William Penn Whitehouse (April 9, 1842 – October 10, 1922) was a justice of the

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

from April 15, 1890, to April 8, 1913. Born in

Vassalboro, Maine Vassalboro (originally Vassalborough) is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,520 at the 2020 census. Vassalboro includes the villages of Riverside, Getchell's Corner, North Vassalboro, and East Vassalboro, home t ...

, Whitehouse was elected to the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via p ...

as a Republican in 1861. Serving just one single-year term, he graduated from

Waterville College Colby College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the ...

in 1863 and

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 ...

to gain admission to the bar in 1865. He was appointed as a justice of the Superior Court of Kennebec County, Maine, in 1878, and as an associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court on April 15, 1890. He became chief justice on July 26, 1911, serving in that capacity until his resignation, on April 8, 1913.Maine Genealogy Archives
Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justices, 1820-1920

References

1842 births 1922 deaths People from Vassalboro, Maine Colby College alumni Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives {{Maine-state-judge-stub