Edgar Montgomery Cullen (1843 – 1922) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician from the state of New York. Cullen is best remembered as the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1904 to 1913.

Biography

Early years

Edgar Montgomery Cullen was born December 4, 1843 in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, Kings County, New York, the second son of Dr. Henry J. Cullen (1805–1874) and Elizabeth McCue. He attended the

Kinderhook Academy Kinderhook is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, Columbia County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 8,330 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous ...

and graduated from Columbia College in 1860."Edgar M. Cullen, Jurist, Dies at 78,"
''New York Times,'' May 24, 1922. After leaving Columbia, Cullen enrolled at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, until his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. In 1861, he was commissioned a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the First United States Infantry of the

regular army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

, and in 1862 became

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the

96th New York Volunteer Infantry The 96th New York Infantry Regiment (aka "Plattsburg Regiment") was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 96th New York Infantry was organized at Plattsburgh, New York February 20-March 7, 1862 and mu ...

at the age of just 19. Cullen took over command of

Hiram Burnham Hiram Burnham (1814 – September 29, 1864) was an officer in the Union Army who commanded a regiment and then a brigade in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. He was killed in battle while assaulting Confederate positions near Ric ...

's brigade following that officer's death at the

Battle of Chaffin's Farm The Battle of Chaffin's Farm and New Market Heights, also known as Laurel Hill and combats at Forts Harrison, Johnson, and Gilmer, was fought in Virginia on September 29–30, 1864, as part of the siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War. ...

. After his discharge from the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

, he resumed at first his engineering studies, but soon changed to the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in 1867.

Legal career

Cullen became active in

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politics and served from 1872 to 1875 as an Assistant District Attorney of Kings County. In 1876 he served as a top advisor on the staff of Governor Samuel J. Tilden. Cullen was elected as a justice of the New York Supreme Court in 1880. He was re-elected to a second 14-year term in 1894. In 1900, Culllen was one of the first three justices appointed under the amendment of 1899 to the Court of Appeals. After the resignation of

Alton B. Parker Alton Brooks Parker (May 14, 1852 – May 10, 1926) was an American judge, best known as the Democrat who lost the presidential election of 1904 to Theodore Roosevelt. A native of upstate New York, Parker practiced law in Kingston, New York, ...

to run for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

in September 1904, Cullen was appointed by Governor Benjamin Barker Odell, Jr. as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals. In November 1904, he was elected to a full 14-year term as Chief Judge, nominated as a

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

candidate by Republicans and Democrats. In 1913, he presided at the impeachment

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...

of Governor

William Sulzer William Sulzer (March 18, 1863 – November 6, 1941) was an American lawyer and politician, nicknamed Plain Bill Sulzer. He was the 39th Governor of New York and a long-serving congressman from the same state. Sulzer was the first, and to date ...

, and voted against conviction. Cullen retired from the bench at the end of 1913 when he reached the constitutional age limit of 70 years. Afterwards he resumed the practice of law when he joined the law firm Cullen & Dykman based out of 144 Montague Street, Brooklyn. Cullen was feted at the time of his retirement with a banquet in the grand ballroom of the

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schult ...

, hosted by the Brooklyn Bar Association and attended by 450 of the most prominent figures in New York political and legal circles, including former

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and sitting

Supreme Court Justice The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight Associate Justice of the Supreme ...

Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes Sr. (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American statesman, politician and jurist who served as the 11th Chief Justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the ...

."High Honors Paid to Judge Cullen by Bench and Bar,"
''Brooklyn Daily Eagle,'' vol. 74, no. 3 (Jan. 4, 1914), pp. 1
5
In his speech to the gathering, Cullen expressed pride in the legal profession and offered criticism of President Woodrow Wilson's call for judicial appeal to be "short, sharp, and decisive" so that government could more expeditiously function. Cullen responded:

Death and legacy

Edgar M. Cullen died on May 23, 1922 at his home at 144 Willow Street in Brooklyn following a serious "stroke of

apoplexy Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...

," from which he did not recover. He was 78 years old at the time of his death. Cullen's body was buried at the

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several blo ...

in his native Brooklyn.

Footnotes

External links

* Lawrence Kestenbaum (ed.)

"Edgar M. Cullen," Political Graveyard.com, www.politicalgraveyard.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Cullen, Edgar M. 1843 births 1922 deaths Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery Chief Judges of the New York Court of Appeals People from Brooklyn New York Supreme Court Justices Columbia College (New York) alumni Union Army officers Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni People of New York (state) in the American Civil War 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges 20th-century American judges