Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-04-06
GREAT JURIST GONE
JUDGE PINNEY DIES IN THE CAPT.
tai CITY.
END COMES SUDDENLY
Though the Patient Had Been Failing
For Some Months-Dropsy and
Heart Disease the Cause Leaves
Widow but no Children-A Dis
tinguished Career.

Madison, April 3-Ex-Judge Silas Z. |
Plnney died early Saturday evening Of |
dropSy. For many months his heart |
had been acting in a most alarming
manner and OF course produced the |
| ailment that finally proved fatal It |
has been known for some time thar
he could not live long. The end came
| suddenly, the patient being helped to
| bed by his family, and expiring within
20 minutes. While confined to the
house for 5 weeks he had not been
| obliged to remain in bed at all, but
was up daily. He was himself aware
of his failing condition and had been
Fastening to place his financial affairs
in simple condition, within fortnight
having sold at sacrifice fancy, non
productive lakeshore farm, 2 miles
straight down the water from his own
urban home, for $4,000. He leaves
only widow. His visible property in
this city alone reaches over 100000,
and he probably left much more The
capitol flag is at half staff, also the
court house and city hall emblems, for
during his career he had been an Off
cial of state, county and city. For
long years he and Col. w. F. Villas
were the great rival lawyers of the
capital city, Pinney perhaps the more
profound but less polished of the two.
Judge Pinney was born in RockdaIe,
Pa, March 3, 1888 His father, Justin
c. Pinney, was native of Massachu-
sets and removed to Pennsylvania in
1915. His mothers maiden name was
Mary Ann Miller native of Crawford
county, Pa, and of German descent.
His father, with his family, came to
Wisconsin in 1916, settling in the town
of Windsor, Dane county The coun-
try was then new. The boys lot was
, that OF poor farmers son. But he
had a pronigious, amazing memory
and obtained fair common school ed
| ucatlOn. Commencing at the age of II
he taught district school for three win
tiers. Having prediction for the le-
gal profession he read law while farm
ing and teaching school until April,
| 1858, when he entered the law office
, Of Villas & Remington in Madison as a
J voted his time and attention exclusive.
ly to the law. Self reliance was the
secret and source of his success. In
1858 he was made city attorney, in 1865
: member of the city council and in
1869 was an unsuccessful candidate for
attorney general on the democratic
ticket. In 1874 he was elected mayor
: | IN no FOL
, member of the assembly and in 1876
: was reelected mayor without opposi-
ton. In 1865 he prepared and attend
, ed to the publication of the sixteenth
| volume of Wisconsin supreme court
reports, and in 1870 was appointed
special reporter by the supreme court
to report and publish the decisions of
the territorial supreme court and the
first supreme court of the state, ex-
, tending over period of from 1886 to
!. 1853, and which are contained in three
volumes known as Pinney's Wisconsin
reports. Mr.. Pinney became junior
member of the law firm of Villas, Roys
& Pinney in which Judge Levi B. Villas
and Samuel H. Roys were his associ-
ates. In June, 1856, Judge Villas re-
tired from practice and in 1857 Mr.
Roys was elected county Judge which
left Mr.. Pinney alone in practice. In
February, 1858, Mr.. Pinney became a
partner with the late J. c.. Gregory and
in October, 1859, Chauncey Abbott be-
came associated with them In 1873
Mr.. Abbott withdrew and Mr. Pinney
and Mr. Gregory remained partners
until 1879 when he formed a partner
ship with A. L. Sanborn On Jan. 1,
1896, he succeeded by election Judge
Orsamus Cole on the supreme bench
doing great work as a member of that
tribunal until his resignation Nov. Q,
1898, on account of failing health
Judge Pinney was always a demo-
crat. He was married March 8, 1856
at Colesburg, Iowa, to Miss Mary Fl
Mulliken, a native of Farmersville, n.
Y, who survives him. Judge Pinney
also leaves a sister, Mrs. Matilda
| Chamberlain Of Windsor, whose
daughter, Miss Martha L. Chamber
lain, has been teaching in the Madison
schools and made her home with Judge
ana Mrs. Pinney A brother, Jeffer-
son Pinney, died at Sun Prairie seven
years ago. Judge and Mrs. Pinney had
| one son, Clarence H, who died just 20
years ago Friday, having about at
| tanned his majority. A second blow, |
and one of unusual pathos and sadness,
came to the family in the death seven
years ago last June of an adopted |
! daughter, Bessie Elliot Pinney, who |
was killed in a runaway on Langdon |
street. She was a very handsome |
young woman in the bloom of life, |
when overtaken by the fatal catastro-
phe.