George Gale

George W. Gale (November 30, 1816April 18, 1868) was an American lawyer, judge, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge and as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. He was the founder of Galesville, Wisconsin, and Gale College, and was a driving force behind the creation of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. Early life and education Born in Burlington, Vermont, Gale grew up working on his father's farm. He received a common school education and, in March 1839, he began studying law at Waterbury Center, Vermont. While at Waterbury, he also worked as postmaster, and, in 1841, was admitted to the Vermont Bar. Career Shortly after achieving the Bar, he left Vermont for the Wisconsin Territory. He settled at Elkhorn, Walworth County, where he established a law practice. He became involved in the abolition movement as a member of the Liberty Party, and, in 1845, he founded the Elkhorn Western Star, a newspaper from the Liberty Party perspective, and was editor and publisher of the paper for a year. He also published the "Wisconsin Form Book" (Forms, with Notes and References, Adapted to the Statutes of Wisconsin) in 1846, and published revised editions in 1848, 1850, and 1856. The Form Book was widely distributed in the early state as a manual for attorneys, sheriffs, local officials, and justices of the peace, with standardized language and instructions for contracts and legal documents. In 1847, he was elected district attorney for Walworth County and was elected to represent Walworth County as a delegate to Wisconsin's 2nd constitutional convention. The second convention was necessary because the constitution produced by the first convention failed to win the approval of the voters. Gale won recognition at the convention as a leading member of the judiciary committee and helped frame the Constitution of Wisconsin, which was approved and ratified in 1848. Following the convention, Gale took up his role as district attorney, which he fulfilled until 1848.