Sherman R. Moulton

Sherman R. Moulton (June 10, 1876 – June 16, 1949) was a Vermont attorney and judge. He is most notable for his service as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court (1926-1939) and as Chief Justice (1939-1949). Early life Sherman Roberts Moulton was born in New York City on June 10, 1876, the son of Annie Jane Roberts and Clarence Freeman Moulton. He was raised in Randolph, Vermont, and graduated from Randolph High School. Moulton was an 1898 graduate of Dartmouth College, and in 1901 he received his LL.B. from Harvard Law School. He completed his legal training with attorney Joseph D. Denison of Randolph, and attained admission to the bar in October 1901. Start of career Moulton was an attorney for the Rutland Railroad from 1902 to 1903, and then worked as an associate at the Townsend & Avery firm in New York City. In 1910, Moulton was one of the founding partners of Cowles, Moulton, & Stearns, a law firm located in Burlington, Vermont. He left the firm in 1912, and established a Burlington office in which he was the principal. Moulton was active in politics as a Republican; he was a member of the Burlington Republican Committee from 1910 to 1912, and was chairman beginning in 1911. From 1911 to 1913, and again from 1915 to 1916, he served as Burlington's grand juror, responsible for pursuing prosecutions in the city court. Continued career From 1915 to 1917, Moulton was executive clerk and legal advisor to Governor Charles W. Gates. During World War I, Moulton served as a member of Vermont's Public Safety Committee, the body formed to coordinate the state government's wartime planning and actions. In 1918, Moulton was elected to the Vermont Senate, and he served in January, 1919. In addition, he served as reporter of decisions for the Vermont Supreme Court.