Bernard Joseph Leddy (March 18, 1910 – January 9, 1972) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont.

Education and career

Leddy was born in Underhill,

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

on March 18, 1910, a son of John T. Leddy and Anna (Marlow) Leddy. Leddy was educated in the parochial schools of Underhill and

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

, and was a 1927 graduate of Burlington's Cathedral High School. He received his

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

Saint Michael's College Saint Michael's College (St. Mikes or Saint Michael's) is a private Roman Catholic college in Colchester, Vermont. Saint Michael's was founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund. It grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees i ...

in 1931, and his

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from

Boston College Law School Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the law school of Boston College. It is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts, about 1.5 miles from the university's main campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. With approximately 800 studen ...

in 1934. He was a Burlington alderman from 1935 to 1940. He was an

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

for Vermont from 1940 to 1954. In 1946, Leddy was named chair of the Burlington Zoning Commission. In 1955, he was elected chair of the Saint Michael's College board of trustees. In 1956, he was elected chair of the Chittenden County Bar Association. Leddy was a civilian aide for the

United States Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

from 1962 to 1966.

Gubernatorial campaign

Leddy was the 1958 Democratic nominee for Governor of Vermont. At a time when Vermont was overwhelmingly Republican, Leddy lost to

Robert Stafford Robert Theodore Stafford (August 8, 1913 – December 23, 2006) was an American politician from Vermont. In his lengthy political career, he served as the 71st governor of Vermont, a United States representative, and a U.S. Senator. A Republic ...

by only 719 votes (50.3% to 49.7%). Leddy's strong showing in the governor's race, coupled with the win of Democrat William H. Meyer in the election for Vermont's at-large seat in the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, was an indicator that the state's Democrats were growing in strength after more than 100 years of Republican dominance in statewide elections.

Federal judicial service

Leddy was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 16, 1966, to the United States District Court for the District of Vermont, to a new seat created by 80 Stat. 75. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on August 25, 1966, and received his commission the same day. He served as Chief Judge from 1969 to 1972. His service was terminated on January 9, 1972, due to his death after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

at his Burlington home. He is buried at Resurrection Park Cemetery in

South Burlington South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Along with neighboring Burlington, it is a principal city of the Burlington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,292. It is home to the head ...

Family

In 1939, Leddy married Johannah (Mahoney) Leddy. They were the parents of sons John T. and the Reverend James P., and three daughters, Ann, Johannah, and Mary. Johannah was the wife of Thomas Donovan. Ann is the wife of Alan Charron. Leddy's son James P. Leddy was a member of the

Vermont State Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

. His daughter Johannah Leddy Donovan has served in 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 ...

since 2001. His grandson

T. J. Donovan Thomas J. "T. J." Donovan Jr. (born January 15, 1974) is an American lawyer and politician who served as Vermont Attorney General from 2017 to 2022. He was first elected in 2016 with over 66 percent of the vote. He previously served for ten years ...

was the

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 ...

for Chittenden County, Vermont, prior to winning election as

Vermont Attorney General The Vermont Attorney General is a statewide elected executive official in the U.S. state of Vermont who is elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office ...

in 2016.

Honor

A park in Burlington is named in Leddy's honor.Enjoy Burlington: Leddy Park information page

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leddy, Bernard J. 1910 births 1972 deaths Saint Michael's College alumni Boston College Law School alumni Vermont Democrats Vermont lawyers Vermont city council members Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont United States district court judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson 20th-century American judges People from Underhill, Vermont Burials in Vermont 20th-century American lawyers Assistant United States Attorneys