The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-03-05
WILLIAM CATION RANNEY.
In ElenOriam.

y
Years and : days. died at his resi-
dence. '.Spring Farm in this coun-
Y.
At the time Of his death Judge Ran
ney was one of our oldest citizens.
Born in New York in 1915. he came to
our county with his parents in lS21 50
that at the time of his death he had
been a resident here for fully - years.
Judge Ranney was of New England
anccstry-a descendant OF the Pilgrim
fathers, not generally. but by direct
descent He was a son Of Col. Stephen
Ranney. a soldier OF the Revolution
airy war of The Connecticut line, who
served under Washington in the New
Jersey campaign. In the war Of lSl2
his father was Lieutenant Colencl Of
the lSt /. 5. Infantry. His mother
was from Massachusetts. her name.
Elizabeth Hawthorne. Il relative Of
Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Judge Ranney was educated in the
pioneer schools Of our county and at
st. Marys' Seminary. also known as
the "Barrens. near PeFryVille.
When Il youth he was employed in the
Office of Circuit Clerk Henry Sanford
at Jackson. ana after h. hareturnrl r,l.
school acted as Deputy Clerk. In
1898 me was admitted to the Bar. For
a short time he was engaged in mer-
camille pursuits at Bloomfield. After
Stoddard County was organized he
was one of the commissioners to lay
out the county seat, Bloomfield.
When the Cape Girardcau COuTt of
Common Pleas WAS established he
was appointed first Judge of the Court.
and to this position he was reelected
from time to time until the yea 1851.
in 1871 he was elected a membeI' OF the
State Senate and afterwards 3 mem
Der of the House of Representatives
In everything tending to improve
and promote the welfare of tbis cOun-
". Judge Ranney took a deep interest
and prominent part. He was one of
the original advocates of the system OF
gravel roads that so i;4vorably dis
tinguish our county, and which
have done so much for its develop
ment. He was one of the first STOCK
holders and promoters of the jackson
gravel road. the Bloomfield gravel
road and the Scott cOuntycravel road
For many years he took an actiFe
interest in the management of the last
two roads especially. In 1858 he favor
ed construction of Il railroad from St
Louis to Cape Girardeau and theRce
to Belmont and aided in securing the
inc orporation of such . company and
for a time also acted 3s president of
The company. He wa one of the
original mcOrpOratOrs of the SO2th-
east District Agricultural SOriety.
and after the war actively assisted in
its re- reorganization and for several
years WAS President Of the Society
Political lly, Judge Ranney original
~ belonged to the Whi% party When
tho Union was threatened III IS6J he
was Il Union man: he voted against
and opposed secession But when 1he
storm Of war burst over the land, and
northern armies came into Missouri
all shareholders. irrespective of their
political opinions. were indiScrimin-
ately, directly and Indirectly, deprir-
ed of thei" slaves and property by
patriots that had nothing to lose by
emancipation. In 1860 Judge Ranney-
together with many others who had
never engaged in the war or active
hOstilities against the United Stat ties.
was disfranchised by the Brake Con-
stitution.
For nearly fifty years Judge Ran
ney lived on his farm. ) miles south
of Cape Girardeau, and on the farm
where he died. 1t can be truly said
that he died a farmer.
In 1914 Judge RanneY married
Elizabeth GibOney, second daughter !
of Mr.. Robert Giboney, one of the |
earliest settlers in this country and |
when it was part of the Dominion |
of Spain.
These in short are the salient events |
in the life-history of Judge William |
c. Ranney.
Such events are not difficult to
naIrate.
In his personality. Judge Ranney
was distinguished He was over six
feet high and quite corpulent for many
wears before his death. He was dig
nifed and erect in bearing. His
head WAS large and well shaped. his
eyes were steel gray and penetrating.
mis- complexion fair, his voice, when
among friends cheerful, clear and
musical, but when unjnstly assailed,
and he was hardly ever Justly assail-i
ed. harsh and defiant.
But to sketch those subtitle charac-
teristics that so long made the name
-, IL; I