Herbert C. Joyner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Herbert C. Joyner | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate for the South Berkshire district | |
| In office 1884–1886 | |
| Preceded by | John M. Seeley |
| Succeeded by | District eliminated |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 12, 1838 New Hartford, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 5, 1927 (aged 88) Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Party | Republican (until 1884) Democratic (1884–1927) |
| Alma mater | Charlotteville Seminary Troy Conference Academy |
Herbert Curtis Joyner (July 12, 1838 – January 5, 1927) was an American lawyer and politician who was a member of the Massachusetts Senate from 1884 to 1886 and the Democratic Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1902.
Joyner was born on July 12, 1838, in New Hartford, New York, to Newton and Mary A. (Curtis) Joyner. His great-grandfather, Octavius Joyner, and grandfather, Philo Joyner, represented Egremont, Massachusetts in the Massachusetts General Court.[1]
Joyner was educated in the New Hartford public schools, Charlotteville Seminary, and Troy Conference Academy. After completing school, Joyner worked as a teacher in New Jersey for two years.[2]
Legal career
In 1860, Joyner moved to Great Barrington, Massachusetts and studied law in the office of Thomas Twinning.[2] During the American Civil War, he served in the 49th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment for a year. He was admitted to the bar in 1865 and opened a law office in Great Barrington.[3]
Joyner was the defense attorney in most of the capital cases in Berkshire County.[2] In 1878, he defended John Ten Eyck, a black farm laborer who was convicted of killing an elderly couple in Sheffield, Massachusetts.[4] In 1893, he defended William Coy, who was accused of killing a co-worker he believed had an affair with his wife.[3][5] Coy was found guilty and hanged.[3] In 1901, he defended Robert S. Fosberg, who charged with manslaughter in the death of his sister. Following a high-profile trial, Fosberg was acquitted in a directed verdict.[3] That same year, he was a court appointed attorney for Daniel Leary, an inmate of the Pittsfield House of Correction who was accused of killing a corrections officer. Leary was found "not guilty by reason of insanity" and committed to the Hospital for Insane Criminals.[6] In 1907, he was appointed by the court to defend William M. Berry, who was charged with the murder of his wife, Rose. Berry was found insane and committed to the Hospital for Insane Criminals.[7]