Silas Sanderson
| Silas Woodruff Sanderson | |
|---|---|
| 7th Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court | |
|
In office January 2, 1864 – January 1866 |
|
| Appointed by | Elected |
| Preceded by | Warner Cope |
| Succeeded by | John Currey |
| Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court | |
|
In office January 1866 – January 4, 1870 |
|
| Appointed by | Elected |
| Succeeded by | Jackson Temple |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 16, 1824 Sandgate, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | June 24, 1886 (aged 62) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Beatty Ormsby (m. 1858) |
| Alma mater |
Williams College Union College |
Silas Woodruff Sanderson (April 16, 1824 – June 24, 1886) was the 7th Chief Justice of California.
Born in Sandgate, Vermont, Sanderson attended Burr Seminary, Williams College, and Union College, graduating from the last in 1846; he was soon admitted to the bar in New York state. He then moved to Florida where he went into practice with his older brother, John, in Jacksonville. In 1850, he sailed to California via the Strait of Magellan and settled in Coloma.
As a Democrat, Sanderson was elected district attorney in El Dorado County. Dismayed at the secessionist sentiment in the Democratic party, he became a Republican and backed Leland Stanford for Governor of California in the next election. In 1862 he was elected to the state legislature. The following year he was elected to a two-year term on the Supreme Court of California, where he served as Chief Justice from January 2, 1864 to January 1866. In November 1865, he was re-elected to the Court as an Associate Justice, serving from January 1866 to January 4, 1870.
He resigned in 1870 to head the legal department at the Southern Pacific Railroad.
On March 3, 1858, Sanderson married Margaret Beatty Ormsby (c. 1839 – October 21, 1913) of Sacramento, California. They had four daughters, including Sibyl Sanderson, a notable operatic soprano. He died June 24, 1886, at his home in San Francisco.
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