Joshua Eric Dodge Explained

Joshua E. Dodge
Office:Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
Term Start:November 22, 1898
Term End:September 1, 1910
Appointer:Edward Scofield
Predecessor:Silas U. Pinney
Successor:Aad J. Vinje
Office1:United States Assistant Attorney General
President1:Grover Cleveland
Term Start1:August 22, 1893
Term End1:July 1897
Successor1:-->
State2:Wisconsin
State Assembly2:Wisconsin
District2:Racine
Term Start2:January 5, 1891
Term End2:January 2, 1893
Predecessor2:Alfred L. Buchan
Party:Democratic
Birth Date:25 October 1854
Birth Place:Arlington, Massachusetts, U.S.
Death Place:Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, U.S.
Alma Mater:Grinnell College (B.A.)
Boston University Law School (LL.B.)
Profession:Lawyer, judge

Joshua Eric Dodge (October 25, 1854May 2, 1921) was an American lawyer politician, and judge from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for 12 years (1898 - 1910). Earlier, he served as a United States Assistant Attorney General in the administration of President Grover Cleveland, and was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Racine County in the 1891 session.[1]

Biography

Joshua Dodge was in Arlington, Massachusetts, in October 1854.[2] He was raised and educated there, attending the Westford Academy, in Westford, Massachusetts, and then attending Iowa College, in Grinnell, Iowa. He graduated in 1875, then went on to study at the Boston University School of Law, graduating in 1877.[3] [4]

He was admitted to the bar in Boston, but moved to Wisconsin the following spring, settling in Racine, Wisconsin, in March 1878. He practiced law there for over a decade, and was involved in local politics with the Democratic Party. In 1890, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, running on the Democratic Party ticket.[5]

Following his term in the Legislature, he was appointed to the national Board of Commissioners for the Promotion of Uniformity of Legislation in the United States.[3] [4] The following Summer, U.S. President Grover Cleveland appointed him United States Assistant Attorney General. He was confirmed in the Fall and served through the rest of the Cleveland administration, resigning in 1897 after his successor was confirmed.[6]

In January 1898, he opened a new law office in Milwaukee in partnership with another young Racine lawyer, Samuel Field. The practice lasted only a short time, however, as Dodge was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the Fall of 1898 by Governor Edward Scofield. Dodge replaced Silas U. Pinney, who was resigning due to poor health.[7] Dodge was elected to finish Pinney's judicial term in the Spring 1899 election, and was subsequently elected to another ten-year term in April 1901. Dodge did not face an opponent in either election.[8] [9]

Dodge retired in the Fall of 1910, with a year left on his term.[10] He died at his home in Milwaukee on May 2, 1921, after a long illness.[2] Dodge never married and had no children.[2]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1890)

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, November 4, 1890

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1899, 1901)

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 4, 1899| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 2, 1901

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Joshua Eric Dodge . The Dodge Family Association . July 15, 2018.
  2. News: Judge Joshua Dodge Dies in Milwaukee . . May 2, 1921 . 1 . March 24, 2022 . .
  3. Web site: Justice Joshua E. Dodge . Wisconsin Court System . March 24, 2022 .
  4. Web site: Dodge, Joshua Eric 1854 - 1921 . . 8 August 2017 . March 24, 2022 .
  5. The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin . 1891 . State of Wisconsin . Cunningham . Thomas J. . https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1891/reference/wi.wibluebk1891.i0017.pdf . Biographical Sketches . 600 . March 24, 2022 .
  6. News: J. E. Dodge Coming Home . . July 9, 1897 . 1 . March 24, 2022 . .
  7. News: J. E. Dodge for Judge . . November 14, 1898 . 1 . March 24, 2022 . .
  8. The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin . 1901 . State of Wisconsin . Froehlich . William H. . https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1901/reference/wi.wibluebk1901.i0011.pdf . Election Statistics . 379 . March 24, 2022 .
  9. The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin . 1903 . State of Wisconsin . Erickson . Halford . https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1903/reference/wi.wibluebk1903.i0010.pdf . Election Statistics . 597 . March 24, 2022 .
  10. News: Supreme Judge Has Retired From Bench . . August 31, 1910 . 4 . March 24, 2022 . .