Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-07-24
William L. Dayton.


Congress we give place to the following
biographical sketch of the distinguished
gentleman who is one of the candidates for
the Vice Presidency:-Tdt. IateAi9encer.
The Hon. VIM. L. Dayton, who mas just
been nom mated with entire unanimitY for
the second rffice ia The gift of the people
of the Republic by Convention which, in
point of character, ability, aud influence
of The gentlemen composing it, is without
an equal in the political history of the ma
ton, is known and hnnored not only in his
own State, hut throughout the Ulion. Hi,
career as a Statesman has conferred honor
upon his native land, ami his name has long
been enrolled with those OF Stockton, With
erspoon, SouthArd, FreIinghuysen, and the
long line of worthless who have shed lustre
upon the historic annals of New Jersey.
William Lewis Dayton is native of the
county of Somerset, which county has per-
haps given birth to more eminent men than
any o her in the State. His ancestors Tor
many generations were also native Jersey
men. His great grandfather, Jonathan Day
ton, who was Of Eng ish descent, settled at
Elizabelntown, in Essex county, as early as
I725, and about the same time his mothers
grandfather removed to Basken 'idye, Som
erse, county, where he erected the firsl
frame dwelling in that section of the coun-
try. His ancestry on both the futher's and
mothers side took an honorable part in the
n Is; Of haI
family distinguished themselves. Elias
DAYTON, the brother of his grandfather. be-
Came a Brisadier General, and his son
Jonathan ID yton becam. eminent as the
Speaker of the House of Representatives oi
the Fuurth Congress. His maternil grand.
father, E iward Lewis, was cOmmissary in
the Revoiutions!v-aTm and served as such
during the entire war. The mother ofthe late
Samuel l.. Suulhard (who died while presid-
ing officer of the Senate) was the sister of
this grandfather.
Robert Dayton, the grandfather Of the
candidate Tor the Vice Presidency, removed
mis- family shortly after the Revolutionary
war from Elizabethtown to farm near
Baskenridge and here he afterwards continu-
ed to reside. He,e his son Joel resided, and
here WIN. L Dayton was burr on the I7th
of February, 1907. He was the eldest Of
the family, and was placed, while in his
twelfth year, under the care of the celebra,-
ed DE-. Brownlee, afterwards of New Yor&
| DR.. B. prepared him for the college Of New
Jersey at Princeton, from which institution
he graduated in 1928. His health sufferet
severely in cullege. He afterwards com
menced reading law with Gov. Vroom, and
vas admitted TO the bar in the spring OF
1880. He settled il Monmouth county
opening an Office in Freehold, where he con-
tinued to reside for about seven years.
At The age of thirty he entered political
lie, be ng elected to the upper house of the
Legislature-the Legislative Council-Ircm
the strong Democratic county OF NJ ,nmouth.
DIR. Dayton was placed at the head OF the
Committee on the Judiciary. Here he prin-
cipally aided to effect most salutary re-
form in the constitution Of ou- courts, ahlrh
has been carried still further by the revision
n of 1855. He brought forward proposal to
add two more Justices TO the bench of the
circuits aud giving to the circuit court orr
giial jurisdiction i'll all cases at common law
This plan was generally a?proved,as 1t remov
edthe embarrassments that previously existed
} by the defective organization of the CON-
mon pleas and circuit courts.
At the close of this session Mr.. Dayton
was appointed one Of the Justices Of the
Supreme Court; aud though one of the
. youngest, he was yet one of the most EN-.
: inent Of the leprned and distinguished lega
= gentlemen who have filled similar honorable
: positions. After serving three years on ia,
h bench he resigned his seat, and returned tc
q the practice Of his procession, where hi:
d splendid abilities as an advocate soon placed
r him in the front rank of the New Jersey bar
o The Hon. Samuel L. Southard died il
e June, 1912, and left a vacancy in the Sen
G atoraI delegation from New Jersey. Gov
Pennington rendered the appointment t,
q Mr.. Dayton, and the latter accepted it, an