Benjamin Noyes Hulburd (May 21, 1898 – April 9, 1964) was an American attorney, politician, and judge who served as an associate 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 ...

from 1955 to 1959, and chief justice from 1959 to 1963.

Early life and education

Hulburd was born in Hyde Park, Vermont on May 21, 1898, the son of Roger W. Hulburd and Mabel Julia (Noyes) Hulburd. He graduated from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

in 1920, and received his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

in 1924. In 1928, he received his LL.B. from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

and was admitted to the bar.

Career

Hulburd began a practice in Hyde Park in 1928. A Republican, he was elected

state's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

Lamoille County Lamoille County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,945, and it is the third-least populous county in Vermont. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Hyde Park, while Morristow ...

soon after becoming a lawyer, and he served until 1935. Hulburd also served in local offices including school board member and village trustee. In 1940, Hulburd was elected Lamoille County Probate Judge, and he served from 1941 to 1949. In 1948, Hulburd was a delegate to the

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 ...

. He was elected to 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 ...

later that year, and he served during the session of 1949. In 1949, Hulburd was appointed to the Vermont

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

. He served until 1955, and advanced through seniority to become the court's chief judge. In 1955, Hulburd was appointed as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, in keeping with Vermont's tradition of promoting the chief judge of the Superior Court. He succeeded Olin M. Jeffords, who was promoted to chief justice. In 1959, Hulburd was appointed as Chief Justice, succeeding

Walter H. Cleary Walter Henry Cleary (November 17, 1887 – April 12, 1974) was a Vermont attorney and judge. His career was most notable for his service as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1948 to 1958, and chief justice from 1958 to 1959. ...

. He served until retiring in 1963 because of ill health, and was succeeded by James Stuart Holden.

Death

After joining the superior court, Hulburd became a resident of South Burlington, Vermont. He died in a

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

hospital on April 9, 1964, and was buried at Hyde Park Village Cemetery.

Family

In 1928, Hulburd married Dorothy Elizabeth Poustie (1901-1968) of

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. They were the parents of sons Roger William (1930-1998) and George Poustie (b. 1932), and daughter Dale Elizabeth (b. 1932), the wife of Donald L. LeBlanc of

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

References

Sources

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Books

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hulburd, Benjamin N. 1898 births 1964 deaths People from Hyde Park, Vermont People from South Burlington, Vermont University of Vermont alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Harvard Law School alumni Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont School board members in Vermont Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont state court judges Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Burials in Vermont 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers