Dwight Loomis (July 27, 1821 – September 17, 1903) was an American judge and politician from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

who served as 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 ...

member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Connecticut's 1st congressional district Connecticut's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the north-central part of the state, the district is anchored by the state capital of Hartford. It encompasses much of central Conne ...

from 1859 to 1863. He served as a judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1864 to 1875 and as a justice of the

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, ac ...

from 1875 to 1891.

Early life and education

He was born in Columbia, Connecticut, where he attended the common schools. He also attended the academies in

Monson, Massachusetts Monson is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Monson Center lies at the ...

, and Amherst, Massachusetts. In 1844, he began the study of law under

John H. Brockway John Hall Brockway (January 31, 1801 – July 29, 1870) was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut. Biography Born the son of the Reverend Diodate and Miranda Hall Brockway in Ellington, Connecticut, Brockway pursued preparatory studies and w ...

Ellington, Connecticut Ellington is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. Ellington was incorporated in May 1786, from East Windsor. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 16,426. History Originally the area in what is now Ellington was named ...

. He entered school in the law department of

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

and graduated in 1847. He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice at

Rockville, Connecticut Rockville is a census-designated place and a village of the town of Vernon in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,474 at the 2010 census. Incorporated as a city in 1889, it has been consolidated with the town of Vernon ...

Career

Loomis served as a Whig member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

in 1851. He switched to the Republican party after the dissolution of the Whig party and served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1856. In addition, he was a member of the

Connecticut Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sen ...

from 1857 to 1859. He was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863). While in Congress, he served as chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury (

Thirty-sixth Congress The 36th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1859, ...

). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1862. After Congress, he served as judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1864 to 1875 and a justice of the

from 1875 to 1891. He moved to Hartford, Connecticut, in 1892 and the general assembly elected him as State Referee in important cases. He taught classes at Yale University and the school conferred an LL.D. degree in 1896. He died on September 17, 1903, in a train accident near

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

, and was interred in Grove Hill Cemetery in Rockville, Connecticut. Dwight Loomis gravestone

Footnotes

References

*Loomis, Dwight and J. Gilbert Calhoun, eds.
The judicial and civil history of Connecticut
'. Boston: The Boston History Company, 1895. , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Loomis, Dwight 1821 births 1903 deaths 19th-century American judges 19th-century American politicians Accidental deaths in Connecticut Burials in Connecticut Connecticut lawyers Connecticut state senators Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court Connecticut Whigs Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives People from Rockville, Connecticut Railway accident deaths in the United States Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Yale Law School alumni