Augustus Cincinnatus Hand

Augustus Cincinnatus Hand (September 4, 1803, in Shoreham, Addison County, Vermont – March 8, 1878, in Elizabethtown, Essex County, New York) was an American lawyer, jurist, and Democratic politician from New York. Born in rural Vermont in the early years of the republic, he came of age as the nation and the legal profession were expanding, and he would go on to play a significant role in the judiciary and politics of New York State in the mid-nineteenth century.

Hand pursued formal legal training at the Litchfield Law School in Connecticut, one of the earliest and most influential law schools in the United States, which educated many future members of Congress and the bench. After completing his legal studies, he was admitted to the bar in 1828. He commenced the practice of law at Crown Point, New York, a community on the western shore of Lake Champlain, where he began to establish himself as a capable attorney in the North Country region of the state.

In 1831 Hand moved to Elizabethtown, New York, the county seat of Essex County, which would remain his home for the rest of his life. That same year he was appointed Surrogate of Essex County, an office responsible for probate matters and the administration of estates. He held this position from 1831 to 1839, gaining extensive experience in local judicial administration and further solidifying his reputation in legal and political circles. His work as surrogate provided a foundation for his later legislative and judicial service at the state and national levels.

Hand entered national politics as a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected as a Democrat to the 26th United States Congress and served a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1839, to March 3, 1841. Representing a New York constituency during a period marked by debates over banking, internal improvements, and the lingering effects of the Panic of 1837, he participated in the legislative work of the House at a time of significant economic and political realignment. After the conclusion of his term, he returned to New York and continued his involvement in state affairs.

Hand’s state legislative career advanced when he was elected to the New York State Senate. He served as a state senator from 1845 to 1847, sitting in the 68th, 69th, and 70th New York State Legislatures. During these years he took part in shaping state policy in the closing phase of the Whig–Democrat rivalry and on the eve of the major party realignments that would follow. His performance in the Senate helped pave the way for his elevation to the state judiciary, where he would make his most enduring professional contribution.

In 1847 Hand was appointed a justice of the New York Supreme Court for the 4th Judicial District, a position he held from 1847 to 1855. As a justice of the state’s principal trial and intermediate appellate court, he presided over a broad range of civil and criminal matters during a period of rapid economic growth and legal development in New York. By virtue of his Supreme Court office, he also served ex officio as a judge of the New York Court of Appeals in 1855, participating in the work of the state’s highest court. After completing his term on the Supreme Court, he resumed the private practice of law, returning to Elizabethtown and continuing to be active in legal affairs.

Hand remained engaged in Democratic Party politics even after his judicial service. He was a delegate to the 1868 Democratic National Convention, held in New York City in the aftermath of the Civil War, where the party nominated Horatio Seymour for the presidency. Following this national political role, he again resumed the practice of his profession, maintaining his legal work in Elizabethtown into his later years. He died there on March 8, 1878, and was buried in the family cemetery in Elizabethtown, New York.

Augustus C. Hand was the patriarch of a notable judicial family. His son Samuel Hand (1834–1886) became an associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals, furthering the family’s influence on the state’s highest court. His grandson, Billings Learned Hand (1872–1961), known universally as Learned Hand, served as a judge and later senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and became one of the most respected federal jurists of the twentieth century. In addition, State Senator Matthew Hale (1829–1897) was married to Hand’s daughter Ellen S. Hand (c. 1835–1867), extending the family’s connections into New York’s legislative leadership. Through his own service and that of his descendants, Augustus Cincinnatus Hand left a lasting imprint on both the legal and political history of New York and the nation.