MEMOIR 
 
 OF 
 
 WILLIAM C. ENDICOTT, LL.D. 
 
 CIOMiMUNICATED BY 
 
 CHAKLES FRANCIS ADAMS 
 
 at a meeting op 
 
 Februaky 13, 1902. 
 

 MEMOIR 
 
 OP 
 
 WILLIAM C. ENDICOTT, LL.D. 
 
 COIVOIUNICATED BY 
 
 CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS 
 
 at a meeting op 
 
 February 13, 1902. 
 
 i C Vt<il-i^'M- 
 
 uJUtH^ 
 
 CAjSI BRIDGE: 
 
 JOHN WILSON AND SON. 
 
 Sanibtraito iJttsa. 
 
 1902. 
 
'BSE 5 
 CjyMZ 
 
 By Trftnsfer 
 
 MAR 30 1917 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 The task of preparing for onr Proceedings a memoir of the 
 late William Crowninsliield Endicott was, some time since, 
 assigned to me. Though I knew Judge Endicott many years, 
 and, in common, I think, with all others, of whatever kind or 
 condition, who came in contact with him, had been always 
 sensible of his charm of presence and manner, yet I cannot 
 pretend to have known him well. Our acquaintance, though 
 somewhat casual, was always agreeable ; and I retain a fresh 
 recollection of not a few incidents, anecdotes and sayings of 
 his to me, always marked with that flavor of refinement and 
 good fellowship which seemed inseparable from all he said 
 and did. He was essentially a patrician ; as such he wore the 
 robes of his order lightly, because they were natural to him. 
 But I lacked both time and material out of which to produce 
 a suitable memoir. I was not born in Salem, nor am I of 
 Essex County. He was. My presentation of him would, 
 therefore, have in it of necessity something of the touch of 
 one not to the manner born. Under these circumstances, in 
 pursuance of what I cannot regard otherwise than as an excel- 
 lent practice, I had recourse to one nuicli better informed and 
 more intimately acquainted with the man. 1 went to his son, 
 the present William C. Endicott, during our associate's life 
 the younger of that name, and asked liim if he would under- 
 take the duty of preparing what must always remain the 
 official record of his father's life and work. He consented 
 
so to do ; and it now affords me satisfaction to submit the 
 memoir thus prepared. 
 
 William Ceowninshield Endicott, who died at his resi- 
 dence in Boston (163 Marlborough Street) on Sunday, May 6, 
 1900, was elected a member of this Society on April 4, 1864. 
 He was born at Salem on November 19, 1826, in a house at 
 present standing on the corner of Curtis and Derby Streets. 
 It is rather a curious fact that two Cabinet Ministers from Salem 
 should have been connected with this house, for it was owned 
 and had been occupied by his mother's uncle, Benjamin Wil- 
 liams Crowninshield, who was Secretary of the Navy, 1814- 
 1817, under President Madison, and was afterwards a member 
 of Congress for several years. 
 
 His parents, William Putnam and Mary Crowninshield En- 
 dicott were Unitarians, and on the first day of July, 1827, he 
 was baptized William Gardner Endicott by the Rev. Dr. Flint, 
 minister of the East Church at Salem. After the death of his 
 uncle, William Crowninshield, who was lost at sea while mak- 
 ing a voyage from Marseilles to Genoa, his name was changed 
 on April 19, 1837, by a special Act of the Legislature, to Wil- 
 liam Crowninshield Endicott. 
 
 A lineal descendant of Governor John Endecott in the 
 eighth generation, he came (excepting on the Crowninshield 
 side of the family) of pure New England stock, and his ances- 
 tors on all sides can be traced back to the early settlers of Salem. 
 The descendants of Governor Endecott were people in mod- 
 erate circumstances, quiet, law-abiding citizens, who took no 
 active part in politics outside the town of Danvers, and who 
 for five generations tilled the soil and lived upon the Gov- 
 ernor's estate, known as the " Orchard Farm " in Salem Village, 
 now Danversport, which farm was granted to the Governor by 
 the Court of Assistants on July 3, 1632. This estate was 
 handed down from father to eldest son until 1828: at which 
 date, it was sold and remained out of the family for sixty 
 
years, when it was repurchased by a descendant of the Gov- 
 ernor. Though somewhat diminished in size, this farm is now 
 the property of a member of the family, and possesses a famous 
 pear-tree still bearing fruit, said to have been planted by the 
 Governor himself in 1635. 
 
 Mr. Endicott's grandfather, Samuel Endicott, moved to 
 Salem at the end of the last century, and led a sea-faring life. 
 At one time he and his five brothers (John, Moses, Jacob, Wil- 
 liam, and Timothy) were in command of vessels bound from 
 Salem to distant ports. 
 
 From his mother he had either German or Swedish blood in 
 his veins, for she was the great granddaughter of Johannes 
 Caspar Richter Von Crowninscheldt, who came from Leipsic 
 to Boston about 1688. His grandfather, Jacob Crowninshield, 
 was a member of the Massachusetts Senate from 1800 to 1802, 
 and a prominent Member of Congress from 1802 to 1808. He 
 was appointed Secretary of the Navy by Jefferson at the 
 beginning of his second term in 1805, and was confirmed as 
 such by the United States Senate. Though his commission as 
 Secretary of the Navy is on file in the Department of State at 
 Washington, he declined the honor for personal reasons, — 
 that he could not be absent all the year from his business and 
 family. The correspondence between him and Jeffe'rson (who 
 was his intimate friend) on this subject, on trade, on finance, 
 and on the political aspect of parties in New England, is a 
 very interesting one, and is in part preserved. His career as 
 a sailor and sea-captain (for he commanded a ship when 
 he was twenty-two years old) was during that interesting 
 period preceding and following the French Revolution, wiien 
 the arbitrary decrees, paper blockades, seizures and detention 
 of our ships and the imprisonment of our seamen vitally 
 touched the sailors of New England. On all these questions 
 he was thoroughly informed, as appears from his speeches and 
 letters, for to careful study of these subjects, he had added 
 experience from travel in many quarters of the globe. In 
 
6 
 
 1800, he had left the sea and joined his father and brothers in 
 the firm of George Crowninshield & Sons. Jacob Crownin- 
 shield died in Washington on April 15, 1808, at the early age 
 of thirty-eight. After his death, the firm of George Crownin- 
 shield & Sons continued its foreign commerce and played a 
 very conspicuous part in the War of 1812. They armed and 
 equipped several privateers, one of which, the " America," be- 
 came famous, had several sharp fights, and made numerous 
 captures. The sum realized from her prizes is said to have 
 amounted to several hundred thousand dollars. They not 
 only gave their support to the Government, but it is a tradi- 
 tion that they loaned to the Government all the money they 
 could from their business, and at times were crippled in their 
 resources. 
 
 The name of Gardner, which Mr. Endicott first bore, came 
 into the family from the wife of Jacob Crowninshield, who was 
 Sarah Gardner, a daughter of John and Sarah (Derby) Gard- 
 ner. It is somewhat remarkable that in a small place like 
 Salem there appears to be only one instance where the families 
 of Mr. Endicott's mother and father were connected. His 
 father's family for many generations were much inclined to 
 agriculture, and resided in the inland towns of Danvers, Mid- 
 dleton, Topsfield, Boxford, and Andover ; while his mother's 
 family were engaged in commerce and the various industries 
 connected therewith. They lived for the most part in Salem, 
 and took a prominent part in its political affairs. 
 
 With such tradition and surroundings, Mr. Endicott began 
 his life. 
 
 He was educated in the public and private schools of Salem, 
 and entered Harvard College in 1843 from the Salem Latin 
 School. His scholarship was above the average, and during 
 his college life, he acquired an unusual love of books which 
 gave him an extended knowledge and acquaintance with 
 literature. He graduated from Harvard in 1847. At his 
 Commencement, he delivered a disquisition on " Public 
 
Honors in Different Ages." Among his classmates were 
 Charles Allen (afterwards Associate Justice on the Supreme 
 Bench with him), John Brooks Felton, Henry Larned Hallett, 
 Richard Manning Hodges, Augustine Heard and Andrew Cun- 
 ningham Wheelwright. During the last year of his college 
 life, it had been proposed that after graduation he should go to 
 China, and enter one of the firms which at that time was very 
 prosperous and appeared to have an unusual business opening 
 for a young man. Strong as the temptation was to do this, 
 Mr. Endicott believed that the law was his vocation, and 
 immediately after his graduation he began its study in the office 
 of Nathaniel J. Lord, at that time one of the most prominent 
 lawyers in Salem. Tiiose were the daj's in which the Essex 
 Bar was particularly famous ; for such men as Rufus Choate, 
 Caleb Cashing, and Otis P. Lord were its leaders. Mr. Lord 
 took keen interest in the work of his young student, showed an 
 affectionate regard for him, and great satisfaction in the success 
 which later came. Mr. Endicott always believed that tlie 
 3'ears spent in his office had been of untold benefit. 
 
 The winter of 1849-1850, he spent at the Harvard Law 
 School, where he remained for one year, and in 1850 at the 
 November Term of the Supreme Court sitting at Salem he was 
 admitted to the Essex County Bar. His account-books show 
 how meagre were the earnings of a lawyer in those days, and 
 the first few years of his practice were hard and brought him 
 but little lemuneration. He stuck to it with grim tenacity, and 
 his patience was soon rewarded. 
 
 In 1853 he formed a co-partnership — Perry & Endicott — 
 with Jairus Ware Perry, well known as the author of " A 
 Treatise on the Law of Trusts and Trustees." For twenty or 
 more years, the firm of Perry & Endicott had a large portion 
 of the legal practice in Essex County. Mv. Perry confined 
 himself principally to office-work, and iMr. Endicott tried and 
 aroued the cases in court. While Mr. Endicott during these 
 years worked hard at his profession, he was active in local pol- 
 
8 
 
 itics and delivered political speeches in the various towns of the 
 county, and lectures upon many subjects before the lyceums 
 and other societies. He also interested himself more or less 
 in the City Government of Salem by serving three terms in 
 the Common Council, in 1852, in 1853, and again in 1857, 
 when on January 25th, lie was unanimously elected president of 
 the Common Council. From 1858 to 1863 he was elected 
 city solicitor of Salem, and though after that he does not ap- 
 pear to have been again elected city solicitor, he served in that 
 capacity from time to time, through vote of the aldermen of 
 the city. 
 
 For three years he was the candidate for Attorney-General 
 on the Democratic ticket, with Theodore H. Svveetser, as a can- 
 didate for Governor in 1866 ; and with John Quincy Adams, 
 as candidate for Governor in 1867 and 1868 ; and in the 
 autumn of 1870 he was the Democratic candidate from the 
 Fifth Congressional district for the Forty-Second Congress 
 against Benjamin F. Butler, who had moved from his old 
 Congressional District to Gloucester for the purpose of ob- 
 taining the Republican nomination. In each of these years 
 Mr. Endicott shared defeat with the other Democratic 
 candidates. 
 
 On February 23, 1873, the General Court of Massachusetts 
 passed an act increasing the number of the Associate Justices 
 of the Supreme Judicial Court to six. At that time no Demo- 
 crat was upon the bench. Governor Washburn, a Republican 
 governor, appointed Mr. Endicott to fill the judgeship, which 
 has ever been considered a graceful and public-spirited act. 
 The appointment was a great surprise to him, — there was 
 no solicitation for the office, either on his part or that of his 
 friends, as far as he knew, — and liis first knowledge of the 
 fact was when his friend and classmate, the Hon. Charles 
 Allen asked him whether he would accept the position from 
 the Governor. Having signified his willingness to do so, the 
 appointment was made on March 5, 1873, and on March 8, 
 
9 
 
 1873, Mr. Eudicott qualified as an Associate Justice of the 
 Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. The court at 
 that time consisted of Chief-Justice Chapman, Horace Gray, 
 Jr., John Wells, James D. Colt, Seth Ames, and Marcus 
 Morton. 
 
 During the next nine years, Mr. Endicott devoted his time 
 and his strength to the work of the court. Laborious as 
 the work was in those days, he was entirely absorbed in it, 
 and only too gladly gave his whole energy to what he con- 
 sidered his duty. The method of work then was far more 
 difficult than at present, owing to the lack of general employ- 
 ment of stenographers and typewriters. For the most part his 
 opinions were written in his own handwriting. His opinions 
 (378 in number) are to be found in the Massachusetts Reports, 
 Vols. 112-133, and of these many opinions, written during the 
 nine years of his service as judge of the court, " not one of his 
 opinions has been overruled." ^ 
 
 The strain of this life told upon Mr. Endicott's health, and 
 in the spring of 1882 he went to Europe. On October 25th 
 of that year, he resigned his seat upon the bench, and travelled 
 abroad for some eighteen months. Of his original colleagues 
 upon the Bench, Chief-Justice Morton alone remained, and 
 reluctantly handed to the Governor the resignation which he 
 had urged Mr. Eudicott to reconsider, thereby expressing the 
 wish of the Court. His resignation was accepted by Governor 
 Long, who wrote the following letter : — 
 
 " It is with the greatest reluctance and only ui)on conviction that 
 your determination is final that I accept your resignation of the office 
 of Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court. I express the unanimous 
 sentiment of the Commonwealth when I say, I regret the loss to Mas- 
 sachusetts of your learning and wisdom and express the hope that you 
 may soon be restored to health and to tlie judicial service which you 
 have so long adorned." 
 
 1 Remarks of the Attorney-General at meeting of tlio T.ar of tlie Common- 
 wealth on November 24, 1900. 
 
10 
 
 During Mr. Endicott's career as Justice of the Supreme 
 Judicial Court, a case that created great attention among law- 
 yers was the case of Willis Phelps vs. Samuel Bowles et ah., 
 Proprietors of the " Springfield Republican," for libel. The 
 damages claimed were very large, amounting to f200,000. 
 The trial was in Springfield from April 27 to May 5, 1875, 
 before Judge Endicott, without a jury. Benjamin F. Thomas 
 and others were counsel for plaintiff. Richard H. Dana and 
 others were counsel for defendants. One of the counsel now 
 living, in giving an account of the trial, says : — 
 
 " The alleged libel consisted of imputations, contained in articles pub- 
 lished in the ' Republican ' upon the plaintiff, in respect to obtaining 
 legislation, and votes of the City of Springfield in aid of certain railroads 
 in which the plaintiff was interested as contractor, stock and bondholder, 
 and president. The case was notable from the character of the charges 
 made, the heavy damages demanded, the eminence of the leading coun- 
 sel on both sides, and the fact that it was the first instance, in Massa- 
 chusetts at least, of an action of this kind, for a libel relating to a public 
 and political controversy, being tried otherwise than before a jury. No 
 application for a jury trial was pressed by either i^arty, and so under 
 a statute then recent the trial was before the court without a jury. 
 The grounds of defence were, Truth and Privilege ; there was much 
 evidence ; the case was argued by Mr. Dana and Judge Thomas ; and 
 at the conclusion of the arguments, Judge Endicott (after a few minutes 
 intermission) proceeded to give at length the grounds of his decision. 
 He held that the words used were libellous in their nature ; that the 
 charges made as to the plaintiff's conduct in obtaining legislation and 
 in carrying a vote of the city to aid an earlier railroad enterprise, 
 were proved to be true ; that the leading charges were that ' he bids 
 for a city job,' ' lobbies a bill through the Legislature permitting the 
 city to accept the bid,' ' openly buys votes,' and that, ' having despoiled 
 the city of a large sum of money, he is now using that money, and the 
 power that its expenditure gave him, to despoil her of another sum 
 nearly as large.' " 
 
 « 
 This last charge he held to be not proved to be either true 
 or within the defendant's privilege, and therefore must find 
 
11 
 
 for the plaintiff; but in view of the plaintiff's practices, he was 
 not entitled to large damages, and judgment was therefore en- 
 tered for -IfelOO damages. This would carry no costs. A bill 
 of exceptions to certain rulings made during the trial was filed 
 by the plaintiff, but these were not finally pressed, and were 
 never allowed, and several years afterwards the plaintiff died 
 and the action was "dismissed without costs." 
 
 In the autumn of 1883, Mr. Endicott returned from Europe 
 and resumed the practice of law. Shortly afterwards he was 
 retained as general counsel of the New England Mutual Life 
 Insurance Company, which position he held for many years. 
 
 Originally a Whig in politics, he voted for Taylor and Fill- 
 more in 1848, and for Bell and Everett in 1860, and since 
 those days always supported the Democratic party. 
 
 In 1884 he was nominated by the Democratic Convention 
 at Worcester as its candidate for Governor of the Common- 
 wealth, with the Hon. James S. Grinnell of Greenfield as 
 candidate for Lieutenant-Governor. The letter informing him 
 of his unanimous nomination says : " This action of the Con- 
 vention is a merited recognition of your life-long devotion to 
 Democratic principles — your fidelity to all the public trusts 
 you have assumed, and the dignity, honor, and rectitude 
 that has always marked your intercourse with your fellow- 
 men." At first he refused the nomination, but finally, much 
 against his will, accepted it with the understanding that he 
 should not take the stump, though he did make one speech 
 during the campaign. The Democratic party of Massachu- 
 setts at that time had become tinged with Butlerism, and it 
 was thought by the conservative men of the party that the 
 nomination of a man like Mr. Endicott, who had never been 
 closely allied in an}'- way with the machine, would be an advan- 
 tage to the Cleveland ticket ; but Massachusetts was a strong 
 Republican State, and, as was expected, he failed to be elected. 
 Undoubtedly his prominence as candidate for Governor brought 
 him to the attention of Mr. Cleveland, and in February, 1885, 
 
12 
 
 Mr. Cleveland sent for Mr. Endicott to come to Albany, when 
 he offered him a place in his cabinet as Secretary of War. 
 After due consideration, he accepted it, and his career in the 
 War Department, as Secretary of War, during the four years 
 of Mr. Cleveland's administration is now a matter of history. 
 During his term, the times were peaceful and the routine of 
 the War Department under such circumstances is more or less 
 the same in each administration. 
 
 A great deal of trouble with the Indians had been brewing, 
 and bloodshed was avoided in Colorado and New Mexico by 
 supplying certain necessities to them. The last of the great 
 Indian fights, the Apache Indian War, was ended by the sur- 
 render of the Apache Indians under Geronimo. Many public 
 buildings and monuments were erected, the business methods 
 of the department were simplified, and favoritism in the army 
 was to a great extent broken up, at least as far as it could be 
 under existing conditions. The Record and Pension Division 
 of the Surgeon-General's office, which had been in great con- 
 fusion, was thoroughly re-organized. 
 
 " A Board on Fortification and other Defences," known as 
 the " Endicott Board," of which Mr. Endicott was chairman, 
 was created by an act of Congress dated March 3, 1885. The 
 work of the Board was long and laborious, and outlined the 
 policy of the Government in regard to defences for the cities, 
 coasts, and harbors of the country. The coast defences of the 
 present day, for which Congress has made such large appro- 
 priations, are the result of the recommendations of this Board. 
 
 On May 7, 1000, the Hon. Elihu Root, Secretary of War, 
 issued General Orders No. 69 to the Army, announcing the 
 death of Mr. Endicott as follows : — 
 
 " It is with great sorrow that the Secretary of War announces the 
 death of Honorable William Crowninshield Endicott, which occurred 
 at Boston, Massachusetts, yesterday, the 6th instant. 
 
 " Mr. Endicott was a direct descendant of Governor John Endicott, 
 who for nearly a quarter of a century (1641-1(565) was at the head of 
 
13 
 
 Massachusetts Colony. He was graduated at Harvard in 1S47, and 
 entering upon the profession of law, soon reached a higli rank at the 
 bar. He held various public offices from time to time until 1873, 
 when he was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of iMassa- 
 cliusetts. This office he held for ten years, until compelled to resign 
 on account of ill health. Upon the installation of President Cleveland 
 on the 4th of March, 1885, Mr. Endicott was called to his cabinet as 
 Secretary of War, a position which, though foreign to his training, he 
 immediately rendered conspicuous by strict attention to duty and a 
 keen interest in the army and its requirements. He remained at the 
 head of the department during the entire period of President Cleve- 
 land's first administration. He initiated many important reforms 
 which, pressed to successful conclusion, enabled him to maintain un- 
 diminished that high standard of integrity for which the Department 
 of War has ever been distinguished." 
 
 On his return to Massachusetts in 1889, he resumed his 
 profession, and was counsel in several prominent cases ; but he 
 never took up the active work of his earlier years, and only- 
 accepted a few of the most important cases which came to 
 him. 
 
 In 1867, Mr. Endicott was one of nine trustees named by 
 George Peabody of London in his letter of " Gift and Instru- 
 ment of Trust," accompanying a large donation for " The Pro- 
 motion of Science and Useful Knowledge in the County of 
 Essex." Francis Peabody of Salem was chosen the first Presi- 
 dent of the Board of Trustees, and ^h: Endicott, Vice-Presi- 
 dent. Mr. Peabody died in the autumn of 1807, and on April 
 13, 1868, the name was changed by the Legislature to the 
 " Trustees of the Peabody Academy of Science." ]\Ir. Endi- 
 cott was chosen its second President, and held that olTice until 
 his resignation in 1897. 
 
 On October 7, 1891, Mr. Endicott was unanimously cliosen 
 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge Charles 
 Devens as one of the Trustees of the Peabody Education 
 Fund, and at the same meeting was appointed a member of 
 the Executive Committee with ex-President Hayes, the Hon. 
 
 ff'^'^'^ RECEIVED. '^^^'^X ■ 
 
 fli. I, 
 
14 
 
 James D. Porter, Chief-Justice Fuller, the Hon. William A. 
 Courtnay, with the chairman the Hon. Robert C. Win- 
 throp, Ex-officio. On April 6, 1897, he resigned from this 
 Board. 
 
 He always took a deep interest in the welfare of Harvard 
 College, and was elected a member of the Board of Overseers 
 from 1875 to 1876, from 1876 to 1882, and from 1883 to 1889. 
 In 1885, he resigned as a member of the Board of Overseers 
 for the reason that he had been cliosen a Fellow of the Cor- 
 poration in June, 1884. On Commencement Day, 1882, the 
 degree of LL.D. " was conferred upon him in glad recogni- 
 tion of his attainments, station, and influence." On Septem- 
 ber 24, 1895, he resigned from the corporation, which passed 
 the following resolutions: — 
 
 " The Board desire to record tlieir sense of the high value of Judge 
 Endicott's service to the University, and their regret at losing his sup- 
 port in the discharge of their trust. He brought to the service of the 
 University an honored name, professional distinction, and a high 
 reputation in the community for impartiality, dignity, and firmness. 
 
 " Tlie Members of the Board will greatly miss at their meetings not 
 only tliese rare personal possessions, but also his sincere friendliness 
 and the charm of his courteous, cordial manners." 
 
 Thus ended his professional and political career. 
 
 On December 13, 1859, Mr. Endicott was married to his 
 cousin, Ellen Peabody, daughter of George and Clara Endicott 
 Peabody, of Salem. Two children were born — William 
 Crowninshield Endicott, on September 28, 1860, and Mary 
 Crowninshield Endicott, on March 15, 1864. The former 
 married, on October 3, 1889, Marie Louise Thoron, and the 
 latter married, on November 15, 1888, Rt. Hon. Joseph Cham- 
 berlain, M. P., of Birmingham, England. 
 
 The greater part of his life was spent in Salem, where he 
 lived until 1894, when he moved to Danvers, and passed a 
 large portion of the year upon his place- in that town. He 
 
15 
 
 visited Europe several times during this period, but soon with- 
 drew from the active workl and led a retired Hfe until his 
 death occurred. 
 
 As he entered manhood, he was thrown upon his own 
 resources, and early felt the necessity of active work as a means 
 of livelihood. Could he have led a life free from drudgery, 
 his taste and inclinations would have made it possible for him 
 to have devoted his time to literature and public affairs. He 
 had a natural ..bent for politics, particularly in his early life, 
 and nothing but his profession prevented him from taking an 
 active part in them. Once absorbed in his professional life, 
 there was time for nothing else. His addresses, such as those 
 delivered in 1867 upon the opening of the Peabody Academy 
 of Science in Salem, and in 1878 upon the 250th Anniversary 
 of the settlement of Salem, were graceful, showed learning and 
 "refined and severe " taste in his use of language. 
 
 He always stood for what was best, and was consistent!}'' 
 firm, impartial, dignified, and just. He had righteous con- 
 tempt for anything that was mean or unworthy, and held those 
 standards which belong to the higher type of a New England 
 man. 
 
 He was well read, with a knowledge of books which made 
 him a charming companion. His library, which he had grad- 
 ually accumulated, showed him to be well versed in law, 
 history, biographies, political economy, poetr}'^ (for which he 
 had an unusual perception and appreciation), and the standard 
 works of fiction. 
 
 It has been often said that he was born to be a judge, and 
 he certainly filled that office with dignity, patience, honor, 
 and ability. At a recent meeting of the Bar of the Common- 
 wealth, called by the Bar Association of the City of Boston, 
 many flattering tributes were paid to his memory by Bench 
 and Bar alike. The Hon. Richard Olney, who had been a 
 lifelong friend of his, said : — 
 
16 
 
 " Judge Endicott was always and everywhere the gentleman. He 
 was so not merely in manner and by an uncommon elegance of deport- 
 ment, but through an innate sense of justice and a natural love of fair 
 play, which made him no respecter of persons, and made the humblest 
 suitor in his court sure of an impartial hearing and secure in every just 
 claim. The combination of such traits with the knowledge and wisdom 
 de^^ived from constant study of the law and its application to the prac- 
 tical affairs of life made Judge Endicott approach the ideal of a judge 
 as nearly as the lot of humanity Avill permit." 
 
 In appearance he was tall and striking. With dignity and 
 
 repose of bearing, and with unusual charm of manner, he 
 
 attracted all with whom he came in contact. Democratic and 
 
 simple in his tastes, he made lasting friends among all classes. 
 
 He firmly believed, in the words of Tennyson, which he often 
 
 quoted : — 
 
 " Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control, 
 These three alone lead life to sovereign power. 
 Yet not for power (power of herself 
 Would come uncall'd for) but to live by law. 
 Acting the law we live by without fear; 
 And, because right is right, to follow right 
 Were wisdom in the scorn of consequence." 
 
SUMMARY. 
 
 Nov. 19, 1826. Born at Salem. Son of William Putnam and 
 
 Mary Crowninshield Endicott. 
 
 July 1, 1827. Baptized William Gardner Endicott. 
 
 April 19, 1837. Name changed by a special Act of the Legislature 
 to William Crowninshield Endicott. 
 
 March 13, 1838. Mother, Mary Crowninshield Endicott, died. 
 
 Aug. 28, 1843. Entered Harvard College. 
 
 Aug. 25, 1847. Received degree of A.B. from Harvard College. 
 In the order of exercises No. 10, delivered 
 a Disquisition " Public Honors in DiiFerent 
 Ages." 
 
 1847-1849. Studied law in the office of Nathaniel J. Lord. 
 
 May 8, 1848. Commission signed by Gov. George N. Briggs as 
 
 1st Lieutenant in the 6th Regiment of Light 
 Infantry in the 4th Brigade, 2d Division of the 
 IMilitia of the Commonwealth (elected April 29, 
 1848). 
 
 Sept. 10, 1849. P^ntered Harvard Law School, and was there during 
 year 1849-1850. 
 
 Sept. 13, 1850. Commission signed by Gov. George N. Briggs as 
 Captain in the 6tli Regiment of Light Infantry 
 in the 4th Brigade, 2d Division of the INTilitia of 
 the Commonwealth (elected Sept. 9, 1850 ; re- 
 signed Jan. 29, 1852). 
 
 Nov. term, 1850. Admitted as attorney and counsellor-at-law at 
 Essex County Bar. 
 
 1850-1873. Practised law in Salem. 
 
 1852-1853. Member of Salem Coinnion Council. 
 
18 
 
 1853. 
 
 Oct. IG, 1854. 
 
 1857. 
 
 Jau. 25, 1857. 
 
 1858-1804. 
 
 1858-1863. 
 
 Oct. 12, 1858. 
 
 Dec. 13, 1859. 
 
 Sept. 28, 1860. 
 Nov. 13, 1860. 
 
 1861-1900. 
 1864-1875. 
 March 15, 1864. 
 April 14, 1864. 
 
 Nov. 6, 1866, ] 
 Nov. 5, 1867, 
 Nov. 3, 1868. ! 
 1867-1868. 
 
 1868-1897. 
 Nov. 8, 1870. 
 
 March 5, 1873. 
 
 March 8, 1873. 
 
 1875-1876. 
 1876-1882. 
 Juue 28, 1882. 
 
 Formed co-partnership with Jairus Ware Perry 
 
 under firm name of " Perry & Endicott." 
 Admitted as attorney and counsellor-at-law in the 
 
 Circuit Court of the United States, at Boston. 
 Member of Salem Common Council. 
 Elected President of Salem Common Council. 
 President of Salem Bank. 
 City Solicitor of Salem. 
 Elected Honorary Member of the Phi Beta Kappa 
 
 Alpha Society of Massachusetts. 
 Married Ellen Peabody, daughter of George and 
 
 Clara (Endicott) Peabod}^, of Salem. 
 Son, William Crowuinshield Endicott, born. 
 Elected Honorary Member of the Salem Light 
 
 Infantry. 
 Trustee of Salem Savings Bank. 
 President of Salem National Bank. 
 Daughter, Mary Crowuinshield Endicott, born. 
 Elected Resident Member of the Massachusetts 
 
 Historical Society. 
 
 Ran as Democratic Candidate for Attorney-General. 
 
 Vice-President Board of " Trustees for the Pro- 
 motion of Science and Useful Knowledge in the 
 County of Essex." 
 
 President of the Board of '' Trustees of the Peabody 
 Academy of Science" at Salem. 
 
 Ran for 42d Congress in 5tli District as Democratic 
 Candidate, against Benjamin F. Butler, Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 Commission as Associate Justice of the Supreme 
 Judicial Court, signed by Gov. William B. 
 Washburn. 
 
 Took oath of office before Gov. William B. Wash- 
 burn. 
 
 Elected Overseer of Harvard College. 
 
 ii U il 
 
 Received degree of LL.D from Harvard Col- 
 
 leiie. 
 
19 
 
 Oct. 25, 1882. Resignation as Associate Justice of the Supreme 
 
 Judicial Court of Massachusetts accepted. 
 
 1883-1889. Elected Overseer of Harvard College. Resigned 
 
 April 15, 1885. 
 
 1884-1897. Trustee of Groton School. 
 
 May 20, 1884. Chosen a Fellow of the Corporation of Harvard 
 
 College. 
 
 June 9, 1884. Elected Counsel of the New England Mutual 
 
 Life Insurance Company (resigned July 14, 
 1897). 
 
 June 18, 1884. Confirmed by Board of Overseers as Fellow of the 
 Corporation of Harvard College (resigned Sept. 
 24, 1895). 
 
 Sept. 3, 1884. Nominated at Worcester as Democratic Candidate 
 
 for Governor of the Commonwealth of Massa- 
 chusetts with the Hon. James S. Grinnell as 
 candidate for Lieutenant-Governor. 
 
 Oct. 20, 1884. Elected member of the American Historical Asso- 
 
 ciation. 
 
 Nov. 4, 1884. Defeated as candidate for governor by the Hon. 
 
 George D. Robinson. 
 
 Jan. 26, 1885. Elected Director of the New England Mutual Life 
 
 Insurance Company (resigned July 14, 1897). 
 
 1885-1900. Member of the Saturday Club. 
 
 March 6, 1885. Appointed Secretary of War by President Cleve- 
 land. 
 
 March 11, 1888. Father, William Putnam Endicott, died. 
 
 1888-1890. President of the Alumni Association of Harvard 
 
 College. 
 
 Nov. 15, 1888. Daughter married Rt. Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, 
 
 M. P., of Birmingham, England. 
 
 March 5, 1889. Resignation as Secretary of War accepted by Presi- 
 dent Harrison. 
 
 Oct. 3, 1889. Son married Marie Louise Thoron. 
 
 Oct. 25, 1889. Appointed member of the Committee on Supreme 
 
 Court Centennial Celebration. 
 
 Oct. 7, 1891. Appointed trustee on the part of the Commonwealth 
 
 of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Inlirmary 
 (resigned Jan. 31, 1896). 
 
20 
 
 1892-1894. First president of the University Club, of Boston. 
 
 Feb. 18, 1893. Elected member of the Colonial Society of Massa- 
 chusetts, 
 
 May 6, 1900. Died at his winter residence in Boston (163 Marl- 
 
 borough Street). 
 
 May 9, 1900. Funeral services from his late residence in Boston. 
 
 Burial at Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem, 
 Massachusetts. 
 
 
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