George Franklin Danforth (July 5, 1819, – September 25, 1899) was an American lawyer and politician 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 * ...

Life

Danforth was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He graduated from

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

in 1840. Then he studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Rochester, NY. On April 27, 1846, he married Frances J. Wright, of

Pittsford, NY Pittsford is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, New York (state), New York. A suburb of Rochester, New York, Rochester, its population was 30,617 at the time of the 2020 ce ...

. In

1875 Events January * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the year (Third C ...

, he ran on the Republican ticket for

New York State Attorney General The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has existed in various forms since 1626, originally established under the Dutch c ...

but was defeated by Democrat Charles S. Fairchild. In

1876 Events January * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. *January 27 – The Northampton Bank robbery occurs in Massachusetts. February * Febr ...

, he ran for Judge of the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the supreme court, highest court in the Judiciary of New York (state), Unified Court System of the New York (state), State of New York. It consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeal ...

but was defeated by Democrat

Robert Earl Robert Earl (born 29 May 1951) is an English-American film producer, investor, restaurateur, and television personality. He is the founder and CEO of Planet Hollywood, chairman of the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and host of ...

. In

1878 Events January * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War: Battle of Shipka Pass IV – Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Russo-Turkish War: ...

, he ran again for the Court of Appeals and was elected. He was a judge of the Court of Appeals from 1879 to 1889 when he retired upon reaching the constitutional age limit of 70 years. Afterwards he resumed his law practice and died of

apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...

in open court just after arguing a case.

Sources

''G. F. DANFORTH DIES IN COURT''
in NYT on September 26, 1899
George Franklin Danforth
at the Historical Society of the New York Courts {{DEFAULTSORT:Danforth, George Franklin 1819 births 1899 deaths Lawyers from Boston Judges of the New York Court of Appeals Union College (New York) alumni Lawyers from Rochester, New York 19th-century New York state court judges 19th-century American lawyers