John C. Hammond

John Chester Hammond ((1842-08-15)August 15, 1842 – (1926-04-21)April 21, 1926) was a Northampton, Massachusetts, lawyer and later Northwestern District Attorney of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.^[1] He employed recent Amherst College graduate (and later US President) Calvin Coolidge in his firm Hammond & Field in 1895.^[2]

John Chester Hammond
Born	(1842-08-15)August 15, 1842 Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	April 21, 1926(1926-04-21) (aged 83) Northampton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education	Amherst College
Occupation(s)	Lawyer; Northwestern District Attorney, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Years active	1868–1918
Spouse	Eliza Brown (1842-1896)
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Biography

John C. Hammond was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on August 15, 1842.^[3]

Coolidge said of Hammond in his 1929 autobiography, "He was a lawyer of great learning and wide business experience, with a remarkable ability in the preparation of pleadings and an insight that soon brought him to the crucial point of a case. He was massive and strong rather than elegant, and placed great stress on accuracy. He presented a cause in court with ability and skill."^[4]

Hammond had served as President of Massachusetts Bar in 1913, and was Dean of the Hampshire County Bar for several years prior.^[5] He died in the shingle-style Queen Anne home he had built in 1891, located in the now-named Elm Street Historic District of Northampton, Massachusetts.^[6]

222 Elm Street, Queen Anne style home of John C. Hammond built 1891^[7]

From left to right: Henry P. Field, Calvin Coolidge, John C. Hammond at Amherst College reunion^[7]