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DeutschAsa Aikens
Asa Aikens (January 13, 1788 – July 12, 1863) was an attorney, politician, and judge in Vermont and New York. A veteran of the War of 1812, Aikens served as a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1823 to 1824.
Biography
[edit]Asa Aikens (sometimes spelled "Aiken"), was born in Barnard, Vermont on January 13, 1788, the son of Solomon and Betsey (Smith) Aikens.[1] He was educated in Windsor County, and attended Middlebury College from 1804 to 1807.[1] After attending the United States Military Academy for a year, Aikens returned to Middlebury and graduated in 1808.[1] He then studied law with Joel Doolittle, attained admission to the bar, and commenced practice in Windsor, Vermont.[1] During the War of 1812, Aikens was commissioned as a captain and served with the 31st Infantry Regiment.[1]
After the war, Aikens resumed practicing law in Windsor.[1] In 1818 and 1821 he served as Windsor's member of the Vermont House of Representatives.[2] From 1818 to 1820 he served as State's Attorney for Windsor County.[3] Aikens served as a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1823 to 1825.[4] In 1827 he was president of the state Council of Censors, the body which met every seven years to review the actions of the governor and legislature and ensure their constitutionality.[5] In 1836, he was a delegate to the state constitutional convention.[6]
In 1843, Aikens relocated to Westport, New York, where he continued to practice law.[1] Aikens was also active in local politics and government, and terms served as both town supervisor of Westport and a town justice.[7]
Career as author
[edit]In 1836, Aikens published Practical Forms, a reference work used by attorneys in the preparation of legal documents.[1] In 1846, he authored Tables of Interest and Discount, a reference work which enabled users to calculate interest, depreciation, and amortization on annuities, mortgages, pensions, rents, and estates.[1]
Death and burial
[edit]Aikens died in Hackensack, New Jersey on July 12, 1863, while there to visit his son-in law Frederick Jacobson.[1] He was buried at Trinity Church Cemetery in New York City.[8]
Family
[edit]In 1809, Aikens married Nancy Ann Spencer; they were the parents of Emma Jeromine and Julienne Gertrude.[1] With his second wife, Sarah Hunter (m. 1814), he was the father of: Villeroy Spencer; Mary Elizabeth; Helen St. Johns; Augusta; William Hunter; Edwin Edgerton; Charles Eugene; Sarah Hunter; Guy Hunter; and Franklin Hunter.[1]
Aikens' daughter Sarah was the wife of Frederick Jacobson, with whom Aikens was visiting when he died.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Catalogue of Officers and Students of Middlebury College, p. 10.
- ^ Catalogue of the Principal Officers of Vermont, p. 66.
- ^ History of Windsor County, Vermont, p. 100.
- ^ Catalogue of Officers and Students of Middlebury College, p. 73.
- ^ Catalogue of the Principal Officers of Vermont, p. 48.
- ^ Catalogue of the Principal Officers of Vermont, p. 107.
- ^ Bessboro: a History of Westport, Essex Co., N.Y., pp. 439, 463.
- ^ Men of Vermont Illustrated, p. 180.
Sources
[edit]- Aldrich, Lewis Cass (1891). History of Windsor County, Vermont. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co. p. 100.
- Deming, Leonard (1851). Catalogue of the Principal Officers of Vermont. Middlebury, VT: L. Deming.
- Royce, Caroline Halstead (1904). Bessboro: a History of Westport, Essex Co., N.Y. Elizabethtown, NY: C. H. Royce. p. 439.
- Ullery, Jacob G. (1894). Men of Vermont Illustrated. Brattleboro, VT: Transcript Publishing Company. p. 180.
- Wiley, Edgar J. (1917). Catalogue of Officers and Students of Middlebury College. Middlebury, VT: Middlebury College.
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