Leighton P. Slack Explained

Leighton Prosper Slack (June 18, 1867 – March 31, 1938) was a Vermont attorney and judge. He served as the 48th 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] While in St. Johsbury, he first practiced as the partner of Alexander Dunnett.^[5]

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 1906.^[6]

In 1910, Slack won election as Lieutenant Governor. He served in this position from 1910 to 1912.^{[7] [8] [9] [10]}

In 1913, Slack was appointed a judge of the Vermont Superior Court. He served until being named an associate justice of the Supreme Court in 1914. In January 1915, public outcry over the Vermont General Assembly's failure to reappoint longtime justices Loveland Munson and Seneca Haselton led to resignations and new appointments which returned Munson and Haselton to the bench. As part of this effort, Slack agreed to return to service as a superior court judge.

In 1919, Slack was again appointed an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, and he relocated to Montpelier. Slack served on the court until his death.^{[11] [12] [13]}

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.^{[14] [15] [16]}

Slack was active in the Vermont and American Bar Associations and the Vermont Historical Society.^{[17] [18] [19] [20]}

Justice Slack died in Montpelier on March 31, 1938.^{[21] [22] [23]}

Notes and References

1. https://books.google.com/books?id=B31MAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Leighton+Prosper+Slack+%22&pg=PA56 The Fulham Genealogy
2. https://books.google.com/books?id=PkYjAQAAMAAJ&dq=leighton+slack+Successful+Vermonters:+a+modern+gazetteer+of+Caledonia,+Essex,+and+Orleans+Counties,+Vermont%5D,+by+William+Hartley+Jeffrey&pg=PA50 Successful Vermonters: A Modern Gazetteer of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties, Vermont
3. https://books.google.com/books?id=rc-iAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Leighton+P.+Slack%22&pg=PA78 Manual of the Legislature of Vermont
4. https://books.google.com/books?id=5jk1AAAAIAAJ&dq=%22Slack%2C+Leighton+P.%22&pg=PA978 Who's Who in New England
5. News: September 15, 1920 . Demise of Alexander Dunnett . . Montpelier, VT . subscription . . 4 . .
6. https://books.google.com/books?id=tt2_3hTQxFMC&dq=%22Leighton+P.+Slack%22&pg=PA259 Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography
7. https://books.google.com/books?id=x0kjAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22Leighton+P.+Slack%22&pg=PA14 Vermont, Its Government
8. https://books.google.com/books?id=-mdHAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Leighton+P.+Slack%22&pg=PA503 Journal of the Senate of the State of Vermont
9. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1937, page 191
10. https://web.archive.org/web/20120415001438/http://vermont-archives.org/govhistory/Officials/pdf/ltgov.pdf Lieutenant Governors, Terms of Service
11. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1931, page 550
12. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1933, page 566
13. http://vermont-archives.org/govhistory/Officials/PDF/Justices.pdf Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court, 1778 to Present
14. https://books.google.com/books?id=58w8AAAAIAAJ&dq=%22leighton+p.+slack%22+committee+safety&pg=PA132 Annual Report
15. Newspaper article, Vermont Governor Heads Welcoming Delegation, Boston Globe, April 13, 1919
16. Vermont in the World War, 1917-1919, edited by John T. Cushing and Harold Pearl Sheldon, 1928, page 468
17. https://books.google.com/books?id=fRciAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Leighton+P.+Slack%22&pg=PA544 American Bar Association Journal
18. Report of Proceedings of the Annual Meeting
19. Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society, published by the society, 1899, page 112
20. Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society, published by the society, 1938, page C-61
21. https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0E13F73D55157A93C1A9178FD85F4C8385F9 Newspaper article, Leighton P. Slack, Jurist, Dies at 70
22. Newspaper article, Leighton P. Slack Dies in Montpelier, North Adams Transcript, April 2, 1938
23. Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008, record for Leighton Prosper Slack, accessed December 29, 2011