Edward V. Whiton was elected Chief Justice, when the supreme court was made a separate court; Abram D. Smith was elected Judge; James R. Doolittle (1st circuit) and M. Cothren (5th circuit) were elected.

The evidence

• “Edward V. Whiton, Chief Justice, elected in 1852; Abram D. Smith, Judge, 1852; Orsemus Cole, Judge, 1855.”

  1856-history-of-rock-county/01-wisconsin.md, PDF p. 23 / book p. 5

  Guernsey, Orrin, and Josiah F. Willard, editors. History of Rock County, and Transactions of the Rock County Agricultural Society and Mechanics' Institute. Janesville, Wis.: William M. Doty & Brother, 1856. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871593.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources

  

• “He was the principal compiler of the statutes for 1839, and as a member of the judiciary committee of the second constitutional convention was most largely instrumental in framing the adopted constitution. In 1852, when the supreme court was made a separate court, Mr. Whiton was elected chief justice, and continued in that position to his death, although he never removed from the city of Janesville and always kept his residence here.”

  1908-brown-rock-county/26-history-of-janesville.md, Vol. 2, PDF p. 27 / book p. 541

  Brown, William Fiske, editor. Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of Its Cities, Villages, Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, Up to Date. Chicago: C. F. Cooper & Co., 1908. 2 vols. archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon01brow, archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon02brow.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources