JAMES DUGGAN

1942 - 2022

DUGGAN--Justice James E. Retired New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice James E. Duggan, a public defender and law professor who brought a unique and influential perspective to the state's highest court, died on August 13, 2022 at his home in Amherst, NH. James Edward Duggan was born on August 26, 1942 in Laconia, NH and raised in Mamaroneck, NY where his parents, Margaret (Gibbons) and James J. Duggan taught at Rye Neck High School. He graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1964, and spent two years in the Peace Corps in Togo, West Africa. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1969 and was hired as a staff attorney at the District of Columbia's highly regarded Public Defender Service where he had worked as an investigator during law school. In 1974, he was recruited to open a public defender office in Manchester, NH, one of the first in the state. In 1977 Justice Duggan began teaching at what was then Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, NH where he helped expand the public defender's office statewide and founded the Appellate Defender Office, which represents indigent clients appealing their convictions to the state Supreme Court. As chief appellate defender, Duggan argued hundreds of cases in the same courtroom where he would later serve as a justice, building an unparalleled reputation as a trusted, no-non- sense advocate. He served on the Supreme Court from 2001 through 2011. To his fellow justices, Duggan was an "intellectual anchor" remembered not just for his scholarship but for his tireless support of access to justice for those of limited means and his commitment to fairness and integrity in the legal system. At what is now the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, Duggan was revered by students who found him to be brilliant, demanding, and kind. At the court, he thrived on the energy of his law clerks who saw Justice Duggan as more than a judge, but in their words, "a mentor, teacher and dear friend who has had a lasting impact on our lives." Jim was an avid reader, a gardener, and a talented painter. He spoke fluent French and loved to play golf, a "career" that began as a teenager when he caddied at the 1959 US Open at the Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck. Jim Duggan is survived by his wife, Helen Hartman of Amherst whom he married in 1978, his son, Brian Michael Duggan of Philadelphia, PA (wife Jill Pederson and son Alexander Duggan); his son, Brendan Hartman Duggan of Denver, CO; and his sister, Jane Duggan Ogle (husband Ken Ogle) of Los Gatos, CA. He was predeceased by his sons Kevin and Patrick. Donations in his name may be made to your local Boys & Girls Club.