Henry P. Moulton

Henry P. Moulton
United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts
In office
1901–1905
Preceded byBoyd B. Jones
Succeeded byMelvin O. Adams
District Attorney for Essex County, Massachusetts
In office
1883–1884
Preceded byEdgar J. Sherman
Succeeded byHenry F. Hurlburt
Personal details
BornNovember 24, 1844[1]
Beverly, Massachusetts
DiedDecember 4, 1905 (aged 61)
Salem, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
Alma materAmherst College
OccupationAttorney

Henry Percy Moulton (1844-1905) was an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from March 20, 1901[2] until his death on December 4, 1905.[3]

Early life

Moulton was born and raised in Beverly, Massachusetts. He was a member of Beverly High School's first graduating class. He graduated from Amherst College in 1865 and spent the next three years studying law.[4]

Moulton was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1868 and began a practice in Essex County, Massachusetts. In 1870 he was elected to the Massachusetts General Court. After one year Moulton chose to leave the state legislature and focus full-time on his law practice.[4]

On December 31, 1882 he was appointed by Governor John Davis Long to serve as Essex County District Attorney. He finished the year remaining on the unexpired term of Edgar J. Sherman, who had been elected Massachusetts Attorney General, but did not run for a full term.[4][5]

Moulton was appointed United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts on March 20, 1901 by President William McKinley.[2] In 1903, at the direction of President Theodore Roosevelt, he appointed William H. Lewis to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney, making Lewis the first African-American to hold such a position.[6]

Death

Moulton died unexpectedly on the morning of December 4, 1905 at his home in Salem, Massachusetts. The cause of death was suspected to be Heart failure.[3]

Personal life

Moulton was married to Harriet E. Stocker of Beverly. They had four children: Edith Foster Moulton, Susy Pressey Moulton, Henry Philip Moulton, and John Richard Moulton.[4]

References

  1. ^ 'Annual Report of the American Bar Association,' vol.29, Part 1, 1906, pg. 668-670, Biographical Sketch of Henry P. Moulton
  2. ^ a b Law Notes, Volume 5. E. Thompson Co. 1902. p. 36.
  3. ^ a b "Henry P. Moulton falls dead". The New York Times. December 4, 1905. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d Moulton, Eben Hobson (1905). A History of the Moulton Family. W.P. Moulton and Children. pp. 37–48.
  5. ^ Sherman, Edgar Jay (1908). Some Recollections of a Long Life. Priv. print. pp. 75.
  6. ^ "Boston Negro Gets Office" (PDF). The New York Times. January 13, 1903. Retrieved 8 September 2011.