Bailey Aldrich

Who was Bailey Aldrich?

Bailey Aldrich was a judge of the United States federal courts for more than 48 years.

A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Aldrich graduated from Harvard College in 1928 and Harvard Law School in 1932. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1954. After 22 years in private practice in Boston, President Dwight D. Eisenhower nominated Aldrich to serve as a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. In 1959, Eisenhower promoted Aldrich to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Aldrich served as an active judge of the First Circuit from 1959 until 1972, including a term as Chief Judge from 1965 to 1972.

In 1972, Aldrich took senior status but continued to participate in hearing and deciding cases through his death in 2002 at the age of 95.

Judge Aldrich was descended from the 19th century author Thomas Bailey Aldrich. A 2003 auction of Americana and personal belongings from Judge Aldrich's estate conducted by Grogan & Company reportedly took in more than $650,000.