Draft:John Taggard Blodgett

John Taggard Blodgett (May 16, 1859 – March 4, 1912) was a justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1900 until his death in 1912.

John Taggard Blodgett was born in Belmont, Mass., May 16, 1859, the son of William Alfred and Anna Maria (Taggard) Blodgett, the descendant of Thomas Blodgett, who came from London to Boston in the “Increase" in 1635, and settled at Watertown, now Cambridge.

Jonathan Blodgett, the great-great-grandfather of John T. Blodgett, answered the “Lexington alarm,” April 19, 1775, and served later as a private in a New Hampshire regiment.

The subject of our memoir was a great-grandson of William Taggard, ensign and lieutenant in the Second New Hampshire Regiment, 1776–80; the great-grandson of Bartholomew Trow, a member of “The Boston Tea Party," a minute man at Lexington, April 19, 1775, a lieutenant in Col. Thomas Gardiner's regiment at Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775, and a captain in the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts Regiment at the siege of Quebec in 1776; the great grandson of Hezekiah Welch, second lieutenant of the frigate “Boston" in 1778; and great-grandson of Ebenezer Welch, midshipman in the Revolution.

John T. Blodgett received his early education in the public schools of Belmont and of Watertown, Mass., and was graduated from the Watertown High School in 1875 and from Worcester Academy in 1876. Then he entered Brown University and was graduated in 1880, being made a member of the Society of Phi Beta Kappa, and receiving, three years later, the degree of A.M. from the college.

Upon graduation he entered upon the study of law in the office of Benjamin N. Lapham in Providence. At the end of the customary three years' study in the office of a lawyer, he passed the bar examinations with brilliancy and was admitted to practice. He was United States commissioner for the District of Rhode Island, 1890-97, and supervisor of Federal elections in Rhode Island in 1891, remaining in that office until the repeal of the Federal election law. The familiarity with election laws thus acquired led him to prepare and to carry through a state law providing for the appointment and defining the powers and duties of the Board of Canvassers and Registration. Upon its passage in 1895, he was appointed a member and he was its chairman until elected to the Supreme Court of the State.

He was a member of the House of Representatives from Providence, 1898–1900, and took a leading part in drafting and securing the adoption of important legislation relating to Providence. His experience upon the Board of Canvassers led to his appointment in 1900 as chairman of the commission to revise the ward lines of the city. He was chairman of the Rhode Island Commission to the Jamestown Exposition of 1907. In 1900 he was elected by the General Assembly, associate justice of the Supreme Court and he died in office March 4, 1912.

He was a member and vice-president for Rhode Island of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, a member of the Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars and of the Rhode Island Society of Sons of the American Revolution. He was also a corresponding member of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, and he contributed to its transactions in 1909 a paper upon “The Political Theory of the Mayflower Compact."

He married, March 28, 1883, Amelia Wilson Torrey, daughter of Moses E. and Amelia (Wilson) Torrey of Providence, and their daughter Gwendolen survives her parents. August 15, 1900, he married his second wife, Amy de Lacy Bemiss, daughter of Dr. Samuel M. and Frances (Lockert) Bemiss, of New Orleans, La., who survives him.

John Taggard Blodgett was born in Belmont, Mass, May 16, 1859, son of William Alfred and Anna M. (Taggard) Blodgett. He was educated in the public schools of Belmont and Watertown, Mass., Worcester Academy, Worcester, Mass., and Brown University, Providence, R. I,, graduating from Worcester Academy in 1876, and from Brown University with the degree A.B., in 1880; received the degree A.M. from Brown University in 1883.

Was admitted to the Rhode lsland bar at Providence in 1883.

Has been United States Commissioner fronr the District of Rhode Island; United States Chief Supervisor of Elections, District Rhode Island; Representative in General Assembly from Providence, and has been Associate Justice of the Supreme Court since 1990. Republican.

John Taggard Blodgett, a resident member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society from 1906, and elected its Vice-President for Rhode Island at the annual meeting preceding his death was born in Belmont Massachusetts, May 16, 1859, the son of William Alfred and Anna Marcia (Taggard) Blodgett.

He was a great-great grandson of William Taggard of Hillsboro, New Hampshire ensign and lieutenant in the Second New Hampshire Regiment, 1776-1780; and also the great-grandson of Bartholomew Trow of Charlestown Massachusetts, a member of the "Boston Tea Party," a minute man at Lexington April 19, 1775, lieutenant in colonel Thomas Gardner's regiment at Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775, and captain in the 25th Massachusetts Regiment at the siege of Quebec in 1776. He was a great-great grandson of Hezekiah Welch of Boston, second lieutenant of the frigate "Boston" in 1778; and he was the great-grandson of Ebenezer Welsh of Boston, midshipman in the Revolution.

He received his early education in the public schools of Belmont and of Watertown, Mass., and was graduated from the Watertown High School in 1875, and from Worcester Academy in 1876. He then entered Brown University, and was graduated with his class in 1880, being a member of the Society of Phi Beta Kappa, and receiving three years later from the college the degree of A.M.

Upon graduation he entered upon the study of law in the office of Benjamin N. Lapham in Providence. There he completed the regular course of three years' study, and passing with brilliancy the bar examinations, he was admitted to practice, in the United States Circuit Court of Appeals in 1895, his law practice relating principally to corporation and banking business. He was United States Commissioner for the District of Rhode Island from 1890 to 1897; and he became supervisor of Federal elections in Rhode Island in 1891, remaining in that office until the repeal of the Federal election law, the duties of the office being to inspect the list of voters and to see that no fraud was practiced in Federal elections. The familiarity with election laws thus acquired led him to prepare and to carry through a state law relating to the appointment and defining the powers and duties of the Board of Canvassers and Registration. Upon its passage in 1895 he was appointed a member and became its chairman, remaining so until he became a member of the Supreme Court of the state.

He was a member of the House of Representatives from the city of Providence from 1898 to 1900, and took a leading part while a member in drafting and securing the adoption of important legislation relating to the city. His experience upon the board of canvasses led to his appointment in 1900 as chairman of a commission to revise the ward lines of the city of Providence.

He was chairman of the Rhode Island Commission to the Jamestown Exposition of 1907.

In 1900 he was elected by the General Assembly Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, remaining in that office until his death, at Providence March 4, 1912.

An examination of his opinion in the Rhode Island Reports illustrates his throughness of research, his scholarship, capacity for work, and independence of judgement, especially in some of the dissenting opinions he delivered. Besides his association with this Society, Judge Blodgett was a member of the Rhode Island Historical Society of Sons of the American Revolution. He was also a corresponding member of The Colonial Society of Massachusetts, and contributed a paper upon "The Political Theory of the Mayflower Compact" to its Transactions in 1909.

He married first, March 28, 1883, Amelia Wilson Torrey, daughter of Moses Eddy and Amelia (Wilson) Torrey of Providence, by whom he had a son, Moses Torrey, who died soon after his birth, and a daughter Gwendolen. On August 15, 1900, he married his second wife, Amy de Lacy Bemiss, daughter of Dr. Samuel Merrifield and Frances (Lockert) Bemiss of New Orleans, Louisiana, who survives him, with the daughter by his first wife, Gwendolen Blodgett.

References

Category:1859 births Category:1912 deaths Category:Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court

This open draft remains in progress as of July 5, 2023.