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Below is a family biography included in The History of McLean County, Illinois published by Wm. LeBaron, Jr. Co. in 1879.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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THOMAS F. TIPTON, Bloomington; was born in Franklin Co., Ohio, Aug. 29, 1833; his father, Hiram Tipton, removed from the Buckeye State to Illinois, in the year 1844, and settled in the section now known as Money Creek Township. In March of 1845, his father died, Thomas at that time being but eleven years old; he continued to live with his mother until her second marriage, in 1847, when he cut loose from the parental roof-tree, and began life on his own account, and took his future into his own hands. At this time he is described as a boy, that, while he had no vicious habits, possessed a quick and retentive memory, a deep reverence for truth and honesty, and with a keen contempt for anything affected or snobbish. During the summer months, he worked on a farm, and, in winter, he went to school, thus obtaining knowledge under difficulties; this was continued until he had attained to his sixteenth year, when he began teaching, but in the winter going himself to school as a pupil. Mr. Tipton began the garnering of legal knowledge in the law office of H. N. Keitly, at Knoxville, Ill., being a careful reader and a close, painstaking student; at this time he was in the most robust health, being very strong and active, and excelling in all athletic sports. In the spring of 1854, young Tipton was admitted to practice, and, as a singular coincidence, attained his majority the same year. He began active law practice at Lexington, and continued there until Jan. 1, 1862, at which time his lucky star directed him to Bloomington, and. in the spring of 1863, he formed a law partnership with Reuben M. Benjamin. In January, 1866, Gov. Oglesby appointed him State’s Attorney for the Eighth Judicial Circuit, and for two years he discharged the duties of the office with infinite satisfaction to the law-abiding people, and to the great annoyance of evil-doers of high and low degree. In 1869, the Hon. Lawrence Weldon became a partner, and the firm was then known as Weldon, Tipton & Benjamin; but, as his worth became recognized, Mr. Tipton was called higher up. In August, 1870, he was elected Circuit Judge, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of the venerable Jno. M. Scott, who had been elected as a member of the Supreme bench of the State. When Mr. Tipton took his place on the bench, the new constitution had been but just adopted, making many radical changes, and opening up a vast field of unexplored legal work, thus making work on the bench necessarily slow, and much more laborious than formerly; he was rewarded for his fidelity to the interests of the people, and his efforts in behalf of equity, by an endorsement in the way of a re-election for the term of six years. He remained on the bench until March 1, 1877, when he resigned to take a seat in Congress—another step higher. The 1st of March, 1877, Mr. Tipton and John E. Pollock formed a law partnership under the style of Tipton & Pollock, as it now stands; previous to his election to the bench Mr. Tipton enjoyed a large civil and criminal practice; it was as varied as litigation itself, and it was uniformly managed with good tact and acknowledged legal acumen; he was not a lawyer simply to wring from quibbles and technical obscurities that justice which else he could never reach, but he sought to win upon the broad spirit of the law in its most elevated sense. He was elected to the Forty-fifth Congress as a Republican, receiving 15,229 votes; in Congress he favored the Silver bill; introduced a bill for postal savings banks; opposed the further contraction of the currency and the Wood Tariff bill; also opposed the William and Mary College bill, and the “Potter revolution” he opposed; he was against the transfer of the Indian Bureau to the War Department.

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This family biography is one of 1257 biographies included in The History of McLean County, Illinois published by Wm. LeBaron, Jr. Co. in 1879.  View the complete description here: The History of McLean County, Illinois

View additional McLean County, Illinois family biographies here: McLean County, Illinois Biographies

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