Henry Alger Gildersleeve

Henry Alger Gildersleeve (1 August 1840 – 27 February 1923) was an American jurist and sports shooter who served on the New York Supreme Court.

Following a military career in the union army during the American Civil War, Henry A. Gildersleeve became a competitive marksman and early leader of the National Rifle Association of America. Gildersleeve was a prominent New York jurist, serving as judge on the New York General sessions bench from 1875 to 1889, and later as Supreme Court justice from 1891 to 1910.

Early life Henry A. Gildersleeve was born in Clinton, New York, on August 1, 1840, to Smith James Gildersleeve and Rachel Alger Gildersleeve. After attending school in Poughkeepsie, he briefly worked as a school teacher.

Military and Shooting Career When the American Civil war broke out, he recruited an infantry company from his hometown to form the 150th New York Infantry. His military accomplishments earned him praise from Abraham Lincoln, who brevetted Gildersleeve as Lieutenant Colonel near the end of the war. During the Orange Riots of 1871, Gildersleeve and his regiment defended the New York Arsenal. The following year, Gildersleeve led the American team on a European tour, including a return match against Ireland in Dublin, which they won decisively.

Legal career After returning from the Civil war, Gildersleeve studied law at Columbia University under Theodore Willam Dwight. His tenure as judge was characterized by harsh sentences, in particular for crimes against property. A 1888 New York Times article accused him of discrimination, giving vastly different sentences in two apparently similar cases. In 1889, Gildersleeve failed to be re-elected as General Sessions Judge, losing to his opponent, James Fitzgerald.

In 1891, Gildersleeve was appointed to the state Superior Court, which in 1895 became the Supreme Court of New York.

Death Henry Alger Gildersleeve died at his Manhattan home on 27 February 1923 at the age of 82. His funeral was held at Columbia University Chapel. Henry ‘Harry’ Alger Gildersleeve Jr. (1871-1891), who earned a master’s degree at Columbia University but died of complications of typhoid fever in 1891. Virginia Crocheron Gildersleeve (1877-1965), an academic and long-time dean of Barnard College, notable for being the only woman from the U.S delegation who wrote the United Nations Charter in 1945.