Nathaniel Gookin Upham

Nathaniel Gookin Upham was a prominent judge in Concord, New Hampshire. He served as an Associate Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court for ten years. He later became the President of the Concord Railroad. Late in his life, he served in the state legislature and occasionally called upon to mediate disputes between the United States and foreign nations.

Nathaniel Gookin Upham was born on January 8, 1801 as the second child of Nathaniel Upham. The Gookin family were early settlers to the United States, first arriving in 1635. The elder Gookin was a prominent businessman who would later serve three terms in the United States House of Representatives. Nathaniel Gookin's elder brother was Thomas Cogswell Upham, who would become a distinguished professor at Bowdoin College.

Nathaniel Gookin Upham studied at Exeter Academy. He was accepted at Dartmouth College in 1816, where he graduating with honors in 1820. Upham returned to Rochester to study law under David Barker, Jr.. Upham was admitted to the bar and opened a law firm in Bristol. The practice was successful, and he moved it to Concord in 1829.

In 1833, Upham was appointed an Associate Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, replacing John Harris. At age thirty-two, Upham was the second-youngest man (after Levi Woodbury) that had ever been placed on the bench. Upham served in this role for ten years under Chief Justices William M. Richardson and Joel Parker. Upham resigned in 1843 due to declining health.

...
Wikipedia