Roger Sherman Greene
Encyclopedia
Roger Sherman Greene was a United States
lawyer, judge, politician and military officer.
He was a descendant of many of the distinguished families of the Atlantic states
. On the maternal side he was the great-grandson of Roger Sherman
, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
, the Articles of Confederation
, and the United States Constitution
. His mother, Mary Evarts, was a daughter of Jeremiah Evarts
and a sister of William M. Evarts
, US Secretary of State, US Attorney General and a US Senator
from New York
. His father, David Greene, was for twenty years the corresponding secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
. In his eighth year the family moved to Westborough, Massachusetts
, and two years later to Windsor, Vermont
.
He graduated from Dartmouth College
in 1859. During his college life, being largely dependent upon his own exertions for support, he taught school in vacations at Windsor in the winter of 1857/58, and at Falmouth, Massachusetts
in the winter of 1858/59. Soon after his graduation he began the study of law in the office of Evarts, Southmayd & Choate, in New York City. In this office as student, and afterward as managing clerk, he gained preliminary legal training. In May 1862, in New York City
, he was admitted to practice, but he soon abandoned his professional career and to enter the Union army.
In September 1862, he enlisted under commission as 2d Lieutenant of Company I, 3d Missouri
Infantry; in March following he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant of the same company, and still later, in 1863, was made captain of Company C, 51st U. S. Colored Infantry., serving until honorably discharged by acceptance of his resignation in November 1865. He also served during this period as judge advocate of the District of Vicksburg
at the close of 1864 and beginning of 1865, and judge advocate of the Western Division of Louisiana
from June 1865, until retirement from service. He received a gunshot wound through the right arm in the general assault on Vicksburg while in command of his company on May 22, 1863. Just before his military service, Judge Greene was offered the position of Assistant United States District Attorney for the Southern District of New York, but declined the office.
In January 1866, he began a legal practice in Chicago
, occupying the same office with Perkin Bass, then United States attorney, with whom he was associated in practice.
He remained in Chicago until his appointment by President Ulysses S. Grant
to associate justice on the Supreme Court of Washington Territory
, 1870-79. He settled at Olympia
, and in 1880 he was commissioned chief justice, at which time he moved to Seattle
. In 1883 he was re-appointed chief justice and served until the close of his term in March 1887. In March 1887, he formed a professional copartnership with Honorable Cornelius H. Hanford
, who later became a United States District Judge for the District of Washington, and Honorable John H. McGraw, who became Governor of the State of Washington, under the firm name of Greene, Hanford & McGraw; afterward, in August, the firm was enlarged by the addition of another member, Joseph F. McNaught, Esquire, under the firm name of Greene, McNaught, Hanford & McGraw.
In July 1888, the partnership was dissolved by mutual consent, all the partners retiring from practice, the senior partner on account of temporary ill-health, Messrs. McNaught and McGraw to enter other pursuits and Judge Hanford to become chief justice of the Supreme Court of Washington Territory. In 1889 Judge Greene resumed the practice of law, and in 1890 formed a partnership with L. Theodore Turner of Seattle, under the firm name of Greene & Turner. In 1889 he was trustee and secretary of the Seattle Investment Co. In 1890 he became trustee and secretary of the Seattle Trust Co, and trustee and vice president of Rainier Power and Railway Co., 1890-1893.
Greene was identified with the Republican Party
until the year 1888, when he joined the Prohibition movement. He was a Prohibition Party
candidate for US Congress from Washington, 1888; and the Prohibition candidate for Governor of the State of Washington, 1892.
Religiously, his parents being Congregationalists, his first church connection was with the church of that denomination in Windsor, where his membership remained until after the war. Then he united with the New England Congregational Church of Chicago. Afterward he was a constituent and prominent member of the Lincoln Park Church. On removal to Olympia he joined the Baptist church.
Judge Greene was married August 17, 1866, at Whitewater, Wisconsin
, to Grace, daughter of Jesse and Rhoda (Brockett) Wooster of Naugatuck, Connecticut
. They had four children: Agnes Margaret, born October 18, 1868; Roger Sherman, born September 29, 1870; Grace Evarts, born January 15, 1875, and Mary Rhoda, born July 27, 1876.
Judge Greene is interred at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park
in Seattle, Washington.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer, judge, politician and military officer.
He was a descendant of many of the distinguished families of the Atlantic states
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. On the maternal side he was the great-grandson of Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman was an early American lawyer and politician, as well as a founding father. He served as the first mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and was also a representative and senator in the new republic...
, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
, the Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution...
, and the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. His mother, Mary Evarts, was a daughter of Jeremiah Evarts
Jeremiah Evarts
Jeremiah F. Evarts was a Christian missionary, reformer, and activist for the rights of American Indians in the United States, and a leading opponent of the Indian removal policy of the United States government.-Early years:...
and a sister of William M. Evarts
William M. Evarts
William Maxwell Evarts was an American lawyer and statesman who served as U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Senator from New York...
, US Secretary of State, US Attorney General and a US Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. His father, David Greene, was for twenty years the corresponding secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was the first American Christian foreign mission agency. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially chartered in 1812. In 1961 it merged with other societies to form the United Church Board for World...
. In his eighth year the family moved to Westborough, Massachusetts
Westborough, Massachusetts
Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,272 at the 2010 census. The town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed by a five member elected Board of Selectmen whose duties include licensing, appointing various...
, and two years later to Windsor, Vermont
Windsor, Vermont
Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,756 at the 2000 census.-History:One of the New Hampshire grants, Windsor was chartered as a town on July 6, 1761 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth. It was first settled in August 1764 by Captain Steele Smith and...
.
He graduated from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1859. During his college life, being largely dependent upon his own exertions for support, he taught school in vacations at Windsor in the winter of 1857/58, and at Falmouth, Massachusetts
Falmouth, Massachusetts
Falmouth is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States; Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 31,531 at the 2010 census....
in the winter of 1858/59. Soon after his graduation he began the study of law in the office of Evarts, Southmayd & Choate, in New York City. In this office as student, and afterward as managing clerk, he gained preliminary legal training. In May 1862, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, he was admitted to practice, but he soon abandoned his professional career and to enter the Union army.
In September 1862, he enlisted under commission as 2d Lieutenant of Company I, 3d Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Infantry; in March following he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant of the same company, and still later, in 1863, was made captain of Company C, 51st U. S. Colored Infantry., serving until honorably discharged by acceptance of his resignation in November 1865. He also served during this period as judge advocate of the District of Vicksburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
at the close of 1864 and beginning of 1865, and judge advocate of the Western Division of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
from June 1865, until retirement from service. He received a gunshot wound through the right arm in the general assault on Vicksburg while in command of his company on May 22, 1863. Just before his military service, Judge Greene was offered the position of Assistant United States District Attorney for the Southern District of New York, but declined the office.
In January 1866, he began a legal practice in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, occupying the same office with Perkin Bass, then United States attorney, with whom he was associated in practice.
He remained in Chicago until his appointment by President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
to associate justice on the Supreme Court of Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
, 1870-79. He settled at Olympia
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, and in 1880 he was commissioned chief justice, at which time he moved to Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. In 1883 he was re-appointed chief justice and served until the close of his term in March 1887. In March 1887, he formed a professional copartnership with Honorable Cornelius H. Hanford
Cornelius H. Hanford
Cornelius Holgate Hanford was an American judge and the first United States Judge for the District of Washington. He was the younger brother of the newspaper editor Thaddeus Hanford. The former agricultural community of Hanford, Washington was named for him.-Early life:Hanford was born in...
, who later became a United States District Judge for the District of Washington, and Honorable John H. McGraw, who became Governor of the State of Washington, under the firm name of Greene, Hanford & McGraw; afterward, in August, the firm was enlarged by the addition of another member, Joseph F. McNaught, Esquire, under the firm name of Greene, McNaught, Hanford & McGraw.
In July 1888, the partnership was dissolved by mutual consent, all the partners retiring from practice, the senior partner on account of temporary ill-health, Messrs. McNaught and McGraw to enter other pursuits and Judge Hanford to become chief justice of the Supreme Court of Washington Territory. In 1889 Judge Greene resumed the practice of law, and in 1890 formed a partnership with L. Theodore Turner of Seattle, under the firm name of Greene & Turner. In 1889 he was trustee and secretary of the Seattle Investment Co. In 1890 he became trustee and secretary of the Seattle Trust Co, and trustee and vice president of Rainier Power and Railway Co., 1890-1893.
Greene was identified with the Republican Party
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...
until the year 1888, when he joined the Prohibition movement. He was a Prohibition Party
Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement...
candidate for US Congress from Washington, 1888; and the Prohibition candidate for Governor of the State of Washington, 1892.
Religiously, his parents being Congregationalists, his first church connection was with the church of that denomination in Windsor, where his membership remained until after the war. Then he united with the New England Congregational Church of Chicago. Afterward he was a constituent and prominent member of the Lincoln Park Church. On removal to Olympia he joined the Baptist church.
Judge Greene was married August 17, 1866, at Whitewater, Wisconsin
Whitewater, Wisconsin
Whitewater is a city in Jefferson and Walworth Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located near the southern portion of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Whitewater is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.-Geography:...
, to Grace, daughter of Jesse and Rhoda (Brockett) Wooster of Naugatuck, Connecticut
Naugatuck, Connecticut
Naugatuck is a consolidated borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town spans both sides of the Naugatuck River just south of Waterbury, and includes the communities of Union City on the east side of the river, which has its own post office, Straitsville on the...
. They had four children: Agnes Margaret, born October 18, 1868; Roger Sherman, born September 29, 1870; Grace Evarts, born January 15, 1875, and Mary Rhoda, born July 27, 1876.
Judge Greene is interred at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park
Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park
Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park originated in 1885. It is located on both sides of Aurora Avenue in Seattle, Washington, and occupies roughly . It is the largest cemetery in Seattle.-History:...
in Seattle, Washington.
Source
Jacob G. Ullery, compiler, Men of Vermont: An Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters and Sons of Vermont, (Transcript Publishing Company, Brattleboro, VT, 1894), Part III, p. 74.- Sherman Genealogy Including Families of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, England By Thomas Townsend Sherman
- Hoar-Baldwin-Foster-Sherman family of Massachusetts at Political Graveyard