Jay Ward Carver (February 19, 1881 – July 22, 1942) was a Vermont lawyer who served as state Attorney General.

Biography edit

J. Ward Carver was born in Calais, Vermont on February 19, 1881. He was raised in Marshfield, graduated from Montpelier High School, and then graduated from Goddard Seminary in 1900.[1]

While teaching school Carver studied law with Barre attorney John W. Gordon, was admitted to the bar in 1905, and practiced in Barre. A Republican, he served as Barre's corporation counsel, State's Attorney for Washington County, and a member of the Vermont State Senate.[2][3]

In 1925 Carver was appointed Vermont Attorney General, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of Frank C. Archibald. Carver was elected to full terms in 1926 and 1928, and served from 1925 to 1931.[4][5]

In the 1930s Carver practiced law in partnership with Stanley C. Wilson, F. Ray Keyser Sr., and Deane C. Davis. Their firm was described as Vermont's "best ever collection of legal talent," in that it included one Vermont Supreme Court Justice (Keyser), two Governors (Wilson and Davis), and one state Attorney General (Carver).[6]

From 1935 to 1936 Carver served as president of the Vermont Bar Association.[7]

Carver died in Barre on July 22, 1942, aged 61.[8] He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Barre.[9]

Family edit

In 1911, Carver married Zoe H. Towers of Richmond, Vermont.[9]

Sources edit

  1. ^ Bailey, Guy W. (1915). Vermont Legislative Directory. Boston, MA: Rand, Avery & Co. p. 578.
  2. ^ Cutter, William Richard (1914). New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial, Volume 4. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 2043.
  3. ^ Journal of the Senate of the State of Vermont. Montpelier, VT: Capital City Press. 1917. p. 4.
  4. ^ Jeffords, James M. (1970). Biennial Report of the Attorney General of the State of Vermont. North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Company. p. 6.
  5. ^ "State of Vermont Attorneys General". Vermont State Legislature. Clerk of the Vermont House of Representatives. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  6. ^ "Obituary, F. Ray Keyser, Sr". The Herald of Randolph (Randolph, VT). March 15, 2001.
  7. ^ "Past Presidents of the Vermont Bar Association" (PDF). www.vtbar.org. Vermont Bar Association. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-18. Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  8. ^ "J. Ward Carver Dies at Barre". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. July 24, 1942. p. 2.
  9. ^ a b "J. Ward Carver Dies at Barre".
Political offices
Preceded by Vermont Attorney General
1925 – 1931
Succeeded by