Maxwell Evarts
Encyclopedia
Maxwell Evarts, youngest of the twelve children of Hon. William Maxwell Evarts and Helen Minerva (Wardner) Evarts. He was fitted for college at St. Paul's School
, Concord, New Hampshire
. He graduated from Yale College
, 1884, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
. After graduation he studied two years in the Harvard Law School
, and was then in the law office of Seward, DaCosta & Guthrie until the summer of 1889.
In 1890 he was appointed an assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. He held this office two years, after which he entered the law department of the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. In recent years he had been active in the counsel of the Southern Pacific Railroad
Co., Union Pacific Railroad
Co., and affiliated lines of the E.H. Harriman System; with co-General Counsel Robert Scott Lovett
. In 1904 he was elected a director of the Southern Pacific Railroad, for several years was an attorney of the Harriman system, and in 1910; he was made general counsel of the Oregon Short Line and the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co. Upon the separation of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads he became general counsel of the Southern Pacific Co. He had also been a director of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. and the Union Pacific Land Co.
His home (Juniper Hill Farm) was in Windsor, Vermont
; the old home of the family, and he had taken an active interest in the business, political, and agricultural life of that state. During this period of time, a number of important persons, including US Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson
, were entertained on the grounds of the estate, also due to Maxwell's involvements as an attorney for E.H. Harriman. Maxwell Evarts considered Vermont to be his home, and made many contributions on both the local and state levels.
He was president of the State National Bank of Windsor, vice-president of the Windsor Machine Co., half owner of the Amsden (Vt.) Lime Co., president of the Vermont State Fair Association, a governor of the Morgan Horse Club, and president of the Vermont Fish and Game League. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives
in 1906.
He married in New York City
, April 23, 1891, Margaret Allen Stetson, daughter of Charles Augustus and Josephine (Brick) Stetson, and they had four daughters and a son.
He was the son of William M. Evarts
, the grandson of Jeremiah Evarts
and Allen Wardner, and the great-grandson of Roger Sherman
. Because of their names, people often confused Maxwell for his nephew—the famed Charles Scribner's & Sons editor of Conrad Aiken
, Erskine Caldwell
, F. Scott Fitzgerald
, Ernest Hemingway
, Ring Lardner
, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
and John P. Marquand
-- Maxwell Perkins
(who eventually stopped using his middle name, Evarts).
St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)
St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...
, Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
. He graduated from Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
, 1884, where he was a member of 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....
. After graduation he studied two years in the Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, and was then in the law office of Seward, DaCosta & Guthrie until the summer of 1889.
In 1890 he was appointed an assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. He held this office two years, after which he entered the law department of the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. In recent years he had been active in the counsel of the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
Co., Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
Co., and affiliated lines of the E.H. Harriman System; with co-General Counsel Robert Scott Lovett
Robert Scott Lovett
Robert Scott Lovett was an American lawyer and railroad executive.-Biography:Born at San Jacinto, Texas he was admitted to the bar in 1882 and then served as attorney for various railroad interests...
. In 1904 he was elected a director of the Southern Pacific Railroad, for several years was an attorney of the Harriman system, and in 1910; he was made general counsel of the Oregon Short Line and the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co. Upon the separation of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads he became general counsel of the Southern Pacific Co. He had also been a director of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. and the Union Pacific Land Co.
His home (Juniper Hill Farm) was in Windsor, Vermont
Windsor, Vermont
Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,756 at the 2000 census.-History:One of the New Hampshire grants, Windsor was chartered as a town on July 6, 1761 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth. It was first settled in August 1764 by Captain Steele Smith and...
; the old home of the family, and he had taken an active interest in the business, political, and agricultural life of that state. During this period of time, a number of important persons, including US Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, were entertained on the grounds of the estate, also due to Maxwell's involvements as an attorney for E.H. Harriman. Maxwell Evarts considered Vermont to be his home, and made many contributions on both the local and state levels.
He was president of the State National Bank of Windsor, vice-president of the Windsor Machine Co., half owner of the Amsden (Vt.) Lime Co., president of the Vermont State Fair Association, a governor of the Morgan Horse Club, and president of the Vermont Fish and Game League. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives
Vermont House of Representatives
The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members. Vermont legislative districting divides representing districts into 66 single-member districts and 42 two-member...
in 1906.
He married in 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...
, April 23, 1891, Margaret Allen Stetson, daughter of Charles Augustus and Josephine (Brick) Stetson, and they had four daughters and a son.
He was the son of William M. Evarts
William M. Evarts
William Maxwell Evarts was an American lawyer and statesman who served as U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Senator from New York...
, the grandson of Jeremiah Evarts
Jeremiah Evarts
Jeremiah F. Evarts was a Christian missionary, reformer, and activist for the rights of American Indians in the United States, and a leading opponent of the Indian removal policy of the United States government.-Early years:...
and Allen Wardner, and the great-grandson of Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman was an early American lawyer and politician, as well as a founding father. He served as the first mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and was also a representative and senator in the new republic...
. Because of their names, people often confused Maxwell for his nephew—the famed Charles Scribner's & Sons editor of Conrad Aiken
Conrad Aiken
Conrad Potter Aiken was an American novelist and poet, whose work includes poetry, short stories, novels, a play and an autobiography.-Early years:...
, Erskine Caldwell
Erskine Caldwell
Erskine Preston Caldwell was an American author. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native South like the novels Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre won him critical acclaim, but they also made him controversial among fellow Southerners of the time who felt he was...
, F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
, Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
, Ring Lardner
Ring Lardner
Ringgold Wilmer Lardner was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical takes on the sports world, marriage, and the theatre.-Personal life:...
, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was an American author who lived in rural Florida and wrote novels with rural themes and settings. Her best known work, The Yearling, about a boy who adopts an orphaned fawn, won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1939 and was later made into a movie, also known as The...
and John P. Marquand
John P. Marquand
John Phillips Marquand was a American writer. Originally best known for his Mr. Moto spy stories, he achieved popular success and critical respect for his satirical novels, winning a Pulitzer Prize for The Late George Apley in 1938...
-- Maxwell Perkins
Maxwell Perkins
William Maxwell Evarts Perkins , was the editor for Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe. He has been described as the most famous literary editor.-Career:...
(who eventually stopped using his middle name, Evarts).