Arthur Sidney Tompkins (August 26, 1865 – January 20, 1938) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

Early life

Born in

Middleburgh, New York Middleburgh is a town in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The population was 3,515 at the 2000 census. The Town of Middleburgh contains a village called Middleburgh. The town is on the county's eastern border and is west of Albany. ...

, Tompkins moved with his parents to

West Nyack, New York West Nyack is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Blauvelt, east of Nanuet, southwest of Valley Cottage, southeast of Bardonia, and west of Central Nyac ...

, in 1866. He attended the public schools of Clarkstown and Nyack until 1878. He studied law, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1886 and commenced practice in Nyack, New York. He was police justice of

Nyack, New York Nyack () is a Village (New York), village located primarily in the Town (New York), town of Orangetown, New York, Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, Rockland County, New York (state), New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, it retai ...

, from 1887 to 1889.

Political career

Tompkins was elected chairman of the

Rockland County Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of th ...

Republican committee in 1888. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Rockland Co.) in

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

. He was a delegate to all Republican State conventions from 1888 to 1906, and as delegate or alternate to all

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

s from 1888 to 1900. He was also county judge and

surrogate A surrogate is a substitute or deputy for another person in a specific role and may refer to: Relationships * Surrogacy, an arrangement where a woman agrees to carry and give birth to a child for another person who will become its parent at bi ...

of Rockland County 1893-1898. Tompkins was elected 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 ...

to the 56th and

57th United States Congress The 57th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1901, to ...

es, holding office from March 4, 1899, to March 3, 1903. Afterwards he resumed the practice of law in Nyack.

Judicial career

Tompkins was elected justice of the

Supreme Court of New York The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

in 1906. He was reelected in 1920 and 1934. He was promoted to the

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York The Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court of the State of New York are the intermediate appellate courts in New York State. There are four Appellate Divisions, one in each of the state's four Judicial Departments (e.g., the full title of the ...

in January 1930 and served until his retirement in 1936. He died in

, January 20, 1938. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tompkins, Arthur Sidney 1865 births 1938 deaths Politicians from Rockland County, New York New York Supreme Court Justices Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Middleburgh, New York People from West Nyack, New York People from Nyack, New York