Philo A. Orton

Philo Atwood Orton, Jr., (March 27, 1837 – June 10, 1919) was an American lawyer, politician, judge, and banker. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and held several local and county offices in Lafayette County, Wisconsin.

The Honorable Philo A. Orton
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the La Fayette district
In office January 1, 1899 – January 1, 1903
Preceded by	George Sheffer
Succeeded by	Richard E. Tarrell
County Judge of La Fayette County
In office January 1, 1870 – January 1, 1874
Preceded by	John W. Blackstone, Jr.
Succeeded by	Thomas J. Law
District Attorney of La Fayette County
In office January 1, 1863 – January 1, 1865
Preceded by	Philemon Simpson
Succeeded by	A. P. B. Wood
Personal details
Born	Philo Atwood Orton, Jr. March 27, 1837 Hamilton, New York
Died	June 10, 1919 (aged 82) Darlington, Wisconsin
Resting place	Union Grove Cemetery Darlington, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican Independent (1870-1874) Democratic (before 1880)
Spouse(s)	Sara Osborn (died 1913)
Children	Susan Orton ^(b. 1871; died 1960) Robert Eugene Orton ^(b. 1873; died 1945)
Mother	Nancy C. (Collins) Orton
Father	Philo A. Orton, Sr.
Profession	lawyer, banker, judge

Biography

Born in Hamilton, Madison County, New York, he came to Wisconsin with his family in 1850, settling in Beloit. He studied at Beloit College for two years.[1]

Orton and his family moved to Darlington, Wisconsin, in Lafayette County, in 1855. He studied law in the office of James R. Rose and was admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin in 1859.[1]

Orton married Sara Osborn, the daughter of Sylvester W. Osborn, in 1862. He later took on her younger brother, Charles F. Osborn, as a student in his office. After Osborn was admitted to the bar, they formed a partnership, Orton & Osborne, that endured in Darlington for fifty years.[1]

Political career

He was the Democratic Party nominee for Attorney General of Wisconsin in 1861, but was defeated in the general election. He won office in 1862 as district attorney for La Fayette County. He was elected County Judge in 1870, running as an Independent, and served four years. In 1876, he was the Democratic candidate for Congress in Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district, but was unsuccessful. He supported James A. Garfield in the 1880 election, and, since then, he has identified as a Republican.[1] He returned to public office in 1899 as Lafayette County's representative to the Wisconsin State Assembly and served until 1903.

Education and business career

Orton served as president of the board of education in Darlington for twenty years. He was a member of the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin from 1874 to 1877.[1]

In 1874, he obtained a controlling stake in the La Fayette Bank, which he held until organizing the First National Bank of Darlington in 1882. He was president of the Bank of Darlington for the rest of his life. He was also president of the Benton state bank at Benton, Wisconsin.[1]

Family and personal life

Orton is a descendant of Thomas Orton, who arrived in Windsor, Connecticut Colony, in 1640.

He was one of the charter members of the Delta Kappa Epsilon chapter at Colgate University, and was an active Mason in the Darlington lodge.[1]

He married Sara Osborn on January 27, 1862. Her father, Sylvester W. Osborn, and brother, Charles F. Osborn, both served in the Wisconsin State Assembly.[2][3] Philo and Sara Osborn had one son and one daughter.[1]

Orton died in Darlington on June 10, 1919. He was blind for the last five years of his life.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1861[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 5, 1861
	Republican	James Henry Howe (incumbent)	55,367	55.86%	+2.16%
	Democratic	Philo A. Orton	43,647	44.04%	-2.26%
		Scattering	97	0.10%
Plurality			11,720	11.83%	+4.41%
Total votes			99,111	100.0%	-12.12%
	Republican hold

References

1. Berryman, John R., ed. (1898). History of the Bench and Bar of Wisconsin. vol. 2. Chicago: H. C. Cooper, Jr. pp. 206–209. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
2. 'Wisconsin Session Laws 1919,' Wisconsin State Legislature: 1919, Joint Resolution No. 82, Philo A. Orton, pg. 1444
3. 'A Political History of Wisconsin,' Alexander MacDonald Thomason, C.N. Casper Company: 1902, Biographical Sketch of Philo A. Orton, pg. 422
4. "Statement of the State Board of Canvassers". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. December 3, 1861. p. 2. Retrieved August 11, 2020.

External links

• Philo Atwood Orton at Find a Grave