Lawrence Weldon
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Weldon was an Illinois
attorney and politician, and a judge of the United States Court of Claims
.
Weldon attended public schools in Zanesville, Ohio, where he was born, and subsequently attended Wittenberg College
in Springfield, Ohio. He served as Clerk for the Ohio Secretary of State
from 1853 to 1854. He read law
while working for Judge Richard A. Harrison and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1854. In December, 1854, Weldon wed Mary Jane Howard, and had two children.
Weldon moved to Clinton, Illinois
and engaged in the private practice of law from 1854 to 1861. It was during this time he became acquainted with Stephen A. Douglas
, who introduced him to Abraham Lincoln
. Weldon served on the Illinois House of Representatives
in 1861 but resigned when appointed by Lincoln to serve as United States Attorney
for the Southern District of Illinois
, which he did from 1861 to 1866.
He resumed private practice, this time in Bloomington, Illinois
in 1867.
Weldon was nominated to the Court of Claims by President Chester A. Arthur
, to replace Bancroft Davis
and he was commissioned on November 24, 1883. His service terminated due to his death on April 10, 1905. He was succeeded on the Court by George Wesley Atkinson.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
attorney and politician, and a judge of the United States Court of Claims
United States Court of Claims
The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855 as the Court of Claims, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims , and abolished in 1982....
.
Weldon attended public schools in Zanesville, Ohio, where he was born, and subsequently attended Wittenberg College
Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University is a private four-year liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio serving 2,000 full-time students representing 37 states and approximately 30 foreign countries...
in Springfield, Ohio. He served as Clerk for the Ohio Secretary of State
Ohio Secretary of State
The Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing elections in the State of Ohio. The Secretary of State also is responsible for registering business entities and granting them the authority to do business within the state, registering secured transactions, and granting access to public...
from 1853 to 1854. He read law
Reading law
Reading law is the method by which persons in common law countries, particularly the United States, entered the legal profession before the advent of law schools. This usage specifically refers to a means of entering the profession . A small number of U.S...
while working for Judge Richard A. Harrison and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1854. In December, 1854, Weldon wed Mary Jane Howard, and had two children.
Weldon moved to Clinton, Illinois
Clinton, Illinois
Clinton is the largest city in DeWitt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,225 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of DeWitt County.The city and the county are named for DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York, 1817-1823...
and engaged in the private practice of law from 1854 to 1861. It was during this time he became acquainted with Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
, who introduced him to Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. Weldon served on the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
in 1861 but resigned when appointed by Lincoln to serve as United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Southern District of Illinois
United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois is a Federal district court covering approximately the southern half of the state of Illinois....
, which he did from 1861 to 1866.
He resumed private practice, this time in Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
in 1867.
Weldon was nominated to the Court of Claims by President Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
, to replace Bancroft Davis
Bancroft Davis
John Chandler Bancroft Davis , commonly known as Bancroft Davis, was an American lawyer, judge, diplomat, and president of Newburgh and New York Railway Company.-Early life:...
and he was commissioned on November 24, 1883. His service terminated due to his death on April 10, 1905. He was succeeded on the Court by George Wesley Atkinson.