Wendell Phillips Stafford

Who was Wendell Phillips Stafford?

Wendell Phillips Stafford was a United States federal judge.

Born in Barre, Vermont, Stafford received an LL.B. from Boston University in 1883 and went into private practice in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1892. He was a Reporter of Decisions for the Supreme Court of Vermont from 1896 to 1900. He was a judge on the Supreme Court of Vermont from 1900 to 1904.

Stafford was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He received a recess appointment from President Theodore Roosevelt on June 1, 1904, to a seat vacated by Jeter C. Pritchard. He was formally nominated on December 6, 1904, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 13, 1904, and received his commission the same day.

He became a Professor at George Washington University in 1908.

Stafford served on the bench until retiring on May 4, 1931.

Wendell Phillips Stafford was also a poet, and his published works include: North Flowers; Dorian Days; and The Land We Love.

Phillips died at his home in Washington, D.C. on April 21, 1953. He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.