Hanson, Alexander Contee (22 October 1749–16 January 1806), lawyer, jurist, and Federalist essayist, was born in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of John Hanson, a continental congressman and first president of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation, and Jane Contee. Hanson was reared in Annapolis and educated at the College of Philadelphia. College records do not indicate that he received a degree. Upon leaving Philadelphia, Hanson returned to Annapolis, where he studied law, and was admitted to practice by the Maryland bar in 1772. By early 1776 he had pledged himself to the revolutionary effort, and in June of that year he became assistant secretary to General ...
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Hanson, Alexander Contee (1749-1806), lawyer, jurist, and Federalist essayist
Kevin R. Chaney
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Hopkinson, Francis (1737-1791), author, composer, and judge
Harry M. Ward
Hopkinson, Francis (02 October 1737–09 May 1791), author, composer, and judge, was born in Philadelphia, the son of Thomas Hopkinson, a lawyer and Pennsylvania councillor, and Mary Johnson. Hopkinson’s father emigrated from England in 1731. Hopkinson matriculated in the first class of the College of Philadelphia (later the University of Pennsylvania) in 1751; he graduated in 1757 and, with other members of his class, received an M.A. degree three years later....
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Sewall, Samuel (1652-1730), colonial merchant, judge, and philanthropist
Jonathan M. Chu
Sewall, Samuel (28 March 1652–01 January 1730), colonial merchant, judge, and philanthropist, was born at Bishop Stoke, Hampshire, England, the son of Henry Sewall, a pastor, and Jane Dummer. Sewall’s father had immigrated to Newbury, Massachusetts, in 1634, and although he was admitted to freemanship in 1637, he returned to England in 1646 and subsequently took the pulpit of North Baddesley. The family returned to Massachusetts in 1659....
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Tyler, Royall (1757-1826), author and jurist
G. Thomas Tanselle
Tyler, Royall (18 July 1757–26 August 1826), author and jurist, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Royall Tyler, a prominent merchant and revolutionary patriot, and Mary Steele. He was originally named William Clark Tyler, but in 1772 his mother, widowed the previous year, had his name officially changed to that of his father. Tyler, like his father, attended Harvard, graduating with a B.A. degree in 1776 (and he was awarded one from Yale ...
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Van Ness, William Peter (1778-1826), politician, pamphleteer, and jurist
Steven E. Siry
Van Ness, William Peter (1778–06 September 1826), politician, pamphleteer, and jurist, was born in Claverack (later Ghent), New York, the son of Peter Van Ness, a revolutionary soldier and county judge, and Elbertie Hogeboom. After attending the Kinderhook Academy, Van Ness graduated from Columbia College in 1797. Following several years of legal studies in ...
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Ward, Nathaniel (1578-1652), jurist, author, and clergyman
Mary Rhinelander McCarl
Ward, Nathaniel (1578–1652), jurist, author, and clergyman, was born in Haverhill, Suffolk, England, the son of John Ward, a preacher, and Susan (maiden name unknown). He took his B.A. at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1600 and his M.A. in 1603. Although his father and two brothers were clergymen, Nathaniel chose a career in law and became an utter barrister in London. He also spent many years traveling in the Protestant areas of Europe, consorting with important political and ecclesiastical figures. While in Heidelberg, Ward had many discussions with David Pareus, a professor at the university there, and, according to ...
