Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-06

Courts of New York and Wisconsin, and
began the active practice of his profess
sion at Madison, WIS, swinging his shin
gle to tue breeze on his Goth birthday,
July 10, 1860. In 1862 the war
spirit OVercame him, he raised
Company A, which elected him Cap
tain, and Aug. % was mustered into the
Twenty-thrd Regiment of Wisconsin
Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was
ordered to the front in few weeks. and
joined the t0lces under Sherman, WHO
was then preparing for an attack on
Nlcksburg. 1t took part in several sharp
engagements preceding the attack, and
inquired prominently in the subsequent
seige of the city. Feb. % following Villas
was appointed Major OF his regiment.
and March % its Lieutenant Colonel.
From June 3 to Aug. % he was in
command of the regiment owing to the
lll-health OF Col. Guppey. This period
included the last month of the siege and
nearly two months after the surrender.
August %, 1868, Col. Villas resigned his
position, having been in the service but
one year, nearly all of which time, how
ever, was spent in active campaigning.
On returning from the war, Col. Villas
resumed the practice OF his profession in
Madison, in which he has been remarka-
bly, successful throughout.
In addition to his large and lucrative
law practice, Col. Villas fills and has filled
several positions of public trust. He is
one OF the Professors of Law in the Wis
cOnsin State University law school, being
regular lecturer on practice, pleadings
and evidence. He was for some years
trustee of the Wisconsin State Soldiers
Orphan Asylum and Secretary of the
Board. He was one Of the three leading
attorneys appointed to revise the statutes
nj in
perlntended the publication of the re-
vision. He is one of the most active
members of the Wisconsin Board of
State University Regents. Col. Villas
was one of the delegates from Wisconsin
to the Democratic National Convention In
Chicago, and Officiated as President of
tue convention, being prominently men
toned himself for a place on the ticket.
he afterwards made the speeches of nOtI-
icatiOn to Cleveland and Hendricks. He
was member flOm Madison in the Lower
House Of the Wisconsin Legislature the
present year-the first elective office he
ever held-and was the leadt of the Dem
ocratic side of the House.
Col. Villas is conceded by all to be the
leader of the strong Madison bar, and is
one of the most able and eloquent advO-
Gates in Wisconsin. His national repu-
tatlOn as an orator began with his famous
eulogy of Grant, at the Chicago banquet.
He is man of genuine brilliancy, studi-
Gus to remarkable degree in the prepar-
alton OF his cases, and very successful In
his suits. Col. Villas is worth all the Way
from 100000 to 100000, most of 1t ac-
quired from his prctice, and the rest in
herited from his father. The Villas fami-
ly, i'll their genealogical speculatiOns, are
content TO begin with Peter Villas, son OF
Noah, the first one of the name known
to have landed on this continent, and
the prOgenitor Of all of the family name
now living in the United States. Peter
was born in England Feb. "a, 1904. While
student at Oxford he was enticed on
board sailing ship and by force brought
to this countrywide was unable to return,
the tradition says, owing to the then eX-
isting colonial laws. He married Mercy
Gay, a FrenchwOman seven years his
senior, and died April 81, 1756, at Water
town, Mass, where he established his
family.
William F. Villas is in the fifth genera
tl0n from the ancestral Peter.