Draft:Walter S. Burgess

Walter Snow Burgess (September 10, 1808 – July 26, 1892) was a justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from January 24, 1868 until his resignation on June 1, 1881.

"Judge Burges is a nephew of Tristam Burges, who for one year was Chief-Justice of Rhode Island. He was United States District Attorney for Rhode Island from 1845 to 1849. For eight years he was Attorney-General of the State. He was elected an Associate Justice in 1868, and continued in office until 1881, when he resigned. He has since devoted himself to his private affairs."

"Judge Burgess was born in Rochester, Plymouth county, Mass., September 10th, 1808, and was the son of Abraham and Rhoda (Caswell) Burgess, and a nephew of the distinguished orator and Representative, Hon. Tristam Burgess.

He graduated from Brown University in the class of 1831, was Principal of Thaxter Academy, Edgartown, Mass., for four years, meanwhile pursuing the study of the law; was admitted to the Bar of Rhode Island in 1835, and in 1836 married Eleanor, the daughter of Hon. James Burrill, who was United States Senator from Rhode Island at the time of his death in 1820.

Young Burges served in the General Assembly as a Representative from Providence in 1841 and 1842, and as Senator from the town of Cranston in 1859.

He was the personal friend, as well as the legal adviser, of Governor Dorr, and was the only one who was allowed to accompany Governor Dorr from the jail at Newport to the prison at Providence, and had the pleasure of taking to Governor Dorr the order for his release.

In 1845 Mr. Burgess was appointed United States District Attorney for Rhode Island, and held the position under President Polk for four years. From 1851 to 1854, and again from i860 to 1863, he held the office of Attorney General of the State of Rhode Island.

In 1867 Governor Burnside appointed Judge Burgess an Associate Justice, to act during the disability of Judge Shearman, who was incapacitated by illness, which position he held until the death of Judge Shearman, early in January, 1868. He was then elected an Associate Justice by the General Assembly to fill that vacancy outright. He was a Democrat in political faith, and the General Assembly overwhelmingly Republican. He continued to serve as Associate Justice until he had passed his 72nd year, and in Jnne, 1881, he resigned the office.

He gave attention to his private affairs, and lived to the advanced age of nearly 84 years, dying July 26, 1892. His colleague, Judge John H. Stiness, pronounced the memorial address upon his life and career, November 14, 1892, before the Rhode Island Veteran Citizens' Association, from which the data of this sketch is obtained."

Of Providence.