Samuel Blatchford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the university president and grandfather of Samuel Blatchford, see Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford.
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Samuel Blatchford
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| In office April 3, 1882 – July 7, 1893 |
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| Nominated by | Chester A. Arthur |
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| Preceded by | Ward Hunt |
| Succeeded by | Edward Douglass White |
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| Born | March 9, 1820 Auburn, New York |
| Died | July 7, 1893 (aged 73) Newport, Rhode Island |
| Spouse | Caroline Frances Appleton |
Samuel Blatchford (March 9, 1820–July 7, 1893) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from April 3, 1882 until his death.
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[edit] Early life
Blatchford was born in Auburn, New York, where his father was a well known attorney and friend of Daniel Webster. He was educated at Columbia College, graduating when he was 17 years old. In 1840, he served as the private secretary to Governor William H. Seward.
[edit] Legal career
Blatchford studied law while working for the governor and then entered into private practice with his father and uncle. In 1854, he moved to New York City and started a law firm, Blatchford, Seward & Griswold, now known as Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He became well known for preparing summaries of United States circuit court cases, serving for a time as reporter of decisions for the Circuit Court in New York, and developed a lucrative practice in admiralty law.
In May 1867, President Andrew Johnson appointed Blatchford to be a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. In 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes promoted Blatchford to serve as Circuit Judge of the Second U.S. Judicial Circuit to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Alexander S. Johnson.
In 1882, Blatchford was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States by President Chester A. Arthur after two other candidates, Senator George F. Edmunds and former Senator Roscoe Conkling, declined. Blatchford thus became the first person to serve at all three levels of the federal judiciary—as a District Judge, a Circuit Judge, and a Supreme Court Justice. When he became a Justice on March 13, 1882, it was estimated that his personal wealth exceeded $3 million, mostly held in real estate.
Blatchford was an expert in admiralty law and patent law, and authored Blatchford and Howland's Admiralty Cases, which was considered the most complete work of its kind. During his eleven-year tenure on the High Court he wrote 430 opinions and two dissents. His most noteworthy opinions, Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. v. Minnesota, and Budd v. People of New York, were roundly criticized for their apparently contradictory conclusions about due process under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Blatchford served as a trustee of Columbia College and enjoyed collecting calendars, almanacs and salt shakers. He married Caroline Frances Appleton in Boston in 1844. They had one son, Samuel Appleton Blatchford. Blatchford died in 1893 in Newport, Rhode Island, at age seventy-three.
[edit] References
- Judge Blatchford Dead, New York Times, July 8, 1893.
[edit] External links
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| Preceded by Ward Hunt |
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States April 3, 1882 – July 7, 1893 |
Succeeded by Edward Douglass White |
