Woodson T. Slater
American judge (1858-1928)
Woodson Taylor Slater (November 18, 1858 – November 30, 1928) was an American attorney and jurist in Oregon. He was the 38th associate justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving from 1909 to 1911. Slater was the son of Congressman James H. Slater. The Oregon native also worked in the state’s treasurer’s office and for the Supreme Court prior to his appointment as a judge to the state’s highest court.
Early life
Woodson Slater was born on November 18, 1858, in Corvallis, Benton County, Oregon Territory to Elizabeth (Edna) Gray and later Congressman James H. Slater. In 1863 the family moved to Walla Walla, Washington, and then Auburn, Oregon, before settling in the Eastern Oregon town of La Grande in 1866. There in Union County Woodson received his primary education in the public schools. In 1883, he graduated from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, before being admitted to the bar two years later. Slater married in 1885 to Mary Price Howe and the couple would have four children.
Legal career
Upon becoming a lawyer Slater moved to Pendleton, Oregon, and began practicing law in 1886.
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