Thomas Chadbourne

Who was Thomas Chadbourne?

Thomas Lincoln Chadbourne was an American lawyer who played a key role in the establishment of multi-national corporations during the 1920s and undertook efforts to restore commodity prices, particularly in the sugar industry, following collapses in the Great Depression. Chadbourne was the founder of the law firm today known as Chadbourne & Parke. Established in New York City in 1902 as Chadbourne, Babbit & Wallace, the firm underwent a 1924 merger, to become Chadbourne, Stanchfield, & Levy, before taking on its current name. Chadbourne and Parke is consistently ranked among the top 100 law firms in the world. At the time of his death, Chadbourne served as board chairman of the International Mining Corporation and was a director of some 20 corporations. He had amassed a fortune, and was regarded by some contemporaries as a "radical capitalist" for his views on profit sharing and recognition of collective bargaining rights.