Jasper W. Gilbert
Jasper Willet Gilbert (January 15, 1812 – February 10, 1899) was an American jurist and attorney who served on the New York Supreme Court.[1]
Early life
[edit]Gilbert was born on January 15, 1812, in Rome, New York.[2] His parents were Sallie Easton and Marinus Willet Gilbert, a merchant in Watertown, New York.[2] He was educated at grammar schools in Rome before attending academies in Watertown and Lowville, New York.[3] In 1830, he enrolled in the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. in Vermont, graduating in 1832.[3] He then studied law under Abraham Varick in Utica from 1833 to 1844, followed by studying with Frederick Whittlesey in Rochester.[2][1][3] Gilbert was accepted to the New York Bar on July 11, 1835.[1]
Career
[edit]Gilbert started practicing law in Rochester in July 1835.[2] In 1835, Governor William L. Marcy and the New York State Senate appointed him to the position of master of the chancery for the eighth judicial district.[2] He became the first corporate counsel for the City of Rochester in 1839, serving in this capacity until 1842.[2] One of his key decisions as counsel was to allow African American children to attend the city's public schools.[1] Gilbert was the district attorney of Monroe County, New York from 1843 to 1846.[4] He moved to New York City in 1847 and established a private practice.[2]
He was elected to the New York Supreme Court on November 7, 1865.[5] He represented the second judicial district.[6] He was reelected in 1873.[1] Gilbert's "judicial opinions were marked by brevity, accurate learning, sound judgment and remarkable clearness and purity of style."[2] In 1882, he sent an entire board of aldermen to jail for contempt of court, an act that The Standard Union called, "spectacular".[7] He was a Supreme Court justice until January 1, 1883, when he had to retire because of the constitutional age limit of seventy.[2][3]
In his retirement, Gilbert was in practice with his two sons and Alexander Cameron from 1883 to 1890.[1][3] Their practice was located at 213 Montague Street in Brooklyn and 67 Wall Street in New York City.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Gilbert married Katherine A. Moore of New York City in 1845.[3] Initially, the couple lived in New York City and moved to Brooklyn in April 1851.[2][1] Their children included daughters Louise S. Gilbert and Ellen G. Gilbert and sons James H. Gilbert and William T. Gilbert, who were both also lawyers.[1][3] His nephew was architect Bradford Gilbert.[8]
In 1836, he was a delegate to the state Democratic convention.[1] Gilbert became a Whig and was the delegate for Monroe County at the Whig Convention in July 1838, where he made the address.[1][6] When the Whig party dissolved in 1856, he returned to the Democratic Party.[1][6]
Gilbert was a member the Church of the Holy Trinity in the Washington Heights.[1] He served on the standing committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island and was a vice-chancellor of the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, New York.[3] He served on the state's charity commission and was president of the Green-Wood Cemetery.[1] He was a member of the Brooklyn Club. the Hamilton Club, and the Long Island Historical Society.[1][3]
After being ill for a month, Gilbert died at the age of 87 on February 10, 1898, at his home at 166 Remson Street in Brooklyn.[7][1] He was buried in the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Jasper W. Gilbert Dead; Distinguished Jurist Passed Away this Morning". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1898-02-10. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-11-13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. 9. New York: James T. White & Company. 1899. p. 153. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ellis, William Arba, ed. (1911). "Sketches of the Trustees, Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Professors, Alumni, and Past Cadets 1820-1866". Norwich University 1891-1911: Her History, Her Graduate, Her Roll of Honor. Montpelier, Vermont: The Capitol City Press. pp. 118–119 – via Google Books.
- ^ "District Attorneys: Monroe County". Historical Society of the New York Courts. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
- ^ "New York State Supreme Court: 1850-1899". Historical Society of the New York Courts. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
- ^ a b c "The Second Judicial District - The Nomination of Mr. Gilbert". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1865-10-20. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-11-13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Jasper W. Gilbert". The Standard Union. Brooklyn, New York. 1898-02-10. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-11-13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XIV. New York: James T. White & Company, 1910, p. 298. via Google Books.