Name John Sharpstein | ||
John Randolph Sharpstein (May 3, 1823 – December 28, 1892) was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate and Wisconsin State Assembly and a Justice of the Supreme Court of California.
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Biography
Sharpstein was born on May 3 or May 23, 1823 in Richmond, New York. In 1847, he moved to Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. He died on December 28, 1892.
Career
Sharpstein was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate from 1852 to 1853, representing the 16th district in 1852 and the 8th district in 1853. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1863.
Previously, he had been District Attorney of Sheboygan County and of Kenosha County, Wisconsin. From 1853 to 1857, he was U.S Attorney of Wisconsin. Sharpstein became Postmaster of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1857 and was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Convention.
In 1864, Sharpstein moved to California and practiced law. In 1874, he became a district court judge in California.
In October 1879, when adoption of a new constitution required elections for all supreme Court seats, Sharpstein won a position as Associate Justice. When the term began January 5, 1880, the justices drew lots to determine their length of term, and he and Erskine M. Ross both drew three-year terms. In November 1882, both Ross and Sharpstein were re-elected on the Democratic Party ticket to 12-year terms, and he remained a member of the court until his death in 1892.