page_title: Edward George Ryan
section_title: Legal career in Wisconsin
hierarchical_section_title: Edward George Ryan / Legal career in Wisconsin
caption_attribution_description: English: Bust of Edward George Ryan - Wisconsin Supreme Court, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Artist unknown. This artwork is in the public domain because it was first published in the United States before 1923.
context_page_description: Edward George Ryan was an Irish American immigrant, lawyer, and judge, and was the 5th Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
context_section_description: During his years as a lawyer, Ryan was involved in several notable cases in Wisconsin history.  
  In 1853, he was the prosecutor in the impeachment of Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge Levi Hubbell, on charges of corruption.  Hubbell was acquitted by the Wisconsin Senate, though, later in life, he would be forced to resign his role as a U.S. Attorney due to similar corruption charges.
  In 1854 and 1855, Ryan was the attorney for the United States in the case of Ableman v. Booth, where he prosecuted abolitionist Sherman Booth for assisting a runaway slave in violation of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.  In the Booth case, Ryan was opposed by fellow future-justice, Byron Paine.  Paine prevailed at the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but the decision was later overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States.  Booth would ultimately be pardoned by U.S. President James Buchanan.
  After the contested gubernatorial election of 1855, Ryan represented Republican candidate Coles Bashford in his attempt to overturn the apparent victory of incumbent Governor William A. Barstow.  In the case Atty. Gen. ex rel. Bashford v. Barstow, Ryan prevailed and the Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out a number of fraudulent votes, awarding the election to Bashford.
  In 1870, Ryan was elected City Attorney of Milwaukee, and held that office until his appointment to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
  In 1874 Chief Justice Luther S. Dixon resigned from the Wisconsin Supreme Court.  Governor William Robert Taylor appointed Ryan to finish his term.  He was re-elected in 1875 and would remain Chief Justice until his death in 1880.
caption: Bust of Justice Ryan at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin.
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