Waldo Colburn

Waldo Colburn (November 13, 1824 – September 26, 1885) was an American lawyer, jurist and politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Colburn was originally a member of the Whig party and after that party dissolved he became a Democrat.[5] He was a descendant of Nathaniel Colburn, a selectman and signer of the Dedham Covenant.[6]

Waldo Colburn
Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the 2nd Norfolk district
In office 1879–1880
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives[1]
In office 1854–1854
Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court[1]
In office November 10, 1882 – September 26, 1885[2]
Appointed by	John Davis Long
Preceded by	William Crowninshield Endicott
Succeeded by	William Sewell Gardner
Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court
In office May 27, 1875 – November 10, 1882
Appointed by	William Gaston
Preceded by	Otis Phillips Lord
Personal details
Born	November 13, 1824[3] Dedham, Massachusetts[3]
Died	September 26, 1885[4] Dedham, Massachusetts[4]
Political party	Whig, Democratic[5]
Spouse(s)	Mary Ellis Gay (m. November 21, 1852; d. October 22, 1859), Elizabeth C. Sampson (m. August 5, 1851)[5]
Children	Mary Colburn, Anna F. Colburn[5]
Residence	Dedham, Massachusetts
Alma mater	Phillips Andover
Signature

Legal career

Colburn attended Harvard Law School from 1848 to 1849[7] studied law in the office of Ira Cleveland,[1] and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar on May 3, 1850.[1]

Political career

In 1856 Colburn was elected to serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He was a member of the Dedham, Massachusetts Board of Selectmen, Board of Assessors and, Overseers of the Poor. In 1857 he was the Chairman of the Committee on Parishes, Religious Societies, Etc. In 1858 he was the Chairman of the Committee on Railroads and Canals. In 1870 he was elected to the Massachusetts Senate for the second Norfolk district.[1]

Judicial career

On May 27, 1875[1] Colburn was appointed as an Associate Justice of the Superior Court by Governor Gaston.[1]

On November 19, 1882 Colburn was appointed by Governor Long as an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.[1] Colburn served as an Associate Justice of the Court until his death.

References

1. Hamilton, Duane (1884), History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men Vol I., Philadelphia, PA: J. W. Lewis & Co., p. 13
2. Massachusetts Reports: Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Vol 140., Philadelphia, PA: Little, Brown, and Company, 1886, p. 604
3. Hamilton, Duane (1884), History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men Vol I., Philadelphia, PA: J. W. Lewis & Co., p. 12.
4. Massachusetts Reports: Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Vol 140., Philadelphia, PA: Little, Brown, and Company, 1886, p. 604.
5. Hamilton, Duane (1884), History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men Vol I., Philadelphia, PA: J. W. Lewis & Co., p. 13.
6. Rand, John Clark (1890). One of a Thousand: A Series of Biographical Sketches of One Thousand Representative Men Resident in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, A.D. 1888-'89. First national publishing Company. p. 135. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
7. Warren, Charles (1908), History of the Harvard Law School and of Early Legal Conditions in America, New York, NY: Lewis Publishing Company, p. 126