Monadnock Moment No. 126

Multi Era 6-8: 1872 to 1946

Chesterfield's Chief Justice

Harlan Fiske Stone was born in a small farmhouse on Horseshoe Road in Chesterfield in October of 1872. He was the fifth generation of the Stone family to live in the town. The family moved to Amherst, Massachusetts in 1874 where young Harlan attended Amherst College. He often spent his summer vacations in Chesterfield, where he met Miss Agnes Harvey. The young couple were married at the Harvey home in 1899.

Stone attended Columbia Law School and then became a teacher at the school. In 1910 he was named dean of the Law School. Stone gained prominence in the legal profession and in 1924 was named Attorney General of the United States. One year later President Calvin Coolidge appointed him to the Supreme Court.

Stone supported President Roosevelt's New Deal policies and was viewed as a liberal on the Court. In October 1941, the month of his 69th birthday, Roosevelt named Stone Chief Justice of the United States. Four years later it was Stone who swore in Harry Truman as President upon the death of Roosevelt. One year later Stone himself passed away at the age of 73, serving on the Supreme Court for 21 years.

The people of Chesterfield never forgot their famous son. In August of 1948, they held a memorial service and unveiled a monument at Stone's birthplace on Horseshoe Road. Many national leaders attended the ceremonies. On the same day a new U.S. postage stamp was issued in honor of Chesterfield's Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone.