Jump to content

J. Foster Wilkin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Foster Wilkin
Associate Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
In office
December 20, 1912 – December 4, 1914
Preceded byJoseph W. O'Hara
Succeeded byThomas A. Jones
Personal details
Born(1853-02-26)February 26, 1853
Hollidays Cove, Virginia
DiedDecember 4, 1914(1914-12-04) (aged 61)
New Philadelphia, Ohio
Resting placeCanal Dover Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseVirginia Smith
ChildrenTen
Alma materWashington & Jefferson College
College of Wooster
University of Virginia School of Law

James Foster Wilkin (February 26, 1853 – December 4, 1914) was a lawyer in the U.S. State of Ohio who was an Ohio Supreme Court Judge from 1912 to his death.

Biography

[edit]

J. Foster Wilkin was born in 1853 at Hollidays Cove, Virginia (now West Virginia). His parents moved to Newcomerstown, Ohio, where he attended the local schools.[1] He studied at Washington & Jefferson College and the College of Wooster.[1][2] At Washington & Jefferson he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi.[3] He studied law at the University of Virginia, and had a thirty five year practice at New Philadelphia, Ohio. He married Virginia Smith of Newcomerstown, Ohio, who died in 1919.[4] Wilkin was associated with two of his sons in private practice, David R. and Robert Nugen Wilkin, under the name Wilkin and Wilkin.[4] He was elected Tuscarawas County Prosecuting Attorney in 1882, 1884 and 1886.[1]

An election was held autumn 1912 to fill the unexpired term of James Latimer Price to the Ohio Supreme Court, and Wilkin assumed his seat upon election December 20, 1912. He ran for re-election in 1914, but lost. He died before he could complete his term.[1] He died December 4, 1914, at New Philadelphia, where he had gone to "recuperate from a slight indisposition"[5] His funeral was at the Presbyterian Church in New Philadelphia[2][1] and burial was at the Canal Dover Cemetery.[1]

He had eight[2] or ten[1] children. His son, Robert Nugen Wilkin, would later be chosen for the Supreme Court.[4]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g "James Foster Wilkin". The Supreme Court of Ohio and The Ohio Judicial System. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Neff, William B, ed. (1921). Bench and Bar of Northern Ohio History and Biography. Cleveland: The Historical Publishing Company. pp. 243–244.
  3. ^ James Taylor Brown, ed. (1917). "Washington-Jefferson Chapter". Catalogue of Beta Theta Pi (9th ed.). Wagoner Printing Company. p. 846.
  4. ^ a b c Fess, Simeon D., ed. (1937). Ohio, A four volume reference library on the History of a Great State. Vol. 5, Supplementary Biographical. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company. p. 30. OCLC 418516.
  5. ^ "Justice J. Foster Wilkin" (PDF). New York Times. December 5, 1914. Retrieved 2012-01-19.