George Franklin Comstock (1811–1892) was an American lawyer and politician. He was Chief Judge of the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

from 1860 to 1861.

Personal life

Comstock was born on August 24, 1811, in

Williamstown, New York Williamstown is a town in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,277 at the 2010 census. The Town of Williamstown is on the county's eastern boundary. History After the Revolutionary War, Williamstown did not exist until ...

. He graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

in 1834. Then he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1837. He was married to Cornelia, daughter of his friend and law partner, B. Davis Noxon, and had a son and daughter. Comstock died in Syracuse on September 27, 1892, and was buried at the Oakwood Cemetery.

Career

Comstock was

Solicitor of the United States Treasury The Solicitor of the Treasury position was created in the United States Department of the Treasury by an act of May 29, 1830 , which changed the name of the Agent of the Treasury. Function The Solicitor of the Treasury served as legal advisor to th ...

from 1852 to 1853, during the administration of President

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

. He was a judge of the

from 1856 to 1861, elected on the American Party ticket to fill the remainder of the unexpired term of

Charles H. Ruggles Charles Herman Ruggles (February 10, 1789 – June 16, 1865) was an American lawyer and politician who was a U.S. Representative from New York and Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals. Early life Ruggles was born on February 10, 1789, ...

who had resigned in October 1855. In 1856, Union College conferred the honorary degree of

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

on him. He was Chief Judge from 1860 to 1861. He published the first four volumes of the law reports of the Court of Appeals. In

1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first steam-p ...

, he ran for re-election on the Democratic ticket, but was defeated by the Union candidate William B. Wright.

Syracuse University

Comstock was an influential figure in the founding of

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

and a member of the new university's board of trustees. In 1870, he donated fifty acres of farmland on a hillside to the southeast of the city center, then valued at $60,000, to establish the university. He also donated additional $35,000. Comstock intended Syracuse University and the hill to develop as an integrated whole; a contemporary account described the latter as "a beautiful town ... springing up on the hillside and a community of refined and cultivated membership ... established near the spot which will soon be the center of a great and beneficent educational institution."

Comstock tract of buildings

The

Comstock Tract Buildings The Comstock Tract Buildings of Syracuse University are a set of buildings that were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. 155 pages including numerous photos. The name assigned in the listing was "Syracuse University-C ...

, a historic district of older buildings on the Syracuse University campus, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1980. Three buildings on campus—the Crouse Memorial College and the

Hall of Languages The Hall of Languages is a Syracuse University building designed by Horatio Nelson White in the Second Empire architectural style, and built in 1871–73. It was the first building constructed on the Syracuse University campus and the building ori ...

, and the

Pi Chapter House of Psi Upsilon Fraternity The Pi Chapter House of Psi Upsilon Fraternity is a building on the Syracuse University campus built in 1898 that was designed by Wellington W. Taber. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It is significant for its Neoc ...

—are individually listed on the National Register.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Comstock, George F 1811 births 1892 deaths People from Williamstown, New York Chief Judges of the New York Court of Appeals Politicians from Syracuse, New York Union College (New York) alumni Comptrollers of the United States Treasury New York (state) Know Nothings 19th-century American politicians New York (state) Democrats United States Department of the Treasury officials Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Syracuse, New York) Manlius Pebble Hill School Lawyers from Syracuse, New York 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American businesspeople Syracuse University trustees