James Patrick Leamy

American judge

James Patrick Leamy

"James P. Leamy Elected President of State Bar Association". Burlington Free Press, October 6, 1938.

Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont
In office
May 7, 1940 – July 22, 1949
Appointed by| Franklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded by| Harland Bradley Howe
Succeeded by| Ernest W. Gibson Jr.
President of the Vermont Bar Association
In office
1938–1939
Preceded by| Arthur L. Graves
Succeeded by| Neil D. Clawson
Personal details
Born| (1892-01-16)January 16, 1892
West Rutland, Vermont, U.S.
Died| July 22, 1949(1949-07-22) (aged 57)
West Rutland, Vermont, U.S.
Resting place| Saint Bridgets Cemetery, West Rutland
Political party| Democratic
Spouse| Margaret Lalor (m. 1927)
Children| 1
Education| College of the Holy Cross (AB)
Boston College (MA)
Harvard University (LLB)
Occupation| Attorney

James Patrick Leamy (January 16, 1892 – July 22, 1949) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont.

## Education and career[edit]

Leamy was born in West Rutland, Vermont on January 16, 1892, the son of James Leamy and Catherine (Clark) Leamy.[1] He was educated in West Rutland and graduated from West Rutland High School.[2] He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from College of the Holy Cross in 1912, a Master of Arts degree from Boston College in 1913, and a Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1915.[3] He was admitted to the bar in 1916 and began a private practice in Rutland, Vermont from 1916 to 1940.[4] He was a United States Commissioner for the United States District Court for the District of Vermont from 1917 to 1931,[a] and a Referee in Bankruptcy for the United States District Court for the District of Vermont from 1931 to 1940.[5][6]

## Political career[edit]

Leamy was a Democrat,[7] and served in local offices including school board member.[8] He also served as chairman of the Democratic Party in West Rutland and in Rutland County.[9][10] His uncle Frank Duffy was Vermont's longtime member of the Democratic National Committee, and Leamy served as Chairman of the Vermont Democratic Party during the period of more than 100 years when Republicans won every election for statewide office in Vermont.[11] Leamy ran unsuccessfully for Vermont Attorney General (1920, 1922), State's Attorney of Rutland County (1924), Governor of Vermont (1932, 1934) and Congressman from Vermont (1938).[7][12][13] From 1938 to 1939 he was President of the Vermont Bar Association.[14]

## Federal judicial service[edit]

On April 12, 1940, Leamy was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Vermont vacated by Judge Harland Bradley Howe.[15] Leamy was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 30, 1940, and received his commission on May 7, 1940.[5] He served until his death from a heart attack in West Rutland on July 2, 1949.[2] Leamy was buried at Saint Bridgets Cemetery in West Rutland.[2]

## Family[edit]

In 1927, Leamy married Margaret Lalor (1893–1984) of Rutland.[2] They were the parents of a son, James Jr.[2]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ U.S. District Court Commissioners were appointed by district court judges and empowered to issue search and arrest warrants, set bail for defendants and conduct other initial proceedings in federal criminal cases.

## References[edit]

1. ^ Fifield, James Clark, ed. (1921). The American Bar: A Biographical Directory of Contemporary Lawyers of the United States and Canada. Minneapolis, MN: The James C. Fifield Company. p. 1044 - via Google Books.
2. ^ a b c d e "James P. Leamy Dies Suddenly At Home". The Barre Daily Times. Barre, VT. July 23, 1949. p. 1 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ Harvard University (1920). Quinquennial Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Harvard University, 1636-1920. Cambridge, MA: The University Press. p. 897 - via Google Books.
4. ^ Bicentennial Committee, Judicial Conference of the United States (1983). Judges of the United States (2 ed.). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 288 - via Google Books.
5. ^ a b James Patrick Leamy at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
6. ^ "News of the City: Rutland Briefs; James P. Leamy". Rutland Herald. Rutland, VT. June 5, 1917. p. 7 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ a b "Vermont gubernatorial elections, 1791-present". Ballotpedia.
8. ^ "West Rutland: High School Graduation". Rutland Herald. Rutland, VT. June 14, 1924. p. 9 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "West Rutland Caucus". Rutland Herald. Rutland, VT. March 3, 1917. p. 1 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Comings If Confident Of Victory". Rutland Herald. Rutland, VT. October 28, 1926. p. 1 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ Hand, Samuel B (2002). The Star That Set: The Vermont Republican Party, 1854-1974. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. p. 132\. ISBN 978-0-7391-0600-6 - via Google Books.
12. ^ "Democrats to Convene Today In This City". Rutland Herald. Rutland, VT. September 30, 1924. p. 3 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ "Election Results Archive: James P. Leamy". Vermont Elections Database. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
14. ^ "Vermont Bar Association: Past Presidents" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-18. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
15. ^ "Jas. P. Leamy Is Named For Federal Judge". Barre Daily Times. Barre, VT. April 12, 1940. p. 1 - via Newspapers.com.

## Sources[edit]

* James Patrick Leamy at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
* Vermont Bar Association: Past Presidents Archived 2015-01-18 at the Wayback Machine, 2014
* Ballotpedia: Vermont gubernatorial elections, 1791-present, 2014

Party political offices

Preceded by

Park H. Pollard

|  Democratic nominee for Governor of Vermont
1932, 1934 | Succeeded by

Alfred Heininger

Legal offices
Preceded by

Harland Bradley Howe

|  Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont
1940–1949  | Succeeded by

Ernest W. Gibson Jr.