Program

NYS Historic, Pomeroy Education Program

Subject

House, People, Site

Location

155 N Clinton St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, USA

Lat/Long

41.710832, -73.918586

Grant Recipient

Arlington High School

Gaius C. Bolin, Sr. was born on September 10^th, 1864, in Poughkeepsie, NY, during the Civil War. He attended schools in Poughkeepsie and graduated from High School in 1883. He went on to attend Williams College in Massachusetts, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1889. Williams College remembers Bolin as their first Black student and graduate. He then began his legal career, initially working for a law office in Poughkeepsie, and then was admitted to the bar in December of 1892. He opened his own office and practiced out of it until his death in 1946. As early as 1900, Gaius C. Bolin is listed on the U.S. Census as living in the home at 143 N. Clinton St. (now number 153), with lawyer as his listed profession.

In an interview with The Poughkeepsie New Yorker in 1943 he reminisced on 51 years of practicing law in Poughkeepsie. He recalled his father being raised among Quakers and credited this for his strong convictions. He believed that “The wayward… are more often than not the victims of flaws in their heredity… and justice should be tempered with mercy” (November 21, 1943). He worked as a defense lawyer for at least two high profile trials involving African American defendants.

Bolin was also appointed in 1899 by Governor Theodore Roosevelt to the board of general managers of the New York State exhibit for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, and he remembered selecting the New York State Building, the only permanent structure from the exposition.

Bolin worked as a lawyer in the city of Poughkeepsie until his death in April of 1946, totaling 54 years of service. In his last year, he was elected president of the Dutchess County Bar Association. A strong advocate for Civil Rights and African American advancement, he was remembered in his obituary for being “fearless in advancing their cause and protecting their rights”. By the time of his death at 81 years old, Bolin “felt in the later years… that some progress had been made” (“Gaius C. Bolin, Sr.”, Poughkeepsie New Yorker, April 17, 1946).

The student-led application for this grant came from students at Arlington High School, led by instructor Robert McHugh. The students researched Gaius C. Bolin, then gathered and submitted the required materials for the historical marker as part of our Pomeroy Education Program.