Arthur Easterbrook Whittemore (June 3, 1896 – October 1, 1969) was an American jurist who served as a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1955 until his death in 1969. He was appointed to the court by Governor Christian Herter.
Early Life and Education
Whittemore was born in Reading, Massachusetts, to Frederick Ellsworth Whittemore, a school principal, and Edith Lillian Easterbrook. In 1904, his family moved to South Hadley, Massachusetts, where he graduated from South Hadley High School in 1913. He attended Harvard University, graduating in 1917 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry.
Military Service
Following his graduation, Whittemore served in the U.S. Army as a lieutenant in Company B, 168th Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division, spending most of his service in France and Germany. He later remarked that had it not been for World War I, he would likely have become a chemist.
Legal Career
After returning from military service, Whittemore enrolled at Harvard Law School in 1919 and graduated in 1922. He joined the law firm Nutter McClennen & Fish, which was founded by Louis D. Brandeis and Samuel D. Warren II, and became a partner in 1930. In 1942, he served as a Special Assistant Attorney General, handling the reorganization of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and the Old Colony Railroad. He also served on several presidentially appointed boards concerning fact-finding in railroad labor disputes.
Judicial Service
In October 1955, Governor Christian A. Herter appointed Whittemore to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, where he served until his death.
Personal Life
Whittemore married Suvia Lanice Paton in 1924, and the couple had three children: Suvia, Elizabeth, and Arthur. The family resided in Hingham, Massachusetts. He died at his home in Hingham on October 1, 1969.
Note on other individuals named Arthur Whittemore: The name also refers to several other notable figures, including Arthur Henry "Buck" Whittemore (1878–1938), an American minor league baseball player and college football and basketball coach; Arthur Austin Whittemore (1915–1984), a pianist who performed as part of the two-piano team Whittemore and Lowe with major U.S. symphony orchestras; and Arthur G. Whittemore (1937–2024), a Boston maritime pilot and leader in the nautical community.
