{{short description|19th century American judge and politician}} {{infobox officeholder |honorific_prefix = The Honorable |name = David Noggle |image = David Noggle crayon enlargement.png |caption = |office = Chief Justice of the {{nowrap|[[Idaho Supreme Court|Supreme Court]]}} {{nowrap|of the [[Idaho Territory]]}} |term_start = April 9, 1869 |term_end = late 1874 |appointer = [[Ulysses S. Grant]] |predecessor = [[Thomas J. Bowers]] |successor = [[M. E. Hollister]] |office1 = {{nowrap|[[Wisconsin circuit courts|Wisconsin Circuit Court]] Judge}} for the {{nowrap|1st circuit}} |term_start1 = August 17, 1858 |term_end1 = January 1, 1866 |appointer1 = [[Alexander Randall (Wisconsin politician)|Alexander Randall]] |predecessor1 = John M. Keep |successor1 = [[William P. Lyon]] |state2 = Wisconsin |state_assembly2 = Wisconsin |district2 = [[Rock County, Wisconsin|Rock]] 3rd |term_start2 = January 1, 1857 |term_end2 = January 1, 1858 |predecessor2 = Levi Alden |successor2 = [[Zebulon P. Burdick]] |term_start3 = January 1, 1854 |term_end3 = January 1, 1855 |predecessor3 = Charles Stevens |successor3 = [[George H. Williston]] |birth_date = {{birth date|1808|10|9}} |birth_place = [[Franklin County, Pennsylvania]], U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|1878|7|18|1808|10|9}} |death_place = [[Janesville, Wisconsin]], U.S. |resting_place = Oak Hill Cemetery, {{nowrap|Janesville, Wisconsin}} |spouse = {{marriage|Anna M. Lewis|1834}} |children = 8 |education = |profession = Lawyer, politician, judge |party = {{unbulleted list | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] {{nowrap|(after 1854)}} | [[Independent (United States)|Independent]] (1854) | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] {{nowrap|(before 1854)}} }} }} '''David Noggle''' (October 9, 1809{{spaced ndash}}July 18, 1878) was an American politician, lawyer, and jurist. He was chief justice of the {{nowrap|[[Idaho Supreme Court|Supreme Court]]}} {{nowrap|of the [[Idaho Territory]]}} from 1869 to 1874, appointed by President [[Ulysses S. Grant]]. Earlier, he served as a member of the [[Wisconsin State Assembly]] and a [[Wisconsin circuit courts|Wisconsin circuit court]] judge.
==Early life and career==
Born in [[Franklin County, Pennsylvania]], he moved with his family to [[Greenfield, Ohio]], at age 16, where he worked on a farm with his father.<ref name="green">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=dwcrAQAAMAAJ |title= History of Green County, Wisconsin |year= 1884 |publisher= Union Publishing Company |location= [[Springfield, Illinois]] |pages= 341–342 }}</ref> Despite having little education in Ohio, attending school only a few weeks a year, he expressed interest in becoming a lawyer. At age 19, he left Ohio to seek employment and worked four years at a factory in [[Madison, New York]].<ref name="bar">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nisCAQAAIAAJ |title= Proceedings of the State Bar Association of Wisconsin for the years 1878, 1881, and 1885 |year= 1905 |publisher= [[State Bar of Wisconsin]] |location= [[Madison, Wisconsin]] |pages= 142–145 |access-date= December 29, 2020 }}</ref> He returned to Ohio in 1833 and, finding his father deeply in debt, purchased his farm in partnership with his brother. Together they restored the farm to prosperity and improved the land with a water-powered mill.<ref name="const">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EY0UAAAAYAAJ |title= The Convention of 1846 |publisher= [[Wisconsin Historical Society]] |year= 1919 |location= [[Madison, Wisconsin]] |editor-first= Milo M. |editor-last= Quaife |editor-link= Milo Quaife |pages= 107–114, 658–670, 784–785 |access-date= December 29, 2020 }}</ref>
He married Anne M. Lewis, of Milan, Ohio, in 1834, and together they traveled to [[Winnebago County, Illinois]], in 1836, where they purchased [[United States General Land Office|government land]] and started a farmstead. Noggle was still intent on entering the legal profession and spent much of his free time studying legal texts; an anecdote references that he carried a book of the works of [[William Blackstone]] to read while tending his fields.<ref name="bar"/> In 1838, he was examined by the [[Supreme Court of Illinois]] and admitted to the [[Illinois State Bar Association]], having never spent a day in a law office or law school.<ref name="green"/>
In 1839, Noggle sold his farm in Illinois and moved across the border into the [[Wisconsin Territory]]. He settled at [[Beloit, Wisconsin|Beloit]] and started a law practice. His practice flourished, doing business in Rock, Walworth, Jefferson, and Green counties in the Wisconsin Territory, as well as Winnebago and Boone counties in Illinois.<ref name="green"/>
==Political career== His legal work brought him local prominence. He was elected [[postmaster]] of Beloit from 1840 through 1845. In 1846, he was a delegate for Rock County to Wisconsin's first constitutional convention. Although the constitution produced by that convention was never adopted, Noggle distinguished himself among the delegates. He fought for the inclusion of progressive items such as the [[homestead exemption]], an elected judiciary, and the rights of married women, and was opposed to a state bank.<ref name="green"/><ref name="const"/> He became an ardent [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] and represented Wisconsin as a delegate to the [[1848 Democratic National Convention|1848]] and [[1852 Democratic National Convention|1852]] Democratic National Conventions.<ref name="const"/>
Noggle moved to [[Janesville, Wisconsin]], in 1850. In 1853, he was elected to the [[Wisconsin State Assembly]], representing the Janesville-based 2nd [[Rock County, Wisconsin|Rock County]] assembly district. Several Democratic partisan newspapers suggested Noggle as a candidate for [[Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly|Speaker of the Assembly]] for the [[7th Wisconsin Legislature|1854 session]] but ultimately he was not chosen.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66343478/noggle-for-speaker/ |title= The Next Speaker |newspaper= [[Wisconsin State Journal]] |date= December 6, 1853 |page= 2 |access-date= December 29, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>
Like many progressive Democrats, Noggle split with the party over the [[Kansas–Nebraska Act]] and ran for [[Wisconsin State Senate]] in 1854 as an independent, citing that his platform was that of the 1849 [[Democratic Party of Wisconsin|Democratic state convention]] and the 1854 [[Republican Party of Wisconsin|Republican state convention]]—meaning total opposition to the expansion of [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]] into [[Slave states and free states|new states]] or territories. With the [[Wisconsin Legislature]] set to elect a [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] in the next session, Noggle pledged he would not vote for a candidate who did not adhere to his position on slavery.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66344754/noggle-for-wisc-senate/ |title= Independent Candidate for Senator |newspaper= [[Wisconsin State Journal]] |date= October 31, 1854 |page= 3 |access-date= December 29, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> He was ultimately unsuccessful as an independent candidate, but subsequently became a member of the new [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]].<ref name="1854sen">{{Cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66357965/election-results/ |title= Election Returns |newspaper= [[Wisconsin State Journal]] |date= November 20, 1854 |page= 2 |access-date= December 29, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>
In 1856, Noggle was elected to the Assembly again, this time on the Republican ticket. At the start of the [[10th Wisconsin Legislature|1857 session]], he was their choice for Speaker of the Assembly. However, due to an injury, he declined the honor, stating that his incapacitation would impair him in carrying out the duties of the speaker.<ref name="green"/> Nevertheless, he remained a leader of the Republican caucus in the Assembly and in the legislative wrangling that secured the election of U.S. senator [[James Rood Doolittle]].<ref name="green"/> He also successfully pushed the Legislature to pass an act ([https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/1857/related/acts/44.pdf 1857 Wisc. Act 44]), setting a [[referendum]] to amend the [[Constitution of Wisconsin|Wisconsin Constitution]] to extend [[Voting rights in the United States|voting rights]] to [[Women's suffrage in the United States|women]] and [[Black suffrage in the United States|African Americans]]. He was outspoken about the issue in the press, but the referendum ultimately failed.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66346487/womens-suffrage-1857/ |title= Universal Suffrage |newspaper= [[Wisconsin State Journal]] |date= March 3, 1857 |page= 2 |access-date= December 29, 2020 |first1= David |last1= Noggle |first2= J. T. |last2= Mills }}</ref>
==Judicial career==
In August 1858, Noggle was appointed [[Wisconsin circuit courts|Wisconsin circuit court]] judge for the 1st circuit—southeast Wisconsin—by Governor [[Alexander Randall (Wisconsin politician)|Alexander Randall]] following the resignation of Judge John M. Keep.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66347956/noggle-appointed-judge/ |title= Appointment of Circuit Judge |newspaper= [[Wisconsin State Journal]] |date= August 2, 1858 |page= 2 |access-date= December 29, 2020 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> In the April 1859 election, Judge Noggle ran for election to a full six-year term as judge.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66349263/judicial-elections/ |title= Judicial Elections |newspaper =The Manitowoc Herald |date= March 24, 1859 |page= 2 |access-date= December 29, 2020 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> Initially, it appeared his opponent would be respected Racine attorney and Speaker of the Assembly [[William P. Lyon]], but Lyon—a fellow Republican—deferred. Nevertheless, Noggle did have an opponent in the election—John M. Keep—the man who had resigned the judgeship in 1858, creating the vacancy now up for election.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66350055/keep-running-for-his-vacancy/ |title= The Circuit Judgeship |newspaper =The Racine Daily Journal |date= March 19, 1859 |page= 2 |access-date= December 29, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> Judge Noggle won a substantial victory in the election, taking nearly 70% of the vote.<ref name="1859gen">{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66350598/judicial-elections/ |title= Vote of the Circuit |newspaper= [[The Gazette (Janesville, Wisconsin)|Janesville Daily Gazette]] |date= April 18, 1859 |page= 2 |access-date= December 29, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>
Judge Noggle sought reelection in 1865, but this time William P. Lyon did choose to enter the race. Lyon prevailed in the April election and Judge Noggle's term expired at the end of the year.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66352533/lyon-elected-judge/ |title= The Judicial Election |newspaper= [[The Gazette (Janesville, Wisconsin)|Janesville Daily Gazette]] |date= April 11, 1865 |page= 1 |access-date= December 29, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> After leaving office, he lived for a short time in [[Dubuque, Iowa]], and was attorney for the [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad|Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad]].<ref name="const"/><ref name="bar"/>
On April 7, 1869, President [[Ulysses S. Grant]] nominated Noggle to be Chief Jof the [[Idaho Supreme Court|Idaho Territorial Supreme Court]], and he was confirmed by the senate two days later.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TRhHAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA105|title=Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America, from March 5, 1869, to March 3, 1871, inclusive|publisher=Government Printing Office|year=1901}}</ref> As Noggle's four-year term was expiring, Grant renominated him to the same post on March 13, 1873, and he was confirmed by the senate five days later.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eeCHAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA55|title=Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America, from March 4, 1873, to March 3, 1875, inclusive|publisher=Government Printing Office|year=1901}}</ref> He resigned due to poor health in late 1874. Noggle returned to Janesville in 1875, and died there in 1878.<ref name="const"/><ref name="bar"/>
==Personal life and family== Noggle's father, John Noggle, was [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] and his mother was of [[Irish Americans|Irish American]] descent.<ref name="green"/> He married Anne M. Lewis, of [[Milan, Ohio]], on October 13, 1834.<ref name="green"/> They had at least eight children together, though one died in infancy.
==Electoral history==
===Wisconsin Senate (1854)===
{{Election box begin | title= Wisconsin Senate, 17th District election, 1854<ref name="1854sen"/>}} | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General election, November 7, 1854''' {{Election box winning candidate with party link |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = [[James Sutherland (Wisconsin politician)|James Sutherland]] |votes = 1,011 |percentage = 57.09% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link |party = Independent Democrat |candidate = David Noggle |votes = 760 |percentage = 42.91% |change = }} {{Election box plurality |votes = 251 |percentage = 14.17% |change = }} {{Election box total |votes = 1,771 |percentage = 100.0% |change = }} {{Election box end}}
===Wisconsin Circuit Court (1859)===
{{Election box begin | title= Wisconsin Circuit Court, 1st Circuit election, 1859<ref name="1859gen"/>}} | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General election, April 5, 1859''' {{Election box winning candidate with party link |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = David Noggle (incumbent) |votes = 13,213 |percentage = 69.78% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = John M. Keep |votes = 5,721 |percentage = 30.22% |change = }} {{Election box plurality |votes = 7,492 |percentage = 39.57% |change = }} {{Election box total |votes = 18,934 |percentage = 100.0% |change = }} {{Election box end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Find a Grave|62351697}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-wi-hs}} {{s-bef|before =Charles Stevens}} {{s-ttl|title ={{nowrap|Member of the [[Wisconsin State Assembly]] from the [[Rock County, Wisconsin|Rock]] 3rd district}}|years= January 1, 1854{{spaced ndash}}January 1, 1855 }} {{s-aft|after = [[George H. Williston]]}} {{s-bef|before =Levi Alden}} {{s-ttl|title ={{nowrap|Member of the [[Wisconsin State Assembly]] from the [[Rock County, Wisconsin|Rock]] 3rd district}}|years= January 1, 1857{{spaced ndash}}January 1, 1858 }} {{s-aft|after = [[Zebulon P. Burdick]]}} {{s-legal}} {{s-bef|before =John M. Keep }} {{s-ttl|title ={{nowrap|[[Wisconsin circuit courts|Wisconsin Circuit Court]] Judge for the 1st circuit}}|years= August 17, 1858{{spaced ndash}}January 1, 1866 }} {{s-aft|after = [[William P. Lyon]]}} {{s-bef|before = [[Thomas J. Bowers]] }} {{s-ttl|title = {{nowrap|Chief Justice of the [[Idaho Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] of the [[Idaho Territory]]}}|years= April 9, 1869{{spaced ndash}}1874 }} {{s-aft|after = [[M. E. Hollister]]}} {{s-end}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noffle, David}} [[Category:1808 births]] [[Category:1878 deaths]] [[Category:People from Franklin County, Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Politicians from Dubuque, Iowa]] [[Category:People from Greenfield, Ohio]] [[Category:Politicians from Beloit, Wisconsin]] [[Category:Politicians from Janesville, Wisconsin]] [[Category:Illinois lawyers]] [[Category:Iowa lawyers]] [[Category:Wisconsin lawyers]] [[Category:Wisconsin Democrats]] [[Category:Chief justices of the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court]] [[Category:Wisconsin circuit court judges]] [[Category:19th-century Wisconsin state court judges]] [[Category:19th-century American lawyers]] [[Category:Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly]] [[Category:19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature]] [[Category:Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Janesville, Wisconsin)]]