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William H. Timlin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Honorable
William H. Timlin
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
In office
January 1, 1907 – August 21, 1916
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded byFranz C. Eschweiler
Personal details
Born
William Henry Timlin

(1852-05-28)May 28, 1852
Mequon, Wisconsin
DiedAugust 21, 1916(1916-08-21) (aged 64)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Resting placeCalvary Cemetery
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Spouses
  • Cecelia L. Arpin
  • (m. 1880; died 1935)
Children
  • William Henry Timlin, Jr.
  • (b. 1883; died 1934)
  • Adah Ellen (Frey)
  • (b. 1884; died 1940)
  • Kathleen Adeline (Rice)
  • (b. 1905; died 1985)
  • Cecil Timlin
  • (died young)
Parents
  • Edward Timlin (father)
  • Hannah Timlin (mother)
RelativesThomas F. Timlin (1st cousin)

William Henry Timlin (May 28, 1852 – August 21, 1916) was an American lawyer and judge. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the last ten years of his life.

Biography

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Born in Mequon, Wisconsin. His father was an Irish American immigrant who had served as Treasurer of Washington County, Wisconsin, which then also included all of Ozaukee County.[1] His mother died when he was six, and his father, who volunteered for the Union Army, disappeared during the American Civil War. Thus Timlin was raised, from age nine, by his uncle, who was a farmer struggling with financial hardship.[1]

He worked on his uncle's farm but got little formal education. His uncle died during his teenage years, and more hardship followed. He studied surveying and stenography and taught school to make money. At age 25, he was employed as a stenographer at the Wisconsin Circuit Court in Kewaunee, Wisconsin.[2]

Timlin studied law under G. G. Sedgwick, and later H. G. and W. J. Turner, and was admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin in 1878. He practiced law in Kewaunee, where he also served as superintendent of the public schools. He later moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he carried on his legal career.[1][2]

In 1906, he was elected to a newly created seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He did not run for re-election in 1916, but died four months before the end of his term.[2]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 1906[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 1906
Nonpartisan William H. Timlin 60,528 35.61%
Nonpartisan James O'Neill 51,848 30.51%
Nonpartisan Allen R. Bushnell 39,818 23.43%
Nonpartisan H. H. Grace 16,419 9.66%
Scattering 1,349 0.79%
Plurality 8,680 5.11%
Total votes 169,962 100.0%

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Berryman, John R., ed. (1898). History of the Bench and Bar of Wisconsin. Vol. 1. Chicago: H. C. Cooper, Jr. p. 541.
  2. ^ a b c "William H. Timlin (1852-1916)". Courts of Wisconsin. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Beck, J. D., ed. (1907). "Part III. Election statistics". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 931. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
[edit]
Legal offices
New seat Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
1907 – 1916
Succeeded by