Dwight Loomis (July 27, 1821 – September 17, 1903) was an American judge and politician from

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. ...

who served as a Republican member of the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

for Connecticut's 1st congressional district from 1859 to 1863. He served as a judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1864 to 1875 and as a justice of the

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit i ...

from 1875 to 1891.

Early life and education

He was born in

Columbia, Connecticut Columbia is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,272 at the 2020 census. Originally a part of Lebanon, known as the North Society or Lebanon's Crank, Columbia was incorporated in May 1804. The town was named ...

, where he attended the common schools. He also attended the academies in

Monson, Massachusetts Monson is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Monson Center lies at t ...

, and

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. Amherst has a council–manager form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts state law. Amherst is one of several Massach ...

. In 1844, he began the study of law under John H. Brockway in Ellington, Connecticut. He entered school in the law department of

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and graduated in 1847. He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice at Rockville, Connecticut.

Career

Loomis served as a Whig member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...

in 1851. He switched to the Republican party after the dissolution of the Whig party and served as a delegate to the

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 ...

in 1856. In addition, he was a member of the

Connecticut Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Se ...

from 1857 to 1859. He was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863). While in Congress, he served as chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury ( Thirty-sixth Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1862. After Congress, he served as judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1864 to 1875 and a justice of the

from 1875 to 1891. He moved to

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 1892 and the general assembly elected him as State Referee in important cases. He taught classes at Yale University and the school conferred an LL.D. degree in 1896. He died on September 17, 1903, in a train accident near

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. The city is southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury i ...

, and was interred in Grove Hill Cemetery in Rockville, Connecticut. Dwight Loomis gravestone

Footnotes

References

*Loomis, Dwight and J. Gilbert Calhoun, eds.
The judicial and civil history of Connecticut
'. Boston: The Boston History Company, 1895. , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Loomis, Dwight 1821 births 1903 deaths 19th-century Connecticut state court judges Accidental deaths in Connecticut Connecticut lawyers Connecticut state senators Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court Connecticut Whigs Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives People from Rockville, Connecticut Railway accident deaths in the United States Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Yale Law School alumni 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly