Illinois Supreme Court Justice Benjamin R

Benjamin Robbins Sheldon (April 15, 1811 – April 13, 1897) was an American jurist. Born in

New Marlborough, Massachusetts New Marlborough is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,528 at the 2020 census. New Marlborough consists of five villages: Clayton ...

, Sheldon received his bachelor's degree from

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kille ...

in 1831 and his law degree from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...

in 1836. Sheldon lived in

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The c ...

until 1871, when he moved to Rockford, Illinois to live with his sister. He served as an Illinois circuit court judge from 1848 to 1870. Sheldon then served on the Illinois Supreme Court from 1870 until his retirement in 1885. He was chief justice. Sheldon died at his home in Rockford, Illinois."A Noted Man—Judge B. R. Sheldon—Called to His Fathers", ''Freeport Daily Journal'' (Illinois), April 15, 1897

Notes

1811 births 1897 deaths People from Berkshire County, Massachusetts People from Rockford, Illinois Williams College alumni Yale Law School alumni Illinois state court judges Chief Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court 19th-century American judges Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court {{Illinois-politician-stub