Bates Turner (October 30, 1760 – April 30, 1847) was a Vermont lawyer, judge and politician. In addition to serving as a member of 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 ...

, he was a 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 ...

for two years.

Biography

Turner was born in October 1760 in what would become

Canaan, Connecticut Canaan is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,080 at the 2020 census, down from 1,234 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The town of Canaan is often referred ...

, the son of Samuel Turner and Sarah (Howe) Turner. He served in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

as a member of Captain Thomas Converse's Company, 7th Connecticut Regiment during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. In 1780, he graduated from the

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School was a law school in Litchfield, Connecticut, that operated from 1774 to 1833. Litchfield was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietar ...

. Turner practiced law in Connecticut, and moved to Vermont in 1798; he originally resided in Fairfield, and later 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 r ...

. For a time, his law partner in St. Albans was

Asa Aldis 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 in 1815. Biography Asa Aldis was born in Franklin, Massachusetts on April 14, 1770. His mother ...

, who subsequently served as chief justice of the

. Turner subsequently returned to Fairfield; in addition to practicing law, he also trained several prospective attorneys, including William C. Wilson. For brief periods, he lived in Middlebury and Fairfield, before finally returning to St. Albans. Turner's legal instruction was so sought after that he eventually began offering a formal program of study, which was organized along the lines of the

. During his career, between 175 and 200 attorneys obtained their legal education with Turner. Turner was a member of the

in 1813. He served on the Supreme Court from 1827 to 1828. In 1829, he was a member of the Council of Censors, which met every seven years to review actions of Vermont's government and ensure their constitutionality.

Death and burial

Turner died in St. Albans on April 30, 1847. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans.

Family

In 1796, Turner married Mrs. Persis Humphrey of

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. She died in 1814, and in 1815 he married Mrs. Sarah Webb of North Hero. His nephew, Josiah Turner, who had read law under him, became a justice of the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the s ...

. Another relative, Wolcott Turner Brooks, served as a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

. Turner's stepdaughter Abigail Webb was married to Herman R. Beardsley, who also served on the Vermont Supreme Court.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Bates 1760 births 1847 deaths People from Canaan, Connecticut Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Continental Army officers from Connecticut Litchfield Law School alumni Burials at Greenwood Cemetery (St. Albans, Vermont) 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly