Leighton P. Slack

Leighton Prosper Slack (June 18, 1867 – March 31, 1938) was a Vermont attorney and judge. He served as the 48th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1910 to 1912 and as a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1914 until his death.

Leighton P. Slack
From 1904's Successful Vermonters by William H. Jeffrey
Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
In office
1919–1938
Preceded bySeneca Haselton
Succeeded byAllen R. Sturtevant
48th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
In office
1910–1912
Preceded byJohn A. Mead
Succeeded byFrank E. Howe
Member of the Vermont Senate from Caledonia County
In office
1904–1906
Serving with Herman P. Simpson
Preceded byPreston H. Graves
Truman R. Stiles
Succeeded byWilliam H. Taylor
Stephen D. Morse
State's Attorney of Caledonia County, Vermont
In office
1898–1900
Preceded byWilliam H. Taylor
Succeeded byDavid E. Porter
Personal details
Born(1867-06-18)June 18, 1867
Woodstock, Vermont, U.S.
DiedMarch 31, 1938(1938-03-31) (aged 70)
Montpelier, U.S.
Resting placeDurant Cemetery, Cabot
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLeah Dwinnell (m. 1899-1938)
Children1
Alma materBlack River Academy, Ludlow, Vermont
ProfessionLawyer

Biography

Leighton Prosper Slack was born in Woodstock, Vermont on June 18, 1867.[1][2] He graduated from Ludlow's Black River Academy and taught school while studying law.[3]

Slack attained admission to the bar in 1892, and began to practice, first in Barre, and then in St. Johnsbury.[4] While in St. Johsbury, he first practiced as the partner of Alexander Dunnett.[5]

A Republican, Slack served as St Johnsbury's Village President, Caledonia County State's Attorney from 1898 to 1900 and a member of the Vermont Senate from 1904 to 1906.[6]

In 1910, Slack won election as Lieutenant Governor. He served in this position from 1910 to 1912.[7][8][9][10]

In 1913, Slack was appointed a judge of the Vermont Superior Court. He served until being named an associate justice of the Supreme Court in 1914. In January 1915, public outcry over the Vermont General Assembly's failure to reappoint longtime justices Loveland Munson and Seneca Haselton led to resignations and new appointments which returned Munson and Haselton to the bench. As part of this effort, Slack agreed to return to service as a superior court judge.

In 1919, Slack was again appointed an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, and he relocated to Montpelier. Slack served on the court until his death.[11][12][13]

During World War I Slack served as Chairman of Vermont's Committee on Public Safety, a board convened by the Governor to mobilize Vermont citizens and materiel for the war effort.[14][15][16]

Slack was active in the Vermont and American Bar Associations and the Vermont Historical Society.[17][18][19][20]

Justice Slack died in Montpelier on March 31, 1938.[21][22][23] He was buried at Durant Cemetery in Cabot.[24]

References
  1. The Fulham Genealogy, by Volney Sewall Fulham, 1910, page 56
  2. Successful Vermonters: A Modern Gazetteer of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties, Vermont, by William Hartley Jeffrey, 1904, pages 50 to 52
  3. Manual of the Legislature of Vermont, published by Vermont Watchman Co., Montpelier, 1904, page 78
  4. Who's Who in New England, edited by A. N. Marquis, 1916, page 978
  5. "Demise of Alexander Dunnett". The Evening Argus. Montpelier, VT. September 15, 1920. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography, edited by Prentiss Cutler Dodge, 1912, page 313
  7. Vermont, Its Government, by Walter J. Bigelow, 1919, page 14
  8. Journal of the Senate of the State of Vermont, published by St. Albans Messenger Co., 1899, page 503
  9. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1937, page 191
  10. Lieutenant Governors, Terms of Service, published by Office of the Vermont Secretary of State, Archives and Records Administration, 2011, page 2
  11. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1931, page 550
  12. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1933, page 566
  13. Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court, 1778 to Present Archived 2012-04-15 at the Wayback Machine, Office of the Vermont Secretary of State, Archives and Records Administration, 2011, pages 13 to 16
  14. Annual Report, published by United States Council of National Defense, Volume 3, 1919, page 132
  15. Newspaper article, Vermont Governor Heads Welcoming Delegation, Boston Globe, April 13, 1919
  16. Vermont in the World War, 1917-1919, edited by John T. Cushing and Harold Pearl Sheldon, 1928, page 468
  17. American Bar Association Journal, published by American Bar Association, Volume 4, 1918, page 544
  18. Report of Proceedings of the Annual Meeting], published by Vermont Bar Association, 1938, page 36
  19. Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society, published by the society, 1899, page 112
  20. Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society, published by the society, 1938, page C-61
  21. Newspaper article, Leighton P. Slack, Jurist, Dies at 70, New York Times, April 3, 1938
  22. Newspaper article, Leighton P. Slack Dies in Montpelier, North Adams Transcript, April 2, 1938
  23. Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008, record for Leighton Prosper Slack, accessed December 29, 2011
  24. Gravestone photographs by contributor Bill McKern, Leighton P. Slack page, Find A Grave web site, September 4, 2010
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