Henry D. Gilpin

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Henry D. Gilpin (1840)

Henry Dilworth Gilpin (born April 14, 1801 in Lancaster , England , † January 29, 1860 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) was an American lawyer , politician and attorney general (Attorney General) .

Studies and professional career

Gilpin, who came from a Quaker family, was with his parents on trips abroad, so that he attended a school near London from 1812 to 1816 . During this time his father found out about new methods of paper production .

After returning to America, he first completed a general education course at the University of Pennsylvania . He then studied law in the office of the later Congressman Joseph Reed Ingersoll . After being admitted to the bar in 1822 and practicing law for several years, he was appointed as the successor to George M. Dallas to the federal prosecutor for the eastern district of Pennsylvania in 1831 . During this time he also became a member of the American Philosophical Society and was a member of the board of the Second Bank of the United States from 1833 to 1835 .

Political career

In 1837 he was appointed solicitor for the US Treasury Department . On January 11, 1840, he was appointed Minister of Justice (Attorney General) by President Martin Van Buren . In this capacity he remained in office until the end of Van Buren's presidency on March 4, 1841.

During his tenure, the so-called Amistad trials took place before the United States Supreme Court . The Amistad Trials were a step in the abolition of slavery in the United States and took place from 1839 to 1841. Only after long court hearings (among other things due to an appeal made by the then President Martin Van Buren and the necessary hearing before the Supreme Court ), as well as disputes over a maritime law agreement with Spain , which decided on the fate (i.e. the legal status ) of the Africans 1842 - after the establishment of her right to personal freedom - her (partial) return to her home continent organized by the US government.

Later honorary positions

After retiring from politics, he resumed his practice as a lawyer. He was also President of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1853 to 1858, as well as Vice President and Trustee of the Philadelphia Historical Society.

Fonts

Between 1826 and 1832 he wrote a seven-volume report on his travels to Harpers Ferry (West Virginia) , Shenandoah Valley , Weyer's Cave, Natural Bridge (Virginia) , Lexington (Virginia) , Charlottesville , Fredericksburg (Virginia) , Washington under the title Atlantic Souvenirs as well as other locations in other states on the Atlantic and in the southern states .

Other works:

  • Gilpin Reports. 1837
  • Reports of Cases in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1828– '36. Philadelphia 1837
  • The Papers of James Madison. 3 volumes, 1840
  • Opinions of the Attorney-Generals of the United States, from the Beginning of the Government to 1841. 2 volumes, Washington, 1841
  • Memorial of Henry D. Gilpin. 1860

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Gilpin, Henry D.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gilpin, Henry Dilworth (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lawyer and politician
DATE OF BIRTH April 14, 1801
PLACE OF BIRTH Lancaster , England
DATE OF DEATH January 29, 1860
Place of death Philadelphia , Pennsylvania