Emory Washburn
| Emory Washburn | |
|---|---|
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| 22nd Governor of Massachusetts | |
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In office January 12, 1854 – January 4, 1855 |
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| Lieutenant | William C. Plunkett |
| Preceded by | John H. Clifford |
| Succeeded by | Henry J. Gardner |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
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In office 1826 1838 1877 |
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| Member of the Massachusetts Senate | |
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In office 1841 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 14, 1800 Leicester, Massachusetts |
| Died | March 18, 1877 (aged 77) Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Whig |
| Signature |  |
Emory Washburn (February 14, 1800 – March 18, 1877) was a United States lawyer, politician, and historian. He was Governor of Massachusetts for one term (from 1854 to 1855), and served for many years on the faculty of Harvard Law School. His history of the early years of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is still considered a foundational work on the subject.
Born in Leicester, Massachusetts, Washburn attended Dartmouth and Williams before studying law. After establishing what grew to become a successful and distinguished law practice in Worcester, Washburn entered politics as a Whig. After serving several years in the state legislature, he was elected governor in 1853. Despite his support for a reform-minded agenda, he was swept out of office on the Know Nothing tide in 1854.
Washburn joined the faculty of Harvard Law in 1856, where he was a popular and influential figure until his retirement in 1876. His publications, in addition to his history of the SJC, include a history of his hometown of Leicester and numerous treatises on legal subjects.
Emory Washburn was born on February 14, 1800 in Leicester, Massachusetts to Joseph and Ruth (Davis) Washburn, both of whom came from families with deep roots in New England. He was the sixth of seven children. His father died when he was seven years old, and the local pastor, Zephaniah Swift Moore, became a major influence in his early years. He first attended Leicester Academy, and then entered Dartmouth College, where Moore taught languages, at the age of thirteen. He accompanied Moore when the latter moved to Williams College in 1815, graduating two years later in a class of seven; he was influential in establishing an alumni association at Williams, serving as its first president.
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