THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR. 169 



spected families in the county ; a graduate of Bowdoin 

 college in 1843 ; after teaching, two years, a school in 

 his native town, he entered the law office of Hon. Jona- 

 than C. Perkins of Salem, and there pursued his studies. 

 In 1847 was admitted to the Essex bar, and entered into 

 law partnership with William D. Northend of Salem, 

 under the firm name of Northend & Choate, which was 

 continued until his appointment of Judge of Probate and 

 Insolvency for the county of Essex, in 1858. This office 

 he held until the time of his death. 



Judge Choate possessed in an eminent degree the 

 qualities of mind and the temperament essential in the 

 performance of judicial duties; always dispassionate and 

 self-possessed, he tried cases with great patience and im- 

 partiality and was very frequently called to act as arbitra- 

 tor by parties as well as courts. He was a careful and 

 industrious student, well grounded in the principles of 

 common law, modest and unassuming in his manners. 

 He took a deep interest in the cause of education, and 

 served on the Board of School Committee of Salem four- 

 teen years, and he was for many years previous to the time 

 of his death a trustee of Dummer Academy. 



Admitted to membership, Dec. 19, 1870. 



GEORGE ROBINSON EMMERTON died very suddenly on 

 Tuesday morning, May 22, 1888, at his residence in 

 Salem. He was the son of Ephraim and Mary Ann 

 (Sage) Emmerton, one of Salem's distinguished mer- 

 chants of the past generation. He was born in Salem, 

 Feb. 9, 1836, and was educated at her schools; thence 

 went to the busy counting room of Glidden & Williams, 

 of Boston, and had his full share of the bustle of early 

 California freighting times. 



He was intensely patriotic ; when the civil war broke 



