Senator LeBaron Bradford Colt

LeBaron Bradford Colt (June 25, 1846 – August 18, 1924) was a United States senator from Rhode Island, a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and of the United States Circuit Courts for the First Circuit, and previously a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the United States Senate from 1913 to 1924, contributing to the legislative process during two terms in office and representing the interests of his Rhode Island constituents during a significant period in American history.

Colt was born on June 25, 1846, in Dedham, Massachusetts, to Christopher Colt and Theodora Goujand DeWolf Colt. His father was the brother of arms manufacturer Samuel Colt, and his younger brother, Samuel P. Colt, later became a prominent Rhode Island businessman and politician. Colt attended the public schools and Williston Seminary before matriculating at Yale University, where he received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1868. While at Yale, he was a member of the Skull and Bones society. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Laws degree from Columbia Law School in 1870. Following his formal education, Colt devoted a year to travel in Europe, an experience that preceded his entry into the legal profession.

After returning to the United States, Colt entered private legal practice in Chicago, Illinois, where he practiced from 1871 to 1875. He then relocated to Bristol, Rhode Island, continuing in private practice there from 1875 to 1879. Colt’s involvement in public affairs began at the state level when he was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives, in which he served from 1879 to 1881. His legislative experience in the state house helped establish his reputation in Rhode Island political and legal circles and prepared him for subsequent federal judicial service.

Colt’s federal judicial career commenced when President James A. Garfield nominated him on March 9, 1881, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, vacated by Judge John Power Knowles. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination on March 21, 1881, and he received his commission the same day. He served as a United States district judge until July 23, 1884, when his service on that court terminated due to his elevation to the federal circuit bench. On July 2, 1884, President Chester A. Arthur nominated Colt to a seat on the United States Circuit Courts for the First Circuit, vacated by Judge John Lowell. He was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission on July 5, 1884.

With the passage of the Evarts Act, Colt was assigned by operation of law on June 16, 1891, to additional and concurrent service on the newly created United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, to a new seat authorized by 26 Stat. 826. He thus served simultaneously on the United States Circuit Courts for the First Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. When the Circuit Courts were abolished on December 31, 1911, he continued to serve solely on the Court of Appeals. Colt’s long tenure on the federal appellate bench ended on February 7, 1913, when he resigned in order to take up duties in the legislative branch of the federal government.

Colt was elected in 1913 as a Republican to the United States Senate from Rhode Island. He was reelected in 1919 and served from March 4, 1913, until his death on August 18, 1924. During his Senate career, which spanned the Progressive Era, World War I, and the early 1920s, he participated actively in the democratic process and contributed to national legislation. He served as Chairman of the Committee on Conservation of Natural Resources during the 65th Congress, reflecting contemporary concerns about the stewardship of natural resources. He later served as Chairman of the Committee on Immigration during the 66th, 67th, and 68th Congresses, a period marked by intense national debate over immigration policy. Notably, despite his role as chairman, he voted against the Immigration Act of 1924, which imposed strict national origins quotas, and he was a supporter of women’s suffrage, aligning himself with the movement that culminated in the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.

LeBaron Bradford Colt died in Bristol, Rhode Island, on August 18, 1924, while still serving in the United States Senate, placing him among the members of Congress who died in office in the first half of the twentieth century. He was interred in Juniper Hill Cemetery in Bristol.