Making History Together
The New York State Court of Appeals
in
Albany's Tricentennial Year
The New York State Court of Appeals
in
Albany's Tricentennial Year
|
CHIEF JUDGE WACHTLER:
Thank you very much, John. I mentioned earlier that the role of Chancellor, when that office was occupied by Robert Livingston was somewhat different than the role played today by the Chancellor. We are pleased to have with us today's Chancellor, Clifford Wharton, who will be retiring soon and will be sorely missed by the educational community and scene here in the State of New York. His wife, Dolores Wharton, who is President of the Fund for Corporate Initiatives, was good enough to serve on our Committee. I would like to introduce you to another person who will speak of this Court and this Bench. His portrait is on the wall, right there, the second away from the clock. Reputed to have been the youngest man ever to ascend a court bench in Albany, when he became the Albany Police Court Judge while he was still in his twenties. He later became a State Supreme Court Justice, a member and then Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Third Department; and, in 1964, be became a member of this Bench. He served as a member of our Court of Appeals until 1972 and, last year, Columbia University Press published Bergan's History of the Court of Appeals from 1847 to 1932. You already heard him described by Mayor Whalen in his letter as a man who is 'everything a judge ought to be'. It is my privilege to introduce to you Judge Francis Bergan. |
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 The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York | ||
