Shawnee County KS Archives Biographies.....Dana, Alston W. 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com September 26, 2006, 4:56 am

Author: James L. King (1905)

HON. ALSTON W. DANA.

    HON. ALSTON W. DANA, presiding judge of the Third Judicial District and
formerly the junior member of the well-known law firm of Bergen & Dana, is one
of the prominent and representative men of Topeka. Judge Dana was born at Mount
Holly, Vermont, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Chilson) Dana.

    The parents of Judge Dana were natives of Vermont. The father was a farmer
in the environs of Mount Holly, a man able to afford his family of eight
children only the advantages of the common schools. Five of his children still
survive.

    The future Kansas judge obtained his early education in the common schools
of his native locality and then entered Goddard Seminary, at Barre, Vermont,
where he prepared for college, and was graduated at Tufts College, Boston,
Massachusetts, in 1884, with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. He then became
principal of Goddard Seminary where he had previously spent four years, and
remained there from 1884 until 1887, when he came to Topeka. Here he read law in
the office of Waters & Chase and was admitted to the bar in 1889. For several
years he was a member of the law firm of Tillotson & Dana, and later formed a
law partnership with Judge Abram Bergen, which continued until January, 1905,
when he took his seat as presiding judge of the Third Judicial District, to
which he was elected in November, 1904. This elevation to the bench is
considered, by Judge Dana's many friends, as a just recognition of his high
abilities.

    In 1895 Dudge [sic] Dana was united in marriage with Kate J. Whiting, who is
a daughter of Chauncy C. Whiting, a prominent pioneer of Topeka, and one of the
city's capitalists, at one time president of two banks and formerly sheriff of
Shawnee County and United States marshal. Judge and Mrs. Dana have two
children,—Grace and Marion. They are members and liberal supporters of the
Presbyetrian [sic] Church.

    Politically Judge Dana has always been identified with the Republican party
and has taken a prominent part in its deliberations. On many occasions he has
been a delegate to both State and congressional conventions. Fraternally Judge
Dana is a 32nd degree Mason and is also a member of the Elks.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF SHAWNEE COUNTY, KANSAS
AND
REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

EDITED AND COMPILED BY
JAMES L. KING
TOPEKA, KANSAS 

"History is Philosophy Teaching by Examples"

PUBLISHED BY
RICHMOND & ARNOLD,
GEORGE RICHMOND; C. R. ARNOLD.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,
1905.


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