Edward V. Whiton

Edward Vernon Whiton Sr. (June 2, 1805 – April 12, 1859) was an American lawyer, jurist, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the first elected chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court (3rd overall), and served on the Supreme Court from its establishment in 1848 until his death in 1859. As chief justice, he wrote the court's controversial opinion in the case of Ableman v. Booth, which attempted to nullify the federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. He also authored the opinion in Bashford v. Barstow, deciding the outcome of the 1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election and cementing the role of the Wisconsin Supreme Court as arbiter of the state constitution.

Before Wisconsin became a state, Whiton had served eight years in the Wisconsin Territory legislature, elected on the Whig Party ticket and serving terms in both chambers. He was also a delegate to Wisconsin's second constitutional convention in the Winter of 1847–1848, where he helped frame the Constitution of Wisconsin. He was one of the earliest landowners in what is now Rock County, Wisconsin.