William Paterson (judge)

William Paterson
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
In office March 4, 1793 – September 8, 1806
Nominated by	George Washington
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	Henry Livingston
2nd Governor of New Jersey
In office October 29, 1790 – March 30, 1793
Preceded by	Elisha Lawrence (Acting)
Succeeded by	Thomas Henderson (Acting)
United States Senator from New Jersey
In office March 4, 1789 – November 13, 1790
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	Philemon Dickinson
Attorney General of New Jersey
In office 1776–1783
Governor	William Livingston
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Joseph Bloomfield
Personal details
Born	December 24, 1745 County Antrim, Ireland (now United Kingdom)
Died	September 9, 1806 (aged 60) Albany, New York, U.S.
Political party	Federalist
Alma mater	Princeton University
Religion	Presbyterianism

William Paterson (December 24, 1745 – September 9, 1806) was a New Jersey statesman, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, and Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, who served as the 2nd governor of New Jersey, from 1790 to 1793.

Early life

William Paterson was born in County Antrim, now in Northern Ireland, moved to what is now the United States at the age of two, and entered the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) at age 14. After graduating, he studied law with the prominent lawyer Richard Stockton and was admitted to the bar in 1768. He also stayed connected to his alma mater, helping found the Cliosophic Society with Aaron Burr.^[1]

Career

Early career

He was selected as Somerset County, New Jersey delegate for the first three provincial congresses of New Jersey, where, as secretary, he recorded the 1776 New Jersey State Constitution. After Independence, Paterson was appointed as the first Attorney General of New Jersey, serving from 1776 to 1783, maintaining law and order and establishing himself as one of the state's most prominent lawyers. He was sent to the 1787 Philadelphia Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he proposed the New Jersey Plan for a unicameral legislative body with equal representation from each state. After the Great Compromise (for two legislative bodies: a Senate with equal representation for each state, and a House of Representatives with representation based on population), the Constitution was signed.

United States Senator

Paterson went on to become one of New Jersey's first US. senators (1789–90). He was a strong nationalist who supported the Federalist party. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he played an important role in drafting the Judiciary Act of 1789 that established the federal court system. The first nine sections of this very important law are in his handwriting.

Governor of New Jersey

He resigned from the U.S. Senate in 1790 in order to succeed fellow signer William Livingston as governor of New Jersey. As governor, he pursued his interest in legal matters by codifying the English statutes that had been in force in New Jersey before the Revolution in Laws of the State of New Jersey. He also published a revision of the rules of the chancery and common law courts in Paterson, later adopted by the New Jersey Legislature.

United States Supreme Court

George Washington nominated Paterson for the Supreme Court on February 27, 1793, to the seat vacated by Thomas Johnson. The nomination was withdrawn by the President the following day – Washington had realized that since the law creating the Supreme Court had been passed during Paterson's current term as a Senator, the nomination was a violation of Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution. Washington re-nominated Paterson to the Court on March 4, 1793, after his term as Senator had expired. He was immediately confirmed by the Senate, and received his commission.

He resigned the governorship to become an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1793–1806). On circuit he presided over the trials of individuals indicted for treason in the Whiskey Rebellion, a revolt by farmers in western Pennsylvania over the federal excise tax on whiskey, the principal product of their cash crop. Militia sent out by President George Washington successfully quelled the uprising, and for the first time the courts had to interpret the provisions of the Constitution in regard to the use of troops in civil disturbances. Here, and in fact throughout his long career, Paterson extolled the primacy of law over governments, a principle embodied in the Constitution he helped write.^[2] He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1801.^[3]

Death

Paterson served on the Supreme Court until his death (from the lingering effects of a coach accident suffered in 1803 while on circuit court duty in New Jersey) on September 9, 1806, aged 60. He was on his way to Ballston Springs, New York to "take the waters" when he died at the Albany, New York home of his daughter, Cornelia Paterson, and son-in-law, Stephen Van Rensselaer (1764–1839). He was laid to rest in the Van Renssalaer family vault in 1806, and remained until the property was acquired by the city. His remains were relocated to Albany Rural Cemetery Menands, Albany County, New York, United States of America. He shares this cemetery with Associate Justice Rufus W. Peckham and President Chester A. Arthur.^[4][5][6]

Honors

Both the town of Paterson, New Jersey, and the college, William Paterson University, are named after him.

See also

Demographics of the Supreme Court of the United States List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States List of U.S. Supreme Court Justices by time in office

United States Supreme Court cases during the Jay, Rutledge and Ellsworth Courts United States Supreme Court cases during the Marshall Court U.S. Constitution, floor leader in Convention.

References

1. "Daily Princetonian Special Class of 1991 Issue 27 July 1987 — Princeton Periodicals". princeton.edu.
2. Wright, Jr., Robert K.; MacGregor, Jr., Morris J. (1987). Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History. p. 166. LCCN 87001353. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
3. "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter P" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
4. William Paterson at Find a Grave.
5. Christensen, George A. (1983) Here Lies the Supreme Court: Gravesites of the Justices, Yearbook at the Wayback Machine (archived September 3, 2005) Supreme Court Historical Society at Internet Archive.
6. See also, Christensen, George A., Here Lies the Supreme Court: Revisited, Journal of Supreme Court History, Volume 33 Issue 1, Pages 17 – 41 (Feb 19, 2008), University of Alabama.

Further reading

• Abraham, Henry J. (1992). Justices and Presidents: A Political History of Appointments to the Supreme Court (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-506557-3.
• Bibliography on William Patterson at Supreme Court Historical Society.
• Cushman, Clare (2001). The Supreme Court Justices: Illustrated Biographies, 1789–1995 (2nd ed.). (Supreme Court Historical Society, Congressional Quarterly Books). ISBN 1-56802-126-7.
• Flanders, Henry. The Lives and Times of the Chief Justices of the United States Supreme Court. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1874 at Google Books.
• Frank, John P. (1995). Friedman, Leon; Israel, Fred L., eds. The Justices of the United States Supreme Court: Their Lives and Major Opinions. Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN 0-7910-1377-4.
• Hall, Kermit L., ed. (1992). The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-505835-6.
• Martin, Fenton S.; Goehlert, Robert U. (1990). The U.S. Supreme Court: A Bibliography. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Books. ISBN 0-87187-554-3.
• Urofsky, Melvin I. (1994). The Supreme Court Justices: A Biographical Dictionary. New York: Garland Publishing. p. 590. ISBN 0-8153-1176-1.
• Warren, Charles. (1928) The Supreme Court in United States History, 2 vols. at Google books.
• Wright, Robert K.; MacGregor Jr., Morris J. (1987). "William Paterson". Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution. United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 71-25.

External links

• United States Congress. "William Paterson (id: P000102)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• William Paterson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• New Jersey Governor William Paterson, National Governors Association
• Oyez Project, U.S. Supreme Court media, William Paterson.