Benjamin Willoughby

Benjamin Milton Willoughby (April 8, 1855 – June 29, 1940) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He served as a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from January 6, 1919 to January 7, 1931. Biography Willoughby was born in Ripley County, Indiana to Milton Willoughby (of English descent, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and Phoebe Willoughby (née Osborn, originally from Batavia, Ohio). Benjamin Willoughby was the second of their eight children. In 1873, Willoughby moved to Trimble County, Kentucky, where he attended school. He came to Vincennes in 1875. He graduated from high school in Vincennes in 1876 and moved to Petersburg, where he became the principal of the grammar department at the local high school. In 1877, he began reading law under the tutelage of Capt. George G. Reily. From 1877-78, he taught school in Sandborn. In 1878, he began studying law at Cincinnati College, graduating in 1879 and being admitted to the bar the same year. Willoughby returned to Vincennes to practice law. In 1882, he opened a practice in partnership with Louis A. Meyer, a German immigrant, forming the firm of Meyer & Willoughby. The firm found much success, partially thanks to Meyer's ability to speak German, which attracted many clients who were German immigrants.