Wade, Decius S., 1835-

Decius S. Wade was born in Andover, Ohio, January 23, 1835, the son of Charles H. and Juliet Spear Wade. He was educated in local schools, studied law with the firm of his uncle, Senator Benjamin F. Wade, and was admitted to the Ohio Bar in September 1857. He practiced law at Jefferson, Ohio, until 1860, when he was elected probate judge for Ashtabula County. He held this position until 1867. Wade was elected to the Ohio State Senate in 1869, and served until 1871, when his appointment as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Montana Territory was confirmed.

Decius Wade's appointment to the Supreme Court can be traced to his family's influence with the national Republican administration. Two of his uncles, Edward and Benjamin F. Wade, were multi-term members of Congress, and his first cousin, Nellie Wade, was the wife of Schuyler Colfax, Vice President in the Grant Administration.

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