Harlan W. Rippey

Harlan Watson Rippey (September 8, 1874 York, Livingston County, New York^[1] - March 11, 1946 Rochester, Monroe County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.

Life

He graduated A.B. from the University of Rochester in 1898, and then taught mathematics at Wagner College. In 1899, he received an A.M. from University of Rochester.

He was admitted to the bar in 1901, and practice law in Rochester. He was Monroe County Inheritance Tax Appraiser from 1912 to 1915, and Monroe County Inheritance Tax Attorney from 1922 to 1927.

In 1927, he was appointed by Governor Al Smith a justice of the New York Supreme Court (7th District) to fill a vacancy, and remained on the bench until the end of 1928. He was a member of the New York State Commission for the Revision of the Tax Laws from 1930 to 1936.

Rippey was a judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York. Rippey was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 9, 1934, to a seat vacated by Simon L. Adler. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 14, 1934, and received his commission on June 18, 1934.

In 1936, he was elected on the Democratic ticket to the New York Court of Appeals, and resigned from the federal bench on December 31, 1936. He remained on the Court of Appeals until the end of 1944 when he reached the constitutional age limit of 70 years.

Sources

• Harlan W. Rippey at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• The History of the New York Court of Appeals, 1932-2003 by Bernard S. Meyer, Burton C. Agata & Seth H. Agata (page 21)
• EX-JUDGE RIPPEY DIES IN ROCHESTER in NYT on March 13, 1946 (subscription required)

Notes

1. The birthplace is given either as Greigsville or Wadsworth, two neighboring hamlets in the Town of York.