Philo Atwood Orton, Jr., (March 27, 1837June 10, 1919) was an American lawyer, politician, judge, and banker. He was a member 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, ...

and held several local and county offices in

Lafayette County, Wisconsin Lafayette County, sometimes spelled La Fayette County, is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It was part of the Wisconsin Territory at the time of its founding. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,611. Its county seat is ...

Biography

Born in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Madison County, New York Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,016. Its county seat is Wampsville. The county is named after James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, and was fir ...

, a son of Philo Atwood Orton and Nancy Collins. His granduncle was Philo Orton, a New York State Assemblyman. He came to

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 ...

with his family in 1850, settling in Beloit. He studied at

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and has ...

for two years. Orton and his family moved to

Darlington, Wisconsin Darlington is a city in and the county seat of Lafayette County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,462 at the 2020 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Darlington. History The first residence within the city limits of ...

, in Lafayette County, in 1855. He studied law in the office of James R. Rose and was admitted to the

State Bar of Wisconsin The State Bar of Wisconsin (SBW) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court for all attorneys who hold a Wisconsin law license, the State Bar of Wisconsin aids the courts i ...

in 1859. Orton married Sara Osborn, the daughter of

Sylvester W. Osborn Sylvester Webster Osborn (July 1, 1811 – November 4, 1903) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Osborn was a native of Delaware County, New York. Reports have differed on the date of his birth. In 1835, Osborn married Julia M ...

, in 1862. He later took on her younger brother, Charles F. Osborn, as a student in his office. After Osborn was admitted to the bar, they formed a partnership, Orton & Osborne, that endured in Darlington for fifty years.

Political career

He was the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

nominee for

Attorney General of Wisconsin The Attorney General of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Forty-five individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Josh Kaul, ...

in 1861, but was defeated in the general election. He won office in 1862 as

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

for La Fayette County. He was elected County Judge in 1870, running as an Independent, and served four years. In 1876, he was the Democratic candidate for Congress in

Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district covers most of the Driftless Area in southwestern and western Wisconsin. The district includes the cities of Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Stevens Point, as well as many Wisconsin-based exurbs of the Minneap ...

, but was unsuccessful. He supported

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

in the 1880 election, and, since then, he has identified as 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 returned to public office in 1899 as Lafayette County's representative to the

and served until 1903.

Education and business career

Orton served as president of the board of education in Darlington for twenty years. He was a member of the board of regents of the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

from 1874 to 1877. In 1874, he obtained a controlling stake in the La Fayette Bank, which he held until organizing the First National Bank of Darlington in 1882. He was president of the Bank of Darlington for the rest of his life. He was also president of the Benton state bank at

Benton, Wisconsin Benton is a village in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 973 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Benton. History Benton was named for Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. senator from Missouri. Up u ...

Family and personal life

Orton is a descendant of Thomas Orton, who arrived in

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

, in 1640. He was one of the charter members of the

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fifteen ...

chapter at

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

, and was an active

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

in the Darlington lodge. He married Sara Osborn on January 27, 1862. Her father,

, and brother, Charles F. Osborn, both served in the Wisconsin State Assembly.'A Political History of Wisconsin,' Alexander MacDonald Thomason, C.N. Casper Company: 1902, Biographical Sketch of Philo A. Orton, pg. 422 Philo and Sara Osborn had one son and one daughter. Orton died in Darlington on June 10, 1919. He was blind for the last five years of his life.

Electoral history

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1861

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Orton, Philo A. 1837 births 1919 deaths People from Madison County, New York Politicians from Beloit, Wisconsin People from Darlington, Wisconsin Beloit College alumni Colgate University alumni Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin state court judges Wisconsin Democrats Wisconsin Independents Wisconsin Republicans School board members in Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers