Luther Marcellus Goddard (October 27, 1840 – May 20, 1917) was an
associate justice of the
Colorado Supreme Court from 1891 to 1901 and from 1905 to 1909.
Education and early career
Goddard was born in
Palmyra, New York and went to elementary school there. His family moved to
Abingdon, Illinois
Abingdon is a city in Knox County, Illinois, Knox County, Illinois, United States, west of Peoria, Illinois, Peoria. It is part of the Galesburg, Illinois, Galesburg Galesburg micropolitan area, Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city was first ...
, where he completed his secondary schooling. In 1862, he moved to
Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,351. It is located on the west bank of t ...
and began to
read law
Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...
, then enrolling in the
University of Chicago Law School
The University of Chicago Law School is the law school of the University of Chicago, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is consistently ranked among the best and most prestigious law schools in the world, and has many dist ...
in 1864. He graduated in 1865 and was named class valedictorian. He was admitted to the bar soon after graduating and then returned to Leavenworth.
In Leavenworth, Goddard served for two years as deputy county attorney, then he was elected county attorney for two terms. In fall 1871, he was elected to serve in the Kansas legislature.
Career in Colorado
Goddard moved to
Leadville, Colorado
The City of Leadville is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Statutory city, statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only List of municipalities in Colorado, incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorad ...
in 1878. There, he became involved in the mining industry and also practiced law. In 1882 and 1888, he was elected and re-elected judge of the 5th Judicial District.
An attempt was made to remove Goddard from his district court seat through disbarment. He was accused of agreeing to accept a campaign contribution in return for appointing the donor clerk of the court if he were elected. The court ruled in favor of Goddard.
In 1892, the
Populist and
Democratic parties nominated him as their candidate for the Colorado Supreme Court Justice, and he was elected, serving until his term ended in 1901.
While serving on the court this term, Goddard was one of the three justices that heard the ''
Courvoisier v. Raymond'' case, a case that involved mistaken self-defense. During this period he moved to Denver.
In 1905, the Supreme Court was reorganized, and
Governor Peabody appointed Goddard to serve a second term on the court. Soon after he began serving his second Supreme Court term, a bomb was placed at his Denver residence, but it didn't go off.
Death
Goddard died May 20, 1917, in Denver, age 79. He's buried in Denver's
Riverside Cemetery.
References
Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court
1840 births
1917 deaths
People from Palmyra, New York
Lawyers from Denver
University of Chicago Law School alumni
People from Leadville, Colorado
Members of the Kansas House of Representatives
19th-century American judges
19th-century American lawyers
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