George A. Sanderson (judge)
{{Infobox person
| name = George A. Sanderson
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1863|07|01}}
| birth_place = Littleton, Massachusetts, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1932|06|11|1863|07|01}}
| death_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| alma_mater = Yale University
Boston University School of Law
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| known_for = Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
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| party = Republican
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| spouse = Annie S. Bennett (1893–1923; his death)
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| children = 3
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}}
George Augustus Sanderson (July 1, 1863 – June 11, 1932) was an American jurist who was an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1924 until his death in 1932.
Early life
Sanderson was born on July 1, 1863. His father, George W. Sanderson, was a state legislator and clerk of the 1st District Court of Northern Middlesex. Sanderson grew up on a farm in Littleton, Massachusetts that had been in his family since 1750.{{cite web |title=George Augustus Sanderson: Associate Justice memorial |url=https://www.mass.gov/person/george-augustus-sanderson |website=Mass.gov |publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts |access-date=3 August 2023}} He attended Littleton public schools and graduated from the Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts in 1881, Yale University in 1885, and the Boston University School of Law in 1887. In 1893, he married Annie S. Bennett of Ayer, Massachusetts.{{cite news |last1=Ainley |first1=Leslie |title=From Farmer to Supreme Bench |work=The Boston Globe |date=October 5, 1924}}
District attorney's office
Sanderson was admitted to the bar shortly after his graduation from law school.{{cite news |title=Parker's Place |work=The Boston Globe |date=April 9, 1905}} From 1893 to 1902 he was an assistant district attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. In 1901, Sanderson won both the Republican and Democratic nominations for district attorney. He was reelected in 1904. As a prosecutor, Sanderson was involved in the trials of Charles R. Eastman, Charles S. Tucker, J. Wilfred Blondin, Lorenzo W. Barnes, and George Hughes and George F. Blake.{{cite news |title=Charles R. Eastman Goes on Trial Tomorrow |work=The Boston Globe |date=April 21, 1901}}{{cite news |title=Outline by Sanderson |work=The Boston Globe |date=January 4, 1905}}{{cite news |title=Blondin's Case |work=The Boston Globe |date=March 10, 1902}}{{cite news |title=Case Opened |work=The Boston Globe |date=October 14, 1902}}
Superior court
In 1907, Governor Curtis Guild Jr. appointed Sanderson to the Massachusetts Superior Court.{{cite news |title=Gen Whitney Police Chief |work=The Boston Globe |date=April 18, 1907}} In 1911, he was assigned to preside over the trial of Clarence Richeson, who was charged with murdering his fiancée.{{cite news |title=Sanderson to Sit |work=The Boston Globe |date=December 15, 1911}} Richeson pleaded guilty before the trial began and Sanderson, who had no other alternatives, sentenced him to death.{{cite news |title=Murdered Her, Says Richeson |work=The New York Times |date=January 7, 1912}} In 1919, Sanderson presided over the fish trust cases, which saw 17 prominent businessmen receive jail sentences and heavy fines for creating a monopoly and conspiring to raise prices in a time of war.{{cite news |title=Find 17 Guilty in Fish Trust Case |work=The Boston Globe |date=April 18, 1919}}
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
In 1924, Sanderson was appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court by Governor Channing H. Cox.{{cite news |title=Nominated for Supreme Bench |work=The Boston Globe |date=October 2, 1924}} He was known for writing dissenting opinions, which was uncommon for the Supreme Judicial Court at that time. He issued a dissenting opinion in a case involving alienation of affections. Sanderson held that once a promise to marry was accepted, a contract existed and a third party who stole the affections of one of the engaged parties interfered with a contract. Sanderson remained on the bench until his death on June 11, 1932. He suffered a sudden heart attack following an operation at New England Deaconess Hospital.{{cite news |title=Judge Sanderson of Supreme Court Dies |work=The Boston Globe |date=June 12, 1932}}
References
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{{succession box |title=District attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts |before=Fred N. Wier |after=Hugh Bancroft |years=1902–1907}}
{{succession box |title=Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court |before=William C. Wait |after=Henry T. Lummus |years=1924–1932}}
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Category:Boston University School of Law alumni
Category:District attorneys in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Category:Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Category:Massachusetts Superior Court justices
Category:People from Ayer, Massachusetts