Milford K. Smith

Milford K. Smith (February 25, 1906 – November 15, 1984) was a Vermont attorney, politician, and judge. He is most notable for his service as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1959 to 1976. Early life Milford Knowles Smith was born in Albany, New York on February 25, 1906, the son of Dr. Ray E. Smith and Ethel (Burgess) Smith. He was raised and educated in Rutland, Vermont, and graduated from Rutland High School in 1924. He then attended the Tilton School in Tilton, New Hampshire and the University of Vermont before enrolling at Albany Law School, from which he received his LL.B. degree in 1930. Smith was a member of the Phi Delta Theta and Phi Alpha Delta fraternities. Start of career Smith was admitted to the bar soon after his law school graduation, and began a practice in Rutland. A Republican, he became involved in politics and government as Rutland's city attorney, a post he held from 1930 to 1932 and 1940 to 1948. He was the judge of Rutland's municipal court from 1936 to 1937, and again from 1942 to 1944. He was elected to the Vermont Senate in 1950, and reelected in 1952. He served from 1951 until resigning in 1953 to accept an appointment as a judge. Judicial career In 1953, the Vermont General Assembly elected Smith to fill a vacancy on the Vermont Superior Court. He served until 1959, and rose by seniority to become next in line for appointment as the court's chief judge.