William Rawle: Difference between revisions

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Rawle founded The Rawle Law Offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1783, and this firm has continued to the present day as the oldest law firm in the United States, [[Rawle & Henderson]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gonzalez |first1=Sabrina |title=Rawle & Henderson moves to new Wilmington office |url=https://delawarebusinesstimes.com/news/rawle-henderson-wilmington/ |website=delawarebusinesstimes.com |publisher=Delaware Business Times |access-date=14 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="papers"/> In October 1787,{{sfn|Glenn|1900|p=168}} he was elected as a [[Federalist Party|Federalist]] member of the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly|Pennsylvania Assembly]] and served for one year.<ref name=PennArchives/>
Rawle founded The Rawle Law Offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1783, and this firm has continued to the present day as the oldest law firm in the United States, [[Rawle & Henderson]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gonzalez |first1=Sabrina |title=Rawle & Henderson moves to new Wilmington office |url=https://delawarebusinesstimes.com/news/rawle-henderson-wilmington/ |website=delawarebusinesstimes.com |publisher=Delaware Business Times |access-date=14 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="papers"/> In October 1787,{{sfn|Glenn|1900|p=168}} he was elected as a [[Federalist Party|Federalist]] member of the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly|Pennsylvania Assembly]] and served for one year.<ref name=PennArchives/>


In 1791 [[George Washington|President Washington]] appointed him [[United States Attorney|United States district attorney]] for [[Pennsylvania]]. He was offered the position of [[United States Attorney General]] by Washington, but Rawles declined.{{sfn|Glenn|1900|p=168}} He served from 1791 to 1800{{sfn|Glenn|1900|p=168}} and was instrumental in the prosecution of the leaders of the [[Whiskey Rebellion|Whiskey Insurrection]].
In 1791 [[George Washington|President Washington]] appointed him [[United States Attorney|United States district attorney]] for [[Pennsylvania]]. He was offered the position of [[United States Attorney General]] by Washington, but Rawles declined.{{sfn|Glenn|1900|p=168}} He served from 1791 to 1800{{sfn|Glenn|1900|p=168}} and was instrumental in the prosecution of the leaders of the [[Whiskey Rebellion|Whiskey Insurrection]] and the [[Fries's Rebellion]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Levy |first1=Leonard W. |title=Rawle, William (1759-1836) |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/politics/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rawle-william-1759-1836 |website=www.encylopedia.com |publisher=Encyclopedia.com |access-date=17 January 2024}}</ref>


He also served as counsel for the [[First Bank of the United States]]. In 1830, Rawle assisted in revisions to the civil code of Pennsylvania. He was interested in [[science]], [[philanthropy]], and [[education]], and was active in groups supporting these areas. He was a founder and first president of the [[Historical Society of Pennsylvania]],{{sfn|Wharton|1840|pp=31-32}} president of the [[Pennsylvania Abolition Society]], a member of the [[American Philosophical Society]],<ref name=aps>{{ cite journal |author=The American Philosophical Society |title=Obituary Notice (Rawle's name appears fifth on the list) |journal= [[American Philosophical Society#Publications|Transactions of the American Philosophical Society]] |year=1837 |volume=V.—New Series. |page=ix |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35957887#page/15/mode/1up|accessdate=3 September 2015}}</ref>{{sfn|Wharton|1840|p=22}} a member of the Board of Directors of the [[Library Company of Philadelphia]],{{sfn|Wharton|1840|p=28}} a founder of the [[Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts|Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts]],{{sfn|Glenn|1900|p=169}} and for forty years served as a [[trustee]] of the [[University of Pennsylvania]].{{sfn|Wharton|1840|p=27}}
He also served as counsel for the [[First Bank of the United States]]. In 1830, Rawle assisted in revisions to the civil code of Pennsylvania. He was interested in [[science]], [[philanthropy]], and [[education]], and was active in groups supporting these areas. He was a founder and first president of the [[Historical Society of Pennsylvania]],{{sfn|Wharton|1840|pp=31-32}} president of the [[Pennsylvania Abolition Society]], a member of the [[American Philosophical Society]],<ref name=aps>{{ cite journal |author=The American Philosophical Society |title=Obituary Notice (Rawle's name appears fifth on the list) |journal= [[American Philosophical Society#Publications|Transactions of the American Philosophical Society]] |year=1837 |volume=V.—New Series. |page=ix |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35957887#page/15/mode/1up|accessdate=3 September 2015}}</ref>{{sfn|Wharton|1840|p=22}} a member of the Board of Directors of the [[Library Company of Philadelphia]],{{sfn|Wharton|1840|p=28}} a founder of the [[Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts|Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts]],{{sfn|Glenn|1900|p=169}} and for forty years served as a [[trustee]] of the [[University of Pennsylvania]].{{sfn|Wharton|1840|p=27}}

Revision as of 14:41, 17 January 2024

William Rawle
Portrait of Rawle by Benjamin West
U.S. District Attorney for Pennsylvania
In office
1791–1800
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byJared Ingersoll
Personal details
Born(1759-04-28)April 28, 1759
Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania, British America
DiedApril 12, 1836(1836-04-12) (aged 76)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting placeLaurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
RelationsFrancis Rawle (great-grandfather)
Children12
Parent(s)Francis Rawle
Rebecca Warner

William Rawle (April 28, 1759 – April 12, 1836) was an American lawyer from Philadelphia, who served as United States district attorney in Pennsylvania from 1791 to 1800. He founded The Rawle Law Offices in 1798 which evolved into Rawle & Henderson, the oldest law firm in the United States. He was a founder and first president of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, and a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania for 40 years.

As a Quaker, he was an ardent abolitionist and was a founder and president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society. He also served as president of the Maryland Society for the Abolition of Society and argued before the Supreme Court of the United States in 1805 against the constitutionality of slavery.

Early life and education

Rawle was born in on April 28, 1758, in Philadelphia, to Francis Rawle and Rebecca (Warner) Rawle.[1] His father died when William was 2 years old and his stepfather, Samuel Shoemaker, was a British Loyalist and mayor of Philadelphia during the British occupation of the city during the American Revolutionary War. He attended Friends Academy in Philadelphia.[2] Rawles and his family fled to New York when the British abandoned the city in 1778.[3] He studied law in New York and sailed to Europe in 1781 to continue his legal education and attended the Middle Temple in London at the recommendation of William Eden.[2] His letters at the time show that he was frustrated that equality in England was less than in the United States.[4] He returned to Philadelphia in 1783 and was admitted to the bar.[5]

He received honorary LL.D. degrees from Princeton University in 1827 andDartmouth College in 1828.[6]

Career

Rawle founded The Rawle Law Offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1783, and this firm has continued to the present day as the oldest law firm in the United States, Rawle & Henderson.[7][8] In October 1787,[9] he was elected as a Federalist member of the Pennsylvania Assembly and served for one year.[3]

In 1791 President Washington appointed him United States district attorney for Pennsylvania. He was offered the position of United States Attorney General by Washington, but Rawles declined.[9] He served from 1791 to 1800[9] and was instrumental in the prosecution of the leaders of the Whiskey Insurrection and the Fries's Rebellion.[10]

He also served as counsel for the First Bank of the United States. In 1830, Rawle assisted in revisions to the civil code of Pennsylvania. He was interested in science, philanthropy, and education, and was active in groups supporting these areas. He was a founder and first president of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania,[11] president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, a member of the American Philosophical Society,[12][13] a member of the Board of Directors of the Library Company of Philadelphia,[14] a founder of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts,[15] and for forty years served as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania.[16]

He was an abolitionist and was a founding member of the Quaker Society that in 1775 advocated for slavery to be abolished. This society became the Pennsylania Abolition Society and Rawle served as president for the organization and the Maryland Society for the Abolition of Slavery. In 1805, he argued before the United States Supreme Court against the concept that slavery was constitutional.[17]

Rawle died on April 12, 1836, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[6]

Personal life

Coat of Arms of William Rawle

In 1783, he was married to Sarah Coates Burge and together they had twelve children.[1] Their son William Rawle Jr., followed his father into the legal profession and married Mary Anna Tilghman, the granddaughter of Chief Justice Benjamin Chew.[8]

His great-grandfather was Francis Rawle,[18] who authored some early pamphlets printed by Benjamin Franklin before he started his own business.[8] Rawle's family were Cornish American members of the Religious Society of Friends (known as "Quakers"), originating in the parish of St Juliot, Cornwall.[19]

In 1844, his 27-acre estate in Philadelphia was purchased by Laurel Hill Cemetery and used as an extension of the cemetery originally named South Laurel Hill.[20]

Descendants

Through his son William, he was the grandfather of attorney William Henry Rawle, who married Mary Binney Cadwalader, whose father was the U.S. Representative and Judge John Cadwalader. Their daughter, novelist Mary Cadwalader Rawle, was married to Frederic Rhinelander Jones, the brother of the novelist Edith (Jones) Wharton, and their daughter was renowned landscape architect Beatrix Farrand.[8]

Legacy

Rawle & Henderson law practice named their William Rawle Community Service Award in Rawle's honor.[17]

Published works

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Glenn 1900, p. 185.
  2. ^ a b Glenn 1900, p. 159.
  3. ^ a b "William Rawle 1759-1836". archives.upenn.edu. University Archives and Records Center. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  4. ^ "A lawyer's quest to preserve the past, fight for equality". www.inquirer.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  5. ^ Glenn 1900, pp. 166–167.
  6. ^ a b Glenn 1900, p. 170.
  7. ^ Gonzalez, Sabrina. "Rawle & Henderson moves to new Wilmington office". delawarebusinesstimes.com. Delaware Business Times. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "Rawle Family Papers, 1682-1921" (PDF). Collection 536. Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c Glenn 1900, p. 168.
  10. ^ Levy, Leonard W. "Rawle, William (1759-1836)". www.encylopedia.com. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  11. ^ Wharton 1840, pp. 31–32.
  12. ^ The American Philosophical Society (1837). "Obituary Notice (Rawle's name appears fifth on the list)". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. V.—New Series. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: ix. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  13. ^ Wharton 1840, p. 22.
  14. ^ Wharton 1840, p. 28.
  15. ^ Glenn 1900, p. 169.
  16. ^ Wharton 1840, p. 27.
  17. ^ a b "William Rawle Community Service Award". rawle.com. Rawle & Henderson LLP. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  18. ^ Glenn 1900, pp. 184–185.
  19. ^ Rowse, A.L. The Cousin Jacks, The Cornish in America, 1969
  20. ^ National Historic Landmark Nomination, Aaron V. Wunsch, National Park Service, 1998.

Sources

External links

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