Charles Davis (Vermont judge)
Charles Davis (January 1, 1789 – November 21, 1863) was a Vermont attorney and judge who served as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1846 to 1847.
Charles Davis | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Danville | |
| In office 1851–1852 | |
| Preceded by | Harvey T. Moore |
| Succeeded by | None (no selection made) |
| Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court | |
| In office 1846–1848 | |
| Preceded by | None (Newly created seat) |
| Succeeded by | Luke P. Poland |
| Probate Judge of Caledonia County, Vermont | |
| In office 1846–1847 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel B. Mattocks |
| Succeeded by | Charles S. Dana |
| United States Attorney for the District of Vermont | |
| In office 1841–1845 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Kellogg |
| Succeeded by | Charles Linsley |
| State's Attorney of Caledonia County, Vermont | |
| In office 1838–1839 | |
| Preceded by | George C. Cahoon |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Bartlett Jr. |
| In office 1828–1834 | |
| Preceded by | Isaac Fletcher |
| Succeeded by | George C.Cahoon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 1, 1789 Mansfield, Connecticut |
| Died | November 21, 1863 (aged 74) Rockford, Illinois |
| Resting place | Cedar Bluff Cemetery, Rockford, Illinois |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse | Lucinda Stone (m. 1814–1863, his death) |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Middlebury College |
| Profession | Attorney |
Biography
Charles Davis was born in Mansfield, Connecticut on January 1, 1789,[1] the son of Philip Davis (d. 1822) and Christiana (Crosby) Davis.[2] Philip Davis moved his family to Rockingham, Vermont in 1792, and Middlebury, Vermont in 1806.[1] Davis was educated in Rockingham and Middlebury, and in 1808 was admitted to the sophomore class at Middlebury College.[1] He graduated in 1811, and began to study law with Daniel Chipman.[1]
Davis edited the Vermont Mirror, a newspaper opposed to the War of 1812, but also served in the Vermont Militia when Vermont was threatened by a British invasion from Canada.[1] He was admitted to the bar in 1814, and practiced in Middlebury until moving to Barton in 1816.[1] In 1818, he moved to Waterford, and in 1828 he moved to Danville.[1] In 1828, Davis was elected State's Attorney of Caledonia County, and he served until 1834.[2] In 1831, Davis served as Clerk of the Vermont House of Representatives.[2] He returned to the State's Attorney position in 1838, and served until 1839.[2]
Davis became a Whig when the party was founded.[1][2] When Whig nominee William Henry Harrison won the presidency in 1841, Davis was appointed United States Attorney for the District of Vermont; he served until 1845, when he became Judge of the Caledonia County Probate Court.[2] He served until 1846, when he was appointed to the Vermont Supreme Court.[2] He was a member of the Supreme Court until 1848, when he resumed the practice of law in Danville.[2] In 1851, he was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives, and served one term.[2]
Retirement and death
In retirement, Davis and his wife moved to Rockford, Illinois, where they resided with their son Isaac Fletcher Davis.[1] Charles Davis died in Rockford on November 21, 1863.[1] He was buried at Cedar Bluff Cemetery in Rockford.[3]
Family
In 1814, Davis married Lucinda Stone of Chesterfield, New Hampshire (d. 1884).[1] They were the parents of five children: Charles; Philip; Norman; Isaac Fletcher; and Ellen.[2]
References
Sources
Books
- Baldwin, Frederick W. (1886). Biography of the Bar of Orleans County, Vermont. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Watchman and State Journal Press.
- Wiley, Edgar J. (1917). Catalogue of Officers and Students of Middlebury College. Middlebury, VT: Middlebury College.
Internet
- "Burials at Cedar Bluff Cemetery". rootsweb.ancestry.com/. Rockford, IL: Cedar Bluff Cemetery Association. Retrieved July 21, 2017.