Charles Hiller Innes
Portrait by the artist Howard Chandler Christy on display at Suffolk University's Sawyer Library
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
In office
1899–1900
Succeeded byJohn Andrew Sullivan
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office
1897–1898
Member of the Boston Common Council
In office
1896–1896
Personal details
BornAugust 6, 1870
Boston, Massachusetts
DiedMay 27, 1939 (aged 68)
Resting placeForest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
RelativesCharles John Innes (son)

Charles Hiller Innes (August 6, 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts – May 27, 1939) was a lawyer and politician who led the Massachusetts Republican Party during the 1910s and 1920s.

Innes graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1892. He was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts in 1892 and to the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1901. In 1898 he and a classmate, James H. Vahey, started their own firm. They were joined by Philip Mansfield in 1905.[1]

Upon his graduation from law school, Innes conducted evening courses in his law office for the preparation of candidates for the bar. These classes were the first evening courses of their kind established in the state; furthermore, Innes founded the first night law school in the United States known as the Charles H. Innes Law Association.[2] Innes' vision was to have a night law school that would be open to all mankind. More than nine hundred members of the Massachusetts Bar and bench were trained in Innes' night law school.

Politics

In 1896, Innes was elected to the Boston City Council and from 1897-1898, Innes served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He served two terms in the Massachusetts State Senate from 1899-1900.[3] Innes was Chairman of the Republican State Committee and a Delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920 and 1924, as well as counsel for the Republican National Committee. He was defeated in his bid to be a delegate to 1928 convention by Henry Parkman Jr., who ran a high-profile campaign against Innes, claiming that "Innes does not represent the party, but only a small number who have made a business out of politics".[4][5]

According to theatre critic Elliot Norton, "Charles H. Innes was considered the afternoon mayor of Boston,” due to his political influence [6] He was noted for his leadership of the Republican Party in Massachusetts. He was known as a practical politician, and his leadership was indispensable to making Republicans such as Calvin Coolidge and Channing Cox governors of Massachusetts.[7] In addition, Innes played a key role in securing passage of the bill that provided the funding for the construction of the Cape Cod Canal.[8]

Legacy

In 1928, the Charles H. Innes Law Association presented $5000 to Boston University Law School for the establishment of the Charles H. Innes Law Association Scholarship.

The Charles H. Innes Memorial Underpass was dedicated to Innes in honor of his career in public service and it is located at the roundabout where Huntington Avenue passes under Massachusetts Avenue in Boston.[9] A bronze plaque in his honor reads: "The Charles H. Innes Memorial Underpass, Dedicated to the memory of Charles Hiller Innes, 1870-1939, Lawyer - Legislator, Teacher of Law, Prominent in affairs of the city, state and nation. Noted for his capacity for friendship and his lifetime of devotion to the interests of the people of this district. November 6, 1941."

Charles Hiller Innes is interred in Forest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.

References

  1. ↑ "Made Lasting Reputations For Themselves: James H. Vahey and Thomas F. Vahey Came from Prominent Watertown Family--Leaders in Town Affairs--What the Two Distinguished Brothers Have Accomplished--Their Home Life". The Boston Daily Globe. January 22, 1905.
  2. ↑ Collins, Edwin F. "Democratic Mayors were Cordial to Innes." 4 June 1939. The Boston Globe.
  3. ↑ Boston Public Library, "BPL - Special Collections Descriptions". Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  4. ↑ "Hoover Sweeps State: Parkman Beats Innes". The Boston Daily Globe. April 25, 1928.
  5. ↑ "Victory of Parkman Makes Him a Power". The Boston Daily Globe. April 25, 1928.
  6. ↑ Norton, Elliot. "Broadway Down East." 1978. Boston Public Library: Boston
  7. ↑ Collins, Edwin F. "Democratic Mayors were Cordial to Innes." 4 June 1939. The Boston Globe.
  8. ↑ Reid, William James. The Building of the Cape Cod Canal. 1961
  9. ↑ Waymarking.com http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM8JQM_WPA_Charles_H_Innes_Memorial_Underpass_Massachusetts_and_Huntington_Aves_Boston_MA
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