John Bolivar Cassoday (July 7, 1830December 30, 1907) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He was the 9th Chief 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 ...

and the 27th Speaker of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

Biography

Born in

Herkimer County, New York Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named a ...

, he moved with his widowed mother to

Tioga County, Pennsylvania Tioga County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,045. Its county seat is Wellsboro. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and later organized in 1812. ...

, at age 3. After one year at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, he attended the

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at A ...

. He moved to

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jane ...

, in July 1857 and established a law practice. Politically, Cassoday was 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 ...

. He was a delegate from Wisconsin to the

1864 National Union National Convention The 1864 National Union National Convention was the United States presidential nominating convention of the National Union Party, which was a name adopted by the main faction of the Republican Party in a coalition with many, if not most, War Dem ...

, which nominated

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

for re-election, and was also a candidate for

that year on Lincoln's National Union ticket. He was elected to represent Janesville in the Assembly for the 1865 session, and was later elected to the 1877 session. In the 1877 session, he was chosen as Speaker by a vote of the Assembly. In 1880, he was chairman of the Wisconsin delegation to the

1880 Republican National Convention The 1880 Republican National Convention convened from June 2 to June 8, 1880, at the Interstate Exposition Building in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Delegates nominated James A. Garfield of Ohio and Chester A. Arthur of New York as the offic ...

. Later in 1880, Cassoday was appointed to the

by Governor William E. Smith, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Chief Justice

Edward George Ryan Edward George Ryan (November 13, 1810October 19, 1880) was an Irish Americans, Irish American Immigration to the United States, immigrant, lawyer, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 5th chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Early life ...

. Cassoday was elected to remain in office in 1881, and was re-elected in 1889 and 1899. In 1895, Chief Justice

Harlow S. Orton Harlow South Orton (November 23, 1817July 4, 1895) was an American lawyer and judge. He was the 8th Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and served on the court from 1878 until his death. He is chiefly remembered as the author of the Wi ...

died in office. As the next most senior member of the court, Cassoday became the chief justice. Cassoday served twelve years as Chief Justice until his death in 1907. He was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison. John B. Cassoday is the namesake of

Cassoday, Kansas Cassoday is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. It is known as the "Prairie Chicken Capital of the World". As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 113. History Early history For many millennia, the Great Plains o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassoday, John B. People from Herkimer County, New York Politicians from Janesville, Wisconsin Albany Law School alumni Chief Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 1830 births 1907 deaths Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges 19th-century Wisconsin politicians Burials at Forest Hill Cemetery (Madison, Wisconsin)