Obituary: Rock County, Wisconsin: John R. BENNETT

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Submitted by Ruth Ann Montgomery, <rmontgomery@cishome.com> May 2005

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Judge John R. Bennett, one of the prominent citizens of Rock county, passed
quietly away at his home last Saturday evening after an illness of less
than two hours.

For seventeen years he had been circuit judge and during that time had made
hosts of warm friends.

He was seventy-five years of age. Ten days ago he was discussing his future
plans with a member of the bar and stated that at the expiration of his
term, a year from this autumn, he expected to resume the practice of law in
the city of Janesville.

He had been a lawyer fifty one years and during all that time had never
lost ten days practice from illness.

Judge Bennett left two sisters, Mrs. McGowan and Mrs. Williams of
Janesville and two adopted daughters all of whom were by his bedside during
his last hours.

The following data is taken from the Janesville Gazette:

"Judge John R. Bennett was born in Rodman, Jefferson county, N. Y.,
November 1st, 1820, and was therefore in the seventy-ninth year of his age
when his life's labors were finished. His parents, Daniel and Deborah
(Leeds) Spicer Bennett were descended from English Puritan ancestors who
settled in Connecticut about 1668.

Judge Bennett was reared to manhood upon his father's farm and received his
early education in the common schools. In the fall of thirty-nine he became
a student of the Black River Literary and Religious institute of Watertown,
New York, where he fitted himself for the profession of teaching in which
he engaged at intervals until year fourty-four, in connection with his
attendance of the institute. At the latter date he entered upon a course of
law studies under the preceptorship of W. W. Wager, of Brownville,
Jefferson County, New York, which he continued for a period of six months.

In year forty-five he commenced reading law in the office of Dyre N.
Burnham of Sackett's Harbor New York and pursued his studies with that
gentleman until May, fourty-eight when he was admitted to practice in
courts of that state. On October second, forty-eight he started for the
west to seek a broader field for the exercise of his talents and on October
thirteenth, reached this city where he established himself in business. On
coming to Janesville Mr. Bennett from the beginning took a foremost place
at the bar of Rock County.

In year sixty he had the honor of being a delegate to the national
republican convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for the presidency.

Mr. Bennett was elected to the bench of the twelfth judicial circuit in
April eighty-two which position he has filled with credit to himself until
the day of his death.

November twenty-eight, fourty-four, at Hoansfield, N. Y., he was married to
Miss Elsie L. Holloway. Mrs. Bennett died May twenty-eighth, ninety-three."


The funeral which occurred Monday was largely attended by prominent members
of the barn in Southern Wisconsin.

Saturday, June 17, 1899, The Badger, p. 1, col. 4, Evansville, Wisconsin