Brigadier General William Ward Orme (1832-1866) was born in Washington, D.C. in 1832. He moved to Bloomington, Illinois, in McLean County, prior to 1860, where he practiced law in the law firm of Swett & Orme. His partner was Leonard Swett. While practicing law in Illinois, he caught the attention of Abraham Lincoln, who called Orme the most promising lawyer in Illinois.