Nicholas Baylies (April 9, 1768 – April 14, 1847) was a Vermont lawyer, politician, and judge. He served as a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1831 to 1833.
Biography
Nicholas Baylies was born in Uxbridge, Massachusetts on April 9, 1768,[1] the son of Deacon Nicholas Baylies (1739–1831) and Abigail Wood Baylies (1742–1788), and the grandson of Thomas Baylies, a well known New England ironmaster.[2] He was educated in Uxbridge, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1794.[2]
Baylies moved to Woodstock, Vermont after finishing college, and studied law with Charles Marsh.[2] After attaining admission to the bar, Baylies practiced law in Woodstock as Marsh's partner until 1809, when he relocated to Montpelier.[2] In 1813, Baylies served on the state Council of Censors, which met every seven years to review actions of Vermont's government and ensure their constitutionality.[3] He served as state's attorney of Washington County from 1813 to 1815.[2][3] From 1814 to 1815 he served on Vermont's executive council.[3] He was state's attorney again from 1825 to 1826.[2][3] In 1831, Baylies was appointed an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, succeeding Ephraim Paddock.[4] He served until 1833, when he was succeeded by Jacob Collamer.[4]
As an attorney, Baylies was recognized for his legal acumen and technical expertise; among his written works was a three volume reference work on British and U.S. common law, 1814's A Digested Index to the Modern Reports of the Courts of Common Law in England and the United States.[2]
In 1835, Baylies moved to Lyndon, Vermont to live with his daughter Mary and son-in-law, George Cahoon.[2] He continued to practice law almost until his death, and argued a case to the Vermont Supreme Court a few months before he died.[2]
Death and burial
Baylies died in Lyndon on April 17, 1847.[2] He was buried at Elm Street Cemetery in Montpelier.
Family
In 1798, Baylies married Mary Ripley (1778–1830),[2] the daughter of Dartmouth College Professor Sylvanus Ripley,[2] and granddaughter of Dartmouth's founding president, Eleazar Wheelock.[2]Eleazer Wheelock Ripley was her brother.[2]
The children of Nicholas and Mary Baylies included:
Horatio Nelson Baylies (1802–1849), a merchant who lived first in Montpelier, and later in Franklin, Louisiana[5]
Mary Ripley Baylies (1804–1858), the wife of George C. Cahoon[6]