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new judges should be selected alternately from the two parties, he was chosen to the Superior Court to represent the Democratic minority. His term expiring in 1863, at a time when there was great excitement over the passage of the Federal Draft Act by Con gress, the Republican Legislature refused to re-elect him, together with Judge Loren P. Waldo, fearing that they might be influenced

by their political affili ations to prevent the enforcement of the law if the matter were presented to them for action upon writs of habeas corpus. The character, the life, and the reputation of Judge Seymour are convinc ing proof of the injus tice of such a feeling, which was probably in great measure due to his relationship with Ex-Gov. Thomas H. Seymour, an out spoken opponent of the measure. The contest over the ap pointments was very bitter. Some slight atonement was made to Judge Seymour by EDWARD W. his subsequent ap pointment to the Su preme Court by a Republican Legislature. He was a very successful judge, combining legal knowledge and abilities with rare per sonal qualities. Judge Seymour, after his retirement from the bench, took an active part in establishing the new system of legal procedure, acting as chairman of the commission which framed the law. His home was in Litchfield, where he died in 1881. Hon. John D. Park, of Norwich, whose retirement on account of age occurred in April, 1889, has the record of an unusually

long judicial service. He was born in Pres ton, April 26, 18 19, received his education in the public schools and at the Wilbraham Academy, and for a time studied law in the office of Hon. LaFayette S. Foster, Con necticut's brilliant judge and senator. The best part of his life has been spent in judi cial service, beginning in 1854 with his ap pointment to the bench of the County Court. Upon the dissolution of that court in 1855, he was appointed to the Superior Court, and in 1864 to the Supreme Court, where he remained twentyfive years. He was Chief-Justice for fif teen years, from 1874 to 1889. Upon his retirement, the Legis lature created the of fice of State Referee, to which he was ap pointed, so that parties may still in certain classes of cases avail themselves of his ju dicial experience. During eleven years of his service as ChiefJustice (1876-1887) the Supreme Court SEYMOUR. remained unchanged, his associates being Judges Carpenter,- Pardee, Loomis, and Granger. The only similar instance in the court's history is the period of twelve years ending in 1854, when Judges Church, Waite, Storrs, and Hinman were together on the bench, four of the five judges. After such a period the retirement of Judge Park, and subsequently of Judge Pardee, the resigna tion of Judge Beardsley, and the appoint ment of three new members form a landmark in the court's history. The present judges are Chief-Justice Charles B. Andrews and Associate Judges