Raymond E. Baldwin
Encyclopedia
Raymond Earl Baldwin was a United States Senator, the 72nd and 74th Governor of Connecticut.
in 1903 and attended the public schools. He graduated from Wesleyan University
in Middletown
in 1916, and entered Yale University
. However, upon the declaration of war
, he enlisted in the United States Navy
. He was assigned to officers' training school and was commissioned an ensign
in February 1918, and promoted to lieutenant (j.g.) in September 1918. He resigned from the Navy in August 1919 and returned to Yale Law School
, graduating in 1921; he was admitted to the bar
in 1921 and practiced in New Haven and Bridgeport
.
Baldwin was prosecutor
of the Stratford
Town Court from 1927 to 1930, and was judge of that court from 1931 to 1933. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from 1931 to 1933, serving as majority leader
in 1933. He resumed the practice of law from 1933 to 1938, and was town chairman of Stratford from 1935 to 1937. He was Governor of Connecticut in 1939 and 1940, and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the office in 1940. He was, however, again elected Governor in 1942 and 1944, and served until his resignation on December 25, 1946, having been elected United States Senator as a Republican
on November 5, 1946, to fill the vacancy in the term ending January 3, 1947, caused by the death of Francis T. Maloney
, and at the same time was elected for the term commencing January 3, 1947, and served from December 27, 1946, until his resignation on December 16, 1949. Baldwin was an associate justice
of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors (now the Supreme Court of Connecticut), and was appointed chief justice in 1959 and served until his retirement in 1963; in addition, he was chairman of the Connecticut Constitutional Convention in 1965. He died in Fairfield, Connecticut on October 4, 1986, aged 93, and was interred in Indian Hill Cemetery, Middletown.
Baldwin was instrumental in helping Wendell Willkie
win the 1940 Republican presidential nomination. An early supporter of Willkie, Baldwin saw to it that he had the Connecticut delegation behind him at the convention, which was crucial in Willkie's efforts to beat frontrunners Thomas Dewey
, Robert Taft
and Arthur Vandenberg. Willkie had unofficially promised Baldwin the spot as his running mate, but party leaders pressured Willikie to name Charles McNary instead, and Baldwin graciously stepped aside from contention.
Baldwin was a member of the Connecticut State Library Committee and its successor, the State Library Board, from 1957-1982 and served as its chair for many years. In tribute to his service, the board renamed the State Library's museum the Raymond E. Baldwin Museum of Connecticut History in 1983. The Baldwin Bridge that carries the Connecticut Turnpike (Rt. 95) from Old Lyme to Old Saybrook is also named for him. The Middlesex Judicial District court house in Middletown as well as the Baldwin Center, a senior citizens center in Stratford are named in his honor.
Biography
Born in Rye, New York, he moved to Middletown, ConnecticutMiddletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
in 1903 and attended the public schools. He graduated from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in Middletown
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
in 1916, and entered Yale University
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...
. However, upon the declaration of war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he enlisted in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He was assigned to officers' training school and was commissioned an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in February 1918, and promoted to lieutenant (j.g.) in September 1918. He resigned from the Navy in August 1919 and returned to Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, graduating in 1921; he was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1921 and practiced in New Haven and Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
.
Baldwin was prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
of the Stratford
Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It was founded by Puritans in 1639....
Town Court from 1927 to 1930, and was judge of that court from 1931 to 1933. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents...
from 1931 to 1933, serving as majority leader
Majority leader
In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...
in 1933. He resumed the practice of law from 1933 to 1938, and was town chairman of Stratford from 1935 to 1937. He was Governor of Connecticut in 1939 and 1940, and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the office in 1940. He was, however, again elected Governor in 1942 and 1944, and served until his resignation on December 25, 1946, having been elected United States Senator as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
on November 5, 1946, to fill the vacancy in the term ending January 3, 1947, caused by the death of Francis T. Maloney
Francis T. Maloney
Francis Thomas Maloney was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut from 1933 to 1935 and a U.S. Senator from Connecticut from 1935 to 1945. He was a Democrat.-Early life:...
, and at the same time was elected for the term commencing January 3, 1947, and served from December 27, 1946, until his resignation on December 16, 1949. Baldwin was an associate justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors (now the Supreme Court of Connecticut), and was appointed chief justice in 1959 and served until his retirement in 1963; in addition, he was chairman of the Connecticut Constitutional Convention in 1965. He died in Fairfield, Connecticut on October 4, 1986, aged 93, and was interred in Indian Hill Cemetery, Middletown.
Baldwin was instrumental in helping Wendell Willkie
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie was a corporate lawyer in the United States and a dark horse who became the Republican Party nominee for the president in 1940. A member of the liberal wing of the GOP, he crusaded against those domestic policies of the New Deal that he thought were inefficient and...
win the 1940 Republican presidential nomination. An early supporter of Willkie, Baldwin saw to it that he had the Connecticut delegation behind him at the convention, which was crucial in Willkie's efforts to beat frontrunners Thomas Dewey
Thomas Dewey
Thomas Edmund Dewey was the 47th Governor of New York . In 1944 and 1948, he was the Republican candidate for President, but lost both times. He led the liberal faction of the Republican Party, in which he fought conservative Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft...
, Robert Taft
Robert Taft
Robert Alphonso Taft , of the Taft political family of Cincinnati, was a Republican United States Senator and a prominent conservative statesman...
and Arthur Vandenberg. Willkie had unofficially promised Baldwin the spot as his running mate, but party leaders pressured Willikie to name Charles McNary instead, and Baldwin graciously stepped aside from contention.
Baldwin was a member of the Connecticut State Library Committee and its successor, the State Library Board, from 1957-1982 and served as its chair for many years. In tribute to his service, the board renamed the State Library's museum the Raymond E. Baldwin Museum of Connecticut History in 1983. The Baldwin Bridge that carries the Connecticut Turnpike (Rt. 95) from Old Lyme to Old Saybrook is also named for him. The Middlesex Judicial District court house in Middletown as well as the Baldwin Center, a senior citizens center in Stratford are named in his honor.