Greenleaf, Simon, 1783-1853

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Simon Greenleaf was born on December 5, 1783 in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where he attended the Latin School from 1790-1799. In 1801, he entered apprenticeship in Ezekiel Whitman's Gloucester, Maine law office. In June 1806, Cumberland County, Maine admitted Greenleaf to the Bar.

On September 18, 1806, Greenleaf married Hannah Kingman, daughter to Capt. Ezra Kingman of East Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

From 1807-1817, Greenleaf practiced law in Gray, Maine before moving his law practice to Portland, Maine in 1818. Between 1820-1832, Greenleaf served as a Reporter for the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine. In 1821, Greenleaf published a book, Cases Overruled.

In 1833, Harvard Law School appointed Greenleaf to the Royall Professorship of Law. In 1842, he published another book, A Treatise on the Law of Evidence. In 1845, Harvard Law School appointed Greenleaf as the Dane Professor of Law.

In 1848, Greenleaf resigned from his teaching position at Harvard Law School. While he was appointed as a judge to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts in 1849, he declined the offer.

Greenleaf died on October 6, 1853 in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Simon Greenleaf Papers. 1792-1853. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon, 1783-1853. [Blank legal forms of South Carolina]. ca. 1835. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Scrapbook. 1837-1848. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Howe, Letitia T. Letitia T. Howe collection. 1822-1876. Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Longfellow, Stephen. Stephen Longfellow correspondence. 1809-1833. Maine Historical Society Library
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Copy text for Reports of cases argued and determined in the Supreme Judicial Court of the state of Maine, second edition. 1850. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Yandes, Simon. Index of some law points and reports of cases argued in the moot court of Harvard Law School. 1838. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
contributorOf Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia. Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia records. 1842-2011. Massachusetts Historical Society
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. A legal view of the testimony of the four evangelists : with notes, and an account of the trial of Jesus : manuscript. 1846. Boston College. John J. Burns Library
referencedIn Saltonstall, Leverett. Autograph letter signed : Washington, to S. Greenleaf. August 20, 1842. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Autograph letter signed : Portland, [Me.], to unknown person, n.p. March 21, 1833. University of Chicago Library
referencedIn Letters to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1761-1904 (inclusive), 1820-1888 (bulk) Houghton Library
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Letter to Arvine Chaffee Wales. November 3, 1847. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Letter to James Frederick Joy. November 14, 1838. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Letter and orders regarding books for Harvard Law School Library. 1836-1842. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon, 1783-1853. Commonplace book on law points, arguments and maxims, forms and precedents. 1838-1840. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn North American Review papers, 1831-1843 Houghton Library
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Simon Greenleaf letter to E.J. Coale. November 6, 1980. Pennsylvania State University Libraries
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Opinion in the case of Irving W. Smart. August 15, 1853. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Lee, William Little. William Little Lee letters. 1847-1850. UC Berkeley Libraries
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Letter from S. Greenleaf to W.P. Gibbs. 1838. Harvard University Archives.
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Papers of Simon Greenleaf. 1823-1844. Harvard University Archives.
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Autograph letter signed S. Greenleaf to: "Sumner". ca. 1783-1853 Wellesley College
referencedIn American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIe. 1845-1865. American Philosophical Society
referencedIn McCall, Peter. Peter McCall papers. 1773-1879. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
referencedIn Greenleaf, Moses. Moses Greenleaf papers. 1776-1780. Massachusetts Historical Society
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon, 1783-1853. Course of legal study by Simon Greenleaf, Stephen Longfellow & Hon. Prentiss Mellen, C. Jus. SJC, Maine. 1835-1840. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Story, Joseph. Letters. 1840-1853. Winterthur Library
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Letter to his son, James Greenleaf. January 22, 1837. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
contributorOf Harvard Law School. Reports of cases argued and determined in moot court at Dane Law School. 1836-1839. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Autograph letter signed : Cambridge. November 30, 1835. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Palfrey family papers, 1713-1915 Houghton Library
referencedIn Peabody, Augustus. Augustus Peabody Letter. 1833. Peabody Essex Museum
referencedIn Appleton, Francis H. Scrapbook. ca. 1827-1844. Boston Public Library, Central Library in Copley Square
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Autograph letter signed : Cambridge, to Messrs. Little, Brown and Co. March 31, 1853. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Harvard Law School. Moot court competition records. 1825-1873. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Elton, Margaret Ann Allen. Frederic Allen scrapbook. 1800-1865. Massachusetts Historical Society
referencedIn Harvard Law School. Harvard Law School Moot Court Records. 1825-1873. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon, 1783-1853. Letter to his son, James Greenleaf, January 22, 1837. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Harvard University. Autograph File, G. 1641-2009. Houghton Library
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Letter and bill to the town of Charlestown (Boston, Mass.). June 20, 1842. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Fuller, B. A. G., 1879-1956. Autograph collection, 1620-1920 Houghton Library
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Lectures of Reeve and Gould. ca. 1818. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Letter from Simon Greenleaf, Cambridge, Mass., to Joel Parker, Keene, N.H. October 13, 1847 Massachusetts Historical Society
referencedIn Smith Family. Smith Family papers. 1774-1907. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Letter to Nathan Freeman and Isaac Brackett. May 15, 1829. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Copy text for Reports of cases argued and determined in the Supreme Judicial Court of the state of Maine, second edition. 1850. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Joseph Story papers William L. Clements Library
contributorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Opinion in the case of Irving W. Smart. August 15, 1853. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
contributorOf Daveis, Charles Stewart. Legal papers in the case of Potter v. Titcomb, Portland, Maine. ca. 1820-1833. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Pierce, George Washington. Correspondence of George Washington Pierce and his brother Josiah Pierce. 1829-1836. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Dane, Nathan. Nathan Dane papers. 1780-1835. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Lawyer's commonplace book. ca. 1801-1807. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Letter, to George Ticknor, Paris. ca.1830-1839. Dartmouth College Library
creatorOf Greenleaf, Simon. Scrapbook of newspaper clippings on legal matters. 1812-1841. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Harvard University Corporation. Statutes of the Professorship of Law in Harvard University, ca. 1833. Harvard University Archives.
referencedIn Sprague, Peleg. Autograph letter signed : Newport, R.I., to Professor Simon Greenleaf. August 24, 1841. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Ticknor, George. Letter, 1841 February 26, Boston, to Simon Greenleaf, Cambridge. February 26, 1841. Dartmouth College Library
referencedIn Dickinson Family. Dickinson family library. 1810-1943. Houghton Library
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correspondedWith Weston, Nathan person
associatedWith William L. Clements Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Yandes, Simon, d. 1903. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Newburyport MA US
Cambridge MA US
Subject
Apologetics
Civil procedure
Criminal law
Debt
Harvard Law School
Inheritance and succession
Law
Law
Law reporters
Law reports, digest, etc
Law reports, digests, etc.
Law teachers
Liberia
Liberia
Massachusetts
Moot courts
Property
Property
Temperance
Torts
Occupation
Authors
Law teachers
Lawyers
Legislators
Professor
Reporters
Writer
Activity

Person

Birth 1783-12-05

Death 1853-10-06

Male

Americans

English

Information

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