Julian Codman (September 21, 1870 – December 30, 1932), was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

who was a vigorous opponent of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

who was also involved with the Anti-Imperialist League.

Early life

Codman was born in

Cotuit, Massachusetts Cotuit ( ) is one of the villages of the Town of Barnstable on Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on a peninsula on the south side of Barnstable about midway between Falmouth and Hyannis, Cotuit is bounded by ...

, on September 21, 1870. He was the son of Col. Charles Russell Codman (1829–1918), a colonel in the Union Army who commanded the 45th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and Lucy Lyman Paine Sturgis (1833–1907). Among his siblings were Russell Sturgis Codman; John Sturgis Codman; Anne McMasters Codman, who married Henry Bromfield Cabot; and Susan Welles Codman, who married Redington Fiske. His maternal grandfather was Russell Sturgis, a wealthy Boston merchant active in the China trade, p.207 and his uncle was noted architect and builder John Hubbard Sturgis, who designed the

Codman House The Codman House (also known as The Grange) is a historic house set on a estate at 36 Codman Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts. Thanks to a gift by Dorothy Codman, it has been owned by Historic New England since 1969 and is open to the public June ...

Lincoln, Massachusetts Lincoln is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,014 according to the 2020 United States census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base who live within town limits. The town, located in the MetroWe ...

and the

Boston Museum of Fine Arts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, along with Charles Brigham. Codman received an A.B. degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1892 and an LL.B. degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1895. He passed the

Massachusetts Bar The Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA) is a voluntary, non-profit bar association in Massachusetts with a headquarters on West Street in Boston, Boston's Downtown Crossing. The MBA also has a Western Massachusetts office. The purpose of the MB ...

exam in 1895 and began practicing as a lawyer.

Career

Codman, an Independent, was a member of the Executive Committee of New England Anti-Imperialist League from 1902 to 1904. In 1904, he was a Delegate of the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

, a Signatory of Philippine Independence Committee Petition, and sat on the Executive Committee of Anti-Imperialist League. In 1918, he was the vice-president of Anti-Imperialist League. From 1916 until 1919, Codman served in the U.S. Army during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, achieving the rank of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

. He also served as a vice-president of the Associated Charities, headed the Constitutional Liberty League, was counsel for the Joint Legislative Committee, and was a notable foe of

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

. He twice represented the combined anti-Prohibition societies at Congressional hearings. Codman co-wrote Secretary Root's Record: "Marked Severities" in Philippine Warfare.

Personal life

In 1897, he married Norah Chadwick (1873–1961), daughter of James Read Chadwick and his wife Katherine Maria Lyman. They had two daughters, who were the wives of Guy Holden Norris and Ransom F. Hodges. Codman died at the

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

in Boston on December 30, 1932, and was buried at

Forest Hills Cemetery Forest Hills Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery, greenspace, arboretum, and sculpture garden in the Forest Hills section of Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The cemetery was established in 1848 as a pu ...

, which is located in the Forest Hills section of the

Jamaica Plain Jamaica Plain is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of Roxbury, Massachusetts, Roxbury. The community seceded from Roxbur ...

neighborhood of

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Codman, Julian 1870 births 1932 deaths People from Cotuit, Massachusetts Harvard Law School alumni United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army colonels Burials at Forest Hills Cemetery (Boston) Military personnel from Massachusetts