John Wilder May (1819–1883) was an American jurist who served as chief justice of the Boston Municipal Court and District Attorney of

Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in Massachusetts. The county comprises the cities of Boston, Chel ...

Early life

May was born on January 28, 1819, in

Attleboro, Massachusetts Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 census, Attleboro had a population of 46,461. Attleboro is ...

to Lemuel and Esther Wilder May. His father served as a member of the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...

and both chambers of the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

. May graduated from

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

and the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

. After college, May farmed for a couple of years before returning to Attleboro to work as a school teacher. In 1850, May married Elizabeth Thurston Farnham, a cousin from

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Modern Bangor ...

. They had four children - Henry Farnham May, Harriet Wilder May, John Lemuel May and Elizabeth Farnham May.

Legal career

May studied law in the office of Francis Hilliard in

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Roxbury is a Municipal annexation in the United States, dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for n ...

. He was admitted to the bar on September 1, 1851, and started his own practice in Roxbury. He became involved in politics as well. He represented Ward 3 the Roxbury common council in 1857, was city solicitor for a time, and in 1867 represented the community in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

. After Roxbury was annexed by Boston, May formed a partnership with Charles W. Story. In 1869, May was elected District Attorney of Suffolk County. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Boston Municipal Court on October 12, 1878. He remained on the bench until his death on January 11, 1883.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:May, John Wilder 1819 births 1883 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians District attorneys in Suffolk County, Massachusetts Massachusetts lawyers Judges of the Boston Municipal Court Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Roxbury, Boston People from Attleboro, Massachusetts Phillips Academy alumni University of Vermont alumni 19th-century American judges