The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1856-08-07
. ulltiefal l..
wILLIa NJ Lew 5 DAYTON.

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kt1 0 sEEsH ns a--- 81 sd fis7n asr.3-
The Ho w. 1. Deyion, who has been
dominated with entire I'm animity. for the
second flee in the gilt Of the people of
the republic by a Convention With in
point of character ability. and influence,
OF the n leman composing it, without
an equali in the political history Of the ma
ton. s known and i, no 5or5d not only in
his own State, but throughout the Uni9n.
His career as 4 ststesm an has conferred
honor upon hi, ative land, and his name
has lony been enrolled with those oil
Stockton, Wi herspoon, Soath RI. Freling
huysen and the long line of wofssiies who
have shed lustrc upon the historic annals
.: New Jersey. sr.
WILLIAM LEWIS DAYTON is native O
the County of Somerset, which county
has perhaps gwen birth to more eminent
men than any otLer in the State. His an
cestors for many gcntratlons. were also
naive Jerses men. His grandfather. JON
athan Dayton. who was of English de-
SC, nj settled ct Eizabethtown. .Essex coun
Y. as early as l725, and about the same
Jlme hi> met er's grandfather removed to
BAskenrldge Somerset county where he
eaected the first frame dwelling in tina
section of the country. His ancestry. on
both the fathel 8 and mothers side, took
N honorable part in the Revolution,
and some of the family distinguished them
,elves. Elias D layton, the brother of hi,
grandfather, became Bri lier Genera
and his son, Jonath Dayton, became
eminent as the speaker of the House o
r Representatives of the Fourth C ngress
His maternal grandfather. Edward Lewis
; vas commissary in the revolulionar,
army, and served as such during the en-
ire var. The mothe of the late Samue
L, Southard (who died while presidin.
, ,tficer OF the SENATE WAS the sister OF thi
) sr ndfather. ...- trt
4 Robert Dayton. the gradfather of tn,
/ candidate for the, Vice Presidency, re
: moved his family shortly after the Reyo
lutionary War from Eixabethtown to
i t. m near Ba>kenrid re. and here he after
Yards continued to reside Here his sol
! Joel resided. and here VIM. L. Dsvtol
was born. on the 7th day of February
{ 1871 He was the eldest of the family
nd was placed, whilean his twelfth yea
lnder HE care Of the celebrated Dr.
t s'rownlee. afterwards of New York. Dr
Is. prepared him for he coll-2e of Ne,
t Jersey at Princeton, from which institu
lion he graduated in 1925 His bealt
I suffered severely in college He after
saris commenced reading law with Go,
u Vroom, and WAS admitted to the tar
he spring of 1880. He settled in MOI
u mouth county, opening an office in Ere,
: lold, where he continued 70 reside for !
II ,out seven years. aa-r e.-:se.. 5.-.a
Al th- age of thirty he entered polit
t al life being elected to the upper house
h ne Lesisla ure-lhe Legislative Coun,
u from the s.r ns D mocratic county
d donmouih. Mr.. Dayton was placed
he he. d OF the Committee on the Judici
~ Here he principally aided to effect
t. most salutary reform in the constitution
u ,ar courts, which has been carried 81
ad urther by tile revision of 1855 ]
= brought forward proposal to add t,
AZ nore Justices o the Bench of the S
I" oremc Courts, increasing the number
oy trcu is. and giving 10 the Circuit Cor
e ,riginal jurisdiction in all cases at comm
w. This p an was generally approve
as it removed the embarrassm nts tn
previously rxis ed by the defective orga
zaion of the Common Pleas and Circl
Courts Il presented to suitors and cou
l. >el choice of courts. and the legal bu
, ness of the State naturally found its W
/. nto the court where it was most proml
- y and intelligenlly disposed o. a2s
a., At the close of this session Mr.. Dayt
: was appo'nted one Of the Justices OF
Supreme Court; and though. one of
y ungest. he was yetione OF the most e.
Vi nent of the learned and di>tingulsLe;
cal gentlemen who have filled sini
'S' honorable positions. After serving thl
'oi wears on the hench he resigned his se
and re urned tn the practice of his p
lesson, where his splendid abilities as
'e> advocate soon placed him in the front IA
re of the New Jersey bar. e 15 3G
- The Hon. Samuel L. Southard died
~ June. l842. and left q vacancy in
Senatorial delegation from New J.rs
Gov. Pennington rendered the appoi
:. ment to Mr.. Dayton. and the latter acce
ed it. and took his seat on TIE 6th ot Ju
- The Legislature. during the follow
winter. elected him for the unexpired tt
- and in l846 he was reelected tor the
term of six Years. which expired in Is
Owing TO local d ,ficul les. an to pa
disorgan'zation resulting from ie lou