Charles Valdo Bardeen Sr. (September 23, 1850March 20, 1903) was an American lawyer and judge in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 ...

. He was a justice of 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 ...

from 1898 until his death in 1903. Previously, he served six years as a

Wisconsin circuit court The Wisconsin circuit courts are the general trial courts in the state of Wisconsin. There are currently 69 circuits in the state, divided into 10 judicial administrative districts. Circuit court judges hear and decide both civil and criminal case ...

judge in north-central Wisconsin and was city attorney for

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and ...

Biography

Charles V. Bardeen was born in

Brookfield, New York Brookfield is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 2,403 at the 2000 census. The Town of Brookfield is located in the southeastern part of the county. The county agricultural fair is held here every year. Histo ...

, on September 23, 1850. As a child, he moved to a farm in

with his family in 1854, where he was raised and educated. He graduated from high school in 1870, then taught school and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

at a law firm in

Edgerton, Wisconsin Edgerton is a city in Rock County and partly in Dane County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,945 at the 2020 census. Of this, 5,799 were in Rock County, and 146 were in Dane County. Known locally as "Tobacco City U.S.A.," beca ...

. In the early 1870s, he was summoned to

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

by Alva Adams, a friend of his from school who would later become the

governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either app ...

. He worked with Adams on a business venture in

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, but returned to Wisconsin after about two years. On his return to Wisconsin, he entered the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...

, where he graduated in 1875. He practiced law in

, served 17 years as city attorney there, and was superintendent of Wausau's public schools. In 1891, the Wisconsin Legislature created two new circuits of the

Wisconsin circuit courts The Wisconsin circuit courts are the general trial courts in the state of Wisconsin. There are currently 69 circuits in the state, divided into 10 judicial administrative districts. Circuit court judges hear and decide both civil and criminal case ...

. Bardeen ran for the new 16th circuit judgeship in the Spring 1891 election prevailed with about 61% of the vote. He served six years as circuit judge, and then, in January 1898, he was appointed to the

by Governor

Edward Scofield Edward Scofield (March 28, 1842February 3, 1925) was an American lumberman and Republican politician. He was the 19th governor of Wisconsin (1897–1901) and served in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Door, Marinette, and Oconto c ...

. Bardeen replaced Alfred W. Newman, who had died earlier that month. The following April, Bardeen was elected without opposition to finish out the remainder of Newman's judicial term, expiring at the end of 1903. He died from stomach cancer in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, on March 20, 1903.

Personal life and family

He married Frances Harmina Miller on June 17, 1876, and they had three children.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Circuit Court (1891)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 7, 1891

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1898)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 5, 1898

References

External links

*
Justice Charles V. Bardeen
at Wisconsin Court System , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bardeen, Charles V. People from Brookfield, New York University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Wisconsin circuit court judges Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court 1850 births 1903 deaths 19th-century American judges