Herman R. Beardsley (July 21, 1800 – March 9, 1878) was a Vermont attorney and judge who served as an associate 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 ...

Biography

Herman Ruggles Beardsley was born in

Kent, Connecticut Kent is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located alongside the border with New York (state), New York, the town's population was 3,019 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwe ...

on July 21, 1800, the son of Ephraim Beardsley and Hannah (Berry) Beardsley. Ephraim Beradsley's family moved to

Grand Isle, Vermont Grand Isle is a town on Grand Isle in Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,086 at the 2020 census. A landing for the Lake Champlain Transportation Company's ferry to Plattsburgh, New York, at Cumberland Head is lo ...

in the early 1800s, and his son was educated by private tutors, including

Asa Lyon Asa Lyon (December 31, 1763April 4, 1841) was an American politician. He served as a United States representative from Vermont. Biography Lyon was born in Pomfret in the Connecticut Colony to Jonathan Lyon and Rebecca Maxley Lyon. He attended t ...

. He studied at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

, and

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

with

Bates Turner 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, he was a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court for two years. Biography Turn ...

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 ...

, and John Smith of

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 ...

. Beardsley was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1825, and practiced in St. Albans. In addition to serving in local offices including justice of the peace, in 1834, Beardsley was elected to Vermont's

governor's council The governments of the Thirteen Colonies of British America developed in the 17th and 18th centuries under the influence of the British constitution. The British monarch issued colonial charters that established either royal colonies, propriet ...

, and he served until 1835. In 1837, the University of Vermont awarded him the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

. Beardsley represented St. Albans in 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 ...

in 1848. In 1865, Beardsley was appointed to the

, filling the Associate Justice's position left vacant by the resignation of

Asa O. 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 ...

. He served for only a few months, and was not a candidate for appointment to a full term. He was succeeded on the court by William C. Wilson.

Family

Beardsley was married to Abigail S. Webb (1808-1874), the stepdaughter of

. They were the parents of three daughters and one son.

Death and burial

Beardsley died in St. Albans on March 9, 1878. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans.

References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beardsley, Herman R. 1800 births 1878 deaths People from Kent, Connecticut People from Grand Isle, Vermont People from St. Albans, Vermont U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Vermont lawyers Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Burials at Greenwood Cemetery (St. Albans, Vermont) 19th-century Vermont state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly