Leighton P. Slack

Leighton P. Slack

Leighton Prosper Slack (June 18, 1867 – March 31, 1938) was a Vermont attorney and judge. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1910 to 1912 and as a Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1914 until his death.

Biography

Leighton Prosper Slack was born in Woodstock, Vermont on June 18, 1867.^[1][2] He graduated from Ludlow's Black River Academy and taught school while studying law.^[3]

Slack attained admission to the bar in 1892, and began to practice, first in Barre, and then in St. Johnsbury.^[4]

A Republican, Slack served as St Johnsbury's Village President, Caledonia County State's Attorney from 1898 to 1900 and a member of the Vermont Senate from 1904 to 1905.^[5]

In 1910 Slack won election as Lieutenant Governor, serving from 1910 to 1912.^[6][7][8][9]

In 1914 he was appointed an Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, and he relocated to Montpelier. Slack served on the court until his death.^[10][11][12]

During World War I Slack served as Chairman of Vermont's Committee on Public Safety, a board convened by the Governor to mobilize Vermont citizens and materiel for the war effort.^[13][14][15]

Slack was active in the Vermont and American Bar Associations and the Vermont Historical Society.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Justice Slack died in Montpelier on March 31, 1938.^[20][21][22] He was buried at Durant Cemetery in Cabot.^[23]

References

1. The Fulham Genealogy, by Volney Sewall Fulham, 1910, page 56
2. Successful Vermonters: A Modern Gazetteer of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties, Vermont, by William Hartley Jeffrey, 1904, pages 50 to 52
3. Manual of the Legislature of Vermont, published by Vermont Watchman Co., Montpelier, 1904, page 78
4. Who's Who in New England, edited by A. N. Marquis, 1916, page 978
5. Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography, edited by Prentiss Cutler Dodge, 1912, page 313
6. Vermont, Its Government, by Walter J. Bigelow, 1919, page 14
7. Journal of the Senate of the State of Vermont, published by St. Albans Messenger Co., 1899, page 503
8. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1937, page 191
9. Lieutenant Governors, Terms of Service, published by Office of the Vermont Secretary of State, Archives and Records Administration, 2011, page 2
10. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1931, page 550
11. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1933, page 566
12. Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court, 1778 to Present, Office of the Vermont Secretary of State, Archives and Records Administration, 2011, pages 13 to 16
13. Annual Report, published by United States Council of National Defense, Volume 3, 1919, page 132
14. Newspaper article, Vermont Governor Heads Welcoming Delegation, Boston Globe, April 13, 1919
15. Vermont in the World War, 1917-1919, edited by John T. Cushing and Harold Pearl Sheldon, 1928, page 468
16. American Bar Association Journal, published by American Bar Association, Volume 4, 1918, page 544
17. Report of Proceedings of the Annual Meeting], published by Vermont Bar Association, 1938, page 36
18. Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society, published by the society, 1899, page 112
19. Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society, published by the society, 1938, page C-61
20. Newspaper article, Leighton P. Slack, Jurist, Dies at 70, New York Times, April 3, 1938
21. Newspaper article, Leighton P. Slack Dies in Montpelier, North Adams Transcript, April 2, 1938
22. Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008, record for Leighton Prosper Slack, accessed December 29, 2011
23. Gravestone photographs by contributor Bill McKern, Leighton P. Slack page, Find A Grave web site, September 4, 2010