Judge Francis Bergan.

• Author: Graffeo, Victoria A.
• Position: Symposium: Judges on Judges: The New York State Court of Appeals Judges' Own Favorites in Court History - Testimonial

Good afternoon.

Thank you, very much, for having all of us here.

There was a part of my career that was missed in Judge Rosenblatt's introduction, because he couldn't cover all the jobs that I've had, but I have to tell you that I began my legal career at Tate, Tate, Miller and Ruthman, and Robert Miller, who was a partner and one of my mentors, is here, and I will always be grateful to him. He's a trustee of the Law School.

I thought it particularly appropriate to select an Albany Law School alumnus for this program. The Chief Judge had chosen Judge Cooke, so I am honored to highlight the enduring and remarkable contributions that have been made by the Honorable Francis Bergan, who served from 1964 to 1972, to the jurisprudence of New York and to the history of our Court.

Now, the chapter in the biographical book that Judge Rosenblatt spoke about was written by his son, Michael Bergan, who Presiding Justice Cardona, Judge Malone, and I know well, and I spoke to him several times last week, but he is not able to be with us today. I told him I would extend his regards to all of you. He put together a wonderful and insightful tribute to his father based on journals that he found in his father's apartment after he entered a nursing home. It is really a very touching chapter. I hope you'll all have a chance to read it.

Judge Bergan was born in 1902 in what was called the "limerick" section of the City of Albany, where his family lived above their grocery store. His love of learning and social awareness were nurtured by his family. The grandson of four Irish immigrants, he grew up listening to the stories of his family's struggles in Ireland and his grandfather's experiences as a Union soldier in the Civil War. But his mother had the greatest influence on his intellectual development and character, since his father had passed away when he was only seven. Carrying on the family's business after her husband's death, she served as a role model of perseverance and social responsibility--qualities that certainly described Judge Bergan.

Even as a young man, Francis displayed a keen interest in civil affairs--he regularly wrote to the editors of the local newspapers, and at 14, he was being published by several newspapers in the Capital District. By his senior year in high school, he was working as a staff reporter for the Knickerbocker Press, which was an Albany newspaper, and he wrote stories after school for publication in the next morning's...