William T. Wallace

William Thompson Wallace (March 22, 1828 – August 11, 1909) was the 12th Chief Justice of California and the 6th Attorney General of California. He served on the Supreme Court of California from 1871 to 1879 and as Attorney General from 1856 to 1858. Biography Wallace was born on March 22, 1828, in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. His father, Joseph, was a physician, who by 1850 was widowed with six children living in Montgomery County, Kentucky. Wallace was educated and read law, followed his older brother onto the Kentucky bar and practiced law. In 1850, at age 22, he moved to San Jose, California. He began a law firm with C. T. Ryland, and was joined after January 1851 by Peter H. Burnett, after he completed his term as the first Governor of California. In 1852, Wallace won appointment as District Attorney for four counties, based in San Jose. After one year, he resigned and began a private practice. In September 1855, he ran successfully for Attorney General of California for the Know Nothing party, on the same ticket as David S. Terry, who was elected to the California Supreme Court. He served in that office from January 1856 to January 1858.