Henry Marchant
Henry Marchant | |
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Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island | |
In office July 3, 1790 – August 30, 1796 | |
Appointed by | George Washington |
Preceded by | Seat established by 1 Stat. 128 |
Succeeded by | Benjamin Bourne |
38th Attorney General of Rhode Island | |
In office 1771–1777 | |
Governor | Joseph Wanton Nicholas Cooke |
Preceded by | Oliver Arnold |
Succeeded by | William Channing |
Personal details | |
Born | Henry Marchant April 9, 1741 Martha's Vineyard, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America |
Died | August 30, 1796 Newport, Rhode Island | (aged 55)
Resting place | Common Burial Ground Newport, Rhode Island |
Education | University of Pennsylvania (A.M.) read law |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Mrs._Henry_Marchant_%28Rebecca_Cooke%29.jpg/220px-Mrs._Henry_Marchant_%28Rebecca_Cooke%29.jpg)
Henry Marchant (April 9, 1741 – August 30, 1796) was an Attorney General of Rhode Island, a delegate to the Second Continental Congress from Rhode Island, a signer of the Articles of Confederation and the first United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
Education and career
Born on April 9, 1741, in Martha's Vineyard, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America,[1] Marchant received an Artium Magister degree in 1762 from the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania) and read law in 1776.[Note 1][1] He entered private practice in Newport, Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, British America (State of Rhode Island, United States from July 4, 1776) from 1767 to 1777.[1] He was Attorney General of Rhode Island from 1771 to 1777.[1] He was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress (Continental Congress) from 1777 to 1779.[1] He was one of the signers of the Articles of Confederation.[2] He resumed private practice in South Kingstown, Rhode Island from 1780 to 1784, also engaging in farming.[1] He was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1784 to 1790.[1] He was a member of the Rhode Island convention to adopt the United States Constitution, which ultimately would be adopted by a separate convention in 1790.[2]
Federal judicial service
Marchant was nominated by President George Washington on July 2, 1790, to the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, to a new seat authorized by 1 Stat. 128.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 3, 1790, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on August 30, 1796, due to his death in Newport.[1] He was interred in the Common Burial Ground in Newport.[2]
Notable case
Marchant presided over West v. Barnes (1791), which would be the first case appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.[citation needed]
Church and farm
Marchant was a member of Second Congregational Church of Newport.[3] His farm, the Henry Marchant Farm, is located in South Kingstown.[citation needed]
Note
- ^ FJC Bio indicates he read law in 1776, while his Congressional Biography indicates he was admitted to the bar in 1767.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Henry Marchant at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ a b c United States Congress. "Henry Marchant (id: M000125)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^ Adams, Charles Francis (July 19, 1853). "The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations (Volume 8)". Little Brown. p. 61 – via Google Books.
Further reading
- Lovejoy, David S. "Henry Marchant and the Mistress of the World." William and Mary Quarterly 3d ser., 12 (July 1955): 375–98.
Sources
- United States Congress. "Henry Marchant (id: M000125)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Henry Marchant at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- 1741 births
- 1796 deaths
- Continental Congressmen from Rhode Island
- 18th-century American politicians
- Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
- People from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
- Politicians from Newport, Rhode Island
- People from South Kingstown, Rhode Island
- Rhode Island Attorneys General
- People of colonial Rhode Island
- Signers of the Articles of Confederation
- United States federal judges appointed by George Washington
- 18th-century American judges
- University of Pennsylvania alumni
- Burials at Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery
- United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law