The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-03-13
LONGEVITY OF JUDGES.

The death OF Judge Smalley at the age OF
nearly sixty-eight years-he would have
been sixty-eight had he lived until April /
gives prominence to the fact that judicial
life in Vermont, at least, does not detract
from longevity. Judge Smslley had four
predecessors. Nathaniel Chapman, the
first judge of the United States courts for
the district of Vermont. died in 1S43, at
the advanced age of ninety years. Then
came Samuel Hitchcock, of Vergennes and
Burlington, judge from 1893 to 1901, who
died in 1918, aged fifty-eight; Elijah
Paine of Williamstown, judge from 1901 to
1s49, and previously judge of the state
supreme court, who died in 1912, at the
age Of eighty -four years; and Samuel
Prentiss, of Montpelier, judge from 1912
to 1857, and previously judge and chief
justice of the state supreme court, who
died in 1857, aged seventy-four years.
Their average age was seventy-fve years,
and their term Of service seventeen years
Judge Smalley's age being seven years
less than the average, and his term of ser
vice three years more.
The same rule as to longevity-but not
as to length of service-has prevailed
among the judges of our state supreme
court. There have been twenty-one chief
justices, of whom nineteen have deceased,
and two-Luke P. Poland and John Pier
polnt-are still living or the nineteen
who have deceaeed, we have the ages at
time of death of all but four. The first,
Moses Robinson of Bennington, was chief
justice ten years, and died in 1918, at the
age of seventy-three years then came
emitting Elisha Payne and Paul Spooner-
Nathaniel Chapman of Rutland, who held
office five years, and died at the age of
ninety; Isaac Tichenor of Bennington, two
years, died at the age of eighty -four; Israel
Smith of Rutland, one year, died at the
age of fifty-one Jonathan Robinson of
Bennington, elk years, died at the age of
sixty-three Royal Tyler of Brattleboro,
ak years, died at the age of sixty-eight
Asa Adds of St. Albans, one year, died at
the age Of seventy-seven Richard Skinner
of Manchester, seven years, accidentally
killed when fifty six years of age Dudley
Chase of Randolph, four years, died at the
age OF seventy-four Cornelius P. Van
Ness of Burlington, two years, died at the
age of seventy-one Samuel Prentiss of
Montpelier, one year Titus Hutchinson
of Woodstock, four years, upwards of
eighty at the time of his death Charles
X. Williams of Rutland, twelve years,
seventy one years old at the time of his
death; Stephen Royce of Berkshire, six
years, aged eighty-one years when he died;
and Isaac F. Redaeld of Randolph, Mont
pelier and Windsor, who died at the age of
seventy years.
The above list embraces all of the de-
ceased chief justices of the supreme court
except Samuel Knight of Brattleboro, chief
justice for three years, and Enooh Wood.
bridge of Vergennes, also chief justice for
three years, whose ages at the time of
death we have not before US. We may
say, in passing, that it is notable list, en-
bracing the flower Of the Vermont bar,
judges and legislators, senators and repre-
sentatives, governors and dplomatists, legal
authors and poets, and it is list Of jurists
of which Vermont may well be proud.
The average age of the fifteen deceased
judges was seventy-two years. Taking
from the list Israel Smith of Rutland, who
was more of politician than lawyer and
more of statesman than judge, who died
maniac at the comparatively early age of
ftty-one years and Richard Skinner of
Manchester, whose deeth, when fifty-six
years old, was the result of an accident !;
and we have the average age of our chief
justices little over seventy-five years, or
nearly the same as the judges of the United
States district court.
The surviving chief justices are Luke p.
Poland of st. Johnsbury, who held the
Office five years, and Is now sixty-three
years old and John Pierpoint of Yer
gennes, the present incumbent who has
been chief justice since 1855, and is now
seventy-one years old. May they both live
long and surpass In years, not only the
average. but him who for so many years
adorned the bench of the state and United
States courts, the distinguished and able
Judge, and lawyer, and statesman, who
did so much to give stability and substance