Pierpoint Isham (sometimes spelled Pierpont, Pierrepont, or Pierrepoint; August 5, 1802 – May 8, 1872) was a

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

attorney and judge who served as an

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some sta ...

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 Cou ...

from 1851 to 1856.

Biography

Isham was born in Manchester, Vermont on August 5, 1802, the son of Dr. Ezra Isham and Nancy (Pierrepont) Isham. He was raised and educated in Manchester, and at age 19 began the study of law with Richard Skinner. He was

admitted 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 ...

in 1823, and established a practice in Bennington and Pownal. In 1831, 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 ho ...

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. ...

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 the 1820s and 1830s, Isham was active in the

Vermont Militia Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

and served as inspector of the 2nd Division, which was headquartered in Manchester. In 1848, 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 ...

appointed Isham state bank commissioner, succeeding

Carlos Coolidge Carlos Coolidge (June 25, 1792 – August 15, 1866) was an American Whig politician, a lawyer, a Vermont State Representative, the Speaker of the Vermont House, a State Senator, and the 19th governor of Vermont. Biography Coolidge was born i ...

, and he served until 1850. In 1851, Isham was appointed an associate justice of the

. He served until 1856, when he declined appointment to another term. Isham moved to

Piermont, New York Piermont is a village incorporated in 1847 in Rockland County, New York, United States. Piermont is in the town of Orangetown, located north of the hamlet of Palisades, east of Sparkill, and south of Grand View-on-Hudson, on the west bank of ...

in 1860. He continued to practice law until his death in Piermont on May 8, 1872. Isham was buried at Dellwood Cemetery in Manchester, Vermont.

Family

In 1831, Isham married Semantha Swift, the daughter of Dr. Noadiah Swift and Jennet Henderson of Bennington. They were the parents of three children: * Edward Swift Isham (1836-1902), an attorney in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, who practiced in partnership with

Robert Todd Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln (August 1, 1843 – July 26, 1926) was an American lawyer, businessman, and politician. He was the eldest son of President of the United States, President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. Robert Lincoln became a bu ...

, and served in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

*Mary Adeline Isham Prentice (1839-1913), the wife of Army Major Sartell Prentice *Henry Pierrepont Isham (1842-1897), a Chicago real estate broker and banker

References

Sources

Books

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Internet

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Isham, Pierpoint 1802 births 1872 deaths People from Manchester, Vermont People from Bennington, Vermont People from Piermont, New York Vermont lawyers New York (state) lawyers U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Burials in Vermont 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Vermont Whigs American militia officers