Albert W. Wilmarth Biography


	This biography appears on pages 382-385 in "History of Dakota Territory" 
	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				ALBERT W. WILMARTH.  

	Albert W. Wilmarth, engaged in the practice of law at Huron, was 
born at Harford, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, February 15, 1856, 
and was one of twin members of a family of four children whose parents 
were George P. and Martha (Payne) Wilmarth, both of whom were natives 
of Pennsylvania. The father was a farmer by occupation and in 1885 came 
to this state, establishing his home in De Smet, where he remained 
until called to his final rest. He was descended from English ancestry, 
the first representatives of the family in America arriving about the 
time of the close of the Revolutionary war.  

	Albert W. Wilmarth acquired his education in the district schools 
near his father's home and in the high school at Harford, Pennsylvania. 
After reviewing the opportunities offered by various occupations he 
decided to study law and ill preparation for the bar began his reading 
at Montrose, Pennsylvania, where he studied until admitted to practice 
in 1879. He then opened an office in the east, where he remained in 
active practice until 1883, when he removed to the west, settling at 
Huron, Dakota territory. Immediately afterward he opened an office and 
now for almost a third of a century has followed his profession in 
Huron. It was not long before he had gained a good practice and his 
clientage has always been large and of a distinctively representative 
character. He has never been in a partnership relation and thus it has 
been his individual ability entirely that has brought him to a 
prominent place as a member of the Huron bar. For six years he filled 
the office of city attorney and for two years was county attorney, 
while for two terms he represented his district in the state 
legislature, leaving the impress of his individuality upon the laws 
enacted during that period. 

	On the 28th of April, 1886, Mr. Wilmarth was united in marriage 
to Mrs. Alma Hill, a daughter of Erasmus E. and Maria Hull, of Chicago. 
Mr. Wilmarth finds his chief recreation in hunting. Fraternally he is 
connected with the Masons, Elks, Knights of Pythias and Modern Woodmen 
and his political allegiance is given to the republican party, which he 
has always supported since age conferred upon him the right of 
franchise. He concentrates his energies, however, upon his law 
practice, which is now very extensive. At the present writing he is 
attorney for the James Valley and the City National Banks and 
represents in a professional capacity other important corporation 
interests. The professional work which brought him most largely into 
prominence perhaps was litigation in which he engaged following the 
admission of the state into the Union. At that time there was a contest 
between all the larger cities to secure the state capital and all of 
them issued bonds and warrants to secure money with which to aid in 
their contest. Huron issued bonds and warrants greatly in excess of the 
constitutional limit of indebtedness and sold its waterworks to acquire 
money for that purpose As a result of this, money could not be secured 
to maintain a city government. A contest was inaugurated to set aside 
the spurious indebtedness and recover to the city its waterworks. Mr. 
Wilmarth was elected city attorney to take immediate charge of this 
litigation and mainly through his efforts the indebtedness in excess of 
the constitutional limit was annulled and the waterworks recovered to 
the city without the return of any money to the purchasers thereof. 
From that time on the standing of Mr. Wilmarth as an able and 
resourceful lawyer has been of the best in the state and he has by far 
the most extensive local practice of any attorney in Beadle county. It 
is said a crisis ever calls forth the latent powers and displays the 
real ability of an individual and Mr. Wilmarth proved equal to the 
occasion and gained the recognition to which his powers as a lawyer 
entitle him.