Kurnal Rufus Babbitt (1864-1920)

Portrait from Noted Men of the West, 1902.

   The following biography marks a return to Colorado to examine the life of attorney Kurnal Rufus Babbitt, and after locating several sources listing him as "Judge Kurnal R. Babbitt", I was led to believe that at some point he'd served as a jurist. While this turned out to not be the case, Babbitt was referred to as judge due to his 1894 candidacy for judge of the District Court of Colorado, an election he lost by a few thousand votes. Following this defeat, Babbitt was a resident of New York City, where he gained additional distinction as a leading attorney in the city. 

   A native of Michigan, Kurnal Rufus Babbitt was born in Salem, Washtenaw County on June 25, 1864, being the son of Rufus and Ellen Lorena (Cady) Babbitt. He would attend the Michigan State Normal School (graduating in 1884) and after deciding on becoming a lawyer, enrolled at the Columbian University in New York. He earned his bachelor of laws degree in 1889 and shortly after graduating removed to Washington, D.C. to accept a position in the U.S. Post Office Department.

  Babbitt's time in Washington extended until 1891, whereafter he went west to Colorado. First settling in Aspen, he opened a law practice here and later took an interest not only in Colorado's mining opportunities but mining law. Through the 1890s and 1900s, Babbitt became well known throughout the country through his "specialized knowledge of mining law", a reputation that "drew to him as clients many of the largest mine owners and mining companies."

  In 1894 Babbitt made his lone instance of entering politics, in that year becoming a candidate for District Court judge for Colorado's 4th judicial district. A brief mention of his candidacy in the November 15 Rocky Ford Enterprise lists him as a candidate not only of the Democratic party but also the Populists, and his opponent that year was Republican Ira Harris. Babbitt would lose out at the polls that November, garnering 7,355 votes to Harris' winning total of 10, 472. Despite his loss, Babbitt would be referred to as "judge" by many sources of the time, with his New York County Bar Association obituary noting that:

"From that time on, he was called Judge Babbitt. He was rightfully called Judge, fore he was judicial in his thoughts, in his advice and in his conduct.

From the Political Campaigns of Colorado.

   In the year following his candidacy, Kurnal Babbitt married to Lucie Cullyford (1863-1937) and later had three children, Eleanor, Genevieve (1900-1957), and Theodore. Babbitt continued to reside in Colorado until 1908, whereafter he removed to New York City, and for the next decade built up another impressive law practice, being a "General Counsel for many very large corporations and important banking interests." 

   The last year of Babbitt's life saw him in a state of impaired health, being afflicted with a "complication of disorders". He died at his New York City home on January 24, 1920, aged 55, and was survived by his wife Lucie. His remains were later returned to Michigan for burial in the Babbitt family plot at the Rural Hill Cemetery in Northville. Proving that he was a far from forgotten public figure, the town of Argo, Minnesota later changed its name to Babbitt in his honor, and still exists today.

From the New York Sun, January 25, 1920.