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<span class=prefix>Judge</span> James A. Creighton

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Judge James A. Creighton

Birth
Crossville, White County, Illinois, USA
Death
15 Dec 1916 (aged 70)
Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, USA
Burial
Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, USA Add to Map
Plot
Block 10, 257
Memorial ID
View Source
In June, 1885, Judge Creighton was elected on the democratic ticket judge of the circuit court in the circuit then comprised of the counties of Sangamon, Christian, Macoupin, Montgomery, Fayette and Shelby. He was reelected in 1891, 1897, 1903, and 1915, and was serving his sixth term at the time of his death. With possibly one exception he was the oldest circuit judge in service in Illinois.

On January 4, 1871, Judge Creighton married Mary C. Newman, and she bore four children: Mrs. James W. Paige of Chattanooga, Tenn.; Mrs. Froman Smith, Mrs. W. St. John Wines and John T. Creighton, of the firm of Brown, Hay & Creighton, all of this city. Judge Creighton is also survived by three brothers, Judge Jacob R. Creighton, John M. Creighton, and Thomas F. Creighton, all of Fairfield, Ill., and by one nephew, W. C. Borah, assistant secretary of the Sangamon Loan & Trust company of this city. He is also survived by two grandchildren, William Creighton Wines and Edna Frances Wines.

In addition to his duties on the circuit, Judge Creighton served for sixteen years as justice of the appellate court of the state of Illinois, for the Fourth district. Judge Creighton was a Mason of the thirty-second degree. He was also a member of the Modern Woodmen of American, and the Court of Honor, and an honorary member of the Sangamo club of Springfield.

Judge Creighton was born in White county, Illinois, near the present village of Crossville, March 7, 1846. In both lines of ancestry he was connected with pioneer families of the state. His father, John M. Creighton, was born in White county in 1821, while the mother, who bore the maiden name of Mary A. Crews, was born in Wayne county in 1827. The ancestral history of the paternal line can be traced back to Scotland, although the family was represented for two generations in Ireland prior to its establishment on American soil. John Creighton, the great grandfather of Judge Creighton, crossed the Atlantic from the emerald isle accompanied by his wife, and invested his money in a plantation in the village of Chester, in what was known as the Dover district, about sixty miles north of Charleston, S. C. Joseph Creighton, the grandfather of the judge, was born in South Carolina and in 1814 came to Illinois, establishing his home in White county.

James Crews, the maternal grandfather, was a native of Virginia, and the year of his arrival in Illinois was 1817, at which time he settled in what is now Wayne ocunty. Like Joseph Creighton, he was a farmer by occupation and also a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. John M. Creighton became an agriculturist and spent his entire life in White and Wayne counties of Illinois.

Judge Creighton was a youth of seven years when he acompanied his parents on their removal to Wayne county, and upon the home farm he was reared to manhood finding in the free and untrammeled life of the country the conditions which brought about a strong and natural development of his powers.

His early education was acquired in the common schools and he afterward spent one year in the graded schools of Fairfield while later he entered the Southern Illinois college at Salem and subsequently was graduated from McKendree college with the class of 1868, when 22 years of age, the degree of bachelor arts at that time being conferred on him. Judge Creighton's early professional service was along educational lines. He engaged in teaching in early manhood and at the same time devoted his leisure hours to the study of law. He acted as principal of the public schools of Grayville for one year and spent a similar period as principal at Fairfield. When his preliminary reading had brought to him a somewhat comprehensive and thorough knowledge, he took the necessary examination and was admitted to the bar in June, 1876, by the supreme court of Illinois. He then began practice in Fairfield, traveling a portion of the adjoining circuit, as was the custom in those days. He was elected city attorney of Fairfield and was also active in public positions outside the strict path of his profession, serving as a member of the city board of trustees and of the county board of supervisors.

Seeking a broader field of labor, Judge Creighton came to Springfield, where he had since made his home, and prior to this elevation to the bench he filled the office of member of the county board of supervisors of Sangamon coutny for one term, during which time he was chairman of the finance committee. On the first of May, 1877, he took up his abode in Springfield and entered into partnership relations with Hon. Alfred Orendorff under the firm style of Orendorff & Creighton. This relationship was maintained until Mr. Creighton was chosen judge of his district. In June, 1897, he was assigned by the supreme court of Illinois to serve as one of the appellate judges of the Fourth district and sat for some time upon that bench. IL State Register, Springfield, IL 12-16-1916
In June, 1885, Judge Creighton was elected on the democratic ticket judge of the circuit court in the circuit then comprised of the counties of Sangamon, Christian, Macoupin, Montgomery, Fayette and Shelby. He was reelected in 1891, 1897, 1903, and 1915, and was serving his sixth term at the time of his death. With possibly one exception he was the oldest circuit judge in service in Illinois.

On January 4, 1871, Judge Creighton married Mary C. Newman, and she bore four children: Mrs. James W. Paige of Chattanooga, Tenn.; Mrs. Froman Smith, Mrs. W. St. John Wines and John T. Creighton, of the firm of Brown, Hay & Creighton, all of this city. Judge Creighton is also survived by three brothers, Judge Jacob R. Creighton, John M. Creighton, and Thomas F. Creighton, all of Fairfield, Ill., and by one nephew, W. C. Borah, assistant secretary of the Sangamon Loan & Trust company of this city. He is also survived by two grandchildren, William Creighton Wines and Edna Frances Wines.

In addition to his duties on the circuit, Judge Creighton served for sixteen years as justice of the appellate court of the state of Illinois, for the Fourth district. Judge Creighton was a Mason of the thirty-second degree. He was also a member of the Modern Woodmen of American, and the Court of Honor, and an honorary member of the Sangamo club of Springfield.

Judge Creighton was born in White county, Illinois, near the present village of Crossville, March 7, 1846. In both lines of ancestry he was connected with pioneer families of the state. His father, John M. Creighton, was born in White county in 1821, while the mother, who bore the maiden name of Mary A. Crews, was born in Wayne county in 1827. The ancestral history of the paternal line can be traced back to Scotland, although the family was represented for two generations in Ireland prior to its establishment on American soil. John Creighton, the great grandfather of Judge Creighton, crossed the Atlantic from the emerald isle accompanied by his wife, and invested his money in a plantation in the village of Chester, in what was known as the Dover district, about sixty miles north of Charleston, S. C. Joseph Creighton, the grandfather of the judge, was born in South Carolina and in 1814 came to Illinois, establishing his home in White county.

James Crews, the maternal grandfather, was a native of Virginia, and the year of his arrival in Illinois was 1817, at which time he settled in what is now Wayne ocunty. Like Joseph Creighton, he was a farmer by occupation and also a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. John M. Creighton became an agriculturist and spent his entire life in White and Wayne counties of Illinois.

Judge Creighton was a youth of seven years when he acompanied his parents on their removal to Wayne county, and upon the home farm he was reared to manhood finding in the free and untrammeled life of the country the conditions which brought about a strong and natural development of his powers.

His early education was acquired in the common schools and he afterward spent one year in the graded schools of Fairfield while later he entered the Southern Illinois college at Salem and subsequently was graduated from McKendree college with the class of 1868, when 22 years of age, the degree of bachelor arts at that time being conferred on him. Judge Creighton's early professional service was along educational lines. He engaged in teaching in early manhood and at the same time devoted his leisure hours to the study of law. He acted as principal of the public schools of Grayville for one year and spent a similar period as principal at Fairfield. When his preliminary reading had brought to him a somewhat comprehensive and thorough knowledge, he took the necessary examination and was admitted to the bar in June, 1876, by the supreme court of Illinois. He then began practice in Fairfield, traveling a portion of the adjoining circuit, as was the custom in those days. He was elected city attorney of Fairfield and was also active in public positions outside the strict path of his profession, serving as a member of the city board of trustees and of the county board of supervisors.

Seeking a broader field of labor, Judge Creighton came to Springfield, where he had since made his home, and prior to this elevation to the bench he filled the office of member of the county board of supervisors of Sangamon coutny for one term, during which time he was chairman of the finance committee. On the first of May, 1877, he took up his abode in Springfield and entered into partnership relations with Hon. Alfred Orendorff under the firm style of Orendorff & Creighton. This relationship was maintained until Mr. Creighton was chosen judge of his district. In June, 1897, he was assigned by the supreme court of Illinois to serve as one of the appellate judges of the Fourth district and sat for some time upon that bench. IL State Register, Springfield, IL 12-16-1916


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  • Maintained by: BjJ
  • Originally Created by: 46831545
  • Added: Oct 8, 2008
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30431255/james_a-creighton: accessed ), memorial page for Judge James A. Creighton (7 Mar 1846–15 Dec 1916), Find a Grave Memorial ID 30431255, citing Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, USA; Maintained by BjJ (contributor 46902476).