Jason Downer (September 9, 1813September 1, 1883) 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 ...

. He was the first editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel when it became a daily in 1844, but quit after a half year, returning to the law. He served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1864 to 1867, when once again he returned to the law.

Biography

Downer was born in

Sharon, Vermont Sharon is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. It had a population of 1,560 at the 2020 census. Sharon is the birthplace of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and as such is an important historical site for m ...

. He graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1838. Downer moved to

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

, in 1842. He was one of the founders of the ''

Milwaukee Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently ...

'' and briefly served as its first editor before turning it over to General

Rufus King Rufus King (March 24, 1755April 29, 1827) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress and the Philadelphia Convention and was one of the signers of the Unit ...

. When Downer died, September 1, 1883, he left an estate worth about $250,000 ($ in dollars). He gave away about $150,000 to friends and institutions, and left the rest to his wife, Alcy. Alcy made a $5,000 donation to the Wisconsin Female College at Fox Lake, on the condition that they name it Downer College, in memory of her husband. The school eventually became

Milwaukee-Downer College Milwaukee-Downer College was a women's college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in operation from 1895 to 1964. History Milwaukee-Downer College was established in 1895 with the merger of two institutions: Milwaukee College and Downer College of Fox Lak ...

and spawned the Milwaukee-Downer Seminary. Milwaukee-Downer College was ultimately integrated into

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducation ...

Public service

Downer was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1864 after Justice

Byron Paine Byron Paine (October 10, 1827January 13, 1871) was an American lawyer and justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. His successful representation of Ezekiel Gillespie in the 1866 case of ''Gillespie v. Palmer'' resulted in the legal recognition of ...

resigned to enlist in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. In 1865, Downer's appointment was confirmed by a special election, and he won an 8 year term on the court, but he disliked judicial service. When Paine returned from the war, Justice Downer resigned and returned to private practice. He briefly returned to the bench in 1869 when he was appointed to fill the last few months of

Arthur McArthur Jeremy McArthur (born October 29, 1988), known professionally as Arthur McArthur, is a Grammy-nominated Canadian record producer from Toronto, Ontario. A classically trained piano and guitar player, he has been involved in music producing since 2 ...

's term as

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 for the 2nd Circuit.

References

People from Windsor County, Vermont Politicians from Milwaukee Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Wisconsin lawyers Editors of Wisconsin newspapers Dartmouth College alumni 1813 births 1883 deaths 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers Lawyers from Milwaukee 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers {{Wisconsin-stub