William Gardner Choate

The great number of Century members whose lives, though full of active professional labor, stretched far beyond the limit assigned by the Psalmist, found another example in William Gardner Choate, whose death at the age of ninety ended a distinguished legal career that was not obscured by the more brilliant achievements of his distinguished younger brother[, Joseph H. Choate]. Judge Choate, indeed, had the best of it in his first competition with the future Ambassador to England; for both were in the class of 1854 at Harvard and Joseph had to be content with the fourth place at Commencement while William delivered the valedictory. In his profession Judge Choate was known for his profound acquaintance with the law, in which he was considered by some fellow-practitioners a higher authority than his eminent brother. His skill in admiralty law was recognized by the government in his appointment to the Federal District Bench at New York City. He had been retired from active practice during many years, but he never lost his interest in the city of his professional career, and he was sought as consulting counsel up to the very last years of his life.

Alexander Dana Noyes
1921 Century Association Yearbook