Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-03-24
THE NEW MINISTER TO ENGLAND.

Career of Hon. Edward y. Phelps,
Kent Professor of Law of Yale Col
lege-His classmates mt the Yale Law
SchoOl-Hfs Emfnence In His Pro-
fession-PopuIarity as an Instructor.
The announcement yesterday that Hon.
Edward ]. Phelps, Kent professor of law at
Yale college, had been nominated by Presi-
dent Cleveland for the important position of
minister to the Court of st. James, gives
special pleasure in New Haven.
Professor Phelps is son of the late Sena-
tor Phelps of Vermont, and descended from
Connecticut ancestry and has spent several
years of his life in New Haven. His age is
about sixty. Three years ago he was elected
Kent professor of law at Yale college and
since then has made this city his winter resi-
dence, living the rest of the year at Burling
ton, Vermont. He was graduated from Mid
dlebury college in 1910, and Immediately
thereafter commenced the study of
law at the Yale Law school.
His class, though not large
one, contained several men who afterwards
distinguished themselves at the bar and in
political life. 1t included the late Governor
Richard D. Hubbard, Ex-Governor Smith of
Vermont, Professor Theodore w. Dwight of
Columbia college, Counsellor John S. Beach
and Hon. Colin M. Ingerson of New Haven.
After his admittance to the bar he practised
law in New York, and in 1857 removed to
Burlington where he soon built up for him
self large practice. In 1S49 he was made
by President. Fillmore second comptroller of
the United States Treasury, which Office he
e l. Ii.
Democratic candidate for Governor of Yer
mont, and he was a member of the last Yer
mont constitutional convention. In 1880 he
was elected to the presidency of the Ameri-
can Bar association. AS a lawyer he has
few equals in New England. He has a
quiet, unassuming manner, and charming
conversational powers. He possesses keen
insight into human nature, is a ready and
earnest speaker and most polished and re-
fined gentleman. His appointment was ia
vorably commented upon all over the city
yesterday and prominent lawyers and pro-
fessors declared that he was the right man
for the English court. He has been the most
popular instructor the law students have
ever had. The college and the law depart
ment will suffer greatly by his resignation.
A New Haven gentleman, speaking of the
appointment yesterday, said: For two years
Mr.. Phelps has been lecturing on law to the
students of the Yale Law school and has in
structed the seniors in the academical de-
partment at Yale in two courses, municipal
and international law.
The members of the college, both faculty
and instructors, express hearty congratula-
ton at the nomination. No member Of the
faculty is more universally admired in the
college community than he. Mr.. Phelps has
a very earnest way of speaking which
compels the closest attention and his we'll
worded remarks make law one of the most
interesting of the senior studies. He invites
many of his classes to his winter home in this
city, corner of Whitney avenue and Sachem
street, and there, as everywhere, is most
genial and gentlemanly. Few instructors
have such admirable success in the class room.
Mr.. Phelps is one of the few instructors who
belisves in telling the students what he
knows about the subject rather than in
spending an hour in trying to find out how
much the students know about it and will
sit before his class lecturing while the
students listen with the most rapt attention,
catching every word as it comes from his
lips. His classes in law are more largely at
tended than any other of the scheme of OPP
tional classes which the seniors enjoy. The
resignation of Mr.. Phelps will be presented
at the next meeting of the Yale corporation,
which will be held in April. 1t will take
effect a. the annual meeting of the corpora
ton in June. All of his many friends agree
with Justice Field in saying that "no better
selection could have been made for minister
to England than Mr.. Phelps of Yale.