My Genealogy Hound

HON. WILLIAM HENRY SUTTON. Ex-Senator William H. Sutton, a well known and leading member of the Montgomery county and the Philadelphia bar, is a native of Haddonfield, Camden county, New Jersey, born September 11, 1835, His father, the Rev. Henry Sutton, served many years in the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the Philadelphia Conference. In 1832 Rev. Henry Sutton was united in marriage to Miss Ann Craig, daughter of James Craig, who came from the North of Ireland and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Three children were the issue of this union-George Howard, who died in the eleventh year of his age; William Henry, mentioned hereinafter; and John Wesley, who died in early life. Rev. Henry Sutton died in 1876, and his widow resided with her son, Senator Sutton, until her death in May, 1883, when her remains were interred beside those of her husband, in West Laurel Hill Cemetery.

William H. Sutton resided at Haddonfield, New Jersey; Coventry and Marshallton, in Chester county, Pennsylvania; at Marietta and Safe Harbor, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania; at Smyrna and Dover, Delaware; at Centreville and Sudlersville, Maryland; at Dauphin and the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while his father was filling successive appointments as a minister of the Gospel. He was educated in public schools, in the preparatory school at Carlisle, and in 1853 entered Dickinson College, where he studied for two years. He then engaged in teaching in Delaware county, Pennsylvania, continuing for two years, after which he entered Wesleyan University, at Middletown, Connecticut, from which institution he was graduated in 1857, after completing the classical course. He then filled a term of three years as instructor in the American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, at Hartford, Connecticut, after which he studied law at the University of Albany, at Albany, New York. He then went to Philadelphia and entered as a law student with Hon. William M. Meredith, who was attorney-general of Pennsylvania and secretary of the United States treasury. He was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in the year 1863, and has been in active practice ever since. During this long period of more than forty years he has given careful attention to the trial of many important cases, and he has become recognized as one of the most capable and successful jury lawyers in that section of the state. His excellent character, scholarly attainments and marked ability have throughout his career commanded the respect and admiration of the bench and bar. He served in the capacity of assistant to Jacob V. Gotwalts, district attorney of Montgomery county, in the prosecution of Henri Wahlen, who was convicted of the murder of Max Hugo Hoehne, near Elm station, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, in Lower Merion, in 1876. Mr. Sutton was highly complimented for the able manner in which he worked up the details of the case and assisted in securing the necessary proof to convict Wahlen, who hanged himself in prison before the day set for his execution. In all of the many cases in which he served as attorney in the Philadelphia and Montgomery county courts, he gave his undivided attention to the interests of his clients, and left nothing undone that promised to be to their advantage, and his able and eloquent pleading was often the means of influencing the judge and jury in their behalf. His law office is located at 907 Walnut street, Philadelphia.

Ex-Senator Sutton has been very active in public affairs, as well as in the practice of his profession, and the services rendered by him have been of momentous importance. He was the incumbent of the offices of auditor and school director, and in 1882 he accepted the Democratic nomination for the state senate, and was elected by a majority of five hundred and thirty-five over the Republican nominee. As a member of that body he made an excellent record, and was the author of many bills of importance. For the part in securing the passage of a building and loan association bill, he was honored by the Building and Loan Association of Pennsylvania with a handsomely engrossed set of resolutions of thanks. His name has frequently been mentioned in connection with the nomination for congress and other important positions, and it was placed on the ticket for judge in Montgomery county, but with no expectation of his election, as the county is and has been for a number of years very strongly Republican. He was defeated, of course, but made a very creditable showing, which, under different circumstances, would have ended in his triumphant election. In his religious faith ex-Senator Sutton is a Methodist, holding membership in that body for many years. He has long served in the capacity of a member of the board of managers of the Church Extension Society, of the Tract Society, the Home Missionary Society, the American Sunday-School Union, and other similar church organizations. He has also held many honorary appointments in the denomination. He was a delegate-at-large from the United States to the World’s Methodist Ecumenical Council held in London, England, in September, 1901. He has frequently been a delegate to the Methodist Conference and to the General Conference of the denomination, and he was president of the lay electoral conference to select delegates for the General Conference held in Philadelphia, in 1884. In St. Luke Methodist Episcopal church, at Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, he has placed two handsome memorial windows in honor of his father and mother. He aided materially in the erection of that church, and for many years was a member of its board of trustees, and superintendent of its Sunday-school. He holds an honored and prominent place in the Masonic order, also in many other organizations in the vicinity of Bryn Mawr.

On June 25, 1872, ex-Senator Sutton married Hannah C. Anderson, daughter of Dr. Isaac W. and Martha Yocum (Crawford) Anderson, of Lower Merion. The Anderson family belong to one of the oldest and most influential in the township. Patrick Anderson, their ancestor, was an officer in the Revolutionary war. The family has produced many eminent physicians. Not only was the grandfather, Dr. James Anderson, as well as the father of Mrs. Sutton, a physician, but two of her uncles, Dr. J. Rush Anderson and Dr. Joseph W. Anderson, and a great-uncle, Dr. Isaac Anderson. Mrs. Sutton, a woman of character and refinement, who has performed faithfully every duty that has been required of her as wife and mother, and has also been an earnest and effective church worker, bore her husband the following named children: 1. Howard A., who graduated from the Wesleyan University and the Pennsylvania University, Department of Medicine, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He resided in Norristown during the prevalence of smallpox in the winter of 1901-02, assuming charge of the Municipal Hospital, and winning many enomiums for his excellent management of the institution. His self-sacrifice and devotion to the interests of his patients were a matter of general comment at the time. 2. William Henry, who died at the age of five years. 3. Helen, who became the wife of N. E. Davis. 4. Isaac C., a graduate of Wesleyan College and now an attorney at law. 5. Grace A., who is a graduate of the Woman’s College, of Baltimore, Maryland. 6. Corona. 7. Lucy. 8. Henry Craig, now a student at college. 9. Mildred. 10. Joseph Aubrey. Shortly after his marriage ex-Senator Sutton located at Haverford Station, Lower Merion township, Montgomery county, where he has resided ever since. He has been honored with the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Laws.