Hampton L. Carson (lawyer)

Hampton Lawrence Carson
Attorney General of Pennsylvania
In office January 21, 1903 – January 16, 1907
Governor	Samuel W. Pennypacker
Preceded by	John P. Elkin
Succeeded by	Moses Hampton Todd
Personal details
Born	(1852-02-21)February 21, 1852 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	July 18, 1929(1929-07-18) (aged 77) Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting place	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Spouse	Anna Lea Baker
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania

Hampton Lawrence Carson (February 21, 1852 – July 18, 1929) was an influential Pennsylvania lawyer, legal scholar and historian. In addition to his private practice, he served as professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania, state Attorney General, president of the American Bar Association, and president of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Carson argued numerous cases before the Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania and the United States. Noted cases included arguing (unsuccessfully) Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock and offering for probate the William Weightman will.

Carson was also noted for his extensive collection of legal papers, books, documents, and portraits.

Biography

Carson was born on February 21, 1852, in Philadelphia to Dr. Joseph Carson and Mary Hollingsworth. His father was a professor in medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, whose grandfather had emigrated to Philadelphia in the 1740s. Carson's mother, born Mary Hollingsworth, was a descendant of Henry Hollingsworth, deputy surveyor for William Penn.

Carson was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1871, and its law school in 1874. He taught at the University of Pennsylvania from 1895 to 1903 and then entered private practice. He was a partner in several firms and specialized in estate law. He edited the Legal Gazette. He was a professor with the Penn Law School, 1895–1901. He was appointed state attorney general in 1903 by Governor Samuel Pennypacker and served until 1907.

He served as president of the American Bar Association from 1919 to 1921 and as chairman of the sub-committee of the Pennsylvania Commission on Constitutional Amendment and Revision. He served as president of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania from 1921 until his death in 1929.

Personal life

Carson married Anna Lee Baker in 1880 and together they had 5 children. One son, Joseph, became a lawyer and practiced law with his father. He was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in that same year.

He is buried in Section J, Lot 217 at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Bibliography

• The Law of Criminal Conspiracies and Agreements, as found in the American cases. Philadelphia: Blackstone Publishing Company. 1887.
• The History of the Supreme Court of the United States. Philadelphia: P. W. Ziegler and Company. 1902.

Further reading

• "Hampton Lawrence Carson". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 54 (1): 85–88. 1930. JSTOR 20086727.
• "H. L. Carson dies; lawyer and author". New York Times. July 20, 1929. p. 7.
• Jordan, John W., ed. (1911). Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania: Genealogical and Personal Memoirs. Vol. 2. New York: Lewis Publishing Company.
• Oberholtzer, Ellis Paxson (1912). Philadelphia: a History of the City and its People. Vol. IV. Philadelphia: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company.

External links

• Grave
• The Historical Society of Pennsylvania – Hampton L. Carson (1852–1929) Papers
• Online books by Hampton L. Carson