Herman Ruggles Beardsley was born in
Kent, Connecticut on July 21, 1800, the son of Ephraim Beardsley and Hannah (Berry) Beardsley. Ephraim Beradsley's family moved to
Grand Isle, Vermont in the early 1800s, and his son was educated by private tutors, including
Asa Lyon. He studied at the
University of Vermont, and
read law with
Bates Turner,
Asa Aldis, and
John Smith of
St. Albans. Beardsley was
admitted to the bar in 1825, and practiced in St. Albans. In addition to serving in local offices including
justice of the peace, in 1834, Beardsley was elected to Vermont's
governor's council, and he served until 1835. In 1837, the University of Vermont awarded him the
honorary degree of
Master of Arts. Beardsley represented St. Albans in the
Vermont House of Representatives in 1848. In 1865, Beardsley was appointed to the
Vermont Supreme Court, filling the Associate Justice's position left vacant by the resignation of
Asa O. Aldis. He served for only a few months, and was not a candidate for appointment to a full term. He was succeeded on the court by
William C. Wilson. ==Family==