Jacob Safford (August 17, 1827 – July 3, 1885) was a justice of the

Kansas Supreme Court The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as the sta ...

from January 9, 1865 to January 9, 1871.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Royalton, Vermont Royalton is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,750 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Royalton, South Royalton, and North Royalton. Vermont Law School, the state's only accredited law school, i ...

, his father was Jacob J. Safford one of the founders of

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

. He had his education at

Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, 31 miles southwest of Cleveland. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students. The town is the birthplace of the ...

where he also married and was admitted to the bar in 1854. After obtaining the bar in 1854 he started practice in Norwalk, Ohio before moving to

Nebraska City Nebraska City is a city in Nebraska, and the county seat of, Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,289. The Nebraska State Legislature has credited Nebraska City as being the oldest incorporated ...

and starting a law practice. He then relocated to Kansas in 1858 first to

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

, then

Tecumseh, Kansas Tecumseh is an unincorporated community in Shawnee County, Kansas, United States, and situated along the Kansas River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 696. The community and township are both named f ...

then to

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

where he lived for the rest of his life.

Judicial service and later life

He was elected as the first district judge in

Shawnee County Shawnee County (county code SN) is located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 178,909, making it the third-most populous county in Kansas. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state ...

serving from 1859 to 1863.Clark Bell, ed., ''The Medico-legal Journal'', Vol. 18 (1900), p. 70. Although he was elected in December 1859 under the

Wyandotte Constitution The Wyandotte Constitution is the constitution of the U.S. state of Kansas. Background The Kansas Territory was created in 1854. The largest issue by far in territorial Kansas was whether slavery was to be permitted or prohibited; aside from the m ...

the court did not open its chambers until April 25, 1861 with the first session of the court starting October 7, 1861. He was also the first district judge to hold court in Wabaunsee County, Kansas., the district judge of Riley County, Kansas from 1861 to 1864. and the district judge of Jackson County, Kansas in 1864. After serving out the first term of the district court he was selected to run for the supreme court which he won succeeding

Samuel Austin Kingman Samuel Austin Kingman (June 26, 1818 – September 9, 1904) was an associate justice of the Kansas Supreme Court from February 9, 1861 to January 9, 1865, and chief justice from January 14, 1867 to December 30, 1876. Early life, education, and ...

. Judge Safford took his seat upon the supreme bench, as an associate justice of the state of Kansas, in 1865, and served until 1870. He was a candidate for reelection in 1870, but lost renomination to David Josiah Brewer in September of that year, with his service on the court ending in January 1871. He held a high position at the bar of the state of Kansas, and was prominently connected with the railway enterprise in that state. He was the attorney for the Santa Fe Railroad. He came up with the idea of the Leavenworth, Topeka & Southwestern railway company and was its attorney, secretary and director for several years. In October 1880 he also put himself forward as candidate to once again take the position of district judge. He worked up until his death at which time he was the secretary and attorney for the Topeka, Salina and Western railway.

Death and recognition

Saffordville, Kansas Saffordville is an unincorporated community in Chase County, Kansas Chase County (county code CS) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,572. Its county seat and most populous cit ...

was named after him sometime in the 1860s. He died July 3, 1885 after a long illness, and had been fighting cancer of the stomach for more than a year. The appreciation in which he was held by his associates upon the bench of the Supreme Court may be best shown by the proceedings on the occasion of his death. The Shawnee county bar published a couple of resolutions honoring his character and his work as well as extending sympathy to his widow and children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Safford, Jacob Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court People from Royalton, Vermont People from Topeka, Kansas 1827 births 1885 deaths