Hoosier Legal Literaries
From Settlement to Sesquicentennial

Oliver Hampton Smith
23 Oct. 1794 - 1859

Oliver Hampton Smith was born near Trenton, New Jersey. He lived in Pennsylvania and New York before finally settling in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, in 1817. He was admitted to the bar in 1820 and began practicing law in Connersville, Indiana. He served as a U.S. Representative from 1827 to 1829 and 1837 to 1843. Following his service in Washington, Smith moved to Indianapolis to resume his law practice. He was also involved in the railroad industry and wrote the book Early Indiana Trials and Sketches.

For more information about Oliver Hampton Smith, click here.

Bibliography
Early Indiana Trials and Sketches. Cincinnati: Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Co., 1858. [ISL call number: I 977.2 S656e]

For more information about Richard Wigginton Thompson, click here.

Bibliography
Comments on Letters on the Spanish Inquisition. unpublished manuscript. [ISL Manuscript Section, V207]
The Footprints of the Jesuits. Cincinnati: Cranston & Curtis, 1894. [ISL call number: I 271.5 T475f]
The History of Protective Tariff Laws. Chicago, 1888. [ISL call number: I 337.3 T475]
The Papacy and the Civil Power. New York: Harper, 1876. [ISL call number: I 322 T475]
Recollections of Sixteen Presidents from Washington to Lincoln. Indianapolis: The Bowen-Merrill Co., 1894. [ISL call number: I 923 T475r (2 volumes)]

William Wheeler Thornton
27 June 1851 - 21 Jan. 1932

William Wheeler Thornton was born near Logansport, Indiana. He grew up on a farm in Cass County, Indiana, where he attended the local schools and Smithson College, a Universalist educational institution. Thornton was appointed Indiana Deputy Attorney General by Daniel P. Baldwin in 1880 and served a two year term. On September 1, 1889, he was appointed librarian of the Indiana Supreme Court. He left private practice when he became judge of the Marion County Superior Court in 1914, a post he maintained until 1932.  Thornton was also the author of numerous book and articles on the law and was considered one of the most prolific and authoritative writers on the subject.

For more information about William Wheeler Thornton, click here.

Select Bibliography
Complete Guide for Indiana Township Officers. Cincinnati, 1919. [ISL call number: I 352 T514c]
Government of the State of Indiana. Terre Haute, 1898. [ISL call number: I 342.772 T514g]
Indiana Negligence, A Treatise on the Law of Negligence as Administered in the Courts of Indiana, Including the Law of Accident Insurance, Common Carriers, Etc. Cincinnati: W. H. Anderson Co., 1908. [ISL call number: I 347.5 T514i]
Indiana Statutory Construction and Citations. Indianapolis, 1887.
Isaac Blackford: The Indiana Blackstone. Indianapolis: Indiana Supreme Court, 2005. [ISL call number: I 923 B628t]
The Law Appertaining to Juries and Instructions Thereto. Indianapolis, 1888.
The Law Governing Cities and Towns in the State of Indiana, Including All Statutes of the State Appertaining to Cities and Towns; Thoroughly Annotated, with Complete Forms of Procedure. Cincinnati, W. H. Anderson Co., 1930. [ISL call number: I 352 T513L8]
Laws of Private Corporations Except Banking, Building and Loan Associations, Insurance and Steam Railway Companies. Indianapolis: Wm. B. Burford, 1902. [ISL call number: I 380 T514L]
Manual of Practice Before County Commissioners Including the Powers and Duties of County Officers in Indiana with Complete Forms. Indianapolis: Bobbs, 1925. [ISL call number: I 352 T514m]
A Monograph on the Law of Lost Wills. Chicago, 1890.
The Municipal Law of Indiana Including the General School Law. Cincinnati, 1891.
A Treatise on the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Cincinnati, 1913.