Pardon Clarence Williams (July 12, 1842 – January 18, 1925) was an American lawyer and judge from New York.

Life

Williams was born on July 12, 1842, in Ellisburg, New York, the son of farmer William Williams Jr. and Jerusha Plummer. Williams attended school in Pierrepont Manor. He then went to Union Academy in Belleville and the Clinton Liberal Institute. He spent two years at St. Lawrence University. He began teaching when he was 14 and spent the next six winters as a teacher while working on the family farm in the summers. In 1862, he moved to

Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

and began studying law in the firm Hammond & Bigelow. He was admitted to the bar in 1863. He then became a member of the firm Hammond & Williams, Bigelow having become an editor of the ''Watertown Times''. General

Bradley Winslow Bradley Winslow (August 1, 1831 – October 24, 1914) was an American soldier, politician and lawyer who served as colonel of the 186th New York Regiment from 1864 to 1865 during the American Civil War. Winslow was also a member of the Ne ...

later joined the firm, which was renamed Hammond, Winslow & Williams. In 1867, he began practicing law without a partner. In 1868, he was elected District Attorney of Jefferson County, an office he served for two terms and held until 1875. Later that year, he formed a partnership with Judge John C. McCartin and Williams. In 1883, Williams was elected a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

, 5th Judicial District. He began serving as Justice in 1884. After his 14 year term, although he was elected as a Republican, he was re-elected with the endorsement of both Republicans and Democrats. In 1895, Governor

Levi P. Morton Levi Parsons Morton (May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920) was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as United States ambassador to France, as a U.S. representative from New York, and as the 31st Governor of Ne ...

appointed him an associate justice of the

Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, First Judicial Department The Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, First Judicial Department, or simply the First Department, is one of the four geographical components of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, the intermediate appellate ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He left the Appellate Division when his term expired in 1898. The local people didn't like that he had to leave his district for New York City, so he promised to remain in the Fifth Judicial District. In 1900, he was appointed an associate justice of the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, which included that district. He retired as Justice in 1912. As Justice, he presided over a number of murder trials, including for Roxana Druse. He developed a reputation for fairness that led Governor

Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

to specifically select him as judge for the trial of Bartholomew Shea and John McGough for the murder of Robert Ross. Williams was a leading member of the Republican Party in Jefferson County. He was a director of the Agricultural Insurance Company. He was a member of the Jefferson County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He attended the Trinity Episcopal Church. In 1868, he married Sarah E. Hewitt of Watertown. Their children were Edith, Robert Plummer, and Marguitte. Robert was a clerk for his father. Williams died at home on January 18, 1925. He was buried in Brookside Cemetery.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
'
Pardon C. Williams
at ''

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'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Pardon C. 1842 births 1925 deaths People from Ellisburg, New York People from Watertown, New York St. Lawrence University alumni 19th-century American lawyers County district attorneys in New York (state) New York (state) Republicans 19th-century American judges 20th-century American judges New York Supreme Court Justices 20th-century American Episcopalians Burials in New York (state) New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department justices