John Manning Hall (October 16, 1841 – January 27, 1905) was an

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lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, politician, judge, and railroad executive from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. His son, John L. Hall, co-founded the law firm Choate, Hall & Stewart.

Biography

Hall was born in

Willimantic, Connecticut Willimantic is a census-designated place located in Windham, Connecticut, United States. Previously organized as a city and later as a Borough (Connecticut), borough, Willimantic is currently one of two Local government in Connecticut#Special ta ...

, on October 16, 1841. His father was Horace Hall, a prominent local businessman who served as selectman, justice of the peace, and state representative for Willimantic. John's mother was Elizabeth Manning of

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. He graduated from

Williston Seminary Williston Northampton School (simply referred to as Williston) is a private, co-educational, day and boarding college-preparatory school in Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1841. History Williston Seminary wa ...

before earning his bachelor's degree from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1866 and his J.D. degree from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

in 1868. Hall was Windham County's star lawyer in the 1870s and 1880s, gaining wealth and repute and even arguing a case before the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

. After several terms in the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut 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 each ...

, during which he chaired the judiciary and railroad committees, he served as speaker of the House in 1882, president pro tempore of the

Connecticut State 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. Sena ...

in 1889, and a judge of the

Connecticut Superior Court The Connecticut Superior Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction. It hears all matters other than those of original jurisdiction of the Probate Court, and hears appeals from the Probate Court. The Superior Court has 13 judicial dis ...

from 1889 to 1893. He served on the inaugural board of trustees of the Storrs Agricultural School from 1881 to 1882. Switching full-time to the private sector, Hall served as vice president (1893–99) and president (1899–1903) of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company. After retiring as president, he continued to serve as the company's general counsel until his death in New Haven in 1905. His wife and children survived him. In 1871, Hall had married Julia White Loomer, daughter of the president of the Willimantic Savings Institute. They had three children: John Loomer, Florence M., and Helen B. John L. Hall took after his father, graduating from Yale with honors and pursuing a successful law career. He co-founded the prominent Boston-based law firm Choate, Hall & Stewart in 1899. Both father and son belonged to Yale's

Skull and Bones Society Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death) is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, John Manning 1841 births 1905 deaths People from Willimantic, Connecticut Williston Northampton School alumni Yale University alumni Columbia Law School alumni Connecticut lawyers Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Republican Party Connecticut state senators 19th-century Connecticut state court judges Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Presidents pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate American railroad executives 19th-century American railroad executives Judges of the Connecticut Superior Court Members of Skull and Bones New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad 19th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly