Wiram Knowlton (January 24, 1816June 27, 1863) was an American politician and jurist from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He was a

Wisconsin Circuit Court The Wisconsin circuit courts are the general trial courts in the state of Wisconsin. There are currently 69 circuits in the state, divided into 10 judicial administrative districts. Circuit court judges hear and decide both civil and criminal cas ...

Judge and '' ex officio'' Justice of the pre-1853

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 ...

(the Wisconsin Supreme Court before 1853 was composed of the state's elected circuit court judges).

Biography

Born in

Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora) is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex ...

, Knowlton moved to Janesville,

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

, in 1837 and began to study law. He was admitted to the bar in 1840 and started a law practice in

Prairie du Chien Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was esta ...

, where he was also elected to the Wisconsin Territorial Council (upper house of the Territorial Legislature) from 1845 to 1847. During the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

, he raised a company of men using the W.H.C. Folsom House. He was elected captain of the company and they were stationed at

Fort Winnebago Fort Winnebago was a 19th-century fortification of the United States Army located on a hill overlooking the eastern end of the portage between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers east of present-day Portage, Wisconsin. It was the middle one of three f ...

for frontier duty, freeing up the regular garrison to be redeployed to the south. In July 1850, he was elected

judge for the newly created 6th circuit and sworn into office in August. Because of this office, he also served as a justice of the

, which at the time was composed of Wisconsin's circuit court judges. This changed in 1853, when a separate supreme court was created by an act of the Wisconsin Legislature. Knowlton died in Menekaunee, Wisconsin. Knowlton's brother, James H. Knowlton, was a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

Electoral history

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1852)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, September 1852

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knowlton, Wiram Politicians from Canandaigua, New York People from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature 19th-century American legislators Wisconsin state court judges Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court 1816 births 1863 deaths 19th-century American judges