U.S. District Judge Warren Eginton in 2016. Photo: Sean D. Elliot/The Day via AP

Known to his colleagues and friends as "Edge," U.S. District Judge Warren Eginton served for about 40 years on the federal bench in Connecticut. He was a powerhouse figure in the state's legal circles, and is being remembered for his fairness, his rapport with his fellow judges and his community outreach.

"He was the glue of our court," said U.S. District Judge Janet Hall. "I said that recently to toast him. He will forever be the glue of the court."

Eginton, who died Monday at age 95, was known for serving longer than any other federal judge in the state's history, with a stint from 1979 to 2019. He told colleagues at a Sept. 20 event that he had terminal cancer, and had no more than three months to live. He continued to serve as senior judge until his death.

"He was never going to retire," said fellow federal judge Janet Bond Arterton. "He retired the way he wanted to retire: The lights just went out."

Those who knew him described Eginton's passion for introducing high school students to the law.

"His legacy will be the work he undertook about 10 years ago, and that was to create what we call outreach between the court and the community," Hall said. "He focused on high school students. He'd bring them into court for moot courts and events. He'd also go out to high schools and speak to them. He did this into his 90s."

Eginton focused on collaboration, and working to make sure court staff felt they were part of a team. As federal judges, his colleagues said there are sometimes silos. But in his role as the senior federal judge, Eginton had worked hard to change that.

"We were quite isolated on the court," Arterton said Wednesday. "We are not a collective court, and so he took it upon himself to keep us bound together as a social group.

"He made sure that everyone's birthday was acknowledged," Arterton added. "He did the same thing for many occasions, including Valentine's Day. This Feb. 14, I will look for his Valentine's Day card, and be sorely disappointed."

The word around the court, Hall said, was that there was a waiting list for dinner dates with Eginton.

"The joke when I came onto the court was that if you wanted dinner with Edge, you'd arrange it six months ahead," Hall said. "He had a social life up into his 90s that would rival anyone. He was out almost every night, whether to the opera, dinners, the Yankees, or even Princeton games. He graduated from Princeton and was in charge of their reunions the last several decades."

Arterton said she saw Eginton's kindness and fairness early in her career.

"I started my law practice in 1978 and after I finished my clerkship I had the distinction of having Warren Eginton as opposing counsel in a labor dispute," Arterton recalled. "He was very experienced and I was not. He was, though, extremely gracious about getting us through the dispute in a professional manner. Even though I was inexperienced, he nonetheless was not going to take advantage of me. He took the better course of action, and gently pointed out the errors of my ways. I appreciated that."