Abram Halstead Ellis (May 21, 1847 – September 25, 1902) was a

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

of the

Kansas Supreme Court The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as t ...

from January 15, 1901, to September 25, 1902. He was the first justice of the Kansas Supreme Court to die while still a sitting member.Franklin George Adams, George Washington Martin, ''Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society'' (1915), p. 121-122.

Early life

Ellis was born May 21, 1847, in

Cayuga Cayuga often refers to: * Cayuga people, a native tribe to North America, part of the Iroquois Confederacy * Cayuga language, the language of the Cayuga Cayuga may also refer to: Places Canada *Cayuga, Ontario United States * Cayuga, Illinois ...

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, to Elmer Eugene and Jane Maria (née Halstead) Ellis. He moved with his parents to

Eaton County, Michigan Eaton County is a Counties of the United States, county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 109,175. The county seat is Charlotte, Michigan, Charlotte. The county was organized in 1837 and was ...

, when he was still a child and received his education at the schools in

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

Civil War service

At age 16, Ellis enlisted in the Union Army in 1864. He served as a private in Company C, 7th Michigan Cavalry until being discharged with the regiment in 1865.

Law career

Ellis was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1872 and practiced there until 1878, when he moved to Beloit,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. He continued to practice law and was active in Mitchell County politics as a Republican, serving as a delegate to the 1892 Republican National Convention in

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, which nominated

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Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

for a second term. When the Kansas Supreme Court was expanded by a state constitutional amendment in 1900, Ellis was appointed a Justice by

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William E. Stanley.

Personal life

Ellis married Marian Josephine Prindle on May 30, 1872, in Chester, Michigan. Together they had two children: Ward (b. 1882) and Hale (b. 1890).

Death

Ellis died in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...

, on September 25, 1902, and is buried Elmwood Cemetery in Beloit.

References

Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court 1847 births 1902 deaths People from Cayuga County, New York People from Battle Creek, Michigan Union army soldiers People of Michigan in the American Civil War Kansas Republicans People from Beloit, Kansas 19th-century American judges {{Kansas-state-judge-stub