William Tod Otto (January 19, 1816 – November 7, 1905) was an American

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

and the eighth

reporter of decisions The Reporter of Decisions (sometimes known by other titles, such as Official Reporter or State Reporter) is the official responsible for publishing the decisions of a court. Traditionally, the decisions were published in books known as case repor ...

of the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, serving as reporter from 1875 to 1883.

Biography

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, he was the son of noted

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

John Conrad Otto John Conrad Otto (born near Woodbridge, New Jersey, 15 March 1774; died in Philadelphia, 26 June 1844) was a United States physician. Biography His father, Bodo Otto, was a physician, and warmly attached to the patriot cause during the American R ...

. He received his

A.B. 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 yea ...

in 1833 and his A.M. in 1836, both from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, and then read law with Joseph R. Ingersoll. He moved west and practiced law in

Brownstown, Indiana Brownstown is a town within Brownstown Township and the county seat of Jackson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,947 at the 2010 census. It was named for Jacob Brown, a general of the War of 1812. History The town of Brown ...

and was a judge on the

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Second Circuit Court from 1844 to 1852. He taught law at a predecessor school of the now

Indiana University Maurer School of Law The Indiana University Maurer School of Law is located on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The school is named after Michael S. "Mickey" Maurer, an Indianapolis businessman and 1967 alumnus who donated $35 million in 2008 ...

from 1847 to 1852 and unsuccessfully ran for Attorney General of Indiana in 1858. A personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, Judge Otto headed the Indiana delegation to the 1860

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

that nominated Lincoln for the presidency. Subsequently, he was among those instrumental in delivering Indiana, a key swing state, to Lincoln in the presidential election. Lincoln appointed him

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after the previous man in the position,

John Palmer Usher John Palmer Usher (January 9, 1816 – April 13, 1889) was an American administrator who served in the Cabinet of President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. Life and career Born in Brookfield, New York, Usher trekked west in 1 ...

, was promoted to

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*Interior ministry ...

. Anticipating the outbreak of southern hostilities, Lincoln wanted Otto to be involved in military organization. He served in the Interior Department from 1863 to 1871. According to The New York Times (Page 1, April 16, 1865), Judge Otto was among those surrounding Lincoln's bedside when the great man died after being shot by John Wilkes Booth. Otto went on to serve as a diplomat, helping arbitrate claims against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, as well as a delegate to the

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congress in

Lisbon, Portugal Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

. In 1875, he was named

Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States The reporter of decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States is the official charged with editing and publishing the opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, both when announced and when they are published in permanent bound vol ...

, a position he held until 1883.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otto, William Tod 1816 births 1905 deaths Lawyers from Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania alumni Indiana lawyers Indiana state court judges Indiana University faculty 19th-century American diplomats American legal scholars Reporters of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States Indiana Republicans 19th-century American judges