Henry Matson Waite
Encyclopedia
Henry Matson Waite was a lawyer, judge, and Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court
.
family, Waite was educated at Bacon Academy
in Colchester
and at Yale College
, graduating from there in 1809. After several years of teaching school and studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1812.
Waite represented Lyme in the Connecticut General Assembly in 1815 and 1826 and he was elected to the state senate in 1830 and 1831. Waite was a Federalist for as long as that party existed and maintained similar political views for the rest of his life.
Waite became an associate justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court (then called the "Supreme Court of Errors") in 1834 and was chosen as Chief Justice in 1854. He retired February 9, 1857 at the age of 70, as required by law. He suffered from a painful illness in his final years, but remained active.
Waite married Maria Selden in January 1816; they had 8 children. Their son Morrison R. Waite became a prominent Ohio lawyer and eventually served as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Connecticut Supreme Court
The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol...
.
Biography
From an old New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
family, Waite was educated at Bacon Academy
Bacon Academy
Bacon Academy is a public high school in Colchester, Connecticut, in the United States.In 1800 a prominent Colchester farmer, Pierpont Bacon, died and left an endowment of thirty-five thousand dollars . The endowment was to theThis established the academy that bears his name...
in Colchester
Colchester, Connecticut
Colchester is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 14,551 at the 2000 census. In 2005 it was ranked 57th on the "100 Best Places to Live" in all of the United States, conducted by CNN...
and at Yale College
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, graduating from there in 1809. After several years of teaching school and studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1812.
Waite represented Lyme in the Connecticut General Assembly in 1815 and 1826 and he was elected to the state senate in 1830 and 1831. Waite was a Federalist for as long as that party existed and maintained similar political views for the rest of his life.
Waite became an associate justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court (then called the "Supreme Court of Errors") in 1834 and was chosen as Chief Justice in 1854. He retired February 9, 1857 at the age of 70, as required by law. He suffered from a painful illness in his final years, but remained active.
Waite married Maria Selden in January 1816; they had 8 children. Their son Morrison R. Waite became a prominent Ohio lawyer and eventually served as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.