Rollin Samuel Williamson (May 23, 1839 – August 11, 1889) was an American politician, jurist, and telegraph operator 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 ...

. After learning the telegraph trade in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Williamson moved to

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 1857. He was appointed operator and station agent in

Palatine, Illinois Palatine () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, Cook and Lake County, Illinois, Lake counties, Illinois, United States. It is a northwestern residential Chicago metropolitan area, suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 c ...

, and studied law in his free time. He served a 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 ...

then a term in the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

. He then began to work up the ranks of the Illinois jurist system before his death.

Biography

Williamson was born in

Cornwall, Vermont Cornwall is a New England town, town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It was founded November 3, 1761. The population was 1,207 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Geography Cornwall is located in south-central Addison Count ...

, on May 23, 1839. He lived in the town until he was fourteen, attending public schools. Williamson moved to

, to work as a telegraph messenger boy. Two years later, he was promoted to operator and was assigned to offices through

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. In 1857, he moved to

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 ...

, to work in telegraph office there. The manager sent him to

, as a station agent and operator. During his down time on the job, he read law text books. Williamson occasionally helped locals with law issues. He was admitted to the bar in 1870. He served as the Palatine Township clerk, the village clerk, the police magistrate, and in 1865, he was elected Justice of the Peace of Palatine Township. The Apportionment of 1870, the first under the new Constitution of 1870, created a map with 97 districts (previously 61 districts). He was elected in 1870 as a Republican as one of six members from the 97th district. He served one two-year term. An act reapportioning the legislature passed on March 1, 1872, which created a new 7th Senate district that included most townships in Cook County. He then served a term in the

, serving two years. In 1880, he was elected judge of the

Superior Court of Cook County The Superior Court of Cook County was a court in Cook County, Illinois, which existed (under different names) from 1845 up until Cook County's courts were merged in 1964 to form the current incarnation of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The cou ...

. He served as a Superior Court judge from November 23, 1880, until December 6, 1886. He was succeeded by future governor

John Peter Altgeld John Peter Altgeld (December 30, 1847 – March 12, 1902) was an American politician and the 20th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1893 until 1897. He was the first Democrat to govern that state since the 1850s. A leading figure of the Prog ...

. On June 6, 1887, he was elected to a four-year term to the

Circuit Court of Cook County The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 25 Illinois circuit courts, circuit courts (trial courts of original jurisdiction, original and general jurisdiction) in the judiciary of Illinois as well as one of the largest unified cour ...

. He died before the term was complete. George Driggs won the special election to fill the vacancy created by Williamson's death. Williamson was a

Methodist Episcopal The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

and was the superintendent of the

Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

at his church. He was active in

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and was Master of the Palatine lodge. He married Emma V. Squires on September 4, 1859. They had one daughter. In June 1889, Williamson had a

mental breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

; he had been subject to

mood disorders A mood disorder, also known as an affective disorder, is any of a group of conditions of mental and behavioral disorder where the main underlying characteristic is a disturbance in the person's mood. The classification is in the ''Diagnostic ...

for several years prior. Four weeks later, he had to be confined to his bed. Williamson died at his house in Palatine on August 11, 1889, and was buried there in Hillside Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Rollin S. 1839 births 1889 deaths People from Cornwall, Vermont Republican Party Illinois state senators Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Palatine, Illinois Judges of the Superior Court of Cook County Judges of the Circuit Court of Cook County (pre-1964 reorganization) 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly