Bates Turner (October 1760 – April 30, 1847) was a Vermont lawyer, judge and politician. In addition to serving as a member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

, he was a justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

for two years.

Biography

Turner was born in October 1760 in what would become

Canaan, Connecticut Canaan is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,080 at the 2020 census, down from 1,234 at the 2010 census. The town of Canaan is often referred to locally by the name of its principal settlement, Falls V ...

. He served in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

as a member of Captain Thomas Converse's Company,

7th Connecticut Regiment The 7th Connecticut Regiment was raised on September 16, 1776, at New Milford, Connecticut. The regiment would see action in the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown and the Battle of Monmouth. The regiment was merged into the 5th Conn ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. In 1780, he graduated from the

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Whi ...

. Turner practiced law in Connecticut, and moved to Vermont in 1798; he originally resided in Fairfield, and later in

St. Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman r ...

. For a time, his law partner in St. Albans was Asa Aldis, who subsequently served as chief justice of the

. Turner subsequently returned to Fairfield; in addition to practicing law, he also trained several prospective attorneys, including William C. Wilson. For brief periods, he lived in Middlebury and Fairfield, before finally returning to St. Albans. Turner's legal instruction was so sought after that he eventually began offering a formal program of study, which was organized along the lines of the

. During his career, between 175 and 200 attorneys obtained their legal education with Turner. Turner was a member of the

in 1813. He served on the Supreme Court from 1827 to 1828. In 1829, he was a member of the Council of Censors, which met every seven years to review actions of Vermont's government and ensure their constitutionality.

Death and burial

Turner died in St. Albans on April 30, 1847. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans.

Family

In 1796, Turner married Mrs. Persis Humphrey of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. She died in 1814, and in 1815 he married Mrs. Sarah Webb of

North Hero North Hero is a town in and the shire town (county seat) of Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States. The population was 939 at the 2020 census. The town was named in honor of the American Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen. Government The No ...

. His nephew, Josiah Turner, who had read law under him, became a justice of the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the state ...

. Another relative, Wolcott Turner Brooks, served as a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

. Turner's stepdaughter Abigail Webb was married to

Herman R. Beardsley Herman R. Beardsley (July 21, 1800 – March 9, 1878) was a Vermont attorney and judge who served as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. Biography Herman Ruggles Beardsley was born in Kent, Connecticut on July 21, 1800, the son of E ...

, who also served on the Vermont Supreme Court.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Bates 1760 births 1847 deaths People from Canaan, Connecticut Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Continental Army officers from Connecticut Litchfield Law School alumni Burials in Vermont