Husband James Sill 1
Born: - Erie, Erie Co, PA
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Father: Hon. Thomas H. Sill (1783-1856) 1 2
Mother: Joanna Boyleston Chase ( - ) 1 2
Wife
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Children
General Notes: Husband - James Sill
After a course of study at the Erie Academy and in his father's law office, he graduated at the New York State and National Law School, and was admitted to the Erie bar. He was in 1857 elected District Attorney of Erie County, serving three years; was presidential Elector in 1868, voting for Grant and Colfax, and City Solicitor of Erie in 1871 and 1872. In 1870, with Judge Greer and others, he organized the People's Savings Institution at North East; having secured the charter of the Union & Titusville Railroad, in conjunction with Titusville and Union parties, organized the same as it was afterward constructed. He obtained the charter for and with others organized and for many years was a Director of the Humboldt Savings Bank; elected to the State Senate in 1880 for four years. At the session of 1881, under instructions from the Republican primaries, he supported G. A. Grow, and in doing so co-operated with the fifty-six independent Republicans. He served in that session on the Apportionment and General Judiciary committees and as Chairman of the Library Committee, and introduced and advocated a bill which became a law abolishing all distinction in color in schools; also an amendment to the Constitution relative to representatives in the House, and a bill tendering the marine hospital to the General Government for a soldiers' and sailors' home, which ultimately passed the Legislature of 1883. At the latter session he served on the Judiciary and Appropriation committees, and among the most important bills introduced by him at the latter session, there was enacted one to perfect the title to real estate of decedents, a bill to which he devoted much care, one of much importance to titles. In the extra session of 1883, he was active in his efforts to obtain apportionment bills; his last speech on this subject having been extensively circulated through the State, his resolutions for the restoration of the land light-house, adopted by the Legislature, were generally approved by his constituents. His bill providing for the probate of wills during the life of testator, passed the Senate but was lost in House. He collated the first published history of Erie City, and delivered numerous historical and political addresses, and for many years contributed freely to public journals. Senator Sill was an active party worker, having voted with the Whig party while it existed; he represented Erie County in the last Whig State Convention in 1855. Joining the Republican party in 1856, he was elected delegate to the Republican State Conventions of 1859, 1863, 1866, 1868 and 1878, several times a member of State Committee, and Chairman of Republican County Committees of 1861 and 1867, and of the city committees of 1866 and 1876, all attended with much labor and success. He declined the tendered appointment under President Lincoln of Provost Marshal for Nineteenth District in 1863. As member of the bar, much of the time with a large practice, he was in 1875 President of the Erie Law Association, and as member of the Library Committee in 1871, initiated and carried out the placing of portraits of ex-Judges and deceased attorneys in the court room. As member of the City Council in 1857-58, upon a special committee, he proposed a number of reforms which were enacted in the charter for the classification and elongation of terms of councilmen, regulation of an increase of the power of the Mayor, etc., until the adoption of the Wallace Act. Upon his return from Harrisburg, Mr. Sill resumed practice at the bar. [HEC 1884, 952]