Pierpoint Isham

Isham was born in Manchester, Vermont on August 5, 1802, the son of Dr. Ezra Isham and Nancy (Pierrepont) Isham.[2] He was raised and educated in Manchester, and at age 19 began the study of law with Richard Skinner.[2] He was admitted to the bar in 1823, and established a practice in Bennington and Pownal.[2] In 1831, he received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from Middlebury College.[3] In the 1820s and 1830s, Isham was active in the Vermont Militia and served as inspector of the 2nd Division, which was headquartered in Manchester.[4]

In 1848, the Vermont General Assembly appointed Isham state bank commissioner, succeeding Carlos Coolidge, and he served until 1850.[5] In 1851, Isham was appointed an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.[2] He served until 1856, when he declined appointment to another term.[2]

Isham moved to Piermont, New York in 1860.[2] He continued to practice law until his death in Piermont on May 8, 1872.[2][6] Isham was buried at Dellwood Cemetery in Manchester, Vermont.[7]

In 1831, Isham married Semantha Swift, the daughter of Dr. Noadiah Swift and Jennet Henderson of Bennington.[2] They were the parents of three children:

• Edward Swift Isham (1836-1902), an attorney in Chicago, who practiced in partnership with Robert Todd Lincoln,[8] and served in the Illinois House of Representatives[2]
• Mary Adeline Isham Prentice (1839-1913), the wife of Army Major Sartell Prentice[2]
• Henry Pierrepont Isham (1842-1897), a Chicago real estate broker and banker[2]