William Z. Stuart (December 25, 1811 – May 6, 1876) was a justice of the

Indiana Supreme Court The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana ...

from January 3, 1853, to January 3, 1858. Born in

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

, Stuart was the son of Dr. James and Nancy (Allison) Stuart, of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Up to the age of fourteen years, he received all his instructions from his mother, an educated woman, and at that age went to

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

, to become a drug clerk. Later he went to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, again working in a drug store, and spending his spare time in reading medical works with a view of entering that profession.Leander J. Monks,
Courts and Lawyers of Indiana, Vol. I
' (1916), p. 246-247. Through the influence of Dr. Kirk, he entered Amherst Academy at Amherst, Massachusetts, and graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1833.Minde C. Browning, Richard Humphrey, and Bruce Kleinschmidt,
Biographical Sketches of Indiana Supreme Court Justices
, ''

Indiana Law Review The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (IU McKinney) is located on the campus of Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana, the urban campus of Indiana University. In the summer of 200 ...

'', Vol. 30, No. 1 (1997), section reproduced i
Indiana Courts Justice Biographies page
After graduating he became principal of Mayville Academy at Westfield, New York. During the two years he was there he

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 ...

with Judge Osborn. In 1836 he moved to Logansport, Indiana, was admitted to the bar (February 20, 1837) and at once began the practice of this profession. He was elected prosecuting attorney of the Eighth judicial circuit in 1844 and served one term. In 1852 he was elected to the state supreme court for a term of six years over John B. Howe, but resigned, August 15, 1857, to take effect January 12, 1858, to become attorney for the Toledo & Wabash Railroad Company. In 1870 he declined a nomination to return to the state supreme court. Stuart was a moderate Democrat. He married Minerva Potteo at Westfield, New York, in 1838. They had three children, Venetia, Selden P. and Frances H. His wife died in 1846 and Stuart remarried in 1849 to Sarah Scribner Benedict, of Vernon, New York. They had four sons, Charles B., Thomas A., Will V. and W. Z. His health became impaired in the spring of 1876 and, hoping to recover his health, he went to

Clifton Springs, New York Clifton Springs is a village located in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 2,127 at the 2010 census. The village takes its name from local mineral springs. The Village of Clifton Springs is located primarily in the To ...

, where he died.

References

1811 births 1876 deaths Lawyers from Dedham, Massachusetts Amherst College alumni U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court 19th-century American judges {{US-state-judge-stub