Joshua E. Dodge
Portrait from the Wisconsin Historical Society
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
In office
November 22, 1898 – September 1, 1910
Appointed byEdward Scofield
Preceded bySilas U. Pinney
Succeeded byAad J. Vinje
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Racine district
In office
January 5, 1891 – January 2, 1893
Preceded byAlfred L. Buchan
Succeeded byPeter Nelson (1st dist.)
Francis Reuschlein (2nd dist.)
Personal details
Born(1854-10-25)October 25, 1854
Arlington, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedMay 2, 1921(1921-05-02) (aged 66)
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materGrinnell College (B.A.)
Boston University Law School (LL.B.)
ProfessionLawyer, judge

Joshua Eric Dodge (October 25, 1854 – May 2, 1921) was an American lawyer politician, and judge from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for 12 years (1898–1910). Earlier, he served as a United States Assistant Attorney General in the administration of President Grover Cleveland, and was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Racine County in the 1891 session.[1]

Biography

Joshua Dodge was in Arlington, Massachusetts, in October 1854.[2] He was raised and educated there, attending the Westford Academy, in Westford, Massachusetts, and then attending Iowa College, in Grinnell, Iowa. He graduated in 1875, then went on to study at the Boston University School of Law, graduating in 1877.[3][4]

He was admitted to the bar in Boston, but moved to Wisconsin the following spring, settling in Racine, Wisconsin, in March 1878. He practiced law there for over a decade, and was involved in local politics with the Democratic Party. In 1890, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, running on the Democratic Party ticket.[5]

Following his term in the Legislature, he was appointed to the national Board of Commissioners for the Promotion of Uniformity of Legislation in the United States.[3][4] The following Summer, U.S. President Grover Cleveland appointed him United States Assistant Attorney General. He was confirmed in the Fall and served through the rest of the Cleveland administration, resigning in 1897 after his successor was confirmed.[6]

In January 1898, he opened a new law office in Milwaukee in partnership with another young Racine lawyer, Samuel Field. The practice lasted only a short time, however, as Dodge was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the Fall of 1898 by Governor Edward Scofield. Dodge replaced Silas U. Pinney, who was resigning due to poor health.[7] Dodge was elected to finish Pinney's judicial term in the Spring 1899 election, and was subsequently elected to another ten-year term in April 1901. Dodge did not face an opponent in either election.[8][9]

Dodge retired in the Fall of 1910, with a year left on his term.[10] He died at his home in Milwaukee on May 2, 1921, after a long illness.[2] Dodge never married and had no children.[2]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1890)

Wisconsin Assembly, Racine District Election, 1890[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 4, 1890
Democratic Joshua E. Dodge 3,500 49.50% +5.34%
Republican Elias N. White 2,763 39.08% -11.22%
Labor A. B. Hayes 459 6.49%
Prohibition J. S. Blakie 348 4.92% -0.62%
Plurality 737 10.42% +4.28%
Total votes 7,070 100.0% -11.40%
Democratic gain from Republican

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1899, 1901)

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 1899[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 4, 1899
Nonpartisan Joshua E. Dodge (incumbent) 103,372 99.06%
Scattering 982 0.94%
Total votes 104,354 100.0%
Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 1901[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 2, 1901
Nonpartisan Joshua E. Dodge (incumbent) 130,161 99.06%
Scattering 3,651 2.73%
Total votes 133,812 100.0%

References

  1. ↑ "Joshua Eric Dodge". The Dodge Family Association. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Judge Joshua Dodge Dies in Milwaukee". Wisconsin State Journal. May 2, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "Justice Joshua E. Dodge". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Dodge, Joshua Eric 1854 - 1921". Wisconsin Historical Society. 8 August 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Cunningham, Thomas J., ed. (1891). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 600. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  6. ↑ "J. E. Dodge Coming Home". Racine Journal Times. July 9, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "J. E. Dodge for Judge". Racine Journal Times. November 14, 1898. p. 1. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Froehlich, William H., ed. (1901). "Election Statistics" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 379. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Erickson, Halford, ed. (1903). "Election Statistics" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 597. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Supreme Judge Has Retired From Bench". Green Bay Press-Gazette. August 31, 1910. p. 4. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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