William Marion Ramsay (December 25, 1846 – September 15, 1937) was an American politician and judge in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. He was the 43rd justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Willamette University College of Law Willamette University College of Law is the law school of Willamette University. Located in Salem, Oregon, and founded in 1883, Willamette is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest. It has approximately 24 full-time law professors and e ...

and a mayor of

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

, and

McMinnville, Oregon McMinnville is the county seat of and largest city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. The city is named after McMinnville, Tennessee. As of the 2019 census, the city had a population estimate of 34,743. McMinnville is at the confluence of ...

Early life

William Ramsay was born on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

1846 in

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. The next year the family traveled the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what ...

and settled near the town of Newberg in

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, co ...

. Arriving in the fall of 1847, William's parents Susan Shuck (d. 1898) and David Ramsey (d. 1891) homesteaded on the same site as

Ewing Young Ewing Young (1799-February 9, 1841) was an American fur trapper and trader from Tennessee who traveled in what was then the northern Mexico frontier territories of Santa Fe de Nuevo México and Alta California before settling in the Oregon Country. ...

's former mill.Yamhill County Circuit Court History.
Oregon Judicial Department. Retrieved on February 2, 2008. William was the youngest of five children in the family when they moved to

, although his parents later had nine more children. He was schooled in the local public schools before attending and graduating from

McMinnville College Linfield University is a private university with campuses in McMinnville, and Portland, Oregon. Linfield Wildcats athletics participates in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference. Linfield reported a combined 1,755 students after the fall ...

. William

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in Yamhill County and passed the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

, becoming a lawyer in 1868. Two years later he married Mahala A. Harris with whom he fathered four children.

Legal career

In 1870, William was elected as the county judge for

Yamhill County Yamhill County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 107,722. The county seat is McMinnville. Yamhill County was named after the Yamhelas, members of the Kalapuya Tribe. Yamhill Cou ...

. He then practiced law in

Lafayette, Oregon Lafayette is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States on the Yamhill River and Oregon Route 99W. It was founded in 1846 and incorporated in 1878. The population was 3,742 at the 2010 census. History Lafayette was founded in 1846 by pione ...

for ten years including for a time as a law partner with

Benjamin F. Bonham Benjamin F. Bonham (October 8, 1828 – June 2, 1906) was an American educator, politician, and judge in Oregon. He was the 9th chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Overall he was on Oregon's highest court from 1870 to 1876. Prior to joini ...

, the two were partners from 1876 until 1885. From 1883 to 1888 Ramsey served as the first dean for

Willamette University College of Law Willamette University College of Law is the law school of Willamette University. Located in Salem, Oregon, and founded in 1883, Willamette is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest. It has approximately 24 full-time law professors and e ...

, where he was in charge of a staff of three professors.1840-1990 Keepsake Edition: Willamette University. ''

Statesman Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

'', October 26, 1990. While in Salem he also served as mayor before moving to east to

Pendleton, Oregon Pendleton is a city and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are incarcerated at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. Pendleton ...

, and

La Grande, Oregon La Grande is a city in Union County, Oregon, United States. Originally named "Brownsville," it was forced to change its name because that name was being used for a city in Linn County. Located in the Grande Ronde Valley, the city's name comes ...

, (1902–1911) and then settling again in

, where he served two terms as mayor. On June 3, 1913,

Oregon Governor The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

Oswald West Oswald West (May 20, 1873 – August 22, 1960) was an American politician, a Democrat, who served most notably as the 14th Governor of Oregon. He was called "Os West" by Oregon writer Stewart Holbrook, who described him as "by all odds the mo ...

appointed Ramsey and fellow former Willamette Law dean

Charles L. McNary Charles Linza McNary (June 12, 1874February 25, 1944) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from Oregon. He served in the United States Senate, U.S. Senate from 1917 to 1944 and was Party leaders of the United ...

to the state supreme court bench when the court expanded from five to seven justices.Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on February 2, 2008. Ramsey, a Democrat, ran for re-election in 1914, but lost to Lawrence T. Harris. Both McNary and Ramsey left the court at the end of the term on January 4, 1915.

Family

William's son Frederick served as a sergeant in the US Marine Corps aboard the ''Battleship Oregon'' during the Spanish–American War. After his first wife died William married Julia A. Snyder in 1896, and they had one daughter. William Marion Ramsey died on September 15, 1937, at the age of 91 and was buried in McMinnville at a funeral attended by several

John L. Rand John Langdon Rand (October 28, 1861 – November 19, 1942) was an American politician and jurist in the state of Oregon. He served as the 22nd Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Overall he was on Oregon’s highest court from 1921 to 1942 ...

, and Percy R. Kelly.

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

's law school holds an annual lecture in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsey, William Marion Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Mayors of Salem, Oregon Linfield University alumni 1846 births 1937 deaths Deans of Willamette University College of Law Oregon pioneers People from Lafayette, Oregon People from La Grande, Oregon County judges in Oregon U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law