Former chief justice of SJC, Herbert P. Wilkins, dies at 95
Wilkins was a Harvard University graduate, and editor of the Harvard Law Review, who went on to chair Concord's Board of Selectman for six years in the early '60s and to work as town counsel in Acton and Concord in the late '60s and early '70s.
'Appointed in 1972, Justice Wilkins served on the Supreme Judicial Court with great distinction for almost three decades,' the justices said in their collective statement.
'As a jurist, he was known for his incisive rulings and meticulous attention to detail,' the statement said. 'His respectful and polite demeanor on and off the bench earned him the respect and admiration of all who worked with him.'
'The people of the Commonwealth are fortunate that a person of his intellect, dignity and commitment to justice was willing to devote his talents in their service,' the justices said.
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They offered their 'deep condolences' to Wilkins' family.
When Wilkins was nominated as chief justice in July 1996, he had been an associate justice for 24 years, the longest tenure of any associate at the time.
Governor William F. Weld appointed Wilkins to the position later that year.
Wilkins served as chief justice until he retired in 1999.
In retirement, Wilkins taught law at Boston College.
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Wilkins followed in his father's footsteps. Both men graduated from Harvard, and Raymond Sanger Wilkins also served as chief justice of the state's high court, from 1956 to 1970.
The younger Wilkins earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard in 1951 and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard law School in 1954.
Before he was a judge, Wilkins was an associate and partner in the Palmer & Dodge law firm in Boston.
It was while Wilkins was chair of the planning board in Concord that the National Historic Sites Commission set its sights on the Lexington and Concord area for the creation of a national park.
At that point, Wilkins said he 'was already deeply involved with the plans for the park,' according to
In January 1959, Wilkins 'outlined the general scheme' for the park for the Concord Journal, which included a map 'which is pretty much along the lines of exactly what the park now consists of,' Wilkins said in the interview.
Nine months later, on Sept. 21, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill establishing Minute Man National Historical Park as a national park.
As a jurist, Wilkins was twice recognized by the Boston Bar Association.
In 1991, the association presented Wilkins with the prestigious Haskell Cohn Award for distinguished judicial service, and in 1997 he received a citation of judicial excellence.
Wilkins is a former president of Harvard College's board of overseers and former trustee of Milton Academy and Phillips Exeter Academy.
No information was immediately available about funeral services.
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