Ward Hunt | |
|---|---|
 Ward Hunt, byMathew Brady,c. 1870-80 | |
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
| In office January 9, 1873 – January 27, 1882[1] | |
| Nominated by | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | Samuel Nelson |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Blatchford |
| Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals | |
| In office January 12, 1868 – December 31, 1869 | |
| Preceded by | William Wright |
| Succeeded by | Robert Earl |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1810-06-14)June 14, 1810 Utica, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 24, 1886(1886-03-24) (aged 75) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Hill Cemetery Utica, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic(Before 1848) Free Soil(1848–1854) Republican(1868–1886) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Union College(BA) Litchfield Law School |
Ward Hunt (June 14, 1810 – March 24, 1886) was an Americanjurist and politician. He was Chief Judge of theNew York Court of Appeals from 1868 to 1869, and an associate justice of theU.S. Supreme Court from 1872 to 1882.[2]
Hunt was the son of Montgomery James Hunt (d. 1871), long-time cashier of the Bank of Utica, and Elizabeth (née Stringham) Hunt.[3] He was a classmate ofHoratio Seymour at theOxford andGeneva Academies, and graduated fromUnion College in 1828, where he was an early member of theKappa Alpha Society. Then he studied law with Judge James Gould atLitchfield Law School inLitchfield, Connecticut and withHiram Denio in Utica, and was admitted to thebar in 1831.[3][4]
He was aDemocratic member from Oneida County of theNew York State Assembly in 1839, and wasMayor of Utica in 1844.[5] In 1848, he joined theFree Soil Party, and in 1855 he was among the founders of the New YorkRepublican Party.[5]
Hunt remained in private practice until1865, when he was elected to an eight-year term on theNew York Court of Appeals on the Republican ticket, to succeed to the seat held by his former law teacher and partnerHiram Denio. Hunt became chief judge in 1868 after the sudden death of Chief JudgeWilliam B. Wright. In 1870, he was legislated out of office but was appointed one of the Commissioners of Appeals.[3]
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Hunt was a friend and patron of political bossRoscoe Conkling, who was an associate of PresidentUlysses S. Grant. WhenSamuel Nelson retired from theSupreme Court, Conkling asked Grant to nominate Hunt for the vacancy. Hunt was nominated on December 3, 1872, confirmed by theU.S. Senate on December 11,[6] and wassworn into office on January 9, 1873.[1][7]
Hunt had little impact on the court, siding with the majority in all but 22 cases in his ten years on the job and writing only four dissenting opinions.[8] His most notable contribution came while riding circuit in New York, where he presided overUnited States v. Anthony. Citing the 14th Amendment,Susan B. Anthony argued that she was constitutionally guaranteed the right to vote and had not broken the law when she voted in the 1872 election.[8] Justice Hunt refused to allow Anthony to testify on her own behalf, allowed statements given by her at the time of her arrest to be allowed as "testimony," explicitly ordered the jury to return a guilty verdict, refused to poll the jury afterwards, and read an opinion he had written before the trial even started. Hunt found that Anthony had indeed broken the law and fined Anthony $100 (which she refused to pay).[9]
In 1878, Hunt suffered a severe paralyzing stroke, which prevented him from attending court sessions or rendering opinions. Nonetheless, he did not retire, because at the time in order to retire with a full pension a person had to put in at least ten years of government service and be at least 70 years old.[8] To encourage him to retire, Congress passed a special provision under which he could receive a pension if he would retire within 30 days.[10] Hunt did so on January 27, 1882, and enjoyed his pension until his death in Washington, D.C., four years later.[8]
On November 8, 1837,[11] Hunt was married to Mary Ann Savage (1819–1846), the daughter ofU.S. Representative and chief justice of theNew York Supreme CourtJohn Savage, and great-niece of CongressmanSamuel Lyman. They had three children,[2] one of whom died in early manhood.[8] Together they were the parents of:[12]
After his wife's death, he remained a widower for eight years until June 18, 1853, when he married Maria Taylor (1827-1912), the daughter of James Taylor, the former Cashier of the Commercial Bank of Albany.[2]
Hunt died on March 24, 1886, inWashington, D.C.[2] He was buried at theForest Hill Cemetery in Utica.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals 1868–1869 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 1873–1882 | Succeeded by |
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