William Gardner Choate
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
In office
March 25, 1878 – June 1, 1881
Appointed byRutherford B. Hayes
Preceded bySamuel Blatchford
Succeeded byAddison Brown
Personal details
Born(1830-08-30)August 30, 1830
Salem, Massachusetts
DiedNovember 14, 1920(1920-11-14) (aged 90)
Wallingford, Connecticut
EducationHarvard University (AB, LLB)

William Gardner Choate (August 30, 1830 – November 14, 1920) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He also cofounded the Choate Rosemary Hall college, a private boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Education and career

Choate was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the son of George and Margaret Manning (Hodges) Choate.[1] His younger brother was diplomat and lawyer Joseph Hodges Choate. Choate received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Harvard University in 1852 and a Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1854. He was in private practice in Danvers, Massachusetts from 1855 to 1857, then in Salem until 1865, and then in New York City, New York from 1865 to 1878.[2]

Federal judicial service

On March 14, 1878, Choate was nominated by President Rutherford B. Hayes to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York vacated by Judge Samuel Blatchford. Choate was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 25, 1878, and received his commission the same day. Choate served on the court for only three years, resigning on June 1, 1881.[2]

Later career and death

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Choate resumed private practice in New York City from 1881 to 1920. With his wife, Mary Atwater Choate, he founded the girls school, Rosemary Hall, in 1890, and the Choate School, a boys school, in 1896, both in Wallingford, Connecticut (now combined as Choate Rosemary Hall).[3]

His wife Mary was the niece of Senator Edgar Atwater and Sarah S. Yale, member of the family of Senator Charles Atwater and the Yale family of Yale University.[4][5][6] Sarah's cousin was Senator Charles Dwight Yale and her uncle was merchant William Yale.

William Gardner Choate died on November 14, 1920, in Wallingford.[2]

References

  1. ^ Warren, Charles (1908). "History of the Harvard Law School and of Early Legal Conditions in America".
  2. ^ a b c William Gardner Choate at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  3. ^ "History of Choate Rosemary Hall". Choate Rosemary Hall. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  4. ^ Biographical and Historical Record of the Class of 1835 in Yale College, Yale University, Class of 1835., p. 186-187
  5. ^ Squire Stanley: The Oldest Building on Campus, The Choate News, December 19, 2022
  6. ^ Atwater History and Genealogy, Meriden, CT: Journal Publishing Co., 1901, Vol. 1., Atwater, Francis, 1901, p. 194-209

Sources

Legal offices Preceded bySamuel Blatchford Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York 1878–1881 Succeeded byAddison Brown
Categories