He was born on March 23, 1852, in
Deerpark, New York to Lewis Cuddeback (1807–1889) and Caroline Lee Thompson (1820–1877). He was educated at Goshen Academy and graduated from
Cornell University in 1874. He was admitted to the bar in 1877, and practiced in Goshen until 1885, when he moved to
Buffalo, New York. He was Chairman of the Democratic Committee of Buffalo from 1895 to 1896, and Corporation Counsel of Buffalo from 1898 to 1902. In
1912, he was elected on the
Democratic and
Independence League tickets to the
New York Court of Appeals, defeating Progressive
George Kirchwey. During his tenure he concurred on landmark cases written by his colleague
Benjamin Cardozo, including
MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co. and
Wood v. Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon. He died on August 16, 1919, in
Goshen, New York. He was succeeded by
Abram I. Elkus whom Governor
Alfred E. Smith appointed to complete his term. He was buried in
Slate Hill Cemetery in
Goshen, New York. ==References==