Thomas M. Debevoise (August 10, 1929 – February 1, 1995) was a Vermont attorney who served as

Vermont Attorney General The Vermont Attorney General is a statewide elected executive official in the U.S. state of Vermont who is elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office ...

from 1960 to 1962.

Biography

Thomas McElrath Debevoise 2d was born in New York City on August 10, 1929. He was the son of prominent attorney

Eli Whitney Debevoise Eli Whitney Debevoise (December 14, 1899 – June 30, 1990) was a prominent New York lawyer who co-founded the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton and periodically served in a variety of high-profile government positions.New York Times Obituary of Eli ...

, and the grandson and namesake of Thomas M. Debevoise (1874-1958), who was the longtime attorney for

John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...

. He received a bachelor's degree from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1950, and a law degree from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1954. After attaining admission to the bar, Debevoise was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1954 to 1956. He relocated to

Woodstock, Vermont Woodstock is the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,005. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville, and West Woodstock. History Chart ...

, and practiced law for two years before becoming Deputy Attorney General for the state of Vermont, a post he held from 1959 to 1960. While in private practice, he assisted

James B. Donovan James Britt Donovan (February 29, 1916 – January 19, 1970) was an American lawyer and United States Navy officer in the Office of Scientific Research and Development and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, predecessor of the Central Intelli ...

in the defense of accused spy

Rudolf Abel Rudolf Ivanovich Abel (russian: Рудольф Иванович Абель), real name William August Fisher (11 July 1903 – 15 November 1971), was a Soviet intelligence officer. He adopted his alias when arrested on charges of conspiracy by ...

. In February 1960,

Robert Stafford Robert Theodore Stafford (August 8, 1913 – December 23, 2006) was an American politician from Vermont. In his lengthy political career, he served as the 71st governor of Vermont, a United States representative, and a U.S. Senator. A Republic ...

, the

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

, appointed Debevoise to serve as state Attorney General, filling the vacancy caused when incumbent Frederick M. Reed resigned. Debevoise won election to a full term as a Republican in November 1960, and served until resigning in January 1962. He was succeeded by Charles J. Adams. From 1962 to 1964, Debevoise was assistant general counsel for the

Federal Power Commission The Federal Power Commission (FPC) was an independent commission of the United States government, originally organized on June 23, 1930, with five members nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The FPC was originally created in 1 ...

. He then returned to the practice of law. Debevoise was president of the

Vermont Law School Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) is a private law and public policy graduate school in South Royalton, Vermont. It offers several degrees, including Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM) in Environmental Law, Master of Environmental Law a ...

board of trustees from 1973 to 1974, and Dean of the school from 1974 to 1982. He became Dean Emeritus in 1982, and served as trustee emeritus from 1983 to 1995. In 1984 Vermont Law School awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. Debevoise was president of the Woodstock Foundation from 1982 to 1995; this organization was founded by

Laurance Rockefeller Laurance Spelman Rockefeller (May 26, 1910 – July 11, 2004) was an American businessman, financier, philanthropist, and conservationist. Rockefeller was the third son and fourth child of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. As ...

and

Mary French Rockefeller Mary French Rockefeller (née Mary Billings French, May 1, 1910 – April 17, 1997) was an American heiress, socialite, philanthropist, and a member of the extensive Rockefeller family. She was married to Laurance Rockefeller, son of John D. Rocke ...

to promote conservation and sustainable land use. He was also involved in several civic causes and took part in local government, including service on Woodstock's board of selectmen. Debevoise died from the effects of lung cancer at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in

Lebanon, New Hampshire Lebanon is a city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshire, south of Hanover, near the Connecticut River. It is the home ...

on February 1, 1995.

Family

Debevoise was married to Ann Taylor Debevoise. They were the parents of son Thomas 3rd, daughter Anne, and sons

Whitney Whitney may refer to: Film and television * ''Whitney'' (2015 film), a Whitney Houston biopic starring Yaya DaCosta * ''Whitney'' (2018 film), a documentary about Whitney Houston * ''Whitney'' (TV series), an American sitcom that premiered i ...

and Clay.

Legacy

Debevoise Hall, a building renovated in 2005 and added to the Vermont Law School facility, was named for Thomas M. and Ann Debevoise.

References

External links

Vermont Law School's Debevoise Hall
at ''TruexCullins Architecture'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Debevoise, Thomas M. 1929 births 1995 deaths People from Woodstock, Vermont Lawyers from New York City Vermont Republicans Vermont lawyers Vermont Attorneys General Yale University alumni Columbia Law School alumni 20th-century American lawyers