Dighton Corson Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Page 223

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


JUDGE DIGHTON CORSON, the senior member of the supreme bench of South 
Dakota, has perhaps been the most influential man in the state so far 
as shaping the judicial policy of the state, as his high judicial 
duties began with the birth of the new commonwealth. His many friends 
and admirers will value his portrait, which is presented with this 
biography. 

Judge Corson was born in Somerset county, Maine. His father was Isaac 
Corson, and his mother, Nancy (Tuttle) Corson, both natives of the Pine 
Tree state. The father was engaged in farming, and passed away in his 
native state, as did also the mother. Of the nine children born to -
this worthy couple our subject is the only son to reach years of 
maturity. He was reared and educated in the public schools of Somerset 
county, and took a course in the academy of Waterville, Maine. He then 
began the study of law under the direction of Hon. Timothy Boutelle, 
completing the course under Abraham Sanborn, of Bangor. 

He was admitted to the bar and the same year went to Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin, where he began the practice of his profession. During the 
six years following he became prominent in political circles, having 
served a term in the legislature of Wisconsin, and one term as state's 
attorney. 

In 1861 our subject determined to try his fortunes further west, and 
went to Nevada. For some time he practiced his profession in Virginia 
City, and also in the eastern part of the state, and was elected 
state's attorney of Story county, in which capacity he served five 
years, and during which time he had many exciting experiences peculiar 
to the far western mining regions. In 1877 he removed to Deadwood, 
South Dakota, where he practiced law in partnership with Judge Morgan, 
and after severing that connection he associated himself in practice 
with Mr. Thomas, later judge of the United States district court for 
North Dakota. Our subject was a delegate to both territorial 
conventions, that of 1885 and that of 1889. In the latter year, upon 
the organization of the state government of South Dakota, he became a 
member of its first supreme court. He was re-elected to the same 
honorable position in 1894. To his duties in his difficult station he 
brings, in addition to a knowledge of the legal history of his state, a 
powerful mind, well stored and thoroughly trained in the nice 
technicalities of the law. In politics he has been a Republican since 
1861, and has been an active leader in the party in the various 
localities where he has resided. Judge Corson has but one child, a son, 
now living in San Francisco, California.