Rufus P. Tapley (January 2, 1823 – April 10, 1893),Death of Hon. Rufus P. Tapley
, ''The Lewiston Daily Sun'' (April 11, 1893), p. 1. of

Saco, Maine Saco ( ) is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as Saco Valley Shopping Center. General Dynamics ...

, was a justice of the

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. Between 1820 and 1839, justices served lifetime ...

from December 21, 1865 to December 21, 1872. Born in

Danvers, Massachusetts Danvers is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the beach ...

, Tapley moved to

, in 1846, where he

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 ...

first in the office of Bradley Haines and subsequently with Bradbury & Eastman and was admitted to the York County bar in the May Term of 1848.Maine Genealogy Archives
Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justices, 1820-1920
During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, he served as colonel in the 27th Maine Infantry Regiment from October 1862, to February 1863. In 1864 and 1865 he served in the

Maine Legislature The Maine State Legislature is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. ...

, and on December 21, 1865, was appointed as an associate justice of the Supreme court of Maine, which office he held seven years, until December 21, 1872. He then resumed practice in Saco. He was retained as counsel for Lewis Wagner, the defendant in the

Isles of Shoals murder case Smuttynose Island (formerly "Smutty-nose") is a 27-acre island in the Isles of Shoals, a group of small islands and tidal ledges located off the coast of New Hampshire and off the coast of Maine, United States. Smuttynose and some of the othe ...

, and was also associated on one side or another in many important trials. His last act as an attorney before the supreme court was to move an adjournment of the January term of the supreme court at Saco, when news was received of the death of Justice

William Wirt Virgin William Wirt Virgin (September 18, 1823 – January 23, 1893) was an American politician and jurist from Maine. Early life and education Virgin was born in 1823 in Rumford, Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1844. He was admitted to the ...

. Tapley died in Saco at the age of 70.

References

1823 births 1893 deaths U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Union army colonels Members of the Maine House of Representatives Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court People from Danvers, Massachusetts People from Saco, Maine 19th-century members of the Maine Legislature {{Maine-state-judge-stub