Waldo Colburn (November 13, 1824 – September 26, 1885) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from the Commonwealth of

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. Colburn was originally a member of the Whig party and after that party dissolved he became 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 ...

. He was a descendant of Nathaniel Colburn, a selectman and signer of the

Dedham Covenant The Dedham Covenant was a covenant that governed the early settlement of Dedham, Massachusetts. It mandated that only those with similar, Puritan, community values could live in the town and set about a method for mediating disputes. It also requ ...

Legal career

Colburn attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

from 1848 to 1849 studied law in the office of Ira Cleveland, and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar on May 3, 1850.

Political career

In 1856 Colburn was elected to serve in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

. He was a member of the

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a New England town, town in, and the county seat of, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on Boston's southwestern border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. First settled by E ...

Board of Selectmen, Board of Assessors and, Overseers of the Poor. In 1857 he was the Chairman of the Committee on Parishes, Religious Societies, Etc. In 1858 he was the Chairman of the Committee on Railroads and Canals. In 1870 he was elected to the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

for the second Norfolk district. He was also a member of the building committee that erected

Memorial Hall A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''. History of the Memorial Hall In the aft ...

Judicial career

On May 27, 1875 Colburn was appointed as an associate justice of the Superior Court by Governor Gaston. On November 19, 1882, Colburn was appointed by Governor Long as an associate justice of the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously fu ...

. Colburn served as an associate justice of the Court until his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colburn, Waldo 1824 births 1885 deaths Phillips Academy alumni Democratic Party Massachusetts state senators Harvard Law School alumni Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Lawyers from Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham, Massachusetts selectmen 19th-century Massachusetts state court judges 19th-century American lawyers Massachusetts Superior Court justices 19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court

Legal career

Political career

Judicial career

See also

References