George Clementson

George Clementson (March 13, 1842 – March 30, 1920) was an English American immigrant, attorney, and judge. He was Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for Wisconsin's 5th circuit for the last 37 years of his life.

The Honorable George Clementson
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 5th Circuit
In office January 1, 1883 – March 30, 1920
Preceded by	Montgomery Morrison Cothren
Succeeded by	Levi H. Bancroft
District Attorney of Grant County
In office January 1, 1869 – January 1, 1873
Preceded by	George C. Hazelton
Succeeded by	George B. Carter
Personal details
Born	March 13, 1842 Yorkshire, England, UK
Died	March 30, 1920 (aged 78) Lancaster, Wisconsin
Resting place	Hillside Cemetery Lancaster, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Mary Asenath Burr ​ ​ (m. 1869⁠–⁠1920)​
Children	George Burr Clementson ^(b. 1871; died 1949) Joseph Addison Clementson Martha Lois Clementson ^(b. 1875; died 1889) Bessie B. Clementson
Mother	Elizabeth (Peacock) Clementson
Father	Joseph Clementson
Occupation	lawyer, judge

Biography

George Clementson was born in Yorkshire, England,[1] to Joseph Clementson and Elizabeth (Peacock) Clementson. In 1849, the Clementson family emigrated from England to the United States, settling in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.[1]

His father was a wheelwright and wagonmaker, and Clementson worked in his shop as a young man. He saved his money and used his leisure time to study, and in 1865 he attended the University of Michigan. He was unable to complete his studies and returned to his father's shop in 1866.

In the fall of 1867, Clementson began the study of law in the office of J. Allen Barber, who at that time had served as district attorney and had been elected several times to the Wisconsin Legislature. Clementson was admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin in 1868, and later that year he was elected district attorney for Grant County. He was re-elected two years later. In 1869, he and Barber formed a partnership, which prospered after Barber's election to congress in 1870, and lasted until Barber's death in 1881.

In April 1882, Clementson was elected Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 5th circuit. He defeated incumbent Judge Montgomery Morrison Cothren and was subsequently re-elected six times, dying in office in 1920.

Family

George Clementson married Mary Asenath Burr on May 11, 1869. Mary was a niece of his law partner, J. Allen Barber, and a descendant of Aaron Burr. Their first child was George Burr Clementson, who followed in his father's footsteps, establishing his own law practice in Lancaster; within three years of his 1892 graduation from Cornell Law School, George B. Clementson had authored the first treatise on bicycle law.[2]

Clementson died in Lancaster on March 30, 1920.[1] He was buried in Lancaster. At the time of his death, he had been the longest-serving judge in the history of Wisconsin.[3]

References

1. "Judge Dies at Lancaster". The Capital Times. March 30, 1920. p. 4. Retrieved April 25, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
2. History of Grant County, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1881, pp. 887–888.
3. "Clementson Services Today at Lancaster". The Capital Times. April 1, 1920. p. 5. Retrieved April 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• George Clementson at Find a Grave