Stephen S. Cushing (March 20, 1884 – September 23, 1957) was a Vermont attorney, businessman, judge, and politician. He was a veteran of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and his most notable government service was 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 1952 to 1953.

Early life

Stephen Salisbury Cushing was born in

Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. Along with Manc ...

on March 20, 1884, the son of George R. and Catherine (Moran) Cushing. He graduated from Laconia High School in 1902. Cushing then attended

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

, from which he graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in 1906. After college, he moved to Vermont to teach school and study law, first with

Alfred A. Hall Alfred A. Hall (December 31, 1848 – January 21, 1912) was a Vermont attorney, politician and judge who served as President of the Vermont State Senate. Biography Alfred Allen Hall was born in Athens, Vermont, on December 31, 1848. He wa ...

, and then with

Lee Stephen Tillotson Lee Stephen Tillotson (December 8, 1874 – July 18, 1957) was a Vermont military officer and attorney who served as Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard. Early life Lee S. Tillotson was born on December 8, 1874, in Bakersfield, Vermo ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1909, and practiced in Newport, Vermont until 1910, when he relocated to

St. Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman ro ...

. He received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree 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 1916.

Early career

A Republican, Cushing served as City Attorney of St. Albans from 1912 to 1915, and

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

of Franklin County from 1914 to 1916. He also served terms as a member of the St. Albans school board and the board's chairman, as well as a

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 ...

and a member of the city council. From 1912 to 1921, Cushing served as a clerk for the legislative revision staff of the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

Military service

Cushing was a longtime member of the Vermont National Guard. He enlisted in Company B, 1st Vermont Infantry Regiment in 1906, and he advanced to corporal before receiving his commission as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. After settling in St. Albans, he transferred his military membership to Company L. In the years prior to

, he advanced through the ranks to

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 ...

, and served in positions including aide-de-camp to the adjutant general and judge advocate of the Vermont National Guard. Cushing served on active duty for the War Department as the U.S. Property and Disbursing Officer for Vermont and military aide to the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, assisting to demobilize the National Guard following its Mexican border service during the Pancho Villa Expedition. During World War I, he joined the office of the Army's

Provost Marshal General The provost marshal general (pronounced "provo") is a United States Army staff position that handles investigations of U.S. Army personnel. It is the highest-ranking provost marshal position in the U.S. Army, reporting to the Chief of Staff of ...

, and his responsibilities included implementation of the Selective Service Act of 1917. After the war he was one of the organizers of the

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 ...

in Vermont, and was a member of the Military Order of Foreign Wars and the

Forty and Eight ''La Société des 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux'' ( en, "The Society of 40 Men and 8 Horses"), commonly known as the Forty and Eight, is a nonprofit organization of U.S. veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. ...

Continued career

Cushing served on the staff of the

as legislative draftsman from 1921 to 1931. He was also active in several businesses, including managing the L. J. Morton store in St. Albans, and a vice president of the Franklin County Savings Bank and Trust Company and the St. Albans Cooperative Savings and Loan Association. In 1926, he received his qualification as a certified public accountant. From 1931 to 1932 he served on the Vermont Public Service Commission, and from 1932 to 1938 he was the commission's chairman. He received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

of LL.D. from

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

in 1934.

Judicial career

In April 1938, Cushing was appointed a judge of 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 ...

. He advanced by seniority to become the chief judge in 1949, and he served on the court until 1952. In January 1952, Cushing was appointed as an associate justice of the

, filling the vacancy caused by the death of Samuel H. Blackmer. He remained on the court until June 1953, when he resigned because of ill health, and was succeeded by

Paul A. Chase Paul A. Chase (November 13, 1895 – July 31, 1963) was a Vermont military officer, attorney, and public official. He served as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1953 to 1956. The son of a prominent attorney and brother of ...

Death and burial

He died in St. Albans on September 23, 1957. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans.

Family

In 1912, Cushing married Bessie Morton of St. Albans (1883-1961), the daughter of Leonard J. and Emma Morton. They were the parents of a son, Morton (1921-1963).

References

Sources

Newspapers

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Books

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cushing, Stephen S. 1884 births 1957 deaths Politicians from Nashua, New Hampshire People from St. Albans, Vermont Dartmouth College alumni Middlebury College alumni U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Vermont lawyers Vermont Republicans State's attorneys in Vermont National Guard (United States) officers United States Army personnel of World War I Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Burials in Vermont Vermont National Guard personnel 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers