Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Webster, William Oliver 1904 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net May 29, 2010, 11:27 am Ionia Daily Standard, 3 Dec 1904 Judge W. O. Webster Drops Dead On The Cars in Chicago. Was on the Homeward Journey From a Visit to the St. Louis Exposition. A telegram received in Ionia at 8:30 o’clock last night, the import of which cast general sorrow throughout the city, read as follows: Chicago, Ill., Dec 2, ‘04 To Son of W. O. Webster: Ionia Mich. Your father dropped dead. Body at 206 Wells street. Advise mother in Evanston. G. O. Webster The son (Montgomery) being at Ann Arbor, the telegram was sent by messenger to Harvey E. Kidder, who occupies down-town offices with Judge Webster. Henry J. Horrigan and Fred Cutler, Jr., who were known to have more or less intimate knowledge of the business affairs of deceased, were ‘phoned to the hotel, and immediately set the telegraph at work and located Montgomery at Ypsilanti, but at a late hour in the night. D. Beckwith and the above named friends appeared at the Webster home on Washington St. at about the same moment to break the sad news to the daughters, Misses Anna and Ruth. William Oliver Webster was born at Summitt, N. Y., on Feb. 21, 1842 and was therefore 62 years of age. He was a graduate of Hamilton college in 1865 and of the University of Michigan law department in 1866. Then he came to Ionia and studied law with Mitchell & Marble in 1867. After a year in California he came back here in 1870, and for years was associated with the Hon. Edgar M. Marble now of Washington, D.C., and later with Judge F. D. M. Davis and subsequently with the late Hon. S. G. Millard, who became lieutenant governor of California in 1894. He was several years circuit court commissioner and in 1882 was the Republican candidate for congress in the Fifth district, but with the Begole ticket was carried to defeat, his opponent being the late Julius Houseman of Grand Rapids, who was elected by a plurality of only 116. In 1896 Judge Webster was the presidential elector for the Fifth congressional district. Mr. Webster was a charter member of Ionia Council of the Royal Arcanum, and was for long years one of its most active and valued members. He also carried membership in the order of Foresters. His life insurance in these two orders and some old line, approximates $8,000. Deceased was one of the really respected citizens of Ionia. Studiously unobtrusive in his daily walk, and a devout Christian gentleman, he was apparently at peace with the world. He was for long years active in the work and councils of the First Presbyterian church of Ionia, and there are very few remaining who were contemporary with his long service. The stricken wife wires that she will arrive in the home city this evening at 9:20 with the remains. A message from Evanston this afternoon gives some particulars of Judge Webster’s death. He had just taken his seat in the cars at the Wells street depot for Evanston, where Mrs. Webster and he were visiting friends, and where Mrs. Webster was at the time, when he suddenly toppled over and was dead. No friend was with him, but it is presumed that from papers on his person, trace was found of his nephew, who sent the first despatch. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/w/webster5035nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 3.7 Kb