Chase, Samuel, 1741-1811

Dates:
Birth 1741-04-17
Death 1811-06-19
Gender:
Male
Britons, Americans
English

Biographical notes:

Samuel Chase (April 17, 1741 – June 19, 1811) was a Founding Father of the United States, an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and a signatory to the Continental Association and United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland. He was impeached by the House of Representatives on grounds of letting his partisan leanings affect his court decisions but was acquitted by the Senate and remained in office.

Born near Princess Anne, Maryland, Chase established a legal practice in Annapolis, Maryland. He served in the Maryland General Assembly for several years and favored independence during the American Revolution. He won election to the Continental Congress before serving on the Baltimore District Criminal Court and the Maryland General Court. In 1796, President George Washington appointed Chase to the United States Supreme Court.

After the 1800 elections, President Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans sought to weaken Federalist influence on the federal courts. Chase's actions on the court had been accused of demonstrating bias, and Jefferson believed that Chase should be removed from office, a process that required a vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The House passed eight articles of impeachment, all centering on Chase's alleged political bias. The Senate voted to acquit Chase on all counts, and Chase served on the Supreme Court until his death in 1811. Some historians have argued that Chase's acquittal set an important precedent regarding the independence of the federal judiciary.

Chase died of a heart attack in Baltimore and was interred in what is now Baltimore's Old Saint Paul's Cemetery.

Links to collections

Comparison

This is only a preview comparison of Constellations. It will only exist until this window is closed.

  • Added or updated
  • Deleted or outdated

Information

Permalink:
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w60h4b7s
SNAC ID:

Subjects:

  • Business record
  • Civil rights
  • Courts
  • Federal government
  • Freedom of the press
  • Grand juries
  • Impeachments
  • Instructions to juries
  • Judges
  • Press
  • Representative government and representation
  • Rule of law
  • Separation of powers

Occupations:

  • Delegates, U.S. Continental Congress
  • Judges
  • Jurists
  • Statesmen

Places:

  • MD, US
  • Annapolis, MD, US
  • Baltimore, MD, US
  • District of Columbia, DC, US

SNAC Cooperative Logo

Social Networks and Archival Context

SNAC is a discovery service for persons, families, and organizations found within archival collections at cultural heritage institutions.

Sponsors

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Institute of Museum and Library Services
National Endowment for the Humanities

Hosts

University of Virginia Library
National Archives and Records Administration