Robert McKee Bashford

Robert McKee Bashford (December 31, 1845 – January 29, 1911) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 25th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, and represented Dane County in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1893 to 1897. He also served briefly as a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1908, after the death of Chief Justice John B. Cassoday.

The Honorable
Robert M. Bashford
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
In office
January 8, 1908 – July 1, 1908
Appointed byJames O. Davidson
Preceded byJohn B. Cassoday
Succeeded byJohn Barnes
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 26th district
In office
January 11, 1893 – January 13, 1897
Preceded byWillett Main
Succeeded byChauncey B. Welton
25th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin
In office
April 1890 – April 1891
Preceded byMoses Ransom Doyon
Succeeded byWilliam H. Rogers
Personal details
Born
Robert McKee Bashford

(1845-12-31)December 31, 1845
Fayette, Wisconsin
DiedJanuary 29, 1911(1911-01-29) (aged 65)
Madison, Wisconsin
Cause of deathCardiovascular disease
Resting placeForest Hill Cemetery
Madison, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Florence E. Taylor
  • (died 1886)
  • Sarah Amelia Fuller
  • (died 1915)
Children
  • Florence (Spensley)
  • (b. 1875; died 1942)
Parents
  • Samuel Morris Bashford (father)
  • Mary Ann (McKee) (Trousdale) (mother)
ProfessionLawyer

Biography

Born in Fayette, Wisconsin,[1] Bashford graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1870 and from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1871.[1][2] He later received his master's degree from the University in 1874. In 1871, Bashford along with two others purchased the Madison Democrat newspaper, where Bashford was editor until 1876. He then practiced law in Madison, Wisconsin,[2] and served as city attorney from 1881 to 1886. In 1886, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he continued to practice law. While his firm was successful, he did not care for the work and moved back to Madison.

In 1890, Bashford became mayor of Madison, defeating Arthur Loomis Sanborn in the April election.[3] During his tenure he assisted the state attorney general to prosecute former state treasurers of Wisconsin to get money they had collected from interest on the deposit of public funds. The state recovered nearly half a million dollars. From 1891 to 1895, he served in the Wisconsin State Senate.[1][2] He resumed his law practice, including arguing before the United States Supreme Court in the 1905 case of United States v. Stinson, in which he successfully defended a land purchaser from the federal government's attempt to reclaim the land based on accusations of fraud.[4] In 1908, Bashford was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but lost a special election for the position four months later.[2] He resumed his law practice and was on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Law School.[5][6]

Personal life and Family

Bashford was the son of Reverend Samuel Morris Bashford and his wife, Mary Ann (McKee) Parkinson Bashford. Bashford's father died when he was only five years old. His mother remarried to William Pearce Trousdale, who became Bashford's stepfather.

Bashford's first wife was Florence E. Taylor, the second daughter of Wisconsin Governor William Robert Taylor. They had one daughter together before her death in 1886. Bashford remarried with Sarah Amelia Fuller, who survived him.[7]

Bashford House

His former home, now known as the Robert M. Bashford House, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[8][9]

Electoral history

Madison Mayor (1890)
Madison, Wisconsin, Mayoral Election, 1890[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 1, 1890
Democratic Robert M. Bashford 1,454 56.71%
Republican Arthur L. Sanborn 1,110 43.29%
Plurality 344 13.42%
Total votes 2,564 100.0%
Democratic hold

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1908)
Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 1908[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 7, 1908
Nonpartisan John Barnes 134,642 57.42%
Nonpartisan Robert M. Bashford (incumbent) 84,656 36.10%
Nonpartisan William Ruger 15,168 6.47%
Scattering 30 0.01%
Plurality 49,986 21.32%
Total votes 234,496 100.0%

References
  1. "Robert McKee Bashford". The Eau Claire Leader. February 1, 1911. p. 3. Retrieved April 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  2. "Robt. M. Bashford Dead". The New North. February 2, 1911. p. 4. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. "The Municipal Election". Wisconsin State Journal. March 31, 1890. Retrieved May 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. United States v. Stinson, 197 U.S. 200 (1905), online at https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12864504571078634049.
  5. "Bashford, Robert Mckee 1845 - 1911". Wisconsin Historical Society. 8 August 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  6. "Former Justices - Robert M. Bashford (1845-1911)". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  7. "R. M. Bashford passes away". Wisconsin State Journal. January 30, 1911. Retrieved May 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Bashford House". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  9. "Robert M. Bashford House". landmarkhunter.com. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  10. "Bashford gains the mayoralty by greatly reduced majority". Wisconsin State Journal. April 2, 1890. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  11. Beck, J.D., ed. (1909). "Election Statistics". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 556.
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