Wendell Phillips Stafford

Wendell Phillips Stafford
Wendell Phillips Stafford, circa 1907
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
In office
June 1, 1904 – May 4, 1931
Appointed by Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by Jeter Connelly Pritchard
Succeeded by F. Dickinson Letts
Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
In office
1900–1904
Preceded by Laforrest H. Thompson
Succeeded by George M. Powers
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from St. Johnsbury
In office
1892–1894
Preceded by Francis Walker
Succeeded by John Calvin Clark
Personal details
Born (1861-05-01)May 1, 1861
Barre, Vermont
Died April 21, 1953(1953-04-21) (aged 91)
Washington, D.C.
Resting place Mount Pleasant Cemetery, St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Political party Republican
Education Boston University School of Law
Profession Attorney

Wendell Phillips Stafford (May 1, 1861 – April 21, 1953) was a Vermont attorney and jurist. He was most notable for his service as an Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court and a United States federal judge.

Early life

Born in Barre, Vermont, Stafford was the son of Franklin Stafford and Sarah (Noyes) Stafford. He attended the public schools of Barre, graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy in 1880, and received an LL.B. from Boston University School of Law in 1883. He was admitted to the bar, and began to practice in St. Johnsbury, Vermont in partnership with Henry Clay Ide.[1] Among the prospective attorneys who studied law in their office was William H. Taylor, who later served as an Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.[2]

Start of career

He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1892. He was a Reporter of Decisions for the Supreme Court of Vermont from 1896 to 1900. He was an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1900 to 1904, succeeding Laforrest H. Thompson.[3] He resigned to accept appointment as a federal judge, and was succeeded by George M. Powers.[4]

Federal judge

Stafford was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He received a recess appointment from President Theodore Roosevelt on June 1, 1904, to a seat vacated by Jeter C. Pritchard. He was formally nominated on December 6, 1904, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 13, 1904, and received his commission the same day.[5][6][7]

He became a Professor at George Washington University in 1908.[8]

Stafford served on the bench until retiring on May 4, 1931.[9]

Career as author

Wendell Phillips Stafford was also a poet, and his published works include: North Flowers (1902); Dorian Days (1909); and The Land We Love (1916).[10][11][12]

Death and burial

Phillips died at his home in Washington, D.C. on April 21, 1953.[13] He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.[14]

Family

In 1886, Stafford married Florence S. Goss of St. Johnsbury. They were the parents of two sons, Edward, a Washington, DC attorney and Robert, who died as a child.

References

  1. ↑ The Poets' Lincoln: Tributes in Verse to the Martyred President, edited by Osborn Hamiline Oldroyd, page 236
  2. ↑ Cummings, Charles R. (November 1906). "The New Judiciary System: The Board of Superior Judges; William H. Taylor". The Vermonter. White River Junction, VT: Chas. R. Cummings. p. 296.
  3. ↑ The Court-House of the District of Columbia, by Francis Regis Noel and Margaret Brent Downing, 1919, page 77
  4. ↑ "Judge George M. Powers". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. June 4, 1904. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com. (Subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ Vermont, The Green Mountain State, by Walter Hill Crockett, Volume 4, 1921, page 373
  6. ↑ Georgetown University in the District of Columbia, 1789-1907, by James Stanislaus Easby-Smith, 1907, page 275
  7. ↑ Newspaper article, Protest Non-resident Judges, The Philadelphia Record, May 8, 1904
  8. ↑ Catalogue of Officers and Students of Middlebury College, published by the college, 1915, page 498
  9. ↑ Beacon Lights of Literature, published by Iroquois Publishing Co., Syracuse, Book 9, 1940, page 857
  10. ↑ North Flowers, by Wendell Phillips Stafford, 1902, title page
  11. ↑ Dorian Days, by Wendell Phillips Stafford, 1909, title page
  12. ↑ The Land We Love, by Wendell Phillips Stafford, 1916, title page
  13. ↑ The Journal of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, published by the association, Volume 20, 1953, page 276
  14. ↑ Report of Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, published by Vermont Bar Association, 1954, page 50
Legal offices
Preceded by
Jeter Connelly Pritchard		 Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
1904–1931		 Succeeded by
F. Dickinson Letts
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