George Stillman Hillard
Encyclopedia
George Stillman Hillard (September 22, 1808 – January 21, 1879) was an American
lawyer
and author
. Besides developing his Boston legal practice (with Charles Sumner
as a partner), he served in the Massachusetts
legislature, edited several Boston journals, and wrote on literature, politics and travel.
in 1828, he taught in the Round Hill School
at Northampton, Massachusetts
. He graduated at the Harvard Law School
in 1832, and in 1833 he was admitted to the bar
in Boston, where he entered into partnership with Charles Sumner
, and developed an extensive legal practice. He was a member of the Massachusetts legislature
: the Massachusetts House of Representatives
in 1836, and the Massachusetts Senate
in 1850. There he was conspicuous as an orator, and his policies were praised by Daniel Webster
. He was a member of the Massachusetts constitutional convention of 1853, city solicitor for Boston from 1854 until 1856, and in 1866-70 was United States district attorney
for Massachusetts.
Beginning in 1837, Hillard rented rooms to Nathaniel Hawthorne
, who had recently taken a job at the customhouse in Boston. Around that time, he was a founding member of an informal social group called the Five of Clubs which also included Sumner, author Henry Russell Cleveland (1809–1843), Cornelius Conway Felton
, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
.
Hillard devoted a large portion of his time to literature. With George Ripley
, he edited the Christian Register, a Unitarian
weekly, beginning in 1833; in 1834, in association with Sumner, he became editor of The American Jurist (1829–1843), a legal journal to which Sumner, Simon Greenleaf
and Theron Metcalf
contributed; and from 1856 to 1861 he was an associate editor of the Boston Courier.
oration in Boston in 1835; he spoke on “Dangers and Duties of the Mercantile Profession” to the Mercantile Library Association (1850); he spoke before the New York Pilgrim Society (1851); and he delivered a eulogy on Daniel Webster in 1852. He gave a series of 12 lectures on the “Life and Writings of Milton” as part of the Lowell Institute
's lecture series for the 1846-47 season.
and many articles in periodicals and encyclopedia
s.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. Besides developing his Boston legal practice (with Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction,...
as a partner), he served in the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
legislature, edited several Boston journals, and wrote on literature, politics and travel.
Biography
Hillard was born at Machias, Maine on September 22, 1808. After graduating at Harvard CollegeHarvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1828, he taught in the Round Hill School
Round Hill School
The Round Hill School for Boys in Northampton, Massachusetts, founded by George Bancroft and Joseph Cogswell in 1823, though it failed as a viable venture — it closed in 1834 — was an early effort to elevate secondary education in the United States for the sons of the New England elite...
at Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
. He graduated at the Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1832, and in 1833 he was admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in Boston, where he entered into partnership with Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction,...
, and developed an extensive legal practice. He was a member of the Massachusetts legislature
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
: the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
in 1836, and the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
in 1850. There he was conspicuous as an orator, and his policies were praised by Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
. He was a member of the Massachusetts constitutional convention of 1853, city solicitor for Boston from 1854 until 1856, and in 1866-70 was United States district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
for Massachusetts.
Beginning in 1837, Hillard rented rooms to Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
, who had recently taken a job at the customhouse in Boston. Around that time, he was a founding member of an informal social group called the Five of Clubs which also included Sumner, author Henry Russell Cleveland (1809–1843), Cornelius Conway Felton
Cornelius Conway Felton
Cornelius Conway Felton was an American educator. He was regent of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as professor of Greek literature and president of Harvard University....
, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
.
Hillard devoted a large portion of his time to literature. With George Ripley
George Ripley
George Ripley was an American social reformer, Unitarian minister, and journalist associated with Transcendentalism. He was the founder of the short-lived Utopian community Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Massachusetts....
, he edited the Christian Register, a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
weekly, beginning in 1833; in 1834, in association with Sumner, he became editor of The American Jurist (1829–1843), a legal journal to which Sumner, Simon Greenleaf
Simon Greenleaf
Simon Greenleaf , American lawyer and jurist, was born at Newburyport, Massachusetts.-Early life and legal career:...
and Theron Metcalf
Theron Metcalf
Theron Metcalf was a New England jurist and a judge of the Massachusetts Supreme Court.-Biography:...
contributed; and from 1856 to 1861 he was an associate editor of the Boston Courier.
Public speaking
In addition to his oratorical contributions in meetings of the Massachusetts legislature, he gave the 4th of JulyIndependence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
oration in Boston in 1835; he spoke on “Dangers and Duties of the Mercantile Profession” to the Mercantile Library Association (1850); he spoke before the New York Pilgrim Society (1851); and he delivered a eulogy on Daniel Webster in 1852. He gave a series of 12 lectures on the “Life and Writings of Milton” as part of the Lowell Institute
Lowell Institute
The Lowell Institute is an educational foundation in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., providing for free public lectures, and endowed by the bequest of $250,000 left by John Lowell, Jr., who died in 1836. Under the terms of his will 10% of the net income was to be added to the principal, which in...
's lecture series for the 1846-47 season.
Writings
His publications include:- memoirs of James BrownJames Brown (publisher)James Brown was an American publisher and co-founder of Little, Brown and Company.-Biography:Brown was born in Acton, Massachusetts. He started his working life was as a servant in the family of Prof. Hedge, of Cambridge, by whom he was instructed in the classics and in mathematics. Around 1832,...
and Jeremiah MasonJeremiah MasonJeremiah Mason was a United States Senator from New Hampshire. Born in Lebanon, Connecticut, son of Jeremiah Mason and wife Elizabeth Fitch , he graduated from Yale College in 1788, studied law, moved to Vermont, and was admitted to the bar in 1791...
(privately printed) - a life of Captain John Smith for SparksJared SparksJared Sparks was an American historian, educator, and Unitarian minister. He served as President of Harvard University from 1849 to 1853.-Biography:...
's “American Biography” - The Poetical Works of Edmund SpenserEdmund SpenserEdmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and one of the greatest poets in the English...
, with a critical introduction (5 vols., Boston, 1839) - a translation of François GuizotFrançois GuizotFrançois Pierre Guillaume Guizot was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848, a conservative liberal who opposed the attempt by King Charles X to usurp legislative power, and worked to sustain a constitutional...
's “Essay on the Character and Influence of George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
” (1840) - memoir of Henry Russell Cleveland with a selection from his writings (privately printed, 1845)
- Memorial of Daniel Webster (1853)
- Six Months in ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(2 vols., 1853) - Selections from the Works of Walter Savage LandorWalter Savage LandorWalter Savage Landor was an English writer and poet. His best known works were the prose Imaginary Conversations, and the poem Rose Aylmer, but the critical acclaim he received from contemporary poets and reviewers was not matched by public popularity...
(1856) - Life and Campaigns of George B. McClellanGeorge B. McClellanGeorge Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
(Philadelphia, 1864) - “Political Duties of the Educated Classes,” a pamphlet (Boston, 1866)
- Life, Letters, and Journals of George TicknorGeorge TicknorGeorge Ticknor was an American academician and Hispanist, specializing in the subject areas of languages and literature. He is known for his scholarly work on the history and criticism of Spanish literature....
, with Mrs. Ticknor (1876) - a series of school Readers
and many articles in periodicals and encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
s.