Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-03-16

10unQeQ the TOWN. OF NlnuSOT, OOuutCli-
cut; and was a magistrate and an i'm
portant member of the Connecticut
colony. Edward Phelps, the great
grandfather of Edward j., was large
landholder and a representative in the
general court of Connecticut The
grandfather of Edward j., John Phelps,
was wealthy citizen of litchfield, Con
necticut, and a soldier in the revolu-
tlonarv war. The subject of this sketch
entered Middebury college at the age of
fourteen years and graduated in lS1O.
Selecting the law as his profession he
pursued legal studies at the Yale Law
school. 1Sl2-l3, and with Hon. HOratio
Seymour of Middlebury. He was adj
mitted to the bar at the December term
of the Addison County court in 1913,
and commenced practice in Middlebury,
removing thence in 1915 to Burlington,
Vermont which has since been his home.
In 1851 he accepted the Office of second
comptroller of the United States treasury,
unexpectedly rendered to him by
President Fillmore. and held it through
out the remainder of Mr.. FillmOre's ad-
mnistration. at the close of which ne
resigned It, though urged by President
Pierce to retain it, Returning to Bur-
lington he resumed practice and speedily
attained a leading position, both as
advocate and counsellor. He was prom
iuent as a counsel in the litigations of
the Vermont railroads. which for over
quarter of a century largely occupied
the attention of the state and federal
courts. He represented the city of Bur
lington in the constitutional couvrltion
of 1870, which inauguratod The bieuuiai
system of elections and made other i'm
pOrtant changes IN thc constitution of
Vermont In 1871 he presided with ad-
mrable grace and dignity at the CEN
tennial celebration of the Battle Of
Bennington. which was graced ny the
attendance Of the president Of the
United States and many men of national
distinction. In 1850 he received the
unsolicited nomination of the democratic
party of Vermont for governor, and re-
ceved a larger vote than has been cast
for a democratic candidate for that Of
flee in the last generation. In 1881 he
accepted the Kent professorshlp of Law
at Yale college, and in 1882 he was
lecturer on constitutional law in the
Boston university He was president of
the American Bar ASSOCIATION in 1881.
In 1885 the most Important position in
the diplomatic service, that of minister
to the court of St. James, was rendered
by President Cleveland to Mr.. Phelps, s
and was filled by him for four years
with an ability and success that will be
long remembered on both sides of the
Atlantic. At the close of his term as
minister to England Mr.. Phelps resumed
his chair at Yale university. devoting
attention at times to a few important
cases before the supreme court of the
United States. Mr., Phelps was selected
at one time by President Cleveland for a
place on the bench of the supreme court
of the United States but the opposition
of some leading Irish politicians to the
appointment and fear of losing the Irish
vote in the approaching election, induced
Mr. Cleveland to abandon his choice and
give the place to another man. In 1893
he was by the appointment of President
Harrison one of the counsel for the
United States before the Behring Sea
tribunal of arbitration at Paris and
made the leading argument for the
United States government before that
important tribunal. In these highly
responsible positions he established an
enviable national fame as a lawyer and
statesman. He was man of wide
reading of cultivated literary taste, OF
keen and independent judgment, bril-
liant and accomplished speaker and al
able writer. Many of Mr.. Phelps
addresses, legal arguments and important
papers have been published, among
which may be mentioned an address or
"Chief Justice Marshall, on the Consti
tutional Law of his time" before tho
American Bar association, 1879; address
on Changes in Statute Law before the
same, 1881 "The Law Of the Land al
address before the Edinburgh PhilosOphi
cal Institution, 1856; "Rights of Ameri
can Fishermen and Construction of the
Treaty with Great Britain 1887; "Rela
tion of Law to Justice" address before
the South Carolina Bar association
1890; Grafton at the Dedication of the
Bennington Battle Monument, 1891
anu iit 4hOuIOC lpONllluOs duultsl
before the Brooklyn Institute of Art
and Sciences, 1896. lie was the author
of various magazine articles on constitu
tional and public questions and OF
literary topics
iIe was honoTed with the degree o
Doctor of Laws by Mlddlebury college II
1897. Yale conferred on him the degree
of Master of Arts IN 1881. In 1887 tn,
Edward j. Phelps professorshp of Law
at Yale was endowed in his honor by J
S. Morgan.
Professor Phelps resided in New
! Haven only during the winter and sprinl
! terms of the college year, and claimed
, Vermont as his residence.
In August, 1915, Mr.. Phelps wa
married to Mary, daughter of Judg