Obituary: Rock County, Wisconsin: John W. SALE ************************************************************************ Submitted by Ruth Ann Montgomery, June 2005 © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ Judge John W. Sale Dies at Janesville Pneumonia Fatal to Rock County's Probate Judge John Wesley Sale, for twenty-seven years judge of the Rock County probate court, died in Janesville Sunday morning of pneumonia. He had served ten years as district attorney, twice as alderman of the city of Janesville and was a congressional delegate at the convention nominating James G. Blaine. John W. Sale was to all intents a Rock County product, having been a resident of the county since he was three months old. He was born on a farm near La Porte, Ind., in June 1842, but his parents moved to Rock County and settled on a farm just west of the city of Evansville, three months after his birth. Judge Sale obtained his education at the district school and the Evansville Seminary. After completing his course at the seminary he taught school for five years, and then commenced the study of law in the office of Conger and Hawes at Janesville. After spending a year at office study and work he went to Michigan University and spent two years graduating from the law department of that school. While at the University, in addition to law studies, he took several special studies, and while there was, for a time in the office with the late Hon. Thomas M. Cooley. While Mr. Sale was at the bar he served three years as city attorney of the city of Janesville and ten years as district attorney of Rock County. In 1884 he was chosen as one of the congressional delegates to the republican national convention at Chicago, which nominated James G. Blaine as candidate for president. In August, 1886, he was, with out solicitation on his part, unanimously nominated by the republican senatorial convention as their candidate for the state senate, which nomination he accepted, but withdrew as a candidate upon his appointment as county judge by the late Governor Rusk to fill the unexpired term of Judge Prichard. He has remained on the county bench since his appointment, having been, without opposition elected each four years. Judge Sale's death was directly due to a severe attack of pneumonia. For several days his death had been imminent and the end was shortly after four Sunday morning when he passed into the sleep that knows no awakening. To mourn his loss is left his sorrowing widow, his only son, George, having died several years ago. The funeral was held at three o'clock Tuesday afternoon from his late residence on Wisconsin street, Rev. David Beaton of the Congregational church, of which he was a member, officiating. The interment was in Oak Hill cemetery. August 21, 1913, Evansville Review, p. 1, col. 3, Evansville, Wiscosnin