Litchfield enquirer., 1860-04-19
Sketches of the Early Lights of the Litchfield Bar.
 No. VIII,
JAMES GOULD.
No. VIII.

JAMES GOULD.
 To tie Editor ef tue Litchfeld Enquirer:
 Sir: In compliance, in part, with request re gently received from you, now send you brie and imperfect sketch of the literary and profes sional character, standing and reputation of the lion. James Gould who, for very considerable period of time contributed much to the fame 0 the county and state for legal science by his tai ents as an advocate and especially as an instruct or and as judge of the Superior Court, witt some account of his person and family. Mir Gould, the son of Dr. William Gould, an emi nent physician, was born at Branford in this state in the year l770 The goodness of his common school education is inferable from the perfect accuracy of it. which showed itself in all he did or said in after life. He graduated when little over twenty-one, at Yale College, in Sep tember, 1791, with distinguished honor in class distinguished for talents.
 The year next following his collegiate course he spent in Baltimore as a teacher. He then re- turned to New Haven and commenced the study of law with Judge Chauncey and in September of that year he was chosen tutor in Yale Col lege in which office he continued two years. He then joined the Law School of Mir. Reeve at Litchfeld and was soon after admitted to the Bar. Immediately after his admission to the Bar he opened an office for practice in that town, where he resided during the remainder of his life. firSt o6y ho evinced such an apparent maturity of intellect such selfpossession, such command of his thoughts and of the language appropriate to their expression, that he was marked out as a success ful aspirant for forensic eminence. His progress in the acquisition of professional business was steady and rapid.
 Fortunate circumstances concurring few years before his choice of Ltchfield as the field of his professional labors, in the removal by pro- motion of two very distinguished practitioners at that Bar, opened the way to such choice, and by like good fortune similar event removed one of the two only remaining Instructions in that town to his full share in the best business as an advocate, the only business to which he aspired As reasoner Mir. Gould was forcible, lucid and logical as speaker his voice was very pleasant and his language pure, clear and always appro- priate. He never aspired to high strains of i'm passioned eloquence and rarely, if ever, address cd himself to the passions of the Court and Jury, but to their understanding only, and was very able, pleasing and successful advocate. His ar gument was fair map of the case, and one some- times engaged against him, but feeling his supe- riority, observed, that he had rather have Gould against him in a case than any other of any where equal powers, because he could perfectly understand his argument, and if susceptible of an answer could know how to apply it. In his practice at the Bar he was always perfectly fair and honorable. Within some two or three years after Mr. Gould commenced practice Mr. Reeve, the founder and until that time the sole instruct or of the Ltchfeld Law School, accepted a seat upon the bench of the Superior Court. This Court made it necessary for him to give up the School, orto associate some one with him in it's management, and to deliver lectures in his ab- sence upon the circuits. The Judge selected Mir. Gould as that associate; and for number of years they jointly conducted and received the profits of the School and on the final retirino of Judge Reeve from any participation in the instruction of the School, Mir. Gould became it's sole instructor and so continued until elevated to the bench of the Superior Court in the spring of 1916, when he in turn had to have recourse to temporary aid for the short time he remained on tue oehch. But thorough political Revolution "a'lhg taken place in this state, and new con- S''tu'loh formed which entirely new modelled the courts ot law, Mr. Gould took no further share in public empoymeuts and his health being great y impaired, he never resumed practice at the Bar, but confined himself wholly to his School during the remainder of his life, as far as severe lnhrmitles would permit. He died, as appears by the College catalogue, in 1888.
 In person Mir. Gould was very handsome. Of about medium heighth, or perhaps little over but rather less in body and limbs than medium slze. His complexion fair, with fine dark eyes 'lo beautiful brown hair; all his features good ano Tn connection indicative of much intelli 'senee ana good nature, and his form for symme "9 anu gracetulness could hardly have been n'Aoee ''''o In all respects, in body, mind and education' he may be fairly styled a finished man tn private and social intercourse he was biob,v pleasing, facetious and witty.
 Soon after his settlement in Iitchse,a h., ", ried the eldest daughter of the Hon 1r-:.,. Tracy, so we'll known for his long and dist;n guished services in the councils of the state ,n; nation.
 Mrs. Gould in person and mind was fit wifi for such a husband, and partook with him in tn happiness of raising very numerous and prom ising family of children.
 Judge Gould wrote and published volume ( Headings which, together with his fame as a instructor, gave him a distinguished name anon the eminent jurists of the country.
 D. s. BoARDaaS,
 SsasN Owen Loveioy, says Forney's Press. is a