Joseph Trotter Mills (December 18, 1812 – November 22, 1897) was an American attorney, jurist, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served four one-year terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, and was Wisconsin circuit court judge for the 5th circuit from 1865 through 1877.
The Honorable Joseph T. Mills | |
|---|---|
 Portrait from History of Grant County Wisconsin (1900) | |
| Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 5th Circuit | |
| In office January 2, 1865 – January 1, 1877 | |
| Preceded by | Montgomery M. Cothren |
| Succeeded by | Montgomery M. Cothren |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly | |
| In office January 6, 1879 – January 5, 1880 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas J. Graham |
| Succeeded by | John A. Klindt |
| Constituency | Grant 2nd district |
| In office January 6, 1862 – January 5, 1863 | |
| Preceded by | Hanmer Robbins |
| Succeeded by | J. Allen Barber |
| Constituency | Grant 3rd district |
| In office January 7, 1856 – January 4, 1858 | |
| Preceded by | William W. Field |
| Succeeded by | Charles K. Dean |
| Constituency | Grant 4th district |
| District Attorney of Grant County, Wisconsin | |
| In office August 1861 – Summer 1864 | |
| Appointed by | Alexander Randall |
| Preceded by | Allen R. Bushnell |
| Succeeded by | Allen R. Bushnell |
| In office January 3, 1859 – January 7, 1861 | |
| Preceded by | Edward D. Lowry |
| Succeeded by | Allen R. Bushnell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 18, 1812 Cane Ridge, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | November 22, 1897 (aged 84) Denver County, Colorado, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hillside Cemetery, Lancaster, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
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| Children |
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| Relatives | Benjamin Mills (uncle) |
Biography
editBorn in 1812 in Cane Ridge, Kentucky,[1] near Paris, Joseph Trotter Mills as a youth lived and studied with his uncle Benjamin Mills, who was a judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals. Moving west, in 1831 Mills studied at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois.
He worked as a tutor in 1834 and 1835, teaching the children of Colonel Zachary Taylor,[1] then commanding officer of Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien, Michigan Territory. Later Mills married and had a family.
He prepared to change his work by reading the law with an established firm; in 1844, he was admitted to the Wisconsin bar. He practiced law in Lancaster, Wisconsin. From 1865 to 1877, Mills served as Wisconsin Circuit Court judge. In 1856, 1857, 1862, and 1879, Mills served in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Republican.[2] His son-in-law, James Sibree Anderson, was also a member of the Assembly.
Mills died at his son's home in Denver, Colorado.[1][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c "An Old Resident Gone: Judge Joseph Mills of Manitowoc Passes Away in Denver". The Daily Tribune. November 27, 1897. p. 6. Retrieved May 8, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wisconsin Blue Book 1879, "Biographical Sketch of Joseph T. Mills," p. 493
- ^ Report of the Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin State Bar Association, Madison, Wisconsin, February 2–3, 1901, Tayor and Gleason Book and Job Printers, Madison, Wisconsin: 1901, "Biographical Sketch of Joseph Trotter Mills," pg. 326
