Arthur Sidney Tompkins (August 26, 1865 – January 20, 1938) was 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

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 * ...

, and a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

Early life

Born in

Middleburgh, New York Middleburgh is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Schoharie County, New York, Schoharie County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 3,112 at the 2000 census. The Town of Middleburgh contains a village ...

, Tompkins moved with his parents to

West Nyack, New York West Nyack is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Blauvelt, east of Nanuet, southwest of Valley Cottage, southeast of Bardonia, and west of Central ...

, in 1866. He attended the public schools of Clarkstown and Nyack until 1878. He studied law, 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 1886 and commenced practice in Nyack, New York. He was police justice of

Nyack, New York Nyack () is a Village (New York), village primarily located in the Town (New York), town of Orangetown, New York, Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, a small western section of the village lies in Clarkst ...

, from 1887 to 1889.

Political career

Tompkins was elected chairman of the

Rockland County Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population is 338,329, making it the state's ...

Republican committee in 1888. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

(Rockland Co.) in

1890 Events January * January 1 – The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa. * January 2 – Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House. * January 11 – 1890 British Ultimatum: The Uni ...

. He was a delegate to all Republican State conventions from 1888 to 1906, and as delegate or alternate to all

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

s from 1888 to 1900. He was also county judge and surrogate of Rockland County 1893-1898. Tompkins was elected as a Republican to the 56th and

57th United States Congress The 57th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1901, to ...

es, holding office from March 4, 1899, to March 3, 1903. Afterwards he resumed the practice of law in Nyack.

Judicial career

Tompkins was elected justice of the

Supreme Court of New York The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

in 1906. He was reelected in 1920 and 1934. He was promoted to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York in January 1930 and served until his retirement in 1936. He died in

, January 20, 1938. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Freemasonry

Tompkins served as the Grand Master of the

Grand Lodge of New York The Grand Lodge of New York, officially the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York, is the largest and oldest of several organizations of Freemasons that are based in the U.S. state of New York. The offices of the Grand L ...

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

from 1922-1923.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tompkins, Arthur Sidney 1865 births 1938 deaths Politicians from Rockland County, New York New York Supreme Court justices Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Middleburgh, New York People from West Nyack, New York People from Nyack, New York 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives