Pardon C. Williams
Pardon Clarence Williams (July 12, 1842 – January 18, 1925) was an American lawyer and judge.
Pardon Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams in 1895 | |
| Born | July 12, 1842 |
| Died | January 18, 1925 (aged 82) |
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Parents |
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Early life and career
changePardon Williams was born on July 12, 1842 in Ellisburg, New York. His father was William Williams Jr. and his mother was Jerusha Plummer.[1][2]
Williams went to school in Pierrepont Manor. Later, he went to the Union Academy in Fort Plain and the Clinton Liberal Institute in Clinton. He studied at St. Lawrence University for two years. He started to teach in 1856 when he was 14 years old and he tought for six years until 1862. Williams worked on his families farm in the summers when he was a teacher. In spring 1862, he moved to Watertown and started to study law in the law firm Hammond & Bigelow. Williams was admitted to the bar in October 1863.[3] Then, he became a member of the law firm Hammond & Williams after Bigelow became an editor of the Watertown Daily Times. General Bradley Winslow joined the law firm later, and it was renamed to Hammond, Winslow & Williams. In 1867, he started to practice law without a law partner. In 1868, he was elected district attorney of Jefferson County, and he served two terms until 1875.[2] In March 1874, he became partners with Judge John C. McCartin and Williams.[3][2]
Later life
changeIn 1883, Williams was elected as a justice of the New York Supreme Court in the 5th Judicial District, and he started on June 1, 1884. His term ended in 1898.[3] In 1895, Governor Levi P. Morton made Williams an associate justice of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, First Judicial Department in New York City.[4] He left the Appellate Division when his term ended in 1898. The local people didn't like that he had to leave his district for New York City, so he promised to stay in the Fifth Judicial District. In 1900, he became an associate justice of the Fourth Department of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, which included New York City. Williams retired in 1912.[5]
He was the judge for many murder trials, like for Roxana Druse. Williams had a reputation for being fair, and Governor Roswell P. Flower chose him as the judge for the trial of Bartholomew Shea and John McGough for the murder of Robert Ross.[3]
Williams was an important member of the Republican Party in Jefferson County. He was a director of the Agricultural Insurance Company in Watertown.[6] He was a member of the Jefferson County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He attended the Trinity Episcopal Church.[7][3]
Personal life and death
changeHe married Sarah E. Hewitt on September 9, 1868.[3] Their children were Edith, Robert Plummer, and Marguitte. His son Robert was a clerk for Pardon.[8] Williams died at his home on January 18, 1925. He was buried in Brookside Cemetery in Watertown.[9]
References
change- ↑ Emerson 1898, p. 932.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Haddock 1895, p. 274.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Oakes 1905, p. 355.
- ↑ White & 1955 145.
- ↑ "Pardon C. Williams". Historical Society of the New York Courts. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
- ↑ Seilhamer 1899, p. 318.
- ↑ Landon 1932, p. 723.
- ↑ Emerson 1898, p. 934.
- ↑ "Funeral of Judge Williams to be Tuesday". Watertown Standard. Vol. XXXI, no. 254. Watertown, N.Y. 19 January 1925. p. 16 – via Old Fulton NY Postcards.
Sources
change- White, James (1955). The National Cyclopædia of American Biography. Vol. XL. New York, N.Y.: James T. White & Company. p. 145 – via HathiTrust.
- Seilhamer, George O. (1899). History of the Republican Party. Vol. II. New York, N.Y.: Judge Publishing Co. pp. 318–319 – via HathiTrust.
- Oakes, R. A. (1905). Genealogical and Family History of the County of Jefferson, New York. Vol. I. The Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 353–356 – via Google Books.
- Landon, Harry F. (1932). The North Country: A History, Embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin Counties, New York. Vol. 2. Indianapolis, I.N.: Historical Publishing Company. pp. 722–723 – via Internet Archive.
- Emerson, Edgar C., ed. (1898). Our County and its People: A Descriptive Work on Jefferson County, New York. The Boston History Company. pp. 932–934 – via Internet Archive.
- Haddock, John A. (1895). The Growth of a Century: As Illustrated in the History of Jefferson County, New York, from 1793 to 1894. Philadelphia, P.A.: Sherman & Co. pp. 273–275 – via Google Books.