John Pierpoint (January 10, 1805 – January 7, 1882) was a Vermont attorney and judge. He served as 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 ...

from 1857 until his death, and was Chief Justice beginning in 1865.

Biography

John Pierpoint (sometimes spelled Pierpont) was born in

Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are ...

on January 10, 1805, the son of Daniel and Sarah (Phelps) Pierpoint. Sarah Phelps Pierpoint was the aunt of Samuel S. Phelps, who served in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. In 1815, Pierpoint moved to

Rutland, Vermont Rutland, Vermont may refer to: *Rutland (city), Vermont *Rutland (town), Vermont *Rutland County, Vermont *West Rutland, Vermont West Rutland is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. The ...

to live with his brother Robert Pierpoint, who served as

Lieutenant Governor of Vermont The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the Governor of Vermont, governor. The Vermont lieutenant governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state o ...

from 1848 to 1849. Pierpoint was educated in Rutland, studied at 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 ...

in 1825 and 1826, and was admitted to the bar in 1827. He practiced in Pittsford until 1832, when he relocated to Vergennes. In 1834, Pierpoint received an

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 ...

) from

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists, Middlebury w ...

. After a period of ill health in 1834 and 1835, Pierpoint moved to

Fayette, Mississippi Fayette is a city in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,614 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County. History In 1879, the Jesse James gang, based in Missouri, raided southwest Mississippi, r ...

to recuperate; he lived there for two years before returning to Vergennes. Initially a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

opposed to slavery, he was

Addison County Addison County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury (town), Vermont, Middle ...

's Register of Probate from 1836 to 1857. From 1841 to 1842, Pierpoint served 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 ...

. He was a member of the

Vermont State Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator represents at least 20,300 citizens. ...

from 1855 to 1857, and served as chairman of the Judiciary Committee in 1856 and 1857. He later became a member of the

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party, also called the Free Democratic Party or the Free Democracy, was a political party in the United States from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. The party was focused o ...

, and joined the Republican Party when it was founded in the mid-1850s as the main anti-slavery party in the United States. In 1857, the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly", but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

chose Pierpoint to serve as an associate justice of the

, following an expansion of the court from three justices to six. He served until 1865, when he was elevated to chief justice, succeeding Luke P. Poland. Piepoint served as chief justice until his death, and was succeeded by Homer E. Royce. In 1871 he received the honorary degree of

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

from Middlebury College.

Death and burial

Pierpoint died in Vergennes on January 7, 1882. He was buried at Prospect Cemetery in Vergennes.

Family

In 1838, Pierpoint married Sarah Maria Lawrence (1817–1884), the daughter of Vilee Lawrence of Vergennes. They were the parents of seven children. A son and two daughters survived him, all of whom resided in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

References

Sources

Books

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Internet

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierpoint, John 1805 births 1882 deaths Politicians from Litchfield, Connecticut People from Vergennes, Vermont Litchfield Law School alumni Vermont lawyers Vermont Democrats Vermont Free Soilers Vermont Republicans Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont state senators Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court 19th-century Vermont state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly