Warner A. Graham (January 9, 1884 – January 28, 1934) was a Vermont attorney and judge. He was notable for his service as 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 ...

and 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 ...

Early life

Warner Aiken Graham was born in

Greensboro, Vermont Greensboro is the southernmost town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 811 at the 2020 census. The town includes the places of Campbells Corners, East Greensboro, Gebbie Corner, Greensboro Four Corners, Greensboro B ...

, on January 9, 1884, the son of William and Inez Lorinda (Fayer) Graham. He attended the schools of Greensboro, and graduated from Hardwick Academy in 1903. In 1907, Graham received his

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

degree from

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at A ...

and attained

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

Start of career

Graham settled in Rockingham, where he began to practice law in partnership with Herbert D. Ryder. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Graham served in local offices, including auditor for the village of

Bellows Falls Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,747 at the 2020 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad; the ...

, and grand juror (municipal court prosecutor) for the town of Rockingham. During the

governorship 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 r ...

Allen M. Fletcher Allen Miller Fletcher (September 25, 1853 – May 11, 1922) was an American politician who served as the 54th governor of Vermont from 1912 to 1915. Biography Fletcher was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 25, 1853. The son of ...

, Graham served as his Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant). In 1914, Graham was elected to 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 ...

, and he served one term.

Judicial career

From 1916 to 1923, Graham was

probate judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

for the district that included Rockingham. While serving on the probate court, his most notable matter was adjudicating the estate of

Hetty Green Hetty Green (November 21, 1834 – July 3, 1916), nicknamed the Witch of Wall Street, was an American businesswoman and financier known as "the richest woman in America" during the Gilded Age. She was named by the '' Guinness Book of World Reco ...

. In 1923, Graham was appointed a judge of the

. He advanced through seniority to become the court's chief judge in 1929, and he served until 1931. He was succeeded on the superior court by

Deane C. Davis Deane Chandler Davis (November 7, 1900December 8, 1990) was an American attorney and insurance executive from Vermont. Long active in Republican politics, he is most notable for his service as the List of Governors of Vermont, 74th governor of ...

. In 1931, Graham was appointed as an associate justice of the

, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of Julius A. Willcox, and he served until his death.

Death and burial

Graham died at the hospital in Rockingham on January 28, 1934. He had been ill with appendicitis, and died as the result of post-surgical complications including gangrene and peritonitis. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Bellows Falls.

Family

In 1915, Graham married Blanche S. Woodfall (1885-1969) of Bellows Falls. They were the parents of a son, Gordon (1921-1943). Gordon Graham died while serving in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, perishing as a result of the sinking of the SS '' Dorchester''.

References

Sources

Newspapers

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Books

Internet

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Warner A. 1884 births 1934 deaths People from Orleans County, Vermont People from Bellows Falls, Vermont Albany Law School alumni Vermont lawyers Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Burials in Vermont 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers