Russell S. Taft
Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
In office
January 12, 1899 – March 22, 1902
Preceded byJonathan Ross
Succeeded byJohn W. Rowell
Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
In office
December 17, 1880 – January 11, 1899
Preceded byJames Barrett
Succeeded byJohn H. Watson
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Burlington
In office
October 6, 1880 – December 16, 1880
Preceded byBradley B. Smalley
Succeeded byRobert Roberts
Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
In office
October 3, 1872 – October 8, 1874
GovernorJulius Converse
Preceded byGeorge N. Dale
Succeeded byLyman G. Hinckley
Member of the Vermont Senate from Chittenden County
In office
October 12, 1865 – October 10, 1867
Serving with John L. Barstow, Edgar H. Lane (1866)
Amos Hobart, Anson J. Crane (1865)
Preceded byLeverett B. Englesby, Amos Hobart, Anson J. Crane
Succeeded byJohn L. Barstow, Edgar H. Lane, Eleazer R. Hard
Register of Probate for Vermont's Chittenden District
In office
1866–1878
Preceded byW. S. Burnap
Succeeded byElihu B. Taft
State's Attorney of Chittenden County, Vermont
In office
1862–1865
Preceded byJeremiah French
Succeeded byLeverett B. Englesby
Personal details
Born(1835-01-28)January 28, 1835
Williston, Vermont
DiedMarch 22, 1902(1902-03-22) (aged 67)
Burlington, Vermont
Resting placeMorse Cemetery, Williston, Vermont
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Melinda L. Carlisle (m. 1858-1873, her death)
Jane Marlett Wyatt (m. 1876-1902, his death)
Children1
EducationWilliston Academy, Williston, Vermont
Newbury Academy, Newbury, Vermont
ProfessionAttorney

Russell Smith Taft (January 28, 1835 – March 22, 1902) was a lawyer, politician and judge who served as the 29th lieutenant governor of Vermont and chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.

Early life

Russell Smith Taft was born in Williston, Vermont, on January 28, 1835, the seventh of the children born to Elijah and Orinda (Kimball) Taft.[1] He attended schools in Williston and Burlington, and completed his schooling at Williston Academy in Williston and Newbury Academy in Newbury.[2] He taught school in Wiillston and Richmond, then studied law with George F. Edmunds, Torrey E. Wales and others, and attained admission to the bar in 1856.[3][4]

After passing the bar, Taft practiced in Burlington in partnership with Wales for 21 years.[3] Among the prospective attorneys who learned the law in the Wales and Taft office was Rufus E. Brown, who later served as Vermont Attorney General.[5] Taft was also the first president of the Vermont Life Insurance Company, and later served as its vice president.[6][7][8]

Civic and professional memberships

Taft was an author on legal and historical topics, and his articles were carried in The Green Bag and other publications.[9] One of his works, an essay on English common law, resulted in membership in London's Selden Society.[9]

In February 1864, Taft became a member of the Royal Arch Masonry chapter in Burlington.[10] In April 1864, he joined the Knights Templar Masonic organization.[10] As a member of the Scottish Rite, he attained the 32nd degree and served as commander in chief of the Vermont consistory.[10]

Political career

A Republican, Taft served as a selectman for the Town of Burlington from 1861 to 1864. After Burlington was incorporated as a city, Taft served as an alderman from 1865 to 1869.[11]

From 1862 to 1865 Taft was Chittenden County State's Attorney, and he was Chittenden County's Register of Probate from 1863 to 1880.[12]

Taft served in the Vermont Senate from 1865 to 1867, and he was Burlington's City Attorney from 1871 to 1872.[13][14]

In 1872 Taft was the successful Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, and he served from October 1872 to October 1874.[15][16] In 1874 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, losing to Asahel Peck.[17]

Taft represented Burlington in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1880.[18][19][20]

Judicial career

In 1880 the Vermont Assembly elected Taft an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.[2] He served until 1899, when he was appointed chief justice, replacing Jonathan Ross, who had been appointed to the United States Senate.[21][22] He was succeeded as an associate justice by John H. Watson.[23]

Death and burial

Taft served as chief justice until his death, and was succeeded by John W. Rowell. He died in Burlington, Vermont, on March 22, 1902.[24][25][26] He was buried in Williston's Morse Cemetery.[27]

Awards

Chief Justice Taft was the recipient of two honorary degrees from the University of Vermont.[28] In 1877, he received an honorary Master of Arts.[28] He received an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1899.[28]

Family

In 1858, Taft married Melinda L. Carlisle of Malone, New York.[3] She died in 1873, and they had no children.[3] In 1876, Taft married Jane (Marlett) Wyatt, a Burlington teacher who served as principal of the city's grammar school.[21] With his second wife, Taft was the father of Russell Wales Taft (1878-1912), who practiced law in Burlington.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Stafford, Wendell P. (January 1903). "Russell Smith Taft, LL.D." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historical and Genealogical Society. pp. 11–12 – via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 "The New Judge". Montpelier Journal. Montpelier, VT. December 4, 1880. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Stafford, p. 12.
  4. ↑ Rowell, John W. (1902). "Memorial Paper on Russell Smith Taft". Vermont Bar Association Officers, Proceedings, Papers and Addresses. Montpelier, VT: Argus and Patriot Printing House. p. 48 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Carleton, Hiram (1903). Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont. Vol. I. New York, NY: Lewis Publishing Company. p. 613 – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ Biography, Russell S. Taft, The Vermonter magazine, February, 1899, page 112
  7. ↑ Legislative Documents and Official Reports, published by Vermont General Assembly, Volume 3, 1876, page 321
  8. ↑ The Insurance Year Book for 1879-80, published by The Spectator Company, New York, page 189
  9. 1 2 Stafford, p. 13.
  10. 1 2 3 Rowell, p. 49.
  11. ↑ Obituary, Russell Smith Taft, The Vermonter magazine, April, 1902, pages 420 to 422
  12. ↑ Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography, edited by Prentiss Cutler Dodge, 1912, page 87
  13. ↑ William Cornwall and his Descendants, by Edward Everett Cornwall, 1901, page 83
  14. ↑ Andrew Warde and His Descendants, 1597-1910, by George K. Ward, 1910, page 371
  15. ↑ Vermont: The Green Mountain State, by Walter Hill Crockett, Volume 4, 1921, page 51
  16. ↑ General Election Results, Vermont Lieutenant Governor, 1813-2011, Vermont Secretary of State, State Archives and Records Administration, 2011, page 12
  17. ↑ Newspaper article, Vermont Politics -- The Coming Republican Convention, Boston Globe, June 12, 1874
  18. ↑ Lamb's Biographical Dictionary, edited by John Howard Brown, Volume 7, 1903, page 275
  19. ↑ Who's Who in America, published by A. N. Marquis, Volume 1, 1899, page 711
  20. ↑ Newspaper article, Republican to the Core: Vermont Gives the Largest Majority Since 1872, New York Times, September 8, 1880
  21. 1 2 Rowell, p. 52.
  22. ↑ Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court, 1778 to Present Archived 2012-04-15 at the Wayback Machine, Vermont Secretary of State, State Archives and Records Administration, 2011, pages 5 to 6
  23. ↑ Bigelow, Walter J. (1919). Vermont, Its Government. Montpelier, VT: Historical Publishing Company. p. 12.
  24. ↑ Stafford, p. 11.
  25. ↑ Death of Judge R. S. Taft, published in Kimball Family News, July, 1902, pages 97 to 101
  26. ↑ Death Notice, Judge Russell Smith Taft, New York Times, March 23, 1902
  27. ↑ Gravestone photos by contributor Barb Destromp, Russell Smith Taft page, Find A Grave web site, November 28, 2006
  28. 1 2 3 Rowell.
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