Arthur Loomis Sanborn (November 17, 1850October 18, 1920) was an American lawyer and judge. He was

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

for the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, appointed 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 ...

, he served from 1905 until his death in 1920.

Early life and education

Born in

Brasher Falls, New York Brasher Falls is the largest hamlet (New York), hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Brasher, New York, Brasher in St. Lawrence County, New York, St. Lawrence County, New York (state), New York, United States. As of the 2010 U ...

, Sanborn moved with his parents to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

in 1857, settling in

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

. His father died when he was 11 years old, leaving the family in a difficult financial situation. To help the family, he went to work in a

wool mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods s ...

. He was self-educated, and, when the family moved to Elkhorn, the county seat, in 1869, he was able to obtain employment as a clerk in the office of the

Register of Deeds Recorder of deeds or deeds registry is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over ...

. He began to study law and was elected Register of Deeds for Walworth County, serving from 1875 to 1879. In 1879 he entered the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he received his

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

the following year.

Career

He formed a law partnership with former mayor Silas U. Pinney in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, where he would practice law for the next 25 years. Their partnership would endure until Mr. Pinney's election to the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

in 1891. The firm Pinney & Sanborn was involved in many important railroad cases in the state. During this period, Sanborn was also employed as a professor of law on the faculty of the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, and served on the

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of bar examiners. Sanborn was the Republican candidate for

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Madison in 1890, but was defeated by city attorney

Robert McKee Bashford Robert McKee Bashford (December 31, 1845January 29, 1911) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 25th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, and represented Dane County in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1893 to 1897. He also served briefl ...

. In 1893, Sanborn formed a new partnership, Spooner, Sanborn & Spooner, with former U.S. Senator John Coit Spooner.

Federal judicial service

On January 6, 1905, Sanborn was nominated by President

to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin vacated by Judge Romanzo Bunn. Sanborn 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 January 9, 1905, and received his commission the same day. Sanborn served in that capacity until his death on October 18, 1920.

Personal life

Arthur Sanborn married Alice E. Golder, of Elkhorn, on October 15, 1874. They had four children together. Sanborn is descended from Lieutenant John Sanborn, an early settler at the

Province of New Hampshire The Province of New Hampshire was a colony of England and later a British province in North America. The name was first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America, and was nam ...

Electoral history

Madison Mayor (1890)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 1, 1890

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanborn, Arthur Loomis 1850 births 1920 deaths People from St. Lawrence County, New York Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin United States district court judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from Madison, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin Law School alumni