Asa Aldis (April 14, 1770 – October 16, 1847) was a Vermont attorney, politician, and judge. He served as chief justice 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 ...

in 1815.

Biography

Asa Aldis was born in

Franklin, Massachusetts The Town of Franklin is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Franklin is one of thirteen Massachusetts municipalities that have applied for, and been granted, city forms of government but wish to retain "The town of" in their o ...

on April 14, 1770. His mother died in 1773, and his father in 1775, after which Aldis was raised by an aunt. Aldis received his early education from private tutors, and in 1792 he began attendance at

Rhode Island College Rhode Island College (RIC) is a public college in Providence, Rhode Island. The college was established in 1854 as the Rhode Island State Normal School, making it the second oldest institution of higher education in Rhode Island after Brown Un ...

(now known as Brown University), from which he graduated in 1796. He was descended from John Aldis and

Nathan Aldis Nathan Aldis was an early settler of Dedham, Massachusetts who served on that town's Board of Selectmen in 1641, 1642, and 1644. He served in a variety of other positions in the town and served as a deacon at First Church and Parish in Dedham. He s ...

. After graduating from college, Aldis studied law with Judge David Howell of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, and attained admission to the bar. He practiced for three years in Chepachet, and then traveled to the western portion of the United States seeking better professional opportunities. On his return trip to Rhode Island, Aldis passed through

St. Albans, Vermont St. Albans, Vermont may refer to: * St. Albans (town), Vermont, established 1763, a town in Franklin County, Vermont, U.S. *St. Albans (city), Vermont, established 1902, a city in Franklin County, Vermont, U.S. See also * St. Albans Bay, Vermont, ...

, which he decided to make his home. After settling in Vermont in 1802, Aldis established a thriving law practice, initially in partnership with Bates Turner, who also served on the

. Among the prospective attorneys who studied under Aldis was Orlando Stevens, who served in the legislatures of both

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 ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

. Aldis served as

state's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a ...

of Franklin County from 1804 to 1806. In 1815 he was appointed Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. That year, the

Democratic-Republicans The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

who assumed control of the state government replaced all three of the court's

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

justices; Aldis served with Richard Skinner and James Fisk. Aldis had not sought the appointment, and agreed to serve as chief justice on the condition that a successor would be quickly appointed. After resigning once Skinner was confirmed as Chief Justice, Aldis resumed practicing law in St. Albans. In 1820, Aldis served on the Council of Censors, which met every seven years to review actions of the governor and executive council and the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4 ...

to ensure their constitutionality. In 1824 and 1828, Aldis was one of Vermont's presidential electors. In 1824,

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...

won Vermont's popular vote, and Aldis cast his electoral votes for Adams for president and

John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He ...

for vice president. In 1828, Adams again carried Vermont in the popular vote, and Aldis cast his electoral votes for Adams and his vice presidential running mate,

Richard Rush Richard Rush (August 29, 1780 – July 30, 1859) was the 8th United States Attorney General and the 8th United States Secretary of the Treasury. He also served as John Quincy Adams's running mate on the National Republican ticket in 1828. Born ...

. In 1832, Aldis was an

Anti-Masonic Party The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest third party in the United States. Formally a single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry, but later aspired to become a major party by expanding its platform to take positions on other issues. Afte ...

candidate for Congress in Vermont's

4th District Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

. Going back to the 1830 general election, several special elections were required because no candidate won a majority; Aldis appeared on the ballot in February, April, and June 1832. In the June election, incumbent National Republican Heman Allen (of Milton) received over 50% of the vote and retained his seat.

Death and burial

Aldis died in

St. Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman ...

on October 16, 1847. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans.

Family

Asa Aldis was the husband of Amey Owen (1770-1867), the daughter of

Daniel Owen Daniel Owen (20 October 1836 – 22 October 1895) was a Welsh novelist. He is generally regarded as the foremost Welsh-language novelist of the 19th century, and as the first significant novelist to write in Welsh. Early life Daniel Owen was bor ...

, who served as

Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown. In Rhode Island, the lieutenant gove ...

. Amey Owen was the widow of William Gadcomb; her children with Gadcomb included Fidelia Burnett Gadcomb. Fidelia Gadcomb was the wife of

Lawrence Brainerd Lawrence Brainerd (March 16, 1794May 9, 1870) was an American businessman, abolitionist and United States Senator from Vermont. A longtime anti-slavery activist, after leaving the Jacksonians in the 1830s, Brainerd was active in the Whig, Lib ...

, and Fidelia Gadcomb and Lawrence Barinerd were the parents of several children, including

Ann Eliza Smith Ann Eliza Smith (pen name, Mrs. J. Gregory Smith; October 7, 1819 – January 6, 1905) was an American author. She was president of the board of managers for the Vermont woman's exhibit at the Centennial Exposition of 1876, at Philadelphia, and wa ...

. Amey Owen and Asa Aldis were the parents of a son,

Asa Owen Aldis Asa Owen Aldis (September 2, 1811 – June 24, 1891) was a Vermont attorney, judge and diplomat. He served as a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, and as U.S. Consul to Nice, France. Biography Asa O. Aldis was born in St. Albans, Vermont on ...

, who practiced law in partnership with his father and was also a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. They were also the parents of a daughter, Miranda Metcalf Aldis, who was the wife of Vermont Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kellogg.

References

Sources

Books

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Internet

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Magazines

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldis, Asa 1770 births 1847 deaths People from Franklin, Massachusetts People from Glocester, Rhode Island People from St. Albans, Vermont Brown University alumni Rhode Island lawyers Vermont lawyers Vermont Democratic-Republicans Vermont National Republicans Anti-Masonic Party politicians from Vermont State's attorneys in Vermont Chief Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Burials in Vermont 19th-century American lawyers