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DOWNS, Nichols Curtis,
Lawyer, Jurist.
As a leader of the Fairfield county bar,
the former judge of the City Court of
Stamford, the man whose name stands at
the head of this article requires no introduction
to his fellow-citizens. Emi-
nent in his profession, Mr. Downs has for
many years borne an active part in the
political life of his community, and has
for some time held the office of town
counsel.
The surname of Downs is one of the
class which had its origin in a natural
object, that is, from Dune or Dunes,
meaning a sandy hill. One of the earliest
American ancestors was John Downs,
who came from Cornwall, England, and
was early settled in New Haven, Connec-
ticut, records showing that he was there
as early as 1645. He was one of the
judges who signed the death warrant of
Charles I, and he was a descendant of
Robert le Dunes, who was born about
1220.
(I) The great-grandfather of Judge
Downs was Deacon Eben Downs, who
removed from West Haven to Southbury,
Connecticut. There he was among the
first settlers, and in 1831 removed to
South Britain.
(II) Smith Downs, son of Deacon Eben
Downs, married, November 27, 1808,
Mary Anna Stiles.
(III) Monroe Devine Downs, son of
Smith and Mary Anna (Stiles) Downs,
was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and
for a time attended the school in Cheshire.
While still a young man, he went to North
Dakota and there spent his remaining
years. He married Charlotte Nichols
Curtis, a sister of Julius B. Curtis, whose
biography with genealogy appears elsewhere
in this work.
(IV) Nichols Curtis Downs, son of
Monroe Devine and Charlotte Nichols
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
320
(Curtis) Downs, was born December 12,
1 861, in the town of Newton, and received
his education in the public schools of his
birthplace and the Newton Academy.
Subsequently he studied law under the
guidance of his uncle, Julius B. Curtis, of
Stamford, a most able preceptor, and on
May 15, 1884, was admitted to the Fair-
field county bar. Ever since he became a
member of the bar, Mr. Downs has de-
voted himself assiduously to the practice
of his chosen profession, advancing as the
years went on to the position of acknowledged
leadership which he has so long oc-
cupied.
Three years after he began practice, Mr.
Downs was appointed deputy judge of the
Borough Court of Stamford, and in 1893,
when the borough was incorporated as
a city, he received the appointment of
judge of the City Court, an office which
he retained until 1907. From 1887 to 1891
he served as borough attorney of Stam-
ford and from 1893 to 1898 was corpora-
tion counsel of the city. He has served
several terms as town counsel, and was
again appointed, which position he still
retains. As trial counsel, Mr. Downs
stands in the front rank, having bestowed
special care and thought on this branch
of his work. Always public-spirited, he
was for five years a member of the National
Guard. In politics he has always
been a Republican, and for many years
was chairman of the local Republican
committee.
Mr. Downs married, August 19, 191 1,
Florence M. Houghton, daughter of Jerome
Monrow and Susan A. (Cole)
Houghton, of Galion, Ohio.
Finding in the sphere of the profession
of his choice a wide and congenial field
for the exercise of his talents and ener-
gies, Mr. Downs has there concentrated
his activities with results of a nature most
satisfactory both to himself and to his
community.