Arthur Perkins

Arthur Perkins (1864–1932) was an American lawyer and judge from Hartford, Connecticut who, during his retirement, spearheaded the effort to make Benton MacKaye's vision of the Appalachian Trail (a proposed 2,000-mile contiguous footpath to run through fourteen states) a reality.

Biography Arthur Perkins was born in Hartford on May 16, 1864. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1889.

He married Amy Denniston on May 22, 1895, and they had one daughter. It was quickly accomplished between 1929 and 1933.

Perkins was also a dynamic leader in the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA). He was a member of its Blue Blazed Trails Committee, under whose auspices Anderson worked. This committee was responsible for creating a series of walking trails throughout the state. CFPA maintains over 800 miles of blue-blazed trails to date.

An avid outdoorsman, JP, as he was known to his friends, also became a mountaineer later in life, joining the Appalachian Mountain Club when he was in his fifties. However, his health began to fail him in the early 1930s and Myron Avery took over the ATC chairmanship. Progress in Connecticut had inspired enthusiasm and the Appalachian Trail grew. The entire route was completed in 1937.

Prior to his involvement with the Appalachian Trail Committee, Perkins had been a graduate of Yale. In 1889 he took over the reins of the family law firm, Perkins & Perkins, from his father, Charles Perkins, and remained in charge until his death in 1932. Founded by Arthur's grandfather, Enoch Perkins, in 1786, the firm is now known as Howard, Kohn, Sprague & Fitzgerald, and it is the oldest law firm in continuous practice in the United States.

Arthur Perkins died at his home in Hartford on May 16, 1932, and was buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

On June 17, 2011 he was inducted into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame at the Appalachian Trail Museum as a charter member.