John Garibaldi Sargent | Biography

John Garibaldi Sargent served as U.S. attorney general from 1925 to 1929 under President Calvin Coolidge. Sargent, a little known Vermont attorney with some state government experience, was well respected within the Republican Party for his efforts in getting both Coolidge and his predecessor Warren Harding elected president. His term as attorney general was relatively tranquil, in marked contrast to the Harding administration's problems with the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Sargent was born on October 13, 1860 in Ludlow, Vermont. He graduated from Tufts College in 1887 and then returned to Ludlow to study law. Although by the late nineteenth century most major universities had law schools, most attorneys continued to be educated through a legal apprenticeship. Sargent performed clerical duties, researched the law and was tutored by the attorney in the firm. This regimen of "reading the law" took as long or longer as attending law school, but Sargent earned a small income for his work. In 1890 he passed the Vermont bar exam and then practiced in the firm where he had apprenticed.

During the 1890s Sargent concentrated on developing his civil litigation skills but by the end of the decade he was serving at the local county attorney. However, his work in the criminal courts was brief. His former law partner, now governor of Vermont, appointed Sargent to a state government administrative post in 1900. Again Sargent's tenure was short. He returned to Ludlow in 1902 and concentrated his practice in the federal courts.

In 1908 the governor of Vermont appointed Sargent state attorney general. His term was unremarkable, possibly because he earned a master's degree from Tufts while serving as the state's top law enforcement official. When he returned Ludlow in 1913, Sargent decided to shift his sights to the national scene. Within a few years he transformed himself into an influential member of the Republican Party. He started by working for candidates in his region and then threw his financial support and connections to national candidates. He cemented his bond to Coolidge when he supported the Harding-Coolidge ticket in 1920. After Harding's death and Coolidge's ascension to president, Sargent had a friend in the White House. He had known the Coolidge family since his fraternity activities at college.

Despite this connection, Sargent almost lost his chance to become attorney general. In 1925 Coolidge nominated Charles B. Warren as his attorney general. However, Warren withdrew his name after the Senate grilled him about enforcing antitrust laws. Warren's business ties proved too much to overcome. Coolidge then turned to Sargent, who was easily confirmed.

Sargent's tenure as attorney general was unremarkable. The national economy was robust, the political scandals of Teapot Dome no longer dogged the department and political radicalism was moribund. However, Sargent was prescient in one area. In reviewing the mail fraud prosecution and conviction of Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican who offered a black nationalist vision to African Americans, Sargent was troubled by the methods J. Edgar Hoover had employed to win the case. Hoover, a high-ranking member of the Bureau of Investigation, had used wiretapping and other surreptitious activities to convict Garvey. Sargent expressed dismay at tactics that Hoover would use for the next 50 years.

After leaving office, Sargent returned to Vermont and his law firm. He died in Ludlow on March 5, 1939.