Matthew Birchard (June 19, 1804–June 16, 1876) was a judge in the U.S. State of Ohio who was an Ohio Supreme Court Judge 1842-1849.
Matthew Birchard was born in Becket, Massachusetts, and came to Trumbull County, Ohio, near Warren at age eight.[1] He was admitted to the bar in 1828, and formed a partnership with future governor David Tod,[1] and six years later was elected Common Pleas Judge.[2]
Birchard accepted an appointment with the Federal Government for a time from his friend Andrew Jackson,first as Solicitor for the General Land Office, and then to succeed Henry D. Gilpin as Solicitor of the United States Treasury.[1][3] He returned to Warren in 1841. He was elected from Trumbull County by the Ohio General Assembly as a judge of the Ohio Supreme Court for a seven year term, and served 1842-1849.[4]
He was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1853 and served in the 51st General Assembly, 1854-1855.[5]
In 1867, Birchard purchased the newspaper Warren Constitution and ran it with his son until his death in 1876 in Warren.[1]
One author appraised Birchard thusly : "His written opinions are characterized by felicity of expression and perspicuity of thought. His pertinacity has been bluntly denominated stubbornness."[2] Another opined : "The opinions of Judge Birchard were characterized by fluency of expression and clearness of logic. He was known as a man of strong convictions, great will of power, and possessed pertinacity of the sort that causes one juror out of twelve to dissent from the opinion of colleagues."[4] While a third stated: "...his opinions show him to have been a man of learning and research, with a strong sense of justice."[1]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peter Hitchcock |
Ohio Supreme Court Judges 1842-1849 |
Succeeded by Rufus Paine Spalding |
| Ohio House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by F. E. Stone |
Representative from Trumbull County 1854-1855 |
Succeeded by George T. Townsend Ralph Plumb |