Almet Francis Jenks
Almet Francis Jenks | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the New York Supreme Court | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 21, 1853 Brooklyn, New York, US |
| Died | September 18, 1924 (aged 71) Greenwich, Connecticut, US |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Almet Francis Jenks (May 21, 1853 – September 18, 1924) was an American lawyer and judge from New York. He was a justice of the New York Supreme Court.
Early life
Jenks was born in Brooklyn, New York on May 21, 1853.[1] His father was Grenville T. Jenks, a lawyer.[2] His great-grandfather was John Phililips, the first mayor of Boston.[2]
He graduated from Yale University in 1875.[2] While at Yale, he was a member of Skull and Bones and was the editor of the Yale Literary Magazine.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Laws from Columbia University in 1877.[2]
Career
Jenks was a junior member of the Ward & Jenks law firm from 1878 to 1884.[2] In 1884, he became the assistant district attorney of Kings County, New York.[3] From 1886 to 1894, he was the corporate counsel of Brookyn.[2]
From 1891 to 1895, Jenks was the judge advocate general of New York State under Governor David B. Hill.[2] He was a member of the judiciary committee of the New York Constitutional Convention in 1894.[2] He became the assistant corporation counsel for New York City in 1898, resigning after winning an election to the New York Supreme Court.[2] He was sworn into the court on January 1, 1899.[3]
In 1901, Governor Theodore Roosevelt appointed Jenks to the appellate courty.[3] Jenks was a justice of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department from 1901 to 1911, being reappointed in 1905 and 1911.[4][3] He became to court's presiding justice in 1911, serving in that capacity until he retired in April 1921.[4][3] In 1916, he ran on the Democratic and Independence League tickets for Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals but was defeated by Republican/Progressive Frank H. Hiscock.
In April 1921, Jenks returned to private practice as a senior partner along with Gustavus A. Rogers in Jenks & Rogers, citing the low pay for justices as his reason for leaving the bench.[3] Jenks & Rogers represented the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry in censorship letigation.[3] Jenks lectured on professional ethics at St. Lawrence University from 1921 to 1922.[2]
Personal life
In 1891, Jenks married to Lena Barre.[3] The couple had two children, author Almet Francis Jenks Jr and Ruth Jenks.[3]
Jenks was president of the Yale Alumni Association of Long Island from 1915 to 1921.[2] He was a member of the Brooklyn and Hamilton Club and the Society of Colonial Wars.[3]
Jenks died at Kent House hotel in Greenwich, Connecticut on September 18, 1924 at the age of 71.[5][3]
References
- ^ Patterson, George Washington IV, ed. (1914). History of the Class of Niniteen-hundred and Fourteen. Vol. 1. Yale University Press. p. 207. Retrieved January 18, 2026 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Almet F. Jenks". Historical Society of the New York Courts. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Ex-Justice Jernks Dies of Apoplexy; Jurist is Stricken in a Hotel in Greenwich, Conn., Following a Vacation". The New York Times. September 19, 1924. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ a b "Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University Deceased during the Year 1924-1925" (PDF). Yale University. 1925. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
- ^ "Apoplexy Fatal to Ex-Justice Almet F. Jenks". Middletown Orange County Times Press. New York (published September 23, 1924). September 19, 1924. p. 5. Retrieved January 18, 2026 – via NewspaperArchive.