James Sewall Morsell

James Morsell
Judge of the United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia
In office January 11, 1815 – March 3, 1863
Appointed by	James Madison
Preceded by	Nicholas Fitzhugh
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Personal details
Born	January 10, 1775 Calvert County, Maryland, British America
Died	January 11, 1870 (aged 95) Prince George's County, Maryland, U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican (Before 1825) Democratic (1828–1870)

James Sewall Morsell (January 10, 1775 – January 11, 1870) was a United States federal judge.

Born in Calvert County, Maryland, Morsell was in the United States Army from 1813 to 1814, and had a private legal practice in Georgetown, District of Columbia until 1815. He represented a number of African American families who petitioned for their freedom before the United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia.^[1]

On January 7, 1815, Morsell was nominated by President James Madison to a seat on the United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia vacated by Nicholas Fitzhugh. Morsell was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 11, 1815, and received his commission the same day. Morsell served unto March 3, 1863, when his judgeship was eliminated due to abolition of the court. His 48 year tenure is among the longest among all United States federal judges.

Morsell died in Prince George's County, Maryland at the age of 95.

References

1. "O Say Can You See: Early Washington, D.C., Law & Family". earlywashingtondc.org. Retrieved 2015-10-12.

Sources

• James Sewall Morsell at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• "O Say Can You See: Early Washington, DC Law & Family Project". Center for Digital Research in the Humanities.