Louis G. Whitcomb (July 30, 1903 - October 12, 1984) was an American attorney and political figure from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the

District of Vermont The United States District Court for the District of Vermont (in case citations, D. Vt.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, Burlington, and Rutland. The ...

Early life

Louis Gorman Whitcomb was born in

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount ...

on July 30, 1903, a son of Louis A. Whitcomb and Mary E. (Gorman) Whitcomb. He was raised in Taunton until he was 14, when his family relocated to Springfield, Vermont. Whitcomb graduated from Springfield High School in 1921. He taught school before deciding on a legal career. In 1929, he received his LL.B. degree from

Suffolk University Law School Suffolk University Law School (also known as Suffolk Law School) is the private, non-sectarian law school of Suffolk University located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, across the street from the Boston Common and the Freedom Trail, two block ...

Start of career

Whitcomb was admitted to the bar in 1929 and practiced in Springfield. In the 1920s and 1930s, Whitcomb and friend Everett Williams, the station manager of

WNBX WXXK (100.5 FM; "Kixx 100.5") is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States, the station serves the Lebanon- Rutland-White River Junction area. The station is owned by Great Eastern Rad ...

in Springfield, hosted a weekday morning radio show. A Republican, Whitcomb served as a Springfield

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

from 1923 to 1953. Whitcomb joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and served from 1943 to 1945. After completing his initial training at Naval Air Station Quonset Point,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, Whitcomb was assigned to the staff of Naval Air Station Clinton,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. He attained the rank of

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

, and after his discharge he resumed practicing law in Springfield. From 1947 to 1948 he served as executive clerk to Governor

Ernest W. Gibson Jr. Ernest William Gibson Jr. (March 6, 1901 – November 4, 1969) was an American attorney, politician, and judge. He served briefly as an appointed United States Senator, as the 67th governor of Vermont, and as a federal judge. Born in Brattlebo ...

In addition, he served as judge of Windsor's municipal court from 1947 to 1949.

U.S. Attorney

The 1952 presidential election victory of Republican

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

gave him the opportunity to appoint Republicans to federal posts including

following 20 years of Democratic administrations led by

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

and

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

. In October 1953, Eisenhower nominated Whitcomb to succeed Joseph A. McNamara as U.S. Attorney for the

; Whitcomb had been jointly recommended by Vermont's U.S. Senators,

George Aiken George David Aiken (August 20, 1892November 19, 1984) was an American politician and horticulturist. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 64th governor of Vermont (1937–1941) before serving in the United States Senate for 34 years, ...

and Ralph Flanders. Whitcomb continued to serve until 1961, when the newly-elected Democratic president,

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

, nominated Democrat Joseph F. Radigan to succeed Whitcomb.

Later career

After leaving office, Whitcomb resumed practicing law in Springfield. From 1966 to 1967 he served as president of the Vermont Bar Association. Whitcomb was a member of the Springfield Housing Authority, and a trustee of Springfield's town library. He was also a trustee of the Claremont Savings Bank ( Claremont, New Hampshire), a member of Springfield's Elks lodge, and a member of Springfield's

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

post.

Death and burial

Whitcomb practiced law until retiring in 1981. In 1983, he suffered a stroke that made it difficult for him to move or speak. He died in Springfield on October 12, 1984. Whitcomb was buried at Summer Hill Cemetery in Springfield.

Family

In 1934, Whitcomb married Catharine Kingdon (1909-1997) of Claremont, New Hampshire. They divorced following his return from military service and in 1946 Whitcomb married Alice-Elizabeth (Stiles) Hackett (1908-1998). With his first wife, Whitcomb was the father of Priscilla Herbert (1938-2009). With his second wife, Whitcomb was the father of daughter Susan Sbrega Foster.

References

Sources

Newspapers

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Books

Magazines

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitcomb, Louis G. 1903 births 1984 deaths People from Taunton, Massachusetts People from Springfield, Vermont Suffolk University Law School alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II Vermont lawyers Vermont Republicans Vermont state court judges United States Attorneys for the District of Vermont 20th-century American politicians Burials in Vermont 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers