William LeBaron Putnam

Who was William LeBaron Putnam?

William LeBaron Putnam was a lawyer and politician in Maine and later served as a United States federal judge.

Born in Bath, Maine, Putnam received an A.B. from Bowdoin College in 1855, where he was a member of the Peucinian Society. He read law in 1858 to be admitted to the Maine Bar. He worked as a lawyer in private practice in Portland, Maine from 1858 to 1891. Putnam served as a city council member in Portland in 1860-61, a member of the board of aldermen in 1862, and as Mayor of Portland in 1869-70. In 1888, he was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for both United States Representative from Maine and Governor of Maine.

On December 16, 1891, President Benjamin Harrison nominated Putnam to be the first judge of the newly established United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, created by 26 Stat. 826 and headquartered in Boston. Putnam was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 17, 1892, and received commission the same day. He served as a judge until retiring on September 17, 1917, and died the following year.