Timothy Parker Redfield (November 3, 1812 — March 27, 1888) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He was most notable for his service as a member 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 1870 to 1884.

Early life

Timothy Redfield was born in Coventry, Vermont on November 3, 1812, the fifth child of Dr. Peleg Redfield and Hannah Parker, a merchant's daughter. In 1806 the family had moved to

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

in the frontier region of northern Vermont. His father served as town clerk for many years and also represented Coventry in the state legislature from 1812 to 1820. Timothy graduated from

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 ...

in 1836 with honors, being elected a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

. He immediately started to study law in the office of his brother Isaac F. Redfield, who was elected that year to the Vermont Supreme Court.

Career

In 1838 he was admitted to the bar, and from 1838 to 1848 practiced law in Irasburg, the county seat of Orleans County, just to the south of Coventry. He represented Irasburg in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

in 1839 and Orleans County in the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

in 1848. Redfield was the unsuccessful Free Soil party candidate for governor in 1851 and the Democratic party candidate in 1863 and 1864. He served on the

Vermont State Board of Education The Vermont State Board of Education supervises, and manages the Department of Education and the public school system. The board makes regulations governing attendance and records of attendance of all pupils; standards for student performance, ad ...

from 1860 to 1862. From 1870 to 1884 he served on the Vermont Supreme Court. William H. Walker was named to succeed him, and in 1884 he was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, losing to

Justin Smith Morrill Justin Smith Morrill (April 14, 1810December 28, 1898) was an American politician and entrepreneur who represented Vermont in the United States House of Representatives (1855–1867) and United States Senate (1867–1898). He is most widely remem ...

. A portrait of Judge Redfield hangs in the Washington County Courthouse in Montpelier. Redfield also served on the boards of directors or as an officer of some Vermont organizations. He was one of the founding directors of the National Life Insurance Company in 1848 and served on its board for forty years. He served the Vermont Mutual Fire Insurance Company (now the Vermont Mutual Insurance Group) as director and as vice-president. He was a trustee of

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 ...

from 1853 to 1873. Redfield died in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

on March 27, 1888. He was buried at

Green Mount Cemetery Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as many ...

in Montpelier.

Family

Timothy Redfield married Helen W. Grannis in 1840; they had four children; twin boys who died in infancy in 1853, Frederick (1842-1865), who only lived to be 22, and daughter Alice Melinda (1848-1935), who married a musician named Anthony Phillips. Timothy Redfield died in Chicago where Phillips was employed. Timothy Redfield's older brother Isaac (1804-1876) served on the Vermont Supreme Court from 1836 to 1859 and as Chief Judge from 1852 to 1859; he was also a respected legal scholar, writing works on railroad law and other subjects. The governor, senator, and Secretary of War

Redfield Proctor Redfield Proctor (June 1, 1831March 4, 1908) was a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. He served as the 37th governor of Vermont from 1878 to 1880, as Secretary of War from 1889 to 1891, and as a United States Senator for Vermont from 189 ...

(1831-1908) was a much younger first cousin of Timothy Redfield, the youngest son of his mother's sister.''Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society for the Years 1913-14'', "Redfield Proctor, His Public Life and Services", Frank C. Partridge, p.60

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Redfield, Timothy P. People from Orleans County, Vermont Dartmouth College alumni Vermont lawyers Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Democratic Party Vermont state senators Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court School board members in Vermont 1812 births 1888 deaths 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Burials at Green Mount Cemetery (Montpelier, Vermont)