Silas Wright Porter (1857–1937)
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Silas Wright Porter (January 1, 1857 – May 17, 1937) was a justice of the
Kansas Supreme Court The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as t ...
from July 1, 1905, to January 8, 1923.


Life and education

He was born January 1, 1857, in
Warren County, Illinois Warren County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 16,835. Its county seat is Monmouth, Illinois, Monmouth. History Warren County was ...
on a farm near
Monmouth, Illinois Monmouth is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,902 at the 2020 census, down from 9,444 in 2010. It is the home of Monmouth College and contains Monmouth Park, Harmon Park, North Park, W ...
the son of Judge John Porter and Mary Ellen (Robbert) Porter. Raised and educated in Monmouth he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Monmouth College Monmouth College is a Private college, private Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Monmouth, Illinois. It enrolls 727 students in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science de ...
in 1879. He then continued his studies at the college and obtained a Master of Arts degree in 1882, followed by his Doctor of Laws degree in 1907. His final education in preparation for the bar was done in his father office, and he was admitted to the bar in 1881. He taught in the district school for one term while still at college, and a second term after his graduation. In 1887, he married a Monmouth native Jessie Kirkpatrick Babcock who was the daughter of George Babcock originally from Wales, Massachusetts. He was a sincere Republican, and he became the chairman of the Republican state convention in Kansas in 1900. He was a
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
and a
mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...
, as well as belonging to several clubs, including the Topeka Country Club, the Knife and Fork club of
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
and the Elks club of
Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...
.


Career

After obtaining the bar in 1881 he joined his father in a partnership with whom he did five years of private practice. For three years of this partnership he also served as the Monmouth city attorney from 1882 to 1885. He left the partnership when he moved to Kansas in 1886 and was duly elected the Ness County attorney the same year, a position he served for two years. Leaving Ness County in 1890 he relocated to
Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...
to serve in private practice and became a well known member of the city bar. In 1889, he ran for the Republican nomination for a district judge position, but was unsuccessful. He also made a run for congress in 1902 but again was unsuccessful. For several years Porter lectured at the Kansas University school of law. Porter was appointed to the supreme court by governor Edward W. Hoch to fill the position vacated by the resignation of
William Redwood Smith William Redwood Smith (1851 – October 18, 1935) was a justice of the Kansas Supreme Court from January 9, 1899 to July 1, 1905. Early life, education, and career Born in Illinois, Smith came to Kansas with his parents in 1858 and settled on a ...
who left to become general counsel of the
Santa Fe railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at variou ...
. Hoch reasoned that because Smith was from
Wyandotte County Wyandotte County () is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City, with which it shares a unified government. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,245, making it Kansas's fourth-m ...
, his successor should be appointed from the same county."W. R. Smith Is Out", ''The Topeka State Journal'' (June 30, 1905), Topeka, Kansas. p. 1. Porter found out about his appointment to the court by reading about it in the morning paper on June 29, 1905. His long service to the court meant that his name was not just known within Kansas but also he was recognized as a prominent justice across the United States. In 1922, Porter lost in the primary for the republican ticket for another term on the supreme court to
Richard Joseph Hopkins Richard Joseph Hopkins (April 4, 1873 – August 28, 1943) was a justice of the Kansas Supreme Court and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. Education and career Born in Jefferson City, ...
, the then current attorney general who achieved over 52% of the vote. After his supreme court service he went on to be appointed the referee of bankruptcy in March 1923, and at the same time moved to
Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...
officially even though he has been residing there for many years.


Death

He died May 17, 1937, in the Kansas state hospital after a long illness, and he was survived by his wife, four sons and a daughter.


References


External links

*
Short obituary
with photograph {{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Silas Wright People from Warren, Illinois Monmouth College alumni Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court Kansas State University faculty 1857 births 1937 deaths