James Kent
James Kent (born July 31, 1763 in Fredericksburg (today Patterson , New York ), † December 12, 1847 in Kent , New York) was an American lawyer and legal scholar.
Life
As the son of lawyer Moss Kent from Dutchess County , he attended Yale College , where he was instrumental in establishing the Phi Beta Kappa student association . After graduating in 1781, he opened his own law firm in Poughkeepsie in 1785 . Kent was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1791 to 1793 . After moving to New York City , Governor John Jay appointed him a judge on the New York Court of Chancery .
Also in 1793, Kent was appointed to the College of Columbia University as the first professor of law . In 1796/97 he returned to the New York Assembly before he was appointed judge of the New York State Supreme Court in 1798, presiding over it from 1804. From 1814 he also took over the office of Chancellor of New York . In 1821 Kent took part in the New York Constituent Assembly. Two years later, after reaching the legal age limit, Kent retired. Between 1837 and 1847 he lived in the simplest of circumstances in Summit (New Jersey) .
His best-known work is the Commentaries on American Law , a four-volume work published between 1826 and 1830 in which, in addition to constitutional law, international law as well as questions of general personality rights and property are dealt with. The work appeared in six editions during Kent's lifetime.
In 1829 he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society .
Legacies
Kent County (Michigan) is named after James Kent, as is the Chicago-Kent College of Law . The former home of Kent in Summit still exists today and is integrated into a larger property.
Works
- James Kent: Commentaries on American Law . 2nd edition. Volume I Publisher: O. Halsted, New York, Year 1832 (4 volumes in total)
- James Kent: Commentaries on American Law
- Books by "Kent, James, 1763-1847" in the Internet Archive
literature
- William Kent, (grandson) Memoirs and Letters of James Kent. reprint: Xlibris Corporation, 2008, ISBN 1426490100 .
- Memoirs and letters of James Kent . Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, Boston 1898
Web links
- The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York: Commentaries on Chancellor Kent
- "Autobiographical Sketch of James Kent," Southern Law Review , 1872 , pp. 381-91. (PDF)
- After his retirement he again was professor of law at Columbia (1824-26)
- James Kent in the database of Find a Grave (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Member History: James Kent. American Philosophical Society, accessed October 22, 2018 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kent, James |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American lawyer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 31, 1763 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fredericksburg , New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 12, 1847 |
| Place of death | Kent , New York |