John W. Rowell (June 9, 1835 – February 13, 1924) was a Vermont attorney and businessman. He is notable for his service 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 1882 to 1902, and chief justice from 1902 to 1913.
Early life
John W. Rowell was born in
Lebanon, New Hampshire on June 9, 1835. He was raised in
Randolph, Vermont, educated in the schools of Randolph, and graduated from West Randolph Academy. In 1856 he began to
study law in the office of
Jefferson P. Kidder
Jefferson Parish Kidder (June 4, 1815 – October 2, 1883) was an American lawyer and jurist. He served as the non-voting delegate from the Dakota Territory to the United States House of Representatives. Kidder was the only Democratic lieutenant ...
; after Kidder moved from Vermont, Rowell continued to study in the office of Judge Edmund Weston. Rowell also attended a course of instruction at the
Ohio State and Union Law College The Ohio State and Union Law College, was an independent law school in Cleveland, Ohio that operated from 1855 to 1876.
Founding
The college was founded in 1855 in Poland, Ohio, by the law firm of Judge Chester Hayden, Marcus King, and MD Legett ...
of
Poland, Ohio
Poland is a village in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. A suburb about southeast of Youngstown, the population was 2,463 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area.
History
In 1796, Poland To ...
.
Start of career
Rowell was
admitted to the bar in 1858, and began to practice in Randolph as the partner of Judge John B. Hutchinson. He was a longtime member of the board of directors of the Northfield Bank, and was also active with the Randolph National Bank as a vice president and director. A
Republican, Rowell 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 ...
from 1861 to 1863. From 1862 to 1864 he served as
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 ...
of
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
.
After his partnership with John B. Hutchinson was dissolved in 1866, Rowell practiced alone in Randolph until 1870, when he moved to
Chicago to practice as the partner of John Hutchinson, who was notable for his service as U.S. Consul in
Nice,
France and Secretary of the
Dakota Territory. In September 1871, Rowell decided to return to Randolph and continue practicing law.
Later career
From 1872 to 1880 Rowell was the reporter of decisions for the Vermont Supreme Court. In 1874, Rowell was elected to the
Vermont Senate, where he served one term and was chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the committee that oversaw operations at the state asylum for the insane.
In 1882, Vermont Chief Justice
John Pierpont died and Associate Justice
Homer E. Royce
Homer Elihu Royce (June 14, 1819 – April 24, 1891) was an American lawyer, politician and jurist.
Early life
Royce was born in Berkshire, Vermont, the son of Elihu Marvin and Sophronia (Parker) Royce. His uncle Stephen Royce who served as Ve ...
was appointed to succeed him. Governor Roswell Farnham then appointed Rowell to succeed Royce as an associate justice. Rowell served until 1902, when he was named to succeed
Russell S. Taft
Russell Smith Taft (January 28, 1835 – March 22, 1902) was a lawyer, politician and judge who served as the 29th lieutenant governor of Vermont and chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.
Early life
Russell Smith Taft was born in Will ...
as chief justice. He served as chief justice until retiring in 1913, and was succeeded by
George M. Powers
George M. Powers (December 19, 1861 – June 24, 1938) was a Vermont attorney, politician, and judge. He was most notable for his service as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1904 to 1906, and again from 1909 to 1913, and chi ...
.
Honors
In 1893, Rowell received the
honorary degree of
LL.D. from the
University of Vermont. In 1913 he received an LL.D. from
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...
.
Retirement and death
After retiring, Rowell continued to reside in Randolph, where he died on February 13, 1924. He was buried at South View Cemetery in Randolph.
Family
In 1858, Rowell married Mary L. Wheeler (1832–1919), the daughter of Reverend Leonard Wheeler and Hannah (Gilman) Wheeler of Randolph. They had no children.
References
Sources
Newspapers
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Books
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowell, John W.
1835 births
1924 deaths
People from Randolph, Vermont
Vermont lawyers
State's attorneys in Vermont
Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives
Republican Party Vermont state senators
Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court
Burials in Vermont
U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law
19th-century American lawyers