John Read | |
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| Attorney General of Pennsylvania | |
| In office June 23, 1846 – December 18, 1846 | |
| Governor | Francis Shunk |
| Preceded by | John Kane |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Champneys |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1797-07-21)July 21, 1797 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | November 29, 1874(1874-11-29) (aged 77) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Party | Federalist(Before 1824) Democratic(1828–1848) Free Soil(1848–1854) Republican(1854–1874) |
| Spouse(s) | Priscilla Marshall(1828–1841) Amelia Thompson(1855–1874) |
| Children | Meredith |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania(BA) |
John Meredith Read Sr. (July 21, 1797 – November 29, 1874) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician fromPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. He was one of the founders of theRepublican Party and chief justice of thePennsylvania Supreme Court.
Read John was born onChestnut Street across the street fromIndependence Hall inPhiladelphia, the eldest son of lawyerJohn Read andMartha Meredith Read. Both of his grandfathers (George Read andSamuel Meredith) had served in theContinental Congress. After an education at home, Read graduated from theUniversity of Pennsylvania, thenread law, and was admitted to the bar in 1818. He started a law practice in Philadelphia.
Read began his political career when he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1822. He served until 1824 while remaining in the private practice of law. After this he served on the Philadelphia City Council, and for several years was the city's solicitor. Although his family had beenFederalists, he became an ardent supporter of theFree Soil wing of theDemocratic Party.
From 1837 to 1841, Read was theUnited States Attorney for theEastern District of Pennsylvania. In 1845,President John Tyler nominated him to theSupreme Court of the United States; but, his earlier stance against the expansion of slavery into the territories caused the southern Democratic Senators to oppose his nomination and it was withdrawn. From June until December 1845 he served as the Attorney General ofPennsylvania.
In 1863, he was elected as a member to theAmerican Philosophical Society.[1]
Read became an early supporter and organizer for theRepublican Party. When they won in their first statewide races in 1858, Read was elected to the state supreme court. He then served until December 2, 1872, the last year as chief justice. When the Republicans held their first national convention at Philadelphia in 1856, Read was a convention organizer and delivered the conventionkeynote address. At the 1860 Republican Convention in Chicago, he received one vote on the first ballot for presidential nominee; still, he supportedLincoln as the nominee.[citation needed]
Read was married twice, first to Priscilla Marshall in 1828. They had five children, one of whom,J. Meredith Read, was a noted American diplomat. After Priscilla's death, Read married Amelia Thompson in 1855.
Read was a member of theEpiscopal Church and aFreemason. He wasgrand master of theGrand Lodge of Pennsylvania from 1837 to 1838.[2]
Read died at home in Philadelphia in 1874.
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| Preceded by | Attorney General of Pennsylvania 1846 | Succeeded by |
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