Prominent nineteenth-century Iowa lawyer and judge. Caleb Baldwin came to Iowa from Pennsylvania in 1846, settling first in Fairfield and then in Council Bluffs. In 1859 he was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court. After serving this court for 6 years (2 years as chief justice) he resumed private law practice in Council Bluffs. In 1864 President Lincoln appointed him United States District Attorney for the district of Iowa, a position he held until Lincoln's assassination. In 1874 President Grant appointed him to the Court of Commissioners of Alabama Claims to settle claims made by the U.S. government against Great Britain for the damage inflicted on Northern merchant ships during the American Civil War by the cruiser Alabama.
From the description of Caleb Baldwin Court of Commissioners of Alabama Claims documents, 1874. (State Historical Society of Iowa, Library). WorldCat record id: 73176073