Biography

Downer was born on September 9, 1813 in Sharon, Vermont

Sharon, Vermont

Sharon is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. It had a population of 1,411 at the 2000 census. The town is home to The Sharon Academy.-History:...

. He graduated from Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...

 in 1838. Downer moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

 in 1842. He would briefly serve as editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...

. Downer passed away on September 1, 1883. He left the bulk of his estate to the Wisconsin Female College, which was later re-named Downer College

Downer College

Downer College was a women's college in Fox Lake, Wisconsin, chartered in 1855 and opening in September, 1856.-History:It was founded in 1854 as Wisconsin Female College under the auspices of the Wisconsin Baptist Convention to prepare women for missionary service. It was poorly funded, and was...

. It eventually became Milwaukee-Downer College

Milwaukee-Downer College

Milwaukee-Downer College was a women's college, later a normal school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.-History:...

 and spawned the Milwaukee-Downer Seminary

Milwaukee-Downer Seminary

Milwaukee-Downer Seminary was a private girls' junior high and high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was separated from Milwaukee-Downer College in 1910 ; and added seventh and eighth grades in 1917, although a separate corporation was not obtained until 1933.In 1959, MDS purchased land on Fairy...

.

Public service

Downer was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1864. He would remain a member until his resignation in 1867.