Freeborn Garrettson Jewett (August 4, 1791 in Sharon,

Litchfield County, Connecticut Litchfield County is in northwestern Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut and is the ...

– January 27, 1858 in Skaneateles, Onondaga County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from New York and was the first Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals.

Life

Jewett was born in

Sharon, Connecticut Sharon is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, in the northwest corner of the state. At the time of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 2,680. The ZIP code for Sharon is 06069. The urban center of the town is ...

on August 4, 1791, a son of Abigail Sears Jewett and Alpheus Jewett. He moved to Skaneateles in 1815, and was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1817. He studied law, first with Henry Swift of Dutchess County, then with Samuel Young of

Ballston Spa Ballston Spa is a village and the county seat of Saratoga County, New York, United States, located southwest of Saratoga Springs. The population of the village, named after Rev. Eliphalet Ball, a Congregationalist clergyman and an early settler, w ...

. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1818 and commenced practice in Skaneateles as the partner of James Porter. From 1824 to 1831 he was Surrogate of Onondaga County.

Political career

He was a member from Onondaga County of the New York State Assembly in

1826 Events January–March * January 15 – The French newspaper '' Le Figaro'' begins publication in Paris, initially as a weekly. * January 30 – The Menai Suspension Bridge, built by engineer Thomas Telford, is opened between the island ...

. He was a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...

1828 Events January–March * January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France. * January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organized. * January 22 – Arth ...

Congress

Jewett was elected as a Jacksonian to the

22nd United States Congress The 22nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 18 ...

, holding office from March 4, 1831 to March 3, 1833. He was Inspector of Auburn Prison in 1838 and 1839, and District Attorney of Onondaga County in 1839. He was appointed an associate justice of the New York Supreme Court on March 5, 1845.

Judge

On June 7, 1847, Jewett was elected one of the first judges of the

New York State Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by ...

. On June 22, he drew the shortest term (2 years and a half), and when the judges took office on July 5, he became the first Chief Judge. He was re-elected in 1849 to an eight-year term, but resigned in June 1853 on account of ill health.

Death

He was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Skaneateles.

Legacy

Justice Jewett is the namesake of Jewett, New York.

Notes and references

Political Graveyard
''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 284, 348 and 415; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)

Obit in NYT on January 30, 1858 (giving wrong middle initial "J.", and almost all years given are wrong) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jewett, Freeborn G. 1791 births 1858 deaths Chief Judges of the New York Court of Appeals Onondaga County District Attorneys New York Supreme Court Justices People from Sharon, Connecticut People from Skaneateles, New York 1828 United States presidential electors Burials in New York (state) Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)