American jurist, born on the 7th of December 1804, in Culpeper County, VA. He was educated at Waterford, in that state, and upon his admission to the bar went to Ohio and established himself at Coshocton, where he began the practice of his profession. He served as prosecuting attorney of the county, also as a member of the state legislature; and, upon his appointment as district attorney for the state in 1831, removed to Columbus, the capital. He resigned this office in 1841; and subsequently served on the Ohio fund commission and in the Ohio-Michigan boundary dispute. He appeared as counsel in many of the leading causes heard and determined by the supreme court of the state, and became prominent by reason of his association with the defense of escaped slaves. He was identified with the Republican party from its inception, and in 1862 was appointed one of the justices of the supreme court of the United States by President Lincoln. This position he retained until 1881. He died in New York City, on the 8th of June 1884.
