Samuel Blatchford
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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.
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.
He 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. Eleven years later, President Rutherford B. Hayes promoted Blatchford to serve as a Circuit Court judge in New York.
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.
Blatchford served as a trustee of Columbia College and enjoyed collecting calendars and almanacs. He married Caroline Frances Appleton in Boston in 1844. They had one son, Samuel Appleton Blatchford.
[edit] References
- Judge Blatchford Dead, New York Times, July 8, 1893.
| 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 |
| The Waite Court |  |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1882–1887: | S.F. Miller | S.J. Field | J.P. Bradley | J.M. Harlan | Wm. B. Woods | Th. S. Matthews | H. Gray | S. Blatchford | |
| 1888: | S.F. Miller | S.J. Field | J.P. Bradley | J.M. Harlan | Th. S. Matthews | H. Gray | S. Blatchford | L.Q.C. Lamar II | |
| The Fuller Court | ||
| 1888–1889: | S.F. Miller | S.J. Field | J.P. Bradley | J.M. Harlan | Th. S. Matthews | H. Gray | S. Blatchford | L.Q.C. Lamar II | |
| 1890–1891: | S.J. Field | J.P. Bradley | J.M. Harlan | H. Gray | S. Blatchford | L.Q.C. Lamar II | D.J. Brewer | |
| 1891–1892: | S.J. Field | J.P. Bradley | J.M. Harlan | H. Gray | S. Blatchford | L.Q.C. Lamar II | D.J. Brewer | H.B. Brown | |
| 1892–1893: | S.J. Field | J.M. Harlan | H. Gray | S. Blatchford | L.Q.C. Lamar II | D.J. Brewer | H.B. Brown | Geo. Shiras, Jr. | |
| 1893: | S.J. Field | J.M. Harlan | H. Gray | S. Blatchford | D.J. Brewer | H.B. Brown | Geo. Shiras, Jr. | H.E. Jackson | |
