Pierpoint Isham

Pierpoint Isham (sometimes spelled Pierpont, Pierrepont, or Pierrepoint; August 5, 1802 – May 8, 1872) was a Vermont attorney and judge who served as an Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1851 to 1856.

Pierpoint Isham
From Volume VII (1897) of The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography
Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
In office 1851–1856
Preceded by	Daniel Kellogg
Succeeded by	Luke P. Poland
Vermont Bank Commissioner
In office 1848–1850
Preceded by	Carlos Coolidge
Succeeded by	George C. West
Personal details
Born	(1802-08-05)August 5, 1802 Manchester, Vermont
Died	May 8, 1872(1872-05-08) (aged 69) Piermont, New York
Resting place	Dellwood Cemetery, Manchester, Vermont
Political party	Whig[1]
Spouse	Semantha Swift ​ (m. 1831)​
Children	3, including Edward Swift Isham
Occupation	Attorney
Signature

Biography

Isham was born in Manchester, Vermont on August 5, 1802, the son of Dr. Ezra Isham and Nancy (Pierrepont) Isham.^[2] He was raised and educated in Manchester, and at age 19 began the study of law with Richard Skinner.^[2] He was admitted to the bar in 1823, and established a practice in Bennington and Pownal.^[2] In 1831, he received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from Middlebury College.^[3] In the 1820s and 1830s, Isham was active in the Vermont Militia and served as inspector of the 2nd Division, which was headquartered in Manchester.^[4]

In 1848, the Vermont General Assembly appointed Isham state bank commissioner, succeeding Carlos Coolidge, and he served until 1850.^[5] In 1851, Isham was appointed an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.^[2] He served until 1856, when he declined appointment to another term.^[2]

Isham moved to Piermont, New York in 1860.^[2] He continued to practice law until his death in Piermont on May 8, 1872.^[2][6] Isham was buried at Dellwood Cemetery in Manchester, Vermont.^[7]

Family

In 1831, Isham married Semantha Swift, the daughter of Dr. Noadiah Swift and Jennet Henderson of Bennington.^[2] They were the parents of three children:

• Edward Swift Isham (1836-1902), an attorney in Chicago, who practiced in partnership with Robert Todd Lincoln,^[8] and served in the Illinois House of Representatives^[2]
• Mary Adeline Isham Prentice (1839-1913), the wife of Army Major Sartell Prentice^[2]
• Henry Pierrepont Isham (1842-1897), a Chicago real estate broker and banker^[2]