Henry Williams Blodgett
Encyclopedia
Henry Williams Blodgett was a United States federal judge
.
Blodgett was born in Amherst, Massachusetts
in 1821. He moved to Illinois
with his parents in 1831. As a boy, he helped his father establish a forge
in Downers Grove, Illinois
and worked on the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal
.
He spent 1838-39 studying at Amherst Academy, and then returned to Illinois where he worked as a teacher and as a land surveyor
. He read law with Illinois lawyers Jonathan Y. Scaremen and Norman B. Judd
in 1844 (at a time when there were only twelve lawyers in Chicago) and was admitted to the bar in 1845. He was in private practice of law in Waukegan, Illinois
from 1845 to 1869. As an opponent of slavery, he became active in the Republican Party
. He became the first member elected on an Anti-slavery ticket to the Illinois General Assembly
in 1852, and served as an Illinois state representative
from 1852 to 1854.
In 1855, Blodgett was one of the projectors
of the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company and he left public life to become involved with the railway's legal department. He subsequently served as a director
and as president of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway.
Blodgett returned to public life as an Illinois state senator
from 1858 to 1862. He attended the 1860 Republican National Convention
, where he supported the nomination of Abraham Lincoln
. He was the law partner of Frederick H. Winston
from 1861 to 1870.
Blodgett campaigned for Ulysses S. Grant
during the United States presidential election, 1868
. In 1870, President Grant appointed Thomas Drummond
, the sole federal judge
on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
as the first-ever judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
. Blodgett was nominated by President Grant on January 10, 1870, to fill the seat vacated by Drummond. He was confirmed by the United States Senate
on January 11, 1870, and received his commission the same day. Blodgett served as the only judge for the Northern District of Illinois for 22 years, before his retirement on December 5, 1892. Drummond's specialty had been admiralty law
, but Blodgett's experience at the Chicago and Northwestern Railway left him well positioned to decide cases in a period when railroads were replacing shipping
as Chicago's major mode of transporting goods. Not long after Blodgett's appointment, the Great Chicago Fire
(1871) resulted in the destruction of the U.S. Court Building, along with most of the Northern District of Illinois' records.
In 1878, Blodgett was the target of the newly formed Chicago Bar Association
, which organized a letter writing campaign to Rep. Carter Harrison, Sr.
calling on Congress
to impeach Blodgett. Blodgett was accused of improperly borrowing money from the court, of showing undue favoritism to railway corporations and other big corporations, and of appointing his friends as bankruptcy trustees
and receivers
. Blodgett was defended by Senator Lyman Trumbull
, but the United States House Committee on the Judiciary
investigated the accusations. In March 1879, the investigative committee issued a report mildly censuring Blodgett, but recommending the charges against him be tabled.
During his time at the Northern District of Illinois, Blodgett presided over several prominent cases, including a patent
case in which he declared that Alexander Graham Bell
was the inventor of the telephone
; and a copyright
case in which he found that a publisher who published Sketches New and Old
by Mark Twain
had not violated Twain's copyright because Twain forgot to copyright the work (he also found that Samuel Clemens did not have a trademark
in the name "Mark Twain").
In 1887, McDonough County, Fulton County
, and Tazewell County
were added to the Northern District of Illinois, and the district was divided into two divisions: the Northern Division continued to hear cases in Chicago, while the Southern Division heard cases in Peoria
.
In 1892, Blodgett left the bench to become U.S. counsel during the Bering Sea Arbitration
.
He died in Waukegan, Illinois
.
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
.
Blodgett was born in Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
in 1821. He moved to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
with his parents in 1831. As a boy, he helped his father establish a forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
in Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove is a village in Downers Grove and Lisle Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census, with an official estimated population of 49,250 in 2008.-History:...
and worked on the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal
Illinois and Michigan Canal
The Illinois and Michigan Canal ran from the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago on the Chicago River to LaSalle-Peru, Illinois, on the Illinois River. It was finished in 1848 when Chicago Mayor James Hutchinson Woodworth presided over its opening; and it allowed boat transportation from the Great...
.
He spent 1838-39 studying at Amherst Academy, and then returned to Illinois where he worked as a teacher and as a land surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
. He read law with Illinois lawyers Jonathan Y. Scaremen and Norman B. Judd
Norman B. Judd
Norman Buel Judd was a U.S. Representative from Illinois, and the grandfather of U.S. Representative Norman Judd Gould of New York....
in 1844 (at a time when there were only twelve lawyers in Chicago) and was admitted to the bar in 1845. He was in private practice of law in Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan is a city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. The 2010 population was 89,078. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population...
from 1845 to 1869. As an opponent of slavery, he became active in the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. He became the first member elected on an Anti-slavery ticket to the Illinois General Assembly
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...
in 1852, and served as an Illinois state representative
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
from 1852 to 1854.
In 1855, Blodgett was one of the projectors
Corporate promoter
A corporate promoter is a person who solicits people to invest money into a corporation, usually when it is being formed. An investment banker, an underwriter, or a stock promoter may, wholly or in part, perform the role of a promoter...
of the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company and he left public life to become involved with the railway's legal department. He subsequently served as a director
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
and as president of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway.
Blodgett returned to public life as an Illinois state senator
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...
from 1858 to 1862. He attended the 1860 Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
, where he supported the nomination of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. He was the law partner of Frederick H. Winston
Frederick H. Winston
Frederick Hampden Winston was a prominent American lawyer who was one of the founders of the law firm that is today Winston & Strawn. He served as the American Minister to Persia, 1885-1886.-Biography:...
from 1861 to 1870.
Blodgett campaigned for Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
during the United States presidential election, 1868
United States presidential election, 1868
The United States presidential election of 1868 was the first presidential election to take place after the American Civil War, during the period referred to as Reconstruction...
. In 1870, President Grant appointed Thomas Drummond
Thomas Drummond (judge)
Thomas Drummond , was a United States federal judge.Born in Bristol Mills, Maine, Drummond graduated from Bowdoin College in 1830, and read law to enter the Bar in Philadelphia in 1833. He had a private practice in Galena, Illinois, from 1835 to 1850...
, the sole federal judge
Federal judge
Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state / provincial / local level.-Brazil:In Brazil, federal judges of first instance are chosen exclusively by public contest...
on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois....
as the first-ever judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:* Central District of Illinois* Northern District of Illinois...
. Blodgett was nominated by President Grant on January 10, 1870, to fill the seat vacated by Drummond. He was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on January 11, 1870, and received his commission the same day. Blodgett served as the only judge for the Northern District of Illinois for 22 years, before his retirement on December 5, 1892. Drummond's specialty had been admiralty law
Admiralty law
Admiralty law is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. It is a body of both domestic law governing maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between private entities which operate vessels on the oceans...
, but Blodgett's experience at the Chicago and Northwestern Railway left him well positioned to decide cases in a period when railroads were replacing shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
as Chicago's major mode of transporting goods. Not long after Blodgett's appointment, the Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
(1871) resulted in the destruction of the U.S. Court Building, along with most of the Northern District of Illinois' records.
In 1878, Blodgett was the target of the newly formed Chicago Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Founded in 1874, the Chicago Bar Association is a voluntary bar association with over 20,000 members. Like other bar associations, it concerns itself with professional ethics, networking among members, and continuing legal education. It is located adjacent to the John Marshall Law School in the...
, which organized a letter writing campaign to Rep. Carter Harrison, Sr.
Carter Harrison, Sr.
Carter Henry Harrison, Sr. was an American politician who served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois from 1879 until 1887; he was subsequently elected to a fifth term in 1893 but was assassinated before completing his term. He previously served two terms in the United States House of Representatives...
calling on Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to impeach Blodgett. Blodgett was accused of improperly borrowing money from the court, of showing undue favoritism to railway corporations and other big corporations, and of appointing his friends as bankruptcy trustees
Trustee in bankruptcy
A trustee in bankruptcy is an entity, often an individual, in charge of administering a bankruptcy estate.- United States :In the United States, a Trustee in Bankruptcy is a person who is appointed by the United States Department of Justice or by the creditors involved in a bankruptcy case.In a...
and receivers
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
. Blodgett was defended by Senator Lyman Trumbull
Lyman Trumbull
Lyman Trumbull was a United States Senator from Illinois during the American Civil War, and co-author of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.-Education and early career:...
, but the United States House Committee on the Judiciary
United States House Committee on the Judiciary
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies and Federal law enforcement...
investigated the accusations. In March 1879, the investigative committee issued a report mildly censuring Blodgett, but recommending the charges against him be tabled.
During his time at the Northern District of Illinois, Blodgett presided over several prominent cases, including a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
case in which he declared that Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
was the inventor of the telephone
Invention of the telephone
The invention of the telephone is the culmination of work done by many individuals, the history of which involves a collection of claims and counterclaims. The development of the modern telephone involved an array of lawsuits founded upon the patent claims of several individuals...
; and a copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
case in which he found that a publisher who published Sketches New and Old
Sketches New and Old
Sketches New and Old is a group of fictional stories by Mark Twain. It was published in 1875. It includes the short story "A Ghost Story", among others.-Contents:* Preface* My Watch* Political Economy* The Jumping Frog* Journalism in Tennessee...
by Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
had not violated Twain's copyright because Twain forgot to copyright the work (he also found that Samuel Clemens did not have a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
in the name "Mark Twain").
In 1887, McDonough County, Fulton County
Fulton County, Illinois
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 37,069, which is a decrease of 3.1% from 38,250 in 2000. Its county seat is Lewistown. Canton is the largest city. Both cities are southwest of Peoria, and the county is considered...
, and Tazewell County
Tazewell County, Illinois
Tazewell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 135,394, which is an increase of 5.4% from 128,485 in 2000. Its county seat and largest city is Pekin. The majority of the population live in the suburbs and bedroom communities...
were added to the Northern District of Illinois, and the district was divided into two divisions: the Northern Division continued to hear cases in Chicago, while the Southern Division heard cases in Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
.
In 1892, Blodgett left the bench to become U.S. counsel during the Bering Sea Arbitration
Bering Sea Arbitration
The Bering Sea Arbitration arose out of a fishery dispute between Great Britain and the United States in the 1880s which was closed by this arbitration in 1893.-Origins:...
.
He died in Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan is a city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. The 2010 population was 89,078. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population...
.
Sources
- Richard Cahan, A Court That Shaped America: Chicago's Federal District Court from Abe Lincoln to Abbie Hoffman (Northwestern University Press, 2002)
- Henry W. Blodgett's Autobiography (1906)