Peter Vivian Daniel, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Vivian_Daniel

Peter Vivian Daniel (April 24, 1784 – May 31, 1860) was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Early life, education, and career

Daniel was born in Stafford County, Virginia, in 1784 to a family of old colonial heritage. He was educated at home, and attended the College of New Jersey for one year before returning to Virginia. He read law under former Attorney General of the United States Edmund Randolph in Richmond, and was admitted to the bar in 1808. Daniel married Randolph's daughter.

In 1809, Daniel was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, and in 1812 became a member of the advisory Virginia Privy Council. He remained on the Council and in 1818 was elected Lieutenant Governor. He would retain both of these positions until 1836, when President Andrew Jackson appointed him to the federal judiciary.

Judicial service

On April 6, 1836, Daniel was nominated by President Jackson to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia vacated by the elevation of Philip Pendleton Barbour to the Supreme Court. Daniel was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 19, 1836, and received his commission the same day.

On February 26, 1841, Daniel was nominated by President Martin Van Buren, to be elevated to Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, also to a seat vacated by Barbour. At this time, there were no intermediate courts of appeal, and it was not uncommon for appointments to the Supreme Court to be drawn from the ranks of sitting District Court judges. Additionally, there was a tradition of having representation from certain geographical areas on the court, and the appointment of Daniel to succeed Barbour continued the tradition of that seat being held by a Virginian. Daniel's elevation was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 2, 1841, near the end of van Buren's term, and his commission issued on March 3, 1841. Daniel remained on the court until his death, in 1860, in Richmond, Virginia.

Daniel was not a particularly notable justice, authoring only one significant opinion for the court in his 18 years. He sided with the majority in the Dred Scott case, as well as in Jones v. Van Zandt, which affirmed the legality of the Fugitive Slave Act. Justice Daniel is especially known to law students and legal scholars for having authored several prominent dissenting opinions, some prophetic of changes in the law, and some emblematic of his historical states'-rights viewpoint.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5671

United States Supreme Court Associate Justice. born in Stafford County, Virginia on April 24, 1784.

He was educated by tutors and attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) for one year, from 1802 to 1803. Peter then returned to Virginia and read law in Richmond under Edmund Randolph, who had been Secretary of State and Attorney General under President George Washington. He was admitted to the bar in 1808 and married Lucy, Randolph's daughter and established a law practice. In 1812, he became a member of the Virginia Privy Council, an executive advisory and review body. In 1818, Peter was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, retaining his Council seat. He occupied both of these positions for the next seventeen years. President Andrew Jackson appointed him to the United States District Court for Eastern Virginia in 1836. President Martin Van Buren nominated Peter to the Supreme Court of the United States on March 3, 1841. The Senate confirmed the appointment on January 10, 1842. Peter remained on the court until his death, in 1860, in Richmond, Virginia. He was 76 years old.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Dec 1 2020, 2:00:27 UTC