Biographical Details
Date of Birth: 1820
Birth Location: County Mayo, IRELAND
Major Study: Law
Graduation Year(s): 1849
Degree(s) Earned: Bachelor of Laws
Date of Death: April 29, 1890
Death Location: Fort Wayne, IN, USA
William Wellington Carson
Life Experience
William Wellington Carson received his early education in Canada. After moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1840, he took a classical course of study at the McJunkin School. Afterward, he engaged in teaching and studied law. He was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in 1846 in Decatur in Adams County. At the same time, he held the positions of deputy clerk and recorder under Samuel L. Rugg. Carson completed his Bachelor of Laws at IU in 1849, studying under Professors Judge McDonald and Judge Otto. After graduation, he moved from Decatur to Fort Wayne, where he was elected prosecuting attorney. In 1850, he was appointed City Attorney of Fort Wayne, a position he held until 1857.
Carson was a Democratic Party candidate for judge in 1858, but he was defeated. In 1860, he was county attorney. From 1864 to 1869, he was a state senator. While a senator, he authored the constitutional amendment relating to the Wabash and Erie Canal, the Act of 1867 for the incorporation of cities, and voted for Judge Hughes’s bill to appropriate $8,000 to IU. In 1869, he visited Europe with his family. In 1870, he was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for the counties of Adams, Allen, Huntington, and Wells. In 1875, he was appointed circuit judge of the judicial district. When his term expired, he resumed the practice of law. Carson died in 1890.
Marriage and Family
Carson was born in Ireland. He was a descendant of Oliver Cromwell (led the Commonwealth of England and made it a republic). With his parents, he emigrated to Cobourg, Ontario, Canada. In 1874, he married Canadian citizen, Jane Allen, of Hamilton, Ontario. She later joined him in Fort Wayne. At age fifty-seven, he and his wife had their only child, a son Willie. Jane died in 1891.
Interesting Anecdote
A local newspaper wrote that Carson was “one of the prominent lawyers of this city” and his wife Jane was “a lady of culture, refinement, many noble traits of character, and was endeared to a large circle of friends.”
References
- Wylie
- Findagrave.com
- The Fort Wayne Sentinel 08/11/1891