Wilson McCandless (June 19, 1810 – June 30, 1882) was a
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...
of the
.
Education and career
Born in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, McCandless received a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree from the Western University of Pennsylvania (now known as the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
) in 1826 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 enter the bar in 1831. He was in private practice in Pittsburgh from 1831 to 1859, also serving in the
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...
.
Federal judicial service
On February 3, 1859, McCandless was nominated by President
James Buchanan
James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...
to a seat on the
vacated by Judge
Thomas Irwin. McCandless was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
on February 8, 1859, and received his commission the same day. McCandless served in that capacity until his retirement on July 24, 1876.
Later career and death
McCandless then returned to private practice in Pittsburgh from 1876 until his death there on June 30, 1882.
Namesake city
McCandless is the namesake of
McCandless, Pennsylvania.
References
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McCandless, Wilson
1810 births
1882 deaths
Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
United States federal judges appointed by James Buchanan
19th-century American judges
University of Pittsburgh alumni
Burials at Allegheny Cemetery
19th-century American politicians
United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law