John Willard (May 20, 1792 Guilford,

New Haven County, Connecticut New Haven County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connecticut. Two of the state's top 5 largest cities, New ...

- August 31, 1862

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

Saratoga County, New York Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, representing a 7.2% increase from the 2010 populat ...

) was an American lawyer and politician from

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 * '' ...

Life

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 1813. He studied law, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1817, and commenced practice in Salem,

Washington County, New York Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,302. The county seat is Fort Edward. The county was named for U.S. President George Washington. Washington County is part of the Glen ...

. In 1829, he married Elizabeth Smith (1794–1859). They were the parents of a daughter, Sarah Elizabeth (Willard) Fowler (1830–1852). Willard was First Judge of the Washington County Court from 1826 to 1835; Surrogate of Washington County from 1832 to 1837; Judge of the Fourth Circuit Court from 1836 to 1847; a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

(4th D.) from 1847 to 1853; and

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

an associate judge of the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

in 1853. At the

New York state election, 1855 The 1855 New York state election was held on November 6, 1855, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, two judges of the New York Court of Appeals, a Canal Commissio ...

, he ran on the Hard Democratic ticket for a seat on the Court of Appeals, but was defeated by

George F. Comstock George Franklin Comstock (1811–1892) was an American lawyer and politician. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1860 to 1861. Personal life Comstock was born on August 24, 1811, in Williamstown, New York. He graduated fro ...

, the

Know Nothing The Know Nothing party was a nativist political party and movement in the United States in the mid-1850s. The party was officially known as the "Native American Party" prior to 1855 and thereafter, it was simply known as the "American Party". ...

candidate. Willard was Permanent Chairman of the Douglas Democratic state convention of

1860 Events January–March * January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...

; and a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(15th D.) in

1862 Events January–March * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico. * January ...

. He died at his home in Saratoga Springs, and was buried in

Greenridge Cemetery Greenridge Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Saratoga Springs, New York. Notable burials * Seymour Ainsworth (1821–1890) * George Sherman Batcheller (1837–1908) * George S. Bolster (1913–1989) * Charles Brackett (1892–1969) * Edgar T. ...

in Saratoga Springs. Willard's uncle, also named

John Willard John Willard ( 1657 - August 19, 1692) was one of the people executed for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, during the Salem witch trials. He was hanged on Gallows Hill, Salem on August 19, 1692. At the time of the first allegations of witchc ...

, was the husband of

Emma Willard Emma Hart Willard (February 23, 1787 – April 15, 1870) was an American woman's education activist who dedicated her life to education. She worked in several schools and founded the first school for women's higher education, the Troy Female S ...

and served as U.S. Marshal for Vermont.

Sources

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 351, 356, 365 and 419; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1867; pg. 443)
''Memorial of John Willard LL.D.''
(1863)

at NY Court History

in NYT on August 16, 1860

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Willard, John 1792 births 1862 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Saratoga Springs, New York New York Supreme Court Justices Middlebury College alumni Judges of the New York Court of Appeals People from Salem, New York People from Guilford, Connecticut Burials at Greenridge Cemetery 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges