breaking the dead-lock, and announced the vote of Wisconsin
for Garfield, amid intense excitement. The second ballot thereafter
Garfield received the nomination. From the time of his coming
to the state Justice CASSODAY had taken an active part in all
important political campaigns, making able and effective speeches,
devoted to the discussion of the questions at issue between the
parties, but never descending to mere partisan harangues. Yet
he was not an officeseeker, though frequently a delegate to state
conventions, and in positions where he might have secured nomination
had he so chosen. He declined all offices, however, when tendered,
though among them were those connected with his profession, such
as attorney-general and circuit judge.
- Chief Justice Ryan of the supreme court died in October,
1880, creating a vacancy in that court.
- Immediately the Rock county bar addressed a petition to Gov.
SMITH asking the appointment of Justice CASSODAY to the vacancy,
and this petition was followed up by personal letters to the
governor from such prominent persons as Senator CARPENTER, Willard
MERRILL and by most favorable notices from the public press.
Justice COLE, the oldest member on the bench, was appointed chief
justice, and Mr. CASSODAY associate justice. In April, 1881,
both were elected to the places to which they had been appointed,
on calls from the bar and the members of the legislature. In
1889 Justice CASSODAY was re-elected without opposition, receiving
210,899 votes. Upon the death of Chief Justice ORTON, in July,
1895, Justice CASSODAY became chief justice under the law, he
being oldest judge in point of service. In 1881 Beloit College
conferred upon him the degree of LL.D., an honor most worthily
bestowed. His judicial work has been most faithfully and ably
done, and has given entire satisfaction to the bar and to the
people generally. Since taking his place on the bench he was
shown his regard for the proprieties of the position by refraining
entirely from all active participation in political affairs.
- Since 1885 Justice CASSODAY has been lecturer to the senior
class in the college of law of the
- University of Wisconsin. His lectures on wills have been
published and they form the text-book on that subject in the
law school. He still lectures once a week during the college
year on constitutional law. He has delivered some very able addresses
on various subjects - one a memorial address on Gen. Grant -
which have been published and highly commended.
- Justice CASSODAY was married on the 21st of February, 1860,
to Miss Mary P. SPAULDING
- of Janesville, Wis., and they have four daughters and a son.
The daughters are all married, and are Mrs. Wm. H. JACOBS of
Denver, Colorado; Mrs. Geo. H. WHEELOCK of South Bend, Ind.;
Mrs. Nathan CLARK of Duluth, Minn., and Mrs. Carl JOHNSON of
Madison, Wis. The son, Eldon J., is connected with the legal
department of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad in
Chicago.
- Justice and Mrs. CASSODAY have long been consistent and earnest
members of the
- Congregational church, and four of their children are members
of the same organization.
-
- [Note: Hon. CASSODAY's surname was spelled as "COSSADAY"
throughout the biography.]
-
- [Taken from "Men of Progress: Wisconsin" (c)1897
The Evening Wisconsin Company, Milwaulee, pp. 46-48]
Courtesy of Lori
|