From Landmarks of Monroe County, NY
by William F. Peck (1895)
Part I, p. 214 - 215

Hon. Francis A. Macomber, J. S. C., born in the town of Alabama, Genesee County, N. Y., April 5, 1837, was a son of William Macomber, an early settler and a prosperous farmer, upon the so-called "Oak openings" of that once famous wheat region. He spent his boyhood days upon his father's farm, and in attendance at the district schools of the neighborhood. He studied at what became the Oakfield seminary, and also a year under the tutelage of Prof. A. G. Williams, at Fayetteville, N. Y., and prepared for college at Middlebury academy in Wyoming, N. Y., where he had as classmates a number of young men who afterwards rose to positions of prominence. He entered the university of Rochester in 1855, and was graduated with honors and with the degree of Master of Arts, in the full classical course in 1859, winning several prizes during that period, one of them being first prize in the sophomore speaking contest. He was one of the first members of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, and throughout life took an active interest in its welfare. When a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was established in Rochester, he was honored with a key to that society. Immediately after his graduation Mr. Macomber began the study of law in the office of the late Judge Henry R. Selden, and commenced the practice of his profession in Rochester, in December, 1861, continuing successfully without a partner until 1878, when he was elected to the Supreme bench in the Seventh judicial district, the duties of which he assumed January 1, 1879. In February, 1888, he was appointed by Governor Hill to the appellate branch of the Supreme court, known as the general term of the Fifth judicial department. In November, 1892, his term of office expiring, he was again elected a justice of the Supreme court, receiving the endorsement and support of the Democratic as well as the Republican party. He held this position until his death, which occurred in Rochester after a prolonged illness, on October 13, 1893.
Judge Macomber stood in the front rank of his profession; as a lawyer he won success in general practice, but probably his greatest achievements were in the realm of patent law. His writings consist chiefly of legal opinions found in the law reports and in other works devoted to special subjects; and essays and orations delivered on various occasions. He always took a lively interest in public affairs, and especially in the growth and well-being of his alma mater, the university of Rochester, of which he was long a trustee, and which conferred upon him the degree of LL.D. on June 14, 1887.
Judge Macomber's first wife was a daughter of his legal preceptor, Judge Selden, who died leaving two children, Francis S., now a practicing attorney, and Augusta. He afterwards married Mary, daughter of the late Isaac Butts, of Rochester, who with three children from this union, survives him.