Judge George A. Blanchard

 

Judge George A. Blanchard---Among the representative members of the bar of Sacramento to-day is the gentleman with whose name this sketch commences. He is a native of Erie County, New York, born April 15, 1848, and son of George G. and Philinda (Keyes) Blanchard. The latter was native of new Hampshire, and her grandfather, an Irish Presbyterian, settled in the town of Derry in that State. The Blanchards are an old New England family. The parental grandfather of the subject of this sketch, a Massachusetts man, removed after his marriage to Antrim, New Hampshire, thence afterward to Aurora, New York, and finally to Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, where he bought from Mr. Seward, agent, a farm of the Holland Purchase, early in the ‘50’s. He still lives at the farm, at an advanced age. George G. Blanchard, father of the subject of this sketch, was educated at Jamestown Academy, but his brothers were all Dartmouth graduates. He was married at Jamestown, and moved to Erie County, where he taught school. His wife died while he was there, and soon after he left there and went South, where he resumed teaching. He afterward migrated to Wisconsin, and from there came to California across the plains. Arriving in this State, he first engaged in mining in Nevada county, and afterward removed to El Dorado County, where he mined and followed saw-milling and lumbering. He finally embarked in the legal profession, made his mark as a lawyer, and is now one of the leading members in the profession. George A. Blanchard, subject of this mention, was reared at Jamestown, New York, to the age of twelve years, when he came to California via Panama, taking passage at New York on the Northern Light, and landing at San Francisco from the Golden Gate in May, 1861, just after the breaking out of the civil war. He went to the town of El Dorado and was there prepared for college by sundry learned college men from Yale, Amherst, and other celebrated institutions of learning, all of which contributed their quota to the personnel of the California mining camps. At the age of sixteen years he went to Dartmouth College, was matriculated, went through the four years’ academic course, and was graduated in the class of 1868. He then went to Buffalo, New York, and there studied law with Amos A. Blanchard, who had studied law with Millard Fillmore, in the firm of Fillmore, Hall & Haven. During this time he was deputy clerk of the Superior Court of Buffalo, in which Grover Cleveland had practiced. He was admitted to the bar on examination, in the eighth judicial circuit of the Supreme Court of New York, Judge Richard P.  Marvin, presiding judge, in November, 1869. The next spring he came back to California, and in 1871 he came to Sacramento by invitation of Attorney General John Lord Love, to take the position of Assistant Attorney General in his office. He so continued during four years, and for a considerable portion of the time was acting Attorney General. At the expiration of General Love’s term of office, and after one month with his successor, Jo. Hamilton, Mr. Blanchard opened an office on the corner of Second and K streets, Sacramento, and soon afterward formed a partnership with W. C. Van Fleet (now judge), and the firm of Blanchard & Van Fleet moved into the office vacated by Henry Edgerton, corner of Sixth and I streets. That was in 1875. Mr. Blanchard was elected District Attorney in 1878, and Mr. Van Fleet conducted the civil business of the firm until 1880, when the partnership was dissolved. At the expiration of his term as District Attorney Mr. Blanchard was appointed Assistant Attorney General by General A. L. Hart, and served first in this capacity under the new constitution. About a year and a half later he was appointed by Governor Perkins to fill the vacancy on the Superior bench of Colusa County, caused by the death of Judge Hatch. He served out the unexpired term, was nominated for the position by the Republican convention, and at the ensuing election failed of being chosen for the position by 140 votes, though there was a Democratic majority in the county of 1,000, and this though he had never been in the county previous to his appointment as judge. He practiced law there until January 1, 1888, when he came to Sacramento and formed the present partnership with Judge Amos P.  Catlin. Judge Blanchard was married to Miss Annie L. Hatch, daughter of Dr. F. W. Hatch, deceased, mention of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Judge Blanchard has always taken an active part in public affairs and in the Republican party organization. He was a member of the State Central Committee for Colusa County, and was a member of the State Convention of 1886. It is generally conceded that he could have had the nomination for Attorney General had he so desired. His record on the bench and at the bar place him in the front rank of the legal profession.