John C Hammond

John Chester Hammond
Born	August 15, 1842 Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	April 21, 1926 (aged 83) Northampton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Lawyer; Northwestern District Attorney, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Years active	1868-1918
Spouse(s)	Eliza Brown (1842-1896)

John Chester Hammond (August 15, 1842 - April 21, 1926) was a Northampton, Massachusetts lawyer and later Northwestern District Attorney of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.^[1] He employed recent Amherst College graduate (and later US President) Calvin Coolidge in his firm "Hammond & Field" in 1895.^[2]

Coolidge said of Hammond in his 1929 autobiography, "“He was a lawyer of great learning and wide business experience, with a remarkable ability in the preparation of pleadings and an insight that soon brought him to the crucial point of a case. He was massive and strong rather than elegant, and placed great stress on accuracy. He presented a cause in court with ability and skill.”^[3]

Hammond had served as President of Massachusetts Bar in 1913, and was Dean of the Hampshire County Bar for several years prior.^[4] He died in the shingle-style Queen Anne home he had built in 1891, located in the now-named Elm Street Historic District of Northampton, Massachusetts.

222 Elm Street, Queen Anne style home of John C. Hammond built 1891.^[5]

From left to right: Henry P. Field, Calvin Coolidge, John C. Hammond at Amherst College reunion.^[5]

References

1. Public Documents of Massachusetts being the Annual Report of various Public Officers and Institutions 1896-1901
2. Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation
3. "The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge," 1929.
4. "John C Hammond, Dean of Bar in Hampshire, Dies," The Springfield Weekly Republican, April 22, 1926, p. 4
5. Hammond Family photograph, Private collection.