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Decius S. Wade family papers, 1853-1905

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Wade, Decius S., b. 1835
Title
Decius S. Wade family papers
Dates
1853-1905 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.9 linear feet of shelf space
Collection Number
MC 54
Summary
Decius Wade was Montana Territorial Supreme Court Justice and former Andover, Ohio, attorney, judge, and legislator. Collection (1853-1905) includes a Wade family genealogy; correspondence with Vice President Schuyler Colfax, Charles W. Kellogg, and various family members, concerning his legal and family concerns; writings, and other materials. Also included are papers for five other family members: Bernice Galpin Wade, Charles H. Wade, Clare Wade Safford, Lucia Wade, and Marcia Wade.
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

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.

Wade's Supreme Court appointment was extended three times. At the end of this service in 1887, he began the practice of law in Helena, Montana. When Montana achieved statehood, Wade was appointed to the Codification Commission to systematize laws for the new state. He again returned to private law practice in 1892. In 1895, Wade and his family returned to the family farm, "Little Medford," near Andover, Ohio, where he retired.

Bernice Galpin and Decius S. Wade were married June 3, 1863. They had one child, Clare Lyon Wade. Their daughter graduated from Wellesley in 1890 and later married William E. Safford, a noted government botanist.

Decius S. Wade died at his home in Andover, August 4, 1905.

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Content Description

Decius S. Wade's papers constitute approximately half of this collection. These materials include general correspondence, writings and clippings reflecting Wade's legal career, his interest in politics, his experiences in Montana, and family matters. Other family members represented in the collection are Decius Wade's wife, Bernice Galpin Wade; his daughter, Clare Wade Safford; his sister, Lucia Wade; and his cousin, Marcia A. Wade. There are also fragmentary materials of other Wade and Safford family members. Schuyler Colfax's correspondence with Wade family members documents his later political career and the period of Grant Administration scandals.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged by subgroup and series

Location of Collection

2:6-2

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Courts--Montana.
  • Genealogy

Personal Names

  • Wade, Decius S., b. 1835 (creator)

Geographical Names

  • Europe--Description and travel.
  • Helena (Mont.)--Politics and government.
  • Ohio--Politics and government.
  • United States--Politics and government

Finding aid prepared by MHS staff, 1974, revised by Ellie Arguimbau, 1997.
2006

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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