Frederic René Coudert II
Frederic R. Coudert, Jr. (1871–1955) was an American lawyer and partner of Coudert Brothers international law firm in New York.
Education and Coudert Brothers
Coudert attended Columbia University where he earned his A.B. (1890 or before), his law degree in 1891, and a Doctor of Philosophy in political science in 1894. In 1890 he joined Coudert Brothers as a partner being admitted to the New York Bar in 1892. He specialized in constitutional law and led the firm's involvement in landmark Supreme Court cases on foreign territories, such as the Insular Cases following the Spanish-American War. He would go on to manage the firm's Paris office, established in 1879 —the first by a U.S. law firm abroad—facilitating Franco-American corporate expansions and representing clients like the Rothschild family in estate and investment matters.
Role in the Spanish-American War of 1898
Coudert was a First Lieutenant and a Guardsman with New York's Squadron A, volunteering for federal service when the U.S. Military went to war with Spain in 1898. He led Troop A of the New York Volunteer Cavalry to Puerto Rico, stepping in as commander on June 1 when Captain Howard G. Badgley was ordered to the hospital and continued to command until return of the troop from Puerto Rico, September 10, 1898.[1] [2]
Life
From 1915 to 1920 he served as special assistant Attorney General of the U.S., and from 1915 to 1920 he was a legal advisor to the British Embassy. Coudert served as a trustee of Columbia University from 1912 to 1954. He was a member of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology, and served with Jane Addams on its Crime and Immigration Committee. Coudert wrote a book: Certainty and Justice; Studies of the Conflict Between Precedent and Progress in the Development of the Law (New York and London: D. Appleton & Co. 1913).[3][4]
Dedication of "Bear and Faun"
As President of the National Highways Protective Association, Coudert spoke, along with Parks Commissioner Cabot Ward, at the dedication ceremony on May 17, 1914 of the Alfred Lincoln Seligman sculpture known as "Bear and Faun" by Edgar Walter (1877–1938).[5]
Family
Coudert was born in 1871 to Frederic René Coudert (1832–1903) of New York and Elizabeth McCredy (1839–1925) of Philadelphia. He was one of four children and the only boy. In 1897 Coudert married Alice/Alys Tracy Wilmerding (1878–1962), a daughter of Ferdinand Suydam Wilmerding (1850–1877) and a granddaughter of Benjamin Tracy.[6] Together they had four sons: Frederic René Coudert, Jr. (1898–1972); Benjamin Tracy Coudert (1901–); Ferdinand Wilmerding Coudert (1909–1997); and Alexis Carrel Coudert (1914–1980).
References
- ↑ "Troop A New York Volunteer Cavalry Spanish-American War". museum.dmna.ny.gov. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Minuteman Minute by Rob Roulett: Lt. Frederic Coudert Spanish-American War Uniform". mwww.ngaus.org. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ "Coudert, Frederic René (1871-1955)". digital.janeaddams.ramapo.edu. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Certainty and Justice". archive.org. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Alfred Lincoln Seligman Fountain". nycgovparks.org. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Miss Wilmerding Married. General B.F. Tracy's Granddaughter Becomes the Bride of Frederic R. Coudert, Jr. THE CEREMONY WAS AT HOME Archbishop Corrigan Officiated -- Many Well-Known Society Persons Attended the Reception Held by the Young Couple". The New York Times. May 13, 1897.