Julius A. Willcox (October 2, 1879 – July 2, 1932) was a Vermont educator, attorney, and judge. A longtime administrator in Vermont's state government, he is most 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 1929 to 1931.

Early life

Julius Abner Willcox was born in

Bridport, Vermont Bridport is a New England town, town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was founded October 9, 1761. The population was 1,225 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 1,2 ...

on October 2, 1879, the son of Edwin Willcox and Alice (Miner) Willcox. He was educated in Bridport, and Crown Point and Port Henry,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He graduated 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 ...

in 1902, and became a school teacher and administrator. After deciding on a legal career, Willcox studied law in the Ludlow office of William W. Stickney and

John G. Sargent John Garibaldi Sargent (October 13, 1860March 5, 1939) was an American lawyer and government official. He served as United States Attorney General during the administration of President Calvin Coolidge. Biography John G. Sargent was born in Lu ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1908, and practiced in Ludlow.

Political career

Willcox was also active in politics and government as a Republican, including serving as the reporter of debates for the Vermont Senate in 1906, second assistant clerk of 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 ...

in 1908 and 1910, first assistant clerk in 1912, 1915, and 1917, and clerk in 1919. In 1915 and 1916, Willcox was an assistant to the commission that revised Vermont's statutes, and in 1917 he was one of the editors who published the updated and compiled version. In 1921, Willcox was appointed Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant) to Governor James Hartness. In addition, he served on Hartness' military staff with the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Judicial career

After the August 1921 death of

Zed S. Stanton Zedekiah Silloway Stanton (May 1, 1848 – August 15, 1921) was an attorney and judge who served as the 44th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1902 to 1904. Early life Zed S. Stanton was born in Roxbury, Vermont on May 1, 1848, the son o ...

, Hartness appointed Willcox to fill the resulting vacancy as a judge on the

Vermont Superior Court The Judiciary of Vermont is the state court system of Vermont, charged with Vermont law. Vermont Constitution The Vermont courts are established in the Vermont Constitution in sections 28-41 (Judiciary Department). The justices of the Vermont S ...

. Willcox served until 1929 and advanced by seniority to become the Superior Court's chief judge. In keeping with Vermont's tradition of promoting the chief judge of the Superior Court as state Supreme Court vacancies arose, in February 1929, Willcox was elected an associate justice of the

by the Vermont General Assembly, succeeding

Harrie B. Chase Harrie Brigham Chase (August 9, 1889 – November 17, 1969) was an American lawyer and judge. He served briefly on the Supreme Court of Vermont, and then was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circ ...

following Chase's appointment as a federal judge. He remained on the court until 1931, when he resigned due to ill health. He was succeeded by Warner A. Graham.

Death and burial

Willcox died in

Plymouth, Vermont Plymouth is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 641 at the 2020 census. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, was born and raised in Plymouth and is buried there as well. The State of Vermont ...

on July 2, 1932. He was buried at

Plymouth Notch Cemetery The Plymouth Notch Cemetery in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, is noted as the burial place for 30th President of the United States Calvin Coolidge, as well as his wife Grace, children (Calvin Coolidge, Jr. 1908–1924, John Coolidge 1906–2000), and ...

in Plymouth.

Family

In 1909, Willcox married Annie Maria Brown (1886-1948) of Ludlow. They were the parents of three daughters, Marian Elizabeth (1910-2000), Dorothy Ellen (1915-2010), and Joanne (1922-1998). They were also the parents of a son, Edwin James (1921-1996). Annie Willcox was chairwoman of the Plymouth Republican Committee, and served in the Vermont House of Representatives.

References

Sources

Books

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Willcox, Julius A. 1879 births 1932 deaths People from Bridport, Vermont People from Ludlow (town), Vermont Middlebury College alumni Vermont Republicans Vermont lawyers U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Burials in Vermont Vermont National Guard personnel