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William R. Rankin was born in in 1812. In 1861, he was a judge in Columbus, and was invited to address a gathering at Armory Hall on April 17, 1861, following the surrender of Fort Sumter. He was appointed to a committee to create resolutions in support of the Union.

He continued as a judge during the war and the years after. He was an attorney in prominent cases of the time and was noted to have trained others in the law.