Arthur Prentice Rugg (August 20, 1862 – June 12, 1938) was a justice of the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the court of last resort, highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the di ...

from 1906 to 1938, serving as chief justice from 1911 to 1938. He was appointed by Governor Eugene Foss. Rugg was born on August 20, 1862, in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts. He was one of five children of Prentice Mason Rugg and Cynthia Ross Rugg. Rugg attended and graduated from Lancaster High School in 1879, then from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1883 and finally from the

Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...

in 1886. He was admitted to the bar in 1886. Immediately after admittance, Rugg established his practice in Worcester, Massachusetts, with

John R. Thayer John Randolph Thayer (March 9, 1845 – December 19, 1916) was a representative from Massachusetts. He was born in Douglas, Massachusetts and attended the common schools and Nichols Academy in Dudley. Thayer graduated from Yale College i ...

. During this time, Rugg was involved in a number of political organizations. He was a member of Sterling's school committee from 1887. From 1888 to 1890 he was a trustee of the Sterling public library. He was a member of the Worcester city council in 1894 and was president of the group the next year. In 1889, Rugg married Florence May Belcher. They had three children: sons Charles Belcher and Arthur Prentice Jr. and daughter Sidney H. Writ. Rugg was elected city solicitor of Worcester in 1897. From this position, Massachusetts governor Curtis Guild Jr. appointed him to the

as an associate justice on September 14, 1906. On September 13, 1911, Massachusetts governor Eugene Foss nominated Rugg to be Chief Justice of the

. Rugg was the youngest person ever to receive that position. He served on the court until his death, at his home in Sterling. He died of pneumonia."Chief Justice Rugg Is Dead After 32 Years on Bench", ''The Boston Globe''. June 13, 1938. p. 1. Rugg received five honorary LL.D. degrees from schools in Massachusetts:

in 1908; Harvard University in 1914; Boston University in 1923; Williams College in 1924;

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

in 1938.

References

1862 births 1938 deaths People from Sterling, Massachusetts Amherst College alumni Boston University School of Law alumni Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court {{Massachusetts-state-judge-stub