Silas U. Pinney

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The Honorable
Silas U. Pinney
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
In office
January 5, 1892 – November 22, 1898
Preceded byOrsamus Cole
Succeeded byJoshua Eric Dodge
13th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin
In office
April 1874 – April 1876
Preceded byJared Comstock Gregory
Succeeded byJohn N. Jones
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Dane 2nd district
In office
January 1, 1875 – January 1, 1876
Preceded byPhilo Dunning
Succeeded byWilliam Charlton
Personal details
Born
Silas Uriah Pinney

(1833-03-03)March 3, 1833
Rockdale Township, Pennsylvania
DiedApril 1, 1899(1899-04-01) (aged 66)
Madison, Wisconsin
Resting placeForest Hill Cemetery
Madison, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Mary Melissa Mullikan
  • (died 1909)
Children
  • Clarence H. Pinney
  • (1859–1879)
  • Bessie E. Pinney
  • (1870–1891)
Signature

Silas Uriah Pinney (March 3, 1833 – April 1, 1899) was an American jurist and politician from Wisconsin. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the 13th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin.[1]

Biography[edit]

Born in Rockdale Township, Pennsylvania, Pinney moved with his family to Dane County, Wisconsin. Pinney began reading law in 1851 or 1852 in the offices of Vilas & Remington. He was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1854 and became a partner in the reorganized law firm of Vilas, Roys & Pinney, which is known as Bell Moore & Richter SC today.[2] In 1875, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly and was elected Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin in 1874. In 1891, he was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Because of ill health, Pinney resigned from the court and died the next year.[3][4] Prior to his own death, his one son, Clarence, died at age 20, and his daughter, Bessie, died in a carriage accident.[5]

The Pinney Branch of the Madison Public Library was named in his honor. Madison's first public library opened in 1875 when Pinney was mayor.[6]

Electoral history[edit]

Wisconsin Attorney General (1869)[edit]

Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1869[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 2, 1869
Republican Stephen Steele Barlow 69,746 53.54%
Democratic Silas U. Pinney 60,520 46.46% -1.89%
Plurality 9,226 7.08% 3.78%
Total votes 130,266 100.0% -8.49%
Republican hold

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1891)[edit]

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 1891[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 7, 1891
Nonpartisan Silas U. Pinney 96,661 54.90%
Nonpartisan Eleazor H. Ellis 77,312 43.91%
Scattering 2,082 1.18%
Total votes 176,055 100.0%

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ State Historical Society of Wisconsin (1868). Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Volume 5 (2 ed.). Madison, WI. p. 173. Retrieved January 22, 2019.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ "About Bell Moore & Richter SC". Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  3. ^ Silas U. Pinney-Wisconsin Historical Society
  4. ^ Justice Silas U. Pinney-Wisconsin Supreme Court Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Wisconsin Court System - Silas U. Pinney". wicourts.gov. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  6. ^ The Early Days of the Madison Free Library
  7. ^ "Official Vote at the State Election". Semi-Weekly Wisconsin. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. December 1, 1869. p. 2. Retrieved July 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Cunningham, Thomas J., ed. (1893). "Part III. Election statistics". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 308. Retrieved January 15, 2020.

External links[edit]

Party political offices
Preceded by
L. P. Weatherby
Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Wisconsin
1869
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin
1874 – 1876
Succeeded by
John N. Jones
Legal offices
Preceded by Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
1892 – 1898
Succeeded by