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William T. Wallace

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This article is about the American jurist. For the Canadian-English artist, see William Tracy Wallace.
William Thompson Wallace
12th Chief Justice of California
In office
March 1872 – December 1879
Preceded byRoyal Sprague
Succeeded byRobert F. Morrison
Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court
In office
January 1, 1871 – March 1872
Appointed byDirect election
Preceded byLorenzo Sawyer
Succeeded byElections under new constitution of 1879
California Attorney General
In office
1856–1858
Appointed byDirect election
Preceded byWilliam M. Stewart
Succeeded byThomas H. Williams
Personal details
Born(1828-03-22)March 22, 1828
Mount Sterling, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedAugust 11, 1909(1909-08-11) (aged 81)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Romietta J. Burnett
​
(m. 1853)​
RelativesRichard Roman

William Thompson Wallace (March 22, 1828 – August 11, 1909) was the 12th Chief Justice of California and the 6th Attorney General of California. He served on the Supreme Court of California from 1871 to 1879 and as Attorney General from 1856 to 1858.

Biography

Wallace was born on March 22, 1828, in Mount Sterling, Kentucky.[1] His father, Joseph, was a physician, who by 1850 was widowed with six children living in Montgomery County, Kentucky.[2] Wallace was educated and read law, followed his older brother onto the Kentucky bar and practiced law.[3]

In 1850, at age 22, he moved to San Jose, California.[3] He began a law firm with C. T. Ryland, and was joined after January 1851 by Peter H. Burnett, after he completed his term as the first Governor of California.[4] In 1852, Wallace won appointment as District Attorney for four counties, based in San Jose.[3] After one year, he resigned and began a private practice.[3]

In September 1855, he ran successfully for Attorney General of California for the Know Nothing party, on the same ticket as David S. Terry, who was elected to the California Supreme Court.[5] He served in that office from January 1856 to January 1858.[6]

After leaving office, in 1861 Wallace joined the law firm of Patterson & Stow, formed in 1857 by William H. Patterson and W. W. Stow in San Francisco, and practiced there for seven years.[7][8]

In October 1869, Wallace ran against Lorenzo Sawyer and was elected as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court.[9] Wallace won a ten-year term beginning January 10, 1870, and ending January 1, 1880.[10][11] After the February 24, 1872, death of Royal Sprague, from March 1872 to December 1879 Wallace was the chief justice.[1][12] In 1871, Wallace's name was put forward as a candidate of the Democratic Party for U.S. Senator, and even as a possible candidate for Vice President of the United States.[13][14][15]

In August 1880, Wallace again was again put forward as a Democratic Party candidate for U.S. Senate.[16][17] On January 12, 1881, the California State Assembly chose Republican General John F. Miller of Napa to replace Newton Booth as U.S. Senator by a vote of 42 for Miller and 34 for Wallace.[18][19]

After stepping down from the high court, Wallace continued to hold public office. In 1882, Wallace was nominated by the Democratic Party and elected Assemblyman from the 13th district, holding a seat in the California State Assembly from January through March, 1883.[20][21] In October 1886, Wallace was elected as a judge of the San Francisco County Superior Court, Department Six, for a six-year term.[22][23] In October 1892, he successfully ran for re-election for a term through December 31, 1898.[24][25][26] In 1899, Wallace was appointed to the San Francisco Police Commission by Mayor James D. Phelan, and held that position until 1903.[3]

Wallace died on August 11, 1909, in San Francisco, California.[1]

Civic activities

In October 1875, Governor Romualdo Pacheco appointed Wallace a regent of the University of California.[27]

Wallace was a member of the Bohemian Club.[28]

Personal life

On March 30, 1853, he married Romietta Juet Burnett, the daughter of his law partner and first Governor of California under American rule, Peter Burnett.[29] They had three sons: William T. Wallace Jr., who died in 1899;[30] Richard R. Wallace; and Ryland B. Wallace, who became an attorney and in May 1895 was appointed as a code commissioner by Governor James Budd.[31] They also had four daughters: Mary A. and Margaret, and Romie and Isabelle ("Belle") Wallace. On January 25, 1884, Belle first married Colonel J. Mervyn Donohue.[32] After his death on March 3, 1890, she married R. H. Sprague on October 11, 1894, at her father's home.[33][34][35]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "William Wallace, 6th Attorney General". State of California Department of Justice. 20 January 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  2. ^ Johnson, J. Edward (1963). History of the California Supreme Court: The Justices 1850-1900, vol 1 (PDF). San Francisco, CA: Bender Moss Co. pp. 111–114. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e Shuck, Oscar Tully (1901). History of the Bench and Bar of California: Being Biographies of Many Remarkable Men, a Store of Humorous and Pathetic Recollections, Accounts of Important Legislation and Extraordinary Cases, Comprehending the Judicial History of the State. Los Angeles, CA: Commercial Printing House. pp. 403–406, 405. Retrieved August 4, 2017. judge wallace was elected by the Democrats of San Francisco.
  4. ^ "Death Comes After Long and Distinguished Life, Judge W. T. Wallace Passes Away". The San Francisco Call. Library of Congress Historic Newspapers. August 12, 1909. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  5. ^ "Speaking Appointments". Sacramento Daily Union. Vol. 9, no. 1384. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 1 September 1855. p. 3. Retrieved August 4, 2017. Know Nothing Appointments. William T. Wallace, of Santa Clara...have made the following appointments to address the people in behalf of the American Ticket and in advocacy of the principles and platform of the American Party.
  6. ^ "State Warrants and State Taxes". Sacramento Daily Union. Vol. 11, no. 1674. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 7 August 1856. p. 2. Retrieved August 4, 2017. Very respectfully, your obed't. servant, William T. Wallace, Atty. Gen.
  7. ^ "Death of a Well-Known Attorney". Sacramento Daily Union. Vol. 14, no. 76. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 17 November 1881. p. 2. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  8. ^ "The Late William H. Patterson". Daily Alta California. Vol. 33, no. 11532. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 16 November 1881. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  9. ^ "Pacific Coast News Summary". Sonoma Democrat. No. 11. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 18 December 1869. p. 8. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  10. ^ "State Statistics". Sacramento Daily Union. Vol. 38, no. 5855. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 1 January 1870. p. 3. Retrieved August 4, 2017. William T. Wallace, Associate Justice term expires January 1, 1880
  11. ^ "The State Government, Judicial Department, Justices of the Supreme Court". Sacramento Daily Union. Vol. 40, no. 7063. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 2 January 1871. p. 2. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  12. ^ "The Capital". Daily Alta California. Vol. 25, no. 8648. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 2 December 1873. p. 1. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  13. ^ "From the Capital, Proceedings in Both Houses, Balloting for U.S. Senator". Daily Alta California. Vol. 28, no. 7939. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 20 December 1871. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2017. Judge Wallace having received the majority of all the votes cast, was declared the choice of the Senate for United States Senator.
  14. ^ "Letter of Judge Wallace on the Railroad Question". Sacramento Daily Union. Vol. 45, no. 6988. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 27 August 1873. p. 2. Retrieved July 10, 2017. I was already aware that some of my enemies had made the charge against me, that I am 'the candidate of the railroad company' for the United States Senate.
  15. ^ "A Death Struggle". Russian River Flag. No. 27. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 16 May 1872. p. 2. Retrieved August 4, 2017. For President, Thomas A. Hendricks, of Indiana; For Vice President, William T. Wallace, of California—subject to the decision of the Democratic National Convention.
  16. ^ "Good 'Know Nothings'". Russian River Flag. No. 42. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 19 August 1880. p. 2. Retrieved August 4, 2017. William T. Wallace late chief Justice, now the leading Democratic aspirant for U. S. Senator ond head of their electoral ticket.
  17. ^ "The Democratic Caucus". Sacramento Daily Union. Vol. 12, no. 117. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 5 January 1881. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2017. On the fourth ballot, Wallace receiving 21 and Ryland 16 votes, the former was declared the unanimous choice of the caucus
  18. ^ "California Legislature, Assembly". Sacramento Daily Union. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 12 January 1881. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  19. ^ "California Legislature, Senate". Sacramento Daily Union. Vol. 12, no. 124. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 13 January 1881. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2017. Mr. Satterwhite, who was absent yesterday at the time the ballot was cast for Senator, was allowed to record his vote for William T. Wallace.
  20. ^ "A Proper Man to Elect". Daily Alta California. Vol. 36, no. 12389. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 18 March 1884. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  21. ^ "Tilden and Hendricks Club". Daily Alta California. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 15 March 1884. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2017. The club unanimously endorsed the nomination of Judge William T. Wallace for Assemblyman in the Thirteenth Senatorial District
  22. ^ "Anti-Boss Convention". Daily Alta California. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 12 October 1886. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2017. Communications were read from...William T. Wallace, accepting nominations for the Superior Court
  23. ^ "The Superior Judges". Daily Alta California. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 8 January 1889. p. 2. Retrieved August 4, 2017. The Committee on Examination of Applicants to the Bar was appointed as follows : William T. Wallace
  24. ^ "North Beach Non-Partisans". San Francisco Call. Vol. 84, no. 135. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 13 October 1898. p. 4. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  25. ^ "Illness of Judge Wallace". Daily Alta California. Vol. 82, no. 84. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 25 March 1890. p. 8. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  26. ^ "Vacating Judgments". Daily Alta California. Vol. 42, no. 13868. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 20 August 1887. p. 8. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  27. ^ "Brevities". Daily Alta California. Vol. 27, no. 6931. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 21 October 1875. p. 1. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  28. ^ "The San Francisco Blue Book, 1905: officers and members of the Bohemian Club". San Francisco Genealogy. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  29. ^ "Noted Jurist Passes Away, Judge William T. Wallace Dies in San Francisco Home". Sacramento Union. No. 172. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 12 August 1909. p. 7. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  30. ^ "Funeral Services of William T. Wallace, Jr". Daily Alta California. Vol. 81, no. 35. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 4 August 1889. p. 8. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  31. ^ "Code Commissioners". San Francisco Call. Vol. 77, no. 158. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 17 May 1895. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2017. Ryland B. Wallace is an attorney of acknowledged ability. He is a son of Judge William T. Wallace, now on the Superior Court bench of this City and County.
  32. ^ "Brilliant Marriage". Sonoma Democrat. No. 15. 26 January 1884. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2017. Miss Isabella Wallace, daughter of os-Chief Justice William T. Wallace
  33. ^ "Mrs. Belle W. Sprague Sued". San Francisco Call. Vol. 83, no. 94. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 4 March 1898. p. 7. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  34. ^ "In the Good Old Days". Healdsburg Tribune. No. 34. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 12 December 1934. p. 7. Retrieved August 4, 2017. Colonel J. Mervn Donohue, president of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad company, died at the Palace hotel, San Francisco, Monday, March 3, 1890, after a lingering illness....He was survived bv a widow, daughter of Judge William T. Wallace of San Francisco.
  35. ^ "Meets Tragic Death in a Sugar Mill, Horatio Sprague Crushed Between 'Two Immense Rollers". San Francisco Call. Vol. 87, no. 166. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 5 May 1900. p. 2. Retrieved August 4, 2017. brother of R. H. Sprague, who married Mrs. Belle W. Donahue, the rich widow of Colonel Mervyn Donahue. The wedding took place at the residence of Judge William T. Wallace, the bride's father.

Selected publications

Legal offices
Preceded by Chief Justice of California
1872–1879 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court
1871–1872 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Attorney General of California
1856–1858 		Succeeded by
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