Harlan W. Rippey

Harlan W. Rippey
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York
In office June 18, 1934 – December 31, 1936
Appointed by	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded by	Simon L. Adler
Succeeded by	Harold P. Burke
Personal details
Born	Harlan Watson Rippey (1874-09-08)September 8, 1874 Livingston County, New York
Died	March 11, 1946(1946-03-11) (aged 71) Rochester, New York
Education	University of Rochester (A.B., A.M.)

Harlan Watson Rippey (September 8, 1874 – March 11, 1946) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York.

Education and career

Born in Livingston County, New York, Rippey received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the University of Rochester in 1898, and then taught mathematics at Wagner College. In 1899, he received an Artium Magister degree from the University of Rochester. He was admitted to the bar in 1901, and practiced law in Rochester. He was the Monroe County Inheritance Tax Appraiser from 1912 to 1915, and Monroe County Inheritance Tax Attorney from 1922 to 1927. In 1927, he was appointed by Governor Al Smith as a justice of the New York Supreme Court (7th District) to fill a vacancy, and remained on the bench until the end of 1928. He was a member of the New York State Commission for the Revision of the Tax Laws from 1930 to 1936.

Federal judicial service

Rippey was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 9, 1934, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of New York vacated by Judge Simon L. Adler. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 14, 1934, and received his commission on June 18, 1934. He resigned on December 31, 1936, to accept a state judicial post.

State judicial service and death

In 1936, he was elected on the Democratic ticket to the New York Court of Appeals. He remained on the Court of Appeals until the end of 1944 when he reached the constitutional age limit of 70 years. He died on March 11, 1946, in Rochester, New York.

Sources

• Harlan Watson Rippey at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• The History of the New York Court of Appeals, 1932-2003 by Bernard S. Meyer, Burton C. Agata & Seth H. Agata (page 21)
• EX-JUDGE RIPPEY DIES IN ROCHESTER in NYT on March 13, 1946 (subscription required)