John Pierpoint

American judge (1805–1882)

From 1894's Men of Vermont Illustrated

John Pierpoint (January 10, 1805 – January 7, 1882) was a Vermont attorney and judge. He served as a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1857 until his death, and was Chief Justice beginning in 1865.

## Biography

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John Pierpoint (sometimes spelled Pierpont) was born in Litchfield, Connecticut on January 10, 1805, the son of Daniel and Sarah (Phelps) Pierpoint.[1] Sarah Phelps Pierpoint was the aunt of Samuel S. Phelps, who served in the United States Senate.[2] In 1815, Pierpoint moved to Rutland, Vermont to live with his brother Robert Pierpoint, who served as Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1848 to 1849.[1]

Pierpoint was educated in Rutland, studied at the Litchfield Law School in 1825 and 1826, and was admitted to the bar in 1827.[3] He practiced in Pittsford until 1832, when he relocated to Vergennes.[1] In 1834, Pierpoint received an honorary degree (Master of Arts) from Middlebury College.[4]

After a period of ill health in 1834 and 1835, Pierpoint moved to Fayette, Mississippi to recuperate; he lived there for two years before returning to Vergennes.[1] Initially a Democrat opposed to slavery,[2] he was Addison County's Register of Probate from 1836 to 1857.[1] From 1841 to 1842, Pierpoint served in the Vermont House of Representatives.[1] He was a member of the Vermont State Senate from 1855 to 1857, and served as chairman of the Judiciary Committee in 1856 and 1857.[1] He later became a member of the Free Soil Party,[5] and joined the Republican Party when it was founded in the mid-1850s as the main anti-slavery party in the United States.[6]

In 1857, the Vermont General Assembly chose Pierpoint to serve as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, following an expansion of the court from three justices to six.[7] He served until 1865, when he was elevated to chief justice, succeeding Luke P. Poland.[7] Piepoint served as chief justice until his death, and was succeeded by Homer E. Royce.[7] In 1871 he received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Middlebury College.[4]

## Death and burial

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Pierpoint died in Vergennes on January 7, 1882.[1] He was buried at Prospect Cemetery in Vergennes.[8]

## Family

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In 1838, Pierpoint married Sarah Maria Lawrence (1817–1884), the daughter of Vilee Lawrence of Vergennes.[1] They were the parents of seven children.[1] A son and two daughters survived him, all of whom resided in Chicago.[2]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Men of Vermont Illustrated, pp. 183–184.
2. ^ a b c Memorial to John Pierpoint, pp. 61–80.
3. ^ History of the Town of Pittsford, Vt., p. 604.
4. ^ a b Catalogue of Officers and Students of Middlebury College, p. 488.
5. ^ Election Results: United States Representative (Three Districts); 1852-1880, p. 3.
6. ^ Vermont Legislative Directory, p. 101.
7. ^ a b c "Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court, 1778–Present", pp. 4–5.
8. ^ Vermont, The Green Mountain State, p. 122.

## Sources

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### Books

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* Caverly, A. M. (1872). History of the Town of Pittsford, Vt. Rutland, VT: Tuttle & Co. p. 604.
* Crockett, Walter Hill (1923). Vermont, The Green Mountain State. Vol. 5\. New York, NY: Century History Company.
* Middlebury College (1917). Catalogue of Officers and Students of Middlebury College. Middlebury, VT: Middlebury College.
* Nichols, George (1878). Vermont Legislative Directory. Montpelier, VT: J. & J. M. Poland.
* Ross, Jonathan (1884). Memorial to John Pierpoint, Read at the Annual Meeting, 1884. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Bar Association.
* Ullery, Jacob G. (1894). Men of Vermont Illustrated. Brattleboro, VT: Transcript Publishing Company. p. 183.

### Internet

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* Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (2015). "Election Results: United States Representative (Three Districts); 1852-1880" (PDF). sec.state.vt.us/. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State.
* Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (2017). "Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court, 1778–Present" (PDF). sec.state.vt.us/. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State.

Political offices

Preceded by

New position

|  Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
1857–1865  | Succeeded by

Benjamin H. Steele

Preceded by

Luke P. Poland

|  Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
1865–1882  | Succeeded by

Homer E. Royce

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States