12th Nevada Attorney General
Term: January 15, 1901 - January 5, 1903
Biography
William Woodburn, born in County Wicklow,
Ireland, on April 14, 1838, immigrated with his parents to the United States in
1849. He attended St. Charles College, Maryland; studied law; and gained
admitted to the Nevada State Bar on January 4, 1866.[1]
Shortly thereafter, Mr. Woodburn commenced the practice of law in Virginia
City, Storey County, Nevada.
In 1871 and 1872, voters elected Woodburn
as the District Attorney of Storey County. In 1874, voters elected
Woodburn (Republican) multiple times as Nevada’s only Congressional
Representative to the 44th Congress (March 4, 1875–March 3, 1877); to the 49th
Congress (March 4, 1885–March 4, 1887); and to the 50th Congress (March 4,
1887–March 4, 1889). After an unsuccessful bid for the 53rd Congress in 1892,
Woodburn resumed his law practice in Virginia City.
On January 15, 1901, Governor Reinhold
Sadler appointed Woodburn as Nevada’s 12th Attorney General when Nevada Attorney
General William D. Jones resigned from office to become a district court judge.
In the election of 1902, Woodburn did not run for Attorney General, and after
his term ended in 1903, he returned to private practice as an attorney.
Office
Administration and Duties
Mr. Woodburn had no deputies or other
support staff according to the Nevada Attorney General’s budget for the
1901–1903 state biennial fiscal period:
1901–1903 Budget
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$4,000
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$4,000
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Attorney General’s Salary
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Office expenses came from an
appropriation “[f]or a current expense appropriation, to defray the
telegraphic, postage, and contingent expenses of the several state
officers, Supreme Court, and State Library, to be expended under the
direction of the Lieutenant Governor, State Controller, and Secretary of
State, $3,600
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. . . which [said] sum includes the
sum of $300 for necessary typewriting for the offices of the Governor
and Attorney
General as directed by them . . .”
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The 1901 Nevada State Legislature added
additional duties to the office of the Attorney General:
The Nevada
Attorney general is to take legal action to secure for the State of Nevada
any grant, devise, bequest, donation, gift, or assignment of money, bonds,
or choses in action of any property, real or personal, made to the State of
Nevada. (Statutes of Nevada 1901, Chapter XIX, page 29).
The Governor,
Controller, and Attorney General are to ascertain the aggregate value of
taxable property when requested (reported) by the several County Auditors.
(Statutes of Nevada 1901, Chapter L, pages 62-63).
The Nevada
State Board of Irrigation is created with the Nevada Attorney General as a
member. (Statutes of Nevada 1901, Chapter LIX, pages 72-73).
The Nevada
Board of Examiners–with the Nevada Attorney General as member thereof–is to
pay bounties for the boring of wells for oil, natural gas, and artesian
water. (Statutes of Nevada 1901, Chapter LXXVI, pages 86-88).
The Nevada
Attorney General is to examine the articles of incorporation and by-laws of
Mutual Fire Insurances Companies for compliance with state statues governing
same. (Statutes of Nevada 1901, Chapter VIII, pages 110-111).
Foreign
Corporations doing business in Nevada are required to publish an annual
statement in a Nevada newspaper during the month of January of each year.
If the District Attorney does not otherwise take action, the Nevada Attorney
General is to take legal action to fine each foreign corporation that does
not publish an annual report $100 per day. (Statutes of Nevada 1901,
Chapter CVIII, Pages 118-119).
[1] Nevada Reports, Number 26, p. 30.