James Scott | |
|---|---|
| Justice of theIndiana Supreme Court | |
| In office December 28, 1816 – December 28, 1830 | |
| Appointed by | Jonathan Jennings,William Hendricks |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Stevens |
James Scott (May 28, 1767 – March 2, 1855) was an Americanlawyer,judge, andpolitician from the state ofIndiana. Scott served as one of the first Justices of theIndiana Supreme Court from December 28, 1816, to December 28, 1830. He was also an important figure in the early history ofIndiana University.
Born inPennsylvania, the details of Scott's early life are not well recorded.[1]
Scott left Pennsylvania and moved toClark County,Indiana. Scott lived inCharlestown, where he helped found aSunday school, held inside the local courthouse. In 1810,William Henry Harrison,Governor of the Indiana Territory, appointed Scott to be Clark County'sprosecutor.[2]
Scott was elected to the Indiana Territory'sHouse of Representatives in 1813,[2] where he served briefly as theSpeaker of the House[3] before resigning to become achancery judge.[2]
Scott was an unsuccessful candidate forUnited States senator in 1816.[4]
In 1816, Scott became one of forty-three delegate to Indiana'sconstitutional convention to help draft the new state'sconstitution. The convention was held inCorydon. At the convention, Scott served as the chairman for a committee to draft the constitution's article oneducation. The committee would lay the groundwork for Indiana'spublic education system. He also chaired a committee on the constitution's judicial provisions.[2]
Jonathan Jennings, Indiana's first state governor, appointed Scott to be a Justice on the newly createdIndiana Supreme Court. Scott was present at the Supreme Court's first meeting in Corydon on May 5, 1817. Scott and his fellow Justices heard the casePolly v. Lasselle regardingslavery in Indiana. The case regarded the ownership of an enslaved woman, Polly, by General Hyacinth Laselle ofVincennes. The Supreme Court overturned a ruling by aKnox County court in favor of Laselles, demanding Polly be set free. Scott wrote the unanimous opinion of the court: "The framers of our constitution intended a total and entire prohibition of slavery in this State; and we can conceive of no form of words in which that intention could have been expressed more clearly". Scott was reappointed for a second term on the Supreme Court by GovernorWilliam Hendricks.[2]
In 1827, while serving on the Supreme Court, theGeneral Assembly made Scott president of a team of five observers to visit Indiana State Seminary inBloomington and report back to legislature on the success of the school and its students. Scott requested the Assembly upgrade the Seminary into a college. His request was granted by the Assembly and Indiana State Seminary became Indiana College (now known asIndiana University Bloomington). In 1828, Scott was appointed to Indiana College's Board of Visitors, where he served as a liaison between the college and the Assembly. Scott would continue to be involved with the college after his tenure on the Supreme Court ended. Scott served on the college'sBoard of Trustees from 1841 to 1850.[5] In 1844, Scott received an honoraryLL.D. from the college.[1]
Scott would serve on the Supreme Court until 1830, when he and his fellow JusticeJesse Holman were controversially replaced by GovernorJames B. Ray with JusticesStephen Stevens andJohn T. McKinney, both state senators at the time. Many in the General Assembly were outraged by Scott and Holman's abrupt replacement, but both Stevens and McKinney were eventually confirmed by the legislature to serve on the Supreme Court.[2]
After leaving the Supreme Court, Scott returned to practice law in Charlestown. He also began to publish a local newspaper, theComet. Following William Henry Harrison's victory in the1840 presidential election, Scott was hired as a registrar at the federal land office inJeffersonville. He was fired followingJames K. Polk's victory in the1844 presidential election. Scott moved back to Charlestown and opened a girls' school.[2]
Scott was married but had no biological children. He and his wife adopted and raised a daughter.[5]
Shortly before his death, he relocated toCarlisle, Indiana,[2] where he died in 1855.[1]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Newly established court | Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court 1816–1830 | Succeeded by |