Yardley Chittick
Encyclopedia
Charles Yardley Chittick (October 22, 1900 – July 18, 2008) was for several years the oldest living patent attorney
in the United States
. Yardley was also the oldest living member of the Beta Theta Pi
fraternity. He was born in Newark, New Jersey
.
Chittick was a graduate of Phillips Academy
in Andover, Massachusetts
, and was the first person to attend his 90th reunion in the school's 230 year history. While a student he got into a scuffle with fellow student and future actor Humphrey Bogart
after he refused to polish Bogart's shoes. After Andover, Chittick went to MIT, where he majored in mechanical engineering
, was a low-hurdle
track champion, and a proud member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4658913 http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CMOB&p_theme=cmob&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FF0DC9729AB0AC9&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM While a student at MIT, he was elected captain of the one-mile relay track team. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/729333842.html?dids=729333842:729333842&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Jan+29%2C+1922&author=&pub=Boston+Daily+Globe&desc=YARDLEY+CHITTICK+CHOSEN+CAPTAIN+OF+MILE+RELAY+TEAM+WHICH+IS+TO+RACE+HARVARD&pqatl=google
Chittick was once offered a job by Thomas Edison
but turned it down, saying he thought it would be more fun to work for a golf club manufacturer. He said Edison gave him a 150-question test before offering him the job. Several years before his death, he said he asked for a copy of the test from the Thomas Edison Museum and was shown the original with Edison's handwriting in the margins.
Chittick became registered as a patent attorney on February 1, 1934. http://des.uspto.gov/OEDCI/details.do?regisNum=13782 He was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court
on September 20, 1950. http://www.chittick.com/gallery/photos/documents/chittick/yardley_1950_supremecourt.gif
He was married twice and had two sons. http://www.chittick.com/family/genealogy/lines/100505_Line13GervaisYardley.pdf His first marriage ended in divorce, which involved a lawsuit that went to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
based on a dispute over a complex settlement and the validity of a divorce filed in the U.S. Virgin Islands. https://www.fastcase.com/Google/Start.aspx?C=696e307537e8431dc8dd7e68c65e914f2012a88d297769d1&D=1db1de0223ada660de97b2fd9099809ae33cdfa91ab6a13d
Chittick was the first recipient of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity's Beta Centenarian
award in 2003. He attended the annual Beta Theta Pi conventions and was annually honored for his lifetime achievement, regularly taking the podium to sing the MIT
fight song "Take Me Back to Tech".
Until his death, Chittick lived at the Pleasant View Retirement Home
in Concord, New Hampshire
, near St. Paul's School
. He made occasional appearances at the nearby Franklin Pierce Law Center
, which is recognized for its strong patent program, and which awarded Chittick an honorary degree in 2005.
Patent attorney
A patent attorney is an attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice, such as filing an opposition...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Yardley was also the oldest living member of the Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
fraternity. He was born in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
.
Chittick was a graduate of Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
in Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
, and was the first person to attend his 90th reunion in the school's 230 year history. While a student he got into a scuffle with fellow student and future actor Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
after he refused to polish Bogart's shoes. After Andover, Chittick went to MIT, where he majored in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
, was a low-hurdle
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
track champion, and a proud member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4658913 http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CMOB&p_theme=cmob&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FF0DC9729AB0AC9&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM While a student at MIT, he was elected captain of the one-mile relay track team. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/729333842.html?dids=729333842:729333842&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Jan+29%2C+1922&author=&pub=Boston+Daily+Globe&desc=YARDLEY+CHITTICK+CHOSEN+CAPTAIN+OF+MILE+RELAY+TEAM+WHICH+IS+TO+RACE+HARVARD&pqatl=google
Chittick was once offered a job by Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
but turned it down, saying he thought it would be more fun to work for a golf club manufacturer. He said Edison gave him a 150-question test before offering him the job. Several years before his death, he said he asked for a copy of the test from the Thomas Edison Museum and was shown the original with Edison's handwriting in the margins.
Chittick became registered as a patent attorney on February 1, 1934. http://des.uspto.gov/OEDCI/details.do?regisNum=13782 He was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
on September 20, 1950. http://www.chittick.com/gallery/photos/documents/chittick/yardley_1950_supremecourt.gif
He was married twice and had two sons. http://www.chittick.com/family/genealogy/lines/100505_Line13GervaisYardley.pdf His first marriage ended in divorce, which involved a lawsuit that went to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:...
based on a dispute over a complex settlement and the validity of a divorce filed in the U.S. Virgin Islands. https://www.fastcase.com/Google/Start.aspx?C=696e307537e8431dc8dd7e68c65e914f2012a88d297769d1&D=1db1de0223ada660de97b2fd9099809ae33cdfa91ab6a13d
Chittick was the first recipient of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity's Beta Centenarian
Centenarian
A centenarian is a person who is or lives beyond the age of 100 years. Because current average life expectancies across the world are less than 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. Much rarer, a supercentenarian is a person who has lived to the age of 110 or more, something only...
award in 2003. He attended the annual Beta Theta Pi conventions and was annually honored for his lifetime achievement, regularly taking the podium to sing the MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
fight song "Take Me Back to Tech".
Until his death, Chittick lived at the Pleasant View Retirement Home
Christian Science Pleasant View Home
The Christian Science Pleasant View Home is an historic senior citizen residential facility located at 227 Pleasant Street in Concord, New Hampshire, in the United States, It was built in 1927 by the Christian Science Board of Directors as a retirement home for aged Christian Science practitioners...
in 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....
, near St. Paul's School
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,...
. He made occasional appearances at the nearby Franklin Pierce Law Center
Franklin Pierce Law Center
The University of New Hampshire School of Law, formerly the Franklin Pierce Law Center, is an American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Concord, New Hampshire. It is the only law school in the state. It was founded in 1973 by Robert H...
, which is recognized for its strong patent program, and which awarded Chittick an honorary degree in 2005.
External links
- http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/06/15/at_phillips_reunion_90_years_of_reflection
- USPTO Registration information for Yardley Chittick
- An Hour with Yardley Chittick, IP Mall
- Yardley Chittick references at chittick.com , a family website
- That's a lot of lawyering!, Concord MonitorConcord MonitorThe Concord Monitor is the daily newspaper for Concord, the state capital of New Hampshire. It also covers substantial portions of surrounding Merrimack and Belknap counties in New Hampshire's Lakes Region...
- Obituary at the Boston Globe