Governor Charles Bartlett Andrews

CHARLES BARTLETT ANDREWS was born in Sunderland, Massachusetts, on November 4, 1836. He attended Franklin Academy, and graduated from Amherst College in 1858. After moving to Connecticut, he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1861. Andrews entered politics in 1868, as a member of the Connecticut State Senate, a position he was reelected to in 1869. In 1878, he was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives, where he chaired the judiciary committee. In 1878, Andrews was elected Governor of Connecticut by a legislative vote. During his tenure, a bill was constituted that established the incorporation of joint-stock companies and a progressive jury law was formed. The governor’s office was granted the power to recommend judges for the State Supreme Court, and a resolution passed that ended an ongoing boundary line dispute. On January 5, 1881, Andrews left office, and returned to his law practice. In 1882 he was appointed to the bench of the Connecticut Superior Court, and served as chief justice from 1889 to 1901. He also was a delegate and presiding officer to the 1902 Constitutional Convention. Governor Charles B. Andrews died on September 12, 1902, and is buried in Litchfield.