JUSTICE JASON DOWNER became the namesake of Downer Women in 1889. This Lincolnesque lawyer was a puritan-type Congregationalist born in Vermont. He attended Dartmouth College and moved to Milwaukee in 1842, where he served on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court between 1864 and 1867. A fine writer and known as a "lawyer's lawyer," he wrote opinions, rather than arguing cases before a jury, to whom he appeared "austere."

In spite of his looks and style, he was a great benefactor to the Wisconsin Female College in Fox Lake, giving both funds and legal services. He valued women's education in general but, in particular, he valued the character building and Christian development emphasized at Wisconsin Female College. Finally, he secured the College through his will in 1883, stipulating that it remain a Women's College and that 3/4 of the Trustees be Presbyterians or Congregationalists.