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                    CHAPTER SIX
                    The Third Judge
                    WM. It. GORSIANE
    Upon the resignation of Judge Timothy 0. Howe as
stated in the last chapter, William R. Gorsline of Sheboygan
was appointed to fill the vacancy on February 24, 1855, and
in April following was elected to fill out the remainder of
Judge Howe's term. In the spring election of 1856 he was
elected for the full term. The Sheboygan bar of that period
had a number of able lawyers, among them Bille Williams,
E. Fox Cooke, and General Conrad Krez, but Judge Gorsline
was looked upon by the lawyers of the circuit as being one
whose make-up had most of the judicial character of any.
    William R. Gorsline was born in Manlius, Onondaga
county, New York, June 28, 1823. He was left an orphan
at an early age, but through the care of an uncle received a
good common school and academic education and being nat-
urally of a studious bent, began the study of the law in his
native town in a law office located there.
    He came to Milwaukee early in 1845, and after a few
months of study in the office of Frank Randall Esq., a lawyer
of that city, was admitted to the Wisconsin bar and in the
same year opened a law office in Sheboygan.
    it would almost seem as if the county offices in those days
were the regular perquisites of young lawyers for we find, as
in Manitowoc. that Judge Gorsline (to be) became for a part
of 1845 and 1846 the register of deeds for Sheboygan county
while waiting for law practice, which in due time came to
him.
     During the years 1850 and 1851 he was county judge of
that county, and proved himself a very capable and efficient
public officer. The term of office of county judges in those
days was two years and thi, office in fact was really a desir-
able one, especially to a rising young lawyer. Their compen-
sation wvas two dollars per clay for each day of court actually
held and in addition a schedule of fees for services performed
in each case chargeable to the parties. They had also a sched-
ule of fees for services as Judges of Probate and Circuit Court