George Pierce Andrews (September 29, 1835 - May 24, 1902) was an American lawyer and judge who served on the New York Supreme Court from 1883 to 1887 and from 1898 to 1902.

George Pierce Andrews
Justice of the New York Supreme Court
In office
1898-1902
In office
1883–1897
Corporation Counsel to the City of New York
In office
1882–1883
Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
In office
1861–1869
Personal details
BornSeptember 29, 1835
North Brighton, Maine
DiedMay 24, 1902 (age 66)
New York, New York
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations
Republican (1897)
SpouseCatherine Van Auken
ChildrenCornelia Garrison Van Auken (step)
Parents
  • Solomon Andrews
  • Sybil Farnsworth
EducationYale University

Early life and education

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George Pierce Andrews as a young man.

Andrews was born on September 29, 1835, in North Brighton, Maine to Colonel Solomon Andrews and Sybil A. Farnsworth. At the age of 15, Andrews attended Williston Seminary in Easthampton, Massachusetts. He entered Yale University in 1854 and graduated in 1858.[1][2][3][4]

Career

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After graduation, Andrews moved to Portland, Maine, and studied law in the office of United States senator William P. Fessenden, who subsequently became the U.S. secretary of state. In 1858 Andrews moved to Carroll Parish, Louisiana where he worked as a tutor for a southern family. While in Carroll Parish he continued his studies by reading legal textbooks and in 1860 Andrews went to New York City and studied law with Henry P. Fesseden, a relative of the Senator.[1][2][3]

 
Bronze Bust of George Pierce Andrews by George Brewster.

He then got a clerkship in the office of the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, serving under James I. Roosevelt. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in May of 1860. In around 1861 Andrews was made an assistant United States attorney serving under Theodore Sedgwick, James I. Roosevelt, Edward Delafield Smith, and Daniel S. Dickinson.[1][2][3]

In 1869, Andrews resigned from his position to go into private practice. In December 1872, he was made First Assistant Corporation Counsel to the City of New York by his former boss, Edward Delafield Smith, who had recently been appointed Corporation Counsel. In 1882 Mayor Wiliam Grace made him Corporation Counsel.[1][2][3]

In 1883, Andrews was nominated by the Democratic Party as Justice of the New York Supreme Court. He served a full term of 14 years. In 1897 he was nominated for the position by the Republican Party, and lost the election. The following year he was renominated by the Democratic Party and won. He served until his death in 1902.[1][2][5]

Personal life

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In 1889 Andrews married Catherine Van Auken, the daughter of his former client, Commodore Cornelius Kingsland Garrison. Andrews never had any children, however he had a step-daughter, Cornelia Garrison Van Auken, from his wife's previous marriage.[1][6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Andrews, Catherine M.; Judge, John H. (1903). George Pierce Andrews. Dempsey & Carroll.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Judge GEORGE P. ANDREWS". The New York Daily Tribune. 1897-01-30. p. 6. ISSN 1941-0646. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  3. ^ a b c d "Justice Andrews's Death". The New York Tribune. 1902-05-25. p. 3. ISSN 1941-0646. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  4. ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(still image) George Pierce Andrews, born Sept. 29, 1835, died May 24, 1902, justice of the Supreme Court, 1885-1902, corporation counsel, 1880-1884, assistant U.S. District Attorney, 1861-1866". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  5. ^ "New York State Supreme Court: 1850-1899". Historical Society of the New York Courts. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  6. ^ "Mrs. George P. Andrews". The New York Tribune. 1905-08-15. p. 8. ISSN 1941-0646. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
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