News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1900-03-14
DEATH oE E. ]. PHELPS.

Ex-Minister E. ]. Phelps, Kent
Professor of Law at Yale, died at his
home in New Haven, Conn, last Fri
day. Athis bedside were Mrs. Phelps,
his son, Charles p. Phelps of Boston,
and his daughter, Mrs. Horatio
LOOMS of New York city. Hisdeath
was due directly to an abscess of the
lungs, although he has been ill for
seven weeks with pneumonia. For
twelve hours previous to his death
he was unconscious. The funeral ser
vices were on Sunday. Elk President
Dwight of Yale and the Rev. Dr. 7. 7.
Munger, a member of the Yale Cor
poration, officiated. The body was
brought to Burlington, VT, for inter.
ment. Since week after the time
Prof. Phelps was confined to his bed,
nearly two months ago, be, has
lowered between life and death. De-
spite his advanced age, his strong
constitution prolonged his life more
than his physicians at first believed
possible. At times, when the doctors
thought that the patient was gradu-
ally failing, Prof. Phelps would rally
and gain strength for few days,
only TO failaagain.
Edward John Phelps was born at Middle
bury, Vt in 1922, He was a son of Samuel
Shetbar Phelps, who was a United States
Senator from Vermont from 1879 to 1851
and in 1853 and 1854 Senator Phelps was
a lawyer and his son chose that profession
entering the law school at Yale in 1910 after
having been graduated from Middleburv Col
lege he was admitted to the bar in 1913 at
Burlington, w. where he began his practice
He formed partnership with l. Z Chitten-
den, who was afterward Registrar of the Uni
ted States Treasury Mr.. Phelps came to
New York in 1S57 and began the practice of
law here, but he stayed in this city only a
short. time and returned to Burlington. In
1851 he was app inted second Comptroller
of the United States Treasury and served in
that placed until 1854. His ability as q law
yer brought him a very great practire in his
native state early IN his career, and his abil-
ity as a writer on legal questions spread his
reputation over the country. In 1877 Mid
dlebury College conferred on him the degree
of LII. D. Three years later, in 1880 he was
elected President OF The American Bar AssO-
cation, and in the same year he was nOmina-
ted for Governor of Vermont on the Demo-
cratic ticket. OF course he was defeated In
1881 he was invited to take the post of Kent
professor of law in the Yale law school.
In 1885 President Cleveland appointed him
Minister of the Court of ST. James to succeed
James Russell Lowl He was a favorte
with the English while he was in London. On
his return to America Harvard c Inferred an
LII. D. degree upon him. In 1890 he was the
candidate of the Democrats in the Vermont
Legislature for United States Senator and
was defeated In 1893 he was appointed
senior counsel for the United States Govern
ment before the court OF arbitration to settle
the Behring Sea controversy. and on his re-
turn to this country he resumed the chair in
Yale that he vacated when he was made Mr..
Clevelands Minister to Great Britain. In
1896, when Bryan was nominated for Presi-
dent, Mr. Phelps refused to follow the Demo-
cratic party and bitterly opposed the election
OF Bryan. He also publicly announced that
hr should vote the Republican ticket for every
officer In that same year, before the cOnven-
ton, Mr.. Phelps in public utterances opposed
the policy of President Cleveland in the Ven
ezuela matter and declared that this country
had no right to interfere in Cuba with the
policy of the Spaniards. Hemaintaned that
attitude after the election of President Nc
Kinley, and he was one of the bitter oppo-
nents of the war with Spain. After the war
Mr.. Phelps became one of the IRE conciables
and opposed the expansion policy of the ma
ton and denounced lin perialsm."