On this date in 1917, the Washburn Leader announced the death of Judge Walter H. Winchester. He retired from the bench in 1912. His health began to deteriorate following his retirement. He developed a brain hemorrhage after an operation on March 4, and he passed away shortly after.
He was survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.
Winchester was born in Malone, New York in 1844. He went to school there, and after graduating from Franklin County Academy, he spent two years at Amherst College in Massachusetts. He served in the Army during the Civil War.
In 1870, Winchester traveled to Iowa. For six months he worked as a reporter for the DavenportDemocrat and Leader newspaper. He then relocated to Cordova, Illinois where he took a position as principal of the Cordova Academy. After a year there, Winchester returned to New York where he served as principal of Fort Covington Academy for three years while studying law. He graduated from Albany University in 1873 and was admitted to the bar. He practiced law in New York until he moved to Bismarck in 1883.
In North Dakota, Winchester quickly earned a reputation as an able attorney, but he also served as the Burleigh County Superintendent of Schools. Winchester was elected as the judge of the Sixth Judicial District in 1889, and served in that position until 1912. As a Civil War veteran, he was a member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic. On Memorial Day in 1912, he gave a stirring rendition of the Gettysburg Address. He was active in the Masonic Lodge, and when he passed away the Masons honored him with a Masonic funeral. He was described as the best known judge in North Dakota.
Because of his dedicated work with schools, Winchester’s family instituted the Winchester Prize in his honor in 1913. The prize was awarded annually in the Bismarck School District for proficiency in arithmetic. The winning student received $25.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher
Sources:
Washburn Leader. “Judge Winchester Called by Death.” 7 March, 1913. Washburn, ND. Page 1.
Bismarck Daily Tribune. “Bruce Gave Fine Address.” 31 March 1912. Bismarck, ND. Page 1.
Bismarck Daily Tribune. “Masons Will Meet.” 6 March 1913. Bismarck, ND. Page 2.
Bismarck Daily Tribune. “Young Regan Boy Wins Winchester Prize.” 16 June 1917. Bismarck, ND. Page 5.
Courier Democrat. “Judge Winchester is Dead.” 20 March 1913. Langdon, ND. Page 3.
North Dakota Supreme Court. “Judge Walter H. Winchester.” https://www.ndcourts.gov/court/bios/winchester.htm Accessed 14 January, 2018.
