Lawrence Weldon

Born on August 9, 1829, in Zanesville, Ohio,[1] Weldon attended the public schools and Wittenberg College in Springfield, Ohio.[2] He served as clerk for the Secretary of State of Ohio from 1853 to 1854.[1] He read law while working for Judge Richard A. Harrison and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1854.[2] He entered private practice in Clinton, Illinois from 1854 to 1861.[1] During this time he became acquainted with Stephen A. Douglas, who introduced him to Abraham Lincoln.[2] He was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1861.[1] He was appointed United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois by President Abraham Lincoln, serving from 1861 to 1866.[1] He resumed private practice in Bloomington, Illinois from 1867 to 1883.[1]

Weldon received a recess appointment from President Chester A. Arthur on November 24, 1883, to a seat on the Court of Claims (later the United States Court of Claims) vacated by Judge Bancroft Davis.[1] He was nominated to the same position by President Arthur on December 12, 1883.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 1883, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on April 10, 1905, due to his death in Washington, D.C.[1] He was succeeded by Judge George W. Atkinson.[1]

In December 1854, Weldon wed Mary Jane Howard, and had two children.[2]

• Federal Judicial Center entry on Lawrence Weldon
• The United States Court of Claims : a history / pt. 1. The judges, 1855-1976 / by Marion T. Bennett / pt. 2. Origin, development, jurisdiction, 1855-1978 / W. Cowen, P. Nichols, M.T. Bennett. Washington, D.C.: Committee on the Bicentennial of Independence and the Constitution of the Judicial Conference of the United States. 1976.