John Patrick Cotter (March 2, 1911 – March 16, 1993) was a justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court from 1965 to 1981, serving as chief justice from 1978 to 1981.Mindy A. Antonio, "Former chief justice dies as 82", ''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...

'' (March 17, 1993), p. D8, D9.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, Cotter was a truck driver during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, receiving a B.S. in history and economics from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in 1933, and a J.D. 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 ...

in 1936. He entered the practice of law with the Hartford firm of Day, Berry and Howard until 1938, when he opened his own practice. In 1941, he became prosecuting attorney of the Hartford Police Court. He served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1947 to 1950, where he was the House Democratic floor leader.

Judicial career

In 1950, Governor

Chester Bowles Chester Bliss Bowles (April 5, 1901 – May 25, 1986) was an American diplomat and ambassador, governor of Connecticut, congressman and co-founder of a major advertising agency, Benton & Bowles, now part of Publicis Groupe. Bowles is best known f ...

appointed Cotter to the Court of Common Pleas, and in 1955 Governor Abraham Ribicoff elevated him to the Superior Court, where Cotter bristled at the tendency of lawyers to continually seek to put off scheduled trials due to lack of preparation. In 1965, Cotter was appointed to the Connecticut Supreme Court, where he was initially a frequent dissenter. As the composition of the court became more liberal, Cotter's dissents became majority opinions. As Chief Justice of Connecticut, Cotter oversaw the consolidation of the state's disorganized court system into its current structure.

Personal life

Cotter and his wife Jeanette had a son and two daughters. In 1989, Cotter's son, John P. Cotter Jr., carried out the murder–suicide of his wife and children, and himself. Cotter died in a nursing home in

Bloomfield, Connecticut Bloomfield is a suburb of Hartford in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town's population was 21,535 at the 2020 census. Bloomfield is best known as the headquarters of healthcare services company Cigna. History Originally land ...

at the age of 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotter, John P. 1911 births 1993 deaths Lawyers from Hartford, Connecticut Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni Harvard Law School alumni Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American judges 20th-century Connecticut politicians