American lawyer, born in Boston, MA, in 1803. Having partially completed an undergraduate course at Harvard, he studied law, and being admitted to practice, became eminent in his profession. He ardently espoused the cause of negro emancipation, being one of the twelve charter members of the first antislavery society in Boston (1833). He argued effectively before the Massachusetts supreme court in favor of the slave-child “Med,” eliciting a decision that every slave brought within the limits of the state by the owner was ipso facto free, even the opposing counsel acquiescing in the decision. The case of Abner Kneeland, a professed atheist, indicted for blasphemy, likewise drew from Mr. Loring a powerful plea in behalf of liberty and the right of free speech. It is noteworthy that his adherence to the principles of antislavery involved the highest sacrifice of personal tastes, Wendell Phillips bearing eloquent testimony to Mr. Loring’s courageous advocacy of unpopular opinions. He died in Boston on the 24th of May 1858.
