Hugh Aiken Bayne
Encyclopedia
Hugh Aiken Bayne was the son of Thomas Levingston Bayne, a lawyer who fought in the Civil War. His grandfather, John Gayle was a Congressman and Governor of Alabama.
Bayne attended Yale University
, where he graduated in 1892 with an AB. At Yale he was a tapped for Skull and Bones
. He would later receive an honorary LLD from Tulane University
. In the same year he was admitted to the bar, and began the practice of law in New Orleans. Bayne moved to New York City
in 1898, where he would continue the practice of law until 1919. From 1905 to 1914 he was a member of the storied law firm, Strong & Cadwalader
of New York City.
During World War I
he served as a major judge advocate in the Adjutant Generals Office, as a counsel on the Prisoners of War Mission and served on the Liquidation Commission of the War Department. He was made a Lieutenant Colonel in 1919, but he never fought in any battles. For his services he was decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal and the Légion d'honneur
.
After the war he served on the Reparations Commission under the treaties of Versailles and St. Germain. During this time he served as a judge deciding the claim of Belgium vs. Austria, regarding the Treasure of the Order of Golden Fleece. The King of Belgium requested that the treasure be transferred to him as the new ruler of the former Habsburg lands of the Austrian Netherlands. The three judges, of whom Bayne was one gave serious consideration to handing the treasure over to Belgium. However at the request of Emperor Carl, King Alfonso XIII of Spain intervened and the treasure remained in Austrian hands. He also handled the claim of Czecho-Slovakia being the successor to the Kingdom of Bohemia, and a claim regarding 500 works of art stolen from Bohemia by Austria between 1616 and 1914. One of the most interesting claims he handled was Standard Oil Co. vs. the Reparations Commission. The commission had appropriated 21 oil tankers owned by a Germany subsidiary of Standard Oil to pay for Germans reparations. He also handled cases on disarmament clauses.
On 8 October 1895 he married Helen Cheney, the sister of Knight Dexter Cheney, Jr., one of Bayne's classmates at Yale
and brothers in Skull and Bones
.
Bayne attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he graduated in 1892 with an AB. At Yale he was a tapped for Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
. He would later receive an honorary LLD from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
. In the same year he was admitted to the bar, and began the practice of law in New Orleans. Bayne moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1898, where he would continue the practice of law until 1919. From 1905 to 1914 he was a member of the storied law firm, Strong & Cadwalader
Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP is the oldest continuously-operated law firm in the United States. Established in New York City in 1792, Cadwalader opened offices around the world...
of New York City.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he served as a major judge advocate in the Adjutant Generals Office, as a counsel on the Prisoners of War Mission and served on the Liquidation Commission of the War Department. He was made a Lieutenant Colonel in 1919, but he never fought in any battles. For his services he was decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal and the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
After the war he served on the Reparations Commission under the treaties of Versailles and St. Germain. During this time he served as a judge deciding the claim of Belgium vs. Austria, regarding the Treasure of the Order of Golden Fleece. The King of Belgium requested that the treasure be transferred to him as the new ruler of the former Habsburg lands of the Austrian Netherlands. The three judges, of whom Bayne was one gave serious consideration to handing the treasure over to Belgium. However at the request of Emperor Carl, King Alfonso XIII of Spain intervened and the treasure remained in Austrian hands. He also handled the claim of Czecho-Slovakia being the successor to the Kingdom of Bohemia, and a claim regarding 500 works of art stolen from Bohemia by Austria between 1616 and 1914. One of the most interesting claims he handled was Standard Oil Co. vs. the Reparations Commission. The commission had appropriated 21 oil tankers owned by a Germany subsidiary of Standard Oil to pay for Germans reparations. He also handled cases on disarmament clauses.
On 8 October 1895 he married Helen Cheney, the sister of Knight Dexter Cheney, Jr., one of Bayne's classmates at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
and brothers in Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
.