Alfred Conkling Coxe Sr. (May 20, 1847 – April 15, 1923) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. Su ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory covers the states of Connecticut, New York (state), New York, and Vermont, and it has ap ...

and of the United States Circuit Courts for the Second Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of New York The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (in case citations, N.D.N.Y.) serves one of the 94 judicial districts in the United States and one of four in the state of New York. Appeals from the Northern District of Ne ...

Early life

Coxe was born on May 20, 1847, in Auburn,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He was a son of the Rev. Samuel Hanson Coxe (1819–1895) and Eliza ( Conkling) Coxe (1822–1868). His paternal grandfather was the abolitionist minister Samuel Hanson Cox and his uncle was

Arthur Cleveland Coxe Arthur Cleveland Coxe (May 10, 1818 – July 20, 1896) was the second Episcopal bishop of Western New York. He used Cleveland as his given name and is often referred to as A. Cleveland Coxe. Biography He was the son of the Reverend Samuel Ha ...

, the Episcopal Bishop of

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...

. His maternal grandfather was

Alfred Conkling Alfred Conkling (October 12, 1789 – February 5, 1874) was a United States representative from New York, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York and United States Minister to Mexic ...

, who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from upstate New York and a judge in the Northern District. He was also a nephew of

Roscoe Conkling Roscoe Conkling (October 30, 1829April 18, 1888) was an American lawyer and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician who represented New York (state), New York in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Se ...

, who was a U.S. Congressman and Senator from New York. Coxe was educated at the Oxford Academy, the

Utica Academy Utica Free Academy, whose predecessor, Utica Academy, opened in 1814, was a high school in Utica, New York, which operated from 1840 until 1990, when it was consolidated with Thomas R. Proctor High School. The combined entity operated briefly at U ...

before attending

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...

. He later received an

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Career

Coxe

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

in 1868. He entered private practice in Utica, New York from 1868 to 1882. In 1870 he entered the firm of Conkling, Holmes & Coxe of Utica with his uncle,

who was then a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

, together with former Judge and U.S. Representative Sidney T. Holmes. He continued in private practice to 1882. He was manager of the Utica State Hospital from 1880 to 1882.

Federal judicial service

On April 24, 1882 Coxe was nominated by President

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was the 21st president of the United States, serving from 1881 to 1885. He was a Republican from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. ...

to a seat on the

vacated by Judge William J. Wallace. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on May 4, 1882, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on June 14, 1902, due to his elevation to the Second Circuit. Coxe was nominated by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

on May 29, 1902, to the

and the United States Circuit Courts for the Second Circuit, to a new joint seat authorized by 32 Stat. 106. He was confirmed by the Senate on June 3, 1902, and received his commission the same day. On December 31, 1911, the Circuit Courts were abolished and he thereafter served only on the Court of Appeals. His service terminated on July 31, 1917, due to his retirement.

Personal life

Coxe was married to Maryette Andrews Doolittle (1852–1947), a daughter of Charles Hutchins Doolittle and Julia Tyler ( Shearman) Doolittle. Together, they were the parents of five children: * Gertrude Doolittle Coxe (b. 1878), who married John Trumbull Robinson, a son of Henry Robinson of

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, in 1905. *

Alfred Conkling Coxe Jr. Alfred Conkling Coxe Jr. (May 7, 1880 – December 21, 1957) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Education and career Born in Utica, New York, on May 7, 1880, Coxe receive ...

(1884–1970), who also became a federal judge, serving on the

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of the State of New York. Two of these are in New York Ci ...

from 1929 to 1957; he married Helen Emery, a daughter of Woodward Emery of

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, in 1913. * Isabel Elise Coxe (b. 1883), who married Louis Seabury Weeks, in 1913. * Charles Shearman Coxe (1886–1955), who married Helen Osborn, daughter of the Rev. Louis Shreve Osborn of

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

in 1913. * Howard Cleveland Coxe (1897–1940), was a newspaperman and novelist. Coxe died on April 15, 1923, in

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

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 widow died in 1947.

Descendants

Through his son Charles, he was a grandfather of Louis Osborne Coxe (1918–1993), the poet and playwright best known for writing the Broadway version of

Billy Budd ''Billy Budd, Sailor (An Inside Narrative)'', also known as ''Billy Budd, Foretopman'', is a novella by American writer Herman Melville, left unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece when a hastily transcribed vers ...

References

Sources

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Coxe, Alfred C. Sr. 1847 births 1923 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit United States federal judges appointed by Chester A. Arthur United States court of appeals judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt Conkling family