Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1919-05-02
A BREEZY SKETCH
OF THOMAS NOONAN

: An entertaining sketch OF Thomas +
Noonan, a product Of the Otter Cree
Valley, who has made good III Buffalo
where he is Associate Judge OF the Cit
Court, appears in the Burialo Evenin
Times OF April 23rd, and is here re
printed. Judge Noonan was a gradu
ate of MIddlebury College in 1891,
class mate of DR.. V, c, Harrington
Professor and Mrs. Z. c. Bryant, an,
Mrs. John M. Thomas The following
is the breezy way in which the Buffalo
paper presents a glimpse OF judy
Noonan:
The men from Vermont, supposed t
be connected with the Able de Yer
mont OF Frant through a natural re
tinement of Irish lineage, boiled dowr
like the maple sap of the State, and
carefully bred like the Merino sheep
and the Morgan horses that. roam the
Green Mountains Tom points with
pride that the wool chip was once
3699235 in a year. Tom also loves
to reflect aloud among his friends that
the Able de Vermont was the reader
to Marie Antoinette and because OF
this Saint John de Crevecoeur wrote to
Ethan Allen asking that some OF the
countries be given French names as
we'll as the State which is thoroughly
French. So they named ST. Johnsbury
after him. Toms birthplace was well
chosen 1t was the village of Ferris
burd with Lake Champlain on one
side of it, and Otter Creek on the 9th
err The Noonans were never consid-
cred at all Frenchy in spite of the local
atmosphere. His entrance into this
world of Strife and contumely was on
December 18th, 1865. 1t was the very
week that the Commercial Travellers
from Rutland were come to supply
the general store of Ferrisburg with an
extra supply of Christmas stockings
,and things, as postcards were not yet
come into their General Usefulness eX-
cept for Slim Excuses.
About the time that Tom was phys
ically able to 60 to school he passed
much of his freedom by fishing for
sticklebacks in Otter Creek. Many of
his young playmates figured conspic
uously in Oliver Optics books, particu
larly in Haste and Waste the young
hero of Lake Champlain After the
District School had toyed with Tommy
for a while, he was sent to the New
Haven, VT, Academy, and then to
College, from which he
graduated in 1891 He had learned
slowly but surely and was the better
for it. Three years after that Tom was
to come to Buffalo The con-
sideration was perfectly private. He
had studied law with Chief Judge of
the Court of Claims Theodore H.
Swift, and he told Henry w. Hill that
Tom ought to be made to come to
Buffalo. So Henry told Tom to come
along. This was in 1894, and in 1900
a partnership was formed with George
K. and Charles ]. Staples AS a trial
awyer Tom Noonan began doing so
very well that the Stapleses began
trembling in their boots, One of the
main factors in the celebrated Seduc-
ion OF the Nermontonian was another
me, by name of Sam Botsford, who
settled here The two of them Formed
4 Buffalo Alumni of Middlebury and
he Lonesomeness of this Organization
would have been Pathetic indeed, if
t had not been for the fact that they
Didn't Seem to Notice it. Tom al
ways did have Gentle Confidence in
Himself besides being. a Republican,
nd Sam was always Radiant when an
came to Back him Up.
Those who have Noticed the Touching
tenderness between the Two will new
r forget it if they live until their Dy-
ng Day"
And so Tom waxed well and veal
hy~ Was several times Police Justice 8
nd Dispensed that quality with the
ertainty OF embalming fluid In
is first Il years of law practice he got .
way with 400 cases. Then became
.ssociate Judge of the City Court. The
apers spoke of his intellectual force
f character (which made Tom smile =
hen he thought of old Stickleback
avs practical acumen there Tom
miled convulsively and his Absolute
ltegrity.' At the last Tom looked
cry Solemn indeed.
Judge Tom Noonan has been an
onor to the Republican Party. He
as always had the best interests of
lie Courts at Heart. In 1906 was presi-
ent OF the Lawyers Club and member
the University Club the Canoe Club
nd Several Societies