Edward Swift Isham (January 15, 1836 – February 16, 1902) was an American lawyer and politician from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. The son of a justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The court ...

, Isham attended

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

and the Harvard School of Law before he was admitted to the bar in 1858. He headed west, establishing a practice in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, in 1859. The practice eventually became

Isham Lincoln & Beale Isham Lincoln & Beale was a law firm based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was the law firm of Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln. The firm operated until 1988. History The law firm was founded in 1859 when Edward Swift Isha ...

. Isham also served one term in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

Early life

Edward Swift Isham was born in

Bennington, Vermont Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

on January 15, 1836. He was the eldest son of Semantha (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Swift) Isham (1808–1896) and Pierpoint Isham (1802–1872), later a justice of the

. Among his siblings was Mary Adeline Isham, the wife of Sartell Prentice (their son Ezra married Alta Rockefeller), and Henry Pierpont Isham, a Chicago real estate broker and banker. His paternal grandparents were Dr. Ezra Isham and Nancy (née Pierpont) Isham, and his maternal grandparents were Dr. Noadiah Swift and Jennet (née Henderson) Swift. His maternal grandmother Nancy was the great-granddaughter of Rev. James Pierpont, the founder of

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. He was raised in northwestern

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. At the age of sixteen, he had to drop out of school due to illness. After two years' recovery in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, Isham returned to

Groton, Massachusetts Groton is a town in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, within the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The population was 11,315 at the 2020 census. An affluent bedroom community roughly 45 miles from Boston, Groton has a ...

, where he studied at Lawrence Academy. In 1853, he was accepted at

and studied there for four years. The school awarded him a master's degree in 1860.

Career

Isham studied law in his father's office and then attended the Harvard School of Law. He was admitted to the bar in

Rutland, Vermont Rutland, Vermont may refer to: *Rutland (city), Vermont *Rutland (town), Vermont *Rutland County, Vermont *West Rutland, Vermont West Rutland is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. The ...

, in 1858. He decided to practice in the west, ostensibly to

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. However, he decided to settle instead in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

reportedly because he was "favorably impressed with the advantages of all kinds which the city seemed to afford him." He practiced in the office of Hoyne, Miller & Lewis and then formed a partnership in 1859, known as Stark & Isham with James L. Stark. Isham quickly rose to prominence among Chicago lawyers. In 1864, Isham was elected to the

as a Republican, where he served a two-year term and was a member of the judiciary committee. After his term expired, Isham spent two years in Europe, then returned to his law practice. In February 1872, Isham admitted

Robert Todd Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln (August 1, 1843 – July 26, 1926) was an American lawyer and businessman. The eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, he was the only one of their four children to survive past the teenage years ...

, the son of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

, as a junior partner. In 1886, William G. Beale was also admitted as a partner, and henceforth the partnership was known as

. The firm retained this name until it dissolved in 1988. Isham's most notable cases include the arrangement of the

Walter Loomis Newberry Walter Loomis Newberry (September 18, 1804 – November 6, 1868) was the son of Amasa and Ruth (Warner) Newberry. He was an American businessman and philanthropist, whose will provided for the creation of the Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois ...

library endowment and the 1875 mayoral election controversy between

Harvey Doolittle Colvin Harvey Doolittle Colvin (December 18, 1815 – April 16, 1892) was an American politician. Colvin is best remembered for his stint as mayor of Chicago, Illinois from 1873 to 1875 as a member of the People's Party, a pro-liquor factional off ...

Monroe Heath Monroe Heath (March 27, 1827October 21, 1894) was a U.S. politician. He served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1876–1879) elected as a member of the Republican Party, after winning the 1876 election. He was re-elected the following year, de ...

. He received an

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

from Williams College in 1893.

Personal life

In 1861, Isham was married to Frances "Fannie" Burch (1838–1894), the daughter of the Hon. Thomas Burch and his wife Eliza Burch of

Little Falls, New York Little Falls is a city in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 4,605 at the time of the 2020 census, which is the second-smallest city population in the state, ahead of only the city of Sherrill. The city is built on bo ...

. Fannies first cousin, Mary Weld Burch, was the wife of

Alexandre Ribot Alexandre-Félix-Joseph Ribot (; 7 February 184213 January 1923) was a French politician, four times Prime Minister. Early life and early career Ribot was born on 7 February 1842, in Saint-Omer. After graduating from the University of Paris, wh ...

, the

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers. The prime ...

. They had two sons and two daughters, including: *

Ann Elizabeth Isham Anne Eliza Isham (January 25, 1862 – April 15, 1912) was a passenger aboard the . She was one of four female first-class passengers to die when the ship sank. An unsubstantiated rumor states she died because she did not want to leave her Grea ...

(1862–1912), who died during the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'', one of only four upper-class women to do so. * Pierrepont Isham (1865–1906), who graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1887 and served in the

7th Cavalry Regiment The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment formed in 1866. Its official nickname is "Garryowen", after the Irish air " Garryowen" that was adopted as its march tune. The regiment participated in some of the largest ba ...

and later became a partner in the law firm. He married Lois Kellogg in 1893. * Edward Swift Isham Jr. (1868–1927), who graduated from Yale and married Laura Miller, and was the father of three. * Frances Isham (1872–1970), who married Henry Tweedy Shelton (1862–1950), a

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

graduate. Isham was a charter member of the

Chicago Club The Chicago Club, founded in 1869, is a private social club located at 81 East Van Buren Street at Michigan Avenue in the Loop neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Its membership has included many of Chicago's most prominent ...

and drafted its incorporation papers in 1869. He died suddenly of heart disease on February 16, 1902, while at the

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story, Art Deco landmark des ...

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

. After a funeral at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York, he was buried at Dellwood Cemetery in

Manchester, Vermont Manchester is a New England town, town in, and one of two shire towns (county seats) of, Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,484 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Manchester (village), Vermont, Mancheste ...

References

;Notes ;Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Isham, Edward Swift 1836 births 1902 deaths Burials at Dellwood Cemetery Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Politicians from Bennington, Vermont People from Manchester, Vermont Harvard Law School alumni Williams College alumni 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly