Charles P. Barnes

Charles Putnam Barnes (October 12, 1869 – December 14, 1951) was a judge and politician from Maine who served as speaker of the Maine House of Representatives from 1921 to 1922, and as justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court from April 17, 1924, to July 31, 1940. From 1939 to 1940, Barnes was Chief Justice of the court.

Early life and education Charles Putnam Barnes was born in Houlton, Maine, on October 12, 1869, to Francis, a Deacon at a local Baptist Church, and Isa (née Putnam) Barnes.

Barnes spent most of his life in Houlton, attending the local private Ricker Classical Institute for his secondary education. Following his graduation from the Ricker Classical Institute in 1888, Barnes attended Colby College, a private liberal arts school in Waterville, Maine. He received a B.A. and M.A. from the school in 1892 and 1893, respectively. Barnes later earned an honorary master's degree from the University of Michigan in 1923 and a Doctorate in Law from Colby in 1927.

Career After graduating from Colby College, Barnes served as principal of schools in Norway and Lisbon Falls, Maine, and Attleboro, Massachusetts, before becoming the superintendent of the Norway school district. Barnes ended his 8-year career in education in 1900, and instead began studying law under Maine Supreme Judicial Court justice Joseph W. Symonds. He was the Oxford County attorney for five years from 1904 to 1909, and then an Assistant Attorney General of Maine for two years from 1909 to 1911. As Assistant Attorney General, and later as State Representative, Barnes had a focus on cases of medicine, public health, and education.

Following Barnes' success as a Representative in Maine's lower house, Governor Percival Baxter appointed him to Maine's Supreme Judicial Court as Associate Justice on April 17, 1924, to fill the seat left by George M. Hanson's death. Barnes served on the court for over 15 years before Governor Lewis Barrows promoted him to Chief Justice following the death of Chief Justice Charles J. Dunn on November 10, 1939.

Personal life and death Prior to his appointment to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court by Governor Baxter, Barnes had befriended Baxter. Together they traveled to the area around Mount Katahdin in hopes of promoting a future state park.

Starting in 1913, Barnes served as the president of the Aroostook Colby Club. He also served as the Vice President of the Maine Society of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution starting in 1931. He was a brother of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Masons.

Charles P. Barnes died at the age of 82 on December 14, 1951, in Houlton, roughly two months after his wife died. He is buried with his wife, Annie, and his parents Francis and Isa in Houlton, Maine. Barnes was a Baptist.