Isaiah Pillars
Encyclopedia
Isaiah Pillars was a lawyer in the U. S. State of Ohio
who served in the Ohio House of Representatives
and was Ohio Attorney General
1878-1880.
, Ohio
, and spent part of his youth in Carroll County
before being moved to Risden (now Fostoria
) in Seneca County
, where his mother died when he was eight years old. At age sixteen, he began teaching school, and attended the Seneca County Academy and Heidelberg College in Tiffin
. He read law in the office of his brother James Pillars. He was admitted to the bar
at age 21 and commenced practice at Lima, Ohio
in 1855. In 1862 he was made commandant of Camp Lima by Governor Tod
with rank Colonel, and organized the 99th
, 118th
and 81st Ohio Infantry
regiments.
In 1866 Pillars was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Allen County, and was elected as a Democrat to the Ohio House of representatives in 1871 for the 60th General Assembly, 1872-1873. He vigorously opposed a tax to support railroad construction, and was vindicated when the Ohio Supreme Court found the tax unconstitutional. He also authored a minority report in favor of abolishing capital punishment
, with a summary of arguments:
In 1877, Pillars was elected Ohio Attorney General, defeating Republican George K. Nash
. He lost to Nash for re-election in 1879. Pillars had been a Republican until 1864, but became a Democrat at that time.
Pillars married Susan Fickle of Lima in February 1866, and she died in 1870. He had two sons and two daughters, one of whom died in early childhood. He was a believer in the doctrine of Emanuel Swedenborg
, writing a small book about his life and doctrines.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
who served in the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
and was Ohio Attorney General
Ohio Attorney General
The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Mike DeWine.-History:...
1878-1880.
Biography
Isaiah Pillars was born March 17, 1833 in Jefferson CountyJefferson County, Ohio
Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 69,709. Its county seat is Steubenville and is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was at the time Vice President....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and spent part of his youth in Carroll County
Carroll County, Ohio
Carroll County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 28,836, no change from 2000. Its county seat is Carrollton. It is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence....
before being moved to Risden (now Fostoria
Fostoria, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,931 people, 5,565 households, and 3,628 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,917.6 people per square mile . There were 6,024 housing units at an average density of 829.2 per square mile...
) in Seneca County
Seneca County, Ohio
Seneca County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,745. Its county seat is Tiffin and it is named for the Seneca Indians.The Tiffin Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Seneca County....
, where his mother died when he was eight years old. At age sixteen, he began teaching school, and attended the Seneca County Academy and Heidelberg College in Tiffin
Tiffin, Ohio
Tiffin is a city in and the county seat of Seneca County, Ohio, United States. The population was 18,135 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Tiffin as a Tree City USA....
. He read law in the office of his brother James Pillars. He was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
at age 21 and commenced practice at Lima, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
in 1855. In 1862 he was made commandant of Camp Lima by Governor Tod
David Tod
David Tod was a politician and industrialist from the U.S. state of Ohio. As the 25th Governor of Ohio, Tod gained recognition for his forceful and energetic leadership during the American Civil War....
with rank Colonel, and organized the 99th
99th Ohio Infantry
The 99th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 99th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Lima in Allen County, Ohio and mustered in for three years service on August 26, 1862 under the command of Colonel Albert Longworthy...
, 118th
118th Ohio Infantry
The 118th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 118th Ohio Infantry was organized Lima, Mansfield, and Cincinnati, Ohio August through September 1862 and mustered in at Cincinnati for three years service under the command of...
and 81st Ohio Infantry
81st Ohio Infantry
The 81st Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 81st Ohio Infantry was originally organized as "Morton's Independent Rifle Regiment" and mustered in for three years service under the command of Colonel Thomas Morton.The...
regiments.
In 1866 Pillars was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Allen County, and was elected as a Democrat to the Ohio House of representatives in 1871 for the 60th General Assembly, 1872-1873. He vigorously opposed a tax to support railroad construction, and was vindicated when the Ohio Supreme Court found the tax unconstitutional. He also authored a minority report in favor of abolishing capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, with a summary of arguments:
- That the infliction of death as a punishment for crime, is a relic of the laws of revenge and retaliation.
- That crime is not lessened by, and that the protection of society in no way demands the death of the offender.
- That the infliction of capital punishment does not deter others by way of example, from the commission of crime.
- That its effect upon society is to debase and blunt the finer sensibilities, and thereby increases the disposition for the commission of crime.
- That by it, one of the legitimate purposes of punishment, the reformation of the criminal is wholly defeated.
- That by capital punishment the divine right of life is violated under the sanction of law, the sacred regard for human life destroyed, and many times innocent persons put to death.
- That by substitution of imprisonment for life for the death penalty, convictions and punishments would be rendered far more certain, and thereby crime would be lessened, and all the purposes of punishment be accomplished.
In 1877, Pillars was elected Ohio Attorney General, defeating Republican George K. Nash
George K. Nash
thumb|right|300pxGeorge Kilborn Nash was a Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 41st Governor of Ohio.-Biography:...
. He lost to Nash for re-election in 1879. Pillars had been a Republican until 1864, but became a Democrat at that time.
Pillars married Susan Fickle of Lima in February 1866, and she died in 1870. He had two sons and two daughters, one of whom died in early childhood. He was a believer in the doctrine of Emanuel Swedenborg
Emanuel Swedenborg
was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. He has been termed a Christian mystic by some sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica online version, and the Encyclopedia of Religion , which starts its article with the description that he was a "Swedish scientist and mystic." Others...
, writing a small book about his life and doctrines.