29 Facts About Emory Washburn

Emory Washburn was an American lawyer, politician, and historian.

Emory Washburn was Governor of Massachusetts for one term, and served for many years on the faculty of Harvard Law School.

Emory Washburn joined the faculty of Harvard Law in 1856, where he was a popular and influential figure until his retirement in 1876.

Emory Washburn was born on February 14,1800, in Leicester, Massachusetts, to Joseph and Ruth Washburn, both of whom came from families with deep roots in New England.

Emory Washburn's father died when he was seven years old, and the local pastor, Zephaniah Swift Moore, became a major influence in his early years.

Emory Washburn first attended Leicester Academy, and then entered Dartmouth College, where Moore taught languages, at the age of thirteen.

Emory Washburn accompanied Moore when the latter moved to Williams College in 1815, graduating two years later in a class of seven; he was influential in establishing an alumni association at Williams, serving as its first president.

Emory Washburn then embarked on the study of law, first with Charles Dewey, a Williamstown judge and lawyer, and then at Harvard Law School under Asahel Stearns.

Emory Washburn was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1826, serving two terms; his only notable activity was in committee work preparing a feasibility study for a railroad from Boston to the Connecticut River.

Emory Washburn was a regular supporter of the Western Railroad in its efforts to develop the railroad westward from Boston.

In 1853 Emory Washburn traveled to England to research English constitutional law.

Emory Washburn was the last governor elected in this fashion ; he would be the last Whig governor.

One major event that took place during Emory Washburn's tenure was Anthony Burns' arrest and trial under the terms of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.

Emory Washburn refused to intercede in the matter, bringing criticism, and Burns remained in custody at the time Emory Washburn left office.

Emory Washburn stood for reelection, but the Whig party apparatus was generally unaware of Know Nothing strength and dismissive of its candidates.

Emory Washburn produced a significant number of legal treatises and books during his Harvard tenure; his Treatise on the American Law of Real Property formed the basis for Harvard's courses and later textbooks on the subject for the next century.

In 1860 Emory Washburn joined in public calls for the repeal of the state's personal liberty laws.

Emory Washburn served, despite his relatively advanced age, in a home guard militia unit, and supported the war effort by writing, giving speeches, and donating money.

Emory Washburn regularly assisted recent graduates as they made their way into the profession.

Emory Washburn finally resigned his professorship in 1876, and opened a law practice in Cambridge.

Emory Washburn was encouraged to run for United States Congress, but refused.

Emory Washburn was instead convinced to stand for the Massachusetts House, to which he was elected.

Emory Washburn died in office on March 18,1877, in Cambridge, and was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Emory Washburn had a long and abiding interest in local and state history.

Emory Washburn was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1827, beginning a lifelong association with that organization.

Emory Washburn served as the society's secretary for foreign correspondence from 1866 to 1867, and then secretary of domestic correspondence from 1867 to 1877.

Emory Washburn later became a contributing member to the New England Historical and Genealogical Society and was a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Emory Washburn considered himself to be more of an antiquarian than a historian: he believed it important to conserve artifacts and historical information, leaving the interpretation of those to others.

Emory Washburn wrote of the importance, for example, of the need for the state to preserve its own historical documents.