EATON

eaton, dorman bridgman (1823-1899), american lawyer, was born at hardwick, vermont, on the 27th of june 1823. he graduated at the university of vermont in 1848 and at the harvard law school in 1850, and in the latter year was admitted to the bar in new york city. there he became associated in practice with william kent, the son of the great chancellor, an edition of whose _commentaries_ he assisted in editing. eaton early became interested in municipal and civil service reform. he was conspicuous in the fight against tweed and his followers, by one of whom he was assaulted; he required a long period of rest, and went to europe, where he studied the workings of the civil service in various countries. from 1873 to 1875 he was a member of the first united states civil service commission. in 1877, at the request of president hayes, he made a careful study of the british civil service, and three years later published _civil service in great britain_. he drafted the pendleton civil service act of 1883, and later became a member of the new commission established by it. he resigned in 1885, but was almost immediately reappointed by president cleveland, and served until 1886, editing the 3rd and 4th _reports_ of the commission. he was an organizer (1878) of the first society for the furtherance of civil service reform in new york, of the national civil service reform association, and of the national conference of the unitarian church (1865). he died in new york city on the 23rd of december 1899, leaving $100,000 each to harvard and columbia universities for the establishments of professorships in government. he was a legal writer and editor, and a frequent contributor to the leading reviews. in addition to the works mentioned he published _should judges be elected?_ (1873), _the independent movement in new york_ (1880), _term and tenure of office_ (1882), _the spoils system and civil service reform_ (1882), _problems of police legislation_ (1895) and _the government of municipalities_ (1899). see the privately printed memorial volume, _dorman b. eaton_, 1823-1899 (new york, 1900).