Background
William H. Stanton was born in New York City on July 28, 1843.
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William H. Stanton was born in New York City on July 28, 1843.
Stanton attended school in Archbald and Saint John"s College, near Montrose, Pennsylvania.
He was raised in Carbondale and Archbald, Pennsylvania. He taught school while studying law, was admitted to the bar in 1868, and commenced practice in Scranton. He was Editor of the Scranton Daily Times (now the Times-Tribune), and he served as Prosecuting Attorney of the Scranton Mayor’s Court from 1872 to 1874.
He served in the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1875 and 1876.
Stanton was elected as a Democrat to the 44th United States Congress, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of Winthrop West. Ketcham. He served from December 4, 1876 to March 3, 1877, and was not a candidate in 1876 for election to a full two-year term in the 45th Congress.
He was elected Judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas in 1877, serving until moving to the court of the newly created Lackawanna County in October, 1878. Stanton resigned his judgeship in 1879, after fellow Democrats began impeachment proceedings in retaliation for an unfavorable ruling.
After leaving the bench, Stanton became a leader of the reform Greenback and Labor movements.
He left Scranton in 1883, living first in Arkansas, and later in Kansas City, Missouri. He later returned to Scranton, where he practiced law until his death. Stanton died in Scranton on March 28, 1900.
He was buried in Scranton"s West Side Catholic Cemetery.