Robert Carter Pitman (March 16, 1825 – March 5, 1891) was a

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, a

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

advocate, and a legislator in the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

. Pitman was born in Newport,

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 ...

on March 16, 1825, the son of Benjamin and Mary Ann (Carter) Pitman. He was educated at the public schools of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, at the

Friends Academy Friends Academy is a Quaker, coeducational, independent, college preparatory school serving students from nursery school through the twelfth grade, located in Locust Valley, New York, United States. The school was founded in 1876 by 78-year-old ...

, and at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

,Davis, William Thomas, ''Bench and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in New England'', The Boston History Company, 1895. where he became a member of the Mystical Seven, graduating in 1845. He studied law and taught briefly at Centenary College in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

in 1846 or 1847. Pitman was admitted to the bar in

New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...

in 1848. He practiced law until 1869, and was at different times a partner with Thomas D. Eliot and Alanson Borden. In 1858, he was appointed a judge of the Police Court. He was a

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

in 1858 and a

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

in 1864-65 and 1868–69; and in the last year he was

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...

. In 1869, he was appointed an associate justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts, and remained on the bench until his death. That same year, he received a

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

degree from Wesleyan University. Pitman became active in the temperance movement, and in 1873 he became president of the National Temperance Convention, and wrote and extensively on the societal effects of alcohol. Pitman was also the author of ''Alcohol and the State: A Discussion of the Problem of Law'' in 1877, a comprehensive 400 page tome. This book has recently had a new life by being reissued on a CDrom set.NCBartender: Alcohol Prohibition vs Bible Debate - Many Books on CDrom
/ref> Pitman married Frances R., daughter of Rev. M. G. Thomas, in New Bedford on August 15, 1855. He died at

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

on March 5, 1891.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitman, Robert Carter Massachusetts state senators Presidents of the Massachusetts Senate Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Massachusetts state court judges People from Bedford, Massachusetts American temperance activists Wesleyan University alumni Centenary College of Louisiana alumni Centenary College of Louisiana faculty 1825 births 1891 deaths Superior court judges in the United States 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges

See also

References