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 CHARLES COOPER NOTT OTT, CHARLES COOPER, judge of the Court of Claims by appointment of President Lincoln and chief justice of the court by appointment of President Cleveland, was born in Schenectady, New York, September 16, 1827. His father, Joel Benedict Nott (1797-1878) was a graduate and professor of chemistry, Union college, 1817-31; farmer in Guilderland, Albany county, 1831-78; member of the state assembly, 1850; president of the State Agricultural Society, 1841. He was married, in 1826, to Margaret Tayler, daughter of Doctor Charles D. and Margaret (Van Valkenburg) Cooper and a neice and adopted daughter of Lieutenant-Governor John Tayler of Albany. His grandfather, Doctor Eliphalet Nott (1773-1866) president of Union college, 1804-52, married in 1796 Sallie, daughter of the Reverend Joel Benedict, of Plainfield, Connecticut. His first American ancestor, John Nott, emigrated from England to Wethersfield, Connecticut in 1640.

Charles Cooper Nott was brought up on a farm where active manual labor greatly strengthened his delicate constitution. He was graduated at Union college, A.B., 1848; studied law one year in Albany, New York, in the office of John V. L. Pruyn, subsequently chancellor of the University of the State of New York, and was admitted to the bar in 1850. He held various public offices in New York city, including trustee of public schools, notary public, loan commissioner, commissioner for revision of the public school system of New York city.

In 1860 he brought to New York Abraham Lincoln, then little known in the Empire city except for his joint canvass with Stephen A. Douglas for election to the United States senate in 1858. Mr. Lincoln's "Cooper Institute Address" delivered in February secured his nomination for the presidency. When the Civil war came, Mr Nott joined the Federal army as captain in the Fremont Hussars in Missouri and was transferred to the 5th Iowa cavalry. He was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 131st New York volunteers in 1862 and colonel in the 176th New York volunteers in 1863. He was taken prisoner at the capture of Brashear City, Louisiana, June,