Pardon Clarence Williams (July 12, 1842 – January 18, 1925) was an American lawyer and judge from New York.

Life

Williams was born on July 12, 1842, in

Ellisburg, New York Ellisburg is an incorporated town in Jefferson County, New York. The population was 3,352 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is in the southwestern corner of the county and is south of Watertown. Ellisburg is named after early European-A ...

, the son of farmer William Williams Jr. and Jerusha Plummer. Williams attended school in Pierrepont Manor. He then went to Union Academy in Belleville and the

Clinton Liberal Institute The Clinton Liberal Institute was a preparatory boarding school established by the Universalist Church in the village of Clinton, in the Town of Kirkland, New York, in 1831. Its main building, a massive stone structure, was the largest buildin ...

. He spent two years at

St. Lawrence University St. Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college in the village of Canton in St. Lawrence County, New York. It has roughly 2,100 undergraduate and 100 graduate students. Though St. Lawrence today is nonsectarian, it was founded in 1 ...

. He began teaching when he was 14 and spent the next six winters as a teacher while working on the family farm in the summers. In 1862, he moved to Watertown and began studying law in the firm Hammond & Bigelow. He was admitted to the bar in 1863. He then became a member of the firm Hammond & Williams, Bigelow having become an editor of the ''Watertown Times''. General

Bradley Winslow Bradley Winslow (August 1, 1831 – October 24, 1914) was an American soldier, politician and lawyer who served as colonel of the 186th New York Regiment from 1864 to 1865 during the American Civil War. Winslow was also a member of the Ne ...

later joined the firm, which was renamed Hammond, Winslow & Williams. In 1867, he began practicing law without a partner. In 1868, he was elected District Attorney of Jefferson County, an office he served for two terms and held until 1875. Later that year, he formed a partnership with Judge John C. McCartin and Williams. In 1883, Williams was elected a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

, 5th Judicial District. He began serving as Justice in 1884. After his 14 year term, although he was elected as a Republican, he was re-elected with the endorsement of both Republicans and Democrats. In 1895, Governor

Levi P. Morton Levi Parsons Morton (May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920) was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as List of ambassadors of the United States to France, United States ambassador to France, as a United States H ...

appointed him an associate justice of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, First Judicial Department in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He left the Appellate Division when his term expired in 1898. The local people didn't like that he had to leave his district for New York City, so he promised to remain in the Fifth Judicial District. In 1900, he was appointed an associate justice of the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, which included that district. He retired as Justice in 1912. As Justice, he presided over a number of murder trials, including for Roxana Druse. He developed a reputation for fairness that led Governor

Flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

to specifically select him as judge for the trial of Bartholomew Shea and John McGough for the murder of Robert Ross. Williams was a leading member of the Republican Party in Jefferson County. He was a director of the Agricultural Insurance Company. He was a member of the Jefferson County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He attended the Trinity Episcopal Church. In 1868, he married Sarah E. Hewitt of Watertown. Their children were Edith, Robert Plummer, and Marguitte. Robert was a clerk for his father. Williams died at home on January 18, 1925. He was buried in Brookside Cemetery.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
'
Pardon C. Williams
at '' Find a Grave'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Pardon C. 1842 births 1925 deaths People from Ellisburg, New York People from Watertown, New York St. Lawrence University alumni 19th-century American lawyers County district attorneys in New York (state) New York (state) Republicans 19th-century New York state court judges 20th-century New York state court judges New York Supreme Court justices 20th-century American Episcopalians New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department justices