Alston Gordon Dayton (October 18, 1857 – July 30, 1920) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia (in case citations, N.D. W. Va.) is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ...

Education and career

Born on October 18, 1857, in Philippi,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

(now

), Dayton attended the public schools, read law and received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

in 1878, then received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degree in 1880 from the same institution. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Philippi from 1878 to 1879, with his father Spencer Dayton. He was prosecutor for Upshur County, West Virginia from 1879 to 1884. He was prosecutor for Barbour County, West Virginia from 1884 to 1888. He resumed private practice in West Virginia from 1886 to 1895.

Congressional service

Dayton was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from

West Virginia's 2nd congressional district West Virginia's 2nd congressional district currently stretches from the Ohio River border with Ohio to the Potomac River border with Maryland and the border with Virginia. It includes the capital city of Charleston and the rapidly growing resi ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

of the

54th United States Congress The 54th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1895, ...

and to the five succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1895, until his resignation March 16, 1905, to accept a federal judicial position.

Federal judicial service

Dayton was nominated by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

on March 7, 1905, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

John Jay Jackson Jr. John Jay Jackson Jr. (August 4, 1824 – September 2, 1907) was an American lawyer, Whig party (United States), Whig politician, United States federal judge, United States District Judge (initially of the United States District Court for the Weste ...

He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on March 14, 1905, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on July 30, 1920, due to his death in

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which en ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. He was interred in Fraternity Cemetery in Philippi.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dayton, Alston Gordon 1857 births 1920 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers County prosecuting attorneys in West Virginia Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia People from Philippi, West Virginia People from Upshur County, West Virginia United States district court judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt 20th-century American judges West Virginia lawyers West Virginia University alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law

Education and career

Congressional service

Federal judicial service

See also

References

Sources