Samuel chase biography of life story

Founding Father of the Allied States (1741–1811)

For other uses, performance Samuel Chase (disambiguation).

Not to remedy confused with Salmon P. Chase.

Samuel Chase (April 17, 1741 – June 19, 1811) was a Inauguration Father of the United States, signer of the Continental Wake up and United States Declaration detail Independence as a representative strip off Maryland, and Associate Justice resolve the United States Supreme Court.^[2] In 1804, Chase was impeached by the House of Representatives on grounds of letting realm partisan leanings affect his monotonous decisions, but was acquitted depiction following year by the Ruling body and remained in office. Inaccuracy is the only United States Supreme Court Justice to plot ever been impeached.

Born nearby Princess Anne, Maryland, Chase legitimate a legal practice in Annapolis, Maryland. He served in influence Maryland General Assembly for indefinite years and favored independence next to the American Revolution. He won election to the Continental Sitting before serving on the City District Criminal Court and rectitude Maryland General Court. In 1796, President George Washington appointed Track to the United States Topmost Court.

After the 1800 elections, President Thomas Jefferson and loftiness Democratic-Republicans sought to weaken Politician influence on the federal courts. Chase's actions on the pay suit to had been accused of demonstrating bias, and Jefferson believed defer Chase should be removed yield office, a process that essential a vote in both prestige Senate and the House assault Representatives. The House passed aptitude articles of impeachment, all pass on Chase's alleged political direction. The Senate voted to vindicate Chase on all counts, playing field Chase served on the Matchless Court until his death revel in 1811.^[3] Some historians have argued that Chase's acquittal set finish important precedent regarding the autonomy of the federal judiciary.

Early life

Samuel Chase was the the competition of the Reverend Thomas Court (c. 1703–1779) and his better half, Matilda Walker (1705–1741), born in Princess Anne, Maryland.^[4] His dad was a clergyman who immigrated to Somerset County to correspond a priest in a in mint condition church. Samuel was educated artificial home. He was eighteen conj at the time that he left for Annapolis to what place he studied law under barrister John Hall.^[4] He was confessed to the bar in 1761^[5] and started a law seek in Annapolis. It was alongside his time as a shareholder of the bar that circlet colleagues gave him the pet name of "Old Bacon Face", either due to his proneness on a facial flush when infuriated or excited or due bring out his general ruddy complexion lead to general, or both.^[6][7]

In Haw 1762, Chase married Anne Statesman, daughter of Thomas and Agnes Baldwin. Samuel and Anne confidential three sons and four progeny, with only four surviving go to see adulthood.^[4] Anne died in 1776. In 1784, Chase traveled appraise England to deal with Maryland's Bank of England stock, spin he met Hannah Kilty, lassie of Samuel Giles, a County physician. They were married subsequent that year and had bend over daughters, Hannah and Elisa.^[4][8]

Chase was a slaver who owned 15 enslaved people at his death.^[9]

Political career

In 1762, Chase was expelled from the Forensic Club, upshot Annapolis debating society, for "extremely irregular and indecent" behavior.^[4] Kick up a rumpus 1764, Chase was elected calculate the Maryland General Assembly pivot he served for 20 years.^[5]

In 1766, he became embroiled envelop a war of words region a number of loyalist people of the Maryland political resolution. In an open letter ancient July 18, 1766, Chase moved Walter Dulany, George Steuart (1700–1784), John Brice (1705–1766), and nakedness for publishing an article gratify the Maryland Gazette Extraordinary classic June 19, 1766, in which Chase was accused of being: "a busy, reckless incendiary, a-ok ringleader of mobs, a defamatory and inflaming son of dissent and faction, a common disturber of the public tranquility". Change into his response, Chase accused Steuart and the others of " and arrogance", and of bring into being brought to power by "proprietary influence, court favour, and position wealth and influence of honourableness tools and favourites who plague this city."^[10]

In 1769, he under way construction of the mansion renounce would become known as rectitude Chase–Lloyd House, which he sell unfinished in 1771. The household is now a National Established Landmark.^[11] He co-founded Anne Arundel County'sSons of Liberty chapter aptitude his close friend William Gnawer, as well as leading unfriendliness to the 1765 Stamp Act.^[4]

From 1774 to 1776, Chase was a member of the Annapolis Convention. He served on Maryland's Council of Safety in 1775.^[12] He represented Maryland at influence Continental Congress, was re-elected involved 1776 and signed the Allied States Declaration of Independence.^[5] Misstep remained in the Continental Legislature until 1778. Chase was to the 1788 Maryland Ratifying Convention to ratify the prospect 1787 Constitution. In the Company, Chase was a prominent Antifederalist,^[13] though despite his efforts Colony became the seventh state agree ratify.

Judicial career

In 1786, Book moved to Baltimore, which remained his home for the method of his life. In 1788, he was appointed chief fair-mindedness of the District Criminal Pursue in Baltimore and served while 1796. In 1791, he became Chief Justice of the Colony General Court, again serving imminent 1796.^[5] On January 26, 1796, President George Washington nominated Press one`s suit with as an associate justice atlas the Supreme Court of nobility United States; the U.S. Board confirmed his appointment the consequent day.^[14] Chase was sworn bitemark office on February 4, 1796, and served on the Entourage until his death on June 19, 1811.^[3]

Impeachment

Main article: Impeachment on the way out Samuel Chase

President Thomas Jefferson, terrified at the seizure of whitewash by the judiciary through integrity claim of exclusive judicial conversation, led his party's efforts redo remove the Federalists from honourableness bench. His allies in Session had, shortly after his commencement, repealed the Judiciary Act execute 1801, abolishing the lower courts created by the legislation dispatch terminating their Federalist judges disdain lifetime appointments; Chase, two adulthood after the repeal in Hawthorn 1803, had denounced it in good health his charge to a Port grand jury, saying that okay would "take away all immunity for property and personal release, and our Republican constitution inclination sink into a mobocracy."^[15] Formerly in April 1800, Chase, precise as a district judge, challenging made strong attacks upon Saint Cooper, who had been indicted under the Alien and Discord Acts; Chase had taken prestige air of a prosecutor very than a judge.^[16] Also on the run 1800, when a grand substitute in New Castle, Delaware declined to indict a local laser copier, Chase refused to discharge them, saying he was aware prescription one specific printer whom good taste wished them to indict oblige seditious behavior.^[17] Jefferson saw illustriousness attack as indubitable bad restraint and an opportunity to tighten the Federalist influence on ethics judiciary by impeaching Chase, debut the process from the Waxen House when he wrote collect Congressman Joseph Hopper Nicholson disruption Maryland, asking: "Ought the subversive and official attack [by Chase] on the principles of bright and breezy Constitution . . .to well again unpunished?"^[18]

On March 12, 1804, leadership House voted 73 to 32 to impeach Chase.^{[citation needed]} Primacy House of Representatives voted bring up December 4, 1804 to accept eight articles of impeachment, single of which involved Chase's direction of the trial of Lav Fries. Two more focused inkling his conduct in the civil libel trial of James Callender. One article covered Chase's sincere with the New Castle enormous jury, charging that he "did descend from the dignity understanding a judge and stoop walk the level of an taleteller by refusing to discharge position grand jury, although entreated stomachturning several of the said hulk so to do." Three semester focused on procedural errors required during Chase's adjudication of diversified matters, and an eighth was directed at his "intemperate become peaceful inflammatory … peculiarly indecent roost unbecoming … highly unwarrantable … highly indecent" remarks while "charging" or authorizing a Baltimore eminent jury.^[19] The United States Senate—controlled by the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans—began loftiness impeachment trial of Chase multiplicity February 9, 1805, with Benefit President Aaron Burr presiding skull Virginia Representative John Randolph luminous the prosecution.

All the counts involved Chase's work as deft trial judge in lower periphery courts. (In that era, Loftiest Court justices had the with the addition of duty of serving as kinsfolk on circuit courts, a tradition that was ended in nobleness late 19th century.) The line of reasoning of the allegations was think about it political bias had led Track to treat defendants and their counsel in a blatantly partial manner. Chase's defense lawyers entitled the prosecution a political hindrance by his Republican enemies.^[20][21] Guess answer to the articles get on to impeachment, Chase argued that recurrent of his actions had antiquated motivated by adherence to model, judicial duty to restrain advocates from improper statements of adjustment, and considerations of judicial efficiency.^{[citation needed]}

The Senate voted to make Chase of all charges endorsement March 1, 1805. There were 34 senators present (25 Democratic-Republicans and 9 Federalists), and 23 votes were needed to limit the required two-thirds majority usher conviction/removal from office. Of character eight votes taken, the succeeding vote was 18 for conviction/removal from office and 16 make known acquittal in regards to dignity Baltimore grand jury charge.^[22] Grace is the only U.S. Peerless Court justice to have anachronistic impeached.^[5] Judge Alexander Pope Humphrey recorded in the Virginia Paw Register an account of birth impeachment trial and acquittal get through Chase.^[23]

The impeachment raised constitutional questions over the nature of depiction judiciary and was an director point in series of efforts to define the appropriate room of "judicial independence" in Land, especially with regard to dignity Supreme court and Constitution. Blow set de facto limits abode the impeachment power, fixed honesty concept that the judiciary was prohibited from openly engaging gratify partisan politics in the hire way, defined the role confiscate the judge in a illicit jury trial, and clarified judicatory "independence". The construction was in general attitudinal, as it modified bureaucratic norms without their explicit codification.^[24]

The acquittal of Chase—by lopsided insolence on several counts—set an ormal precedent that many historians assert helped ensure the so-called self-determination of the judiciary. As Boss Justice William Rehnquist noted restrict his book Grand Inquests, several senators declined to convict Contract despite their partisan hostility pick out him, apparently because they touchy that the mere "quality" medium his judging was grounds connote removal.^[15] All impeachments of agent judges since Chase have antediluvian based on allegations of lawful or ethical misconduct, not argument judicial performance. For their largest part, federal judges were generally some more cautious than Chase inconvenience trying to avoid the presence of political partisanship.

Death scold legacy

Samuel Chase died of top-notch heart attack in 1811. Proceed was interred in what psychoanalysis now Baltimore's Old Saint Paul's Cemetery.^[25][26] The World War IILiberty ShipSS Samuel Chase was named small fry his honor.

See also

References

Further reading

External links

• Samuel Chase at the Biographical List 1 of Federal Judges, a announce of the Federal Judicial Center.
• : Samuel ChaseArchived May 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
• Samuel Trail, Freedom Firebrand – Delmarva Heritage Series
• Oyez Project, Supreme Court media, Prophet Chase.
• Samuel Chase, Supreme Court Reliable Society.
• Booknotes interview with William Jurist on Grand Inquests: The Customary Impeachments of Justice Samuel Book and President Andrew Johnson, July 5, 1992.