John Lathrop (judge)

American judge

John Lathrop

Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
In office
1891–1906
Personal details
Born| (1835-02-08)February 8, 1835
Boston, Massachusetts
Died| August 24, 1910(1910-08-24) (aged 75)
Dedham, Massachusetts
Resting place| Brookdale Cemetery
Education| Harvard Law School
Signature|

John Lathrop (February 8, 1835 – August 24, 1910) was an associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.

## Early life and education[edit]

Lathrop was born in Boston, Massachusetts on February 8, 1833 to Rev. John P. Lathrop and Maria Margaretta (née Long) Lathrop.[1][2] His father was the minister of the Allin Congregational Church in Dedham, Massachusetts.[1] Other ancestors, also with the name John Lathrop, were among the original pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and the minister at Second Church, Boston.[2]

Lathrop attended the Dedham Public Schools and then Burlington College in New Jersey, receiving a degree in 1853.[1][2] He then attended Harvard Law School and was graduated in 1855.[1][2] He received an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1906 from Williams College.[1][2]

## Career[edit]

After graduation, Lathrop entered the law offices of Charles C. Francis and William Caleb Loring in Boston.[1] He was admitted to the bar in 1856.[1]

In 1862, after the outbreak of the Civil War, Lathrop joined the Dedham Company of the 35th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment as a captain.[1][2] He fought at the Battle of South Mountain, at Antietam, and at the Battle of Fredericksburg.[2]

In the fall of 1863 he contracted malaria and resigned on November 13, 1863.[1][2] In 2020, the letters he and his brothers, who also served in the Union Army, sent to their mother were transcribed and published by the Dedham Historical Society.[3]

Lathrop returned to the law and specialized in maritime law.[2] In March 1874, Governor Emory Washburn appointed him as the reporter of the Supreme Judicial Court.[1][2] In this position, he began the custom of reporting decisions as they were handed down, and not in the order in which they were heard.[2]

In 1888, he was appointed as a judge of the Superior Court by Governor Oliver Ames and was placed on the Supreme Judicial Court by Governor William E. Russell in 1891.[1]

Lathrop resigned as justice on September 11, 1906 as a result of failing health.[1][2] He was also a lecturer at Harvard and Boston University School of Law.[2]

## Personal life[edit]

Lathrop was a member of the Union Club of Boston and the St. Botolph Club, serving as president of the former from 1905 to 1907.[1][2] He died August 24, 1910 in Dedham[1] and his ashes are buried in Brookdale Cemetery.[2]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "John Lathrop". The Brooklyn Citizen. Brooklyn, New York. August 25, 1910. p. 2. Retrieved December 8, 2020 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "John Lathrop". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 1911. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
3. ^ Mercado, Samantha (December 8, 2020). "Civil War-Era Letters From Dedham Brothers Published In New Book". Patch.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.

Authority control

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