Hon. Robert B. Shirley, circuit judge and also judge of the appellate
court of the fourth district of Illinois, has for many years been a
leading citizen of Carlinville and stands without dispute among the
foremost jurists of this state. He was born on a farm on Silver creek,
in Madison county, Illinois, October 9, 1850, a son of William C. and
Mary Jane (Hoxsey) Shirley, the former of whom was a native of east
Tennessee and the latter of Madison county, Illinois. In their family
were seven children, one of whom died in infancy, the others being:
Harriet S., the deceased wife of H. S. Dorsey, of Alton, Illinois;
Robert B., of this review; Mary E., who is the wife of A. B. Dempsey, of
Sedalia, Missouri; William A., who is deceased; Rufus, who lives at
Staunton, Illinois; and Virginia, the wife of Harry T. Smith, also of
Staunton.
The father of our subject was a farmer and merchant.
He was reared in White county, Tennessee, but moved to Illinois in 1839
and settled on a farm near Butler, Montgomery county. In 1852 he engaged
in farming near Staunton and continued in that business until the
outbreak of the Civil war. Politically he was a Jackson democrat and in
1859 was elected to the Illinois general assembly. He cast his ballot
for Douglas in the contest against Lincoln for the United States senate.
He was again elected to the state legislature in 1866 and was quite
prominent in politics of the state. He secured the charter for the
construction of the line of the Wabash Railroad from Decatur to East St.
Louis, being president of the road at that time. He was a man of ability
and energy and was a well known factor in the development of the state
for a number of years. He died at Staunton in 1900, at the age of
seventy-seven, and his wife survived him, but passed away in 1901, at
the age of seventy-six years. They were both valued members of the
Christian church. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Dr.
Archibald Hoxsey, who came to Madison county, Illinois, from the state
of Kentucky in 1818 and located near Silver creek. He died at Staunton
at the age of sixty-nine years. His first wife was Harriet Stephenson,
of Christian county, Kentucky.
Reared on his father’s farm,
Robert B. Shirley grew to manhood and received his education in the
district and public schools. He continued to live on the home farm until
twenty-two years of age and then began the study of law in August, 1873,
in the office of William R. Welch, of Carlinville, afterward judge of
the circuit court. On July 4, 1876, he was admitted to practice in the
courts of Illinois and shortly afterward associated with S. T. Corn, of
Carlinville. The partnership continued until 1885, from which time Judge
Shirley practiced alone. In 1893 he was elected judge of the circuit
court of the fifth judicial district, comprising the counties of
Sangamon, Christian, Macoupin, Montgomery, Fayette and Shelby, and is
still holding the office of judge of the circuit court, having been
reelected to the present seventh judicial district in 1897, 1903 and
1909. His term of office expires in June, 1915. In June, 1909, he was
assigned by the supreme court of the state as judge of the appellate
court of the fourth appellate district of Illinois. Early in his
professional career he served as city attorney of Carlinville for three
terms and was also master in chancery from 1885 to 1887. His attention
has been concentrated closely upon his judicial duties since 1893 and in
the time named he has presided in many important cases.
On the
16th of October, 1879, Judge Shirley was married, at Carlinville, to
Miss Henrietta W. Burton, a daughter of Henry W. and Cornelia (Rider)
Burton. Mrs. Shirley died October 8, 1908, and on the 30th of November,
1910, Judge Shirley was again married to Miss Harriet G. Steidley, who
was born at Carlinville, a daughter of John Steidley. She is a member of
the Episcopal church.
Judge Shirley belongs to Mount Nebo Lodge,
No. 76, A. F. & A. M., and Litchfield Commandery, No. 30, K. T., being
also a member of Orient Lodge, No. 95, K. P., of Carlinville, and the
Elks. Politically be is a stanch democrat and prior to his election to
the bench served as chairman of the democratic county central committee
of Macoupin county for eight years. He was one of the original
stockholders and directors of the Carlinville National Bank and in every
capacity in which he has served, whether as business man, attorney or
judge, has at all times displayed an intelligence, fidelity, patriotism
and breadth of view which have reflected upon himself and the state the
highest credit. He is deeply respected by practitioners at the bar and
also by the people irrespective of religious or political affiliation.
Extracted 15 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 377-379.
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