Ambrose Tighe (May 8, 1859 – November 11, 1928) was an American
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
,
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
, and
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
from
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. He was one of the five co-founders of
William Mitchell College of Law
William Mitchell College of Law was a private, independent law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, from 1956 to 2015. Accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), it offered full- and part-time legal education in pursuit of ...
.
Early life
Tighe was a first-generation American, born and raised in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. His grandfather, an Episcopalian missionary, had emigrated there from
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
in the early nineteenth century.
[''Id.''] His father James was also a lawyer, educated at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, although he did not practice extensively, focusing instead on a career in business.
Tighe attended preparatory school at
Adelphi Academy
Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher edu ...
and in 1879 graduated from
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
,
where he was a member of
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
and the
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...
secret society.
Career
After graduating from Yale, he briefly worked as a reporter for the New York Tribune, and then relocated to
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, and the seat of Franklin County. It is a home rule-class city; the population was 28,602 at the 2020 census. Located along the Kentucky River, Frankfort is the prin ...
. He read law there and was admitted to the state bar in 1880.
In June of the same year he was elected the Douglas Fellow at Yale, which allowed him to continue his academic studies at the school. In January 1882, the college made him a lecturer in the Latin Department, and he taught courses on
Roman Law
Roman law is the law, legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (c. 449 BC), to the ''Corpus Juris Civilis'' (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor J ...
until June 1885.
Tighe published his notes the following year in a book entitled, ''The Development of the Roman Constitution''.
It was a popular textbook in the subject at Yale and other
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...
colleges.
In recognition of his work in Roman history, Yale awarded him an M.A. in 1891.
After further reading law in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, Tighe moved to
St. Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...
, in 1886,
where he embarked upon an impressive career. In 1890, he was named general counsel for
Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York
The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York (also known as Mutual of New York or MONY) was the oldest continuous writer of insurance policies in the United States. Incorporated in 1842, it was headquartered at 1740 Broadway, before becoming a wh ...
, and in 1900 he accepted the same position at the
Eastman Kodak Company
The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
. Tighe served in the
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...
as a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
from 1903 to 1909. His son
Richard Lodge Tighe Richard Lodge Tighe (January 13, 1902 – April 30, 1938) was an American lawyer and politician.
Tighe was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He received his bachelor's degree from University of Minnesota and his law degree from University of Minne ...
also served in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
This was followed in 1917 by a two-year engagement as lead counsel for the infamous
Minnesota Commission of Public Safety,
then a term as president of the
Minnesota State Bar Association
The Minnesota State Bar Association is a voluntary bar association for the state of Minnesota, whose members include lawyers, judges, and other legal practitioners, such as clerks, registrars, and paralegals. The MSBA is one of the oldest state ba ...
in 1920 and an appointment as St. Paul City Attorney from 1920-28.
In 1900, while President of the
Ramsey County Bar Association, he and
Hiram F. Stevens
Hiram Fairchild Stevens (September 11, 1852 – March 9, 1904) was an American lawyer, politician, and academic from Minnesota. He was one of the five co-founders of William Mitchell College of Law and a charter member of the American Bar Assoc ...
,
Moses Clapp
Moses Edwin Clapp (May 21, 1851March 6, 1929) was an American lawyer and politician.
Biography
Born in Delphi, Indiana, Clapp moved with his parents to Hudson, Wisconsin. He went to University of Wisconsin Law School and practiced law in Huds ...
,
Thomas D. O'Brien
Thomas Dillon O'Brien (February 14, 1859 – September 3, 1935) was an American lawyer, judge, and academic from Minnesota. He was one of the five co-founders of William Mitchell College of Law and a justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Bio ...
, and
Clarence Halbert
Clarence Wells Halbert (born 1874) was an American lawyer and academic from Minnesota. He was one of the five co-founders of William Mitchell College of Law.
Halbert was born in Binghamton, New York. His family moved to St. Paul, Minnesota an ...
founded the St. Paul College of Law, the first predecessor school of
William Mitchell College of Law
William Mitchell College of Law was a private, independent law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, from 1956 to 2015. Accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), it offered full- and part-time legal education in pursuit of ...
. Tighe served on the Board of Trustees and taught courses there on public corporations until his death in 1928.
Influence
Tighe was very well-connected, considered to be one the social elites in St. Paul at the turn of the twentieth century. One of his many affiliations was with
The Informal Club, a small organization whose members included
James J. Hill
James Jerome Hill (September 16, 1838 – May 29, 1916) was a Canadian-American railroad director. He was the chief executive officer of a family of lines headed by the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwes ...
,
Cass Gilbert
Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas and We ...
, Judge
Walter Henry Sanborn, General
Wesley Merritt
Wesley Merritt (June 16, 1836December 3, 1910) was an American major general who served in the cavalry of the United States Army during the American Civil War, American Indian Wars, and Spanish–American War. Following the latter war, he became ...
, Congressman
Thomas Wilson, and Justice
William B. Mitchell.
Henry A. Castle, ''History of St. Paul and Vicinity'', pg. 483 (1912)."> Henry A. Castle, ''History of St. Paul and Vicinity'', pg. 483 (1912).
/ref> Tighe was also close with President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...
(S&B 1878) and U.S. Solicitor General Lloyd Wheaton Bowers
Lloyd Wheaton Bowers (March 9, 1859 – September 9, 1910) was an American lawyer.
Life and career
Bowers was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, the son of Samuel Dwight Bowers and Martha Wheaton Dowd. On both sides, his ancestors were Purita ...
(S&B 1879).
Publications
*''The Theory and Law of Water Works Securities'', 13 Yale L.J. 165 (1903).
*''The Theory of the Minnesota 'Safety Commission' Act'', 3 Minn. L. Rev. 1 (1918).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tighe, Ambrose
1859 births
1928 deaths
American legal scholars
Kentucky lawyers
Lawyers from Brooklyn
Politicians from Brooklyn
Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota lawyers
Yale University alumni
Yale University faculty
19th-century American lawyers