Loveland Munson

Loveland Munson
Loveland Munson
Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
	In office; 1915–1917
Preceded by	George M. Powers
Succeeded by	John H. Watson
Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
	In office; 1890–1914
Preceded by	Wheelock G. Veazey
Succeeded by	Robert E. Healy
Probate Judge of the Manchester, Vermont District
	In office; 1883–1889
Preceded by	Ranney Howard
Succeeded by	Elias B. Burton
President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate
	In office; 1878–1880
Preceded by	William W. Grout
Succeeded by	Philip K. Gleed
Member of the Vermont Senate from Bennington County
	In office; 1878–1880 Serving with William B. Arnold
Preceded by	J. Henry Guild, Silas Mason
Succeeded by	Charles Thatcher, Gilber M. Sykes
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Manchester
	In office; 1882–1884
Preceded by	David S. Wilson
Succeeded by	William H. Fullerton
	In office; 1872–1876
Preceded by	Mason S. Colburn
Succeeded by	Sewell W. Bourn
Personal details
Born	July 21, 1843; Manchester, Vermont, U.S.
Died	March 24, 1921 (aged 77); Manchester, Vermont, U.S.
Resting place	Dellwood Cemetery, Manchester, Vermont, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Mary Burton Campbell (m. 1882)
Education	Burr and Burton Academy
Profession	Attorney

Loveland Munson (July 21, 1843 – March 24, 1921) was a Vermont attorney, politician and judge who served as President of the Vermont Senate and Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.

Biography

Loveland Munson was born in Manchester, Vermont on July 21, 1843, the son of son of Cyrus and Lucy (Loveland) Munson. He attended the local schools and graduated from Burr and Burton Academy in 1862. Munson edited the Manchester Journal newspaper from 1863 to 1866 while studying law with Elias B. Burton, was admitted to the bar in 1866, and practiced with Burton in Manchester as the firm of Burton & Munson.^[1]

A Republican, Munson served as Manchester's Town Clerk from 1866 to 1873, and Bennington County's Register of Probate from 1866 to 1876.^[2]

In 1872 and 1874 Munson was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives. In 1878 he won election to the Vermont Senate and was chosen as that body's President pro tempore, serving until 1880. In 1882 Munson returned to the Vermont House, and in 1883 he was appointed as the Manchester District's Judge of Probate. In 1889 Munson was appointed to a vacancy on the Vermont Supreme Court. He was elected to the post in 1890 and served until 1914, when he was not reappointed due to his age, and was replaced by Robert E. Healy.^[3] His retirement lasted only a month; public outcry led the Vermont General Assembly to return Munson to the bench in January 1915 with appointment as chief justice.^[4]

While serving as a justice of the Court, Munson authored the opinion in the well-known torts case Ploof v. Putnam.^[5] In 1904 the plaintiff, Ploof, had been sailing on Lake Champlain when a storm suddenly arose. Fearing for the safety of his boat and passengers, he put in at Putnam's dock. Putnam's servant untied Ploof's boat, and Ploof's family was injured and his boat damaged in the storm. The Vermont Supreme Court held that Putnam, the dock owner, was liable for damage and injuries caused by his employee while the employee was acting on the employer's behalf.^[6]

Munson served as chief justice until 1917. He died in Manchester on March 24, 1921, and was buried in Manchester's Dellwood Cemetery.^[7]

References

^ Carleton, Hiram, ed. (1903). Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont. Vol. 2. New York: The Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 325–326.
^ Ullery, Jacob G. (1894). Huse, Hiram A. (ed.). Men of Vermont: An Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters and Sons of Vermont. Brattleboro, Vt.: Transcript Publishing Company. pp. 283–284.
^ "Court Re-Organization". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. December 5, 1914. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ The National Cyclopædia of American Biography. Vol. 17. New York: James T. White & Company. 1921. p. 322.
^ Redmond, John W. (1910). Reports of the Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Vermont. Vol. 83. Free Press Publishing Company. pp. 252–260.
^ Oberdiek, John (2014). Philosophical Foundations of the Law of Torts. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-19-870138-5.
^ Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society for the Years 1919–1920. The Vermont Historical Society. 1921. pp. 278–279.

Political offices
Preceded by William W. Grout	President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate 1878–1880	Succeeded by Philip K. Gleed

[1] Carleton, Hiram, ed. (1903). Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont. Vol. 2. New York: The Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 325–326.

[2] Ullery, Jacob G. (1894). Huse, Hiram A. (ed.). Men of Vermont: An Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters and Sons of Vermont. Brattleboro, Vt.: Transcript Publishing Company. pp. 283–284.

[3] "Court Re-Organization". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. December 5, 1914. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] The National Cyclopædia of American Biography. Vol. 17. New York: James T. White & Company. 1921. p. 322.

[5] Redmond, John W. (1910). Reports of the Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Vermont. Vol. 83. Free Press Publishing Company. pp. 252–260.

[6] Oberdiek, John (2014). Philosophical Foundations of the Law of Torts. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-19-870138-5.

[7] Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society for the Years 1919–1920. The Vermont Historical Society. 1921. pp. 278–279.

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