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 court ...

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 ...

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 Rhode Island, United States, with much of the land in Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, and other parts in North Providence, Rhode Island, North Providence. The college was established in 18 ...

(now known as Brown University), from which he graduated in 1796. He was descended from John Aldis and Nathan Aldis. After graduating from college, Aldis studied law with Judge David Howell of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, 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, 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 U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. Aldis served as

state's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

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 (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed li ...

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 call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

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 of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

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 the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

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 who served as the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. Born in South Carolina, he adamantly defended American s ...

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 an American lawyer, politician and diplomat who served as the 8th United States Attorney General from 1814 to 1817 and the 8th United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1825 to 1829. He serv ...

. In 1832, Aldis was an

Anti-Masonic Party The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest Third party (United States), third party in the United States. Formally a Single-issue politics, single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry in the United States. It was active from the late 1820s, ...

candidate for Congress in Vermont's 4th District. 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 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 the first significant novelist to write in Welsh. Early life Daniel Owen was born in ...

, 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 gov ...

. Amey Owen was the widow of William Gadcomb; her children with Gadcomb included Fidelia Burnett Gadcomb. Fidelia Gadcomb was the wife of Lawrence Brainerd, and Fidelia Gadcomb and Lawrence Barinerd were the parents of several children, including Ann Eliza Smith. Amey Owen and Asa Aldis were the parents of a son, Asa Owen Aldis, 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

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Internet

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 at Greenwood Cemetery (St. Albans, Vermont) 19th-century American lawyers