| Henry Nichols Blake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court | |
| In office 1889–1893 | |
| Succeeded by | William Y. Pemberton |
| Chief Justice of the Montana Territorial Supreme Court | |
| In office 1889–1889 | |
| Appointed by | Benjamin Harrison |
| Preceded by | Newton W. McConnell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1838-06-05)June 5, 1838 Dorchester, Massachusetts |
| Died | November 29, 1933(1933-11-29) (aged 95) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Education | Harvard Law School |
Henry Nichols Blake (June 5, 1838 – November 29, 1933) was a lawyer and newspaper editor who served as associate justice and chief justice of the Montana Territorial Supreme Court and as the first chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court after statehood.
Life
Blake was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard College in 1858 with an LL.B., and practiced law in Boston until April 1861. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War before mustering out in 1864 after being wounded a second time. After the war, he wrote the book Three Years in the Army about his military service and moved to Montana in 1866.
Blake settled in Virginia City, Montana, where he served as editor in chief of the Montana Post. The work was difficult because, at the time, no telegraph lines or railroads existed in Montana Territory. Blake later wrote, "the preparation of the locals for the tri-weekly edition was troublesome because there was a paucity in the country tributary to a village as small as Virginia City, and mountains were made of mole hills, dressed to the best of my ability in attractive phrases."
Blake later worked as an attorney in Virginia City. Together with James E. Callaway, he represented two Chinese miners, Ah Wah and Ah Yen, on trial for murder in 1881. A jury found the defendants guilty of first-degree murder, but Blake and Callaway successfully appealed to the Montana Territorial Supreme Court, where the defendants were acquitted. Blake developed a reputation for color-blind justice.
Blake was appointed an associate justice of the Montana Territorial Supreme Court by President Ulysses S. Grant and served from 1875 until 1885. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Territorial Supreme Court in 1889 by President Benjamin Harrison. He also served the first chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court from 1889 until 1893.
In 1916 he was announced as Harvard's commencement speaker.
He married Clara J. Clark (1846–1932) in 1870 and they traveled together by stagecoach to his home in Helena, Montana. When they returned to Massachusetts about 1912, they lived with their son-in-law Eugene Hultman, Police Commissioner of Boston. They had at least two daughters. One of their grandchildren was Harvard football star C.A. (Tubby) Clark. Clara Clark died on November 24, 1932.
Blake died in Boston on November 29, 1933. At his death he was the oldest surviving graduate of Harvard Law School. He was buried in Dorchester's Old North Burial Ground.
See also
References
- ^ "Honorable Henry N. Blake". mtmemory.org.
- ^ "Judge H. N. Blake '58 will be Memorial Day Speaker". The Harvard Crimson. April 4, 1916. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- Paladin, Vivian A. (1964). "Memoirs of a Many-Sided Man: The Personal Record of a Civil War Veteran, Montana Territorial Editor, Attorney, Jurist". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 14 (4): 31–56. JSTOR 4516887.
- Parrett, Aaron (Summer 2016). "'One Page at ta Time': Early Printing in Territorial Montana". Montana The Magazine of Western History. 66 (2): 34–35. JSTOR 26322795. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- Arata, Laura J. (Spring 2012). "Beyond the 'Mongolian Muddle': Reconsidering Virginia City, Montana's China War of 1881". Montana The Magazine of Western History. 62 (1): 31–33. JSTOR 23127846. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- "Mrs. Henry N. Blake". New York Times. November 25, 1932. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- "H.N. Blake Dead; A Retired Jurist". New York Times. November 30, 1933. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- Daniel, Seth (October 23, 2024). "Unlocking History: Hundreds explore Old North Burial Ground in Uphams Corner". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- Additional sources
- "Henry Nichols Blake, 1838-1933, and Clara Clark Blake, 1846-1932". Dorchester Atheneum.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byNewly established court | Justice of the Montana Supreme Court 1875–1885 1889–1893 |
Succeeded byWilliam Y. Pemberton |
 | This biography of a state judge in Montana is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |