Sidney Edgerton
| Sidney Edgerton | |
|---|---|
Sidney Edgerton
|
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| 1st Territorial Governor of Montana | |
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In office June 22, 1864 – July 12, 1866 |
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| Appointed by | Abraham Lincoln |
| Preceded by | (none) |
| Succeeded by |
Thomas F. Meagher Acting Territorial Governor |
| Chief justice of the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court | |
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In office March 1863 – 1864 |
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| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Silas Woodson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 18th District | |
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In office March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863 |
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| Preceded by | Benjamin F. Leiter |
| Succeeded by | Rufus P. Spalding |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 17, 1818 Cazenovia, New York, USA |
| Died | July 19, 1900 (aged 81) Akron, Ohio, USA |
| Resting place | Tallmadge Cemetery, Tallmadge, Ohio |
| Political party |
Free Soil (1848–1856) Republican (1856–1900) |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Wright Edgerton |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Judge, Teacher |
Sidney Edgerton (August 17, 1818 – July 19, 1900) was a politician, lawyer, judge and teacher from Ohio. He served during the American Civil War, as a Squirrel Hunter. During this time, Edgerton served as a U.S. Congressman. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln appointed him the first Chief justice of the Idaho Territorial Court. Edgerton lobbied for the creation of separate territories, out of the Idaho Territory, and in 1864, Abraham Lincoln appointed Edgerton as the first Territorial Governor of Montana. During his term as Territorial Governor, he was an alleged member of the infamous Montana Vigilantes, and was reputedly among its founders.
He was a sickly child that was not expected to survive; burial clothing was ordered for him. He survived and, eventually, moved to Ohio. He became a lawyer, and was involved in both the Free Soil Party and the Republican Party. After John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Edgerton was invited, by Brown's family, to settle Brown's affairs. He never was able to meet with Brown. He had a successful career as a politician, and after his term ended in the Territory of Montana, Edgerton returned to Ohio. He served as a lawyer in his home state until his death in 1900.
Edgerton was born in Cazenovia, New York, on August 17, 1818. His parents were Amos and Zerviah (Graham) Edgerton, both of Connecticut. Zerviah was a cousin of millionaire philanthropist Anson Greene Phelps. As a child, Edgerton was so sickly and frail that burial clothes were prepared for him. Whereas the young Edgerton avoided death, the same could not be said for his father, a teacher by trade who had been blind for years. Amos Edgerton died when Sidney was still an infant. Left with six children to raise, Zerviah Edgerton struggled to maintain her family. By age eight, young Sidney was out of the home and working himself through school. He eventually attended the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary in Lima, New York, where his cousin taught, and where he would later become an instructor as well.
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