March 24: Rufus King – First Senator from New York

He would sign the new United States Constitution for Massachusetts, be the first U.S. Senator from New York, twice be a candidate for Vice President - and once for President. His views on slavery preceeded the Civil War by half a century, and he was our Ambassador to Great Britain during a time of great contention between the two sovereign nations.

Rufus King was born on March 24, 1755, at Scarboro, Massachusetts. After Maine achieved statehood in 1820, King’s hometown became Scarborough, Maine. He was the eldest son. His parents were Richard King and Sabilla Blagden King, and his father was a prosperous farmer-merchant. His father – who had fought in the French and Indian War in the successful assault on the French Fortress at Louisbourg, Canada, was a staunch Loyalist. He supported the unpopular Stamp Act – and had his home ransacked by local Sons of Liberty in 1766. In 1774 a force of local militia visited the King home, demanding the elder King recant publically his support for the Crown. The elder King died soon after, and his death instilled in his son a true passion for law and order – and a society controlled by rational men.

He received an elementary education at local schools, and at the age of 12 received a classical education at Dummer Academy in South Byfield, Massachusetts. In 1777 he would graduate from Harvard.

During the American Revolution, King would serve briefly in the Massachusetts militia as an aide to Brigadier General John Glover – whose Massachusetts “Marbleheaders” had ferried Washington and his troops across the Delaware to the Battle of Trenton two years earlier. King would serve as a Major in the militia, and participated in the siege of Newport, Rhode Island.

While his military career was short-lived, it did broaden King’s political horizons. Instead of viewing the war and the world from simply a New England perspective, his view was now more encompassing and national in outlook. It also illustrated to King the need for a strong central government that could protect interstate commerce to help the nation grow.

After his experiences in the military, he decided to pursue a legal career – studying under noted lawyer and legal philosopher, Theophilus Parsons – and entered the legal practice in 1780 in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

King had an oratorical gift, and a personal presence and bearing that soon led him into a political career. He was a member of the Massachusetts legislature from 1783 to 1785, and was sent to the Continental Congress from 1784 to 1786. He gained a reputation in the Continental Congress both as a brilliant speaker and an early opponent of the institution of slavery.

He married Mary Alsop, the daughter of a wealthy New York merchant, on March 30, 1786 during the close of his tour in the Continental Congress. She was described at the time as a great beauty, and between her appearance and her father’s prestige, she found herself a much sought-after lady of society.

“her face was oval, with finely formed nose, mouth, and chin, blue eyes, a clear brunette complexion, black hair, and fine teeth. Her movements were at once graceful and gracious, and her voice musical”

King performed his final duties to his home state of Massachusetts by representing her at the Constitutional Convention. King was – at the age of 32 – one of the youngest of the delegates at the Philadelphia Convention – but was also one of the most capable orators there. He attended every session, and became – along with James Madison – one of the leading figures in promoting a true national concept of government. He took numerous notes during the proceedings – which have been studied and analyzed by historians since then.

After these duties were discharged in 1789, he moved permanently to New York to pursue his legal and political career.

In New York he was elected to the state legislature in 1789 and, just prior to the opening of the state’s legislative session, was appointed to the U.S. Senate as one of New York’s first Senators. King represented New York as a U.S. Senator for two terms.

During that time he was one of the Senate’s Federalist leaders and demonstrated a keen and insightful understanding of military issues. He became one of the key proponents for the permanent establishment of a U.S. Navy. He also supported Alexander Hamilton’s fiscal program, as well as being a strong proponent of the unpopular Jay’s Treaty. In 1791 he also became one of the directors of the First Bank of the United States.

King declined President Washington’s offer of a Cabinet post, but after his reappointment as Senator in 1796 did accept the offer to become the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. He would hold this position during the administration of three Presidents, and was a key figure in Britain during a difficult time of relationships between the two countries. He was instrumental in negotiating a settlement of Revolutionary War issues with the British, as well as initiating discussions on European interests in Latin America that would ultimately be expressed in the Monroe Doctrine.

King returned to the United States in 1803 – returning to his career in politics. In 1804 and 1808 he was the Federalist Vice Presidential candidate – with fellow Constitution signer Charles Cotesworth Pinckney as the Presidential candidate. He was defeated. He would run as the Federalist candidate for President in 1816 – losing to another signer of the Constitution, James Madison.

In 1805 he purchased a farm on Long Island and built a home there known as King Manor, which is a museum today. He enjoyed the peace – as well as the occasional political discussions with guests invited to dinner – during his years out of political office.

He was reappointed to the U.S. Senate by New York, where he served from 1813 – 1825. An early critic of the War of 1812, he changed his view after the British burned Washington, D.C. in 1814, because he became convinced that the U.S. was fighting a defensive war. He lent his considerable support to the war effort during the final part of the conflict.

In 1820 King expressed his views on slavery by denouncing the Missouri Compromise. In 1817 he had voted to end the slave trade. Now, three years later, he believed that there should be no compromise on the issue of slavery, but that the issue must be settled immediately and forever by the establishment of a system of compensated emancipation and resettlement of the former slaves in a colony in Africa.

King retired from the Senate n 1825 because of ill health. However, his country called on his services again in the form of President John Quincy Adams, who persuaded him to once again be the U.S. Minister to Great Britain. However, illness forced him to resign from that task a year later, and on , 1827, he died at the age of 72.

He was buried near his beloved King Manor in the cemetery of Grace Episcopal Church, Jamaica, Long Island, New York.


King was a realist, and therefore willing to change his views when the practical outweighed the philosophical. His changing view from sectional to national politics; increased power of a central government; and his dealing with Great Britain allowed him to serve his country faithfully, honorably and well.

WEB RESOURCES:

Colonial Hall
National Archives: America’s Founding Fathers
National Park Service
Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution
Wikipedia

PHOTO SOURCES:

Oil Portrait of Rufus King by Charles Wilson Peale: Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution
Portrait of Mary Alsop King: Women of the Republican Court
Portrait of King: Public Domain blog
King Manor: King Manor Museum
Rufus King grave: Find A Grave
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July 22: Daniel Carroll – Established the District of Columbia

He was a prominent member of one of America’s great colonial families – a family that included his younger brother - the first Catholic bishop in the United States – as well as a cousin who signed the the Declaration of Independence. The family also included a variety of barristers, merchants, planters, and political leaders. The guiding light of his extended family was their ancient family motto: “Strong in Faith and War”.

Daniel Carroll was born in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, on July 22, 1730 at his family home – Darnall’s Chance. His parents Daniel and Eleanor Darnall Carroll were wealthy planters who owned 27 000 acres of land in the colony of Maryland.

Carroll’s early education would be both at home, and through the Jesuit school at Bohemia Manor, Maryland. As was typical of wealthy planters in colonial America, he went overseas for his advanced education, studying under the Jesuits at the College of St. Omer in Flanders, from 1742 – 1748.

After his education ended, Carroll – again in the tradition of wealthy colonial families – toured Europe. After returning home, he married Eleanor Carroll, first cousin of Charles Carroll of Carrollton – who in turn was a cousin of Daniel Carroll. From 1750 until 1776, Carroll lived the life of a gentleman planter, remaining out of the public eye.

However, just because he was out of the public eye did not mean that Carroll was immune from the thoughts of rebellion and independence from England that increased in America after 1763. He was a large landholder, and was concerned over economic repercussions, the threat of mob rule, and the type of government that might be installed. However, as the clock ticked inexplicable toward revolution, Carroll found himself siding with the Patriots – albet reluctantly at first.

However, he could not politically act on his thoughts, as the laws of Maryland forbid Catholics from holding political office. After that law was nullified by the Maryland Consitution in 1776, Carroll felt the pull of his family’s heritage and public duty. He was elected to the upper house of the Maryland legislature, serving there from 1777 – 1781, and then in 1781 he was elected to the Continental Congress. As he travelled to Philadelphia to join the Congress he carried with him Maryland’s consent to sign the Articles of Confederation. That same year he would sign that document. Carroll would serve in the Congress from 1781 – 1784.

As he saw the problems arising from the confederation of states formed by the Articles of Confederation, Carroll became convinced that a stronger central government was needed. He spoke out on several weaknesses of the Articles, and would be a member of the Constitutional Convention. At the convention he would join James Madison in stating the need for the central government to regulate interstate and international commerce; as well as the need for the central government to pay members of Congress, not the states. When some members of the Convention suggested that the President should be elected by Congress, Carroll moved that the words “by the legislature” be replaced with “by the people”.

While Carroll arrived late to the Convention due to illness – arriving on July 9, 1787 - he would attend the remaining sessions regularly. He spoke about twenty times during the various debates that took place, and served on the Committee on Postponed matters.

Carroll would be one of two Catholics to sign the Constitution – showing the advances that religious freedom was making in America during this revolutionary era. He would also be one of five men to sign both the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution.

After the Convention ended, Carroll returned to Maryland to actively campaign for ratification of the document. While he was not a delegate to the state convention that accepted the new constitution, Carroll’s voice had been heard.

In 1789 Carroll was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. During his term he voted for locating the national capitol on the banks of the Potomac River, as well as for Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton’s program for the national government’s assumption of state debts from the Revolution.

In 1791, President Washington named Carroll as one of the three commissioners who were to survey and define the borders of the District of Columbia. Four farms would be deeded to the national government to make up the District of Columbia, and part of Carroll’s farm would become the land that the Capitol was built on. Carroll would also serve on the first Board of Commissioners for the District of Columbia.

Ill health would force Carroll to resign this post in 1795, and the next year he would pass away at his home. He was buried at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, Rock Creek (now Forest Glen), Maryland.

LOCAL LIBRARY RESOURCES:

There are no biographies of Daniel Carroll at our local library.

WEB RESOURCES:

Archontology
Jamison’s of South Carolina
Catholic Encyclopedia
Laughter Genealogy
National Archives
National Park Service
Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution
Wikipedia

PHOTO SOURCES:

01. Portrait of Daniel Carroll. Drawing: Oil (ca. 1758) by John Wollaston, Maryland Historical Society, copyright by John Hopkins University
02. Portrait of Eleanor Carroll and Daniel III, by John Wollaston, Maryland Historical Society, copyright by John Hopkins University
03. A map showing tracts of land deeded for the District of Columbia, United States Capitol Historic Society
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April 2: "gentlemanly, a religious enthusiast and a man of plain sense"

Do you know who this is?
-His father abandoned him as a child.
-He attended the Constitutional Convention – but there is no record of his ever making a speech there.
-He was one of the “Midnight Judges” appointed by President John Adams.

He had a career encompassing being a planter, a soldier, a legislator, a judge, a Governor, and one of the thirty-nine men who signed the United States Constitution.

Richard Bassett was born on April 2, 1845 at Bohemia Ferry in Cecil County, located in the northeast corner of Maryland. His father and mother – Michael and Judith Thompson Bassett - owned a tavern and farmed, and his father later deserted his mother. His mother was the great granddaughter and heiress of Augustine Herrman, the original owner of Bohemia Manor – a huge estate in Cecil County. Augustine Herrman was a 17th century Czech explorer, merchant, and cartographer who established Bohemia Manor plantation.

Richard was raised by maternal relatives, including Peter Lawson, from whom he later inherited Lawson’s Bohemia Manor estate. His mother’s family – along with his own initiative and intelligence - provided him with wealth and a plantation. His relatives helped to educate and mold the bright young man into a successful lawyer, planter, and politician.

He read for the law at Philadelphia and received a license to practice law in 1770 at Dover, Delaware. Richard would prosper as a lawyer – and as a planter, eventually owning not only Bohemia Manor, but homes in Dover and Wilmington as well. His success in life illustrated the economic and social opportunities that existed in colonial America. He quickly became a man of property, and began to move with ease in the social world of the local gentry, among whom he developed a reputation for hospitality and philanthropy.

His activities led him into politics. He was elected to serve as a member of Kent County (Delaware) Boston Relief Committee, which collected contributions for those suffering hardship as a result of the Coercive or Intolerable Acts. His work with the committee led to contacts with important figures from Delaware – and ultimately more political responsibilities during the Revolution.

He furthered the military effort by Delaware during the Revolution by being given the responsibility of selection officers based on the criteria of the day – patriotism, popularity to bring in recruits, and military competence - and helped recruit for the only regular Continental military unit from Delaware. He also helped raise troops for the state militia.

In 1777, Richard learned first-hand the responsibilities and duties of the citizen-soldier. When the British entered the upper Chesapeake Bay as part of a move to capture the US capital at Philadelphia, Richard joined the militia as a volunteer – even though he was exempt because of his legislative position. Eventually he assumed command of the Dover Light Horse, Kent County’s militia cavalry unit.

He learned a great deal during his work in the Revolution. He learned how to raise troops and supply them, and to appreciate the concept that cooperation between states was vital. He also learned that sacrifices were required from citizens at all economic and social level. He also adopted a simpler lifestyle for the rest of his live – and became a quiet, serious, efficient public servant who would deal with Delaware’s postwar problems.

In 1778 Richard was converted to Methodism, and became a devout and energetic convert who devoted much of his attention and wealth of the promotion of Methodism.

Richard later served in the state legislature, and helped to draft Delaware’s constitution. He was asked by his state to attend the Annapolis Convention of 1786 as Delaware’s representative. Finally, in 1787 he was asked to be one of Delaware’s representatives to the Constitutional Convention. At the Convention he was described as "gentlemanly, a religious enthusiast and a man of plain sense" with "modesty enough to hold his tongue."

He would diligently attend the meetings of the Convention at Philadelphia. However, he made no speeches, served on no committees, and cast no critical votes. He allowed others to argue for and make the major decisions. But, he did sign the Constitution, and argued so persuasively for the new Constitution at the Delaware ratifying convention that Delaware became the first state to adopt the new document.

He was appointed to the U.S. Senate from 1789 – 1793, and voted there in favor of the power of the President to remove governmental officers, and against Hamilton’s plan for the federal assumption of state debts.

Richard served held the position of chief justiceship of the court of common pleas in Delaware from 1793 – 1799. He was elected Governor of Delaware from 1799 – 1801, when he became one of President John Adams’ “midnight” appointments that became known as the “Midnight Judges” He was to be a judge of the US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit Court. Jefferson abolished his justiceship in 1802, and he spent the remainder of his life in retirement.

He would marry twice: first to Ann Ennals, by whom he had four children; then, after her death, to Betsy Garnett.

He died on August 15, 1815, at the age of 70 and is interred at the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery, Wilmington, Delaware.

Richard Bassett’s story was one of overcoming obstacles. From abandonment by his father as a child through the difficulties of the Revolution to the establishing of the Constitution, Richard grew in his skills, wisdom, and wealth. He was successful in business, war, and politics. In addition, at a key moment in his country's history, Richard assumed an important role in advancing the cause of a strong central government by promoting the ratification of the Constitution in Delaware.

LOCAL LIBRARY RESOURCES:

Our local library has no biographies of Richard Bassett.

WEB RESOURCES:

Delaware Biographies
Find a Grave
National Archives: Founding Fathers
Signers of the Constitution
The American Revolution
U.S. Army Center of Military History
Wikipedia

PHOTO SOURCES:

01.Portrait: Engraving, by Charles B. J. Fevret de Saint-Memin (1802); National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C

02. Bohemia Manor

03. Constitutional Convention: Library of Congress Digital ID: thc 5a50954

04. 03.Crypt, Find A Grave, Ryan Gleason photo

March 16: “…“the coolest, clearest head…”

Do you know who this is?
-He signed the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution.
-He was orphaned as an infant and adopted by an uncle.
-Ben Franklin credited him with “the coolest, clearest head, the best heart, and the exactest morals of almost any man I ever met with.”

He was a successful businessman with an abiding interest in the welfare of the common man. He was most effective when not in the political limelight – and was extremely effective when working with committees. He proved his faith in the new government by exchanging his own money (gold, silver, and British pounds) for the paper currency issued by the Continental Congress. He pledged his life, his lands, and his fortune to the Revolution and the establishment of a new nation.

George Clymer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 16, 1739. His parents were Christopher and Deborah Fitzwater Clymer. His mother died in 1740, and his father died in 1746 when George was 7 years old. George became the ward of his uncle, William Coleman, who was a judge and a wealthy businessman – and who would have a tremendous influence on his nephew. Coleman would educate young George, and eventually take him into his mercantile firm as a clerk – to learn the business from the bottom up. Upon Coleman’s death in 1769 George would inherit the business and a small fortune.

While growing up, his education was supervised by Coleman. During this time, George developed a love of reading, science, history, law, and philosophy. He spent hours reading in his uncle’s large library, reflecting on what he was reading. He would attend the College of Philadelphia from 1757 – 1758.

George was married in 1765 to Elizabeth Meredith, a daughter in a socially prominent family that would introduce him to George Washington as well as other Patriot leaders. Elizabeth would have nine children, five of whom survived infancy. Eventually George would merge his business with that of his in-laws, forming Meredith-Clymer, which became a leading Pennsylvania merchant house.

George was opposed – motivated in part by restrictions on his business - to the restrictions and taxes placed on the colonies through the Townshend Acts and Tea Acts; and on October 16, 1773, became the chairman of a committee that requested those who were appointed to sell the tea to resign their posts. His efforts were so successful that not a single pound of British tea was offered for sale in Philadelphia. He was one of the first to speak out against these British acts, and - when it was necessary to arm in defense of colonial rights - became captain of a volunteer company, the Third Battalion, under Colonel Cadwalader.

On July 29, 1775, he became one of the first continental treasurers, and converted all of his specie – British pounds, gold, and silver – into continental currency, and financially backed the loans requested to fund the continental government. By doing this, George personally helped to underwrite the war.

On July 20, 1776, five men - including George - were appointed by the Pennsylvania legislature to succeed those members of the state’s delegation who had left their seats in the Continental Congress because they refused to agree to the Declaration of Independence.

George would not be a member of the military during the War for Independence. He used his skills and administrative abilities to support the war from the political front, and would make his mark in committee efforts, especially those pertaining to commerce, finance, and military affairs. When the Continental Congress was forced to flee Philadelphia because of the approach of a British army, George was one of the five members left behind to execute all Continental government business in that city.

The British sought out those who had signed the Declaration of Independence. In 1777 his family lived in Chester County, about twenty-five miles from Philadelphia. Just after the battle of Brandywine, a British unit was detoured from the march on Philadelphia to conduct a raid on the Clymer residence, where George was taking a respite from the rigors of politics. He and his family were forced to flee and hide in the woods from the British raid, in which the British destroyed the belongings of the house. When the British arrived in Philadelphia, they sought out the home George had been living in and were in the process of tearing it down when they discovered it did not belong to him – but to an aunt of his.

The British also slated him for death when he visited Pittsburg as a commissioner to the Shawnee and Delaware Indians. His mission was to preserve peace between the Continental government and the Indian tribes in the area, and to try to enlist warriors into military service with the United States. He narrowly escaped death from British-backed Indians when he decided to visit a friend in the country. He accidentally took a route, which led him on a different road than the Indians were waiting on, finding out later that another man was tomahawked to death on the road he originally planned to travel. His report on the state of affairs in the region would lead to the Congress’s authority to take the war to the enemy by attacking Detroit.

George would serve with the Continental Congress – except for one term – through 1782, when he retired and moved with his family to Princeton, New Jersey, in order to give his children the opportunity to attend Princeton College.

He would be summoned from retirement in 1784 to be a member of the Pennsylvania legislature, and was made a member of the convention that framed the new Constitution of the United States. He would become one of eight men who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In November 1788, he was elected to the first Congress held under that Constitution, opposing the bestowal of titles on the President and Vice President. He also favored the gradual naturalization of foreigners, and supported the assumption of state debts by the nation. Declining re-election in 1791 he was appointed collector of the duty on spirits – a tax which led to the whiskey riots in Pennsylvania. He was unsuccessful in stopping the riots, and resigned his post after the death of his son, who died from wounds suffered when the army unit he was in was sent to put down the riots.

He would retire from public live in 1796 – at the age of 57 – and would devote his life to managing his business affairs.

He died on January 24, 1813, and is buried at the Friends Burial Ground, Trenton, New Jersey.
It not only takes the warrior to fight the battle, but also those who provide the financing, supplies and overall strategy. George excelled at the behind-the-scenes committee work that helped the Americans succeed in the nearly impossible task of independence. He sacrifices of his time, his finances, and his property to achieve the independence of what became the United States.

LOCAL LIBRARY RESOURCES:
Our local library has no books on George Clymer.

WEB RESOURCES:
Clymer PA:
Colonial Hall

Famous Americans
National Park Service
Pennsylvania State University
US Army Biography:
Wikipedia

PHOTO SOURCES:

01. Portrait: The Constitution Society
02. Signature: Famous Americans
03. Declaration of Independence: Library of Congress
04. Portrait: Wikipedia Drawing: Oil (1807-9) by Charles Willson Peale. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
05. Gravestone: Find A Grave photo by Erik Lander

February 9: Aaron Burr’s Lawyer

Do you know who this is?
-He refused to sign the Constitution because he felt it violated State’s Rights.
-He was known as the “Federal Bull Dog”.
-He played the violin.

He would become a noted lawyer, a delegate to the Constitution Convention, and a promoter for the Bill of Rights.

Luther Martin was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey on February 9, 1748.

Luther would graduate from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton) at the head of his class in 1766. After his graduation he moved to Maryland where he began teaching until 1770. He was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1771, and soon became recognized as one of the ablest lawyers in the United States. He would be the first attorney general of Maryland - from 1778-1805 and again from 1818-1822. Luther was an early advocate of Independence, and he was one of Maryland’s representatives to the Continental Congress in 1784-1785, as well as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. His election to the Continental Congress proved to be honorary, as his public and private duties as a lawyer prevented him from attending. As Maryland’s Attorney General, he was very active in persecuting Loyalists.

At the Constitutional Convention, Luther expressed concern over the secrecy ruling that covered the discussions and decisions made at the Convention, as well as concern over the powers granted to a central government that he felt could threaten the rights and liberties of the individual states, especially the smaller states. He would call the Constitution, which he viewed as robbing individuals of freedom and self determination, “a stab in the back of the goddess of liberty.” He would accuse the convention of violating its mission to revise the Articles of Confederation, and would accuse the delegates of taking it upon themselves to create a new system of government. When George Washington and Benjamin Franklin backed the change of direction, Luther stated that we should not “suffer our eyes to be so far dazzled by the splendor of names, as to run blindfolded into what may be our destruction.” It was during this time he also said: “When the tempest rages, when the thunders roar, and the lightnings blaze around us it is then that the truly brave man stands firm at his post.” Maryland would ignore his concerns, becoming the seventh state to ratify the new Constitution.

While he started out as an Anti-Federalist, Luther would change his views and ally with the Federalists, largely because of his distain for Thomas Jefferson. Luther had married Maria, a daughter of the Captain Michael Cresap, who was unjustly charged by Jefferson, in his Notes on Virginia, with the murder of the family of the Indian chief, John Logan. Martin would write a pamphlet in defense of Captain Cresap, and would remember the attack made by Jefferson after Jefferson became President. Jefferson would, in 1807, speak of Luther as the “Federal Bull Dog” because of his ability in the courts to challenge Jefferson’s political aims and legislation.

Luther would focus upon his law practice, becoming one of the most successful attorneys of the day. He was a defense council for two controversial cases that attracted national attention. The first was the impeachment trial of Luther’s close friend Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase in 1805, where historian Henry Adams would speak of him as that "most formidable of American advocates." In 1807, Luther was one of the defense lawyers in Aaron Burr’s trial for treason. He won both cases. Between 1801 and 1813, he frequently appeared in the Supreme Court, arguing mainly admiralty, prize, and marine insurance cases and also the great constitutional case of Fletcher v. Peck (1810). As attorney general of Maryland, he unsuccessfully argued Maryland’s position in the landmark 1819 case, McCulloch v. Maryland, arguing against the plaintiff’s lawyers: Daniel Webster, William Pinkney, and William Wirt.

Soon after these cases, his fortunes began to decline. As the 1820s arrived, he found himself to be over seventy years old, drinking excessively, in ill health, suffering from a stroke and paralysis, and suffering bankruptcy. Partially in recognition of his long service as Attorney General, on February 22, 1822 the legislature of Maryland passed a remarkable resolution - the only one of the kind in American history - requiring every lawyer in the state to pay an annual license fee of five dollars, to be handed over to trustees appointed "for the appropriation of the proceeds raised by virtue of this resolution to the use of Luther Martin." This resolution was rescinded on February 6, 1823.

Aaron Burr took Luther in, providing a home and care for his former lawyer. Luther would die on July 8, 1826, at the age of seventy-eight, at Aaron Burr’s home. He was buried St. John’s churchyard in New York City.

LOCAL LIBRARY RESOURCES:

Bill Kauffman: Forgotten Founder, Drunken Prophet: the Life of Luther Martin

WEB RESOURCES:

1911 Encyclopedia
Argument in Burr Trial
Objections

Wikipedia