Robert Holbrook Hopkins (March 22, 1902 – January 16, 1968) was an American attorney who worked for the firm of Gaston, Snow Motley & Holt and was Corporation Counsel for the city of Boston.
Early life edit
Hopkins was born on March 22, 1902, in Worcester, Massachusetts. His family moved to Newton, Massachusetts, when Hopkins was 12. He graduated from Newton High School, Harvard College (class of 1922), and Harvard Law School (class of 1925). He was coxswain on Harvard's crew and was a member of the Union Boat Club.[1]
On September 7, 1929, he married Margaret Hitchcock Sims, daughter of Admiral William Sims.[2] The couple resided on Beacon Hill and Brookline, Massachusetts, and had two children.[1][3]
Legal career edit
Hopkins was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1926. From 1925 to 1931 he was associated with the firm of Gaston, Snow, Saltonstall and Hunt. He then practiced with Barker, Davison and Shattuck. He became a member of the firm in January 1934. In 1938 he became the first assistant corporation counsel for the city of Boston.[4] He served under Henry Parkman Jr. and Robert Cutler. He also served as appeal agent for Draft Board 18, Ward 5.[1] On July 28, 1942, Cutler resigned to join the United States Army and Hopkins succeeded him as corporation counsel.[5] He resigned from the position on November 15, 1943, to join the procurement legal division in the office of the United States Under Secretary of the Navy.[6] After the war, Hopkins was a member of the firm of Gaston, Snow Motley & Holt.[3]
Other work edit
Hopkins was a Brookline town meeting member for many years. He also served on the executive committee of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and was a director of the South Boston Neighborhood House.[3]
Hopkins died on January 16, 1968, in Boston.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Boston's New Counsel Friendly Family Man, Enthusiastic About Job". The Boston Daily Globe. July 30, 1942.
- ^ "Margaret H. Sims Weds R. H. Hopkins". The New York Times. September 8, 1929.
- ^ a b c d "Robert Hopkins Services Set; Was Attorney". The Boston Globe. January 18, 1968.
- ^ "Hopkins Will Be Named to City Law Department". The Boston Daily Globe. February 27, 1938.
- ^ "Cutler Resigned as City Counsel to Take Army Job". The Boston Daily Globe. January 29, 1942.
- ^ "Murray Named Acting Corporation Counsel as Hopkins Joins Navy". The Boston Daily Globe. November 15, 1943.