Robert McKee Bashford (December 31, 1845January 29, 1911) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 25th Mayor of
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
, and represented
Dane County
Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital.
Dane County is the ...
in the
Wisconsin State Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...
from 1893 to 1897. He also served briefly as 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 ...
in 1908, after the death of Chief Justice
John B. Cassoday.
Biography
Born in
Fayette, Wisconsin
Fayette is a town in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 376 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Fayette and Yellowstone are located in the town.
Geography
Fayette is in northeastern Lafayette Count ...
,
[ ] Bashford graduated from 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, ...
in 1870 and from the
University of Wisconsin Law School
The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...
in 1871.
[ ] He later received his master's degree from the University in 1874. In 1871, Bashford along with two others purchased the ''Madison Democrat'' newspaper, where Bashford was editor until 1876. He then practiced law in
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
,
and served as city attorney from 1881 to 1886. In 1886, he moved to
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, where he continued to practice law. While his firm was successful, he did not care for the work and moved back to Madison.
In 1890, Bashford became mayor of Madison, defeating
Arthur Loomis Sanborn in the April election. During his tenure he assisted the state attorney general to prosecute former state treasurers of Wisconsin to get money they had collected from interest on the deposit of public funds. The state recovered nearly half a million dollars. From 1891 to 1895, he served in the
Wisconsin State Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...
.
He resumed his law practice, including arguing before the
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
in the 1905 case of ''United States v. Stinson'', in which he successfully defended a land purchaser from the federal government's attempt to reclaim the land based on accusations of fraud. In 1908, Bashford was appointed to 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 ...
, but lost a special election for the position four months later.
He resumed his law practice and was on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Personal life and Family
Bashford was the son of Reverend Samuel Morris Bashford and his wife, Mary Ann (McKee) Parkinson Bashford. Bashford's father died when he was only five years old. His mother remarried to William Pearce Trousdale, who became Bashford's stepfather.
Bashford's first wife was Florence E. Taylor, the second daughter of Wisconsin Governor
William Robert Taylor
William Robert Taylor (July 10, 1820March 17, 1909) was an American politician and the 12th Governor of Wisconsin from 1874 to 1876.
Early life
Taylor was born in Woodbury, Connecticut. He was orphaned at age 6 when his father's ship was lost ...
. They had one daughter together before her death in 1886. Bashford remarried with Sarah Amelia Fuller, who survived him.
Bashford House
His former home, now known as the
Robert M. Bashford House, is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
Electoral history
Madison Mayor (1890)
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 1, 1890
Wisconsin Supreme Court (1908)
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 7, 1908
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bashford, Robert Mackee
People from Fayette, Wisconsin
Lawyers from Madison, Wisconsin
Politicians from Chicago
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
University of Wisconsin Law School alumni
Mayors of Madison, Wisconsin
Wisconsin state senators
Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
1845 births
1911 deaths
19th-century American judges
19th-century American lawyers