The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-18
He PRAcTIsEs LAW At 50.
Judge Conn or Peekskin Was westchester's
Surrogate for Twenty.four Years.

PEEKsKILL, ". Y, July 17.-Owen Tristram
Coffin Is 90 years old to-day. He is in attend
anco upon his professional duties daily, and Is
apparently as strong and active as n man TWEEN
ty year shis Junior. Judge" Coffin, as he is best
known throughout Westchester county, but
moro properly former Surrogate CONN, comes
of Duchess county stock, and was born on
July IL. 1915, about half . milo south Of tho
village of Mechanic, near the town Of Washing.
ton. He is the sixth generation in descent from
Tristram Coffin, who. coming from Devonshire,
England, about the middle of the seventeenth
century, settled on tho island of Nantucket
and became tho owner OF one-tenth.
Tristram Coffin became the Chief Magis.
trate, and o judicial line Of ancestry has fol-
lowed, even to the son of the subject of this
sketch. Every member Of the family has been
characterized by longevity and q remarkable
mental activity until q late year In life.
One of the notable descendants of Tristram
Coffin was Col. Isaac Coffin, o naval officer. who
took service under tho British flag before the
breaking. out of the wars between the colonies
was knlghted, ana on quitting the navy be-
came q member of Parliament.
children Of Robert Coffin. a farmer who was for
many years a Magistrate In his county, and
also }ht for s, several fIot tsT%s sepf Ts msar, bis county county
Vanderberg. Owen was graduated from Union
G tSa eiiic IN Of as Juds Ssf Ra HSEss 8. Pc fSlhnaH t e ls eide In
Mr.. Coffin was admitted to the bar in 1910. He
nssaobsq Of the eG legal firm G1u Of Jo eha SGe1 Gofin n
81 Emmott of Poughkeepsie, the other mem
bers being John Emmott. efterward Q Justice
tired from this firm and associated himself
1851 he removed to Peekskin, and entered tho
law firm Of Nelson & Coffin, his partner being
In 1870 MI. Coffin was elected Surrogate of
the county. Of Westchester. He was renoml-
mated by the Democrats sit years later; Tho
IN this county. His opponent was Eugene d.
Travis, then an ardent Republican. after
and last fall the silver candidate for Congress
was 8.o05. His majority in this town, where
Of 5f'fhlis his ticket. In 1853 Matt II. Ellis Of Yon.
Iers was ambitious to be Surrogate. and OPP
Coffin was nominated after a hard fight. He
was elected over his opponent, q Mr., Horton,
BY S,t5 lime In H iss sn he %Ss w nSm MInot # f0E si H.
man, and Judge Collin. was elected by q ma
'0f Bayt in 1894 he met his Waterloo. He was
renominated at the Democratic convention,
although he was then 70 years old. Theo,
SSFs i "A; silt% %as named "a nSaPpb5S y the nSPRs epnSilc% sas
and WAS elected by the unprecedented majority
Si5,SlG: on Jan; |, 1892 Judge I Coffin stepped ped
7 uOWH WI II ohN oihSA - bSA
vice OF VENT four years.
Since his ratirement from public office Judge
Colin;has spent his days in his law office in the
PeokskiIi Savings Bank building, where for SO
many years he held court three times @. week
He walks TO and from his office without fatigue
and scorns an opportunity to ride; $50
When Judge Coffin reached the age OF 20
years tho claim WAS made that he was dis
qualified by the age limit from longer holding
the office Of Surrogate. A test case WAS made
on one OF his decisions. The Surrogate wat
represented by Calvin Frost, now dead. Tho
Court Of Appeals decided in the Surrogate'i
MIR. Coffin Is much interested In the cause o.
education. For twenty-five years ho has beer
the President Of the Board of Trustees OF TIT
Peckskill Military Academy. lie Is an ar
dent Episcopalian and "A regular attendant upoI
the services at the st. Peters Episcopal Church
For many years he has been the Senior Warden
Judge Collins first wife died N 1855, TIVE
years later he married Harriet Barlow, daugh
Ter Of Samuel Bancroft Barlow. Ono ,daugh
ter. Miss Madge, lives at homo with her pa
rents. One son, Samuel Barlow Coffin, reside
al Hudson, where he, Is now deputy inferno
revenue collector. Judge. Coffin lives on Smitl
street i'll II charming old tnshloned mansion
overlooking the Hudson with n vista OF ~
miles, extending from the entrance to the High
lands south to Haycrstraw Bay. He bull
this house when that part of tho village wa
almost n wilderness thirty.ive years ago. IL
has "A fine garden and spends many hours work
ing In IL. Judge Coiin's lettuce, ,radishcs
peas, and beans are the first TO be plucIed il
peekskill each year.