Isaac Newton Mills (September 10, 1851 – July 14, 1929) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician from New York.

Life

Mills was born on September 10, 1851, in

Thompson, Connecticut Thompson is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The town was named after Sir Robert Thompson, an English landholder. The population was 9,189 at the 2020 census ...

, the son of Isaac Mills and Susan Arnold. Mills began studying at the Providence Conference Seminary in Greenwich, Rhode Island. In the winter of 1869 to 1870, he taught at a district school near Newport while studying for his classes. He graduated from the Seminary in the summer of 1870 in the top of his class. He entered

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

later that year. He won several prizes from Amherst in the next four years, and in 1874 he was the valedictorian for his graduating class. He then went to

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

, graduating from there in 1876. Later that year, he moved to

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

and began practicing law there. He formed a law firm with Joseph S. Wood called Mills & Wood, which ended in 1882. He later was in a law firm called Mills & Johnson, and had law offices in Mount Vernon and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He was elected

County Judge The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a county court. In most cases, such as in Northern Ireland and the Victorian County Courts, a county judge is a judicial officer with civi ...

in 1883, an office he was re-elected to in 1889 and served in until 1895. In 1900, Mills was elected to the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

as a Republican, representing New York's 22nd State Senate district. He served in the Senate in

1901 December 13 of this year is the beginning of signed 32-bit Unix time, and is scheduled to end in January 19, 2038. Summary Political and military 1901 started with the unification of multiple British colonies in Australia on January ...

and

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's ...

. In 1906, he was elected to the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

, 9th Judicial District. He was re-elected to the Court in 1920. In 1917, Governor Whitman appointed him to the Appellate Division, Second Department. He retired as Justice in 1921, although he continued to serve as a Referee for the Supreme Court. He resumed his law practice for the rest of his life. He was a delegate to the

1924 Republican National Convention The 1924 Republican National Convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Public Auditorium, from June 10 to 12. Incumbent President Calvin Coolidge was nominated for a full term and went on to win the general election. The convention nomina ...

. In his 27 years on the bench, Mills never sentenced anyone to death. As Justice, he presided over Harry K. Thaw's trial. As a lawyer, he won the acquittal of Walter S. Ward for the murder of Clarence M. Peters and represented Mrs. Anne U. Stillman in her divorce proceedings against

James A. Stillman James Alexander Stillman (August 18, 1873 – January 13, 1944) was a president of National City Bank. Biography James Alexander Stillman was born on August 18, 1873, in New York City to James Jewett Stillman (1850–1918) and Sarah Elizabe ...

, and Leonard Kip Rhinelander in his divorce case. Mills was a member of the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

, the

New York City Bar Association The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, commonly referred to as the New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization has been headquartere ...

, the Westchester County Bar Association, the

Union League Club The Union League Club is a private social club in New York City that was founded in 1863 in affiliation with the Union League. Its fourth and current clubhouse is located at 38 East 37th Street on the corner of Park Avenue, in the Murray Hi ...

, the New England Society, the

Sons of the Revolution The Sons of the Revolution (SR), formally the General Society of the Sons of the Revolution (GSSR), is a patriotic organization headquartered at Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. A nonprofit corporation, the Sons of the Revolution was foun ...

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest Fraternities and sororities, fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active Colony (fraternity or sorority), colonies across No ...

, and the

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. He was a member and trustee of the Westchester County Historical Society. He was also a member of the

Royal Arch Masonry Royal Arch Masonry (also known as "Capitular Masonry") is the first part of the American York Rite system of Masonic degrees. Royal Arch Masons meet as a ''Chapter'', and the Royal Arch Chapter confers four degrees: ''Mark Master Mason, Past Mas ...

, the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

, and the

New-York Historical Society The New York Historical (known as the New-York Historical Society from 1804 to 2024) is an American history museum and library on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. It ...

. He attended the

Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

. In 1876, he married Cara Maria Burnett of

Webster, Massachusetts Webster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,776 at the 2020 census. Named after statesman Daniel Webster, the town was founded by industrialist Samuel Slater, and was home to several early Amer ...

. Their children were Nona Burnett, LeRoy Newton, Priscilla Alden, and Dr. Nathaniel. Mills died at home on July 14, 1929. He was buried in St. Paul's Cemetery in Mount Vernon.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
'
Isaac N. Mills
at '' Find a Grave'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Isaac N. 1851 births 1929 deaths People from Thompson, Connecticut Amherst College alumni Columbia Law School alumni Politicians from Mount Vernon, New York 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers New York Supreme Court justices Lawyers from New York City 19th-century New York state court judges 20th-century New York state court judges County judges in the United States Republican Party New York (state) state senators American Freemasons Presbyterians from New York (state) 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature