Romanzo Norton Bunn (September 24, 1829 – January 25, 1909) was an American lawyer and judge. He was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the Western District of Wisconsin, a

Wisconsin Circuit Court The Wisconsin circuit courts are the general trial courts in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. There are currently 69 circuits in the state, divided into 9 judicial administrative districts. Circuit court judges hear and decide both civil and crimina ...

Judge, and a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

Education and career

Born in South Hartwick, New York, Bunn

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

to enter the bar in 1853. He was in private practice in

Ellicottville, New York Ellicottville is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 1,317 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Joseph Ellicott, principal land agent of the Holland Land Company. The town of Ellicottville includes ...

, from 1853 to 1854, and then in

Galesville, Wisconsin Galesville is a city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,662 at the 2020 census. A dam on Beaver Creek is located at Galesville, forming Lake Marinuka north of the city. The mayor is Vince Howe. History Galesvi ...

, until 1861. He was district attorney in Galesville from 1857 to 1858. He was a Republican member of the

in 1859, returning to private practice in

Sparta, Wisconsin Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States, along the La Crosse River. The population was 10,025 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Sparta is located on former Ho-Chunk territory acq ...

, from 1861 to 1868. He was a Judge of the

for the 6th Judicial Circuit from 1868 to 1877. He was a Professor of law at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

from 1878 to 1885.

Federal judicial service

On October 25, 1877, Bunn was nominated by President

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...

to a seat on the

United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin The United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (in case citations, W.D. Wis.) is a federal court in the Seventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ...

vacated by Judge James C. Hopkins. Bunn was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on October 30, 1877, and received his commission the same day. Bunn served in that capacity until his retirement on January 9, 1905.

Death

Bunn died on January 25, 1909, in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

, Wisconsin. His former home there is located in what is now the Langdon Street Historic District.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bunn, Romanzo 1829 births 1909 deaths People from Hartwick, New York Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly United States federal judges appointed by Rutherford B. Hayes New York (state) lawyers Wisconsin state court judges University of Wisconsin Law School faculty People from Galesville, Wisconsin District attorneys in Wisconsin Burials at Forest Hill Cemetery (Madison, Wisconsin) 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature