Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-03-29
GEORGE T. CURTIS DEAD
Noted as a Lawyer and as an
Author.
A FRIEND OF DANIEL WEBSTER

Death Came Suddenly at His New York
Home-His Writings Were Largely on
Law and are Considered Authorities.
| Funeral Will BE Friday.
NEW YORK. March 29.-George Tickenor
! Curtis. one of the most eminent authori-
ties on constitutional law and the author
! of many legal works, died suddenly in his
house at Al Park avenue. He had been i'll
with a slight attack of pneumonia and yes
! terdaY morning was found unconscious i'll
! bed He died of heart failure several hours
later.
He was born in Watertown, Mass, in
1872 and was graduated from Harvard col
Iege. Then he studied law in the office of
Charles Pelham Curtis in Boston. and aft
qr teaching school in Greenfield, Mass, be
gan the practice of law in Boston.
Early i'll his career he devoted himself to
the study of patent litigation and was con-
cerned in large portion of the patent
cases prior to 1850. Then he came to this
city in 1853, and up to 10 years ago had an
Office at 9 Nassau street, from which place
he moved to the Moss building. His active
life in the legal profession ended in Wash
ingtOn six years ago.
Counsel In Famous Cases.
Among the important cases with which
he was connected We're the Colt pistol
case. the Goodyear rubber cases and the
sewing machine cases, in all of which the
legality of patents was called in question.
He was also one of the lawyers in the
bred Scott case and argued it before the
United States supreme court while his
brother, Justice Benjamin Robbins Curtis,
sat on the bench.
Much of his time was spent in writing
low IA; of va
the textbooks in use now. Among these
are Curtis on Patents, History of the
Constitution of the United States, ""rrea-
tise on Copyrights, admiralty Law and
Equity and Precetlents"
He was an intimate friend of Daniel
Webster and was his literary executor
His principal work was The Life of Dan
iel Webster" and he also wrote The Life
of President James Buchanan" His last
book. "Creation or Evolution" was pub
lished about 10 years ago.
Contributions to fiction We're also pro
duced by his pen, but he wrote under a
nom de plume. One of his novels was
John CharaNes." His last writings, how
ever. We're magazine and short articles for
the newspapers, and only few weeks ago
he finished ii history of his own life.
Held Office but Once.
He WAS married twice. His first wife
was Il daughter of Judge Joseph Story of
Massachusetts and Il sister of WV. Story,
noted sculptor. A son by this marriage
is now mining engineer in south Africa.
Miss Louisa Nystron, daughter of John
Nystron of Morristown, was married to
him in 1851.
She and her two sons and three daugh
tiers survive him. One of his nieces is the
wife of President Low of Columbia college.
In politics he was Democrat and was
at one time member of Tammany. The
active part he took during the civil war
and his remarks at that time led to the be
lief that he sympathized with the Confed
eracy, but he was always for the Union
although not an extreme abOlitionist. He
held public Office but once, and that as
justice of the peace. He will be buried on
Friday from Trinity chapel, in West TWEEN
ty-fifth street, where the services will be
held at 10 o'clock in the morning.