Judge & Attorney Biographies

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 77, pages 719 - 720

Albert M. Tallmadge died at his home in Bridgeport, February 18th, 1905, aged fifty-one years. He graduated from Wesleyan College in the class of 1874, and during the following year traveled and studied in Europe. He then entered the Yale Law School, graduating in 1877. He at once became a member of the Fairfield County bar and associated himself with the late Curtis Thompson in the practice of law at Bridgeport, a connection that continued until the death of Mr. Thompson in 1904.

Judge Tallmadge was deputy-judge of the City Court from 1879 to 1881. In 1884 he was chosen to represent Bridgeport in the house of representatives, and was an active and influential member of the judiciary committee. In 1888 he was town counsel of Bridgeport. In 1892 he succeeded Morris B. Beardsley as judge of probate for the Bridgeport district, and held that office for six years. He was a democrat, but in 1896, compelled by his convictions on the money question, he refused his support to that party, of which he was a devoted member. His action was prompt, although taken in expectation that he was thus sacrificing a judicial position of large emolument, peculiarly congenial to him. Upon his retirement from the Probate Court he was tendered a complimentary banquet by two hundred representative citizens of Bridgeport acting without regard to party. This banquet was recognized by all as a remarkable tribute to a citizen.

Judge Tallmadge's popularity was marked. It sprang--unbidden and unsought--from recognized character and capacity, and the remarkable loyalty of his friends.

He was stricken down in the midst of health about three years before his death, and for two years and more he carried with him the certain knowledge of daily peril; yet he bore his misfortune with a lion-hearted fortitude and cheerful patience that were the marvel and admiration of his associates.

The part of his professional life that was dearest to him was his career in the Probate Court. In that position the man and the duty met in perfect harmony. The work that there came to him he did with enthusiasm, with jealous devotion to the good name of that court, with a high purpose to treat his employment as a rare trust. The splendid success with which he fulfilled his purpose is a heritage of that court and the Bridgeport bar. Membership in the profession of law meant much to him. He was active in all that tended to raise the ideals, promote the efficiency, and cement the fellowship of the profession. He was foremost in founding and maintaining the Bridgeport Bar Association with its annual banquet, which has contributed so much to cultivate a fine spirit of courtesy and good will among its members. The Bar Library was also an object of his earnest care and interest throughout his professional life.

No sketch of Judge Tallmadge would be complete without a reference to the rare charm of his personality. His mind was trained by study, enriched by reading and broadened by extensive travel. His heart and sympathies kept fresh, years could not dull them. He viewed life broadly with a genial philosophy. He had a wide affinity for good literature, for good music, for the best in the drama, and for the beautiful and grand in nature. He had a genius for friendship. His enlivening conversation, his exuberant vivacity, the enveloping atmosphere of his friendship, will long be remembered. With all these qualities there was something more, there was an intangible individuality about him, which evades description, which we have vainly called charm, which gave a tone of joyousness and content to any company which he joined in sympathetic good-fellowship. His genial countenance, his quaint comments, his original point of view, his apt quotations, his delicate humor, his ready song and his large-hearted hospitality, were but the trappings of that indefinable charm, which will ever linger fragrant in the memory of his comrades.

*Prepared by the Hon. Howard J. Curtis of the Bridgeport bar at the request of the Reporter. 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 108, pages 744 - 746

FREDERICK CLARK TAYLOR was born November 3d, 1866, in Stamford, Connecticut. He died November 27th, 1928. He was a son of Henry F. Taylor and Mary E. (Clark) Taylor and was a descendant of John Taylor, a Puritan, who was one of the earliest settlers in Massachusetts.

He acquired his preliminary education in the public schools of Stamford. In 1883 he left school and for ten years was occupied in New York and Stamford, at first in the employ of the Continental Insurance Company and later in the insurance and real estate business. During the latter part of this period he devoted his leisure hours to study and in 1894 entered the Law School of Yale University from which he was graduated in 1896. In his senior year he was chairman of the editorial board of the Yale Law Journal.

He began the practice of law in Stamford, forming a partnership with the late James S. Jenkins which continued until the year 1917. From that date he practiced alone until January, 1923, when he entered into partnership with John C. Durey and Norris E. Pierson under the firm name of Taylor, Durey and Pierson and he was the head of that firm at the time of his death.

In November, 1897, he was elected judge of the Court of Probate for the District of Stamford, was re-elected for four successive terms of two years each and then declined to be a candidate to succeed himself. His administration of that office was characterized by courteous and considerate relations with those who had occasion to visit his court, prompt and methodical conduct of public business and ability to apply legal principles in a common sense way. The high character of the service he rendered was recognized by the public when, for the first time in the history of the court, he was elected for his last term with the endorsement of both the Republican and Democratic parties.

In 1916 he was appointed a member of the State Bar Examining Committee. He continued to serve on this committee until his death, and for several years he was a member of the Grievance Committee of the Fairfield County Bar.

Judge Taylor was endowed with a mind of great capacity, which he trained and developed as opportunity afforded. During the years that he served as judge of the Court of Probate it was his custom to devote long hours to reading and this habit he never abandoned. He became thoroughly conversant with both the principles and the spirit of the great system of common law which is the inheritance of English speaking peoples. Nor were his studies limited to the field of jurisprudence. He read widely, not only in English, but in French which language he also spoke fluently.

He commanded an extensive practice, specializing in corporation, probate and property law, and numbered among his clients were large business and financial institutions that constantly sought his advice. Occasionally he appeared before the higher tribunals in cases establishing important legal principles, but the greater part of his service he rendered in the conference room, in the guidance of corporate enterprises, in solving the complexities of intricate trust estates and in advising the families whose interests were entrusted to his care. The wills and other legal documents that came from his hand evidenced his broad knowledge of the law and were notable for their diction and precision of statement. His temperament was essentially judicial. He believed that one of the most useful functions of a lawyer lies in avoiding the pitfalls and disasters of litigation, and so cogent was his reasoning, so strong his leadership that his clients invariably accepted his views as final. His ability to apply his profound knowledge of legal principles so as to secure practical results and the thoroughness with which he administered all matters entrusted to his care were predominant factors in winning for him a high place in his profession.

In the business and social life of his community Judge Taylor played an important part. For political preferment he had no desire, but he was well informed concerning all public and civic matters, and his counsel and generous support were at the command of any movement having for its purpose the promotion of the public welfare. Among the civic organizations of which he was a director are The Stamford Hospital, The Ferguson Library, The Stamford Children’s Home and The Stamford Home for the Aged, and he was one of the founders of The Family Welfare Society of Stamford. He attended St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church of which he was junior warden. He was an influential director of many business institutions, including The First-Stamford National Bank, The Stamford Gas and Electric Company, The Stamford Savings Bank and The Western Connecticut Title and Mortgage Company.

All of Judge Taylor’s activities were in strict accord with the best traditions of his profession. His relations with his fellow members of the bar were most friendly, and to many of them he gave freely of his time and counsel. He had an abhorrence of the slightest violation of professional ethics, and scorned all that is mean and petty. He considered his calling one of the noblest that society affords and he was proud to be enrolled in the ranks of those who bear its torch.

Thus is briefly outlined the life of this brilliant lawyer and lovable companion. It was a life that followed paths leading by still waters and through green pastures, a life rich in friendships and unselfish deeds, a life that in all its contacts gave more than it received.

*Prepared by John C. Durey, Esq., of the Stamford bar, at the request of the Reporter.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 13, appendix, page 8

Born at Enfield, January 30, 1768; educated at Yale-College; graduated in 1786; studied law, at Hartford, with Jesse Root, Esq. (afterwards Chief Judge of the Superior Court); admitted to the bar in Hartford county, in February 1789; settled in practice, at Enfield; removed to Hartford, in March, 1796; was appointed Chief Judge of the County Court, in May 1807, and relinquished practice, except in the higher courts; resigned this office in 1809.

He represented the town of Hartford in the General Assembly of this State, in May 1804, October 1804, May 1805, May 1809, Oct. 1809, Oct. 1810, May 1811, Oct. 1811, May 1812, Oct. 1812, Oct. 1814, May, 1815. He was a representative from this State in the 15th Congress of the United States; a member of the Convention that formed the Constitution of this State in 1818; Mayor of the city of Hartford, and as such presiding Judge of the City Court, from December 1824 to March 1831.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 32, pages 597 - 598

Seth Terry, the senior member of the Hartford County Bar, died at Hartford, Nov. 17, 1865, in the 85th year of his age. His habits of systematic industry prevailed to the closing of his life, his mental vigor was fresh to the last short illness, and he but just laid aside the harness to die.

Mr. Terry was born of very respectable family at Enfield, Jan. 12, 1781; he removed to Hartford and entered upon his legal studies with the late Gen. Nathaniel Terry in 1803, and was admitted to practice in 1804. His professional life thus covered sixty-three years. His attention through life was especially directed to a lawyer's office business. He was a favorite draughtsman of wills, deeds, bonds, and contracts arising from the domestic relations, and was highly esteemed as a counselor in matters of property; he also had considerable practice in the collection of claims. He seldom appeared before the court or jury as an advocate, but in the few trials which he did conduct he won a good position in this branch of the profession. He filled for several years the offices of Judge of Probate and City Recorder, and in each case finally declined a re-election.

Mr. Terry's mind was clear, logical and discriminating; he abounded in good sense. It can hardly be said that the scope of his apprehension was broad, that the grasp of his thought was comprehensive, that his reasoning was profound or his study searching. He fully accredited such principles as seemed to his good sense to be reasonable and true, and very little doubted the fundamental ideas to which he had been educated. Thus poised, his inductive reasoning was mathematical and accurate, and his conclusions were usually correct; if wrong the fault was in his premises. His memory was retentive, his power of comparison and illustration was vigorous, his appreciation of the ludicrous was decided and his humor was overflowing. His word and conduct were almost habitually charged with dry and good natured satire.

Mr. Terry's integrity of character was immovable. No corrupt influences could reach it, no slander ever attempted to assail it. This trait, which ran through his whole structure like strength through the oak, wedded to an uncommon accuracy, qualified him to carry out the many trusts committed to him in a very honorable way. Many widows and orphans to whom a kind Providence had left a few thousand or a few hundred dollars, found in Mr. Terry a guardian and friend, whose place can not easily be filled. He was quaint in his devotion to the manners and habits of the last generation. Independent of new fashions, he was not wholly free from affectation in his disregard of innovations. Liberal in benevolence, blessing the humblest poverty and adding to the income of the largest charities, he will still open, almost ostentatious, in habits so plain as to verge upon parsimony.

Mr. Terry was very active in the church and for many years acted as a deacon. His religious views were sharply defined and were of the old school New England stamp. His mind rested upon the language of the Assembly's Catechism, as his heart rested upon the Master's life. He adhered tenaciously to special statements of religious truth, believing that sound doctrine had a form which should be held fast. In later years the flow of heart charity, which was always potent in his practical life, overcame his zeal for the dry bones of theological points and scholastic definitions; the sincere Christian conquered the sincere theologian.

Mr. Terry always esteemed it his duty as a Christian magistrate to rebuke public offences, particularly street profanity and Sabbath breaking.

He will be long remembered for his cheerful word, his courteous greeting, his amusing anecdote, his pleasant reminiscence, as for his undeviating rectitude, his incorruptible truth, his constitutional hate of evil, and his cordial sympathy with misfortune and need--a sympathy which was never satisfied with the simple wish "be warmed, be filled." His death was appropriately noticed by his brethren of the bar.

*Prepared, at the request of the Reporter, by H.C. Robinson, Esq., of the Hartford bar. 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 191, page iii

Appointed to the Appellate Court August 9, 1983, to take effect August 15, 1983.

 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 193, page iii

Appointed to the Appellate Court August 15, 1983. Returned to the Superior Court May 2, 1984. 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 13, appendix, page 9

The first regular member of the Bar who resided in this town [New-Milford], was PATRIDGE THACHER, who was born in Lebanon, in this State, about the year 1714 or 1715, and came to reside in New Milford, in the year 1743. He was not regularly educated for the Bar; and at what time he became a member of it, is not known; but probably it was soon after the organization of the county of Litchfield, which was in the year 1751. Being an avowed loyalist, Mr. Thacher ceased practicing law, on or near the commencement of the revolutionary war. He was a man of strict integrity, strong mind and considerable information, but of many and striking peculiarities. He represented the town of New-Milford, in the General Assembly, in Oct. 1759, and in October, 1765. He died Jan. 9th, 1786, and in the 72d year of his age.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 89, pages 724 - 725

CHARLES FREDERICK THAYER, a leading member of the New London County Bar, died suddenly at his home in Norwich, on the 26th day of April, 1915. He was the son of Charles D. Thayer and Lucy (Nichols) Thayer and was born at Thompson, Connecticut, on the 6th day of November, 1852. His ancestry was of the sturdy New England type that played so important a part in the early development of State and Country, and from it he inherited the strength of mind and character which were so marked in his later life.

He was educated in the public schools of his native town and at Nichols Academy, Dudley, Massachusetts. His first ambition was for a mercantile career, but he later decided upon the law and studied in the office of his brother, Hon. John M. Thayer, at Norwich, where he was admitted to the bar on May 17th, 1881. While a student-at-law he became interested in stenography, and later was a moving spirit in having it introduced into the courts of Connecticut.

An indefatigable worker, of keen and methodical mind, of splendid self-control, of unquestioned integrity, and a thorough and painstaking student of the law, he early attained a high rank in his chosen profession, which he maintained until his death. As a pleader his skill became widely recognized, and in all branches of the law and its practice his abilities were of a high order. During the last two years of his life his time was almost entirely given up to the important affairs of the Thames Loan and Trust Company of Norwich, of which he was the receiver.

He was a firm believer in a high standard of ethics for his profession and ever maintained such high standard in his own practice.

To the younger members of the bar he was most kindly and helpful and gave them freely of his counsel and aid.

Politically he was associated with the Democratic party and for many years was prominent in its counsels. In 1891, the year of the famous deadlock session of the General Assembly, he represented the Tenth District in the State Senate, with much credit. In 1892, 1898 and 1905, he was his party’s candidate for Congress from the then Third District, and in 1906 was its candidate for Governor of the State. He was treasurer of New London County in 1893, and later became its first county health officer, resigning these offices after a short term of service.

He served the city of Norwich as its Mayor for a period of ten years and in this office rendered a notable and self-sacrificing public service.

To the faithful and conscientious performance of all duties that came to him, both in the practice of his profession and in the public service, he gave the best that was in him, and deservedly enjoyed the confidence and esteem of the bench, the bar and the public.

His private life was blameless. He was a lover of his home and there he spent his time when free from the many duties of his public and professional life.

He was a Christian in the fullest and finest sense of that term, living a life of kindly helpfulness toward all those with whom he came in contact and facing the future without fear.

On October 22d, 1884, he married Mary Hewitt, daughter of Erastus F. Hewitt and Mary (Avery) Hewitt, of Preston, Connecticut, who died in June, 1908. Two daughters were born of this union, Ruth Thayer (now Mrs. Nelson C. Taintor, of New Haven, Connecticut) and Rachel Thayer, now of New York. On June 1st, 1911, he married Mary F. Lyman, daughter of John D. Lyman and Frances (Gifford) Lyman, of Norwich, and she, with the two daughters above mentioned, survive him.

*Prepared by Arthur M. Brown, Esq., of the New London County bar, at the request of the Reporter.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 102, pages 759 - 760 

JOHN MOWRY THAYER was born in New Boston, in the town of Thompson, Connecticut, March 15th, 1847. His early surroundings were not exceptional. Habits of thrift, industry and self-reliance were the common heritage of the country boy of those days and often the foundation of success. After the usual courses in the public school of his town, he attended Nichols Academy at Dudley, Massachusetts, and there prepared for college. He was graduated at Yale in 1869. Immediately after his graduation, he began the study of law in the office of Honorable James A. Hovey at Norwich, and was admitted to the Bar of New London County, September 19th, 1871.

He began his professional career at Burlington, Iowa, but the call of the New West did not long appeal to one of his New England traditions and conservative tendencies. In about a year he returned to Norwich, and soon after formed a law partnership with his brother, Charles F. Thayer, which continued as long as he was in active practice. The early lure of judicial work is evidenced by his service as judge of the City Court of Norwich from 1875 to 1877. He became State’s Attorney for New London County in 1883 and served as such until his appointment as a judge of the Superior Court in 1889. In 1907 he was advanced to a position on the Supreme Court of Errors and continued to serve as a justice of that court until he was retired by age limit, March 15th, 1917. His death occurred in Norwich, January 13th, 1923.

As a lawyer Judge Thayer was of the highest type. He was thoroughly grounded in the essential principles of the law, and logical and practical in their application. His cases were well prepared and his presentation of them carried conviction. Upright in character, studious by habit, loyal to his clients, fair to his opponent and honorable with the court, he acquired success with honor. It will not be primarily as a trial lawyer, or as an advocate, that he will be longest remembered, but as a judge. He possessed, in an exceptional way, a combination of qualities which make an ideal judge. Few indeed were his equals in clear thinking, absolute impartiality and moral courage. As a trial judge he seemed to have an almost intuitive sense of the equities of the case before him, and his judgment was seldom questioned even by those who suffered by it. As a justice of the Supreme Court of Errors, his views were awaited with the greatest respect and his written opinions are models of clearness, logic and direct expression. For nearly thirty years he served in our highest courts in a judicial capacity, and has left no small contribution to the jurisprudence of Connecticut.

Aside from his professional work, which always received his first consideration, Judge Thayer was interested in public affairs, as evidenced by the business block in Norwich which bears his name, his service as one of the original commissioners of its municipal gas and electric department, and his long official connection with and interest in that charitable organization in Norwich known as the Johnson Home. In politics he was a believer in party affiliation, but never sought political office for himself.

When Judge Thayer retired from the bench in 1917, he anticipated an opportunity for rest and extensive travel, but this was not to be. He was straightway called to serve as chairman of the Federal Draft Board of his district. Few realize today how much this position, with its exacting requirements, meant to one of his age and many years of work, entirely different in character.

In private life Judge Thayer was modest and retiring. Vanity and conceit were apparently unknown to him. With those who knew him best he was most companionable and ever a true and loyal friend. He was never married and lived to some extent the life of a recluse. Sometimes he was criticized for his reluctance to accept the conventional or adapt himself as fully as some to the communal activities of his surroundings. As we look back upon a life, of how little importance after all appear many of its conventionalities when compared with those essential qualities which make up character. As a citizen, a lawyer and a judge, John M. Thayer has left a record worthy of the emulation of the bar of this State which he honored and which honored him.

*Prepared by Wallace S. Allis, Esq., of the New London County Bar, at the request of the Reporter.

 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 79, page iii

Appointed on Supreme Court, January 31st, 1907.

 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 91, page iii

Retired [from the Supreme Court of Errors] March 15th, 1917, under constitutional limitation as to age. 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 209, page 835

1902 - 1988

The Honorable John R. Thim, former associate justice of the state Supreme Court, chief judge of the Superior Court, state representative and Speaker of the House, died on December 6, 1988.

Judge Thim was appointed an associate justice of the Supreme Court in 1966. He retired in 1972 after nineteen years on the Superior Court bench.

He practiced law in New Haven from 1926 to 1952 and was one of the first three Superior Court judges to serve on the Board of Sentence Review, which was created by the legislature in 1957.

Judge Thim was town counsel in Hamden from 1947 to 1953, and judge of the Hamden Town Court from 1941 to 1951. He was a member of the state House of Representatives from Hamden from 1945 to 1949 and served as Speaker of the House in 1945.

Born in New Haven, he was a member of the New Haven County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Connecticut State Bar Association, the Elks Club and the New Haven Country Club.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Flom Thim; a daughter, Mary V. Sternberg; three sons, Jack Thim, George N. Thim and the Rev. Paul Thim; seven grandchildren; and three great grandchildren.

 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 154, page iii

Appointed to the Supreme Court May 21, 1965, to take effect July 21, 1966. 

 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 163, page iii

Retired April 29, 1972, under constitutional limitation as to age. 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 76, pages 714 - 716

CURTIS THOMPSON died at his home in Bridgeport, April 17th, 1904. He was born in 1835 of Puritan stock, and his ancestors on both sides resided in Stratford from the settlement of that town.

His career presents a familiar story in American life. It discloses narrow circumstances in childhood, high purpose and ambition, privations endured, difficulties surmounted, and the reward of character, success, competence and public esteem gained.

He was educated at the Stratford Academy and prepared for Yale College, but did not enter owing to lack of means. He learned and practiced a trade, taught school, and thus secured means to attend the Harvard Law School as a member of the class of 1864. In 1871 Yale College gave him the honorary degree of M. A.

After his admission to the Fairfield county bar in April, 1864, he represented Stratford in the General Assembly for three years, serving twice on the judiciary committee. In his adopted city he filled many public places, and served as alderman, councilman, town attorney and city attorney, for several terms in each position.

Mr. Thompson lived a laborious life, applying himself with unwearied industry to every matter placed in his hands by his clients, thus winning the lasting regard of an extensive and important clientage, and serving them in many large affairs with unswerving fidelity and marked ability. He was a high-minded, able and successful lawyer, with an ingrained honesty that was recognized by his client, his opponent, and the court.

His career at the bar was not meteoric or dazzling, but it was strong, substantial and effective. He was not content to be a lawyer merely, he sought also to be a good citizen; his voice and influence were always at the service of every cause tending to the public good. During his mature life he represented in influential speech and action the conscience and candid judgment upon public affairs of the large body of right-minded, public-spirited men in his city.

Mr. Thompson was called upon for occasional addresses in his vicinity more frequently than any other man, and particularly for those of a historical nature; for his mind was a storehouse of information regarding the local history of Bridgeport and vicinity, and his interest in such matters was deep and constant. Local history was his intellectual recreation.

His interest in life and affairs was always keen, and a remarkable freshness of feeling and power of enjoyment pervaded his life to the end. Conversation with him disclosed a social disposition, a wide acquaintance with the best in literature and science, and a catholic breadth of mind, always open to new thoughts and impressions, always growing in sane thinking. He was a manly man, led by a high sense of duty and an unerring instinct toward right action in all the relations of private and public life.

His career recalls these words of Lowell:--

"'The longer on this earth we live

And weigh the various qualities of men,

Seeing how most are fugitive

Or fitful gifts at best, of now and then,

The more we feel the high stern-featured beauty

Of plain devotedness to duty,

Steadfast and still, nor paid with mortal praise,

But finding amplest recompense

For life's ungarlanded expense

In work done squarely and unwasted days."

*Prepared by the Hon. Howard J. Curtis, of the Bridgeport bar, at the request of the Reporter.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 15, appendix page 32

This gentleman was born at New-Haven, and educated to the trade of a saddler. Being a man of strong and original thought, about the age of thirty, he abandoned his occupation, and prepared himself for the practice of law, which he commenced at Woodbury, and continued successfully until 1795; when his infirmities compelled him to relinquish his practice. He died May, 1803, aged 69.

His cotemporaries award him the character of a sagacious, vigorous and honest man. He represented his town in the General Assembly, May, and October, 1782, May, 1784, October, 1784, 1788, 1789.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 209, pages 835-836

1907 - 1989

The Honorable William L. Tierney, Jr., a retired Superior Court judge and state trial referee, died on January 6, 1989.

Judge Tierney, of Greenwich, retired in 1977 after serving nine years in the Superior Court, five months before mandatory retirement at age seventy. He then became a state trial referee in the same court.

Born in New Jersey, Judge Tierney graduated in 1928 from Williams College in Massachusetts with a B.A. degree and from Fordham University School of Law in 1931 with an LL.B. degree.

In 1941, he was appointed prosecuting attorney of Greenwich Town Court. He resigned in 1942, when he was commissioned a lieutenant, junior grade, in the United States Army. During World War II, he participated in the invasions of Africa, Italy and New Guinea.

Judge Tierney is survived by his wife, Dorita Dillon Tierney; and two daughters, Anne MacDonald and Virginia Kass.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 79, pages 725 - 729

DAVID TORRANCE, late Chief Justice, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, March 3d, 1840, and died in Derby, September 5th, 1906. When nine years old his mother, then a widow, brought her son with her to Norwich. His only schooling was for six months, when twelve years old, while a wound, received in the cotton mill, was healing. He worked in a cotton mill for some years, and then entered the mills of the Chelsea Paper Company, where he learned and worked at the trade of paper making until his enlistment in the army July 17th, 1862, as a private in Company A, 18th C. V. He went out with the regiment as second sergeant, was captured at Winchester in the fight between General Milroy and General Early, June 15th, 1863, and was confined in Libby Prison and Belle Isle, but soon paroled.

January 30th, 1864, Torrance was commissioned captain in the 29th Regiment, C. V., Colored, commanded by Colonel William B. Wooster, a prominent lawyer in New Haven county. Captain Torrance was commissioned major July 21st, 1864, and on November 24th, 1864, lieutenant-colonel of the 29th. He served with this regiment in South Carolina in the campaign concluding with the fall of Richmond, also in Maryland, and in Texas. His regiment was the first of the Federal infantry to enter Richmond.

Lieutenant-Colonel Torrance began the study of law under the direction of Colonel Wooster, and bought his first law book, Blackstone's Commentaries, in New Orleans, on his way home from Texas.

His regiment was mustered out October 14th, 1865, and he was discharged at Hartford, November 11th, 1865. Lieutenant-Colonel Torrance, with his wife Annie France, whom he married while still in the service, located in Derby, where he continued the study of the law with Colonel Wooster, and was admitted to the New Haven County Bar in 1868, and soon formed with his Colonel the law firm of Wooster & Torrance. This partnership was continued till 1882, when, by the admission of Edwin B. Gager, the firm became Wooster, Torrance & Gager, and so remained until Judge Torrance became a Superior Court judge in 1885.

In 1871 and 1872 Judge Torrance represented the town of Derby in the General Assembly. He was Secretary of State in 1879-1881, being elected upon the same ticket with Governor Andrews, who preceded him as chief justice.

In 1881 the legislature appointed Col. Torrance judge of the Court of Common Pleas for New Haven county, and reappointed him in 1885, but before his first term was finished he was, in 1885, appointed by Governor Harrison a judge of the Superior Court. In 1889 he was appointed an associate judge of the Supreme Court of Errors, from February 9th, 1890, by Governor Bulkeley, was afterward reappointed, and became Chief Justice upon the resignation of Charles B. Andrews October 1st, 1901, by appointment of Governor McLean. In 1883 Judge Torrance received the honorary degree of M. A. from Yale University; in 1893 he became an instructor in its law school; and in 1898 he was made professor of the law of evidence.

Chief Justice Torrance was in failing health for some years, but resolutely continued to discharge the duties of his office until a few months prior to his death. His last opinion was filed June 8th, 1906.

From the start Judge Torrance displayed legal ability of a high order, but the bent of his mind was judicial rather than litigious, and fortune favored him, for he held judicial office continuously for twenty-five years. His uniform courtesy, patience and consideration upon the bench, joined with his great ability and unquestioned fairness, made him a greatly respected and much loved judge. But quite apart from his official characteristics, Judge Torrance was endowed with a kindness of heart, a gentleness and sweetness of disposition, a sympathy, a natural unaffected dignity joined with a sense of brotherhood for the humblest of those with whom he came in contact, that greatly endeared him to all who were so fortunate as to be associated with him in any relation of life.

He was a most lovable man. Although not a graduate of the schools he was a well educated man, not only in the learning of his profession, but in general literature and particularly, as was to be expected from his cast of mind, in ethics and metaphysics. From boyhood, when the evenings following long days in the mill were spent in reading books taken from the Otis Library in Norwich, to the time of his death, he was a constant, systematic student and reader. His business sagacity was recognized in the many positions of trust he filled as director and president. For twenty-five years he was a member and active supporter of the Congregational Church in his city, and his Christianity was broad and deep but never obtrusive. His sense of justice was keen and exact, but joined with it was the charity that never judges harshly or unkindly. Simple in his tastes, modest, unassuming, and always genial in his intercourse with men, to a rare degree he gained the affection, confidence and respect of those with whom he came in contact, whether the fellow-citizens of his city, the members of the bar of the State, or his associates upon the bench.

More than three hundred and twenty-five opinions, models of clear legal reasoning, contained in the last twenty-three volumes of our reports are his written contribution to the law of Connecticut. His influence as associate judge and as chief justice is aptly stated in the minutes of the Supreme Court of Errors following this sketch.

At the session of the Supreme Court of Errors, held at Hartford on October 2d, 1906, the Hon. William A. King of Windham, Attorney-General of the State, addressed the court as follows:--

At this, the first term of the court since the death of Chief Justice Torrance, it is appropriate to devote a few moments to his memory.

David Torrance was of Scotch birth and parentage, coming to the United States when a child. In boyhood he was inured to physical toil, and the years of his young manhood were given to our country during the Civil War. His opportunities for education were meagre, but his natural fitness for the work of the law was strongly marked. From the field of successful practice as a lawyer he advanced from one place of honor to another until, in 1901, he was chosen to the highest official position in Connecticut,--that of chief justice of this court. And, through it all, he was ever the same modest, kind-hearted man.

You, his associates on the bench, know, better than anyone else, the elements in him which made him what he was. Lawyers who practiced before him would use the term "judicial temperament" in describing his controlling element as it impressed itself on them. Indeed, there was something which was part of his very nature, so fair, so just, so painstaking to be right, that it made one more than doubtful as to the correctness of any legal conclusion which failed to stand the test as applied by Judge Torrance.

He served the State long and faithfully, and gave to it the best that was in him. The State honored him, but in equal degree he honored the State by his unswerving fidelity to every trust reposed in him. To the coming generations of lawyers the opinions delivered by him will have that impersonal, far-away note, which, with us of to-day, attaches to the opinions of Chief Justice Waite, or those of Chief Justice Butler. But the present bar of Connecticut will associate his name and work, not merely with respect for him as a judge, but with a sentiment deeper and warmer, evoked by his qualities as a man.

At the conclusion of Mr. King's address, Judge Baldwin, the senior associate judge, said:--

The Attorney-General has anticipated much that the court might say, and must say. No one could know Chief Justice Torrance well without feeling that he was a true man,--simple, unaffected, with that inborn courtesy which goes only with a kind heart. No lawyer who practiced before him in the trial courts, or in this court, failed to see that besides these qualities he was, before all other things, a just judge. His mind was of the judicial cast. It did not leap to conclusions in the trial of a cause. They were reached only after full consideration of all that had been said on both sides of the question in controversy. His associates here, when they met him for consultation, were apt to distrust their own judgment, when it differed from his. That was not only deliberately and carefully reached, but reached by powers of reasoning which were of uncommon solidity.

He brought from his native country those traits of logical discrimination and philosophical inquiry which especially characterize the Scotch people; and they were developed and strengthened by a liberal education here, which he gave himself. As we were walking by the Otis Free Library in Norwich once, he turned to it and said to me: --"That was my university." There were the tools, and he had the resolution and the capacity to make them serve his use.

His judicial opinions were as clear as they were sound. I know of none in our reports, or in any reports, in which the functions of court and jury in questions of negligence have been better described and distinguished than in Farrell v. Waterbury Horse Railroad Co., 60 Conn. 239.

In 1883 Yale University recognized his literary attainments by conferring on him the honorary degree of Master of Arts. Ten years later he consented to teach the subjects of Sales and Evidence in her law school, and in 1898 became professor of evidence. There are many now at our bar who had the benefit of his instruction and feel its value.

One who is a true man, a just judge, and a sound and able reasoner, has the requisites for the highest judicial station. David Torrance had more than this. He possessed a rare personality and peculiar qualities of the judicial temperament which imbued his work with individuality and lifted it above the ordinary range of judicial fitness to the height of pre-eminence. He had a natural adaptation to the special duties belonging to his office, which none can appreciate more fully than those who have been associated with him here.

Chief Justice Torrance gave the strength of his youth to the service of his country in her time of need. The strength of his manhood he gave to the service of his State in a judicial career of a round quarter of a century. His associates upon this bench feel deeply the loss which his death has brought to the court of which he was the honored head. They feel deeply, also, the personal loss which has come to each of them in the taking away of a friend to whom he bore a sincere attachment.

The court thanks the Attorney-General for the appropriate remarks in which he has alluded to this event, and orders this minute to be spread upon the record.

*Prepared by Hon. Edwin B. Gager, of Derby, at the request of the Reporter.

 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 58, page iii

Appointed by the General Assembly in 1889 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge PARDEE.

 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports volume 74, page iii

Appointed [Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Errors] June 12th, to take effect Oct. 1st, 1901.

 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 79, page iii

Died September 5th, 1906.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 233, page 918

The Honorable Alfred A. Toscano died on December 9, 1994. He was ninety-one years old. Judge Toscano received his L.L.B. degree from Northeastern University School of Law in 1928 and was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1931.

Judge Toscano was first appointed to the Circuit Court in 1961 and served until 1973, the year that he became a state trial referee. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Toscano had an extensive public service record, including a term as assistant clerk and, later, clerk of the New Haven City Court, state Senate clerk from 1955 to 1957 and law clerk of the Judiciary and Governmental Functions Committee during the 1961 session of the General Assembly. Judge Toscano was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives for sessions commencing in 1949 and 1951.

A Branford resident, Judge Toscano was married to Helen Papa Toscano. He was the stepfather of three sons.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 36, pages 587 - 588

ISAAC TOUCEY was born at Newtown, Connecticut, November 5th, 1796, and studied law with the Hon. Asa Chapman of Newtown, afterwards a Judge of the Supreme Court of Errors of this State. Mr. Toucey commenced the practice of his profession in Hartford in 1818, and soon attained a high rank at the bar. He held the office of State Attorney for Hartford county from 1822 till 1835. In the latter year he was elected a representative to Congress, and continued to represent his district in that capacity for four years. In 1846 he was elected Governor of the state. During the latter part of President Polk's administration Mr. Toucey filled the office of Attorney General of the United States. In 1850 he was a member of the Senate of his native state. In 1851 he was elected to the Senate of the United States and held that office through his term of six years. When Mr. Buchanan became President of the United States, Mr. Toucey went into his cabinet and held the office of Secretary of the Navy during that administration, at the close of which he went back to private life. In addition to the public stations which he filled during his long and useful life, there were others which he was offered and declined. Among these was a seat on the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States. From his admission to the bar, till his election to the U. S. Senate in 1851, Mr. Toucey was constantly devoted to the duties of his profession, with the exception of the four years during which he represented his district in the lower house of Congress. He justly ranked among the ablest lawyers in the state. He was thorough and indefatigable in the preparation and trial of his causes. His manner was imposing, but somewhat cold and formal. But his courage was undaunted and his perseverance unflagging. He never despaired or gave up the cause of his client until every resource which the law furnished had been exhausted. He was a very accurate lawyer, learned and exact in pleading, and clear and orderly in the presentation of his case. He was tall in person, and though of slender figure he had fine features and a commanding presence. He spoke slowly, but with great precision. His diction was strong and clear, but without a particle of ornament. He addressed himself exclusively to the understanding of both courts and juries. He was never eloquent in the popular sense, but was often comprehensive and powerful in argument. The writer of this notice once asked the ablest lawyer in Connecticut which was the most powerful argument he had ever heard at our bar. He answered unhesitatingly, "The argument of Mr. Toucey before the Supreme Court of Errors in the case of Phalen v. Clark." With such intellectual and professional qualifications it is not surprising that he attained high professional and public honors.

The private character of Mr. Toucey was without a stain. He was a consistent and devout member of the Episcopal church. He was eminently a just man. During an intimate acquaintance with him of nearly twenty years, during some of which his political action was assailed with unsurpassed bitterness, the writer of these lines never heard him utter one word of resentment. In his own convictions he was as firm as a granite rock and he held to them with a strength and tenacity of will that were never surpassed; but without the least trace of bustle or bluster. His self-possession never forsook him, and on all occasions he exhibited the bearing of a high-toned gentleman. His administration of the Navy Department during the last part of Mr. Buchanan's administration has often been severely criticised. This is not the place in which to vindicate his political career; but it may be said with entire truth, of which there exists ample and conclusive proof, that these criticisms were without foundation. This has been frankly admitted by those of his political opponents who have taken the trouble to ascertain the facts.

After the close of his public career at Washington, Mr. Toucey returned to his residence at Hartford, where he continued to reside until his death, which took place July 30th, 1869.

*Prepared by Hon. William D. Shipman, Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 54, pages 601 - 602

Amos Sherman Treat, who died at Bridgeport on April 24th, 1886, within a few hours after his return from a trip to Mexico for health and relaxation, was born in Bridgewater in this state, February 5th, 1816. He was a lineal defendant of Robert Treat, the famous warrior in the days of King Phillip, and for many years governor of Connecticut.

On the maternal side Mr. Treat belonged to a branch of the Sherman family, including Gen. William T. Sherman, and John Sherman, former secretary of the treasury, and at this writing, United States senator from Ohio.

He entered Yale College, after leaving which, he taught school in South Carolina and later New Jersey. He studied law in Morristown with Jacob W. Miller, afterwards U.S. senator from New Jersey.

He was admitted to the bar in Litchfield in 1843, and commenced practice in Newtown, in Fairfield County, a locality which had gained no little fame for astute lawyers there educated and trained, and where this new aspirant soon developed qualities which made his subsequent professional career successful.

He held various local offices there, including that of judge of probate, member of the board of education, and during one administration, postmaster.

In 1854 he removed to Bridgeport, where he was a clerk of the courts until 1859. He was appointed by Governor Buckingham, member of the U.S. Peace Congress in 1861. He represented Bridgeport in the Connecticut General Assembly in the years 1858, 1862, 1869 and 1879, and the town of Woodbridge in the same body in the years 1871, 1872 and 1873. In 1872 he was a speaker of the House, and at its adjournment was presented with a testimonial in recognition of the dignity, courtesy and fairness with which he had filled the position.

His residence for a time in Woodbridge followed upon his marriage, December 15, 1869, with Mary Treat Clark, daughter of Treat Clark of Woodbridge, who with her daughter, Mary Clark Treat, survives him.

Mr. Treat, as has happened to others, made his highest professional mark late in life, for, in its mediaeval period--so to speak--he was much engrossed in side affairs of politics, and largely interested then, as always, in other business enterprises, which brought him such material returns as the mere lawyer seldom realizes. Later, as legal contemporaries somehow gave place, he was perforce, as it were, brought to a front position at the bar of his county, which he was fully endowed and equipped to hold.

He loved politics, was prominent in the councils of the republican party from its inception, and his directing hand was always seen, or at least felt, in the shaping of affairs, state or local, in which he took an interest. He had ambition for place, for which he had accorded capacity, and was favorably mentioned often for high judicial, legislative and executive position. Whatever antagonisms in later life he had, grew out of a disposition--rather common and forgivable--to have his own way in the conduct of things.

Aside from the routine of duty Mr. Treat was a most genial and companionable man. He was bright at repartee, fond of anecdote, and could always come up with the next good story, over which his own laughter was contagious.

He was very fond of the Masonic fraternity, and had held its highest places and honors; and as an illustration of his genial and social character, was always glad to lend an hour to participate in its ceremonies, public or private.

He was a noticeably kind and paternal friend to younger members of the profession.

He was not formally connected with any church communion, but was a regular attendant at the First Congregational Church in Bridgeport.

In person Mr. Treat was tall, stately and dignified. Quite untrained in certain graces of oratory, he was nevertheless sure to be remarked and heard with attention whenever and wherever he spoke.

His sudden decease, although at a ripe age, created a general shock in his immediate community, and a visible vacancy in domestic, social, political and professional circles, not in his own generation to be filled by any other.

*Prepared at the request of the Reporter, by Samuel B. Sumner, Esq., of the Fairfield County Bar. 

As Printed in Day's Reports, volume 2, page viii

[Note from a table of the members of the Supreme Court of Errors, from the organization of that court in 1784, until the transfer of its powers to the nine judges of the Superior Court in 1807]

Elected governor in 1798.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 15, appendix pages 29 - 30

Born at Lebanon, Ct., December 7th, 1782; and educated at Yale-College, where he graduated in 1801. He read law with William T. Williams, Esq. of Lebanon; admitted to the bar in the State of Ohio, in the summer of 1803, and in Windham county in this State, in the autumn of that year. In May, 1804, he settled at Hartford in the practice of law, where he has ever since resided. Having partially withdrawn from practice, previous to June 1828, he then relinquished it entirely, on becoming president of the Hartford Bank--a situation which he held until November 1839. In 1832, he was a representative from the town of Hartford in the General Assembly of this State. He represented the people of this state in the Congress of the United States, in the session of 1834-5. He was also a representative in Congress from the first congressional district, for the two terms commencing in March, 1839, and ending in March, 1843.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 213, page 821

1908-1990

The Honorable Archibald H. Tunick, state trial referee, of Greenwich, died January 7,1990, at the age of eighty-two.

Judge Tunick was born in Port Chester, New York, and graduated from Greenwich High School in 1925. He received a B.S. degree from St. Lawrence University in 1929 and his L.L.B. degree from the Harvard Law School in 1933. He was admitted to the Connecticut bar the following year.

Judge Tunick was an assistant prosecutor of the Greenwich Town Court from 1939 to 1942, after which he served as a captain in the United States Army during World War II.

Judge Tunick was a past president of the Greenwich Bar Association. He was appointed a judge of the Greenwich Town Court in 1946 and served in that capacity until 1949. He represented Greenwich in the state House of Representatives from 1951 to 1953. Judge Tunick became a judge of the Circuit Court in 1961 and was elevated to the Court of Common Pleas seven years later. He became a judge of the Superior Court in 1972.

Judge Tunick elected to become a senior judge in 1974. He became a state trial referee in 1977 and continued to serve in that capacity until his death.

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 42, pages 603 - 604

DANIEL PUTNAM TYLER, a prominent member of the Windham County bar, and for many years one of the leading politicians of the state, died at his residence in Brooklyn in that county on the 6th of November, 1875, at the age of seventy-seven. His grandmother on his father's side was a daughter of the Revolutionary hero, General Israel Putnam. Young Tyler was educated in the common schools of Brooklyn and at the Plainfield Academy, and had prepared to enter college when he was commissioned as second lieutenant in the United States army, which position he resigned a few years after to engage in the study of law. He was admitted to the Windham County bar in 1822 and immediately entered upon the practice of his profession in Brooklyn. He was soon after appointed clerk of the Superior and County Courts in that county, which office he held for fifteen years. He was one year Judge of the County Court, was Secretary of the State in the years 1844 and 1845, and represented Brooklyn in the General Assembly in 1838. The last public office which he held was that of Collector of Internal Revenue for the state of Arkansas, to which office he was appointed by President Lincoln and which he held for two years.

In the practice of his profession Mr. Tyler always enjoyed the reputation of an honorable man, and was distinguished for his untiring devotion to the interests of his clients. He was not, however, a close student of the law, and lacked the mental constitution that could have made him a profound lawyer. Of an impulsive nature, and very susceptible to the inspiration of occasions, especially to that of an enthusiastic assemblage, he was more fitted for popular oratory, and in this field won his special triumphs. He was one of the most effective political speakers that the state has ever produced. Not only were his services sought in all important elections in this state, but he was frequently invited to address large assemblies in other states during exciting political campaigns. His public speeches sparkled with wit, making him exceedingly popular with the masses. But while his wit was perhaps his most effective weapon, at least the one that seemed readiest at his hand, he was able to electrify an audience, when really inspired himself, by an outburst of genuine oratory.

Mr. Tyler continued in the practice of his profession in Brooklyn with the occasional interruptions involved in the holding of public offices that required him to reside elsewhere, down to the time of his death, and during the last year of his life made one of the happiest forensic efforts of his life in an important and exciting criminal trial before the Superior Court in Windham county, in which he was the leading counsel.

He was married in early life, but his wife died several years before him. He left no children. 

As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 134, pages 710 - 712

Rollin Usher Tyler of Tylerville in the town of Haddam, Connecticut, was born in Tylerville on September 8, 1864, the son of Alpheus Williams Tyler, a farmer in Haddam, and his wife, Melissa Usher, a Mount Holyoke College graduate. He died on January 11, 1948.

Judge Tyler attended the public schools, Brainerd Academy in Haddam, Middletown High School for two years, and Wilbraham Academy at Wilbraham, Massachusetts, from which he was graduated in 1882. He then went to Yale, from which he was graduated with the B. A. degree in 1886. He received a first colloquy appointment in his junior and senior years.

Judge Tyler then entered the teaching profession, teaching college preparatory studies and specializing in Latin, Greek and mathematics, at Nichols Academy, Dudley, Massachusetts, for three years, 1886-1889, and for one year at Steven's School, Hoboken, New Jersey, 1889-1890. On examination in 1888 he received a first grade certificate as a teacher in the Boston public schools. In 1890 he entered business and held a position for one year with the Remington Typewriter Company in New York. He then studied at the Yale Law School for two years, received the LL. B. degree, and was admitted to the Connecticut bar at New Haven in 1893. While he was in the Law School he was editor of the Yale Law Review (1892-1893). He studied at the Harvard Law School from 1893 to 1894 and then entered the office of Washington F. Willcox in Deep River and engaged in the active practice of law in Middlesex County. Washington F. Willcox died March 8, 1909, and Tyler took over the office and practice and continued to practice in Deep River until his death.

In 1901 Judge Tyler was elected to the legislature from Haddam and as representative he introduced the bill that resulted in the constitutional convention of 1902. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather had represented Haddam in the legislature also.

He was Democratic nominee for the state senate in 1898, 1908 and 1916; for lieutenant-governor in 1908; for governor in 1920; for United States senator in 1926; and for presidential elector in 1924, 1928 and 1932. He was the Connecticut delegate to the Democratic national convention at Denver in 1908, and at St. Louis in 1916. For several years, he was a member of the Connecticut Democratic state central committee.

He once said that he believed that he had been nominated for more offices, and been defeated, than any man in the history of the state of Connecticut.

He was probate judge of the Haddam district for twenty-two years, from 1911 until he reached the age limit in 1934. He served on the local selective services board (exemptions) through the First World War, 1917-1918.

In 1918, he declined the unanimous appointment by the judges of the Superior Court to be state's attorney for Middlesex County, and in 1925 he declined an appointment by Governor Trumbull, a Republican governor, to the Superior Court bench. He said he would not be able to attend to the unfinished business of his clients if he went on the bench, and felt "in honor" bound to consider them first. He was a member of the state commission which had charge of the construction and operation of the state drawbridge across the Connecticut River at East Haddam. In 1922, the Democratic state convention nominated him for attorney-general, but he declined the nomination.

By appointment of the governors, he served as a member of the board of pardons, 1923-1941; board of healing arts, 1925-1939; and emergency relief commission, 1933-1937. He also served on the board of voting machine commissioners and board of municipal finance and unemployment relief.

Judge Tyler was a member of the Middlesex County and Connecticut State Historical Societies; the New England Historic Genealogical Society, of Boston; the Middlesex County, Connecticut State, and American Bar Associations; the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution; and the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut. He served as president of the Deep River Savings Bank for forty years and was senior trustee and chairman of the board at the time of his death. He also was a director of the Deep River National Bank for thirty years, a director of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation and a trustee of Wilbraham Academy. In 1936-37, he was president of the Harvest Club of Connecticut.

Judge Tyler was fond of history and has a special gift for remembering important dates and events, so it was natural that he should be interested in local history and genealogy. He traced his family's direct descent, with names and dates, from John Alden and Priscilla Mullins. In 1912, he was copublisher with C. B. Tyler of Plainfield, New Jersey, of the Tyler genealogy, "Descendants of Job Tyler of Andover, Massachusetts, 1619-1700" in two volumes. He was an authority on the early settlers and location of old houses in Haddam and he frequently gave historical addresses and wrote historical articles for the papers.

All his life Judge Tyler was closely connected with the First Congregational Church of Haddam. He held concurrent offices which gave him a total of nearly a century and a half of service to his church. He was a member sixty-three years and had been a deacon for thirty years; he was treasurer and member of the prudential committee twenty-nine years, clerk eighteen years and Sunday school superintendent twenty years. Several years ago Haddam residents and members of the Congregational Church paid tribute to his many years of service at a reception at which he received an illuminated memorial book containing a sketch of his life and a record of his public services.

Judge Tyler married, as his first wife, Fannie Kidder Davenport on September 12, 1919. She died in 1934. He then married Elizabeth Bolton Hall on December 31, 1935. She survives him. Judge Tyler had no children.

Judge Tyler, in later years was better known as a legal counselor and advisor than as a trier of cases, but he never hesitated to defend a person whom he felt to be unjustly accused.

He was a lawyer of the old school, thoroughly grounded in the law and a man of the most outstanding integrity. The bar was to him always a profession and never a business. No worthy client was ever turned away for the lack of funds. He had a keen sense of humor and never wearied of hearing and telling amusing stories. He was the champion of anyone in distress without respect to race, color or creed, and there are many who owe their success in life to the helping hand extended to them by him.

Handsome, manly, cultivated, widely read, eloquent and witty, with the vitality of a healthy mind in a healthy body, Rollin Usher Tyler was at the same time a distinguished lawyer and a noble gentleman.

*Prepared by L. Horatio Biglow of the Middlesex bar.