Robert B. Shirley

HON. ROBERT B. SHIRLEY.

Hon. Robert B. Shirley, a prominent resident of CarHnville, Macoupin County, and judge of the Seventh Judicial District of the State, whose portrait accompanies this sketch, was born in Madison County, Illinois, October 9, 1850, and is a son of Hon. William C. and Mary J. (Hoxsey) Shirley. His family has long been one of prominence in Southern Illlinois.

William C. Shirley was born in White County, Tennessee, November 20, 1823, and at an early day removed to Illinois, where he located in Madison County and engaged in farming for some years, and was there married. He later moved to Staunton, Macoupin County, and there engaged in mercantile business for a period of years. He also engaged in government contracting in 1861, and" was a prosperous business man. He was a member of the Illinois State Legislature in 1858 and voted for Judge Douglas in the celebrated Lincoln-Douglas contest for United States Senator. In 1867 he was elected a member of the State Legislature, and was a very active participant in the actions of that body. He procured the passage of an act chartering the Decatur & East St. Louis Railroad Company, now the St. Louis Division of the Wabash, and afterward built the road. His wife, Mary J. Hoxsey, was born in Madison County, Illlinois, August 17, 1825, and was a daughter of Dr. Archibald Hoxsey, who was born in Christian County, Kentucky, and was a pioneer settler of southern Illinois, locating on Silver Creek in Madison County in 181 7.

Robert B. Shirley attended the common schools of Madison and Macoupin Counties, and received a good common school education. In 1873, he entered upon the study of law in the office of William R. Welch at Carlinville, Macoupin County, and was admitted to practice July 4, 1876. In 1878 he entered into partnership with Hon. S. T. Corn, now chief justice of the Supreme Court of Wyoming, and they continued together with success until 1885, when our subject began practicing alone. He has always been an active worker for the success of the Democratic party, and has frequently been called to offices of public trust. He has served as chairman of the Democratic Central Committee, held the office of city attorney of Carlinville three terms, was master of chancery from 1885 to 1887, and was a delegate to the National Democratic Convention held at Kansas City in 1900. In 1893 he was his party's nominee for judge of the Circuit Court in the Fifth Judicial District to succeed Hon. Jesse J. Phillips, who had been elected to the Supreme bench, and he was elected the following July without opposition. He was nominated by acclamation in the same district in 1897, and when the districts were changed and Macoupin County was placed in the Seventh Judicial District, he was nominated as judge of the Seventh District and elected by a large majority. He was re-elected to the office in 1903 for a term of six years and now serves in that capacity. In 1900 he was a leading candidate for the Supreme bench of the State but failed to receive the nomination. Judge Shirley's record on the bench is above reproach and redounds greatly to his credit. Possessing essentially a judicial mind, his many years of experience in practice before the courts have well fitted him for so important an office, and in the discharge of his official duties he has gained not only the good will of the entire bar but of the citizens of the Seventh Judicial District as well. Of keen, discriminating and impartial mind, he knows no parties to the actions brought before him and adjudicates all matters according to their legal light, tempered with a high sense of justice.

On October 16, 1879, Judge Shirley was joined in marriage with Etta W. Burton, a daughter of Henry W. Burton, an honored resident of Carlinville. Fraternally he is a Mason and Knight Templar, and a member of the Knights of Pythias and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

As printed in Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Macoupin County, Illinois (1904). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

HON. ROBERT B. SHIRLEY.

Hon. Robert B. Shirley, circuit judge and also judge of the appellate court of the fourth district of Illinois, has for many years been a leading citizen of Carlinville and stands without dispute among the foremost jurists of this state. He was born on a farm on Silver creek, in Madison county, Illinois, October 9, 1850, a son of William C. and Mary Jane (Hoxsey) Shirley, the former of whom was a native of east Tennessee and the latter of Madison county, Illinois. In their family were seven children, one of whom died in infancy, the others being: Harriet S., the deceased wife of H. S. Dorsey, of Alton, Illinois; Robert B., of this review; Mary E., who is the wife of A. B. Dempsey, of Sedalia, Missouri; William A., who is deceased; Rufus, who lives at Staunton, Illinois; and Virginia, the wife of Harry T. Smith, also of Staunton.

The father of our subject was a farmer and merchant. He was reared in White county, Tennessee, but moved to Illinois in 1839 and settled on a farm near Butler, Montgomery county. In 1852 he engaged in farming near Staunton and continued in that business until the outbreak of the Civil war. Politically he was a Jackson democrat and in 1859 was elected to the Illinois general assembly. He cast his ballot for Douglas in the contest against Lincoln for the United States senate. He was again elected to the state legislature in 1866 and was quite prominent in politics of the state. He secured the charter for the construction of the line of the Wabash Railroad from Decatur to East St. Louis, be ing president of the road at that time. He was a man of ability and energy and was a well known factor in the development of the state for a number of years. He died at Staunton in 1900, at the age of seventy-seven, and his wife survived him, but passed away in 1901, at the age of seventy-six years. They were both valued members of the Christian church. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Dr. Archibald Hoxsey, who came to Madison county, Illinois, from the state of Kentucky in 1818 and located near Silver creek. He died at Staunton at the age of sixty-nine years. His first wife was Harriet Stephenson, of Christian county, Kentucky.

Reared on his father’s farm, Robert B. Shirley grew to manhood and received his education in the district and public schools. He continued to live on the home farm until twenty-two years of age and then began the study of law in August, 1873, in the office of William R. Welch, of Carlinville, afterward judge of the circuit court. On July 4, 1876, he was admitted to practice in the courts of Illinois and shortly afterward associated with S. T. Corn, of Carlinville. The partnership continued until 1885, from which time Judge Shirley practiced alone. In 1893 he was elected judge of the circuit court of the fifth judicial district, comprising the counties of Sangamon, Christian, Macoupin, Montgomery, Fayette and Shelby, and is still holding the office of judge of the circuit court, having been reelected to the present seventh judicial district in 1897, 1903 and 1909. His term of office expires in June, 1915. In June, 1909, he was assigned by the supreme court of the state as judge of the appellate court of the fourth appellate district of Illinois. Early in his professional career he served as city attorney of Carlinville for three terms and was also master in chancery from 1885 to 1887. His attention has been concentrated closely upon his judicial duties since 1893 and in the time named he has presided in many important cases.

On th'e 16th of October, 1879, Judge Shirley was married, at Carlinville, to Miss Henrietta W. Burton, a daughter of Henry W. and Cornelia (Rider) Burton. Mrs. Shirley died October 8, 1908, and on the 30th of November, 1910, Judge Shirley was again married to Miss Harriet G. Steidley, who was born at Carlinville, a daughter of John Steidley. She is a member of the Episcopal church.

Judge Shirley belongs to Mount Nebo Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A. M., and Litchfield Commandery, No. 30, K. T., being also a member of Orient Lodge, No. 95, K. P., of Carlinville, and the Elks. Politically be is a stanch democrat and prior to his election to the bench served as chairman of the democratic county central committee of Macoupin county for eight years. He was one of the original stockholders and directors of the Carlinville National Bank and in every capacity in which he has served, whether as business man, attorney or judge, has at all times displayed an intelligence, fidelity, patriotism and breadth of view which have reflected upon himself and the state the highest credit. He is deeply respected by practitioners at the bar and also by the people irrespective of religious or political affiliation.

As printed in History of Macoupin County, Illinois : biographical and pictorial (1911). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.