Pardon Elisha Tillinghast

author

Pardon Elisha Tillinghast

1836–1905

A Civil War veteran, lawyer, legislator, and judge, he moved through public life in Rhode Island with unusual range. He is best remembered both for his memoir of the Twelfth Rhode Island Volunteers and for his years on the state Supreme Court, including a brief term as chief justice.

1 Audiobook

Reminiscences of service with the Twelfth Rhode Island Volunteers, and a memorial of Col. George H. Browne

Reminiscences of service with the Twelfth Rhode Island Volunteers, and a memorial of Col. George H. Browne

by Pardon Elisha Tillinghast

About the author

Born in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, on December 10, 1836, Pardon Elisha Tillinghast built a career that crossed military service, politics, law, and writing. He later married Ellen F. Paine, and they had four children.

During the Civil War, he served with the Twelfth Rhode Island Volunteers, rising from private to quartermaster sergeant. In 1885 he published Reminiscences of Service with the Twelfth Rhode Island Volunteers, and a Memorial of Col. George H. Browne, a firsthand account that helped preserve the experience of his regiment.

Tillinghast also served several terms in the Rhode Island General Assembly before joining the state Supreme Court in 1881. He moved into the appellate division in 1891 and became chief justice in 1904, serving until his death in Pawtucket on February 9, 1905.