Cuthbert W. Pound

Cuthbert Winfred Pound (June 20, 1864 Lockport, Niagara County, New York - February 3, 1935 Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1932 to 1934.

Life

He was the son of Alexander Pound and Almina (Whipple) Pound. He was educated at Lockport High School and graduated from Cornell University in 1884. Then he studied law at the office of his brother John (died 1904), was admitted to the bar in 1886, and practiced in partnership with his brother at Lockport.

He was a Republican member of the New York State Senate from 1894 to 1895. Afterwards he became a Law Professor at Cornell University and removed to Ithaca, N.Y.

In June 1900, Governor Theodore Roosevelt appointed Pound to the New York State Civil Service Commission, of which he was President from 1902 to 1904.

In 1903, his 11 years old son Cuthbert W. Pound, Jr., shot himself dead accidentally with a Flobert rifle.

Governor Frank W. Higgins chose Pound as Legal Adviser to the Governor, to take office on January 1, 1905, and in May 1906, appointed him a justice of the New York Supreme Court to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry A. Childs. In November 1906, Pound was elected to a 14-year term to succeed himself.

On August 3, 1915, he was designated a judge of the New York Court of Appeals under the Amendment of 1899 to replace Nathan Lewis Miller who had resigned. In November 1916, he was elected on the Republican and Progressive tickets to a 14-year term on the Court of Appeals, and was re-elected in 1930. On March 8, 1932, he was appointed by Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt Chief Judge to succeed Benjamin N. Cardozo who had been appointed to the United States Supreme Court. In November 1932, he was re-elected and retired from the bench at the end of 1934 when he reached the constitutional age limit of 70 years.

He was member of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University from 1913 until his death. He was buried at Cold Springs Cemetery, in Lockport, New York.

Sources

• [1] Political Graveyard
• [2] Appointed to the Civil Service Commission, in NYT on June 12, 1900
• [3] His son's death, in NYT on June 5, 1903
• [4] Appointed Counsel to the Governor, in NYT on December 22, 1904
• [5] Appointed to NY Supreme Court, in NYT on May 29, 1906
• [6] Appointed to the Court of Appeals, in NYT on August 4, 1915 (Note: "Designation" is an appointment which does not require confirmation by the State Senate)
• [7] Election result in NYT on November 9, 1916
• [8] Appointed Chief Judge, in NYT on March 9, 1932
• [9] Listing of Court of Appeals judges, with portrait
• [10] Portrait with link to biography
• 10,000 Famous Freemasons from K to Z by William R. Denslow & Harry S. Truman, Kessinger Publishing, 2004, ISBN 1417975792 , ISBN 9781417975792 ; page 360)
• Great American Judges: An Encyclopedia by John R. Vile (ABC-CLIO, 2003, ISBN 1576079899 , ISBN 9781576079898 ; page 630)